CH 164

Fang Yun carefully observed Yang Yuhuan's finger technique as he listened, and the more he watched, the more he felt she had a natural talent.

The art of the zither is not easy. The right hand's techniques or combinations include more than thirty types such as supporting, wiping, picking, hooking, plucking, and striking, while the left hand has more than thirty types such as kneeling, crashing, lifting, pushing, unison, calling, and returning. It can be said to be incredibly complex.

Fang Yun had studied the art of the zither at Jiangzhou Literature Academy and even remembered many books on the subject. He could play and appreciate the music, but it would take a long time to reach Yang Yuhuan's level.

Fang Yun quickly noticed the flaw in Yang Yuhuan's technique - it was too soft. The force was insufficient where it should be strong, which seemed to be related to her temperament. If Yang Yuhuan had talent, her ability to kill enemies with the zither would be average. However, because she had this flaw, her talent in other areas reached a terrifying level. If Yang Yuhuan used the sound of the zither to assist rather than directly kill enemies, or even to harmonize, the effect could be several times that of an ordinary zither player.

After the melancholic "Autumn Wind Tune" was played, Yang Yuhuan's eyes reddened. She wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and took a while to recover.

Fang Yun sighed lightly, "Sister Yuhuan, I never expected you to have such an accomplishment in the art of the zither. In at most one year, you might enter the first realm of the zither art, 'Sound and Emotion in Harmony'. If you can enter the second realm, 'Sword Gallbladder and Zither Heart', even without talent, you will have the ability to calm and comfort, and can break some confusing enchantments."

Yang Yuhuan happily said, "I just want to practice the zither well for you to listen to, I don't think too much. But Mrs. Lai has always praised me, saying that in a few more months, my zither skills will be better than hers."

"In that case, I will write a few scores today. Once you have thoroughly practiced them, you can advance to the first realm of the zither art. By the way, have you learned the famous piece 'High Mountain and Running River'?"

"Mm, I have learned it. I play 'Running River' well, but I have never grasped 'High Mountain'."

Fang Yun nodded, "I originally wanted to listen to you play these two pieces and then judge, but since you said so. Then my guess is correct. 'High Mountain' is towering and upright, majestic and magnificent, indeed not suitable for you. 'Running River' has the grandeur of a river, and its momentum is also great. But the great river is gathered from small streams, you can gradually grasp its meaning. In the future, if you find a piece that you can't play well, don't learn it, focus on learning the ones you can play well. As long as you practice 'Running River' well, you can benefit infinitely."

"Mm. I'll listen to you." Yang Yuhuan didn't ask why.

"What do you feel about 'Guangling San'?" Fang Yun asked.

Yang Yuhuan thought for a moment. "Although 'Guangling San' was not written by the Great Scholar Ji Kang, it became the world's first war song after he slightly modified it. Unfortunately, I feel it's not suitable for me as soon as I hear it. 'Guangling San' was originally called 'Nie Zheng Stabs King Han', and the song is about the process of Nie Zheng, one of the four great assassins, assassinating. I think you, Little Yun, are suitable for this kind of war song. I've been thinking these days that if you want to learn the zither to kill enemies in the future, I can play the se to assist you, and playing the se to assist does not require talent."

Fang Yun was stunned. Yang Yuhuan's suggestion was excellent.

The zither is the main, the se is the auxiliary. If the zither and se are played in harmony, they can play the famous piece "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix" created by the Semi-Saint Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun.

Back then, Sima Xiangru and his wife Zhuo Wenjun were attacked by two barbarian Semi-Saints while traveling in the desert. At that time, both of them were only at the fourth realm of the zither art, and Sima Xiangru had just become a Semi-Saint, while Zhuo Wenjun had no talent at all. But the two of them played the zither and se in harmony, played "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix", and summoned the heavenly fire phoenix to burn thousands of miles, killing a hundred thousand barbarians and one barbarian Semi-Saint, which shocked the world.

