Chapter 2 Zither and Bamboo: A Perfect Match (Part 1)_1

Ye Li picked up the water jug from the table, poured a glass of clear water, and handed it to Qin Shang, "This is spring water from beneath my blue sky and sea, try it."

Qin Shang took a sip and praised, "Crisp and sweet, not bad. You sure know how to enjoy life."

Ye Li sighed, "It's been over twenty years since we last met, you old geezer. You've come to find me specially this time, it must be for something, right? You know, I no longer involve myself with Zhu Sect matters, so whatever it is, it's none of my concern."

Qin Shang laughed heartily, "I haven't even said anything, and you've already brushed it off completely. What do you think I'm here for? This time, I'm not leaving."

Ye Li's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, "You're not leaving?"

Qin Shang nodded and said, "I just returned from Faran."

Hearing the name 'Faran,' Ye Li's expression changed instantly, his face grew somber for a moment, "So you went. That means, you've reached Zi rank?"

Qin Shang squinted, scrutinizing Ye Li, "Aren't you the same? Let me have a look, shall we?"

Ye Li glared at him irritably. A faint purple aura drifted out from within him, a proud breath, a stubborn energy. The immense pressure inevitably caused Qin Shang's eyes to shine brightly, "Good, first rank, you're also first rank. It seems that neither of us has fallen behind the other."

Ye Li said, "I am no longer your match. At the same rank, in Ryuzakinus, there isn't any magic or Douqi that can defeat your Zither Magic. You think I don't know that?"

Qin Shang smiled slightly, "My zither music only shows its true power after more than a third of it is played. At the same rank, you can't beat me, can't you just run? I have no way to deal with you then. Do you expect me to chase after you?"

Ye Li said fiercely, "At this distance, don't you believe that I could take you down in an instant?"

Qin Shang, with a carefree air, took another sip of the spring water, "I don't believe it."

The two looked at each other and couldn't help bursting into laughter. Neither Qin Shang nor Ye Li had felt this happy in a long time.

As the laughter died down, Ye Li said seriously, "Old buddy, to be honest, what's your feeling about Faran?"

Qin Shang's face darkened, he sighed, "You needn't ask any further, Faran's Seventh Tower is beyond our imagination. During the Illusion Tower's trial, I didn't even see the Tower Master."

After hearing this, Ye Li fell into a long silence before speaking with a hint of sadness, "It seems that there will never be any hope for us."

"No," Qin Shang's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something exciting, and he stood up abruptly from the bamboo chair, "There is definitely hope. And, it's right in front of us."

A fiery gaze burst forth from Ye Li's eyes, "What is it? Tell me quickly. Is there really a chance to contend with Faran's Seventh Tower?"

Qin Shang gave a faint smile, sat back down, but remained silent.

Ye Li, somewhat impatient, said, "Stop playing coy, just tell me, or I might resort to force."

Qin Shang chuckled, "You still have the same temperament, so impatient. I really wonder how you managed to cultivate your Zhu Douqi to this level. After undergoing an assessment in Faran, my status was confirmed as Zi rank, and I was placed on Faran's Rainbow Rank. Before I left, the people from Faran asked me where I would like to be employed, and I chose Acadia. Because you are here, I came. As long as you agree, I can stay here for at least a dozen years."

Ye Li's expression shifted with some doubt, "Old pal, why do I feel like you're setting a trap for me? Just speak plainly. What exactly is our hope?"

Qin Shang nodded and said, "Alright, I'll just say it. Our hope is your grandson."

Ye Li was shocked, "Are you mistaken? You came back with Mei Ying, didn't you see that my grandson was born with only eight fingers? In the future, he will even have trouble holding a weapon. How could he possibly be our hope? I just want the child to live a safe life."

Qin Shang curled his lip, "That's how you see it, from my point of view, it's completely different. Being born with eight fingers is the heir I have dreamt of. Without the constraint of the outermost fingers on both hands, it's extremely beneficial for Zither cultivation. Besides, your grandson has an extraordinarily keen perception of music. As long as you are willing to let him learn the Zither from me, he will be our future hope. To tell you the truth, I chose Acadia over other powerful nations mainly because of you. You know that once our cultivation reaches Zi rank, it becomes extremely difficult to make any further progress. And as a Divine Music Master, although cultivating to Zi rank allows for the use of powerful Zither Magic, there are also significant drawbacks. So, I came up with a good method to solve this. And this method requires your cooperation."

Ye Li frowned slightly, "My cooperation? I practice Zhu Douqi, how can I cooperate with you?"

Qin Shang said, "Ryuzakinus has only examples of Magic combined with Douqi, the so-called Cultivation of magic and martial arts, but no one has surpassed the Blue rank. Nowadays, Mages disdain from being distracted by the cultivation of Douqi. The method I'm thinking of is to use Douqi to enhance Zither Magic, to expand the range of sound waves, and even to directly promote sound waves to launch attacks. Only a Divine Music Master has the potential for such cultivation. Your Zhu Douqi, brimming with the essence of nature, is the Douqi that complements Zither sounds most perfectly. I came here to take an apprentice and then to persuade you to teach him Zhu Douqi, to combine the strengths of our two practices and create a supreme Divine Music Master, maybe even breaking through the limit of Zi rank. But as soon as I arrived here, before I managed to settle down to find an apprentice, I met your daughter-in-law and grandson. Born with eight fingers! Such a rarity in this world, I will not let this opportunity slip by. Old buddy, I have never asked anyone for anything in my life, but this time, I'm making an exception. I am asking you, let your grandson be my disciple."

As he spoke, Qin Shang stood up and gave a deep bow to Ye Li with an extremely earnest expression.

Ye Li dodged to one side and flatly said, "No, I do not agree. He's my only grandson, and although he was born with eight fingers, I'm still counting on him to inherit my mantle."

Qin Shang replied urgently, "Didn't you just say you wanted him to be an ordinary person? Why have you changed your mind now?"

Ye Li said, "An ordinary person, in the context of my Zhu Sect, my grandson is the future young Sect Master of Zhu Sect. If you lure him away to the Zither Sect, what will become of Zhu Sect? No, absolutely not."

Qin Shang, unwilling to give up, said, "Ye Zhong and Mei Ying are still young, are you afraid you won't have another grandson in the future? Besides, it's extremely rare to find someone born with eight fingers among a million people. Old friend, for the sake of our many years of friendship, please do me this favor."

Ye Li laughed bitterly, "It's not that I don't want to oblige you, but I really can't. It's true, Zhong'er and Ying'er are still young, but they can only have this one son in their lifetime. Ying'er had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to my precious grandson; you must have noticed that Ying'er is the daughter of old Mei Hua from Mei Clan. I and old Mei Hua called upon Granny Lanqing from Lan Clan to personally deliver the child. It was fortunate that Lanqing was there to ensure the safety of mother and child, but Lanqing also said Ying'er will not be able to have any more children. If you don't believe me, you can inquire at Lan Clan."

After hearing Ye Li's words, Qin Shang couldn't help but slump back into the bamboo chair, the sensation of his hopes dissipating was definitely uncomfortable. For a long time, neither he nor Ye Li spoke again, both lost in deep thought. Just then, a clear voice sounded from outside the door, "Dad, I heard we have a guest."