Chapter 231: The Girl is Stunned, Five Tones of the Qin Resound, Qinge is Shocked!_1

"Honored guest, this is the treasure of our Qinge." The cheongsam-clad girl introduced.

Luo Yu glanced at her and joked with a smile, "Can a zither that cannot play a tune truly be called the treasure of the store?"

The girl shook her head, "Our Pavilion Master said, it's not that the zither is lacking, but the person is lacking."

"This zither is waiting for someone who can truly play it."

"Clearly, in Tiandou City, there isn't a single person who possesses the ability to pluck its strings continuously."

"Your Pavilion Master sure talks big."

Luo Yu clicked his tongue in amazement.

He walked step by step towards the ancient zither, carefully examining it.

The ancient zither on the low table seemed nothing special, even somewhat too plain.

The jet-black body of the zither had no shine.

The strings looked as if they were about to rust, dull and obscure.

Luo Yu turned with an unspoken word, "Do you call this the number one zither under the heavens?"

"Why don't you try it yourself to know?"

The girl made a welcoming gesture, revealing a smile that anticipated the next moment.

"This zither looks like it should be easy to play, I'm afraid I might use too much force and snap it."

Luo Yu looked at the ancient zither, his gaze odd.

It wasn't that he looked down on other people's belongings, truly, this zither looked decent, if not a bit too simple.

Compared to the other zithers on display downstairs, it was simply incomparable in terms of appearance.

Luo Yu didn't rush to sit down.

He stretched out his index finger and casually plucked one of the strings lightly.

No sound emanated, and the string remained motionless.

"Hmm?"

Luo Yu's eyes showed surprise.

He exerted force again, increasing the strength of his finger, but the string still didn't budge.

"Pfft."

The cheongsam-clad girl was professionally trained; she would not usually laugh unless she truly couldn't help it.

Luo Yu was not the first guest she had brought to the fourth floor.

But others could at least pluck the strings a bit, Luo Yu couldn't move them at all.

She was starting to worry that Luo Yu would be struck by this setback.

"That... honorable guest, this zither cannot be moved by brute force; it requires playing a tune to possibly pluck its strings."

"Now that you have seen it yourself, perhaps this zither isn't suitable for you."

"Let me accompany you downstairs to pick a more suitable ancient zither."

Luo Yu waved his hand, stopping her from continuing.

His eyes changed from previous disdain to seriously sizing up this ancient zither.

There is something odd, definitely something odd.

Although he had just extended a single finger, with his current physical strength, a single finger carried the weight of a thousand catties, how could it not even move a string of the zither.

He suddenly sensed that the legends he might have heard about this ancient zither could all be true.

His eyes fleetingly flitted with a golden color, swiftly scanning the ancient zither.

"Hmm?"

Luo Yu involuntarily let out a light exclamation.

For his Creation God Pupil detected no anomalies.

Since he couldn't move the strings, the zither was certainly one hundred percent peculiar.

That his invariably infallible Creation God Pupil could not detect any oddity in the zither spoke volumes.

This was definitely not an ordinary object.

What kind of history did it have, and why had he never heard of it before?

Luo Yu fell deep into thought.

"Honored guest, we should head down now."

The girl, seeing Luo Yu lost in thought for a long while, couldn't help but prompt him.

Luo Yu shook his head, "No rush, I want to try one more time."

The girl rolled her eyes secretly.

Why did every guest never know when to give up until they hit a dead end?

They must hit the south wall before they're willing to turn back.

Even Tang Yuehua's famously unplayable compositions were too much for everyone; it was definite that others wouldn't fare any better, so there was no need to even attempt.

The girl considered herself someone who understood the times; she knew she was an ordinary person.

And the man before her, like those guests she had encountered before, always thought they were the special ones, only to end up beaten by reality.

Without speaking, the girl watched Luo Yu intently.

Based on her past experiences, young men like Luo Yu couldn't even make a sound.

If he could pluck the strings twice, she'd admit defeat.

Playing the zither thrice was simply impossible; how profound could a young person's understanding of zither music be?

Luo Yu paid no attention to what the young girl was thinking and was determined to figure out the strangeness hidden within the zither.

He sat cross-legged on the cushion, his spine straight, his expression serious.

His ten fingers spread out, touching the strings.

The girl shook her head secretly, thinking that she should be able to go downstairs in less than thirty seconds.

"Zeng!"

When Luo Yu seriously plucked the strings, the one he touched vibrated slightly.

A faint luster flashed on its surface, emanating a clear, resonant hum.

The girl's eyes revealed surprise; she hadn't expected this man to possess a foundation in zither music.

Actually, to pluck a string once.

However, this was just the beginning; Luo Yu's fingers began to dance.

Two consecutive zither sounds rose.

The tone was clear and pure, round and full, as if a voice was rising in one's heart.

The girl's eyes widened.

Thrice?

This guy could pluck ancient zither strings thrice?

For many years, all she had seen capable of doing this were middle-aged individuals who had practiced zither music for many years.

Among the young people, she had so far only seen Luo Yu.

Could it be that this guy's zither playing artistry had already reached such a realm?

The girl felt that she had underestimated Luo Yu before.

Being able to do this much was truly impressive.

"Zeng!"

Another crisp sound of the zither entered her ears.

The girl's heart trembled.

Four times!

This guy could pluck zither strings four times?

No way, he looked so young, could he be that amazing?

The girl looked at Luo Yu with astonishment mixed with respect.

Being able to do this indicated that the man's mastery of zither music had reached near-master levels.

How old was he to be so incredible?

The girl was continuously astonished inside, and quickly her pupils contracted.

Because she saw Luo Yu's fingers once again brush the strings, the fifth clear sound rapidly spread.

It couldn't be real?

The girl fell into shock.

Being able to pluck the strings five times indicated an understanding of zither music that had reached the master's realm.

Him, so young, at the master's level?

Could it be that he started playing the zither from the womb? That was too fake.

The girl's gaze trembled as she watched Luo Yu, no longer feeling the earlier amusement and impatience, thinking that Luo Yu wouldn't attempt to pluck the strings again, would he? That would be too terrifying.

After all, Tang Yuehua had only achieved seven notes on the zither.

Seeing Luo Yu slowly withdraw his hands, the girl breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

If it were only five notes on the zither, although abnormal, it wasn't unacceptable.

Seeing Luo Yu looking up at her, the girl sincerely exclaimed, "Sir, you are a true genius, I have never seen anyone able to produce five notes on the zither at your age."

"You should know that most of those who can achieve what you have are middle-aged or elderly who have immersed themselves in the art of the zither for decades, and they are few and far between."

Luo Yu shook his head, his gaze fixed on the ancient zither, and said leisurely,

"I think, this zither, should belong to me today."

The girl nodded subconsciously, then quickly came to her senses, staring incredulously at Luo Yu.

"You... what did you say???"

Luo Yu did not offer any further explanation and instead focused on the ancient zither. Just now, he was merely warming up.

For others, five resonances of the zither were difficult, but to him, they were not much of a challenge.

Plucking the zither strings five times was just a preliminary way to get to know some of the ancient zither's characteristics.

It seemed that the zither contained a special energy, latent and undisturbed.

In Luo Yu's mind, there was a premonition that if he could play a complete piece on this ancient zither, something unexpected might happen.

He calmed his mind, not rushing to play, and swiftly adjusted his state.

Recalling a famous song he had learned in a past life.

Meanwhile.

The five resonances of the zither could be heard on all four floors.

Xue Qinghe and his siblings, along with the other guests, watched in shock towards the fourth floor.