Chapter 96: People who learn from a master in the land of romance

On the third floor of Zi Lan Xuan, Nong Yu opened the door holding her zither. There was no unruly sound in the room that Nong Yu was familiar with, nor was there the smell of alcohol filling her sense of smell. There was only silence.

In other places, such a room would not make people have any thoughts, but in Zi Lan Xuan, such a box made Nong Yu secretly alert. Zi Lan Xuan welcomed and sent off too many people, and some things could not be solved by her saying that she would only sell her art but not her body. Even with Zi Nu's protection, Nong Yu often encountered difficulties in such a place.

Zi Lan Xuan was a place of romance and pleasure. In such a place, which woman could say that she could stay away from trouble? Moreover, Nong Yu was not an ordinary woman. Although she was the youngest among all the women in Zi Lan Xuan, her appearance was among the best. She was also good at music, so she was very famous in Zi Lan Xuan at a young age.

Today, she was pointed at again. Although she didn't like this kind of life, she also knew that it was extremely difficult for Sister Zi Nu to provide a place to live for the sisters. How could she ignore Sister Zi Nu's hard work just because of her own ideas?
Nong Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Today's guests were a bit strange, and there might be trouble again.

Taking a few steps forward, Nanyue saw the guests from the past few days.

"Miss Nanyue is here?" Before Nanyue could say anything, the guest had already spoken. There was no politeness, no flattery, and no condescending scrutiny. There was only a sense of calmness. Nanyue had met all kinds of guests and heard all kinds of ways of greeting, but today's guest surprised her a little. This kind of calmness carried a kind of incomprehensible familiar greeting.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time." Nanyue bowed slightly while holding the zither and walked towards the table beside her. However, she couldn't help but glance at the guest sitting at the upper seat out of the corner of her eye.

This was a very young guest, not much older than her, a very quiet and clean young man. Nongyu didn't feel that she disliked such a person.

After kneeling down, Nongyu adjusted the strings of the zither and then asked the guest, "What song would you like to listen to today, sir?"

"I'm not here to listen to the music today." Yang Chong looked at Nong Yu in front of him. She was still dressed the same as last time, and she exuded a very clean and quiet aura. She didn't give people a stunning feeling, but she was very attractive. She was the kind of girl who became more beautiful the more you looked at her. Her beauty was not a visual experience, but a kind of beauty that could be felt in the soul.

Yang Chong thought about it and found it difficult to find the right words to describe the beauty of Nong Yu due to his lack of knowledge about this world. If he had to find a word to describe the charm of Nong Yu, Yang Chong could only use the description from his previous life: This was a boy in middle school. He was impatient with his teacher's long lecture, and his sight turned to the window as his mind wandered. He happened to see a very quiet girl passing by the window. Although he did not know her, she decorated his boring teenage years.

"Master, I'm just the zither player of Zi Lan Xuan. I'm not responsible for other things. If you have any other requests, I can call other sisters." Nanyue replied with a faint smile, but there was more vigilance in her eyes. Was she really coming with bad intentions?

"Miss Nongyu, you have misunderstood. My name is Yang Chong. I currently live in Xinzheng and work as the commander of the Sima Gate." Yang Chong took the initiative to introduce himself. The last time he came, he used the same appearance he used when he approached Madam Hu, but Nongyu did not recognize him.

"Commander of the Sima Gate, Yang Chong?" Hearing Yang Chong's self-introduction, Nanyue was a little surprised. She had heard the name Yang Chong from Caidie. Was he the weirdo that Sister Caidie mentioned, the one who had expressed his love to Sister Zinu?

Nanyue then looked at Yang Chong seriously. He did not look like those noble sons of Xinzheng, but he did not look like a country boy either. There was no air of nobility or roughness about him. Instead, he had a natural aura that was neither overbearing nor overly enthusiastic. He gave people a very comfortable feeling.

“Although Sima Mentong’s official rank is not high, his position is extremely important. Yet he described him as a servant. This is almost how the waiters in Zi Lan Xuan introduced themselves. So, he is not as serious as he looks.” Nong Yu analyzed quickly from Yang Chong’s limited words. In a place like Zi Lan Xuan, observing people’s words and expressions is the most basic survival skill.

"Recently, Nong Yu heard in Zi Lan Xuan that General Ji Wuye recommended a talented person to the king. I never thought it was you, sir." Nong Yu said with a smile, showing the style of Zi Lan Xuan.

"I'm not a talented person at all. I'm just a lackey. I think many people in Xinzheng would say the same thing. I'm not showing off my official position to Miss Nongyu. I just want her to know my background so that she doesn't have to be too wary of me." Yang Chong waved his hand. He would show off to Yan Lingji even the smallest things, but in front of outsiders, no matter how important the matter was, Yang Chong would not want to show off because there was no need.

