"Really broke?"

Dou Jianbai asked with a face full of surprise after hearing Hongyu's report.

Hongyu's face still had a trace of trembling redness as she nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Steward Dou, all twenty-one strings of the Zhuohua zither have broken."

"What is his cultivation level?"

"Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul, or peak level."

"Are you sure?"

"The cultivation level seen by the restriction device was between the Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul and the peak of the Nascent Soul."

Dou Jianbai frowned, "How could it be... The Zhuohua zither was crafted by the Imperial Music Workshop, and there are just over a hundred in the entire Great Li, most of which are still in the Celestial Balance Upper City Imperial Palace. Its body is made of Celestial Profound Jade, and the strings are Dragon Fish Ropes. The quality is definitely impeccable, unless he broke it intentionally."

Hongyu said, "I can assure you, he did not break it intentionally. He was playing 'Galloping Horse Command', and the strings couldn't withstand the strain and snapped."

"With your experience, why do you think that is?"

Hongyu thought for a moment, "In my experience, his performance was extremely vigorous, combined with the rapid rhythm of 'Galloping Horse Command', the strings couldn't bear the vibrancy of the rhythm and snapped."

"According to you, is he a Master of Music?"

Hongyu smiled bitterly, "Not at all. He is a complete beginner. I suspect he hadn't even touched a zither before. However, after listening to me play 'Galloping Horse Command' just once, he learned it, not only learned it but also captured the essence of the piece."

"Captured the essence?"

"Yes, 'Galloping Horse Command' was composed by Mr. Huziyu for the Jade Peak Plateau battle thirteen hundred years ago. At that time, it was late December, the coldest period of the year, and the Gulu River on Jade Peak Plateau was frozen, depicting an imagery of desolation. When that guest performed the piece, I felt as if I was on the battlefield at Jade Peak Plateau, surrounded by soldiers shouting, war horses neighed, and weapons clashing..."

Dou Jianbai mused, "To express the imagery of a demanding piece on the first try, what does this indicate?"

"It is precisely because I can't understand this that I have come to consult you, Steward Dou. Even the best Zhuohua zither in the major city couldn't withstand his performance, I'm afraid we have to look in the minor city." Hongyu said.

Dou Jianbai shook his head, "The minor city is only open to guests with the Red Flood Dragon Order or higher, we mustn't break the rules, let's observe for now."

"Alright."

...

Fan Wubing looked at the Zhuohua zither before him, all twenty-one strings snapped, and fell into deep thought.

He recalled the moment when he performed the piece just now.

At that time, he only listened to Hongyu's performance of the piece once, and then experienced a very mysterious feeling in his mind, noting the piece down without a single mistake, and not only that, he made some adjustments that didn't affect the core emotion, enhancing the expressive effect of the piece.

While performing, the moment he placed his hands on the strings, he felt as if he was naturally born to play that piece. As he strummed the strings, countless images flooded into his mind.

He felt he wasn't merely performing a piece, but transforming into a soldier fighting on the battlefield. His identity kept changing, being a brave soldier, a strong war horse, a commanding general, or even as weapons, sand, ice, withered grass...

In short, he felt as though he became the rhythm of each note, jointly expressing the entire piece.

This feeling was very enigmatic, giving him a unique experience.

Under such an experience, his entire self became somewhat transparent, as if he shed his mortal form and transformed into all things between heaven and earth.

What he cherished most was that, while performing the composition, all worries, troubles, and anxieties vanished, as if the monkey in his heart had been exiled. He thought, if he could enter the Fetal Movement Realm at this point, that would be the best.

He couldn't help but want to continue playing, yearning to find that special experience again.

However, he was also curious why he would enter such a state of immersive self-forgetfulness during performance.

"Could I be a Music Dao genius?" Fan Wubing pondered with his chin in hand, "No... it must be due to the 'Sound of the Heavenly River and Rain Dragon'. I had never paid attention before, but now that I suddenly do, it turns out to be so mystical. According to Chengming, the 'Sound of the Heavenly River and Rain Dragon' itself is an inheritance of the Dao. So am I currently in a state of receiving the Dao's inheritance or merely inspired by it? I must try more pieces to find out."

That Miss Hongyu seemed to be someone well-versed in music theory, perhaps I could ask her to play some pieces for me when the time comes.

Just as he was thinking this, the door opened.

"Sorry to keep the guest waiting," Hongyu introduced, "This is Dou Jianbai, who manages our rare commodities at Changle Pavilion, Steward Dou."

Fan Wubing stood up, "Greetings, Steward Dou."

Dou Jianbai replied cheerfully, "No need to be so formal, young friend. You are our guest, we are here to serve you." He glanced at the Zhuohua zither with the broken strings and sensed it slightly, "Indeed, it broke naturally, it's unrelated to young friend."

Fan Wubing still said with a hint of apology, "I was a bit careless."

Dou Jianbai shook his head, "It's us who failed to understand the young friend's needs."

"Then, do you have other zithers in your pavilion?"

Dou Jianbai asked, "Is young friend in urgent need? If not, I could ask the other branches of the Heaven and Earth Bank if there are better ones available."

"How long would that take?"

"At least a year or half. If it takes longer, maybe three to five years. Zhuohua zither is already the best zither in the major city here." Dou Jianbai thought Fan Wubing might be a valuable guest, and wished to build a good relationship, "In the minor city, there are some unique private zithers."

"Minor city?"

"Hmm... Well, the minor city only opens for guests holding the Red Flood Dragon Order or above," Dou Jianbai smiled as he explained, "Although I am the steward of Rare Treasure City, I mustn't break the rules. If the young friend really needs it, how about upgrading to the Red Flood Dragon Order first? It's not difficult, spending 200 top-grade Spirit Stones within a year at Changle Pavilion, or a one-time spending of over 50 top-grade Spirit Stones would suffice."

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