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Answer.
Hearing the woman ask them without any emotion, Shang Yangjun was even more unsightly. How were they supposed to answer this. There were too many things that needed inspiration, including books, articles, songs, compositions, martial path breakthroughs, comprehension of ancient literature, and creation of an original power. Even an article of clothing, embroidering required inspiration.
With so many objects of inspiration in the world, how could they possibly guess in one try.
Shang Yangjun looked at Qi Lin.
Qi Lin was unfazed, calm. He respectfully bowed again: “The object that Senior is cultivating is presumably something even celestials could hardly fathom. Could Your Servant be sol bold as to ask for a small hint?”
“Hint? Then Your Servant shall give you a small hint, do not blame Your Servant.”
Her elegant voice chuckled.
Blame her?
Qi Lin was confused.
All of a sudden, the white mist blew apart. The sound of the wind gusted coldly, “Look out.” Before Shang Yangjun even saw clearly, a burst of wind blew past her face, and a streak of blood appeared on her cheek. The girl’s heart chilled. This wind was sharper than a blade, her True Qi unable to ward it off.
Whoosh.
Even more wind blew, slashing at the two of them like a broadsword. It lacked any killing intent, but Shang Yangjun had no doubts this blade was sufficient to cut down a Qi Refinement Ninth Deva cultivator. The result of the hint turned out to be quite an unreasonable trick. Shang Yangjun’s heart was filled with indignation, but she was helpless.
“Many thanks to Senior for the hint.” Qi Lin nevertheless smiled. He spread his left and right arms. His left was softness, his right hardness. Soft and hard combined, becoming the Taiji, movement and stillness, appearing with utmost perfection. Astonishingly, it was the Dual Modes Seal. After undoing the Five Elements Shackles, his Primordial True Qi suddenly surged like a storm, swiftly flowing from his arms.
A powerful force shook Shang Yangjun’s whole body, making her skin sting.
Just how deeply hidden was this man’s power. The girl was astonished. Even Qi Refinement Ninth Deva did not have such a powerful formation.
Qi Lin activated the Dual Modes Seal, gently seizing the incoming wind blades using his left hand, as if he was stroking a bird’s feathers. He was so gentle it was unbelievable. The wind blades were drawn in by the Primordial True Qi, and Qi Lin then put strength into his right hand and crushed them with firm ferocity. This strong power was a stark contrast to the gentleness of his left hand. It was like a ten thousand ton grinding machine able to crush everything. The wind blades in his right hand were completely disintegrated, turning to nothingness.
“This power combines movement and stillness, blends hardness and softness. There is even a grasp of the profundity of life and death, as well as a mixture of Yin and Yang. En…This is not a simple ability, interesting.”
Whoosh.
The wind suddenly blew.
Countless blades seemed to slash. Qi Lin could not stop such a formidable assault even if he had three heads and six arms, so he simply retracted the Dual Modes Seal.
The invisible blades stopped an inch away from Qi Lin’s eyelids.
“Since you do not resist, this means you have already comprehended Your Servant’s hint. Then, please, answer.” The mysterious woman’s voice was extremely flat, full of apathy, as if the man and woman in front of her were about to vanish the next second.
“If you guess wrong, then your corpses will become fertilizer for this ridge.”
The wind blades seemed to grow eyes and stare at them covetously like tigers, their sharp points whirling about, as if they were in a rush to tear Qi Lin apart.
Shang Yangjun tightly clenched her fists. She still had one unused original martial art that she had developed in the barbarian wildlands. Once used, this would cause indiscriminate damage; she was already prepared to fight to the death. No matter what, even if she died here, she would absolutely protect Qi Lin’s safety as he left this place.
“Answer!”
“The inspiration Senior seeks here…Your Servant guesses is…” Qi Lin paused, then faintly grinned: “Musical composition!”
The atmosphere immediately quieted down.
The wind and airflow ceased moving.
“Heh, heh, heh, heh.”
The mysterious woman could not help but let out a laugh.
Suddenly, the wind blades all scattered. The white mist in front of them suddenly parted to reveal a small passage that was without end.
“Huh? Qi Lin, did you guess right?” Shang Yangjun’s jaw dropped. She did not dare believe he had actually correctly answered what inspiration this mysterious Divine Name was cultivating.
“EN, now is not the time to be happy yet.” Qi Lin tugged her hand and walked into the small trail through the mist.
Following their entrance, the path behind them was immediately shrouded in fog once again, vanishing. With every step they took, the way back disappeared. Shang Yangjun had never thought that someone’s hand could bring her so much security. The girl held Qi Lin’s hand tight and cautiously traveled through the white mist.
Very quickly, the white mist gradually faded. An enchanting mountain peak with verdant hills, limpid waters, singing birds and fragrant flowers appeared in front of them.
A landscape of lush grasses, light breezes, and a clear moon.
This was simply like a fairyland.
