Volume 2 Chapter 1: A Sword Forged Over Ten Years Chapter 3: The Alluring Moon and Delicate Flowers Invite the Flute to Dance

  The father and son rushed downstairs following the sound of the old man's fall, but no matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find any trace of him.

  "This old man is quite fast on his feet."

  Old Zhang said. After saying it lightly, he suddenly became a little flustered:

  "Wow! I'm telling you the truth, do you think that old man just now was a god or something?! He should have fallen right here - oh dear, oh dear - but how did he disappear in the blink of an eye?!"

  Seeing this old fellow's dragon head and no tail, Old Zhang felt quite strange. Seeing Father say so, Sheng Yan said:

  "It won't be, in broad daylight like this, we can suddenly run into a fairy? And this fairy even invites us to eat and drink, giving us gifts left and right? Thinking about it, it's just not possible."

  "I think that old fellow was probably helped across by someone at the street corner."

  Waking words to his father, he proposed another possibility, denying the existence of immortals. These words were actually spoken out of filial piety; if his straightforward father really believed that they had encountered an immortal this time, from now on he would inevitably be suspicious and uneasy, and wouldn't even be able to work or sleep peacefully.

  After listening to his son, Old Zhang thought about it and felt that his idea was too absurd. His son's reminder was right, otherwise he would have been laughed at by others if he had said it out carelessly in the future!

  However, although he comforted his father with his words, in his heart, Shengyan couldn't help but think about the matter. He felt that this affair was indeed quite suspicious. The old man's ambiguous attitude seemed to indicate that he had some understanding of their illicit behavior with Ju Ying in Poyang County the other day. Fortunately, this knowledgeable old man surprisingly appreciated their actions, otherwise he wouldn't have invited them as hosts and given them a flute book.

  "Could it be that I've really met an immortal?"

  Although he had just made up a story to deceive his father, he couldn't deceive himself. However, after thinking about it, it shouldn't be possible; just like what he said earlier, how could gods and goddesses let themselves be encountered so easily? Ah! Thinking of the old man's actions, they are indeed very similar to those written in the legend of wandering knights.

  "Hmm! That's probably it, hehehe~"

  Waking up, he felt that he had already found the correct answer and put down a load of worries.

  The two father and son had already found a reasonable explanation for the strange encounter just now, and they began to discuss what to do next. Old Zhang said to his son:

  "Wake up, son! There are still these two rabbits that haven't been sold. Father will go call out for buyers first. You also haven't gone to the private school for two or three days, hurry and take a look! I'm afraid Mr. Ji is already angry?"

  "Alright, be careful then, Father."

  "It doesn't matter; this time just get rid of these rabbits for a random price, don't bother with the cost."

  "Okay, I'll go then."

  "Uh-huh. Remember to come back early for dinner."

  The father and son bid farewell after exchanging a few words.

  Just then, Xingyan watched as his father turned the corner, but he himself didn't move a few steps. Now in Xingyan's heart, what he was thinking wasn't about going to some private school. The Ji family's school lessons, he had already studied for so many years, and all the classics and histories that should be read were almost all finished; those poetry books and etiquette that families of officials needed to study, he could also somewhat understand. He didn't need these few school lessons, actually it wasn't a big deal; after all, as a poor scholar's son, he had never dared to hope for anything from his studies. Now what was urgent for him was to quickly find another odd job, otherwise his own future meals would be a problem.

  This year he is already a sixteen-year-old young man; children from poor families have to take care of themselves early, although they are still called young men, but they are already considered half-grown. It's really embarrassing to stay at home and eat for free now. Where to go? Daxiang Building? Looking at Liu Zhuang's angry face earlier, it seems that Daxiang Building is not an option. Where should he go? The young man was hesitant for a moment.

  At this time, the sun was shining brightly overhead, and people were coming and going on the bustling street. The boy stood still as a stream of busy people flowed past him. After thinking for a moment, the worried young man suddenly had an idea:

  "Right! How could I have forgotten the thing that old man gave me just now?"

  A young man with no particular ambition suddenly remembered the old man's gift of a flute and a book, and thought to himself that he hadn't even tried playing the flute yet. Thinking this, he quickly walked to a quiet place, took out the flute from his bosom, and prepared to try playing it.

  It's strange to say, this jade flute "Shenxue" in my hand not only has a refreshing and elegant appearance, but its material is also somewhat special. Generally speaking, flutes made of ordinary jade are heavy in the hand and are not suitable for long-term blowing; moreover, the stone is hard and not as clear and smooth as bamboo, so the sound produced by jade flutes is often not as clear and melodious as that of bamboo flutes.

  Therefore, although this world is not lacking in jade flutes, they are basically just used by wealthy families to show off.

