"I can't say for sure."

"Hearing you say that, I'm quite looking forward to what kind of music you can play."

Fu Manman and Xianchan still wanted to listen more, after all, it would be a pity not to hear the entire performance considering how expensive the ticket was.

Fan Wubing left alone. On his way out, he saw Lv Liang.

Lv Liang was sitting in the corner, looking like he was a bit drunk, with eyes closed and body swaying, seemingly enjoying the music very much. He seemed to be in a state of 'No Self', so much so that he didn't even hear Fan Wubing greeting him.

This made Fan Wubing somewhat curious about what kind of person he was.

...

After leaving the Celestial Sound Workshop, Fan Wubing headed straight to the Qian District on the other side of Buxu City.

The branch of the Heaven and Earth Bank set in Buxu City was located in the Qian District, named the Changle Pavilion.

Compared to the Treasure Heart Pavilion of Little South Continent, Changle Pavilion was even more luxurious, with its corners extending and eaves stretching. Although called a "pavilion", it was actually a collection of high-rise buildings. The tallest and largest tower in Buxu City was at Changle Pavilion, visible even from a distance.

Standing outside Changle Pavilion, one could immediately feel the extravagant aura of wealth. The structure of the various building facilities was made from the most prestigious materials; rare spirit woods not often seen elsewhere were casually used here as pillars and flooring... Just standing inside, doing nothing, one could feel a sense of abundant spiritual vitality.

The visitors were endless.

Much like the Treasure Heart Pavilion, the attendants responsible for receiving guests were all alluring and charming women.

Having had experience before, Fan Wubing navigated with ease, first packaging and selling all the miscellaneous items he had gathered over the past six months during his travels. Although there were many items, they weren't very expensive, totaling to one high-grade Spirit Stone and over two hundred middle-grade Spirit Stones combined.

Then he entered the Treasure Pavilion. He intended to buy a zither there. '

"Rain Dragon's Heavenly River Sound" is played on a zither.

In any case, he had to give it a try first.

To truly play "Rain Dragon's Heavenly River Sound", the Artifact Refiner could then produce the Dragon-Soothing Sound and unlock the side quest "Heart's Desire".

Fan Wubing didn't know much about musical instruments, and after spending quite a while choosing at the instrument store, and listening to the salesperson's detailed introduction, he finally settled on one he found handy.

"This zither is called 'Zhuohua', named by Liu Qingshan of the Imperial Music Workshop of Great Li, personally made by the Imperial Music Workshop, and there are only a hundred of them in Great Li. It's an exquisite instrument. The strings are clear, and the body is resilient, capable of playing both grand river melodies and graceful smaller pieces."

Even hearing such great praise, he still wanted to try it out to be sure. He asked, "Can I try playing it?"

The salesperson, also a beautiful woman, smiled charmingly, "Of course you can. Sir, please follow me to the sound-testing room."

The two entered a room adjacent to the instrument store.

The room wasn't large, yet it gave the impression that one was standing between mountains and rivers, and the soundproofing was exceptional; as soon as he entered, the outside sounds were inaudible.

The salesperson smiled and said, "This sound-testing room is laid with a layer of 'High Mountains and Flowing Water Intent' by Master Liu Qingshan, making it feel as if you are in a place of high mountains and flowing waters when you play here."

Fan Wubing was quite curious about this 'High Mountains and Flowing Water Intent', and roughly felt that it was some kind of Dao mechanism.

If he had nothing else to do, he would sit down and contemplate it thoroughly.

Placing the Zhuohua zither on the rack, Fan Wubing sat down, taking a deep breath.

The Zhuohua zither was quite a sight, the kind of item one could tell was top-quality at a glance. Its entire body resembled black jade, and its zither strings were crystal clear, with a closer look revealing what seemed like a starry night enclosed within.

The nearby salesperson, Hongyu, noticing his demeanor, couldn't help but chuckle. She was an expert in this field and could tell at a glance whether someone could play an instrument.

In her eyes, Fan Wubing was clearly someone who had never touched a zither before.

Thus, she kindly asked, "Sir, would you like Hongyu to test the sound for you? Of course, Hongyu can also guide you a little to help you learn some basic playing techniques."

