I Can Devour Spirits

Chapter 277 - 266: Minds Intertwined

Huaying Building, inside Lanxiang Garden.

Lan Ying furrowed her eyebrows slightly, her gaze curious as she observed the master and servant duo before her.

A fair-skinned young man, with his hair tied up and wearing luxurious clothing, his eyes lively like crystal, and his demeanor as clear and cool as autumn water.

While the servant behind him was as imposing as a mountain of flesh, with a fierce and ugly appearance that made Lan Ying fearful.

These two, evidently, were not from Xianggu County.

At this moment, Fan Yuanhai was with a few people in the adjacent room of Lian Ying, and she suspected that the people before her likely shared the same identity as Fan Yuanhai, as sect envoys.

Lan Ying bowed respectfully and smiled, "Sir, I have prepared a selection of drinks. Please take a seat, and allow me to serve you a few cups to relieve your fatigue."

Lv Qingzhu said, "No need. I never drink alcohol."

"Ah..." Lan Ying paused, as it was the first time she had heard of someone refusing to drink in a brothel.

"I’ve heard that Miss Lan Ying is excellent at playing the zither. Could I trouble the young lady to play a piece for me?" Lv Qingzhu, with a simple heart, got straight to the point.

She was here solely to listen to music, regardless of other matters.

Lan Ying hesitated for a moment, "Since you requested it, naturally I would oblige."

Despite her curiosity, she was cautious of the sect envoy’s identity, and secondly, this young man’s clear and lively demeanor was quite appealing to her.

Why not play a song first?

For the first time, even before the feast started, Lan Ying began to play the zither.

She gracefully walked to the nearby zither table.

Lv Qingzhu stood there, arms folded, scanning the decorations within Lanxiang Garden.

Inside Lanxiang Garden, many items were quite exquisite, with an eight-panel screen that was the epitome of luxury, yet Lv Qingzhu glanced over everything, showing little interest.

She had spent her childhood beside her grandfather, who lived simply in a secluded cave deep within Changling Mountain.

Under such influence, Lv Qingzhu naturally was not fond of grandiosity.

Lan Ying had positioned herself in front of the zither. She lit a calming incense on the small adjacent table.

Then she lifted the yellow silk covering the zither, sat properly, inhaled the aromatic scent deeply, and as she slowly exhaled, her delicate hands had already plucked the first string.

Lv Qingzhu, fond of music, was instantly captivated by this chord, recognizing the subtlety of the sound beyond the strings, silently thinking: the rumors in Jianghu that speak of hidden talents within brothels seem to be true.

Lan Ying slowly plucked three strings, like stones cast into a lake, the zither sound resonating gently one after another...

At this moment, Lan Ying focused deeply, suddenly entering the tune.

Her nimble fingers teased the strings, weaving intricate rhythms, at times fast, at times slow...

Lv Qingzhu stood there, her spirit bathing in the music.

She suddenly flipped her hand, and held the xun she had acquired from Ancient Moon Studio.

Lv Qingzhu grasped the xun with both hands, occasionally blowing notes, harmonizing with Lan Ying’s zither music...

Under the collaboration with Lv Qingzhu’s xun, Lan Ying’s zither music began to transform...

Lan Ying was astonished, her years immersed in music had achieved considerable power, allowing her to truly comprehend the formidable sound of the curious instrument Lv Qingzhu played.

It was a sound somewhat muffled, gradually enveloping the space...

The zither music, needing to harmonize with the xun sound, gradually intensified...

The spirited zither music and the distant, deep xun sound merged into one piece...

Lv Qingzhu grew increasingly joyous as she played, while Lan Ying’s fingers danced across the zither strings as if beating a drum, sweat beadied on her forehead...

At this point, the xun sound lowered gradually until it finally drifted away like an insect...

Lan Ying’s zither music also slowed down again...

Finally, the xun sound dispersed, and Lan Ying concluded with one final pluck of the strings, ending with a magnificent echo...

The lingering sound resonated endlessly...

The melody left Lan Ying exhausted yet exhilarated, as she and Lv Qingzhu exchanged a smile during their near synchrony while performing.

This sensation was something Lan Ying had never experienced before; her joy at the moment was evident.

Lan Ying looked at Lv Qingzhu, eager to imprint his image deeply into her eyes.

"Sir, what kind of instrument did you play? Its sound was so unique!" Lan Ying collected herself before looking at Lv Qingzhu’s xun, her gaze filled with curiosity.

Lan Ying was indeed curious; once the unique sound echoed, her zither music seemed to follow its lead.

Although initially, Lv Qingzhu played lightly to accompany her, once the sound resonated, her music changed, and when the sound amplified, her music merely struggled to keep up.

"Miss Lan Ying doesn’t recognize this instrument?" Lv Qingzhu handed the xun to Lan Ying.

Lan Ying received it, looked at it carefully, and then shook her head.

Lv Qingzhu was somewhat perplexed, as Lan Ying’s zither music was clear and showed significant expertise; how could she not recognize this instrument?

Lan Ying returned the xun to Lv Qingzhu, "I’ve seen many instruments, but I’ve never recognized this one."

Lv Qingzhu glanced at the xun in her hand, slightly surprised, pondering: Is it that no one plays the xun here?

Having played it since childhood and seen it in Ancient Moon Studio, she thought it was a common instrument, not realizing that the art of playing it had been lost for over a millennium, unbeknownst to Lan Ying.

However, Lv Qingzhu did not dwell on this matter and smiled indifferently, "Today, playing together with Miss Lan Ying lifted my spirits, truly worth the journey. Farewell!"