Deep within the gardens, in a relatively secluded pavilion.
Little Jin'er gently plucked the strings of an ancient zither, playing a melody, while Gu Qingfeng sat beside her, appreciating the music as he sipped peach blossom wine.
Not far away, Ouyang Ye stood with her arms crossed, pacing back and forth.
As more and more people arrived to participate in the Five-Color Flower Banquet, Ouyang Ye's heart grew increasingly anxious. She was terrified that some might come with ill intentions at this moment to probe Gu Qingfeng's identity.
Although Gu Qingfeng had previously displayed his so-called Bedrock Physique at the Small Fold Mountain Villa, in Ouyang Ye's mind, that alone wouldn't convince these people. After all, the matter of someone who had turned to ashes dying and then resurrecting was simply too bizarre.
Ouyang Ye was very worried, afraid that someone might seize this opportunity to test Gu Qingfeng's prowess in the Musical Arts.
The real Young Lord Chiyan's mastery of the Musical Arts was peerless under heaven. As for this Old Jiu's skill in the Musical Arts, Ouyang Ye hadn't had time to ask, and she felt there was no need to ask either. What use would asking be? Even if his Musical Arts were supremely advanced, they couldn't surpass the real Young Lord Chiyan's.
Right now, Ouyang Ye only wanted Gu Qingfeng to leave this place as soon as possible.
Yet no matter how she tried to persuade him, using soft words or harsh ones, she couldn't move him. The only thing she could do was wait, hoping Han Dong and Qian Shan would arrive quickly.
But damn it!
She had waited and waited until now, and they still hadn't come. This left Ouyang Ye feeling helpless and also extremely worried, because she noticed that quite a few people in the crowd were secretly watching Gu Qingfeng. This gave her an ominous premonition, feeling that something might happen.
"Old Jiu! Brother Jiu, Lord Jiu, can't we just leave here first?"
"You go ahead. I told you I have some business here. I'll leave after I'm done."
Gu Qingfeng's voice came through, and Ouyang Ye felt like she was about to break down. She knew what Gu Qingfeng meant by 'business'—he said he wanted to treat Senior Kumu's injuries. But she truly couldn't understand why this guy wanted to do this.
Could it be that he really wanted to swindle the Five-Color Mountain?
Or had this guy gotten so lost in his act that he'd gone mad, truly believing himself to be Young Lord Chiyan!
She couldn't figure it out, and at this moment, she had no mind to dwell on this issue. Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the impulse within her and continued persuading, "Old Jiu, I don't know what exactly you're trying to do, but there's one thing you must understand: you are not the real Young Lord Chiyan. Although your physical body is also very powerful, that doesn't mean you are Young Lord Chiyan. The real Young Lord Chiyan's mastery of the Musical Arts is peerless under heaven. If they use the Musical Arts to test you later, your identity will be exposed!"
"My mastery of the Musical Arts is also peerless under heaven."
Heavens!
At this moment, Ouyang Ye really wanted to cry, and even more, she wanted to kill someone. She stood there dumbfounded, looking at Gu Qingfeng here, her beautiful face alternating between smiles and tears.
And just then, a voice suddenly rang out.
"I've long heard that Young Lord Chiyan's mastery of the Musical Arts is peerless under heaven, that he once played 'Drunken Chant of the Azure Sea' on an empty zither and evoked the artistic conception within the melody. Truly admirable."
A group of people walked over. The young master leading them was none other than Wei Chaoqun, one of the Twenty-Four Immortal Prodigies of the Immortal Manor.
His voice wasn't loud, but strangely, when he spoke, the originally lively and noisy Flower Banquet suddenly fell silent, as if many people had been anticipating this for a long time.
"I heard Young Lord Chiyan also flawlessly modified Immortal Suhua's 'Whisper of the Little Blue Flower,' earning the Immortal's endless praise."
Following that, a group from Yaoyue Palace, led by Leng Yefei, also walked over.
"At the Tai Xuan Platform, Young Lord Chiyan played all the melodies under heaven on a single ancient zither, hailed as peerless under heaven!"
The people from Hunyuan Gate led by Ding Rui, and Wuhen, Chiyu, Feiying, and others from the Changhong Branch also walked over one after another. Even the Eighteen Swords and Twenty-Four Young Heroes of the Five-Color Mountain, along with Profound Heart Dao Venerable, Liu Qingyan, and Qing Xi, came over.
Clearly, they all had their own little schemes in mind.
When Ouyang Ye saw this scene, she was so frightened her mind became a bit chaotic. She had been worried all along that someone would seize this opportunity to test Gu Qingfeng. Now the thing she feared had finally happened, and it seemed quite a few people shared this idea.
What to do?
Ouyang Ye's heart was in turmoil. For a moment, she didn't know what to do, especially since in just this short while, the pavilion had been instantly surrounded three layers deep, packed so tightly not even water could leak through, as if everyone attending the Flower Banquet had run over to watch the spectacle.
"I have long admired you, Young Lord. To meet you today at the Five-Color Flower Banquet is truly an honor. I wonder if Young Lord Chiyan could play a melody to broaden our horizons?"
Wei Chaoqun's voice came through. Everyone looked over. That Young Lord Chiyan, Gu Qingfeng, was just sitting on the stone stool in the pavilion with his legs crossed, taking occasional sips of his wine. He lifted his head to glance at the surrounding crowd, but it was just a glance. He said nothing.
"This... Young Lord Chiyan isn't feeling well today. He's been recuperating recently and is a bit listless, not suited for playing melodies."
Although Ouyang Ye had repeatedly told herself to stay calm, when she stepped forward trying to muddle through, her words still carried a hint of guilt.
"Heh, listless?" Wei Chaoqun laughed. "Why don't I see any listlessness in Young Lord Chiyan?"
"Miss Ouyang, we merely wish for Young Lord Chiyan to play a melody to broaden everyone's horizons. What are you afraid of?"
"Afraid? Me... When have I been afraid?"
Ouyang Ye shook her head in denial. However, those present were either prominent figures of the younger generation in the Great Northwest or elders from various major sects, all sharp-eyed individuals. Naturally, they could all see that Ouyang Ye was feeling guilty at this moment.
"Could it really be as the rumors say, that he's a fraud you found to impersonate Young Lord Chiyan?"
"What fraud! He's not a fraud at all!"
Ouyang Ye's face flushed red and pale alternately as she stubbornly argued, "At the Small Fold Mountain Villa, many people saw Young Lord Chiyan possess the Bedrock Physique and Absolute Force. If you don't believe me, you can ask Feiying—he was there at the time!"
"Heh, little girl, let's not discuss for now whether the real Young Lord Chiyan had the Bedrock Physique and Absolute Force. Even if he did, does having the Bedrock Physique mean everyone with it is Young Lord Chiyan?" Feiying chuckled. "At the Small Fold Mountain Villa, he crushed a Nature Treasure bare-handed. That only shows his physical body is formidable. Beyond that, it proves nothing, and certainly doesn't prove he is Young Lord Chiyan."
Ouyang Ye was quick-tongued and could fool ordinary people well enough, but facing these prominent figures of the Great Northwest, she was still a bit green.
"The real Young Lord Chiyan's mastery of the Musical Arts is peerless under heaven. If he is real, playing one melody is enough to prove it."
"That's right. With so many experts proficient in the Musical Arts present here, whether his Musical Arts are genuine or not, one melody will reveal the truth."