Fang Yun then shook his head. "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix" was originally a poem passed down to the world. To summon the phoenix with the famous piece "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix", in addition to needing someone to assist, it also requires the legendary "one mind, two uses" Heart of Literature.

The reason why Sima Xiangru and his wife were able to summon the heavenly fire phoenix back then was because Sima Xiangru could use one mind for two purposes. While playing the zither, he wrote the poem "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix" with the divine pen, thereby enhancing the power of "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix" to the extreme.

Because "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix" is difficult to achieve, no one in later generations could play it, and the title of the first war song became "Guangling San".

Fang Yun said, "I haven't decided whether to study the zither art in depth yet, so don't waste your talent for the yaoqin for my sake."

Yang Yuhuan smiled slightly, "I learn the zither to play for you, and the se can not only let you listen but also help your zither art. I must learn it! From now on, I will focus on learning the se and learn the zither as a supplement."

Fang Yun looked at Yang Yuhuan's determined eyes, and a warm feeling surged in his heart. He nodded and said, "Alright, in the future, we as husband and wife will play the zither and se in harmony, maybe we can reproduce the miracle of 'Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix', or even create a more powerful war song."

"Mm." Yang Yuhuan lowered her head, her cheeks flushed.

Fang Yun had said that he would come out of seclusion on the day of Qixi to participate in the Qixi Literature Meeting. After lunch, some friends came to visit, including Qian Boshang, whose Courage to Write had been shattered by the people of Qing Nation.

No one mentioned the matter of the Qingjiang Dragon King, fearing that Fang Yun would feel pressured. They only talked about the flood control literature meeting and the Qixi poetry meeting.

At three in the afternoon, everyone left Fang Yun's house in a carriage, heading towards the city wall of the southern sub-city.

Fang Yun and more than a dozen scholars got off the carriage and arrived under the city gate of the southern sub-city. Looking up, there was a city tower right above the city wall, which was the venue for the literary meeting.

The city wall here, in order to resist the powerful Demon Clan and the noble clans, was more than ten feet wide. Otherwise, it could not withstand the impact of the demon arts. The city tower was also very magnificent, larger than many taverns.

The group climbed the stairs onto the city wall together. Instead of immediately entering the city tower, they looked at the strange scenery outside the city wall.

The sky above the city wall was incredibly clear, with even sunlight shining down. However, just a mile away, dark clouds covered the sky, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and heavy rain poured down. An opaque curtain of water blocked everyone's sight, everything was white, and they couldn't see the distant scenery at all.

Fang Yun looked around, and all he could see was the heavy rain. Because the rain was so heavy, he even had the illusion that the rainwater was seawater, and the entire Jade Sea City was actually underwater, completely surrounded by the sea.

The rain was not falling, but pouring down like billions of buckets of water at once, a truly spectacular sight.

The others were also shocked by this spectacle. In the face of this terrifying rain, everyone felt weak and powerless.

Fang Yun asked in a low voice, "Is the Dragon Clan this powerful?"

"Yes. If in the sea, a Semi-Saint of the Dragon Clan can fight against three Semi-Saints of the Human Clan or three Semi-Saints of the Demon Clan."

Fang Yun said helplessly, "This is not a flood control literary meeting, this is a sea filling literary meeting."

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Everyone nodded silently. Fang Yun's words were too vivid.

"Let's go, to the city tower."

Before everyone had even entered the city tower, they heard laughter coming from inside.

"How strange! This rain can't stop, and they're still holding a Qixi literary meeting! I've lived so many years, and I've never heard of a Qixi literary meeting in the rain! The preferences of you people in Jing Kingdom are really different from those of us in the other nine nations." One person said.

"You're wrong there, isn't there a big hole above? You can see the stars! But this hole looks a bit like a well, doesn't that make the people in the hole frogs at the bottom of the well? The people of Jing Kingdom are really modest, we people of Qing Nation wouldn't have the shamelessness to consider ourselves toads!"

