Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 23

Outside, Gao Jianli's lips parted slightly, revealing the same expression as the recently deceased leader of the Luo Wang organization.

In stark contrast to him, Lu Yu was jumping for joy.

------

"Thank you for your help. May I ask your names?"

When Lu Wei walked out of the tavern, only four people remained alive in the surrounding area.

Besides the three of them, there was also the unfortunate tavern waiter who had fainted.

The scene inside the tavern was too much to bear. Faced with Gao Jianli's hollow bow of thanks, Lu Wei gestured to Lu Yu to help him up.

"Too many people have died. We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's head back to Jicheng tonight!"

Without answering the other party's question, Lu Wei took the lead and walked ahead.

Gao Jianli pursed his lips, said "thank you" again, and let another person help him mount his horse and leave the town.

The 20-kilometer bumpy ride would have likely killed him on horseback if he hadn't taken some healing pills beforehand.

Even with the system-provided medicine as a backup, Gao Jianli was still too weak and fainted.

This was exactly what Lu Wei wanted: serious injury and dizziness would greatly weaken Gao Jianli's external perception.

Tonight's events may not have been entirely flawless.

Taking a nap would help the musician forget some of the details.

...

When Gao Jianli woke up again, the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling...

One of the disciples who was waiting quickly notified Lu Yu to come over. Upon seeing his savior, Gao Jianli hurriedly got out of bed and was about to kneel down on one knee to formally express his gratitude when Lu Yu stopped him first.

"If you have anything to say, you can talk to Brother Lu. I'm just following orders."

Brother Lu? He's the one who dealt with those Luo Wang assassins, right...?

Gao Jianli's heart stirred: "Could you please take me to meet this 'Brother Lu'?"

"That's exactly why I came to find you."

After Lu Yu finished speaking, he turned around, and Gao Jianli silently followed behind him.

After passing through the back courtyard side hall, the main hall of Luqiu Pavilion, and then climbing the stairs to the third floor, Gao Jianli had already guessed the identity of the owner of this place.

With a large number of disciples and those signature grain decorations, this is farmland.

At this time, Gao Jianli did not know much about the martial arts world. He was only seventeen years old and devoted almost all his energy to music.

Gao Jianli only had a rough understanding of the various schools of thought during the Hundred Schools of Thought period. After years of fleeing in the Yan state, he had seen many disciples of the peasant school in various taverns... To be honest, Gao Jianli disliked them very much in most cases.

However, since I was saved by the farmers last night, I can be a little nicer to them in the future when I encounter them again, out of gratitude.

"Brother Lu is inside, you can go in."

Lu Yu stepped aside, stood guard at the door, and gestured for them to enter.

"Thank you." Gao Jianli had nothing else with him; his sword and zither were destroyed, and as for money... he was penniless after becoming a tavern musician.

Aside from expressing his gratitude verbally, he didn't know what else he could do.

Pushing open the door and entering the room, you are greeted by a screen depicting Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs.

Gao Jianli took another step forward, and suddenly the sound of plucking a zither rang out.

“This is…” His eyes lit up, and he quickly walked around the screen.

Lu Wei sat at the table, a black zither in front of him, and stared at him with a smile.

"My name is Gao Jianli. Thank you for saving me last night!"

Suppressing his eagerness, Gao Jianli clasped his hands and bowed to him.

“It wasn’t just last night; you’ve been unconscious for three days.”

Lu Wei lowered his gaze and plucked the strings of the black zither on the table again, producing a loud and clear sound.

"So he was unconscious for three days..." Gao Jianli was in a daze, his eyes closed as the sound of the zither echoed in his mind. He could no longer hold back: "I wonder what kind of zither my benefactor..."

“I am the manager of this Luqiu Pavilion, my surname is Lu, you can call me Manager Lu.” Lu Wei smiled faintly and plucked the strings of the zither for the third time: “It is indeed Hao Zhong.”

"As expected!" Gao Jianli couldn't help but take a step forward with his left foot.

Even knowing full well that this was impolite, they still made the request with shining eyes:

"May I have a look?"

"Please make yourself at home." Lu Wei stood up, stepped aside, and smiled as he offered the main seat to Lu Wei.

"Excuse me!" Gao Jianli was overwhelmed with excitement. He quickly stepped forward and sat down. His slender fingers hovered in the air for a long time before finally pressing the strings.

Unlike Lu Wei, who knew nothing about the zither and could only pluck three strings haphazardly, Gao Jianli's first piece, "Yan Feng," was powerful, tragic, and stirring, and its sound traveled from the third-floor room to the main hall of Lu Qiu Pavilion.

Suddenly, the entire Luqiu Pavilion fell silent. All the disciples stopped what they were doing, closed their eyes and listened intently. Some even shed tears, their emotions running high!

Lu Wei, who was closest to Gao Jianli, was surprised to see that Gao Jianli was completely absorbed in playing the zither and discovered that Gao Jianli's internal energy was actually breaking through his limit as the music resonated!

He is truly a born musician!

When using it in the future, you can apply more pressure without worrying about breaking it.

Chapter 32 Golden Terrace

The Hao Zhongqin is said to have been first owned by Bo Ya, and later passed into the hands of Duke Huan of Qi, where it was managed by Hao Zhong, one of Duke Huan's subordinates.

