High Mountains Flowing Water

The top floor of Moonlight Pavilion in Heaven Dou City.

Tang Yuehua looked seriously at the handsome young man in white before her and said earnestly, "Su Xuan, it has been a long time since we last performed together. Now, let's play a piece together."

Su Xuan paused. Yes, the two of them had been drawn together by music. They had not met for so long—what could rekindle their friendship better than performing a piece together?

Su Xuan nodded. He thought it was a good idea and could accept it.

Tang Yuehua smiled softly. A faint blush colored her breathtakingly beautiful face, while a trace of anticipation hid within her crystal-clear eyes. Perhaps this performance together would bring a different kind of experience.

Su Xuan was the first to ask, "Which piece do you plan to choose?"

As masters of music, neither of them could possibly be proficient in only one kind of piece. On the contrary, they had dabbled in music of every style, though each had their own specialties.

Tang Yuehua's musical style tended toward agility—ethereal and fluid, like a true immortal descended to the mortal world.

Su Xuan was the opposite. Though his looks and aura were both extremely ethereal, his musical style was utterly different. His music was grand and majestic, carrying an unstoppable momentum.

Tang Yuehua thought for a moment, her delicate brows knitting together. This fellow looked so refined and scholarly—why did he like music in the style of marching songs? How frustrating. Their styles were so vastly different; how could they have a chance to work together?

Watching Tang Yuehua struggle in thought, Su Xuan rubbed his nose and asked tentatively, "How about we do it like before?"

"No!"

Tang Yuehua answered firmly. What she wanted was a duet where both of them were the leads, not one where she took center stage while Su Xuan merely provided accompaniment. That was not a duet; it was simply her solo performance.

Su Xuan was a little speechless. Musicians really were troublesome, always taking everything so seriously.

Tang Yuehua racked her brains, searching through the various pieces stored in her mind with all her strength. But unfortunately, how could a piece with two such strange and contrasting styles possibly exist?

An odd silence fell over the room. Su Xuan did not particularly mind. Watching Tang Yuehua grow irritated and even begin scratching her head, he found it rather amusing. This woman, who had always cared so much about her appearance and poise, was now behaving almost like a child. Thinking about it, the contrast was rather adorable.

Yet Su Xuan had forgotten that if a woman was willing to shed her dignity and elegance before you, showing you her innocent and genuine side, it was an enormous sign of trust.

"Alright, alright. I have a piece here. Want to try it?"

Tang Yuehua raised her head in surprise, looked at Su Xuan, and asked happily, "Really?"

Su Xuan shook his head.

"It'll mainly suit your style, so stop overthinking it. There's no piece that strange... one that can be elegant and ethereal while also carrying grand majesty..."

Tang Yuehua's face reddened. She understood that she had been getting herself worked up over nothing, and gave a dissatisfied snort.

"What's it to you?"

Su Xuan shook his head with a laugh. Had she really become so childish?

"Look at the score first."

Su Xuan took a thick book from his storage Soul Tool, flipped to a particular page, and let Tang Yuehua study it first.

Tang Yuehua took the heavy ancient tome, her eyes lighting up. It was actually filled entirely with musical pieces?! For a woman who loved music as much as she did, this was simply an irresistible temptation!

Tang Yuehua looked at Su Xuan with an intensely "hungry" and "yearning" gaze. Unable to stand her expression, Su Xuan said irritably, "I know you like it. Since I took it out, I never planned to take it back..."

Tang Yuehua immediately brightened. Then she turned to look at Su Xuan. The man in white was leaning against the wall, calmly drinking tea, yet he wore an unbearably smug expression. The sight made Tang Yuehua furious. She clicked her tongue inwardly. Hmph, I may like this scorebook a lot, but I'm still writing down how smug you are! I'll find something to hold over you someday.

Su Xuan felt pleased with himself. Heh, what an inexperienced little girl. A single little book from yours truly had stunned her. Heh, being an expert was too lonely...

Tang Yuehua focused on studying the piece Su Xuan had shown her. The more she read, the more astonished she became. This piece definitely qualified as a top-tier masterpiece.

Naturally. This was a top-tier masterpiece.

"High Mountains Flowing Water."

The melody was fresh and flowing, the rhythm relaxed and bright—a rare masterpiece.

Tang Yuehua was somewhat puzzled. Just where had Su Xuan obtained something so incredible?

Tang Yuehua shook her head. Who cared? Now that she had a piece, not performing it properly would be an unbearable torment for Tang Yuehua.

However, Tang Yuehua still had one doubt.

"Su Xuan, where is your part?"

Su Xuan rubbed his nose and said awkwardly, "There's no way to perform this thing as a duet..."

Tang Yuehua did not know what expression she should make. After all, it really was such a good piece...

"Sigh..."

So be it. She could perform it alone as well.

Su Xuan consciously stepped aside. Whenever a musician was about to perform, they had their own way of relaxing; otherwise, it was difficult to reach their best state. Generally speaking, these were all strange little quirks.

Tang Yuehua, however, was one of the normal ones. Her way of relaxing was perfectly ordinary—simply sitting quietly by herself.

Su Xuan left Tang Yuehua enough space and silence, patiently waiting for her to adjust her condition. Meanwhile, the performer Tang Yuehua closed her eyes as if resting, calming her mind and nurturing her energy, regulating her breathing and aura to reach her peak state.

Tang Yuehua had a premonition—a musician's premonition. This piece would bring her a wondrous experience, a sensation unlike anything she had ever felt before. She found it strange. Performing an excellent piece, even a famous composition, could at most improve one's playing ability somewhat. How great an impact could it possibly have? Yet that inexplicable intuition that had always accompanied her remained mysterious, and she could not shake the feeling that something astonishing would happen shortly. Tang Yuehua shook her head and stopped dwelling on it. Her task was to focus on performing this piece well. Everything else had to come afterward. This was the most sacred devotion to music held by a woman who loved it deeply.

The small rooftop terrace on the top floor.

Tang Yuehua wore clean, simple white clothes as she sat quietly off to one side. The guqin rested before her, already tuned and ready. Everything was in place.

Su Xuan stood ten meters in front of Tang Yuehua, quietly appreciating the beauty before him as she prepared to perform. This would be different from the piece she had played when they first met, which had merely been for practice. Now, Tang Yuehua was about to reveal her true skill—the full capabilities of a fanatical musician who had immersed herself in music for twenty years.

Su Xuan was greatly looking forward to it.