He drew attention with his voice, then plucked the strings to let the melody bloom.
Sleepless Chang'an's signature move—Chang'an Melody—made its debut.
Tai Xu Chapter, Section One: 4. Damn, They Took Me for a Little Immortal
People from different eras had different standards of musical taste. Music that dominated one age might not cause a ripple in another.
The people of Shenzhou during the Great Ming dynasty would not feel much for popular tunes enjoyed by commoners, but they eagerly flocked to refined classical music.
Fortunately, Chang'an Melody was precisely the kind of classical music composed by Eden.
Both its imagery and melody were deeply beloved. The instant it rang out, it captured everyone's ears.
"Whose child is playing? It sounds so good."
"Today, hearing your Yaoqin Lyre is like hearing heavenly music, clearing my ears for a moment~"
Passersby, poets, and scholars stopped to listen, and all sorts of lavish praise quietly spread through the crowd.
Su Mei and the other girls were stunned. Even Cheng Ling Shuang, who was naturally innocent and sharp-tongued, could not find suitable words to mock him.
His image had been completely overturned, all right?
Su Mei had known Ye Chang'an for eight years, while the three little ones had known him for five. None of them had ever seen him look so carefree and ethereal.
He used to be a natural-born little hooligan. Now, he was an immortal gentleman walking among mortals.
They could vaguely sense the otherworldly aura that Immortal Chi Yuan possessed.
But Immortal Chi Yuan's transcendence was one where all things were fleeting, and dust never stained her cloud sleeves.
Ye Chang'an's transcendence, however, was one where all beings understood his heart, and he freely gave voice to his feelings.
The former withdrew from the mortal world and lived alone in lofty heights; the latter touched the mundane world and sang for it.
"Beautiful. Sounds beautiful too."
When the piece ended, everyone applauded. Copper coins, silver ingots, and paper bills were generously placed before Ye Chang'an.
"Young master, could you play another piece?"
Someone asked with hopeful eyes.
"Of course."
Ye Chang'an smiled and nodded, effortlessly playing another version of Chang'an Melody.
He wanted to test something.
He wanted to see whether the Chang'an Melody he had obtained from the Simulation of Destruction would work in this world.
So he calmly played the qin while the townsfolk gathered around to listen, their expressions incomparably serene.
The growing crowd drew even more people to stop. Aside from ordinary townsfolk, there were quite a few martial artists among them.
They were swordsmen who had cultivated true qi, and they were also Ye Chang'an's primary test subjects.
They stopped to listen, then noticed something strange.
—What was going on? My true qi was stirring. It felt like it had grown stronger.
It was not that their true qi was stirring. Chang'an Melody merely made their bodies more suited to true qi.
It had not increased their total amount of true qi, but it had improved their control over it.
This was genuine strengthening.
They did not understand. They could not figure out why.
It was not until Ye Chang'an paused briefly that the stirring of their true qi slightly subsided. Once the music resumed, their true qi began moving again.
—It was that child. His music was making me stronger.
The martial artists were utterly shocked. They exchanged glances and all confirmed the source.
"Big Brother, could this child be an immortal's disciple? Don't you think his aura resembles an immortal's?"
"Little Brother, you feel it too? I bet the piece he's playing right now is Tai Xu Sword Qi, the greatest divine art in the martial world."
"Tai Xu Sword Qi? Good heavens, this is incredible."
They discussed it. They were astonished.
Then, they became greedy.
Everyone in the martial world yearned for Immortal Chi Yuan's ultimate arts, because her eldest disciple, Lin Zhaoyu, had defeated the second-strongest person in the world—Tri-Absolute Martial Crown, Yan Shiluó—at Mount Wang when she was only twenty-one.
He had been an established powerhouse who had dominated the martial world for years, yet he had been slain by a twenty-one-year-old girl.
That was the power of Tai Xu Sword Qi, the supreme divine art every martial artist in Shenzhou dreamed of obtaining.
They desired it, but had no chance.
Immortals were difficult to meet, and even meeting one did not mean obtaining anything.
Tai Xu Sword Qi was not something just anyone could cultivate.
But now, merely listening to the qin music of "Tai Xu Sword Qi" had made them several times stronger, and they instantly came to a misunderstanding.
—Immortal Chi Yuan had lied. She simply did not want to let us cultivate it.
It was only natural for people to treasure what they possessed. They could understand that, but pretending otherwise truly damaged an immortal's reputation.
"Big Brother, why don't we kidnap this child and make him hand over Tai Xu Sword Qi?"
Profit stirred in their hearts, and evil rose with their courage.
Someone made the suggestion, planting a seed that instantly sprouted and grew into a towering tree.
"Kidnap him. We'll all do it together, then share the divine art once we get it."
Their thoughts turned crooked, and they began quietly discussing how to abduct him.
After all, he was an immortal's disciple. They had to be cautious, or the immortal might scour all of Shenzhou to find them and grind their bones to dust.
