As the conversation grew lively, Liu Li said, "Sister Ling'er, since everyone is in such high spirits today, could you play a tune for us?"
"Don't be silly, Liu Li. I'm not very knowledgeable about the Musical Arts."
"Oh, come on, Sister Ling'er, don't be so modest! I heard you play a piece with my own ears last time, and it was so beautiful! Even my Senior Brother Xuan Yun was captivated."
Liu Li glanced at Xuan Yun, who nodded and said, "That is indeed true. If I hadn't accidentally heard Immortal Lady Qianling play that piece last time, I might still be unaware of her profound mastery in the Musical Arts."
"Young Master Xuan Yun, you exaggerate too much. Regarding the Musical Arts, I am merely a beginner; what mastery could I possibly have? As for the piece I played last time, it was just a random improvisation."
"It is not I who exaggerates, but you, Immortal Lady Qianling, who are far too humble. Based solely on that piece you played, I dare say your mastery of the Musical Arts is certainly not inferior to mine, and may even surpass it."
Beside them, Gu Qingfeng had been eating and drinking while listening to the conversation. When he heard that Qianling also understood the Musical Arts, he asked curiously, "Qianling can play tunes too?"
"Of course!"
"I've been in the Xiaoluo Secret Realm for so many years and never heard her play any tunes."
Gu Qingfeng thought carefully. He had been in the Xiaoluo Secret Realm for over twenty years now, and he had no memory of ever hearing Qianling play any music.
"You, this guy, spend all day either sleeping or sunbathing. How could you possibly hear Sister Ling'er play?"
Qiānniǎo said, "Let me tell you, Sister Ling'er not only knows how to play tunes, but she can also compose her own! Her talent is much higher than mine..." Hearing Qiānniǎo mention the word 'talent,' Gu Qingfeng, who was in the middle of drinking, nearly choked. He said, "Come on, what talent do you have? I think just about anyone has more talent than you."
During the four or five years Qiānniǎo spent in seclusion in the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, she had diligently practiced the Musical Arts and often played for Gu Qingfeng. It was indescribably awful; even the sound of a pig squealing was more pleasant than Qiānniǎo's playing. Because of this, Gu Qingfeng had secretly given her a few pointers. Unfortunately, Qiānniǎo truly had no talent in the realm of the Musical Arts.
"You damnable fellow!"
Her lack of talent in the Musical Arts was a pain Qiānniǎo could never forget in her heart. Every time she thought about it, she felt as if she were questioning her very existence. She was naturally cheerful and lively, quite confident, and capable of comprehending various divine abilities and techniques. Yet, the Musical Arts alone had brought her nothing but frustration.
Especially seeing Gu Qingfeng now made her grind her teeth in hatred, wishing she could rush over and give him a good beating.
During those years of seclusion studying the Musical Arts, knowing her own lack of talent, she was too embarrassed to play in front of others and only dared to play for Gu Qingfeng. Even now, Qiānniǎo clearly remembered the first time she mustered the courage to play a complete piece in front of Gu Qingfeng. When she asked him what he thought, this fellow said one thing.
He said that if he were an evil demon who committed every atrocity, the piece she played would be like a Buddhist chant for the dead—as unpleasant as could be, causing listeners as much discomfort as possible, worse than a fate worse than death. He even said it was more unbearable than the damn Karmic Fire of Original Sin.
At the time, Qiānniǎo was so angry she nearly spat blood.
Even now, thinking about it made her furious!
If there weren't so many people around, Qiānniǎo would have been unable to restrain herself from taking action. She glared fiercely at Gu Qingfeng and hissed in a low voice, "Is your skin itching for a beating again? Just you wait, you! When there's no one around, I'll definitely beat you until you're picking your teeth up from the ground! Let's see if you still dare to run your mouth!"
"Forget it. You'll just tire yourself out hitting me, and watching you do it is exhausting enough."
"You! I...!"
Qiānniǎo was so angry she gnashed her teeth, filled with hatred yet utterly helpless!
She truly had no recourse against Gu Qingfeng. It wasn't that she hadn't tried to lay hands on him—she had, many times. Especially after being humiliated the first time she played a piece for him, Qiānniǎo could bear it no longer and swore to teach Gu Qingfeng a harsh lesson.
Alas.
She exerted all her strength but failed to budge Gu Qingfeng even a fraction.
Not even a little bit.
She fought until her immortal energy was depleted, until she was utterly exhausted, and still could not move him an inch—not even his sleeve or a single strand of hair.
It was only then that Qiānniǎo truly realized just how decayed, yet how indestructibly hard, Gu Qingfeng's Physical Body was.
"You're getting more and more disrespectful, thinking your weird Physical Body makes you something special!"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, smugly saying, "Can't help it. My body's just tough. You can be as unconvinced as you want, but it doesn't change a thing."
"Just keep gloating! I'll make you regret it one day!"
Faced with someone who left her exhausted and helpless, Qiānniǎo was completely at a loss.
Back in the room, Xuan Yun and Liu Li were both eagerly hoping Qianling would play a tune, urging her with one comment after another. Unable to refuse any longer, Qianling stopped resisting. With a flip of her palm, a flash of light appeared, revealing a rather worn-looking ancient guqin.
"What a magnificent Wind-Return Guqin from the Ancient Era!"
Seeing the guqin in Qianling's hands, the knowledgeable Xuan Yun immediately recognized it as a Wind-Return Guqin from the Ancient Era. Such a guqin was priceless beyond measure; even his own Golden-Jade Guqin, also from the Ancient Era, could not compare to this Wind-Return Guqin. This truly filled Xuan Yun with both astonishment and admiration.
"Every time we meet, Immortal Lady Qianling never fails to bring me endless surprises. You truly broaden my horizons."
"Young Master Xuan Yun, you flatter me too much."
Qianling's temperament was rather aloof. She did not experience great joy or sorrow, nor was she one for polite formalities.
This Wind-Return Guqin from the Ancient Era was something she had obtained by chance during her travels in earlier years. Along with it came many jade slips recording Musical Arts scores and guqin notations. She had learned the Musical Arts without any external teacher, relying entirely on her own comprehension from those jade slips.
"Sister Ling'er, I must say, you are definitely the most low-key person I have ever met."
Liu Li looked at Qianling, her eyes filled not only with surprise but also a touch of admiration. "If I owned a Wind-Return Guqin from the Ancient Era, I wouldn't be able to resist showing it off."
"From the way you all talk, it sounds like Sister Ling'er's guqin is very valuable."
Qiānniǎo didn't understand what a Wind-Return Guqin was. Seeing how astonished Xuan Yun and Liu Li were, she couldn't help but ask, "Is it worth a lot?"
Xuan Yun replied, "It's a priceless treasure!"
What?
A priceless treasure?
Qiānniǎo was shocked.
Beside her, Liu Li added, "You can't even buy them on the market. I heard that last time, a Wind-Return Guqin from the Ancient Era was auctioned off for something like ten million Immortal Stones."
"Heavens! Ten million Immortal Stones~! This..." Qiānniǎo was so stunned she felt dizzy.
She had always thought the guqin in Qianling's hands was just an ordinary, worn-out instrument. She had never imagined it was a Wind-Return Guqin worth ten million.