Chapter 6: The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix

  The pleasant and moving sound of the zither echoes over a pond in the backyard...

  Only in the pool, on the small pavilion, a long-haired girl with a fairy-like appearance sat in front of the stone table in the pavilion and played the piano. The beautiful melody, combined with the blooming lotus flowers in the pool, is a wonderful scenery.

  Qin Feng also dabbled in playing the guqin when he was at the drama academy. This was a rare opportunity to appreciate its elegance, and he couldn't let it pass. He turned around a cluster of flowers, clapping his hands in praise: "What a wonderful 'Yang Chun Bai Xue'!"

  The sound of the zither stopped in response.

  Cai Yan's personal maid, Xiao Lan'er, was serving beside her. Hearing an unfamiliar male voice, she walked out of the pavilion with her hands on her hips and scolded: "That rascal, how dare you be so presumptuous!"

  "A good melody needs people to appreciate it, why talk about it recklessly." Qin Feng smiled and walked into the small pavilion.

  Cai Wenji slightly turned her head, her beautiful eyes lifted, and she saw that it was Qin Feng. She had also heard about Qin Feng's affairs yesterday, who excelled in mathematics, even her father couldn't compare to him, and she was full of curiosity. Seeing how tall and handsome he was, with clear eyebrows and bright eyes staring straight at her, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat, and she quickly withdrew her gaze.

  "Detestable Qin Zi Jin, he's actually become a manager in just one day!" Xiao Lan Er muttered to herself as she saw Qin Feng staring at her own young mistress with a dazed expression, and shouted, "Qin Zi Jin, what are you looking at, you little scamp!"

  Qin Feng smiled and said: "Eyes are for looking at things, can't Little Lan always keep her eyes closed?"

  "You......" Little Orchid was at a loss for words.

  Cai Wenji saw Qin Feng and said with a smile: "Lan'er should not be rude, Qin Guanshi." It was also a greeting.

  One smile can conquer the city, and another can conquer the country. Indeed, she is one of the top talents in the Three Kingdoms period that can be counted on one's fingers. Now that I've met her today, if I don't get to have her... then I would have wasted over a thousand years of my life. Qin Feng smiled slightly, with a gentlemanly demeanor, and bowed to say: "Miss Wenji is doing well."

  "What a coincidence, Qin Zi Jin! My family's young lady's courtesy name is also what you called." Xiao Lan Er was at a loss and hastily refuted.

  Qin Feng sneered, "This surname is for people to call you, and you, little servant girl, are too ignorant of the rules. I'll let Master Cai punish you."

  "How hateful!" Little Orchid stamped her foot in anger.

  "Miss Wenji just played a piece of 'Yang Chun Bai Xue', and Qin Feng felt a gentle breeze blowing, with the sound of snow and bamboo. Qin Feng couldn't help but recite, 'This melody should only exist in heaven, how many times can it be heard in the mortal world?' These two sentences were created by the great poet Du Fu hundreds of years later, and Qin Feng happened to use them to flirt."

  As expected, Cai Wenji's eyes lit up and she whispered to herself before exclaiming: "Mr. Qin's words are truly poetic..."

  Xiao Lan'er said with a puffed up face: "Miss, he's just a smooth-talking guy, don't bother with him."

  "I was discussing music with Miss Wenji, how could I be flattering? Although I'm just a steward, I won't tolerate such humiliation." Qin Feng suddenly said sternly.

  "Hmm!" Xiao Lan jumped in fright, "You... you can also play the zither."

  "It's unfortunate that we met on this path." Qin Feng saw Xiao Lan's face lose its color, fearing the effect of his intimidation had reached its limit. He couldn't afford to be rude in front of Cai Yan, so he immediately smiled warmly and said:

  "Well, then you come and play a tune for me to hear. If you're lying, I'll immediately report it to the master and have this ignorant and deceitful fellow thrown out of the house." Little Orchid said angrily.

  Qin Feng was worried about having no chance to show off, so he looked at Cai Yan.

  Cai Yan was filled with curiosity about Qin Feng after learning of his situation from her father last night. It was the first time she had come into contact with a strange man in this way, and he was born handsome and elegant, his face red as he nodded slightly and stood up.

  There's a saying that when a woman blushes, she must be thinking of a man. Here, the only man is himself, hehe... Qin Feng thought to himself and sat down comfortably, the cushion on the stone stool was warm, giving him a feeling as if he had already been intimate with his lover's skin.

  "Qin Feng, what are you smiling slyly about!" Xiao Lan'er hastily said.

