Chapter 423 - 0264 What is more intimate than Miss Yun (two in one)

Time passed, and the sun climbed a bit towards the zenith, hidden behind the clouds.

Xu Chang’an planned to take Miss Yun down to the brothel, a scenario he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.

His thoughts were always meticulous, so he would consider every detail, such as why he had to choose this time to "brainwash" Miss Yun into an interest in the zither before heading down the mountain?

There was calculation involved.

There were multiple reasons, besides the ones mentioned before; another reason related to the brothel and Zhu Pingniang.

Question: What is the specialty of the Flower Moon Building?

It’s the ladies.

If spoken more intricately, it’s the enchanting feminine charm, being proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, talented and beautiful women.

Moreover, because Zhu Pingniang is the Class Leader of Flower Moon Building, most of the ladies she trained are skilled in zither playing.

Among the top-ranking artistes-courtesans, disregarding their looks, just their mastery of the Seven Strings alone earns great admiration.

In such circumstances, when Yun Qian visits the Flower Moon Building, she will inevitably interact with numerous musicians; Xu Chang’an is understandably worried that she might be influenced inaccurately, after all... those musicians’ tunes inherently carry some flirtation, an aspect unavoidable due to their growing environment.

Xu Chang’an didn’t think this flirtation was bad, it just didn’t suit Yun Qian; she shouldn’t misconstrue the Seven-Stringed Zither as a colored instrument.

In Xu Chang’an’s eyes, Miss Yun was always quiet, not fond of thinking, thus, the initial impression held significant importance.

Hence, to prevent Yun Qian from being misled, he had to preemptively clarify the nature of the Seven-Stringed Zither—letting her understand that there are many types, and what she was to learn was the one he demonstrated, fresh as flowing springs, like pearls adorning jade.

Binding zither with sword, to give her a positive, vibrant impression was essential.

Strike while the iron is hot.

"Miss." Xu Chang’an paused, a glimmer of longing in his eyes: "The Sword Heart and Zither Heart described in the frontiers’ novels is what I’ve always liked; the zither speaks in refined sound, in slow cadence, like beautiful flowers uttering metaphors; the sword is peach blossoms in front of the horse, snow behind, and a hero galloping through dust."

"Mm." Enjoying the lap pillow, her eyes shut, the lady murmured a hazy response.

"Don’t fall asleep." Xu Chang’an helplessly pinched her face, feeling that his crafted longing was wasted since she didn’t appreciate it.

"I was feeling quite full just now." Yun Qian yawned, then opened her eyes, listening attentively to his words.

"The zither..." Xu Chang’an intended to continue influencing her, yet she turned over with effort, seriously saying: "I know about the zither matter."

Miss Yun was indeed intelligent, realizing her husband’s "ulterior motives."

Seeing Yun Qian’s expression hinting ’if you keep talking, I’ll fall asleep,’ Xu Chang’an remained silent for a while, uncharacteristically extending his hand to grab Yun Qian’s smooth playful face, pulling it into a comedic angle, then lamenting: "You weren’t talking about wanting to learn the zither, and I have hardly begun, yet you’re already uninterested."

"Not uninterested." Yun Qian rubbed her flushed cheek, calmly replied: "The dishes you cooked at noon, I liked some, and liked others even more."

"What?" Xu Chang’an was taken aback.

Yun Qian pondered for a moment, saying: "Some are interesting, some are more interesting."

Just like a table full of the meals Xu Chang’an cooked, individually she loved them, but when compared, it was easy to determine superiority.

That’s how it was with the zither.

Yun Qian was interested, wanted to learn, but only so.

Compared to other things she was interested in, the zither seemed dull, hearing him talk for a little while made her want to sleep.

Xu Chang’an soon understood, so he curiously asked: "More interesting... what is it?"

"The sword?" Yun Qian’s tone rose, tinged with confusion, but quickly affirmed her interest, earnestly saying: "It is the sword."

Repeatedly expressing connection between sword and zither, yet factually, Yun Qian was much more intrigued by the sword.

The reason was simple.

The item her husband was earnestly cultivating, the future learning objective for her, undoubtedly became a greater preference.

Xu Chang’an upon hearing this, was stunned for quite a while, evidently finding it easier to accept if Yun Qian showed interest in lap pillows; the sword... what could it count as.

"Miss, your body isn’t meant for sword training."

"Because I’m a lady?" Yun Qian rose from Xu Chang’an’s lap, sitting upright, assertively stated: "Wen Li is also a lady."

"You can’t compare to Senior Wen." Xu Chang’an tapped Yun Qian’s shoulder, watching her sway back and forth, "Senior Wen... reportedly was fierce even before entering the Chaoyun."

Not to mention Yun Qian, Xu Chang’an felt he would be utterly outmatched in Wen Li’s presence, incomparable by any means.

"I’m just interested, not intending to learn." Yun Qian thought Xu Chang’an disallowed her from sword training, naturally she wouldn’t oppose his wish.

Xu Chang’an extended his hand, a trace of Water Attribute Spiritual Qi spreading through space swiftly; the Fine Steel Longsword Yun Qian acquired from Li Zhibai flew out from within the room.

This was the sword he initially used when he started learning the sword upon ascending the mountain, reclaimed by Yun Qian for collection.

Sure enough, the moment this sword appeared, Yun Qian’s previously dull eyes suddenly sparked with light, her sleepiness dissipated considerably, staring at the sword in his hand.

Xu Chang’an sheathed the long sword, placing it on his leg, subsequently questioned bewilderedly: "You don’t intend to learn the sword, wanting to learn the zither, yet are more interested in the sword, I... find it hard to comprehend."