The Lovesick Zither

Princess Taiping's transmitted voice.

This woman... a blow with the stick, then a sweet date. She probably even thought she had a gift for managing people.

Lu Changfeng was speechless inwardly. This was standard practice for capitalists in later ages. Dream on if you expect me to be eternally grateful!

Still, for the sake of those resources, he could swallow this anger. He still had unused fleeceflower root, and having recently broken through, he could not use spirit herbs to cultivate again so soon. The seven-colored purple vine held little appeal, but a renowned weapon... he really did need one. Facing that scale-covered Ba Serpent last night with nothing but the Huayang Needle in hand had been dangerous indeed.

Fourth tier: renowned weapons.

Fifth tier: spirit weapons.

Sixth tier: divine weapons.

In the martial world, renowned weapons were already the personal arms of major sect leaders, suited to grandmaster-level experts!

Lu Changfeng was currently still in the initial realm of the third stage. A fourth-tier weapon was manageable; anything higher, and he would not be able to keep it.

At that thought, Lu Changfeng drew a deep breath and swallowed the angry retort that had risen to his lips. He looked at the overbearing Princess Anle and Wang Xiao, seated beside her with the Jade Flute in hand and hostility in his eyes. With a casual air, he said, "Since Your Highness Princess Anle has such refined interests, I would naturally be delighted to oblige!"

Seeing him agree, a trace of amusement flashed through Princess Taiping's eyes. She smoothly asked, "What instrument would you require, sir?"

Lu Changfeng said, "A zither will do."

Princess Taiping instructed Jinghong, "Go to the Hidden Sword Pavilion and fetch the Lovesick Zither that Master Su left behind."

Jinghong departed at her command. Before long, she returned carrying a seven-stringed guzheng in both hands, its design ancient and elegant, its wood warm and smooth. She gently set it before Lu Changfeng. After testing a few notes, he knew it was an excellent instrument. Its tone was ethereal yet stirring, allowing Sonic Wave Art to achieve twice the result with half the effort!

Holding the Jade Flute, Wang Xiao walked into the center of the hall and faced Lu Changfeng, a cold, arrogant smile playing at his lips.

"Master Lu, please."

When the music first began, it was still harmonious.

Lu Changfeng was also familiarizing himself with the Six Methods of the Guzheng in his mind, along with the many ancient and modern pieces contained in his inheritance.

Wang Xiao's flute sounded clear and bright, constantly trying to lead the melody; Lu Changfeng's zither murmured like running water, responding with unruffled ease throughout.

Their duet followed the lilting melody of the Qingping Tune.

Yet after only a few notes, a cold gleam flashed through Wang Xiao's eyes, and his flute suddenly changed. Invisible waves seemed to seep into its once-clear tone. A sinister, elusive sonic force surged like an undercurrent straight toward Lu Changfeng's mind, seeking to disrupt his internal breathing and interrupt his playing.

The hearts of those who understood such things tightened. They knew the real contest had begun!

Lu Changfeng felt an invisible pressure assault him along with the flute's notes, and illusions crowded his mind!

His expression remained unchanged. He snorted inwardly as the internal energy of the Shennong Glazed Glass Art circulated naturally through his body, steadying his mind and calming his breath. At the same time, the essentials of the Six Methods of the Guzheng became instantly clear in his mind.

His fingertips continued brushing across the Lovesick Zither without any change in their movement, but the internal energy he poured into its strings suddenly became solid and resilient. Like a mighty pillar standing amid the current, it remained unmoving no matter how the tides rose and fell.

Far from being suppressed, the zither's voice grew clearer and fuller in the clash, deftly dissolving the strange sonic waves that sought to invade and rebounding them away.

For a time, within the great hall, the flute sounded like a treacherous undertow seeking to erode its target, while the zither was like a bright moon shining over a great river, scattering its clear radiance and holding its own small domain without the slightest disorder! Beneath the melody of the Qingping Tune, a musical clash that appeared peaceful yet concealed extraordinary danger unfolded in fierce earnest!

The guests reacted in different ways.

