Qinhuai City on the south bank of Yue Country. Twenty to thirty years after the great flood, this ancient city famous for its singing and dancing was rejuvenated.
There was a Black Cloth Alley in the west of the city, and at the end of the alley was a zither shop that taught people how to play the zither.
The owners of the zither hall were a pair of sisters. The elder sister was called Bai Qiu'er, and the younger sister was called Bai Dong'er.
Bai Qiu 'er was in her twenties, while Bai Dong' er was in her twenties.
It was unknown where these two sisters learned the art of the zither from, but when they played the zither, it was as smooth as moving clouds and flowing water. Therefore, it attracts many ancient zither enthusiasts to study and meet in the zither hall.
On this day, a young man came to the zither club. He had a handsome face and an elegant demeanor.
The elder sister, Bai Qiuer, came forward and asked, "Sir, what is your surname? Are you here to learn the zither?"
The young man smiled and said, "That's right. I'm Qin Guan, courtesy name Shaoyou. I've heard of your reputation and would like to learn how to play the zither from you. "
Bai Qiuer looked him up and down and asked, "Mr. Qin, how many years have you studied the zither? What level are you at now? "
Qin Guan shook his head. "I know nothing about zither playing."
"Ah? So you have to start from the beginning? Our school will charge beginners one tael of silver a month. "
"No problem, Master Bai. Here are ten silvers, please accept it."
Bai Qiuer put away the silver and called her sister over. "Mr. Qin is just a beginner, so I'll leave him to you."
Bai Dong'er was only 15 years old, still a budding girl. She was pretty, lively, and cute. She ran over to Qin Guan and said, "My students are all eight or nine years old. The oldest one is only 11 or 12. Do you mind, Mr. Qin?"
Qin Guan smiled. "It's okay. Just treat me as a child."
Bai Donger led him to a large house at the side and sat with a dozen or so children. Each of them had a zither in front of them, and then she began to teach them how to play the zither.
Every day, Qin Guan studied for two hours at the piano studio, regardless of whether it was windy or rainy. He arrived on time every afternoon. After finishing his studies, he sometimes went to Bai Qiuer's other class to watch them perform, but he only watched them for a short while before leaving.
His progress in learning the zither was very fast, so fast that Bai Dong 'er was surprised.
"Mr. Qin, have you really never practiced before?"
"It's true that I'm a beginner, but someone in my family likes it, so I've seen them play since I was young, so I'm not completely clueless."
Bai Dong 'er smiled sweetly and said, "Then I will have to speed up. You have already learned the basic finger techniques. There are still intermediate and advanced techniques. As long as you can keep up, I will impart them to you."
"Thank you, Master Bai."
Bai Dong 'er waved her hand and said, "I'm young, so don't call me master. Just call me by my name."
"Isn't that inappropriate?"
"Suitable, very suitable."
Qin Guan smiled. "That's good. Dong 'er, before I came here, I heard that your grandfather is good at playing the zither, and is a renowned zither master. Is that true? "
Hearing this, Bai Dong 'er's expression changed, and she lost her innocent image. After a while, she said, "That's right. My old man was the number one zither craftsman in Qinhuai City. However, his hands were crippled many years ago, and the business under his name was taken by someone else. So, my sister and I can only teach zither for a living."
Qin Guan asked, "How old is your grandfather? How does it feel to have both hands crippled? "
"My grandfather is 70 years old this year, and his health is very poor. The muscles in his hands have withered, and he looks like a bag of bones."
"When I finish learning the zither, can you take me to see him? I still want to learn how to play the zither from him."
Bai Dong 'er shook her little head like a rattle drum. "No, no, since my grandfather was crippled, he doesn't want to see anyone except his own family!"
Qin Guan didn't say much. "I'll learn the zither first, and when I can play a song, we'll talk about making the zither."
Three months later, Qin Guan's zither playing skill had surpassed all the apprentices in the guqin school.
Some apprentices had been learning in the guqin school for a long time, and some were good at playing the zither and came only to learn from each other. However, when these people saw that Qin Guan's zither skills had reached the Great Accomplishment in three months, and when they heard his performance, which was like the sound of nature, they couldn't help but gasp in admiration.
The Bai sisters, the master of the guqin school, were full of praise for him. "Mr. Qin, you can finish your apprenticeship. We have taught you all the skills that we can. In this mortal world, your zither skills are almost at the limit. If you want to improve further, only the immortals can do it. "
Qin Guan thanked them profusely and asked to see the old man again.
Bai Dong 'er still shook her head. "No, no. My grandfather doesn't want to see outsiders. "
Bai Qiuer also said, "Mr. Qin, there's really nothing we can do. The old man has been disabled for many years, and he sits by the window every day to bask in the sun. Except for us sisters, he doesn't want to see anyone else, not even his own family. "
Qin Guan said with a smile, "I have an immortal spell that can restore the old man's arm to its original state."
