"Well, how could that be? This was Young Miss's idea - I can't control it either..." Xiaoyao scratched his head, evading the question.
"Damn, now I understand why your Young Miss could so easily get close to my Third Sister. It was all because of you, you little bastard." Nangong Suxin couldn't help but curse. She wanted to beat up Xiaoyao.
"Tonight's moonlight is quite nice..." Xiaoyao looked toward the night sky, where the round moon hung high - truly worthy of the Lantern Festival.
"..."
The Nangong sisters wanted to take action. Even Third Miss, such a gentle and refined talented woman, couldn't help wanting to give Xiaoyao a small punishment.
"Ah, damn it, Miss Han, you don't need to do this." Xiaoyao suddenly shouted, causing the Nangong sisters to temporarily shelve their plans and look toward what had surprised Xiaoyao.
An instrument with an appearance similar to a guzheng, but much "shorter and fatter" than a guzheng - this was a very obscure type of stringed instrument.
"Yangqin? I don't really know this one..." Third Miss laughed, with a somewhat sly smile. Perhaps at this moment, she also wanted to see Xiaoyao make a fool of himself, wanting to vent about him "selling her out."
"Didn't you say you could play everything? I randomly picked a yangqin from below. Isn't that allowed? Then I'll go change it." Han Qin said with a smile. She didn't mind changing, because changing would show that Xiaoyao couldn't do it, letting people know he had been bragging.
Xiaoyao waved his hand and said: "Forget it, they're all the same, no difference. Set it up properly - I'll give you all a yangqin version of Haoran Melody. Everyone, those with money support with money, those without money just get lost quickly."
"..."
"Slip of the tongue. Those without money just watch carefully. I'm going to shame you all to death, let you know how uncomfortable it is not to pay."
"..."
"Kid, stop showing off and go play quickly. If it's not good, hehe, don't blame us for being impolite." Someone shouted from below.
Then waves of shouting came, letting a certain someone know he had somewhat aroused public anger.
"Understood."
Xiaoyao snapped his fingers, then came to the yangqin, picked up two small hammers, and tested the sound by tapping. Whether he could play or not, this procedure was necessary.
Just as most people were waiting to see a joke, something unexpected happened - suddenly, without warning.
While the sound testing hadn't even stopped, the yangqin began producing melodious, rhythmic music. There was no pause in between, making it hard for people to adjust. Only after a while did they realize it had already begun.
When they realized it had started, their expressions were very rich, because they understood one thing - this bragging little servant in front of them really could play this instrument.
However, whether it was Haoran Melody, few people knew, because not many people knew this piece, and not many had heard it.
But Han Qin's surprised expression seemed to indicate that this piece really was Haoran Melody, and in what followed, almost everyone could be certain this was Haoran Melody, even if they had never heard it before.
In the yangqin's melody, a sense of noble righteousness gradually began to emerge, starting to envelop all places within hearing range. As the performance continued, this noble righteousness grew stronger and stronger, cleansing everyone's hearts.
This, this feeling, was too incredible.
Now, no one doubted anything anymore, nor thought about anything else. Everyone only knew to do one thing - quietly listen and feel the aura within that music.
Haoran Melody - this was the true Haoran Melody. Some people could play for a lifetime without producing this feeling, but this little servant before them had achieved it. How incredible was this.
Perhaps no one knew yet that under this Haoran Melody, some people actually gained insights and advanced further on their respective paths.
Young Miss keenly sensed that Xiaoyao's Haoran Melody seemed to contain some martial insights, as if this Haoran Melody had incorporated martial elements and was no longer pure music.
If there had been a peerless master present, they would surely marvel that someone could integrate martial arts so perfectly into music.
However, if they knew that Xiaoyao, who produced this music, was only someone who hadn't broken through basic skills in martial arts, their jaw would definitely drop to the ground.
They would think - how is this possible? From the music, one can hear that the level of understanding is extraordinarily high. How could it be just someone who hasn't broken through basic skills.
Perhaps because the effect was too shocking, when Xiaoyao finished this piece, no one reacted until later when someone's cup fell and shattered on the ground. That sound brought some people back to reality.
The enthusiastic cheers from this group of people brought everyone back to reality. Except for loud cheering, almost no other sound could be heard at the scene.
"Impossible. This is impossible." Han Qin shook her head. She couldn't believe what she saw - a little servant could actually perform Haoran Melody, and so perfectly. Even if she practiced for another year, she couldn't reach this level.