Those versed in the art, such as Princess Taiping, Cui Shi, and Song Zhiwen, immediately sensed the undercurrents beneath the beautiful music. Princess Taiping sat upright in the seat of honor, watching Lu Changfeng with a calm expression. Cui Shi frowned slightly, while Song Zhiwen looked astonished and doubtful. They could feel the ferocity in Wang Xiao's flute and were even more amazed that Lu Changfeng could respond with such composure.

Lu Changfeng's internal energy was clearly inferior to Wang Xiao's. That he could hold his ground this long could only mean his mastery of music was deeper!

The "soul-commanding zither music" that truly swept through people's hearts depended not on internal cultivation, but on musical mastery.

Internal cultivation could only help drive the waves higher. Only when a musician possessed profound skill could internal energy play its part. Otherwise, if the musician lacked ability, even music amplified by internal energy was merely noise!

Beyond making people irritable and agitated, it had no meaning at all.

Although Princess Anle did not understand the deeper intricacies of music, she vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Looking at the composed Lu Changfeng, then at Wang Xiao, whose brows were slightly knitted and who did not seem to have the upper hand, she felt her displeasure grow stronger.

Zhang Shu clenched his fists nervously, inwardly breaking into a cold sweat for his "dear younger brother," Lu Changfeng.

Of all their reactions, however, Shangguan Wan'er's was the most unusual.

Her gaze did not move between the two performers. Instead, it rested on Lu Changfeng, focused and lingering.

Within the hall, the music remained lilting, and the hidden currents continued to surge.

Unable to break through despite his sustained attack, Wang Xiao was both shocked and furious.

He had never expected Lu Changfeng's musical mastery to run so deep. The Qingping Tune alone could not bring him to heel! Now, under everyone's eyes-especially Princess Anle's expectant gaze-he was beginning to lose face.

A vicious gleam flashed through his eyes, and his flute changed again!

The treacherous undertow abruptly became towering waves! The flute's pitch soared, turning sharp and aggressive. He no longer concealed anything, completely stripping away the disguise of the Qingping Tune. Everyone seemed to hear raging winds howl and furious breakers crash against the shore!

This was the Wang family's supreme art, the Blue Sea Raging Tide Melody!

The violent sonic waves became an almost tangible tsunami, bearing the force to crush rotten wood and sweep away dead branches. No longer meant merely to interfere, they surged toward Lu Changfeng with destructive intent. Even the Lovesick Zither before him gave a faint hum!

Cups and plates trembled slightly. Some guests with weaker cultivation had already turned pale and covered their ears.

"How dare you!"

Was this still the Qingping Tune?!

Princess Taiping's phoenix eyes filled with murderous fury. Just as she was about to rebuke him, she heard Lu Changfeng's music change.

His fingertips swept fiercely across the strings, and the zither's voice changed abruptly. The Qingping Tune likewise vanished, replaced by a succession of urgent, ringing notes steeped in the spirit of slaughter!

Clang, clang, clang-

As he poured in his internal energy, sonic blades condensed almost to substance shot from the strings. Formless and intangible, yet bearing a keen edge, they were like arrows loosed amid a vast army, cutting precisely into the onrushing sonic tide and slicing it apart!

Within the great hall, two invisible armies seemed to clash fiercely!

On one side were the terrifying breakers conjured by the flute; on the other, armored soldiers and gleaming weapons formed from the zither's notes!

Streams of force spilled outward, making the sleeves of those nearby snap and flutter.

Wang Xiao's face paled. Hearing the zither, he felt as though he had been plunged into an ancient battlefield. Cries of slaughter rose all around, leaving him agitated and distracted. In his confusion, he seemed to crash into a wall of bronze and iron-and that "wall" kept unleashing fierce counterattacks that shook his blood and qi.

He forced himself to focus and drove his internal energy to its utmost. His flute grew still more shrill and savage as he tried to crush his opponent!

Lu Changfeng remained composed. His fingertips flew ever faster across the strings, and the sonic blades grew denser. His left hand darted along the strings as though it had become several hands flickering into view one after another; his rapidly sweeping right hand was already a rainstorm of shadows too swift to take solid shape, blasting out layer upon layer of killing intent!

He sat there like a mountain of jade, his white robes drifting with the rhythm like clouds circling its slopes.

"What a magnificent piece! What a magnificent man!"

