Cultivation Online

1285 Tan Songyun

Ding~

Li Luoyang commenced the song with gentle, melodic notes before gradually intensifying the piece, all while maintaining the same tempo.

Every movement her fingers made was bolstered by her cultivation, enhancing its impact and enabling her to produce notes that seemed to tangibly touch the depths of one's soul.

She began singing a moment later, her soft voice sending chills down everyone's spine, "Old memories are like a window…"

"Once pushed open, it becomes difficult to close…"

"In this old dream, the sound of your voice beckoned my soul…"

"In the old dream, the sensation of your touch sent chills down my entire being…"

Yuan closed his eyes and indulged himself in the soft sound of Li Luoyang's voice.

Unbeknownst to him, tears had begun flowing down his cheeks.

Gradually, more unfamiliar memories began flashing in his mind. He was seated in what looked like a restaurant, and his attention was drawn to the stunning young woman positioned on the stage at the room's center.

She was dressed in vibrant red robes, her long, flowing black hair cascading down her back, and resting on her legs was a worn-out zither.

Nonetheless, her zither skills were far from exceptional. In fact, they were somewhat rigid and inexperienced. Despite this, she had a full audience, with most of them captivated by her beauty and attending solely for that reason.

The young woman was aware that her audience wasn't there for her musical talents, and this weighed heavily on her heart. Nevertheless, she couldn't voice any grievances, as this was her sole means of earning a livelihood.

She possessed remarkable endurance, having endured hours on the stage, continuously playing the zither without any breaks.

Upon concluding her performance, she rose to her feet and offered a bow to the audience.

"Thank you all for joining us today," she expressed her gratitude.

When the young woman got off the stage, the audience quickly surrounded her with pouches filled with money in their grasp.

"Fairy Tan! Please accept this gratitution!"

"Marry me, Fairy Tan! I can promise you a life of happiness!"

"S-Sorry, I have an appointment I must attend to now...!" The young woman hurriedly made her way through the crowd and, somehow, found herself standing right in front of Yuan's table.

As the young woman walked past him, Yuan muttered, "The music was rather terrible, but your passion and dedication somewhat compensated for it."

"Eh…?" The young woman known as Tan Songyun abruptly halted her movement and turned to look at him with wide eyes.

Despite Yuan's critical words, Tan Songyun didn't display any signs of anger. In fact, she seemed quite pleased, as it indicated that Yuan had paid attention to her music and wasn't there just for her beauty.

However, she didn't linger and left shortly after.

Over the next several days, Tan Songyun would not return to the public stage, but she was still working within the building, giving private performances to those who hired her.

Whenever she moved about in the restaurant, she would notice Yuan sitting at the same table from time to time.

Eventually, she gathered all the courage she had been building up for weeks and approached him, asking, "Excuse me, would you be willing to hire me for a session? One of my clients happened to cancel his appointment, so I have a free slot later tonight."

"Huh?" Yuan looked at her with a slightly surprised face before uttering, "With your terrible skills? I'd rather not waste my money."

"..."

His words left Tan Songyun absolutely gobsmacked, as she had never been rejected before, much less in such an embarrassing manner.

However, before she could utter any response or storm away in anger, Yuan continued speaking, "Though, if you want, I'm willing to let you hire me."

"You want me to hire you? For what?" Tan Songyun asked out of curiosity.

"I'll teach you how to play the zither."

"You know how to play the zither?" she subconsciously muttered.

"If I didn't, why would I even bother asking?"

Tan Songyun realized how dumb her question had sounded, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. You have no idea how many people yearn for my guidance," he added. "I can assure you that a single lesson will transform your music."

"W-Why me?" Tan Songyun couldn't help but ask, wondering if he was only trying to impress her and court her like the others.

"Why? Because your skills are so terrible that I pity you." Yuan shrugged.

"..."

"Is that so…? Then tonight at midnight, come to the third floor. I'll be in the room at the very end of the hallway." Tan Songyun said.

"Midnight? If I don't accidentally fall asleep before then." Yuan casually said.

"Then I will be waiting for you," Tan Songyun replied before walking away and resuming her work.

Several hours later, precisely at midnight, Yuan ascended to the third floor and made his way toward the room at the end of the hallway.

"Come inside," Tan Songyun's gentle voice resounded from the room after he knocked on the door.

Inside the room, Tan Songyun was seated on a small platform at the far end of the room, near the wall.

"Welcome…" Tan Songyun realized at this moment that she still hadn't learned of his name.

After closing the door, Yuan spoke with a smile on his face, "Tian Kai — that is my name."

"Then… Senior Tian, I'm looking forward to your guidance."

Tian Kai then stated, "Before we proceed, I haven't yet disclosed my fee. Ordinarily, wouldn't one inquire about the price before making a purchase?"

"How much for a session…?" she asked a moment later.

"That will depend on how much effort it'll take to teach you, so I won't know until then, but it won't be cheap." Tian Kai calmly replied without giving an answer.

"..."

Tan Songyun couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive, as if she might be taken advantage of, but at the same time, she had this indescribable sense of curiosity toward him for some reason. Maybe it was his confident demeanor — his straightforward character, but it could also be something else.

'If he asks for an unreasonable amount, I could always refuse. It's not as though he could force me to pay him,' she thought to herself as she nodded her head, accepting his guidance.