CHAPTER 178: CHAPTER 46: WE’RE NOT CLOSE [SECOND UPDATE]

The slightly upbeat melody flowed from beneath Yue Zhao’s fingers, his smile much more genuine than before. His eyes, gazing at the instrument before him, swirled with emotions, and it seemed as though he had become one with the universe.

The previously noisy square gradually quieted down, everyone was stirred by the music beside their ears, immersed in it, as if they were witnessing vivid scenes of life.

Or rather, not as if, but as if such a scene had indeed appeared before them.

Yue Zhao painted a picture in the air with his music, and as everyone watched this picture, they each had their own insights, and thus the expressions on their faces varied.

Some people felt the ease within it, their expressions relaxed, and they looked delighted. Some recalled their childhood, as if they had returned to that carefree age, smiles tugging at their lips, their expressions nostalgic. Others were drawn to their memories, remembering the one who accompanied them, those beautiful moments, involuntarily showing a look of longing.

The deepest part of people’s hearts was touched; some cried, some laughed, some found solace, others suffered, all varieties of life seemed to be released at this moment.

Even Han Wenxin, sitting not far from Yue Zhao, had moved from initial doubt to being swept up, with his lips curving into a faint smile, seemingly recalling something beautiful, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes.

As the piece ended, the images in the air vanished, and for a long time, no one wanted to wake up until Yue Zhao snapped his fingers, bringing them back to reality.

Now, looking at Yue Zhao, they were no longer filled with sympathy but with admiration. The ability to play in such a state was enough to demonstrate that Yue Zhao’s level was higher than Han Wenxin’s. Everyone turned to look at Han Wenxin, expecting to see an unpleasant expression on his face.

Unfortunately, they guessed wrong.

Han Wenxin’s expression was very calm at this moment, even carrying a smile at the corners of his mouth, his gaze towards Yue Zhao faintly respectful.

"It is I who lost. Your skill with the zither has reached its peak, and I willingly concede defeat!" Han Wenxin stood up, approached Yue Zhao, folded his hands, and respectfully bowed to Yue Zhao.

Yue Zhao sat in the chair, calmly accepting Han Wenxin’s salute.

"This is a token I offer to you, sir, please graciously accept it." He took out a scroll and handed it to Yue Zhao.

Yue Zhao, with an air of composure, took the scroll from his hand, opened it for a glance, confirmed it was indeed the score for "Sea Falling Tide Song," and directly placed it into his Qiankun Ring.

"May I know your name, sir?" Seeing Yue Zhao was about to leave, Han Wenxin stepped forward to ask.

Yue Zhao stopped, turned to glance at Han Wenxin, pondered for a moment, and slowly spoke, "Yue Zhao from the Yue Family of Chang’an Prefecture."

After speaking, Yue Zhao ignored the stupefied Han Wenxin and directly stepped off the stage.

Because of this incident, there was no need to watch the subsequent competition. Gu Qingqing and the others returned directly to the inn.

...

On the stage, upon hearing Yue Zhao’s name, Han Wenxin stood frozen, disbelief full in his eyes!

For a music cultivator, the Yue Family in Chang’an Prefecture was an absolute symbol of faith!

Entering the path through music was not easy, and achieving success in cultivation was even harder. If not for a stroke of luck, Han Wenxin wouldn’t have become Master Wenlian, revered by many, and he’d likely still be struggling at the fourth or fifth grade, lost among the crowd.

But the Yue Family is different!

The Yue Family has been music cultivators for generations, a trait imprinted in their very blood, maintained over thousands of years.

Every member of this family chooses an instrument as their lifebound instrument and has their unique cultivation technique.

The current head of the Yue Family, Yue Zhao’s father, is himself a ninth-grade peak music cultivator, and Yue Zhao has been the most talented in the last three hundred years!

Back when Yue Zhao was at the fifth grade, he killed dozens of sixth-grade individuals with one piece, "Knight’s Journey," becoming renowned in the Sub-immortal Realm and revealing himself as the disciple of the Spirit Fox Saint Master from the Lingxi Sacred Land.

After hearing Yue Zhao’s performance, Han Wenxin had speculated that Yue Zhao might be part of the Yue Family, but hearing Yue Zhao admit it aloud still left him incredulous!

Though Yue Zhao’s voice wasn’t loud, those close to the stage, including the City Lord and others, all heard it. They too were incredulous, including Lu Ying, who was quite surprised that the person he’d accidentally encountered was a celebrity in the Sub-immortal Realm!

...

Back at the inn, Yue Zhao looked apologetically at Gu Qingqing.

"Geng Geng, sorry for interrupting your watching the competition." Having exposed his identity, naturally, he couldn’t stay any longer, so Gu Qingqing and the others had to leave with him. Gu Qingqing was quite interested in the competition before, so Yue Zhao felt a bit guilty for not letting her watch.

"It’s okay, Senior Brother," Gu Qingqing shook her head. "Listening to you play the qin is much more interesting than watching those people compete."