At that moment, friend and foe alike found their eyes drawn irresistibly to Lu Changfeng.

He relied not on internal cultivation, but on music that commanded the soul!

A contest of Sonic Wave Art tested more than the strength of internal energy or the depth of musical understanding. It also tested the resilience of one's will. Whoever first succumbed to the other's sonic waves and wavered in heart and spirit would inevitably have their art broken!

Wang Xiao was in the upper realm of Xiantian. The reason he could not prevail even after such a prolonged clash was that, without realizing it, he had fallen into the battlefield realm Lu Changfeng created through sound. His eyes saw corpses strewn across the land; his ears heard brutal slaughter. Even his nose seemed to catch the thick stench of blood.

Once the heart fell into chaos, the qi followed. Once the qi fell into chaos, one's momentum was bound to wane!

The longer they fought, the calmer Lu Changfeng became, and the more hysterical Wang Xiao grew.

Now even Princess Anle could tell who was stronger.

Yet this time, she did not grow angry at Wang Xiao's inadequacy. Instead, she stared fixedly at Lu Changfeng's face, astonishment dawning in her expression. She was not the only one. The others also noticed something amiss. Cui Shi's expression changed drastically, Princess Taiping's brow lifted slightly, and Shangguan Wan'er gave a soft sound of surprise, her admiring gaze turning dazzled.

This is bad! Zhang Shu thought.

Wang Xiao was exerting too much pressure. His dear younger brother was wholly focused on his Sonic Wave Art and seemed to have forgotten something...

He was still in disguise...

And now, he could no longer spare the attention to maintain the Disguise Technique. His true appearance was gradually emerging...

The music's spirit climbed to its peak!

Lu Chenyuan half closed his eyes, and his fingers exploded into motion. His left hand pressed hard against the strings by the bridges, while his right swept repeatedly across all seven strings using the Plucked Tremolo technique. In an instant, the zither's voice burst like thunder-the high register erupted with the stirring cry of a suona, while the low register sounded like pounding war drums. Heaven and earth trembled!

Everyone seemed to witness Xiang Yu's fury as a cornered beast at Gaixia and Huo Qubing's might as he drove deep into the Northern Desert!

It was none other than the famed piece from a later age, Ambush from Ten Sides!

Boom!!

Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky! All the sounds of slaughter and all the accumulated power erupted at that instant. The zither's music became the galloping roar of countless troops, sweeping toward Wang Xiao like an unstoppable torrent of steel!

Before this true "army of thousands," Wang Xiao's seemingly mighty sonic tide was no more than a fragile embankment. It crumbled in an instant!

"Pfft-"

The sonic waves struck him. His mental defenses collapsed, leaving him no time to protect himself. His body jolted violently, and his face turned paper-white. Unable to suppress the blood surging upward, he spat out a mouthful. With a sharp crack, a fissure also split the Jade Flute in his hand.

He staggered several steps backward. Only the companions behind him catching him kept him from collapsing to the floor, but his aura had already dwindled. He had clearly suffered considerable internal injuries.

The flute fell abruptly silent.

Only Lu Changfeng's zither remained. After unleashing that earth-shattering strike, it too slowly subsided, its lingering notes curling through the silent hall.

Victory and defeat had been decided!

Within the great hall, one could have heard a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned by the outcome of this lightning-swift yet ferociously intense clash. For a moment, they forgot to react.

Lu Changfeng slowly rose, not bothering to give Wang Xiao another glance. He had attacked his opponent's weakness with his own strength, and he still had the nerve to act so proud!

What a waste of his Taiyuan Wang Clan origins.

Lu Changfeng was about to offer a simple bow, return to his seat, and continue eating when he suddenly sensed something strange about the atmosphere.

The expected chatter, or Princess Anle's angry humiliation, did not immediately erupt. Instead, the entire hall sank into an even deeper silence. Countless gazes settled on him, carrying something far beyond surprise at the contest's outcome. They were filled with a certain... indescribable shock.

Was this really necessary?

Puzzled, Lu Changfeng caught sight of Zhang Shu out of the corner of his eye.

Zhang Shu was looking at him with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and sympathy, pointing at his own face.

At first, Lu Changfeng did not understand. Then realization struck, and his expression froze.

Oh, no!