A Minor Art, Unworthy of the Grand Hall!
After finishing two pieces, Qian Xunling put away his guqin before the listeners had even come to their senses. He glanced at Bibi Dong. "Let's go, Little Spider."
"Oh, oh... wait for me, Martial Uncle." Bibi Dong came to her senses and hurried after him, walking off the boat alongside Qian Xunling.
The listeners came to their senses and turned to look at Qian Xunling. The young women came chasing after him in droves, their faces flushed, leaving the men who had wanted to flirt with them feeling quite dejected.
"Hmph, all he can do is play a tune, and he's just a little taller and better-looking. What's so great about that?"
As though none of what had just happened had happened at all, the men all glared at Qian Xunling and watched helplessly as a group of young women surrounded him. It seemed that, if Qian Xunling wished, he could enter paradise tonight.
In fact, that was indeed the case.
A young woman took Qian Xunling's hand and placed it against her chest, her face flushed. "Young Master, your playing was so beautiful. Where do you live, and what's your name? Can I come find you and listen to you play again?"
Feeling the softness in his hand, Qian Xunling smiled. "I have no fixed home, but I'll be in Heaven Dou City for the next few days. Perhaps you'll see me again."
"Really?" The young women were delighted.
Young Bibi Dong, on the other hand, wore a dark look on her little face. She clenched her fists, wanting to drive them away, but feared making her martial uncle angry.
These women are awful. Martial Uncle doesn't even know them.
The young women weren't the only ones. Tang Yuehua also wanted to discuss the music with Qian Xunling, but there were so many people that she couldn't get through.
Just then, a burly young man at the side said disdainfully, "Hmph, all he can do is play a few lousy tunes. Is that really enough to make you like him so much?"
Everyone looked over. A few other people stood beside the burly young man.
They wore Clear Sky Sect uniforms, but bore the unmistakable insignia of the Strength Clan. Tang Xiao spoke up. "So it's Tai Nuo."
Tai Nuo held his nose high and folded his arms as he stared at the women, then looked jealously at Qian Xunling. "So what if he can play music? Can he compare with us Clear Sky Sect disciples? Can he compare with us Soul Masters? If I told him to kneel and lick my shoes right now, he wouldn't have a word to say."
He seemed to relish being the center of attention and feeling superior.
The corners of Tai Nuo's mouth lifted as he looked at the women, who had lowered their heads in fright. "Don't you know that?"
Bibi Dong clenched her fists and said angrily, "Who do you think you are, daring to insult my martial uncle?!"
"Hm?"
Everyone looked in shock at the furious Bibi Dong standing beside Qian Xunling's leg.
The atmosphere he had just created had been disrupted, and Tai Nuo said angrily, "What did you say?! Say it again!"
Bibi Dong was startled, but she refused to back down. She opened her mouth to retort, only for Qian Xunling to speak first. "So the Clear Sky Sect's lackeys have gotten this impressive, have they?"
"Lackeys?" Everyone stared at Qian Xunling, even more dumbfounded. He actually dared to curse a member of the Strength Clan to his face. It was one of the four great clans affiliated with the Clear Sky Sect, and even more formidable than some other sects.
Weren't these two afraid of dying?
Tai Nuo sneered and stared at Qian Xunling as though he were looking at a dead man. But Qian Xunling sneered too and continued, "Keep looking, but you'll never grow up to look like me. You'll only grow up looking like a dog. No, you should look like an ape. Even calling you an ape is giving you too much credit. You should look like a beast."
The women surrounding Qian Xunling all moved a little farther away.
They admired Qian Xunling, but also felt it was a pity.
This young man probably wouldn't live through the night.
Tai Nuo chuckled, his eyes icy. "Very good. You're the first person who's ever dared curse me like that. You've really got guts. Looks like I really do need to teach you a lesson, but I don't usually know my own strength. It'd be perfectly normal if you died."
With that, Tai Nuo walked toward Qian Xunling.
He cracked his knuckles as he went, taunting, "I hope you aren't reborn as an ordinary person in your next life. Playing music is only a minor art; Soul Power Level is the true path."