Bai Dong 'er immediately shouted, "You're lying! How can there be such an immortal spell?"
Qin Guan said again, "Other than healing the disability of his arm, I also have an immortal pill that can instantly make him 20 years younger."
Bai Dong 'er couldn't help but stick out her little tongue when she heard this. "You're boasting more and more. How can there be such an immortal pill?"
Bai Qiuer's expression became solemn. "Mr. Qin, is what you said true?"
Qin Guan nodded. "Whether it's true or not, we'll know when we see it. After learning the zither for three months, you'll have an impression of whether he's a good person or a bad person. "
Bai Qiuer gritted her teeth. "Then I'll take you there."
Bai Dong 'er tugged at her sleeve. "Sister, grandpa will scold you!"
"I have to try even if I'll be scolded. I can see that Mr. Qin is not an ordinary person. If he were an ordinary person, he wouldn't be able to learn such superb zither skills in three months!"
"That's true. This is the first time I've seen someone learn the zither so quickly. It's simply a miracle. "
The two closed the zither shop and led Qin Guan deeper into the Black Clothes Alley.
There was a small courtyard at the end of the alley. It looked very simple and unadorned, not like it had been newly built after the flood. The courtyard was filled with bamboo, and there were five or six rooms in the middle, with three rooms on each side.
Qin Guan followed the two sisters to the main hall. When he entered, he saw a skinny old man sitting by the window, basking in the sun. His arms were hanging down, and his sleeves were empty, as if he had no arms at all.
Seeing someone enter, the old man simply turned his head.
Bai Qiuer walked over and said, "Grandpa, I've invited a gentleman over. He said he can cure your hands!"
The old man snorted coldly. "My hands have been crippled for more than 30 years. If you're not an immortal, don't boast like that."
Bai Donger walked over and reached out to massage the old man's shoulders. She said, "Grandpa, just let him try."
The old man turned his head and glanced at Qin Guan. He asked, "Young man, who sent you here? Why do you want to see me? Could it be that bastard Yue Lu hasn't given up and wants you to come over to see if I'm dead? Hurry up and go back. Even if I die, I won't teach him the Three Sacred Zither Techniques! "
Qin Guan didn't say much. He immediately shook his sleeve, and a cool breeze blew.
After the cool breeze blew through the old man's body, he felt comfortable all over. It was as if he had just taken a nap in spring. Facing the warm sunshine, all the pores on his body had opened up. Immediately, he felt his arms itch and numb, as if ants were crawling on them.
He was immediately shocked. Ever since his arms were crippled, he had lost all feeling. Now that he suddenly felt it again, how could he not be shocked?
"Donger, help me roll up my sleeves."
Bai Donger hurriedly rolled up her sleeves.
Under the gazes of the three of them, the old man's withered arms quickly became plump again.
The old man tried to lift his arm, and he was actually able to lift it. He tried to grab his other arm, and in the end, he also grabbed it, and his grip was very strong!
"Ah, is this true? Grandpa's arms are healed! "Bai Donger jumped up immediately!
Bai Qiu 'er also became very excited. "Mister Qin, are you an Immortal Master?"
While the old man was happy, he was also a little uneasy. "Immortal Master, why did you save me? You weren't invited by Yue Lu, right? "
Qin Guan shook his head. "I don't know any Yue Lu. Old man, I have a medicinal pill here. Eat it. "
The old man was a little hesitant. "What medicinal pill is this?"
"A Longevity Pill. After eating it, you can extend your life by twenty years!"
"Immortal Master, you actually have such a medicinal pill?"
The old man immediately took the medicinal pill and swallowed it without saying a word.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the old man's hunched body became straight again, and his grizzled hair turned black. He looked like a middle-aged man in his forties. Although he was still thin, he was obviously much stronger.
The two sisters of the Bai family were dumbfounded. The change was too great. One was an old man with one foot in the grave, and the other was in the prime of his life. It was as if he had come back from the dead!
The middle-aged man stood up and bowed to Qin Guan. "My name is Bai Zhu. Thank you, Immortal Master, for saving my life. May I know what instructions you have for me? "
Qin Guan said, "I want to learn how to play the zither from you, but I don't know if it's possible. If you have any conditions, please tell me."
Bai Zhu frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Immortal Master, you have given me a new life, so I should teach you everything I know. However, my Bai family has an ancestral rule. I can teach ordinary zither playing techniques, but I can't teach you the Three Sacred Zither Playing Techniques. Unless someone can bring our Bai family's disciples back into the immortal sect, I will only teach them the most advanced zither playing techniques. "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
