After leaving the park, Song Lingāer returned to the hotel she was staying at, but then she suddenly realized something that made her run back to the park.
āI forgot to ask that person for his name! What a blunder!ā Song Lingāer cried inwardly when she realized that sheād forgotten to ask for Yuanās name due to her frustration at that moment.
But alas, by the time she returned to the park, Yuan and the others were already long gone!
āForget it. Iāll ask Long Yijun when I visit the Dragon Essence Temple. Even if they try to hide him from me, I have already memorized his figure and hands so Iāll recognize him at glance.ā
Thinking this, Song Lingāer once again returned to the hotel, but her mind couldnāt get rid of Yuanās flawless zither arts, and she proceeded to spend the rest of the day thinking about Yuanās performance, even analyzing it.
āWait a second... That person was playing the Soul Ensnaring Zither, Daoist Zouās treasure! Maybe he knows this unknown expertās identity.ā
After spending an hour in her hotel, Song Lingāer went outside for the third time today, and she went straight to the Zou Familyās household, surprising Senior Zou with her unannounced visit.
"S-Senior Song! Welcome to my humble place! How may I help you today?" Senior Zou bowed to her in a respectful manner.
"The Soul Ensnaring Zither... When did you give it away?" Song Lingāer asked him.
"Eh? Howād you know that Iād given away the Soul Ensnaring Zither? I havenāt announced anything yet," Senior Zou looked at her with a surprised face.
"Because I saw someone playing with it not long ago," she calmly responded.
"I see... So heās already playing it..." A warm smile appeared on Senior Zouās face, causing Song Lingāer to raise her eyebrows.
Then she asked him, "Just who is that person? I have also tried playing the Soul Ensnaring Zither multiple times, but I never figured out how to play it properly, yet this person did it flawlessly."
Senior Zou shook his head and said, "Believe me when I say this, but I also donāt know his background. Besides his face and that heās from the Dragon Essence Temple, I donāt know anything else about him."
"Wait... You saw his face? What did he look like?" Song Lingāer suddenly asked, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
"Well... He was a very handsome young man."
"A handsome young man? And you donāt recognize him at all? How can such a talented individual be a nobody?" Song Lingāer asked.
Senior Zou shrugged and said, "I have no idea."
Song Lingāer no longer said anything and stood there with a pondering look on her beautiful face.
And almost as though heād suddenly recalled something, Senior Zou spoke a moment later, "Oh, right. Heās also called āYuanā, and he will be participating in the zither competition with Fei Yuyan as his partner."
"Heās what?!" Song Lingāer turned to look at him with a shocked look on her face.
If someone like Yuan participated in the competition, it would no longer become a competition but a one-sided performance instead!
"I-Is there something wrong with that?" Senior Zou asked her.
"..."
"No... If someone like him participates in the competition, thereās no doubt that he will become an instant sensation. In fact, if I could, I would give him the first place and end the competition right now."
"You think of him that highly? I have never seen you praising someone to such an extent. Your disciples will cry if they hear that," Senior Zou chuckled.
"They can cry all they want, but if they want to complain, they better prove to me that theyāre worth praising." Song Lingāer spoke in a nonchalant voice.
"Anyway, Iām going to leave now. Thank you for your time."
Senior Zou nodded and said, "My Zou Family will always have its doors open for you, Senior Song."
Song Lingāer left the Zou Family shortly later.
"Yuan, huh?" Song Lingāer mumbled his name as she traveled in the streets with a veil covering her face, yet her womanly figure still attracted countless gazes.
Sometime later, Song Lingāer arrived at a hotel that was different from the one she was staying at.
"Welcome back, Senior Song!"
The workers there immediately greeted her when they saw her figure.
"Are my disciples here?" she asked the workers behind the reception desk.
"Yes, they are currently inside their room, Senior Song."
Song Lingāer nodded and proceeded to look for her disciples.
"Master!"
Two individuals in their early twenties, a young lady and young man, showed up shortly after Song Lingāer knocked on their doors and greeted her.
"Ai Wan, Wei Kang, I have something important to say," Song Lingāer said to them, and she continued with a serious look on her face, even removing her veil so they could see how serious she was being, "This zither competition... You will meet someone exceptionalā someone who will make you doubt your own talents and existence."
Her disciples looked at her with a gawking expression, as they could not comprehend why she was telling them such a thing right before the competition.
"I am telling you this because I want you to prepare yourselves, since you two have been acting very relaxed, almost like youāve already won the competition. Donāt get complacent because you are my disciples."
"We were wrong to look down on others just because weāre your disciples, Master." The disciples lowered their heads, apologizing for being complacent.
Song Lingāer nodded her head and left shortly later, returning to her own hotel.
"What happened to the Master? Sheās acting a little suspicious."
The two disciples looked at each other with a dumbfounded look after she left.
"Master usually carries this confident and slightly arrogant aura around her, but I couldnāt feel that from her just now..." Wei Kang, the male disciple mumbled.
"Perhaps something really happened. I have never seen her act like this before." Ai Wan sighed.
And she continued, "She said thereāll be someone āexceptionalā in the competition, right? Did she just praise someone? I donāt think I have ever seen her praise anyone beforeā not even her own disciples."
"Iām actually feeling a little excited about this competition now." Wei Kang said with a slight smile on his face.
"Me, too."