The Piano Player and the Woodcutter

When the music test started, Xu Xian managed to keep his eyelids open and watch the excitement for a while.

Ten zither stands were lined up in the square, and a scholar sat in front of each zither, his fingers plucking, pressing, picking, or stroking the strings, creating a symphony of sounds.

Some played with a clear and melodious sound like flowing water, some with a deep and resonant sound like the sound of pine trees, and some played... well, it's hard to describe.

The rules of the challenger system are simple and straightforward: whoever thinks they are the best can go up on stage to become the champion, and others will take turns challenging them. Finally, the ten people still sitting in front of the zither stand are the winners.

Luo Shenglin and Master Meng sat on the judging panel, with several renowned scholars from various academies leading the teams beside them. Each of them had a bamboo plaque in front of them for scoring.

Xu leaned back in his chair, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

I practiced Lingbo Weibu all night last night, and I kept bumping into walls, trees, and steps. Every part of my body aches.

Now, enveloped by the rising and falling piano music, drowsiness washed over me, and I nodded my head once, then again.

He sat up abruptly and glanced left and right—thankfully, no one was paying attention.

Master Meng sat upright on the judging panel, Yang Xu paced back and forth in the southeast corner of the square with his hand on the hilt of his sword, and Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao were happily cracking melon seeds in the northwest corner.

Jun Jingyan sat in front of the third zither, her fingers gently plucking the strings, and a clear, melodious note flowed from her fingertips.

Xu Xian didn't understand music, but Jun Jingyan's piano playing was indeed different.

The sound of that zither is not merely pleasant to listen to; it can stimulate a person's energy and blood.

Every time she plucked the strings, Xu Xian felt as if his blood and qi were being gently touched by an invisible hand, causing a slight tremor in his meridians.

This is the Confucian ideal of finding joy in life.

It's not just entertainment; it's a true spiritual practice, using music to stimulate the spirit and then using that spirit to influence the blood and energy.

As he was listening, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the zither platform diagonally opposite him. The blue-robed scholar Jia Xiuxiang, who had called him a "vulgar brute" at Taibai Tower, was sitting in front of the zither, his hands flying across the strings like lightning, producing a stirring and passionate melody.

Several renowned scholars on the judging panel nodded frequently.

Xu Xian was somewhat surprised.

"This kid's character isn't great, but he plays the piano quite well..."

...

It was already evening when the auditions ended. The ten finalists stood before the main stage to receive comments from the judges. Jun Jingyan came in third, and Jia Xiuxiang came in seventh.

  

Luo Shenglin commented on the strengths and weaknesses of each person, and Master Meng added a few words before announcing that the book club would end today and the archery test would be held tomorrow.

Xu Xian stood up from the chair, stretched, and his bones creaked all over.

Master Meng was going to stay at Liuzhai to discuss matters with several deans. He had listened to the entire music examination from beginning to end today, so it wasn't entirely without gain; at least he had learned another aspect of Confucianism.

He parted ways with Yang Xu, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Bao at the entrance of Liuzhai, and walked home alone as the sun set.

The bluestone slabs of Zhuque Avenue were golden, and the glazed tiles of the palace walls in the distance reflected the light in the setting sun. He turned a corner and suddenly stopped.

The alley is narrow, with the back walls of residential houses on both sides. Usually, there aren't many people around at this time.

Now, a guqin stands in the middle of the alley. The body of the instrument is black, and a masked man sits in front of it, his fingers lightly resting on the strings.

Xu Xian raised an eyebrow slightly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"You haven't made a move in so long, I thought your reputation was going to be ruined by me, so you could come and ruin more people on me? If I were your boss, I would have ended this deal long ago."

The iron-faced musician looked up, his voice tinged with amusement.

"Lord Xu is joking. How can a reputation built over hundreds of years be ruined by a mere cultivator at the Meridian Opening Realm? We beg Commander Xu to die!"

His fingers plucked the strings.

Just as Xu Xian was about to draw his sword, the sound of the zither entered his ears.

