Chapter 2 Zither and Bamboo: A Perfect Match (Part 3)

Qin Shang glared fiercely at Ye Li but ultimately nodded helplessly, grinding his teeth as he said, "Fine, I'll agree to your terms."

With his hands clasped behind his back, Ye Li's eyes narrowed into a smile as he said, "This last condition, well, it's quite simple. Call me 'Uncle' and let's hear it."

Qin Shang was stunned, "You..."

Ye Li laughed, "Did I say something wrong? Since you're my grandson's master, you are naturally a generation below me. Calling me 'Uncle' shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"You sneaky old man, you're playing me," Qin Shang growled as he lunged at Ye Li, not giving a second thought to the fact that his opponent was a Zi rank Warrior.

Ye Li didn't use any Douqi or martial skill techniques either; the two over-sixty Zi rank Powerhouses ended up wrestling with each other inside the bamboo house, neither yielding an inch. Fortunately, there weren't many items in the bamboo house, so it wasn't too much of a mess.

After all, Qin Shang was a Mage, and his physical strength was nowhere near Ye Li's. When he was pinned down by Ye Li once again, he said in annoyance and embarrassment, "No more fighting, I'm exhausted."

Ye Li let go of Qin Shang and sat beside him, his smile deepening as he watched him gasp for air.

"Old Qin, why don't you name my grandson? This little guy just turned a month old and still doesn't have a name."

Qin Shang knew that Ye Li was now truly agreeing to his request. An idea flashed through his mind as he said, "How about Ye Yinzhu? He inherits your music and our bamboo."

Ye Li burst into laughter, "Good, Ye Yinzhu it is."

All of a sudden, Qin Shang grabbed Ye Li's beard fiercely and said, "You were planning to agree from the start, weren't you?"

Without hiding anything, Ye Li nodded and said, "Yes, indeed!"

Qin Shang bellowed, "Then why did you give me a hard time just now?"

Ye Li snorted, "Who asked you to come to me? That dull boy, Ye Zhong, doesn't even understand maximizing benefits. What was that about not having segregation among sects? I was the one who said that. If I hadn't sent him away in time, he would have spilled the beans, and how could I then maximize my benefits? Two Sect Masters, not bad at all, setting a precedent for the Eight Eastern Dragon Clans, hahahaha."

"You..." Seeing Ye Li's smug expression, Qin Shang realized that he had been truly duped, yet he was utterly powerless to do anything about it.

"Old Bamboo, I have agreed to your terms, but since you concur on having me as your grandson's master, you should also agree to a few of my conditions," Qin Shang said.

Ye Li laughed heartily, "What, looking to get a little revenge so soon?"

Qin Shang said irritably, "You think I'm you? I'm doing this for Yin Zhu's good. Of course, you're never again allowed to mention that I'm a generation lower than you; let's each keep to our own."

Ye Li took Qin Shang's seriousness to heart and nodded, saying, "Go on."

Qin Shang continued, "It's extremely difficult to cultivate the Pure Qinxin, and to succeed, it is crucial to maintain Yin Zhu's Innocent Child's heart as much as possible, which means minimizing his contact with the outside world, even with you. You should reduce your interactions with him. Besides the Zhu Douqi, without my permission, you must not teach him any martial skills. Once he turns three, you can only see him once a week and must not tell him anything about the outside world. Only with an undistracted heart of the Innocent Child can the Pure Qinxin be cultivated successfully."

Ye Li asked, "He can never learn martial skills? If he doesn't know the Zhu Sect Martial Arts, how will he become the Zhu Sect Master later?"

Qin Shang thought for a moment and replied, "It's not that he can never learn. Just don't teach him any other martial skills for at least fifteen years, so he won't be distracted. If he can't reach the Ninth Rank of Pure Qinxin within fifteen years, I'm afraid I will have failed."

Ye Li readily agreed, "Okay, I promise you. How about this to ease your concerns about seniority? In public, you'll be his master, but when it's just us, Yin Zhu can also call you grandpa."

Qin Shang glanced at Ye Li, "That shows you've got some sincerity."

The two powerful elders, who had never strutted around the Ryuzakinus Continent, exchanged looks and saw a glint of aspiration in each other's eyes - a hope for Ye Yinzhu's future, and also for the Eight Eastern Dragon Clans...

Qin Shang returned to Luna City and made some simple arrangements. Early the next morning, he went back to the blue sky and sea. The newly appointed President of the Mage's Guild clearly didn't take the Arcadia Mages Guild to heart. In his mind, nothing was more important than teaching his naturally Eight-fingered prodigious disciple.

Although Ye Li was the Zhu Sect Master, within the blue sky and sea, only his family lived there, consisting of himself, his son and daughter-in-law, and his grandson, making four people in total. Now with the addition of Qin Shang, there was one more. There were many bamboo houses initially, but Qin Shang insisted on not living together with them. At his request, Ye Zhong built another bamboo house 500 meters away from their dwelling. For someone like him, a Green rank Earth Warrior, this was a piece of cake.

On the Ryuzakinus Continent, warrior ranks are divided into seven levels, just like mages, corresponding to the seven colors of the rainbow: warrior, intermediate warrior, advanced warrior, Earth Warrior, Sky Warrior, Combat Master, War Master. Although the Douqi color cultivated by the Zhu Sect is special, Ye Zhong had just entered the Yellow Bamboo Realm, which is equivalent to Beginner Green rank, naturally making him an Earth Warrior.

The construction of the bamboo house was simple, but Qin Shang's requirements were very strict, including the angle of some of the bamboo pieces as well as the size and dimensions of the house. He even purchased some special materials from Luna City to incorporate. Only later did Ye Zhong understand that Qin Shang insisted on such rigorous construction of the bamboo house to create the best possible surround sound effect for the Zither's music inside it.

Ten days passed, and thanks to Ye Zhong's efforts, the bamboo house Qin Shang requested was finally completed.

"Are you out of your mind? Yin Zhu has just turned a full month old; what can he learn now?" Ye Li said, staring wide-eyed at Qin Shang in front of him, failing to understand what the old man was thinking.

Qin Shang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down on his old friend with a disdainful expression, "Who says infants can't learn? Even if they don't learn, can't they listen? Do you think the Pure Qinxin is easy to cultivate? If we don't start early while his innate energy hasn't dissipated, how can it be successful?"

Ye Li shook his head repeatedly, "No, no. Don't I know the power of your Zither music? If my grandson is harmed by the Spiritual Magic within your Zither music, he might become an idiot."

Qin Shang replied irritably, "I think you're the idiot. Do you think I care less about Yin Zhu than you do? He is my greatest hope in this life. Even if I injured myself, I wouldn't hurt him. Before he turns three, he cannot learn Douqi with you, and before five, he can't learn Zither with me. But this period is the most important. I will use my Zither music so that he will develop his Qinxin through daily listening. Since the child still needs care, let Ye Zhong and Mei Ying listen in as well. On one hand, they can take care of the child, and on the other, it will benefit their Douqi cultivation too."

A sly glint appeared in Ye Li's eyes as he kicked his son's foot, "Hurry up and thank your Uncle Qin. The Peiyuan Calm Heart Melody of the Zither Sect is not something just anyone can listen to."