Chapter 48: The Flowers Bloom At The Guangling Melody

　　After a long silence, Qin Yang finally let out a deep sigh. Just then, Qin Zheng suddenly said, “Commander Luo is not well. Let’s continue!”

　　“Young Master Yun, what’s wrong with you?” Meng Wu noticed Yunxiao’s strange behavior and pushed him with her hand. Hearing that, the latter came to his senses with a sudden shudder. He touched the cold sweat on his forehead as he looked at Yunshang, who had disappeared into the horizon.

　　Xiao Qingwang laughed, “It takes patience for young men to pick up girls. All little girls love heroes, but Gu Feiyang has been dead for more than a decade after all. You have to be persistent and shameless…beautiful girls generally can’t stand being pestered.”

　　“Thanks for the advice, Commander Xiao,” Qin Yang said bitterly, then sank back into his seat dejectedly.

　　The second prince, Qin Yue, secretly breathed a sigh of relief; his heart had jumped into his throat just now. If Luo Yunshang had agreed to the other’s proposal, Qin Yang would not only have the help of an alchemist and Martial Lord, but also the support of an army of State Guardians. It was a very powerful force.

　　After seeing Luo Yunshang reject Qin Yang’s proposal, Qin Yue’s heart relaxed slightly. Then. he stood up with a smile and began to present his gift for Ruxue.

　　Such an episode did not affect the feast, and the crowd continued to eat and drink happily. Although Qin Yang was a little upset, he was not troubled by the rejection, because losing to Gu Feiyang in love was not a shame.

　　Meng Bai, who was nibbling a leg of lamb, suddenly asked, “Master, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, but I don’t know who the man that pretty girl mentioned just now is. Do you know? Could it be Lord Yang Di?”

　　Yang Di was from Tianshui. Everyone here knew about him, and his status in their hearts was like a god.

　　Meng Wu glared at him and said, “He is Lord Yang Di’s mentor, Lord Gu Feiyang, the most powerful man. The statue in Jialan Academy was made after his image.”

　　“Oh, it’s him…I have seen the statue before. Although he looks awe-inspiring, he is not handsome!” Meng Bai was puzzled and said, “So why did he reject the most beautiful in the world? Is he a fool?”

　　“Ahem, ahem!”

　　Yunxiao choked on a mouthful of wine and coughed violently. “You know sh*t! This is called ‘walking through clusters of flowers but not getting caught by any of the leaves’!” he said angrily.

　　“Bullsh*t! I think he’s either a fool or a homosexual!” Meng Bai cried out. “Brother Chen, Brother Han, what do you say?”

　　Chen Zhen laughed. “Haha! Yeah, I also think that guy is a homosexual. Although I have never met the Master of Shenxiao Temple, since she is praised as the most beautiful woman in the world, she must be a very attractive woman. How could a normal man not be tempted by her? Hey, Young Master Yun, why is your face growing so dark? Don’t tell me you had an affair with that homosexual? You didn’t pick up soaps in front of him, did you? Haha!”

　　His repeated references to homosexuality made Yunxiao turn livid. “How can you be so disrespectful to a senior of martial arts?” he said while fuming.

　　“Respect my a*s!” Chen Zhen shouted. “Isn’t he just a little stronger than us? Isn’t he just a little fiercer than us when killing people? Look at these beautiful women! Every one of them seems to turn nymphomaniac when they hear the name ‘Gu Feiyang’! Fu*k! With this alone, he is the public enemy of men all over the continent! Han Bai, don’t you think so?”

　　Han Bai nodded seriously and said, “Of course! Even the world’s most beautiful woman had fallen in love with him, and I think he deserved to die for this alone! Don’t you think so, Young Master Yun?”

　　Yunxiao, “…”

　　“Don’t you slander Lord Gu Feiyang!” Meng Wu said crossly. “If you say one more bad word about him, I’ll tell Teacher Luo! Hmph! With Teacher Luo’s admiration for Lord Gu Feiyang, you know the consequences you will face!”

　　Chen Zhen and Han Bai immediately pulled their tongues back in fear. Meng Bai, on the other hand, was not afraid and said loudly, “What are you afraid of? He is a homosexual! There, I said it! So what? Don’t be afraid, Brother Chen and Brother Han, I support you!”

　　Pa!

　　Yunxiao slapped him under the table and said angrily, “You are going to Jialan Academy’s ten-fold gravity chamber tomorrow and stay there for ten days!”

　　“What? Come on, Master! Ten days!” Meng Bai howled under the table.

　　“Hmph!” Meng Wu also said in fury, “From today on, you will cook and wash your own clothes. You will do all the housework! This is your punishment for slandering Lord Gu Feiyang!”

　　“Sis, I was wrong, please forgive me!” Meng Bai wailed, but no one paid him any attention.

　　People kept walking into the main banquet hall to present their gifts, and Ruxue was already a little tired. Yunxiao made quite a noise when he slapped Meng Bai over, which immediately attracted her attention. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Yunxiao as she cried out, “Li Yunxiao! What gift have you prepared for me?”

　　The eldest son of one of the counts, who was standing in front of her triumphantly and eloquently introducing his gift, froze in an instant and stood in the banquet hall with great embarrassment. His father, the count sitting in the secondary banquet hall, helplessly gave his son a look. The man immediately left behind the gift and walked out despondently.

　　Startled, Yunxiao looked at Chen Zhen and Han Bai for help. “Do you have to bring a gift for a meal?”

　　Together, Chen Zhen and Han Bai each took out a small box and placed in on the table, tapping it a few times. They both looked at Yunxiao with sympathetic eyes, as if to say: ‘You didn’t even prepare a gift, did you?’