The 'Haozhong' is unnamed, but is named after the zither.

The resounding sound of this zither is like the pounding of bells and the long blaring of horns, stirring the heart and filling one with awe. When Duke Huan of Qi conquered the State of Lu, the zither "Hao Zhong" played military music, greatly boosting the morale of the Qi army. On the battlefield, the State of Qi swept through the enemy lines and returned in triumph.

Together with King Zhuang of Chu's Raoliang Qin (a type of zither), it is considered a supreme treasure in the world of music.

The one Lu Wei has is a high-quality replica, which he bought from the system store at a high price.

The original glockenspiel has long been lost, perhaps buried underground with its last owner.

Therefore, although his weapon was indeed fake, Lu Wei could shamelessly claim that it was genuine!

After playing the piece "Yan Feng", Gao Jianli slowly opened his eyes. He felt his internal energy breaking through, but he felt no pleasure. He just silently looked at the black zither in his hands, feeling extremely reluctant to part with it.

"As expected of Gao Jianli, the tavern musician, his rendition of 'Yan Feng' was truly stirring and inspiring, leaving one in awe!"

Lu Wei knew nothing about music, but Gao Jianli's performance had already stirred the emotions of the audience, making it clear whether his skill was good or bad.

"This is not my doing; it is truly the skill of the bell!"

Reluctantly rising from his seat, Gao Jianli desperately restrained his desires and bowed to Lu Wei:

"To have played this zither once is enough to make death worthwhile. Steward Lu saved Gao Jianli's life twice. From now on, if you have any orders, I will do my best to assist you!"

"I went to Shuzhen specifically to find out your location before making this trip. Helping you was just a natural thing to do."

Upon hearing Gao Jianli's words, Lu Wei smiled, turned around, went to the window, and opened the small window to look at the streets of Jicheng.

It wasn't exactly a secret that Lu Wei had mobilized his disciples from the Farmer's School to search for Gao Jianli, so he decided to reveal it himself now to close the last loophole in his plan.

"I wonder why Steward Lu has sought me out?"

Gao Jianli was indeed surprised, but the fact that the other party spoke so frankly showed that he was an upright person.

"Two weeks from now, I need to host a banquet for the steward of Lord Yanchun's residence," Lu Wei said with a smile. "He is extremely fond of music, and the playing of ordinary musicians is beyond his comprehension."

"I heard that there is a musician named Gao in Yanjing who, despite his young age, can play wonderful music. So, I sent the order to my disciples with the attitude of giving it a try."

"It was an unintentional act, but I happened to find out that you were near Jicheng, so I went to take a look."

"Judging from that song 'Yan Feng' just now, I've found the right person~"

"Manager Lu, you flatter me." Gao Jianli looked enlightened and cupped his hands in a fist salute: "Playing music is the job of a musician. I am honored by your high regard, Manager Lu. I am happy to play for you!"

“Alas…” Lu Wei suddenly sighed at this moment: “To flatter Lord Yanchun is really a last resort for farmers… Master Gao Qin is a Yan person, so he must understand what Lord Yanchun usually does.”

"It is a waste of talent to send such an elegant musician as you to please the steward of a powerful man."

"Manager Lu is overthinking it," Gao Jianli said, seeing Lu Wei's pained expression. "The people of the world have long suffered from tyrannical people, but most of the time they have no choice but to bow down to these traitors."

"When I was young, I only knew how to be brave and offended those powerful people. I have been hunted down for three years."

"Although I still do not regret what I did back then, upon careful reflection, if I had been able to lower my head and not violate morality, I would not be in this predicament now."

"The fault lies not with you, but with the world!"

Lu Wei turned around and placed his right hand on Gao Jianli's shoulder: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Besides arranging the performance two weeks from now, I have another matter to ask of you, Master Gao!"

"Please give your instructions, Steward Lu!"

Gao Jianli looked sincerely into Lu Wei's eyes. Since his escape, he had thought about changing his arrogant personality, but after three years, no one had caught his eye.

Today, Lu Wei is an exception.

"Actually, I just thought of this." Lu Wei smiled and walked past Gao Jianli to the head of the table.

"Master Gao, would you be willing to take care of this zither for me?"

He picked up the horn and smiled broadly.

"this!"

Gao Jianli felt as if his head had been hit by a giant cauldron. He was so dizzy that he couldn't speak. He stammered "this...this..." for a long time, unable to utter another word.

“This zither is a family heirloom, but as you can see, I don’t understand music. Keeping it around is just a waste of its time.”

"The performance of 'Yan Feng' by the virtuoso Gao on this instrument was absolutely perfect!"

"I don't want this treasure to be covered in dust, and I admire the character and skill of the pianist."

"Are you willing to accept this?"

"I..." Gao Jianli stammered for a long time before he finally reacted: "This zither is a priceless treasure..."

He hesitated for a long time, unable to utter the word "refusal": for any musician, the horn is a treasure more important than life itself.

Morally, Gao Jianli cannot bring himself to say that he is giving up the zither.

His mind was blank, and he was momentarily confused. He instinctively wanted to kneel down.