Every note of the music stirred the internal energy within his meridians, causing his blood and qi to suddenly stagnate and his heart to beat erratically.

I just witnessed the Confucian method of mobilizing qi and blood at the book club at noon, and I didn't expect to use it on myself so soon.

"These tricks probably won't kill me!"

Xu Xian activated the Yi Jin Jing to forcefully suppress his surging blood and qi, then pushed off with his feet and charged towards the musician with his sword.

When they were still a foot away from their opponent, a blade of light suddenly slashed down from above.

He flipped in mid-air, the eight-sided sword blocking his way, the blade pressing into his chest and drawing blood. He jerked back a few steps.

The newcomer also wore a mask made of iron, and carried a wood-chopping knife on his shoulder.

"Those who can play the zither are not enough. Lord Xu is used to killing enemies of higher levels. He can kill those in the Meridian Opening Realm when he is in the Body Tempering Realm, and he can withstand those in the Bone Tempering Realm when he is in the Meridian Opening Realm. He cannot defeat Lord Xu by himself."

"We have studied all of Lord Xu's battle records in Qingzhou. It would be too foolish to confront him head-on, so we are not just talking about him today... Lord Xu, you are the first in the Meridian Opening Realm to receive such treatment."

Xu Xian held the Eight-Sided Sword horizontally in front of him, looked down at the knife wound on his chest, and saw that the wound was not deep.

He looked up at the assassin with the woodcutter's knife, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"That last strike... you're only at the Meridian Opening Realm, are you sure the two of you can handle me? If we fight, Liu Zhai will definitely hear the commotion. Guess how long it will take for the Investigation Division's reinforcements to arrive?"

Before he finished speaking, a thin spider web suddenly appeared overhead.

Xu Xian didn't sense any fluctuations in energy at all. The spider web was as light as air. He only realized something was wrong when it landed on him.

He instinctively struggled, and the spider web snapped in two; it was too thin to trap a person.

He looked up and saw a palm-sized black spider hanging from the rafters beside him, slowly crawling back to its owner's hand along the spider silk.

The master, also wearing an iron mask, squatted on the roof, his palm outstretched, letting the spider crawl into his sleeve.

"Commander Xu is tough, and he has a highly skilled bodyguard by his side. How could he dare to make a move without a foolproof plan?"

"Kyoto is teeming with experts and heavily guarded. It's the stronghold of Commander Xu. Big shots value their lives and dare not cause trouble in Kyoto. We ordinary folks have to support our families, so we inevitably have to take risks."

He looked down at Xu Xian and chuckled softly, "Commander Xu, don't you feel a tingling sensation?"

Xu Xian was taken aback, and as he activated his qi and blood, his heart sank.

The Qi and blood in the meridians are slowly fading!

He looked down at his hand holding the sword. The skin on the back of his hand was covered with a very faint grayish-white layer, and his fingers began to feel slightly numb. He figured there must be something wrong with the spider web from earlier!

He looked up and stared at the drug lord on the roof.

"It's good that the assassins have started using poison. Don't you have a prestigious reputation? You even need to poison someone like me who only reaches the Meridian Opening Realm. Aren't you afraid of ruining your reputation if word gets out?"

"The signboard is for killing, not for fighting. So what if you use poison? If you die, you die. Who cares how you died?"

The Gu Master chuckled.

"The name of the centurion is listed in the shop for ten thousand gold coins. It's hard not to be tempted. Fortunately, my darling has done a great job... Now you've been poisoned by my darling, and with the musician suppressing your blood and qi, you've lost more than one-tenth of your cultivation."

He looked at the woodcutter, "Hey woodcutter, if you still can't take him down, just kill yourself with the woodcutter's axe!"

The machete killer laughed heartily.

"Don't worry, don't worry! Ten thousand gold coins will be split among three people, so we'll each get three thousand gold coins!"

Before he finished speaking, the wood-chopping axe came crashing down, the wind whistling through the air.

At the same time, the music started again, and Xu Xian felt a dull pain in his head, as if someone had stuffed cotton into his skull.