Chapter Fifteen: Borrowing Joy!

  It's okay, only one string is broken. However, for the time being, Xiao Yun can't find any materials to repair it. There is a music hall on the mountain that specializes in repairing musical instruments, but they all require spirit crystals.

  Lingjing is the common currency circulating among the practitioners of Leixiu, a crystal stone that contains the power of heaven and earth. Xiao Yun is just a newcomer to the mountain, where did he get the Lingjing from, it's simply unaffordable.

  "Fix it later!"

  The strings broke in the middle, unless a new string was found, it would definitely be impossible to repair. Xiao Yun sighed and wrapped up the paulownia wood zither, putting it aside.

  "Clang... Clang... Clang..."

  The sound of the piano came from beside, Lin Chuoyin and Luo Qing two girls, had already practiced the music according to the score, while Xiao Yun lay on the grass, resting with one leg raised and listening with a blade of dogtail grass in his mouth.

  "Xiao Shixiong, is this piece of music already perfect?" After playing for a while, the two women were already sweating profusely, and Lin Chuoyin was still looking at Xiao Yun with great surprise.

  Xiao Yun shook his head, "I'm not too sure either, but it's definitely better than the previous score you guys had."

  It's not just a little better, it's much better. I just played one side according to the score, although it was extremely laborious and many places were not pure enough, but the quality of the heroic spirit inside has increased significantly. Playing this piece once is absolutely worth dozens of times of their simplified scores.

  The two women's current mood can be imagined, Lin Chuoyin looked at Xiao Yun, her face expression seemed a bit strange, the score was obviously taken out by him, how could he not know the level of this score, and what he was hiding.

  "Sister, I don't quite understand this place, can you tell me about it quickly." Just then, Luo Qing said to Lin Chuoyin beside her.

  Ling Chuoyin snapped back to reality and turned to Luo Qing, "What was that sentence?"

  "The third line, fifth and sixth note!" Luo Qing pointed at the sheet music spread out in front of him, saying to Lin Chu Yin.

  Lin Chuoyin walked over and took a look, shaking her head and saying, "I don't quite understand this either!"

  As soon as the words fell, the eyes of the two women turned to Xiao Yun, obviously wanting Xiao Yun to help them dispel their doubts.

  "The third sentence requires a change of palace and feather, there is a rapid conversion of tone here, and the palace tune should be quickly converted to feather tune!" Xiao Yun also didn't go over to look, and directly replied to the two women.

  "Huh?"

  The two women looked down, pondered carefully in their minds, and both showed a smile on their faces. Luo Qing said, "What about the fifth sentence? I've been refining this fifth sentence over and over again, but it still doesn't feel right."

  Xiao Yun Dao said, "The fifth sentence? This place is also considered not very difficult, just need to lead Gong Shang Jue three sounds, Kui Zhi Yu three sounds will do."

  What is called "drawing out" means to slow down, what is called "pressing in" means to hasten. The two girls heard this and played the fifth sentence again, following Xiao Yun's guidance, slowing down and speeding up at the right moments, repeating several times, and the fifth sentence that had been troubling them became clear.

  "What about the sixth sentence......"

  "Seventh sentence twelfth tone?"

  "Chapter..."

  ……

  The two women asked one question after another, and Xiao Yun answered them without reservation. Every casual sentence she spoke seemed to hit the nail on the head, as if it was a sudden enlightenment, making the two women feel like they had gained a treasure.

  "Alright, it's getting late too, I should head back. You guys take your time to refine the brew." As noon was approaching, Xiao Yun stood up and bid farewell with his vital energy mostly recovered.

  "Shao Shixiong!"

  The two girls also stood up. Lin Chunyin said, "Thank you, Master Xiao, for giving us such a precious score. I'm deeply grateful!"

  Xiao Yun waved his hand.

  Luo Qing smiled and said, "I couldn't tell, you're quite generous. I forgive you for what happened before!"

  Xiao Yun sweated profusely and was momentarily speechless.

  Lin Chuoyin covered her mouth and smiled, "Xiao Shixiong, I see that your guqin seems to be broken. If it's not convenient for you to repair it, you can give it to me and I'll help you fix it."

  "Huh?" Xiao Yun was taken aback, "This... I don't have any crystal stones to give you."

  "It's just a broken string, what's the use of crystal stones? I have materials there, and I can fix it for you myself." Lin Chunyin said.

  "Isn't this a bit inconvenient?" Xiao Yun hesitated for a moment.

  "Oh dear, why are you being so troublesome? Are you afraid we'll take your zither and not return it to you?" said Luo Qing from the side.

  This girl always speaks so bluntly, Xiao Yun wiped the sweat, handed over the wrapped paulownia wooden zither to Lin Chu Yin, "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Lin."

