The Heart of the Zither Takes Shape

The fastest update to Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World!

The next morning, Qin Yi arrived at the main house, intending to say goodbye to the woman.

This time, the main house door was not closed, and Qin Yi immediately saw the woman leaning against the window, holding a book and reading.

The morning sunlight shone on her, giving her skin a soft glow. Her eyes were serene, and her demeanor was languid. A cup of hot tea beside her emitted a faint steam, which drifted gently past her, adding a touch of mystery.

Qin Yi felt that the way the woman read the book was already as beautiful as a poem or a painting.

A Qing Cha with a head full of water, sitting beside him, sniffling as she drew.

Seeing her soaked to the bone, Qin Yi almost laughed and asked, "What happened?"

Qing Cha sniffled and said, "Master is using me to make tea again..."

As she spoke, the woman picked up the teacup with her delicate hand, took a leisurely sip, and put it back down, her gaze never leaving the book.

All that remained in Qin Yi's mind was a string of ellipses.

So, you've made a tea leaf your apprentice for this purpose?

"Um..." He finally broke the quiet atmosphere of the woman reading and said, "Thank you for letting me stay the night. I've come to say goodbye."

The woman turned her head and glanced at him, smiled slightly, and put down her book.

"Is this what you had them copy for me?" she said with a half-smile. "Is this my way of retaliating against me for testing you with my femininity?"

"Hahaha..." Qin Yi chuckled, then quickly said solemnly, "This book isn't that simple either."

"Hmm... The brushwork is austere, revealing the true nature of the world, as if stepping into a painting, revealing the face of a country from a single marketplace. Truly a masterpiece." The woman pondered, "But the local customs and traditions seem to be different from those of the countries I know, and have nothing to do with your Southern Li."

"That's Non-Self knowledge. I didn't write it; I just happened to see it. It's signed Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng."

"Once this kind of work is published, it will surely be sought after. I can't possibly be unaware of any literary work that has even a little bit of fame," the woman said calmly. "So there's no need to mention that this kind of nonsense was written by you."

"..." These days, nobody believes you when you tell the truth?

The woman's eyes lit up with amusement again. "Seeing the whole leopard from a single spot, you seem quite familiar with those games... Shouldn't the ways of Eating, Drinking, Whoring, Gambling, and gambling suit you better? What are you doing here at my Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting Mountain, and Painting?"

"Eating, Drinking, Whoring, Gambling, whoring, gambling and prostitution Non-Self ways," Qin Yi said earnestly. "But this ethereal music, the graceful painting, and the overwhelming sense of immortality suit me much better. If you don't use the Painting Souls to entice me, I would like to stay here for a few more days."

"Wait a minute," the woman said unhappily, "What senior? Am I that old?"

Qin Yi remained silent and did not answer.

With my limited skills, I can't tell someone's true age. After reaching a certain level of cultivation, even the so-called "bone age" becomes impossible to determine, because they have long since undergone a complete transformation and are no longer the same bones, so what age can I possibly look at?

However, the logic is clear: anyone who has reached the level of a Huiyang master should at least be a millennium-old monster.

The woman glared at him for a moment, then slowly said, "My surname is Ju, Ju Yunxiu."

Living amidst the Yunxiu... it suits her perfectly. She truly exudes no earthy, worldly air, only a scholarly and poetic sensibility, and a... strangely goofy quality?

Qin Yi then cupped his hands and said, "Yes, Senior Ju."

Ju Yunxiu was furious. "Did I tell you my name so you could add your surname when you call me 'senior'?"

Qin Yi helplessly, "I can't exactly call you Yunxiu I?"

Ju Yunxiu said calmly, "What's wrong with that? Aren't names just for calling out?"

Qin Yi was taken aback.

Ju Yunxiu pondered for a moment, then asked, "When I saw you looking at the Qing Cha and painting, and when you touched the Figure Painting last night, I realized you had observed the brushstrokes and tools. This is the perspective of someone who has studied painting, not an outsider."

"Yes." Qin Yi was a little embarrassed. "I've learned a little bit..."

Basically, if we disregard New Painting Method like sketching, in terms of pure painting skill, this college student is nowhere near the level of those Immortal Dao masters who specialize in this art. He can't even compare to Qing Cha (a type of Chinese tea), and he's almost embarrassed to call himself a student of painting. Moreover, his passion for it is rather low, so calling himself a practitioner in this field is a stretch.

Ju Yunxiu added, "You can write stories and miscellaneous books... Don't say you didn't write them. Books on the Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting, hua don't just refer to calligraphy, but to works of art, which include poems, songs, and historical stories."

Qin Yi had no choice but to say, "Previous... Oh, what did Elder Sister Yunxiu want to say?"

Ju Yunxiu turned to look at the rising sun outside the window, staring at it for a long, long time, as if deep in thought. After a while, she whispered, "Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting Mountain, there's no one here anymore."

