Chapter 249: You do it if you can

Qiu Honglei's pitiful demeanor caused all the men in the hall to glare angrily at Zu An, furious that he had upset Miss Qiu.

Rage points from the onlookers: +44, +44, +44...

Zu An was overjoyed. Coming to the Immortal Dwelling this time was absolutely the right decision. This group of "adorable old perverts" had provided him with an incredible amount of rage points; he definitely needed to calculate it all when he got back.

Alas, it seemed his previous idea was indeed correct: earning rage points alone was slow, but with a beautiful woman by his side, it was much more convenient.

He still missed that evening with Chu Chuyan... that night, when he walked with her through the streets, everywhere they went, passersby generated a wave of rage points.

Unfortunately, Chu Chuyan was too thin-skinned; after that one public outing where they were gawked at, she never agreed to go out with him again.

Now, it seemed Qiu Honglei was an excellent candidate. Coming from a brothel, being in the public eye was no problem for her, and with her captivating charm, taking her out might yield even better results than with Chu Chuyan.

With this in mind, he had a plan. He casually replied, "They've already said pretty much everything about Miss's zither skills..."

"Hmph!" A chorus of jeers immediately rose from the surroundings.

Disappointment flickered in Qiu Honglei's eyes. Even if she intended to give him special treatment, he couldn't just submit a blank page.

How else could she convince the crowd?

Taking in everyone's reactions, Zu An slowly and deliberately stated, "However, in my opinion, none of them hit the mark."

This statement caused an uproar throughout the hall. It was important to remember that not everyone in the hall was an uneducated philanderer; some were genuinely talented and learned.

They also understood the zither, and their recent discussions with Qiu Honglei had been quite respectable.

Among them was even a great scholar like Xie Xiu. Could it be that even he couldn't see it, but Zu An could?

Meanwhile, on the second floor, Xie Daoyun subtly clenched her fist. "What exactly does this fellow mean? Does he understand the zither too?"

Others thought that had been Xie Xiu's evaluation, but she knew those words were her own feelings after listening carefully. And now Zu An claimed they didn't hit the mark?

She had loved zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood and had deep accomplishments in these arts. Anyone who achieved something significant in their professional field harbored a certain pride, so she was quite displeased to hear Zu An's words.

Xie Xiu shook his head slightly. "According to previous information, he shouldn't have learned the zither at all."

Xie Daoyun scoffed, "It seems he's just like that fellow from before, deliberately uttering shocking words to win a beauty's smile."

Rage points from Xie Daoyun: +233!

She didn't even remember Chu Hongcai's name. As the City Lord's daughter, she rarely concerned herself with mundane affairs, let alone remembering a child from a concubine's family.

Zu An looked up at the second floor in surprise. So, Xie Xiu's sister was up there too.

That guy had said he'd introduce his sister to him last time, but nothing came of it.

"Young Master Zu, why do you say that?" Despite her disappointment, Qiu Honglei still tried to give Zu An another chance, hoping he could clarify his statement.

Zu An continued from his previous remark: "There was nothing wrong with Miss's zither skills just now, and her emotions were perfectly integrated into the music. However, there were two fatal flaws?"

Many people around were amused by his audacity and began to reprimand him for his arrogance.

Xie Daoyun also frowned. Even with her profound mastery of the guqin, she could only barely pinpoint one issue, and even that wasn't a major flaw. Yet, this fellow claimed there were *two* fatal flaws in the performance?

Pei Mianman also covered her forehead with her hand, as if feeling embarrassed for him. Fortunately, Chu Chuyan wasn't here; otherwise, with her temperament, she might have just burrowed into a crack in the floor.

"Oh? Please enlighten me, Young Master." Qiu Honglei's expression cooled a few degrees. This fellow... he made it impossible for her to help him.

Rage points from Qiu Honglei: +250!

Receiving these rage points, Zu An thought, "This woman is truly petty." Then he said, "The melody of Miss's music just now was too bland and monotonous, lacking a distinct tune and a clear rhythm. It sounded rather dull."

Upstairs, Xie Daoyun said disapprovingly, "This fellow is talking absolute nonsense. The sound of the guqin is inherently balanced and peaceful; it fundamentally doesn't pursue melody or rhythm."

Qiu Honglei also frowned, clearly thinking the same thing. But she didn't need to speak; many zither connoisseurs around them had already started ridiculing Zu An for his absurd remarks.

Zu An remained unfazed, simply gazing at Qiu Honglei.

Seeing no trace of panic in his eyes, Qiu Honglei felt a touch of doubt. This fellow didn't look like a fool; why did he insist on saying such things? Was there truly another meaning behind his words?

So she parted her red lips and replied, "Young Master might be mistaken. The guqin is played for oneself, while the guzheng is played for others. Since ancient times, guqin music has never emphasized melody and rhythm, but rather focused on an artistic conception or mood."

Zu An smiled slightly. "What a wonderful phrase, 'the guqin is played for oneself.' Yet, Miss, when you performed for everyone in front of such a large audience just now, were you truly playing for yourself or for others?"

Qiu Honglei froze, speechless for a long moment.

Upstairs, Xie Daoyun's delicate brows furrowed. Suddenly, she faintly grasped what the other person was trying to say.

Pei Mianman leaned against the crimson railing, a faint, unreadable smile on her face as she watched the scene below. "This fellow has some strange talents."

Perhaps feeling tired from standing, she pulled over a stool and sat down, resting her chest gently on the railing. Immediately, she felt much more relaxed and stretched languidly, revealing her wonderfully graceful curves.