  Lin Chuoyin handed the guqin to Tongmugui, and gently shook his head towards Xiao Yun, "It's just a small effort, come back in two days, Xiao Shixiong will pick it up by the side of Yanxia Lake."

  "Yanxia Lake? Is this Yanxia Lake?" Xiao Yun was taken aback.

  "The name that my sister and I came up with, isn't it poetic and picturesque?" Luo Qing said proudly. "In the evening, when the sunset shines down, the entire lake surface reflects the colorful clouds, just like a fire burning, so beautiful."

  Xiao Yun burst out laughing, "Looks like I'm too rustic, I also gave this lake a name, called Shixiang Lake."

  The two women also laughed, and Lin Chu Yin looked at the lake, "I think Stone Elephant Lake is more fitting, from now on it will be called Stone Elephant Lake. Next time when Xiao Shixiong comes to Stone Elephant Lake, I'll return a good guqin to you."

  "Thank you!"

  Xiao Yun bowed slightly to the two women and immediately turned around and left.

  ——

  "Sister, you're also being too unprincipled, aren't you?" Luo Qing looked at Lin Chu Yin with some dissatisfaction.

  "What's wrong?" Lin Chunyin asked with a puzzled face.

  Luo Qing said, "What's wrong with Smoke and Mist Lake? Why should it be changed to Stone Elephant Lake?"

  "It's just a name, what's the big deal!" Lin Chunyin heard this and was somewhat pleased, stretching out her index finger to lightly poke Luo Qing's nose.

  Luo Qing pouted and then laughed, "Sister, this move of yours is quite ruthless. Take his qin away and we won't have to worry about him not coming next time."

  "You're always having so many weird thoughts." Lin Chunyin gave Luo Qing a white eye, her gaze swept to the side of Lin Zi, and there was a hint of doubt between her eyebrows. "But this Xiao Shixiong is indeed somewhat mysterious, is he really just a firewood cutter?"

  "It doesn't seem like it, his attainments in music are really too high, and besides, Eldest Sister, have you ever seen a woodcutter who can produce the score of 'High Mountain Flowing Water' so generously? And give it to someone as a gift?" Luo Qing shook her head.

  Lin Chuoyin snapped back to reality, "With this score, in the remaining few days, our strength will definitely improve. Junior sister, let's quickly memorize the score and then destroy it."

  "Why destroy it?" Luo Qing asked with some surprise.

  Lin Chunyin said, "We are just outer sect disciples, privately hiding a precious manual is a great crime!"

  "Oh!"

  She remembered the rules of the door and a hint of fear flashed in Luo Qing's eyes, she quickly studied the score, and soon, the pleasant sound of the piano echoed by the lake again.

  ——

  Night falls.

  After finishing a furnace of Dan medicine, Mu Tian'en said to Xiao Yun, "I'm going out for a trip, and I might not be back tonight."

  "Senior, it's getting dark, where are you going?" asked Xiao Yun with some confusion.

  "A few days ago, I spotted a rare Ghost Orchid. Tonight is the full moon, and I must go to guard it. While the flower blooms, I'll pluck it." said Mu Tian'en.

  Guizi Tanghua? Xiao Yun was taken aback. Something that could make Mu Tian'en so serious must be very precious, right?

  "The elixir in the crucible, I'll pack it into a medicine bottle later. The medical books on the bookshelf, you can take a look when you're free." Mu Tian'en slung the medicine basket over his shoulder, picked up the medicine hoe, and instructed as he walked out.

  Xiao Yun heard this and a thought flashed through his mind, he immediately stopped Mu Tian'en, pointing to the calligraphy on the wall behind him, "Senior, is that calligraphy written by you? I wonder if you have 'The Book of Music' in your hand? Can I borrow it to take a look?"

  Mu Tian'en turned his head and shook it, "You kid has some insight, able to recognize the 'Yue Jing', but the 'Yue Jing' is an ancient sacred scripture, not only does it contain the great sage Ji Xuan's 'Cloud Gate Volume', but also the Five Dynasties' legacy of sound, Emperor Yao's 'Xian Chi', Yu Shun's 'Da Qing', Da Yu's 'Da Xia', Shang Tang's 'Da Huo', Zhou Wu's 'Da Wu', and many other famous pieces, most of which are ancient divine melodies and immortal tunes, how could I possibly have them?"

  "What's written on this letter..." Xiao Yun heard this and was somewhat perplexed.

  "Those are just rumors and hearsay, the original 'Yue Jing' has long been lost, leaving only some fragments behind. As far as I know, the remaining fragments of 'Da Xia Pian' are stored in the imperial palace of our Da Xia Kingdom, and there is also a fragment of 'Da Wu', which was divided into two parts, separately collected by Da Zhou Kingdom and Da Yan Kingdom, while the rest have all disappeared."