"Cough, this is Jing Kingdom's literary meeting, you Qing Nation literary friends shouldn't be too harsh. However, my respected teacher, the Poetry King, said that if Jing Kingdom can't even stop a small rain, then there's no need to bring out his gift poem. Such a Jing Kingdom doesn't deserve his gift!"

One person angrily said, "You people from Qing Nation are getting more and more shameless! The Demon Clan is humiliating our Jing Kingdom, and you not only don't help, but also make sarcastic remarks here, you're no different from traitorous scholars!"

"You're not only a frog at the bottom of the well, but your brain is also broken. Since flood control and Qixi are combined, first write flood control poems, and then compare Qixi poems, we're here, which means we will also write flood control poems to help your Jing Kingdom, how can we be the same as traitorous scholars? Prefect Dong, you are the Prefect of Jade Sea, you judge!"

Prefect Dong snorted coldly, "Qing Nation literary friends, some words, occasionally saying them is fine, but if you persistently nag, then we have to resolve it through a literary competition. If Qing Nation loses another Great Scholar, we people of Jing Kingdom won't feel good either."

Just as Fang Yun entered the door, he saw that apart from a few who were very calm, most of the Qing Nation scholars were angry, while the people of Jing Kingdom were either smirking or extremely pleased.

"Fang Yun is here!" As soon as someone shouted, all the people of Jing Kingdom immediately stood up to greet him, including many officials like Prefect Dong. The people of Qing Nation had various expressions, but most of them stood up, except for one man with sharp eyes but an arrogant demeanor who remained seated.

This man from Qing Nation looked up at the ceiling and said lazily, "There's no one in Jing Kingdom, even a Talented Scholar can become a role model for scholars, this is making our ancestors blush."

The city tower instantly fell silent. The people of Jing Kingdom couldn't question Fang Yun's title of "Role Model for Scholars", but the people of the other nine nations could.

Many people from Jing Kingdom were angry but couldn't speak, because they also knew that there was some truth to what the man said. A Talented Scholar becoming a "Role Model for Scholars", purely in terms of status, was even above an ordinary Great Scholar, and on par with the Literary Saint. Even a Great Scholar might not be able to get the title of "Role Model for Scholars", but a Literary Saint definitely could.

Dozens of eyes were fixed on Fang Yun. The people of Qing Nation were pleased, while the people of Jing Kingdom were secretly anxious.

However, Fang Yun smiled and said, "In Jing Kingdom, even I can become a role model for scholars, so those above Talented Scholars naturally have more virtue and talent. But the Great Scholars of Qing Nation and I are both role models for scholars, which seems to say that the Great Scholars of Qing Nation are not as good as the Presented Scholars of our country. As for you, brother, you are below the Great Scholars, which means you are not even as good as me. Yet you have the audacity to spout off here, have you completely mastered the Path of the Saints of Courage? I admire you!"

Many people from Jing Kingdom laughed, thinking that Fang Yun was indeed quick-witted. The same thing said from different perspectives immediately reversed the meaning.

Seeing that Fang Yun had made a counterattack so quickly, the man from Qing Nation knew that if he continued to speak, he might be humiliated even more. He gritted his teeth and said nothing, secretly glancing at the other people from Qing Nation, hoping that someone could lend a hand.The chief disciple of the Poet of Qing Nation slowly said, "As a role model for scholars, forcing dozens of members from a prestigious family in a prefecture to wear mourning clothes and travel hundreds of miles in the rain to Yuhai City to beg for mercy, such a role model for scholars, we Qing Nation do not need!"

The city tower was as silent as death.

Fifteen miles west of Yuhai City, two armored ox carts braved the storm, moving forward. White cloth strips were tied all over the ox carts, and the word "Liu" was written on the outside of the cart canopy.

Under the dark clouds covering the sky, a peculiar white cloud swept over the ox carts.

...(To be continued.)