Ghost General (3)
Thinking back to his past life, the tune of "Ambush from Ten Sides" seemed to tell the story of the Chu- Xiang Yu Contention, where King Xiang Yu of Chu was besieged at Gaixia by King Liu Bang of Han, surrounded by enemies on all sides, and in the end, the mighty Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, met his end by committing suicide at the Wujiang River. He thought to himself that he must be remembering correctly. Yue Qianchou stared at the figure on the stage and slowly uttered each word. "Full of killing intent, surrounded by enemies on all sides, Ambush from Ten Sides, with no way to live and no way to retreat, the song ends and the person dies."
Upon hearing this, a sudden "crack" resounded as the pipa player dropped her instrument onto the stage. The generals on both sides swayed involuntarily, their expressions shifting unpredictably. Even the Ghost General, who had been fiddling with his wine cup, froze in place.
Seeing the huge reaction to Yue Qianchou's words, the disciples from various sects held their breath and watched anxiously, unsure of what fate awaited them. Yue Qianchou, however, smiled inwardly, guessing that the man on stage was probably just as unlucky as Xiang Yu.
He guessed correctly. This piece of music was composed by the Ghost General during his final battle before his death, when he was surrounded and moved by his own feelings. As a result, after the maid played the piece once, the enemy launched a full-scale attack, and all the generals present were the victims of that battle. Thus, Yue Qianchou's words stirred up memories of the devastating defeat in everyone, how could they not be moved?
The Ghost General walked to the maid, bent down to pick up the pipa, returned it to her, and sighed. The maid, holding the pipa, gazed at him tenderly and gently shook her head. The way they exchanged glances secretly did not escape Yue Qianchou's notice. He thought to himself, "What a load of rubbish, a maid? She's more like a lover to be served in bed." Looking again at the maid standing motionless beside the general's seat, that was the real maid.
The Ghost General, clad in golden armor and red cloak, turned around and glanced at the dazed crowd. He frowned slightly, stared at Yue Qianchou, and said in a deep voice, "I don't care whether you are truly talented or not, but you have spoken rudely and disturbed the morale of my army. According to military law, you should be executed."
It seemed that Yue Qianchou's words had truly struck a nerve. The disciples from various sects immediately panicked; if they killed Yue Qianchou, they feared they would be next.
"Damn it! Chop off your mother's head! You'd be dead and a ghost by now, what's the point of military law?" Yue Qianchou was taken aback, then sneered, "The Great General holds immense power over the army, killing me is naturally no problem for him. But does the Great General remember? You were the one who asked me to critique the music! After you finished, you accused me of disrupting morale. Could it be that the dignified Great General is a fickle and capricious villain? The Great General's reputation in the Demon Ghost Domain is so formidable, I never imagined..."
He shook his head and said, "I'm so disappointed." He then thought to himself, "Looks like I'd better get ready to leave."
His accusations only made the disciples of the various factions more panicked. However, the generals on both sides, including the one with the fiery temper, all stared at the Ghost King on the platform.
The Ghost General swept his gaze across both sides, gave a heavy, cold "snort," and said, "What a silver-tongued brat! Your name is Yue Qianchou? Yue Qianchou, Yue Qianchou, I'd like to see if you can truly Yue Qianchou. Don't say I won't give you a chance; if you can revitalize our army's morale and restore the soldiers' spirits, I might just let you go."
The Ghost General's words were clearly meant to put him in a difficult position, and anyone could see that. Instantly, all eyes fell on Yue Qianchou.
"Damn!" Yue Qianchou on the maid holding the pipa on the stage and the guqin on the shelf behind her for a moment. He smiled slightly and said, "The Great General has given his order, how could I dare disobey? But I have a small request, I wonder if the Great General can grant it?"
The Ghost General snorted coldly and said, "Speak."
"I need to borrow something from the Great General's Command Platform," Yue Qianchou said bluntly. He didn't care what kind of Ghost General he was; he wasn't afraid of him.