Fan Wubing felt a bit embarrassed, not expecting to be identified as someone who couldn't play the zither in one look, "Is there a charge?"

She smiled, "To serve sir brings me joy, there will be no charge."

She cast a coy glance, filled with affection.

It was just that she found Fan Wubing to be an exceedingly pleasant young man, both in looks and demeanor, thus she was willing to do so.

Fan Wubing, without forcing it, said, "Please go ahead."

Hongyu then sat down in front of the Zhuohua zither, seemingly with the intention of teasing the young Fan Wubing a bit, her slender hands brushing the strings and lightly touching the back of his hand.

The zither strings emitted a light and exquisite melody.

She went to gauge Fan Wubing's expression, initially planning to catch a glimpse of the young man's shy demeanor, but instead saw him furrowing his brows at the strings, promptly withdrawing her playful attitude, asking, "Sir, do you not like the sound?"

Fan Wubing did not answer this question, "Could you play it for a bit?"

Hongyu then played a simple melody.

After the performance, she felt indeed that this zither was top-notch.

Fan Wubing pondered for a moment and said, "One of the strings is a bit off."

"Hmm?" Hongyu was taken aback, "The strings of Zhuohua zither were personally linked and tuned by Master Liu Qingshan."

Fan Wubing couldn't exactly explain what was wrong; he didn't understand music theory well, but he inexplicably had a musical intuition that made him feel one of the strings was off.

He asked, "May I adjust it a bit?"

"Of course, you can."

Fan Wubing's fingers landed on the thirteenth string from top to bottom, gently pressing it down, shifting it towards the left tuning peg, and after reaching the connection point, he lightly infused a trace of qi, adjusting its position, tension, and vibration range.

"Okay, now try it again."

Hongyu found it quite strange, this method of adjusting the strings was too unprofessional, would it not cause any problem... She chose a slightly more complex piece to play this time.

At a certain moment, when she reached the thirteenth string, she abruptly stopped.

This sound... It's so strange!

No, not strange... Rather, it became extraordinarily wondrous.

She felt like the piece she was playing seemed to become magical due to the change in sound from the thirteenth string... as if a sickly person became full of vigor... This was, the life of music!

Yes, the life of music!

But, there has never been a mention that the life of music could be brought out by adjusting strings.

Fan Wubing furrowed his brows, "Don't stop, keep going."

His tone startled Hongyu, prompting her to quickly continue playing.

Afterward, she dared not regard this young guest carelessly, and respectfully asked, "Sir, what do you think?"

Fan Wubing shook his head, "I should be asking you, what do YOU think?"

"This zither?"

"Yes."

"It feels like it 'came alive'."

Fan Wubing gently exhaled, slightly closing his eyes. He roughly understood that the "Rain Dragon's Heavenly River Sound" in his mind was indeed some kind of Dao inheritance. He had just adjusted the Zhuohua zither according to the guidance of the "Rain Dragon's Heavenly River Sound".

"Let me give it a try."

"Sure." Hongyu quickly stepped aside, asking, "However, sir, can you play?"

"I just watched you and memorized it."

"What?" Hongyu was a bit dumbfounded, not understanding what Fan Wubing meant until the booming sound of the zither strings arose.

Fan Wubing was indeed playing, the same piece just now.

This was a piece depicting war,

In the rapid and rhythmic music, Hongyu seemed to see thousands of troops charging towards her.

Soldiers shouting, warhorses neighing, weapons clashing.

She felt like she was in a grand dream,

A dream where iron horses crossed icy rivers, where everything was desolate and fierce.

Until a piercing snap echoed through, and the zither's roar ceased abruptly.

She awoke from the grand dream, dumbfoundedly looking at Fan Wubing, trembling as she spoke, "Si...Sir?"

Fan Wubing apologized with a smile, "I seem to have gone too far, all the strings have broken."

Hongyu looked at the Zhuohua zither, and indeed, all twenty-one strings had snapped.

Fan Wubing awkwardly asked, "Do I need to compensate for this?"

Hongyu came to her senses, her expression excited, her voice trembling, "No... there's no need to compensate. It wasn't you who broke the strings; they couldn't withstand the wondrous sound you played."

She then bowed, revealing her ample bosom, "Please wait here, sir, Hongyu will return shortly!" and hurriedly left.

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