"Well?"

"Only my chess-obsessed uncle is left, keeping the chess scene going and constantly trying to get others to play. As for the zither, calligraphy, and painting... I'm all alone now."

Qing Cha raised her little hand. "Master, there's still me."

"A tea leaf, brew it yourself, it's none of your business."

Tears streamed down my face as I drank the Qing Cha.

Ju Yunxiu turned to look at Qin Yi: "I know you've come seeking the Dao, or perhaps intend to become my disciple. I am the master of this peak, and also the sect leader of the Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua (Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting, and painting) school within the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace. Qin Yi, would you be willing to join my sect?"

"Become an apprentice?" Qin Yi shook his head. "No."

Ju Yunxiu said, "I know you're not pursuing the Calligraphy and Painting Dao, but rather the traditional Immortal Dao. I hope you can enter this path because you are at least related to it and have some interest in it, so that this lineage can be preserved. In case I am lost in the future, there will be someone to pass on this path, instead of forcing you to actually turn to this path for in-depth study. You can think of it as a protector or a guest elder, not bound by sect rules, yet enjoying honor and privilege. All secret places will be open to you. Breaking through the limitations of your musical heart will be a piece of cake. What do you think?"

Qin Yi hesitated for a moment, but still insisted, "I will not become an apprentice."

"Oh?" Ju Yunxiu asked curiously, "The crane is transmitting a message; you're Rogue Cultivator. Could it be that you already have a master and are deceiving it?"

Qin Yi said earnestly, "I obtained this inheritance by chance, and I don't even know what my master looks like, but in my heart, he is my master. No matter how many advantages your sect has or how many benefits it can give me, I will not call anyone else my master. Maybe it doesn't care, but I do."

As he said this, his Niwan suddenly twitched.

These past few days I've been struggling with a lingering sense of wonder, desperately seeking a breakthrough, and it seems that just one sentence is about to bring me to it.

Liusu watched silently and sighed softly.

It wasn't because of a single sentence.

The heart of the zither is enlightenment, the verification of one's own path. Qin Yi already possessed the Dao; he only needed to put it into practice, not to wander aimlessly in search. Originally, Qin Yi was already close to breaking through on the way to the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace; it wasn't something that happened only now.

Whether it was his chivalrous act at the temple, beheading the lewd monk and burning down the Buddhist temple; or yesterday's refusal to let those who indulge in Eating, Drinking, Whoring, Gambling, and prostitution enter; or last night's polite refusal to be seduced by the Painting Souls... all of these are processes of practice, step by step, accumulating sand to build a tower.

This insistence on not taking a master, including his current practice, is also part of Qin Yi's chivalry and the fundamental values of this man.

Although in its own eyes, it was incredibly stupid.

But... I have to admit, I'm quite happy.

It sighed softly, "Enter the sect, Qin Yi. The experience a major sect can provide you is far more beneficial than taking me on a Cloud Wandering around."

Qin Yi remained silent, silently sensing the process of the mist within his body turning into water droplets.

Ju Yunxiu leaned against the soft couch, her slender hand supporting her pink cheek, watching Qin Yi's breakthrough in playing the zither with great interest.

For a rogue Rogue Cultivator to be so young and yet cultivate so steadily... that's one thing, but to actually break through to the Heart of the Qin realm by asking questions all over the place is an extremely rare thing even in top-tier sects, let alone for Rogue Cultivator.

Therefore, yesterday, the crane sent a message that this young man was likely a genius, and they hoped to keep him within the sect as much as possible.

She wasn't initially interested because Qin Yi appeared handsome and was described as elegant in books, but in reality, he was a "rough and uncouth warrior," which didn't suit her aesthetic. However, the test proved to be quite satisfactory.

That love for beautiful scenery is the soul of painting.

Resisting the allure of Painting Souls is only one aspect of testing one's character. The most crucial point is that, in the art of painting, you must never harbor the thought of creating something for your own enjoyment. If you have such a thought, you can never attain this path.

Qin Yi passed the test perfectly.

And then, there was even a gift...

Setting aside the erotic content, the author vividly portrays the complexities of human nature, demonstrating mastery of the art of writing.

A "rough and uncouth brute" unexpectedly fits her needs perfectly.

He was a genius who could immerse himself in the music... but unfortunately, he had no interest in it.

As Qin Yi's zither music gradually solidified, Ju Yunxiu suddenly spoke up, "What if I don't want you to become my disciple, but only address you as my Senior Sister? My master died long ago, and no one will ask you to kowtow."

Qin Yi was taken aback. This seemed... hard to refuse...

P. S.: Today's big update is complete, definitely reaching 80,000 words. The total return will certainly be 20%, a testament to everyone's hard work. It felt like fighting a major battle; I'm exhausted. I hope the quality of the writing hasn't dropped too much. Starting tomorrow, I'll resume the regular two-update schedule, and I'll need to polish it more carefully.