The moment this person appeared, all the energy in the area seemed to immediately come under her control. Instantly, Xiang Shaoyun, who had become one with the zither, and the three listeners who had completely sunk into his music were all awakened from their state of reverie.
It interrupted Xiang Shaoyun's flow, causing a series of disorderly tunes to resound in the air. With the stop of his playing, the power he had awakened when playing the zither nearly went out of control. Fortunately, the power wasn't too strong yet. Otherwise, he would have suffered internal injuries.
After Gong Qinyin and Li Yaxuan recovered, they quickly stood up and saluted the newcomer. "Greetings, master (Zither Empress)."
The newcomer was none other than Gong Qinyin's master, the Zither Empress. Granny Mei, who was observing in secret, also came out to salute the newcomer before she went back into hiding. Xiang Shaoyun stared at the newcomer in astonishment. He was shocked to learn that this person was the Zither Empress, a person at the very top of the Cloud Margin Pavilion.
After all, the person standing before him was a beauty who did not look much older than Li Yaxuan. It was very hard to imagine that she was an Emperor Realm cultivator, one so high above many others. The Zither Empress's real name was Hua Cheng, a very poetic name.
She was an exceptionally talented woman who was good in the four arts, which consisted of zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. She had an extraordinary temperament, and standing there, she looked like a woman of unmatched beauty out of a painting. Her beautiful face and graceful figure was akin to a ripe honey peach that gave one an urge to give her a bite. She also had a scholarly aura about her, one that not many people could compare with. Just by standing there, the entire atmosphere of the area turned tranquil and comfortable.
She had countless pursuers. Often, Emperors of other towns would come from far away just to see her. However, she was fiercely devoted to the Saber Emperor Du Xuanhao and had rejected all her admirers.
The love story of these two Emperor Realm cultivators was one that captured the imagination of all Cloud Margin City residents. Xiang Shaoyun did not stand up to offer his greeting. Rather, he sat there staring at her. It wasn't that he had been charmed by her beauty. It was because she was simply too graceful.
Just by looking at her, one would feel calm and comfortable. She seemed to be innately amiable and approachable, and anyone who laid eyes on her would not be able to resist approaching her. Hua Cheng was not angered by Xiang Shaoyun's rude staring. She was very clear on how fatally charming she was to the opposite gender, much less a little kid like this.
She said, "You are decent at the zither. Who is your master?"
She rarely paid attention to the younger generation of the Cloud Margin Pavilion, but she could still guess that Xiang Shaoyun had just joined the Cloud Margin Pavilion not long ago. After all, she knew everyone who could play the zither in the pavilion, and this young man was obviously not one of them.
Xiang Shaoyun finally recovered from his reverie as well. He stood up and saluted Hua Cheng before saying, "Greetings, Zither Empress. I have no master. I have merely played the zither for fun during my free time."
Hua Cheng stared at Xiang Shaoyun in astonishment. She then smiled and said, "That's right. Playing the zither should be something fun. I have been too stubborn about it."
Hua Cheng was incredibly attractive, to the point she completely overshadowed Gong Qinyin and Li Yaxuan. It was not that the two weren't as beautiful as her, but that she was much stronger than them and thus possessed a grace far beyond them. If one day they reached the same cultivation level as her, neither of them would be inferior to the other in terms of charm.
Xiang Shaoyun met Hua Cheng's gaze and said, "Music is capable of influencing one's mood,improving one's temperament, and sharing one's emotions. Unfortunately, not many people truly understand music. Big sister, since you are called the Zither Empress, you are definitely a master at the dao of zither. I wonder if you would mind playing this young one a song?"
Gong Qinyin and Li Yaxuan were completely stunned. Even Hua Cheng was staring at Xiang Shaoyun in astonishment. She was obviously shocked by the "big sister" Xiang Shaoyun used to address her.
But she was no ordinary person. She immediately recovered and smiled. "You are quite the gutsy one, aren’t you? You dare to call me big sister? Are you not afraid that I will kill you right where you stand?"
As she spoke, her aura transformed and became sharp and suffocating.
It frightened Gong Qinyin, and she quickly pleaded for leniency on behalf of Xiang Shaoyun, "Master, please spa—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Hua Cheng sealed her, and she could no longer speak. Xiang Shaoyun could sense the terrifying aura around him, but he showed no fear. With a smile, he said, "For others, you are a mighty Empress. For me, you are an amiable and beautiful big sister. If you really think that a nobody like me has offended you, feel free to kill me right now."
Xiang Shaoyun showed no fear, as if he did not care about his life at all.
But in truth, he was extremely nervous as he prayed, You better not attack for real.
Hua Cheng stared at Xiang Shaoyun for a bit before the aura vanished. A gentle smile hung on her face as she said, "Hehe, you have excellent willpower and decent aptitude. More importantly, you are well versed with the zither. But that is not enough to have me as your big sister. Why don't you do the same as Qinyin and be my disciple? I will guide you on how to enter the dao through the zither."
Both Gong Qinyin and Li Yaxuan had different reactions to her words.
Gong Qinyin was overjoyed, hoping that Xiang Shaoyun would agree immediately. As for Li Yaxuan, she was completely shocked, and envy filled her eyes. She was very clear on just how illustrious the Zither Empress was. Before this, Gong Qinyin was the only person she had personally offered to accept as a disciple. Now, a second person had appeared. It was inconceivable.
But Xiang Shaoyun's reply shocked her even more. He actually shook his head and said, "Thank you for the offer, big sister. Although I know a bit about the zither, I have never treated it as a tool to kill."
"Shaoyun, how can you say that? The tune of a zither is capable of expressing one's emotions, able to make people experience joy and sorrow. Even after entering the dao through the zither, so long as you maintain the just in your heart, you won't defile the elegance of the zither. Just say yes! This is a rare chance!" Gong Qinyin quickly persuaded him.
Back then, the only reason she had attracted Hua Cheng's attention was because her name meant "zither's melody". Her master was of the opinion that fate had brought them together and had thus decided to accept her as a disciple. That was how Gong Qinyin came to enjoy the status she now had.
But of course, she was also talented enough in the dao of zither to be worthy of her master's teachings. Xiang Shaoyun was completely different from her. His accomplishments in the dao of zither was sufficiently high, and he was much more proficient than her in playing the zither. Perhaps he was even more talented than her. If he could obtain the teachings of her master, he would have a bright future.