Cultivation Online

1290 Mysterious Beauty

After confirming her rescheduling with Liang Xiaosheng, Li Luoyang brought Yuan to her room on the fourth floor.

Unsurprisingly, as the establishment's most popular and highest-earning performer, Li Luoyang's room took up half of the fourth floor. The interior of her room was simple yet elegant with decorations that were barely noticeable until Li Luoyang stood near them, enhancing her beauty.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." Li Luoyang said to him as she took her usual seat by the platform.

Yuan sat directly in front of her.

"So, what would you like to know about my master?" Li Luoyang asked him.

"Oh, just so you know, this information won't come for free. In return, I'd like you to play some songs for me with that Soul Ensnaring Zither."

"Of course." Yuan nodded.

"Then, for my first question, do you know where the Zither Goddess is now?"

"No, but she visits the lower heavens once every few hundred years."

"Do you think she'll visit soon?"

"I doubt it since she visited 100 years ago."

"I see… then how did you become her disciple?"

"Well, she was a patron at this establishment when I happened to be performing that day, and she approached me with the offer of guidance. I refused at first, unaware of her identity."

"Then—"

Li Luoyang raised her hand when Yuan tried to ask another question, and she said, "I'd like to hear a song before we continue."

Without saying another word, Yuan placed the Soul Ensnaring Zither on his lap and began playing with a gentle smile on his face.

"..."

Li Luoyang's eyes widened with shock a few moments later. She only had to hear a few notes before she was convinced of his god-like skills.

Yuan's music penetrated the walls and quickly filled the building, shocking everyone inside. When those outside the building heard the music, they rushed inside to take a glance at the performer, but to their disappointment, he was nowhere to be found.

"Who's that playing?!"

"Only Fairy Li would be this good… No… I have never heard this song before!"

"Who else besides Fairy Li could perform like this? It's even coming from the fourth floor!"

"What about that young man who went with her? She must've known about his skills, hence why she risked offending Senior Liang!"

Yuan's performance lasted only a minute, which was far from enough to satisfy the audience.

"You… are you also her disciple?" Li Luoyang asked him afterward.

Yuan pondered for a moment before responding, "I guess you can say that since she taught me how to play this zither."

"So she taught you… No wonder why you can play it…"

Yuan then asked, "Can I ask my next question now?"

She nodded.

"Do you know anything about the Zither Goddess' relationship with the God of Music?"

"God of Music?" Li Luoyang raised her eyebrows, and she asked, "Which one? There's been many throughout the years."

"Uhhh… Someone named Tian Kai?"

"Tian Kai… Sorry, I am not aware of any God of Music by that name."

"Is that so…" This confirmed Yuan's suspicion that Tian Kai was never the God of Music.

'If Tian Kai wasn't the God of Music, who was he? And why was the Zither Goddess absorbed in the God of Music's statue?'

"Can you tell me what you know about the God of Music? Not the people, but the title in general."

Li Luoyang nodded, but she also pointed at his zither.

A moment later, heavenly music filled the establishment once more, attracting even more customers to the building.

The music lasted a little longer this time, allowing the workers at the building to pinpoint the location it came from.

"It's definitely coming from Lady Li's room!"

"How much would it cost to hire someone like him?" The owner of the establishment muttered to herself as she pondered how much she was willing to pay.

Once the music ended a few minutes later, Li Luoyang asked him, "How long did it take you to reach that level of skills?"

"A few years," he responded with a smile.

Li Luoyang burst out laughing, "That's a great joke! A few years—pfft!"

Anyone in her position might think that Yuan was joking, but if she knew that Yuan had only started playing the zither a year ago, she might consider giving up on playing herself.

"Anyways, the title of God of Music gets passed around quite often, so much so that it doesn't really matter nowadays. If you want it, you can challenge the current God of Music and snatch it from them. I think you'll have a good chance with your current level of skills."

"I'm not really interested in acquiring the title," he shook his head, and continued, "Another question. Do you know why the Zither Goddess comes down to the lower heavens?"

"I asked her this question before, and she told me that it's to visit her old home."

"Her old home, huh…" The image of a certain building beside a river suddenly appeared inside Yuan's head.

'Mm? Wait a minute. The teleportation formation within the Zither Godess' Immortal Cave… Is that her method of transportation? Its existence would make much more sense if she used it to visit the lower heavens every few hundred years. Does this mean I have a good chance to find her in the Fifth Heaven?' he suddenly came to this realization.

Meanwhile, in the Lower Heavens, a veiled figure approached a certain building.

"Identity yourself!" The guard at the gate stopped this person at the entrance.

The figure removed the veil, revealing a stunningly beautiful face, and she spoke in a low voice, "The Soul Ensnaring Zither… I cannot sense its presence. What happened to it?"

Despite being startled by her shocking beauty, the guard managed to utter, "I-It was taken."

The woman frowned upon hearing this news, even emitting a subtle hint of killing intent.

"Who took it?"

"I-I don't know, but it was with Master Zou's approval since that person managed to play it."

"..."

The woman fell silent after learning of this news, and her killing intent immediately vanished.

Without saying around word, the woman turned around and walked away, disappearing into thin air a moment later.

"W-Who was that…?" The guard muttered in a dazed voice, his mind ensnared by the woman's beauty.