Everyone was curious about what he was going to do and looked towards the command platform. Even the Ghost King glanced back and saw nothing special. He chuckled coldly and said, "Use whatever you want on the platform, but if you don't meet my requirements after using it, don't blame me for dealing with you according to military law." Actually Yue Qianchou had also piqued his curiosity.
Seeing that he had agreed, Yue Qianchou said nothing and nonchalantly climbed up from one side of the command platform. Standing on the platform, he glanced around; the feeling of Qian Jun right under his nose was truly exhilarating. All eyes were on him.
Yue Qianchou paused on the stage, glanced at the long table laden with fruit platters and fine wine, and said to the maid in front of the general's throne, "Clear away everything on this long table."
The maid paused, then looked at the Ghost King. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, and he frowned, saying, "Do as he says." The maid immediately obeyed, quickly clearing the long table and standing back to one side. The audience's appetite was truly whetted.
Yue Qianchou nodded in satisfaction, then walked over to the maid holding the pipa. He stood in front of her, smiling as he sized her up. Indeed, she was a stunning beauty; no wonder she was always by a hero's side. The maid was also curiously observing Yue Qianchou; she had never seen such a bold person before.
Ah! The disciples from all the sects were taken aback. Yue Qianchou looked like he was harassing a respectable woman, no, he was harassing the Ghost General's maid in public. He was too bold.
"Does this kid have a death wish?" The generals on both sides of the stage exchanged bewildered glances. Having followed the Ghost General from birth to death, they naturally knew the woman's identity. The Ghost General's face darkened.
Yue Qianchou suddenly shook his head and sighed, "Only the demeanor of Great General is worthy of a lady's unparalleled beauty."
He had seen through her, and the maid smiled sweetly, giving a slight bow to subtly thank him for the compliment. This mild flattery pleased the Ghost General, whose brow twitched slightly, but his somber expression returned to normal, and he patiently continued watching.
Yue Qianchou walked to the shelf behind her, took down a guqin, and traced a harmonious note on the strings with his fingers. He tested the tone and found it quite good. He then walked to her side and asked, "Do you know how to play the guqin, young lady?"
The maid glanced at the Ghost General, smiled at him, and then turned back to say softly, "I know a little bit about him."
Yue Qianchou, holding her zither, smiled and said, "Just now, the Great General had me listen to a pipa piece by you, Great General, but my evaluation angered him. Now, I have come to report back to you with a zither piece, and I respectfully invite you to listen. I hope your evaluation can appease the Great General's anger. I will be eternally grateful." With that, she bowed deeply.
Even flattery should be done judiciously. Since this Ghost King is just like Xiang Yu, this girl must be of similar importance to Yu Ji, and her influence through pillow talk is probably quite strong. Yue Qianchou thought to himself.
Although Yue Qianchou spoke politely, the maid didn't detect a trace of fear in him towards the Great General. The maid's bright eyes swept over the Ghost General, and she smiled, "I may listen to the music, but I never inquire about the general's military affairs."
That's a clever remark. She's a smart woman; no wonder she's won the Ghost King's favor. Yue Qianchou smiled, walked to the long table, put down her zither, and sat down. She then gestured to the maid, "Please sit opposite me."
The maid smiled sweetly, unconcerned about the impropriety of sitting on the spot. She placed the pipa she was carrying on the shelf behind her, casually took down a cushion, and gracefully moved over. The maid beside the general's seat quickly came over, took the cushion from her, and placed it opposite Yue Qianchou. The pipa-playing maid also sat down opposite him with captivating charm.
Yue Qianchou glanced at the Ghost General and saw him looking at the pipa-playing maid with deep affection. He thought to himself, "This woman seems to be his weakness."
The generals below the stage were dumbfounded, as were the disciples from various factions. The female disciples looked at Yue Qianchou with utter admiration, their eyes sparkling with wonder. Gu Qingyun's chest heaved rapidly, his heart pounding with emotion. "A true hero! I am ashamed! I, Gu Qingyun, am far inferior to him!" [This book is published on a Chinese website, no pop-up ads, no missing words, no charges. Welcome to read the pirated version! Your support is my motivation to update. Thank you so much!]
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