Fortunately, the privacy of each private room was excellent; otherwise, who knew how many astonished gazes she would have attracted.

Zu An continued, "The guqin's sound is balanced and peaceful, emphasizing self-cultivation and inner tranquility. The music often expresses meanings like 'serenity to achieve profound wisdom' or 'transcendence and open-mindedness.' Logically, it should be played amidst towering mountains and flowing rivers, or within a very quiet, private inner chamber. Yet, Miss chose to play it in this bustling brothel. The environment here is clearly at odds with the guqin's characteristics, and the resulting music naturally has a sense of disharmony. This, I presume, is why you've felt recently that you've hit a bottleneck."

Upstairs, Xie Daoyun let out a soft gasp and began to carefully consider his words.

Qiu Honglei initially dismissed his words, but as he continued, the polite, feigned smile on her face gradually vanished, replaced by deep contemplation.

Seeing her smile disappear, the surrounding people assumed she was angry and quickly seized the opportunity to flatter her:

"Absolute nonsense! There are countless people playing guqin in brothels all over the world. Who says you need an environment of mountains and flowing water to play it?"

Zu An replied, "The reason there are so many guqin players in brothels is precisely to cater to you so-called 'romantic scholars'."

"The ordinary girls in brothels rarely play the guqin; they mostly play instruments like the guzheng or pipa, which appeal to common folk. Those who choose the guqin are often the courtesan queens of various brothels. They need to differentiate themselves, and because the guqin is considered elegant, they use it to elevate their status and 'class,' as if this gives them a touch of refined aloofness. What they fail to realize, however, is that the guqin is inherently incompatible with the brothel environment."

The voices that had been scolding him gradually died down, as some people slowly began to realize there was some truth to his words.

"'Elevate their class'?" Pei Mianman, leaning against the railing upstairs, showed a peculiar expression. Although the fellow's choice of words was vulgar, it was quite interesting. However, this meant he had not only offended Qiu Honglei but also every courtesan queen in the land.

As expected, upon hearing his assessment, Qiu Honglei's face alternated between green and pale, and her chest rose and fell a little faster than usual.

Zu An quickly added, "Of course, strictly speaking, this isn't Miss Qiu's fault. It's simply the nature of the broader environment, so you needn't take it too much to heart."

Qiu Honglei gave him a resentful glare. "How could I *not* care? After listening to Young Master's words today, I'm afraid Honglei might not dare to play the zither again."

Hearing her say this, a chorus of wails immediately erupted from the surroundings:

"No! Miss Qiu, your zither music is truly beautiful!"

"Don't listen to that kid's nonsense! What does he know?!"

"Exactly! If you stop playing the zither, it would be a loss not just for Brightmoon City, but for the entire Great Zhou Dynasty!"

...

While lamenting, these people all glared at Zu An with angry eyes.

Watching thousands more rage points pour into his backend, Zu An secretly scorned them. "Simps, simps, simping until you have nothing left. But without these simps, where would I earn rage points?"

Just then, Xie Xiu on the second floor suddenly tilted his head slightly, as if listening to someone speaking inside. Then, a look of surprise appeared on his face, but he still spoke loudly: "Brother Zu, while what you've said has some merit, Miss Qiu just now infused her emotions into the music, achieving a perfect blend of feeling and sound. Your remarks are too broad. Do you have anything more specific?"

After speaking, he offered Zu An an apologetic smile, clearly feeling awkward about publicly undermining him.

Noticing his expression, Zu An guessed that these words were likely spoken by Xie Daoyun through him.

Hearing Xie Xiu say this, others also got excited:

"Exactly! Who can't talk in grand theories? How to actually improve is the key."

Zu An calmly replied, "The main reason the guqin is incompatible with the brothel environment is that its melodies are too bland and singular. Additionally, its timbre is mostly concentrated in the middle and lower registers. If it could be complemented by other musical instruments, the overall melody and rhythm would become much richer, and the layers would be more distinct. That way, the sense of disharmony with the environment would naturally be eliminated."

Xie Daoyun let out a soft, exasperated grunt and quickly sent a message to Xie Xiu via spiritual transmission.

Xie Xiu looked helpless, but still spoke on her behalf: "That's easier said than done. Different instruments have different timbres and pitch systems. Especially since the guqin's sound is relatively soft, adding other instruments could easily create discordant noise."

Qiu Honglei also nodded. "Indeed. Many predecessors have actually made similar attempts, all of which ended in failure. Young Master's suggestion is probably not practical."

A chorus of genuine jeers immediately erupted from the crowd, everyone gloatingly watching him make a fool of himself.

"That must mean they didn't find the right method," Zu An said, somewhat surprised. "As long as you find a suitable approach, everything will fall into place." Could the musical standards in this world be so low? They couldn't even solve this problem?

At this point, Xie Daoyun in the private room upstairs let out a huff, no longer bothering to engage in a remote conversation with him.

So many zither masters throughout history couldn't achieve this, and you just dismiss it with a casual remark? If only it were that easy!

She now generally concluded that the man was merely an amateur, at best possessing a superficial understanding of zither theory. The thought of herself having just eagerly discussed with him was truly embarrassing.

At this moment, Chen Xuan had also finalized his plan. Seeing Zu An at a loss, he couldn't help but feel delighted and seized the opportunity to add insult to injury: "Talk is cheap, anyone can babble on and on. If you're so capable, why don't you do it yourself?"