Qian Xunling dug at his ear and looked at him contemptuously. "Whatever they might be reborn as, I don't think anyone would choose to be reborn as a beast like you."
"Very good!" Tai Nuo raised his fist and was about to strike.
Bibi Dong cried out in terror, "Martial Uncle!"
Just then, a woman's voice rang out in reprimand. Tang Yuehua said indignantly, "Tai Nuo!"
Tai Nuo immediately looked at Tang Yuehua.
He also saw Tang Hao and Tang Xiao behind her, both wearing slightly displeased expressions.
"Young... young masters?!" Tai Nuo panicked and hurried over to Tang Hao and Tang Xiao. "Young masters," he said respectfully.
Then he looked at Tang Yuehua and addressed her respectfully as well. "Young miss."
"What were you just about to do?!" Even Tang Yuehua's serene bearing was tinged with anger as she looked at Tai Nuo. Tai Nuo told her what had happened truthfully, but embellished it. "What that brat said was truly outrageous. He actually said the Strength Clan were the young masters' dogs. And judging by his tone, he doesn't have the slightest respect for the Clear Sky Sect either."
"So I was planning to teach him a lesson." As Tai Nuo spoke, his manner grew increasingly righteous, as though he had done nothing wrong.
But Tang Yuehua said, "Do you think we didn't see the whole thing?"
Tai Nuo lowered his head in surprise.
Just then, Tang Xiao said to Tai Nuo in an icy tone, "Get back. You nearly made the Clear Sky Sect lose all face."
Tai Nuo was indignant, but he dared not disobey Tang Xiao. After nodding, he glared at Qian Xunling and muttered, "Don't let me catch you."
Qian Xunling smiled and replied, "The master's here, so the dog should keep quiet. You make your master look ill-mannered too."
"What?!" Everyone turned to look at Qian Xunling again.
Tai Nuo clenched his fists, only to hear Tang Yuehua reprimand him. "Tai Nuo."
Tai Nuo had no choice but to leave. Tang Yuehua walked up to Qian Xunling. She was only twelve or thirteen at the time, but her beauty was already plain to see. She said apologetically, "Young Master, Yuehua apologizes for the trouble caused to you."
Qian Xunling nodded. "You're not bad."
"Huh?" Tang Yuehua didn't understand what he meant, but she could tell that Qian Xunling was indeed extremely arrogant-or, more precisely, unfettered. But that also fit the mood of the music he had just played. Tang Yuehua didn't dwell on it and asked, "Young Master, could you talk with me about the piece you just played?"
"I might have been a little interested just now, but I'm not in the mood anymore. Farewell. Little Spider, let's go." Qian Xunling was somewhat dissatisfied with the atmosphere after Tai Nuo had affected it.
Tang Xiao and Tang Hao were a little displeased that Qian Xunling had shown them no regard, but Tang Yuehua shook her head at them. "Big Brother, Brother Hao, that young master may not seem to mind what just happened, but he must feel somewhat put out. Let's not take it to heart."
Hearing their younger sister plead on his behalf like that,
Tang Xiao and Tang Hao only then reluctantly let their anger subside.
Just then, Tang Yuehua said, "Big Brother, I think Tai Nuo should be taught a lesson. He clearly intended to kill someone in front of everyone just now."
Tang Xiao nodded, though his tone held no anger as he replied, "I'll have a word with Tai Nuo and the others and tell them to behave themselves."
"Mm." Tang Yuehua smiled. Tang Xiao then said, "In that case, let's head back first."
Tang Yuehua left with the two of them, looking back in the direction Qian Xunling and Bibi Dong had gone. She felt not only apologetic but grateful, because Qian Xunling had voiced the frustration in her heart for her.
Was playing music truly unworthy of being brought before others?
Word of what had happened that night quickly spread through Heaven Dou City.
No one had expected a handsome young man, both bold and talented, to appear out of nowhere.
More importantly, everyone had felt firsthand the oppressive pressure brought by the Clear Sky Sect.
And such feelings continued to brew until Xue Ye's enthronement ceremony.