"Is it hard to understand?" Yun Qian looked at him. "I thought you would understand."
"What?" Xu Changâan thought long and hard, but still didnât know Yun Qianâs reason for being more interested in this sword.
Yun Qian sat upright in front of Xu Changâan, looked at the fine steel longsword on his lap, and calmly said, "After we left the island, you spent more time sleeping with it than with me."
As if now, she just got up, and the spot on his lap was immediately taken by the sword.
Xu Changâan: "..."
He was directly stunned.
"Any more questions?" Yun Qian asked.
"No more." Xu Changâan bent down and saluted the lady. "Leaving Miss alone in Beisang City was my fault, Iâm sorry."
Seeing this, Yun Qian curled her lips slightly, returned the salute, then pointed at the longsword on Xu Changâanâs leg and said, "Tell me about the sword, I want to hear."
"Uh... let me think." Stumped by Yun Qian, Xu Changâan explained, "The parts of the sword include the blade, tip, edge, end, spine, cutting edge, guard, hilt, scabbard, and tassel."
He lightly tapped on the blade.
"Mm." Yun Qian nodded, listening very attentively.
Xu Changâan had nothing to say.
When talking about zithers, he tried to be entertaining, but Yun Qian only wanted to sleep.
Talking about swords, he simply introduced, yet the lady listened intently.
"Sword techniques mainly involve slicing, chopping, crashing, pulling, blocking, shaking, intercepting, stabbing, stirring, pressing, hanging, and sweeping. It effortlessly balances strength and grace, known as âSword Like a Flying Phoenix,â " Xu Changâan recited, his tone flat.
"Sword Like a Flying Phoenix?" Yun Qian blinked, picturing a plump bird and not finding it particularly appealing.
"I havenât finished yet." Xu Changâan squinted his eyes. "Iâll describe another technique, Miss, guess what it is."
"Itâs the zither."
"I havenât said it yet."
"Werenât you going to talk about the zither?"
Looking into Yun Qianâs clear eyes, Xu Changâan thought to himself, is his mind really that obvious?
Xu Changâan paused for a moment before saying, "The techniques of the Seven-Stringed Zither - flicking, plucking, brushing, picking, hooking, popping, striking, pulling, stabbing, pinching, rolling â bear a subtle similarity to swordplay techniques."
"Mn, it is indeed the zither." Yun Qian gave Xu Changâan a look to continue.
"Forget it, I have nothing more to say." Xu Changâan sighed. "Just make sure that when you leave the Flower Moon Building, youâre not influenced by the girlsâ opinions of the seven strings."
"I donât quite understand, but... just watch out for me," Yun Qian earnestly said.
"Miss, since youâre listening to me so intently, I just feel more apologetic to you." Xu Changâan felt increasingly like he was manipulating the lady.
"Apologetic to me?"
Yun Qian looked up at the sky, shaking her head. "Sleeping with the sword was before, now the time I share a bed with you is longer."
"Thatâs not what I meant." Xu Changâan lowered his head to look at the fine steel longsword.
He deliberately made Yun Qian interested in the zither, using the excuse of "for her own good" to arrange her future life... which was something he despised.
But he had no choice.
Because it truly was for her benefit, the Seven-Stringed Zither is the most suitable entry to cultivation for Yun Qian.
Fortunately, Miss Yun lacked autonomy, so his arrangement of her future cultivation didnât generate strong guilt.
"Forget it, itâs rare for Miss to express a liking for something." Xu Changâan stood up, holding the fine steel longsword.
A sword hum rang out.
Silver light grazed the ladyâs face, dazzling her into closing her eyes.
Xu Changâan drew the sword from its sheath.
"Youâve never seen me wield a sword, have you?"
Since she was interested in swords, heâd perform some sword techniques to amuse her.
"Iâve seen it," Yun Qian revealed truthfully.
"In a dream?" Xu Changâan wasnât surprised.
"..." Yun Qian tilted her head and did not respond.