"If Geng Geng wants to listen, I can play for you anytime." Usually, people can only hear Yue Zhao play while fighting him, but Gu Qingqing was different; he could perform for her anytime!

"Thank you, Senior Brother," Gu Qingqing beamed, then curiously looked at Yue Zhao, "Did you compete with that guy because of the ’Sea Falling Tide Song’?"

It was the first time Gu Qingqing saw Yue Zhao interested in something, so she was a bit curious.

Yue Zhao extended his hand, and the score of "Sea Falling Tide Song" appeared in his hand, "This ’Sea Falling West Song’ isn’t particularly valuable in terms of sheet music. It’s just that many scores were destroyed back then, so few remain now. Other than that, it might just be a song to others, but it’s of great importance to me."

Gu Qingqing nodded, "Then you should keep it safe, Senior Brother."

Seeing that Gu Qingqing didn’t show any interest in looking at it, Yue Zhao put it away.

"Since we can’t stay in Xiyuan City, let’s pack up and leave the city; otherwise, a pile of invitation cards will come in a while, causing us inconvenience!" Mu Chen suggested after Yue Zhao and Gu Qingqing finished talking.

The others exchanged glances, felt Mu Chen’s words made sense, and agreed, so they quickly packed their things and left in a carriage.

When the City Lord and the nobles of Xiyuan City found their residence and sent people with invitations, they discovered they had already left Xiyuan City, much to their regret.

After leaving Xiyuan City, the next stop was Daxing City, which took two days by carriage from Xiyuan City.

Gu Qingqing and the others’ carriage was not fast and often stopped, which allowed Lu Ying, who guessed their destination, to catch up with them quickly.

At that time, Gu Qingqing and the others were playing by the river because Gu Qingqing wanted to eat fish again. So Zhuo Tingqiu proposed a fish-catching contest. Gu Qingqing, Zhuo Tingqiu, and Yun Ran went down to the water to catch fish. After catching a few, Yun Ran accidentally splashed water on Zhuo Tingqiu, who retaliated, and they started a battle, dragging Gu Qingqing into it too.

While Mu Chen, Yue Zhao, Jun Wu, and Nan Hua watched them play from the riverbank, they heard the sound of hooves. When they looked into the distance, they saw Lu Ying approaching, which surprised them all.

"Benefactors, we meet again." Upon seeing Yue Zhao and the others, Lu Ying’s eyes lit up. He dismounted and led his horse over to greet them.

Yue Zhao nonchalantly turned his gaze back to the fire in front of him, treating Lu Ying like air. Jun Wu directly turned his head to watch Gu Qingqing without sparing even a glance for Lu Ying.

Nan Hua looked at Lu Ying with a faint smile, "Mr. Lu, what a coincidence, this is our third meeting, isn’t it?"

"Yes, indeed, it must be fate." Lu Ying didn’t seem to sense the sarcasm in Nan Hua’s words. He smiled as he sat not far from them.

Seeing his shameless gestures, both Nan Hua and Mu Chen’s eyelids twitched, wondering how someone who looked respectable could behave so doggedly.

"Mr. Lu, you must have specifically come to find us, right?" Knowing they wouldn’t get anywhere with Lu Ying by talking in circles, Nan Hua asked directly.

Lu Ying’s eyes flickered slightly, "Benefactors, don’t misunderstand, it’s purely coincidental!" He quickly assured them.

"Isn’t Mr. Lu the one who knows best if it is or isn’t?" Nan Hua’s lips curled into a mocking smile, his gaze icy.

Lu Ying scratched his head, giving Nan Hua a dry laugh.

Just then, Gu Qingqing and the others returned. Their clothes were initially wet by the water, but with Spiritual Power, they had dried them, although they looked a bit wrinkled. Feeling uncomfortable in these clothes, they intended to change. But upon arrival, they saw Lu Ying, which surprised them.

"Third Senior Brother, why is he here?" Gu Qingqing walked to Nan Hua’s side and asked in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, curious.

A trace of amusement flickered in Nan Hua’s eyes, "Not sure, Mr. Lu claims it’s fate, but I feel he specially came to find us. I just wonder why?"

Gu Qingqing glanced at Lu Ying, frowning slightly, "We’re not that close; at least not close enough to gather around a fire."

She rarely spoke so bluntly, so hearing this surprised Yue Zhao and Nan Hua.

"Young lady, I haven’t done anything, just felt a strong sense of fate seeing you all again, and wanted to stop by for a greeting. If you’re not welcoming, I’ll leave now." Lu Ying squinted at Gu Qingqing, smiling as he spoke.

"Then leave now, I don’t like it!" Gu Qingqing showed no courtesy, saying straightforwardly!

Lu Ying’s smile froze, looking at Gu Qingqing in disbelief. If it weren’t for their watchful eyes, he’d have touched his face to check if his looks had declined. Why else would his usually attractive face be entirely ineffective now?