Chapter 250: You Can Play the Xiao?

Hearing Chen Xuan's words, the others also chimed in:"Exactly, instead of just talking, why not try it yourself?""Enough with the nonsense, if you're so good, you do it!"It was clear everyone was unhappy with him disparaging their goddess. They also worried that Qiu Honglei might actually be swayed by his words, so they naturally spared no effort to undermine him.

Qiu Honglei also grew a little curious. "I wonder what the proper method you speak of is, young master? Could you demonstrate it?" It didn't matter if he couldn't answer; she had already made up her mind. This man was too arrogant and difficult to control, even if they were to cooperate in the future. So, she decided to seize this opportunity to deflate his ego first.

Zu'an said, "I do have a method, but what's in it for me?"

"What's in it for you?" Qiu Honglei was momentarily taken aback.

"That's right. I came to the Immortal's Abode as a guest, to enjoy the ladies' performances. Now I'm being asked to perform myself, and it feels like a loss if I don't get some benefit," Zu'an said with a smile. He recalled reading "The Peerless Household Steward" previously and felt he should learn a trick or two from Third Brother; it was foolish not to take advantage of such opportunities.

"What kind of benefit does the young master desire?" Qiu Honglei asked with a radiant smile. This man certainly didn't follow the usual path. Normally, she didn't even need to speak; a mere glance would send countless men flocking to her. Not to mention when she spoke softly to ask for something, she had never been refused. Yet, this man was asking her for a benefit?

"Miss Qiu, don't agree to it!""That's right, he just wants your body!"The men around them immediately grew anxious.

Zu'an turned around. "Hey, you there. Come out, stop looking. Yes, you, the one who wants her body." The crowd automatically parted, revealing a young master.

The young master felt a little uneasy. "What do you want? Are you trying to intimidate me with the Chu family's background?" He wasn't afraid of Zu'an himself, but he was somewhat wary of the Chu family, especially since even Brightmoon City was Chu Zhongtian's fiefdom. However, on second thought, this guy was a live-in son-in-law out visiting a pleasure house; it would be good enough if the Chu family didn't punish him. How could they possibly stand up for him in a brothel squabble? With this realization, his heart settled a little.

"What was your name again?" Zu'an asked.

As the man was about to answer, Zu'an waved his hand. "Never mind. An extra like you isn't worth my effort to remember your name."

The man was speechless.Rage points from Jiang Fan +233!

"You just said I want her body. Don't you?" Zu'an stared at him curiously.

"I..." Jiang Fan instinctively glanced at Qiu Honglei. He had never been this close to her before, and looking at her devastatingly beautiful face made him feel dizzy. "Of course I don't want her!" Although he secretly desired her intensely, he subconsciously tried to maintain the appearance of a gentleman in front of her, hoping to leave a good impression.

"Do you think Miss Qiu isn't beautiful?" Zu'an looked at him with a strange expression.

Jiang Fan said, "Miss Qiu is a celestial beauty, of course she's beautiful."

"Then why don't you want her? Is her charm not enough to attract you?" Zu'an exaggeratedly said, "If someone as unbelievably beautiful as Miss Qiu isn't enough to attract you, you're not a man, are you?"

Jiang Fan's face instantly flushed red. "Of course I'm a man! I admire Miss Qiu very much, it's just... it's just..." He couldn't think of how to explain himself, not even after a long while. *This damned guy!*Rage points from Jiang Fan +444!

Having accumulated massive rage points from the surrounding crowd earlier, Zu'an no longer thought much of such a small amount. However, he reconsidered: "Even a small mosquito is meat," he thought. "Can't let it go to waste."

"Since you're a man, there's only one possibility then," Zu'an sighed. "That you're too hypocritical, not even daring to admit your desire for women."

Jiang Fan was speechless. He felt he had been led into a trap; he couldn't admit to either reason.Rage points from Jiang Fan +666!

Upstairs, Pei Mianman's expression was strange. *This guy... anyone who makes him an enemy is unlucky.*

Qiu Honglei quickly stepped in to rescue the man. "Please don't tease him anymore. Let's hear what kind of benefit you actually want."

Zu'an stared intently at her charming face, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I want you..."

Thump~ A strange sound came from upstairs.

Xie Daoyun frowned. "This man is truly a scoundrel."

On the other side, Pei Mianman's expression grew more intrigued. She muttered to herself, "You little rascal, do you even know who she is, daring to make a move on her?" At the same time, she curiously observed Qiu Honglei, wanting to see her reaction.

It was then that the others suddenly realized, and began to curse indignantly:"Are you mad, you scoundrel, to be so disrespectful to a lady of such caliber!""What kind of person is Miss Qiu? How could she agree to such a condition?""This is a disgrace to all men! Utterly shameless!"Rage points from the onlookers +99+99+99...

Only Wei Suo secretly gave a thumbs-up, thinking, "Boss is indeed Boss." However, considering the agitated crowd, he didn't dare to show his approval then, lest he be caught in the crossfire.

A dangerous glint flashed in Qiu Honglei's eyes, but she quickly masked it. She said softly, "Then we'll have to see if the young master's method truly works. After all, this is a problem that countless masters over thousands of years haven't been able to solve. I truly can't imagine any way to blend different instruments with the guqin."

Hearing her words, the entire hall immediately quieted down. *That's right,* they thought, *how could a mere hooligan solve a problem that so many musical grandmasters couldn't?* With this thought, the previously agitated hearts of the crowd gradually calmed.