That immortal's merciless methods toward those who had gone mad from cultivation had long been widely known.
So they did not act rashly. After listening to Ye Chang'an's performance, they quietly followed him.
They intended to wait until the children reached some remote wilderness before making their move.
They waited for two days.
Jiang Wanru and the others had played enough. It was time to set off.
~
~
"Do it."
In a barren mountain ten li outside the city, a group of men who called themselves heroes but were actually bandits surrounded Ye Chang'an and the other four.
"Hm? What are you doing?" Su Mei glared and demanded, shielding the children behind her.
Their ill intentions were obvious to all of them.
"Chang'an, don't be afraid. We're here." Jiang Wanxi spoke up and guarded one side of Ye Chang'an as well.
The four girls stood around Ye Chang'an like four heavenly guardians, giving him an overwhelming sense of security.
Of course Ye Chang'an was not afraid. He was even smiling happily.
Because his test had yielded its results.
"Uncles, are you trying to rob us? But shouldn't robbers at least use their eyes and see who they're robbing first?
We're just children. We don't have any money."
They had spent all their money. Jiang Wanru had been having a wonderful time.
"No, no, no, little immortal, you misunderstand. We brothers aren't after money. We only want you to hand over the Tai Xu Sword Qi in your possession."
The bearded leader stepped forward to answer. The simple saber in his hand gleamed coldly, making it clear that he had no peaceful intentions.
"Tai Xu Sword Qi?" Ye Chang'an raised a brow, realizing that these fools had gotten it wrong.
But he did not correct them. He patted Cheng Ling Shuang on the shoulder and joked, "Ling Shuang, he wants you to hand over Tai Xu Sword Qi. Why don't you teach them?"
Cheng Ling Shuang was utterly speechless. Pursing her lips, she said, "Master said that Tai Xu Sword Qi cannot be passed on casually."
"Tch. Even if it were passed on, hardly anyone could cultivate it." Ye Chang'an clicked his tongue, still deeply resentful toward the Sword Heart Art within Tai Xu Sword Qi.
After all, he could not cultivate it.
He stopped complaining and called out, "Uncle, the little immortal in my family says she can't hand over Tai Xu Sword Qi. Could you please move aside?"
If they refused, then they could not blame him for being rude.
He was no longer the person he had once been. Even without an Arbiter Core, he could handle these hundred or so petty thieves.
"Hmph. You think you can leave without handing it over?" The bearded man snorted coldly, raised his hand and saber, and shouted an order.
"Brothers, attack! Leave the little immortal alive. Kill everyone else."
Su Mei's expression turned ugly. After assessing both sides' strength, she said to Cheng Ling Shuang beside her:
"Ling Shuang, take Chang'an and go. Wanxi, Wanru, and I will cover the rear."
The other side had explicitly said they would not kill little immortal Cheng Ling Shuang, so she was the most suitable person to protect Ye Chang'an, who could not fight.
As for the three staying behind, there was no need to worry too much. Though young, their skills were not to be underestimated.
They could definitely escape.
"Senior Sister..." Cheng Ling Shuang wanted to discuss it, but the bandits gave her no chance. They had already charged forward with weapons in hand.
PS: There seems to be a double monthly ticket event recently. Brothers, if you still have any saved up, please throw them all at me~ (＃^.^＃)
Tai Xu Chapter, Section One: 5. Immortal Chi Yuan Is Here? I'm Not Going to Get Heaven-Sundering Inch Force, Am I?
(I made a few changes to the previous chapter. You can refresh it and read it again.)
A group of bandits charged forward with savage expressions and weapons in hand. Ye Chang'an's smile did not fade, but a flash of red glimmered in his dark eyes.
He gathered the wandering Destruction energy into his body. Under the influence of his Authority, several azure blades condensed and floated around the five children.
Their sword tips pointed directly at the bandits, trembling with a soft hum as they simulated human voices.
"Take one step forward, and do not blame these swords for showing no mercy."
He could do such things now.
Even though 001 had said that the gains from the simulation would infinitely approach zero, he had still gained powerful strength from it.
The Sea of Consciousness Space manifested through his forged Sword Heart, Chang'an Melody, the mental fragments of millions of people, and... the Authority of the Arbiter of Sound Reason.
These were intangible yet real things he had gained from that false world. They would not disappear simply because he had left the simulation.
Ultimately, the moment he headed toward the Cocoon of the End, he had already left the simulation.
Though he did not know why he had avoided death and returned outside the simulation, it was likely related to 001's resignation.
A romantic lie was still a lie, a decoration created to conceal cruelty.
Ye Chang'an understood that clearly. He simply had not yet decided how to lift that romantic veil.
But regarding his own power, he had made up his mind from the very beginning.
—Use it when it should be used. There was no need to hide it away.
Feigning weakness before an enemy was a tactic, not a habit.
As an Arbiter, he should display the power that belonged to an Arbiter.
He was still the Arbiter of Sound Reason, even without an Arbiter Core.
Before you continue