"Everyone who enters Zi Lan Xuan is a guest. How could Nong Yu be wary of a guest?" Nong Yu responded. Zi Lan Xuan is supposed to make guests feel at home, and their vigilance must not and would not be shown openly.

"In Zi Lan Xuan, girls like Nong Yu must learn to protect themselves. Well, let's not talk about this. I came here today to learn from a master." Yang Chong was too lazy to talk more and directly stated his purpose.

"Become a disciple and learn skills?" Nong Yu was slightly startled when she heard this. Even though she was calm, she could not control her surprise at this moment. Becoming a disciple and learning skills can happen in many places, but in Zi Lan Xuan? A grown man like Yang Chong came to Zi Lan Xuan to become a disciple and learn skills? What kind of master is he becoming a disciple of, and what kind of skills is he learning? How could the two be connected?
"Yes, I am very interested in the art of music. I heard that Miss Nanyue's piano skills are extraordinary, so I hope Miss Nanyue can teach me the way of music." Yang Chong said. Fuxi Shentianxiang entered the Tao through music. If Yang Chong wants to practice, he must master the basic music skills, otherwise he can't even get started.

There may be many musicians who are good at music in Xinzheng, but with Nongyu already in the open, Yang Chong was too lazy to look for anyone else. What's more, asking a little beauty for advice on music is much better than facing a so-called master with white hair and a dry face. Moreover, Nongyu's own attainments in music are enough to surpass those so-called masters.

So Yang Chong came to Zilanxuan.

“This…” Nanyue looked at Yang Chong hesitantly. Yang Chong’s request, no, it should be a request. This request was really too outrageous. For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether Yang Chong was sincere or just had more sophisticated means and just wanted to get close to her in this way.

"Master Yang, I'm just a zither player in Zi Lan Xuan, and I'm not responsible for teaching." After a little consideration, Nong Yu decided to reject Yang Chong. Yang Chong might be sincere in wanting to be his disciple, but Nong Yu didn't want to take the risk because it was unnecessary and she didn't want to cause trouble.

"Miss Nanyue, don't be in a hurry to refuse. I will still pay the money that should be paid, and it won't take up too much of your time every day. Only one hour a day will be enough." Yang Chong said.

"Lord Yang, I'm really sorry, this matter is not something I can decide." Nanyue still shook her head and refused. Although Yang Chong said it was harmless, she was still instinctively alert.

"How about this, I won't talk about becoming your apprentice and learning skills. I'm still Miss Nongyu's guest. Can I just ask Miss Nongyu to explain some knowledge about the art of playing the zither to me?" Yang Chong changed his words. Nongyu seemed gentle, but she was completely different from her mother, Madam Hu. She was truly gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. Once she made up her mind about something, it would be really difficult to change it.

"If that's the case, Nongyu can agree to Lord Yang's request." Nongyu nodded. Her previous refusal was out of self-protection, but her current agreement was for the operation of Zilanxuan.

"Please invite Miss Nanyue to come." Yang Chong said.

"The zither has seven strings, and it is said to have been made by Fuxi in ancient times..." Nong Yu stroked the strings on the zither table and told Yang Chong about the knowledge of the zither.

Nongyu was indeed a very good teacher. She had profound attainments in the art of playing the zither and had the patience and delicacy of a woman. Yang Chong listened carefully to her story. When Nongyu talked about the fingering, Yang Chong combined it with the method of wielding the five strings like waving the hands in the Nine Yin Scriptures, and unconsciously started to play the zither on the table according to the introductory fingering of Fuxi Shentian Xiang.

"Did Lord Yang take note of it?" It was not until half an hour later that Nong Yu finished telling what she needed to say.

"I have memorized most of this, but I need to go back and review it." Yang Chong scratched his head. It was true that different trades mean different mountains. In his eyes, the piano was just a piece of wood and a few strings, but it had so many intricacies and tricks. It was definitely not something that could be learned by just plucking it a few times with fingers.

"Some things do not need to be remembered, just understanding is enough. I will play a piece of 'Zhou Feng' for Lord Yang now, and please watch my fingering." Nanyue said.

Just now, she deliberately talked about the origin of the zither and its structure at great length and without getting tired of it. In fact, for a beginner like Yang Chong, she didn't need to be so detailed. Her purpose was just to test Yang Chong's true attitude through this tedious explanation. If Yang Chong showed the slightest impatience in the process, she would be suspicious of Yang Chong's intentions.

Fortunately, Yang Chong really listened attentively from beginning to end, which made Nongyu feel relieved. She loved the zither and liked music even more. In her opinion, someone like Yang Chong who also loved the zither and music should not be too bad.

A piece of poetry bloomed between Nanyue's fingers.

(End of this chapter)