Only then did Zu'an say, "In that case, I'll also solve the second problem in the piece you just played."

"The second problem?" Qiu Honglei was startled, remembering that he had mentioned two fatal flaws earlier. She was no longer as agitated as before and smiled slightly. "I await your instruction, young master."

"Your second problem is that your emotions were too intense. While it's excellent to infuse emotion into music, your expressed emotions were sadness and anger. These two emotions not only clash with the joyful atmosphere of this pleasure house but also don't suit the inherent nature of the guqin itself."

"Oh~" Upstairs, Xie Daoyun murmured to herself, "There's some truth to what he's saying. Why didn't I think of that just now?"

Qiu Honglei sighed softly. "The young master is absolutely right. However, this piece holds extraordinary significance for me, and I couldn't help but play it just now, overcome by emotion at the moment."

Hearing her words, everyone began to whisper among themselves, wondering if she truly had a lover. They wondered which man was so fortunate.

Noticing the fleeting sadness in her eyes, Zu'an thought this was likely one of her rare genuine emotional displays. "Miss Qiu," he said, "you are in the prime of your youth. Your mindset should be positive and bright, not one of sorrowful contemplation, allowing your heart to be riddled with scars and weariness."

Qiu Honglei pressed her lips together and smiled. "You make me sound like I'm decades older."

Zu'an sighed. "Music comes from the heart. Only you truly know if that's the case, Miss."

Qiu Honglei, who had been smiling radiantly, gradually lost her smile after hearing his words, clearly touched by something personal.

"You were supposed to talk about how to blend music. Why are you rambling on about so many other things?" Chen Xuan, standing nearby, grew impatient, prompting many others to chime in in agreement.

Qiu Honglei instantly restored her feigned smile. "That's right, young master. Honglei is still waiting to have her eyes opened."

Zu'an had Leng Shuangyue fetch a xiao flute for him. "Miss Qiu, can you play the xiao flute?"

"Of course," Qiu Honglei replied with a slight smile.

Just then, a series of lewd whistles erupted from the surroundings. Only then did Qiu Honglei realize the double meaning in his words, and she gave him a slightly flushed, resentful look. "Young master, are you intentionally taking advantage of me?"

"That's not what I meant." Zu'an's brow furrowed. He glared fiercely at those men, thinking, *These guys are useless at everything else, but they're champions at being crude.*

"Among all instruments, the xiao flute and the guqin are the most compatible."

Qiu Honglei nodded. "That's true. However, it's only slightly better than other instruments. The guqin's timbre is so unique that xiao accompaniment often overwhelms it, making it less effective than a solo guqin performance."

Zu'an smiled. "I happen to have a piece here that can be played as a guqin and xiao duet."

"Really?" Qiu Honglei's eyes lit up. Even Xie Daoyun upstairs subconsciously moved a little closer to the window.

In truth, guqin and xiao duets weren't entirely nonexistent in this world. However, either the xiao flute overwhelmed the guqin, or the guqin's sound was too prominent. Harmonious pieces were often too mediocre and dull, which was why everyone eventually gave up on truly blending the two instruments. Zu'an had been so confident; could there really be such an extraordinary piece? Her initial playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a look of seriousness after seeing the music.

"I'll write down the score, and I'll play the guqin while Miss Qiu plays the xiao flute for me." Zu'an motioned for Leng Shuangyue to bring paper and a brush. Having met Shang Liuyu through music before, he wouldn't let such an opportunity with another beautiful lady slip by. He had specifically studied the musical scales of this world. Although not a master, it wasn't difficult for him to transcribe scores from his previous life into a format understandable to people here.

"Alright~" Qiu Honglei took the xiao flute, then suddenly realized something. Her eyes darted, and a blush crept onto her cheeks. *This man is intentionally taking advantage of me again.*

Zu'an, meanwhile, concentrated, writing down the piece from his memory. In his previous life, to pursue a girl, he had practiced playing "My Native Land" on the Xun. And because he loved the TV series "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" so much, he had specifically memorized its theme song. For this, he had even joined his school's guqin club, learning nothing else but this one piece, "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer." This particular "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" was not James Wong's "A Laugh in the Vast Sea," but the guqin and xiao duet composed by master Hu Weili for the Lü Songxian television adaptation.

"Oh, this piece is quite novel..." Qiu Honglei was an expert, and with a glance, she saw that the score was completely different from any she had seen before. Could this man really pull off a guqin and xiao duet?

"Miss Qiu, can you play it?" Zu'an asked.

"This score is a bit strange, but I should be able to try." Qiu Honglei noted that many of the notes' transitions were very difficult, and she felt a little nervous.

"Alright then, let's begin." Zu'an sat down at the guqin table, his face no longer showing his previous frivolity. His fingers gently plucked the strings, and a broad, unrestrained guqin melody instantly resonated throughout the entire hall.

Xie Daoyun, who had been somewhat dismissive, was instantly stunned by the opening melody.

Pei Mianman's expression was peculiar. *This guy actually possesses such a strange talent. Did Chu Chuyan know his true abilities all along, which is why she so decisively chose him as her husband?*

The other onlookers had initially been waiting with sneers for him to make a fool of himself. But when they saw his posture as he sat before the guqin, they knew something was amiss. Once he truly played such an impassioned and unrestrained piece, they all fell silent.

---The minor character Jiang Fan in this chapter was contributed by reader Anan Anan Ranran Ranran.