Although the Ten Thousand Beasts Barbarian Wildlands had countless hills and forests, they did not have such magnificent scenery. Compared to the heavy Yin qi from before, this peak was like paradise.
“Fortunately, you guessed correctly, otherwise…” Shang Yangjun sighed.
There was a white waterfall like a dragon, and from atop the waterfall came the melodious sound of a qin.
Qi Lin lifted his head and looked. He could vaguely see a figure in the bamboo forest: “I didn’t guess at all. I wouldn’t put my life in the hands of luck.”
“You didn’t guess?” Shang Yangjun was astonished.
“En.”
“But what was the hint?” Shang Yangjun completely did not sense what the hint their counterpart gave was. She had even nearly killed them.
“The wind was the hint.” Qi Lin explained. In ancient times, wind had the meaning of music, in other words, musical composition. China’s most famous national winds, in other words, different local regions had distinct music. Zhounan, Shaonan, Bei, Yong, Wei, Wang, Zheng, Qi, Wei, Tang, Qin, Chen, Hui, Cao, and Bin1 formed fifteen regions from which local “wind” songs were gathered.
So when the mysterious woman used wind to attack them, Qi Lin realized she was composing.
After hearing Qi Lin’s explanation, Shang Yangjun was not sure what words to use to express her inner shock. She had never heard of these things before.
“Let’s go up.”
The two of them walked along the green mountain road and reached the top of the waterfall. Beautiful qin music echoed through the mountain forest. The birds sang, the river answered, and the entire mountain forest was enchanted under her music.
That mysterious woman sat upright under a tree. In front of her was a guqin. The woman’s black hair was tied with a silk ribbon, and her ten white fingers were long and slender, spotless as ivory. The whitest jade in all the world could not compare to her fingertips. These flawless fingers only naturally plucked what could only be described as heavenly music.
Qi Lin and Shang Yangjun did not dare interrupt her piece.
After a moment.
The song ended, coming to a spontaneous stop, as if the waterfall had ceased its flow, longing to continue.
“What is your name?”
The woman raised her face. Her eyes were like stars, cheeks and brow lightly made up along with her red lips. She wore a light green silk skirt and a white shawl. Her body was decorated with fine ornaments, an incomparably luxurious air.
“Qi Lin!”
“Qi Lin, you are correct. In ancient times, wind indeed had the meaning of musical composition, however, rare is the secular person who is aware of this. Even some Divine Names may not know. Could you have learned this from your previous life as well?” The woman inquisitively asked.
“Your Servant hides nothing from Senior. I have some knowledge of musical composition.” Qi Lin was not bluffing, for he was aware of the pentatonic scale. Back in his archaeological experience, he had excavated the “Guangling San”2 and even successfully restored it. Sometimes, the tombs of kings and dukes would pentatonic mechanisms, so he was very familiar with it.
“Your friend does not feel the same.” The woman saw that Shang Yangjun was a bit astonished.
“Because I didn’t have a qin or se in the village, Yangjun can’t have known.”
“Your Servant can believe your words.” The woman smiled.
“Elder Sister, since Qi Lin has guessed your inspiration, may we pass? We are on our way to Zhaoge and are in great hurry. Please understand, Elder Sister.” Shang Yangjun urgently asked.
“Your Servant has been searching for inspiration here for thirty years. You have already disturbed my quiet cultivation and broken these thirty years’ worth of inspiration. Do you feel Your Servant will let you two go?” The woman placed a finger on a string. The note’s vibrato was like an entire cavalry charging over.
“But you just…” Shang Yangjun’s body shook.
“Your Servant only said I would consider it, not that I agreed to let you go. Since Qi Lin was able to guess Your Servant’s inspiration, then I can consider giving you a chance to compensate me. If you can, Your Servant will let you two leave.”
“What chance?”
“Your Servant wants to compose, but something is missing. You two will stay and help Your Servant until I find inspiration. To be able to listen to Your Servant’s music is your fortune; this is no loss to you. The Divine Names in this world who are able to listen to Your Servant’s music are very few.” The woman said gracefully.
Although this was a good thing, Heaven knew how long they would remain here. If she did not find inspiration in thirty years of being here, Shang Yangjun did not believe they could find anything in three days. But their counterpart was honestly too powerful. The two of them was completely unable to refuse.
“How about it?” The woman asked.
“I wonder what would count as helping Senior find inspiration.” Qi Lin calmly asked.
“Very simple.” The woman faintly smiled. Her gazed turned to someplace faraway. A multi-colored phoenix stood proudly on a tree branch. That bird’s spiritual power was oppressive; it was obviously of Divine Beast level.
“So long as this phoenix dances upon hearing Your Servant’s music.”
“Make a phoenix dance to Senior’s music?”
Shang Yangjun’s jaw dropped. The woman may as well just kill her.
“Is there any music in the world that can make a Divine Beast dance upon hearing it??” Qi Lin blinked, unconvinced.
“If it is Your Servant’s, it definitely can.”
The woman grinned.
“Your Servant is…Prince Changqin!”3
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