She wouldnât admit to having secretly watched him at this point.
"Want to see it?" Xu Changâan asked.
"I want to see it," Yun Qian nodded.
"Alright... but let me say first." Xu Changâan twirled the sword flower, feeling slightly unsure. "What I learned from the teacher is mainly the practical swordsmanship of sword qi storage... sword dance, Iâve seen the senior sisters play a few times, but Iâm not too skilled."
Yun Qian expressed understanding, her moist eyes wide open, no longer showing any sign of drowsiness.
Her husbandâs sword dance.
This must be noted carefully; not a single detail should be missed.
"Zhengââ"
Xu Changâan flicked his finger on the blade, emitting a sound reminiscent of zither music that resonated through the courtyard, with a faint mist spreading.
Wen Li said the longsword matters in spirit, not form, but Xu Changâanâs realm was insufficient, unable to escape the deadly moves taught by Li Zhibai, so each move was steady.
What he performed wasnât much of a sword dance compared to daily sword practice.
"..."
The white ribbon behind Yun Qianâs head gently fluttered with the breeze stirred by the longsword.
This sword dance was a bit awkward, yet she liked watching it.
There seemed to be something missing.
Missing what.
Yun Qian narrowed her eyes slightly, thought for a while, then understood.
It was missing the sound of the zither.
Yun Qian realized that if she had learned the zither by now and played along to his performance, it would be delightful.
So this is what he meant by Sword Heart and Zither Heart.
Yun Qian thought her husband kept extolling the benefits of the zither to her, but she simply disregarded it.
Now, she seemed to have realized the value of the Seven-Stringed Zither herself.
She glanced at the spot where Xu Changâan kept his guqin, turned back, and met his amused gaze, realizing something.
Turns out it was part of his plan.
ââ
A set of sword techniques was swift when performed, and once Xu Changâan finished, the sword qi slowly dissipated, revealing an expression of pride.
Before performing the sword dance, he deliberately struck the ringing note to remind Yun Qian of the seven strings, the effect... naturally, was excellent.
But Xu Changâan didnât boast after gaining the upper hand.
Since he said he would make amends to the lady by performing the sword dance, he would not mention the zither again.
"What does Miss think of my sword?"
"The sword? I donât understand swords." Yun Qian shook her head.
"Itâs exactly because you donât understand swords that Iâm asking." Xu Changâan smiled.
If she understood, heâd just be embarrassing himself.
"I like it very much," Yun Qian said, "But itâs not very attractive."
"Indeed, thatâs it." Xu Changâan received a perfect response.
Thatâs precisely what he wanted.
He still remembered the lady saying he spent more time sleeping with the sword than with her... at least let her know, the sword isnât appealing, she is more appealing.
"After all, the sword is still a weapon. Unless specifically crafted for dancing, it is rather unattractive," Xu Changâan said.
Yun Qian seemed thoughtful.
She knew a little about weapons, mainly that they could make an attack more effective and varied, essentially for battle and slaughter, determining victories and life or death.
Or perhaps worn to signify status.
None of these meant anything to Yun Qian.
But whether or not itâs attractive is not important; what matters is whether she likes it.
Her husbandâs sword, she likes it.
"So, if Miss is interested, you can learn sword dances that donât involve dueling, they are safe and visually appealing." Xu Changâan wisely split the sword concept for Yun Qian into "combat use" and "performance use."
This didnât suppress Yun Qianâs interest in the sword but eliminated the possibility of her learning the Slaughter Sword.
Yun Qian might not fully understand, but she just needed to listen.
Xu Changâan gave himself a way out.
He also wondered what kind of sight Yun Qian, such a graceful lady, would be like if she performed a sword danceâlikely to shatter his composure instantly.
Hmm.
Xu Changâan placed the longsword along with its scabbard in front of Yun Qian.
"Do you want to try sword dancing? I can teach you a short sword flower."
He finished performing; it was time for the lady to reward him.
Itâs about reciprocity, after all.