  Either hang a silk tassel on it, and then put a red sandalwood frame around it, and place it in the study as an ornament - this is called the "flower vase" use; or some romantic young men will often carry it with them when they meet friends, holding it by their side, looking elegant and refined, roughly equivalent to the "autumn fan". In short, what people generally call jade flute or white jade flute in this world are actually just hollow stone rods. The wandering knights may use them for tricks, but real musicians can't play them well.

  And this jade flute "Divine Snow" is strange, it's strange here. It's not as light as a swan feather in hand, but it's not much heavier than an ordinary bamboo flute; when played, its melody is gentle and lingering, yet clearer than the bamboo flute. After trying to blow for a while, Xing Yan almost shed tears!

  "I must thank that old man! I, Zhang Xingyan, finally have a flute!"

  No wonder Xingyan was so excited. In the Qi family's private school where he studied, there were also courses on etiquette and music. The instrument used to teach students to read scores in the course of etiquette and music was this ordinary bamboo flute. However, even though the ordinary bamboo flutes in the market cost only a few coins, Xingyan, who came from a poor family, still couldn't afford it. For the Zhang family, if the silver money wasn't spent on food and clothing, it would be a sin.

  So, every time he made this kind of flute, Xingyan would go to the wild bamboo forest and cut a bamboo tube. Then, using his knife, he would carefully make eight holes on the tube according to the specifications. However, although making flutes was simple, just requiring him to carve out holes with his knife, the bamboo wasn't tofu - it was hard to carve out perfectly round holes without any edges. Often, the holes Xingyan carved out were not round or square, but had seven sides or six angles, and all eight holes looked different from one another, making them look very irregular. As a result, the music produced by his homemade flutes was terrible; the low notes could barely pass muster, but the high notes were simply unbearable to listen to...

  Then the young man, who was excited about the true flute, opened again the old man's gift, the score "Shui Long Yin". However, this time he was somewhat disappointed. The thin book of scores used Gongche notation to record the flute music, which was beyond his expectation and unimaginable. This "Shui Long Yin" melody often used high-pitched sounds, extremely high and sharp, and frequently changed tones again and again outside of the normal changes, it was really...

  "It wasn't blown by human!"

  This is a wake-up call.

  After the excitement had passed, the problem of finding a job was once again in front of Xing Yan. However, this time Xing Yan didn't become disoriented like he did at first. Very quickly, an idea flashed through his mind and he exclaimed:

  "Then there's somewhere to go!"

  He suddenly had an idea when he saw the newly acquired flute "Shenxue" in his hand.

  He suddenly remembered that just a few days ago, he had passed by the largest brothel in Raozhou City, "Huayuelou", and unintentionally saw a large red poster on the wall at the entrance, which said "Recruiting flute masters". At that time, Wakin was just passing by and looked at the red paper out of curiosity. Now that he had lost his job at Liangxianglou and was given a flute by a generous man, it was natural for him to go to the brothel to try his luck.

  It's just that now, thinking back, it's already been four or five days since the notice was posted, and I don't know if anyone has already taken the opportunity. Now going to Huayuelou for an interview is almost my only hope, so I couldn't help but feel anxious and hurriedly quickened my pace, rushing towards the brothel "Huayuelou" on Qianmen Street.

  It's true that when you care too much, things get messy. Waking up to this worry was actually unnecessary. At this time, men who can play the flute are either wealthy young masters or elegant scholars. They obviously wouldn't stoop to a lowly brothel to compete with Waking for food; and those poor young men who have enough reason to fight for food bowls don't have the heart or leisure to learn this non-agricultural instrument. Moreover, even if someone among them wanted to learn, they may not have had the opportunity. From this perspective, Waking being able to study under Seasoned Old Academician's guidance can be said to be a rare case among poor young men.

  But outside of these men, there were women who were not lacking in their own talents. However, in this small city of Raozhou, it was really hard to find a few people with the right skills among the courtesans; let alone this flute which had some special characteristics - as the saying goes:

  "The bamboo flute is suitable for ladies, only the dongxiao is an exception; the di can be played temporarily but not permanently. For men, what's important is the sound, while for women, it's the appearance. When playing the flute or pipe, the sound may be pleasant to listen to, but the appearance is unbearable to look at."

  What he said is not far from the truth. Think about it, when that woman plays the flute, her breath is full and her cheeks are puffed up, no matter how beautiful she looks, she becomes unbearable to look at.

  Although there are not many good flute players, the flute is indispensable in this music band; the silk and bamboo music band needs to produce a melody, mainly relying on it. As a result, the young Zhang Xingyan, who did not know that he was a scarce talent, worried unnecessarily. When he arrived at the Huayue Building, he was delighted to find that the red poster was still there, only slightly faded in color; overjoyed, Xingyan quickly intercepted the turtle public's words, which were flowing continuously as if they were customers coming to the door, and directly stated his intention.