  "Oh, I smell a sweet fragrance on Little Lan's body, so I couldn't help but smile." Qin Feng said with a smile.

  Xiao Lan's face immediately turned bright red, and she shut her mouth.

  Hmph, you little girl, I can still handle you.

  Cai Wenji overheard from the side, although there was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but the phrase "Qingxiang Yiren" was heard for the first time, and it was not something that ordinary people could say, she couldn't help but become even more curious about Qin Feng.

  Which one of the ten famous Guqin pieces is "He You"? Got it!

  Qin Feng helped himself to the guqin, and upon seeing a burn mark on it, his heart skipped a beat - could this be the Focused Tail Guqin? One of the four most famous guqins! If the teachers at the theater knew he could play this instrument, they would surely be green with envy. He pretended to tune the Focused Tail Guqin, and under the gaze of two beautiful women, one tall and one short, said: "I'll play a piece for you - 'Xiao Xiang Water Cloud'."

  "Xiao Xiang Shui Yun! Never heard of it, what a pretentious guy." Xiao Lan'er couldn't help but snort when she heard the name of the tune. She had followed Cai Yan for many years and had seen all sorts of famous tunes. This person must be playing some rustic folk song, just wait and see, I'll mock him later. But this name does sound pretty good.

  "Xiao Xiang Shui Yun", Qin Feng chose this famous song with his own intention. Firstly, this song was first seen in the Ming Dynasty, and Cai Yan absolutely had not heard of it. Secondly, this song expresses the sentiment of the residual mountains and rivers, as well as the drifting times, which also fits Qin Feng's current mood about coming to the Eastern Han dynasty during these turbulent years.

  Qin Feng lightly plucked the strings and began playing "Xiao Xiang Shui Yun".

  The unique techniques of the guqin, such as "yín" and "róu", he was not familiar with, but the melody of a song that had never appeared in the Han Dynasty, with its dramatic ups and downs, immediately captivated the hearts of both.

  Just now still waiting to mock Qin Feng's little Lan'er, listened and couldn't help but be in a trance!

  Cai Yan's eyes lit up as she stared at Qin Feng in disbelief. She was mesmerized by his focused expression, and for a moment, she was lost in her gaze.

  As the music came to an end, Qin Feng secretly said, "One of the top ten famous songs can't even shock you two girls!" He felt that this Jiao Wei Guqin was indeed a famous zither, and he thought it was the best performance he had ever played, thanks to his studies at the drama academy.

  Although Qin Feng's playing was a bit unfamiliar, Cai Yan, who was well-versed in this art, could hear the subtleties of the piece. In her opinion, the "Yang Chun Bai Xue" she had just played was overshadowed by it, and even compared to the ancient masterpiece "Guangling San", it was not inferior.

  This person is truly amazing, where did he learn this piece! Cai Yan's forte was the guqin, and upon hearing a melody she had never heard before, she couldn't help but savor its subtleties.

  Xiao Lan saw Miss staring blankly and shook her arm, calling out: "Miss, Miss!"

  "Ah!" Cai Yan finally reacted. "Sir is a great talent, may I ask you to pass on this melody to this humble woman?" She changed her form of address as she bowed.

  "Miss, why are you treating this guy with courtesy due to a junior!" Little Orchid exclaimed.

  "Lan'er must not be rude, this 'Xiao Xiang Shui Yun' can be compared with 'Guangling San', it can be passed down for thousands of years. If the master is willing to teach me, I will also follow the etiquette of a disciple." Cai Yan said politely.

  Qin Feng had also heard that Cai Yan was only fourteen years old and would be eligible for the hairpinning ceremony next year, which meant she would be considered an adult and could get married. Facing such a talented girl, how could he not be moved? "I can teach you, but I also have a request. If you agree, I'll teach you." He smiled slyly as he began to dig a hole, and it was clear what his intentions were.

  "It doesn't matter," said Cai Yan.

  Xiao Lan's face was puffed up with anger, as many people in Luoyang wanted to get close to the young lady but were unable to do so. This person simply took advantage of every opportunity.

  Qin Feng stroked the frets of his zither, and suddenly had an idea. He thought of a famous melody that just happened to represent what he wanted to ask for earlier, so he began to play it.

  After hearing this song, Cai Yan was stunned at first, and then her face turned red with shame.

  Xiao Lan's face turned red with rage, pointing at Qin Feng and shouting: "Shameless Qin Zi Jin, you...you actually dare to play 'Feng Qiu Huang' in front of the young lady!"