　　Yunxiao’s face turned blue instantly…

　　“Hmph! Don’t tell me that someone is here to be a freeloader?” Li Yi ridiculed in a cold voice.

　　“A freeloader? Ha! You are really good at imagining things!” Yunxiao snorted.

　　“Damn, this guy is looking down on us! Master, take out the gift you have prepared so that everyone can have an eye-opener!” Meng Bai shouted crossly.

　　Ruxue said happily, “Li Yunxiao, what gift have you prepared for me? Bring it up quickly!”

　　All the people were curious as their eyes were fixed on Yunxiao. Qin Zheng opened his cloudy eyes and chuckled, “Ruxue, if Yunxiao hadn’t saved you, how could you still be alive and kicking like this?”

　　Ruxue snorted and said, “That’s two separate things! If I’m not satisfied with the gift he gives me… hmph!”

　　Yunxiao’s mind was racing. Before long, he rose to his feet and smiled. “You know that I am poor,” he said. “I have nothing better to offer you than these nobles and sons of dignitaries…oh, and this prodigal servant. Therefore, I only intended to play a melody for you today. May the Princess be healthier and more beautiful.”

　　Upon hearing this, Li Yi burst into laughter. “Play a melody? Haha! You poor guy, who wants to listen to you play the zither? There are hundreds of musicians in the palace! You better not shame the Li Family!”

　　“Old Eight, is it your turn to speak now? Mind who you are!” Yunxiao’s voice was cold.

　　“You!” Li Yi was fuming with anger. He hated it when people exposed his scars, especially when all the powerful figures of Tianshui were here today. In his heart, he had already sentenced Yunxiao to death.

　　Ruxue clapped her hands and cheered after a brief moment of pause. “Great! I didn’t know you knew how to play the zither! I want to listen to you play!”

　　All the people present were shaking their heads secretly. Comparisons were odious. The princess had hardly smiled when they offered the gifts they purchased with a lot of money, but the boy’s performance, which did not cost a penny, actually made her extremely happy.

　　Soon, court musicians put the zither table, zither, ambergris incense, and other things in the main banquet hall. Meanwhile, Qin Zheng laughed, “Duke Jingguo is a military officer all his life, and General Feilong is also good at martial arts. I didn’t expect that their descendant is proficient in music.”

　　Yunxiao walked slowly toward the zither, and his aura suddenly began to change. Seeing that, Xiao Qingwang’s pupils constricted slightly. Although he knew nothing about music, he was shocked by the aura of a grandmaster emanating from Yunxiao.

　　As he sat down in front of the zither, Yunxiao’s face grew solemn. A dreamy look appeared in his eyes as if he was staring into the endless distance. Without saying a word, he closed his eyes slightly and began to recall the empty, cold bamboo forest.

　　He was handsome and smart like a god and dressed in white. The pure-white sleeves of his robe fluttered without wind, making it look like clouds were flowing around him.

　　Gu Feiyang of that day, Li Yunxiao of today!

　　He gently raised his hand and stroked it on the zither. It was a good zither, but only a good zither. It was nothing compared to his Heaven Melody Divine Zither.

　　A ray of light fell and slowly flowed down the zither, shining on Yunxiao’s fingertips. All of a sudden, the whole world quieted down, and a shaft of moonlight poured on him. It made him look cold and lonely, and yet he did not seem to be aware of it as he just stared at his hands.

　　“This is…Guangling Melody!” Ruxue’s eyes grew wider and wider. When the zither was played, all sounds stopped, including the chirping of insects and frogs.

　　The soft moonlight enveloped all around, changing the color of the world like thousands of flowers suddenly blooming as the melody cut through the dim light of the night and echoed throughout the heaven and earth.

　　After a time that no one seemed to know how long it was, the music had already faded away. It was as if it had come with the moonlight, and now it had returned to the night sky filled with boundless loneliness.

　　There was not a sound in the banquet hall, as if no one had ever been there. After a long time…

　　Suddenly, a man outside the hall shouted, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! All the flowers in the courtyard are blooming!”

　　“What? How can flowers bloom at night?” Everyone was shocked. On both sides of the corridor, all kinds of flowers bloomed and sent forth a rich fragrance, making everyone feel relaxed and refreshing upon smelling it.

　　The flowers bloomed at the Guangling Melody!

　　Under the starry sky, the moonlight rippled like water and the flowers bloomed to contend in beauty and fragrance.

　　“This…” Everyone came to their senses and stood still from the shock.

　　Ruxue’s eyes gleamed as she murmured softly, “How beautiful…The flowers under the moon are so beautiful…It’s a pity that Teacher Luo has already left. Otherwise, how would she feel if she heard this melody?”

　　Xiao Qingwang gave Yunxiao a complicated look and said in a faint voice, “Legend has it that Gu Feiyang had played this Guangling Melody in Qionghua Island’s purple bamboo forest when they first met. At that time, it was already frosty and snowing, but this divine music awakened the Flower God, who ordered the flowers to bloom. I didn’t expect ordinary people like us to be lucky enough to hear this melody today. It only belongs to the heavenas, and hardly be heard on earth.”

　　Yunxiao, too, was struck by a chord, and the beautiful face flashed through his mind as he sighed.

　　‘For who does the beauty dance, and who will overturn the world for the beauty?’

　　“Ha! Amazing! You played too well!” Qin Zheng took the lead in clapping his hands as he laughed. “I’ve lived for so many years, but only now I know there is such a beautiful melody in the world. All the court musicians I keep are rubbish. I’ll have them all packed up and scram tomorrow!”

　　Now that the king had spoken his praise, all present applauded and cheered loudly.