  Listening to what he said, and taking a closer look at his appearance, this turtle grandson seemed somewhat hesitant. But thinking again, since no one had come to apply for so many days, now that someone was sent to the door, it was natural to let Old Mother Xia know.

  After being allowed by the turtle public, Xing Yan followed him into the inner room and met Xia Yini, the old prostitute of Huayuelou. This Xia Yini was about thirty years old, looking still charming. Unlike other prostitutes in the brothel who liked to be called "mother" by their girls, this Xia Yini preferred to be called "auntie".

  Perhaps it was indeed difficult to find a bamboo flute master, and after not much ado, Xing Yan simply blew a few small tunes on the jade flute and passed Xiaoyi's inspection. The old procuress Xiaoyi didn't raise many questions about Xing Yan's business level, but instead showed great interest in the divine snow flute in his hand, asking this and that to the shabbily dressed young man, asking him where he got such a good flute from.

  Xia Yi asked, and Xing Yan didn't hide much, briefly explaining the situation from that morning. As he spoke fluently, Xia Yi couldn't help but sigh repeatedly, saying that he was really lucky to have met a kind-hearted person.

  After settling down, he found himself very satisfied with this new job. As a musician in Huayue Building, although the salary was not high, it was still much higher than his previous part-time jobs. Moreover, working at Huayue Building had the greatest benefit of providing him with food and accommodation, solving his biggest living problem that had been pending for many years!

  What made him even more overjoyed was that, according to Xiaoyi, if he had good luck and met a rich young master who would spend money lavishly, he might even get extra reward money after playing the tune. Although the brothel would take one-third of this reward money, for Xingyan, who had never really earned any decent money before, all these were already considered a thick income.

  For Waking Words, Huayuelou has another advantage. Although this Huayuelou is the largest brothel in Raozhou City, Raozhou City is not big and not a must-visit place, so there are not many merchants coming and going. Therefore, during the day, the music band basically had nothing to do, only at night when customers asked the girls to accompany them for wine, they would ask the music band to play on the side to help with the excitement. So he can take advantage of the idle daytime to go listen to Mr. Ji's class or do some other chores.

  Of course, although he had entered the brothel as a musician, he never thought that he would be ridiculed by those aristocratic classmates. For him, dignity was secondary; finding a way to make a living was the top priority. As long as he could earn money honestly, no matter how humble the job, he was willing to do it.

  In fact, in the past few years of studying at Qi's private school, Xing Yan, this poor and humble young man, has unknowingly accumulated a certain amount of prestige. This rustic youth, an oddity in the school, not only excels in his studies but is also physically strong and healthy. He can climb trees to fetch bird nests and catch fish in the river. Over the years, in the eyes of his wealthy classmates, he has become someone with remarkable abilities. After a few fights and mischievous incidents, Xing Yan has become a sort of "king" among the children! Except for being inferior in terms of food and clothing, he is otherwise respected by all, and no one dares to look down on him.

  Of course, apart from this, they also do not dare to lightly mock the wake-up words and entrust themselves to the brothel as a pleasure worker - if they are at odds with the ear report god of this flower moon building, if one day they sneak out to do adult things, once they are seen by him and go back to spread the word, it would be very bad!

  The "Huayuelou" where the young man would seek his livelihood, was the largest brothel in Raozhou City, located on Qianmen Street, facing south and sitting north. Although this Huayuelou had several courtyards and many houses, its facade did not appear large; a two-story street sign with both upper and lower floors painted red, with some flowers and birds painted between them, which was quite in line with the style of brothels. It's just that possibly due to years of neglect of repairs, these paints had all become dark red, and some places had peeled off the red paint, falling off a lot.

  On both sides of the gate of Huayuelou, there is another pair of couplets that read:

  "The same merciful boat can set free, the colorful clothes person is also the black clothes."

  This couplet is unknown who made it, but it's also interesting and witty. The upper line intentionally misinterprets the Buddhist concept of "liberation", and the whole line also has a playful tone towards White-robed Guanyin. Although this couplet is quite disrespectful to Buddhism, at that time it was actually suppressing Buddhism and promoting Taoism, so everyone took this blasphemous couplet calmly.

  No matter what, the 16-year-old youth Zhang Xingyan, after losing his beloved running errand rice bowl, officially became a member of the music class of "Huayuelou", the largest brothel in Raozhou City, Ganzhou Prefecture.

  It's just that after solving the problem of food and shelter, the heart that yearned for the Tao in his chest unknowingly gradually weakened...

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