"Heh..."
Li Chen had guessed that saying this would inevitably leave her with a poor impression of him, but he had chosen to say it anyway.
As a Master Artisan, he needed no favors from others and could afford to speak his mind. He also found Yu Youxian somewhat disagreeable.
So what if she was as beautiful as a celestial maiden and born to nobility?
She had opened with the power plays used to control subordinates, abandoning all sincerity. Such a person was no friend material!
Li Chen's first impression of her was no better, but to his surprise, Yu Youxian actually held her temper. She seemed to possess a measure of self-restraint after all.
Yu Youxian said, "The Dao of music is vast and profound. It also encompasses emotions and intent that only sentient beings can comprehend. When skill approaches the Dao, it can serve as a path of cultivation. I have heard of artificially intelligent creations being used to perform music, or even compose new scores, but Master Artisan Yang, do you know the Sixteen Methods of Qin Playing?"
Li Chen answered honestly, "No."
Yu Youxian raised her brows slightly. "Then how dare you speak so lightly?"
Seemingly dissatisfied with Li Chen's conclusion, Yu Youxian lectured him. "Lightness, ease, crispness, smoothness, loftiness, purity, clarity, emptiness, seclusion, singularity, antiquity, tranquility, balance, harmony, swiftness, and slowness-these sixteen methods are the foundations of technique. Yet only when the heart finds expression through the qin and intent flows throughout does one enter the Dao. Performances and compositions produced through mechanical contrivances have no soul."
Li Chen said, "How do they have no soul? Setting aside the more difficult matter of composition for now, let us consider performance alone. If the force, tempo, pauses, and continuity are all identical, and no listener can