The little servant she had looked down on before, whom she considered a lowly person, now had abilities stronger than her own, and in her area of expertise.
How could she accept this? She refused to believe it.
Her confidence, her self-esteem, had hit rock bottom at this moment.
"Hehe, made a fool of myself. It's getting dark - my mom is calling me to sleep." Xiaoyao said with a smile, then immediately disappeared. This time no one could stop him from running away.
Because he knew that if he stayed, he would definitely be pestered by these people, and then it would be very hard to leave. He still had to continue sword forging tomorrow and needed to sleep tonight.
After Xiaoyao melted into the crowd, others couldn't find him even if they wanted to, because from beginning to end, not many people had paid attention to Xiaoyao. Although he had caused such an incredible event, afterward he magically wasn't discovered by anyone.
At first, no one paid attention, and after Haoran Melody began, everyone was in a daze - even if they had paid attention, they couldn't be sure of anything.
Therefore, afterward, although everyone knew the Mo family had a little servant who could perform Haoran Melody perfectly, no one knew who it was.
Some people went to the Mo family to inquire, even within the Mo family people were searching, but still couldn't find him. Later, the Dragon Gate Tournament preliminaries for noble families began, overshadowing this matter.
Because of this, Xiaoyao's sensational performance was forgotten again.
Actually, this situation was another coincidence, because among those present who knew Xiaoyao were only Young Miss and the Nangong sisters. They all didn't reveal this matter - they preferred to keep this little secret, letting others be frustrated in ignorance.
As for Xiaoyao, from the next day through the following month-plus, he remained in the sword forging workshop without leaving, so naturally he couldn't be found.
After more than a month of silence, that kind of sensation had gradually been forgotten. People are always so forgetful, especially when new things happen. By then, the focus was on the Dragon Gate Tournament, not on a little servant.
This is all hindsight. After Xiaoyao emerged from the crowd, he returned alone to the Mo family sword forging workshop. However, on his way back, several people appeared.
These people who knew Xiaoyao's route were Young Miss and the Nangong sisters.
"Kid, not bad. In the future when I need music to woo girls, I'll find you." Young Miss patted Xiaoyao's shoulder.
"That depends on whether I have time. Anyway, I have no time this month." Xiaoyao replied directly.
"Don't worry, I know. This is naturally for the future." Young Miss said with a smile. She was very sensible.
"That little servant, were you really just encountering Haoran Melody for the first time?" Nangong Suxin asked.
"Actually, to tell the truth, this Haoran Melody was indeed my first encounter..." Xiaoyao said, but before he could finish, he was interrupted.
"Then you're really talented. How can you be just a little servant? Follow me - I'll give you better treatment." Nangong Suxin directly tried to poach him in front of Young Miss.
"Nangong Suxin, do you think I'm invisible?" Young Miss asked angrily.
"Hehe, actually I'm not a genius. I only said this Haoran Melody was my first encounter. Other versions of Haoran Melody I've encountered and studied long ago." Xiaoyao said with a smile.
"??" Everyone was a bit puzzled. Wasn't it said to be a rare book? How could he encounter others?
Xiaoyao seemed to see everyone's confusion and explained: "Actually, 'rare book' is just a way of saying it. In these past few hundred years, this Haoran Melody has indeed been rare, with not many people knowing it. But several hundred years ago it wasn't so. Through different methods, there are different records of Haoran Melody..."
"Oh..." Everyone understood - so that's how it was.
"Although there are different versions of Haoran Melody, their essence is the same. Just slightly modifying the rhythm isn't difficult. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have immediately sold this rare book. I don't love money."
"At least I would study it for a while before selling it."
"..."
...
A month later, the Dragon Gate Tournament preliminaries among noble families had ended. Among the victorious spots, the Nangong family and Mo family occupied seven seats. The noble families of Qingyun City had a total of thirty-seven people who could participate in the Dragon Gate Tournament this time.
Participating in the Dragon Gate Tournament didn't actually have a fixed number of spots. Only when there weren't enough would there be fixed quotas. Generally, as long as one reached a certain level of ability, they could participate, and this standard changed every year.
Of course, this number couldn't be too many either. Because of this, there were preliminaries, with standards set based on the level of participants each year.
If anyone was just filling numbers, they would be restricted next time, with quotas possibly reduced or even qualifications canceled depending on the situation.
(End of Chapter)