Chapter 51

The small courtyard of the qin master remained as tranquil as ever. Bai Shi paused for a moment at the wooden gate before reaching out to knock.

The qin master was quick, having already returned to the courtyard. He opened the door himself, and upon seeing Bai Shi, he greeted him with a broad smile, inviting Bai Shi into the courtyard.

The fragrance in the courtyard was now even more intense. Bai Shi looked around and saw the qin master's beloved tending to the flowers and plants. Although only a day had passed, she was already able to walk around.

It seemed that with the qin master's beloved regaining vitality, the plants in the courtyard had also come to life.

"Nie Chang... come and see who's here," the qin master said, excitement in his voice.

Hearing the qin master's words, Bai Shi learned the name of the qin master's beloved.

Nie Chang slowly straightened her back, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and smiled as she walked over, saying, "It's the savior. Please come in, please come in."

Nie Chang stopped her work, inviting Bai Shi into the small house while she prepared tea for him.

There was no significant change in the room, except for an additional qin hanging on the wall.

Bai Shi recognized the qin, which was emitting a faint glow, the aura of the qin master.

Without refusing the tea offered by Nie Chang, Bai Shi gently placed the qin he was carrying on his back and looked at Nie Chang, saying, "It seems your condition has improved a lot."

"I owe it all to you, savior..." Nie Chang said, glancing at the qin master with a tender look in her eyes.

Bai Shi forced a smile and said, "Just call me Bai Shi... 'savior' sounds awkward."

The qin master was a straightforward person. Hearing Bai Shi's words, he laughed loudly and said, "Alright, alright. Just call him Bai Shi."

"I came today, and I'm sure the qin master has noticed," Bai Shi said with a smile, glancing at his qin subconsciously.

The qin master nodded and said, "No rush... Brother Bai Shi has just arrived, take a rest first. We can start after dinner."

Bai Shi smiled and said, "No need for dinner. I already ate before coming here."

"Since Brother Shi is so polite, I won't insist... Please follow me," the qin master said, standing up and taking the qin from the wall before leading the way out of the room.

They walked around the wooden house, and under the qin master's guidance, Bai Shi and the qin master arrived at the back door of the courtyard. This back door was built into the mountain, made of marble, and its color was almost indistinguishable from the surrounding rocks. If not for careful observation, one would not notice the door at all.

The qin master turned a stone beside the door, and it slowly opened with a rumbling sound. No dust was disturbed, indicating that the qin master frequently used this door.

Behind the stone door was a passage, not very long, as a faint white light could be seen upon entering.

Bai Shi did not speak but followed the qin master closely. Finally, they emerged from the passage.

What appeared before Bai Shi's eyes was a scene reminiscent of a utopia.

The vast land was covered with lush green grass, soft and comfortable underfoot. A stream flowed down from the rock wall, creating a gentle babbling sound. Below the stream was a pond, where even the ripples caused by the water did not disturb its clarity. Mist rose from the pond, and under the sunlight, a rainbow appeared, flickering in and out of sight.

Golden fish leaped in the pond, as if celebrating, and the aura of the earth was incredibly dense.

On the grass was a stone platform, carved from rock, adorned with intricate patterns. On the platform was a qin stand. Next to it were several stone benches, naturally formed and rising from the ground.

About twenty meters from the qin platform was a thatched cottage, with green grass growing neatly on its roof.

But what caught Bai Shi's eye the most was the willow tree beside the pond. Its branches hung into the water, the leaves greener than ever, and on one of the branches hung a black bamboo hat.

Bai Shi gazed at the hat, silent.

Seeing this, the qin master suddenly smiled awkwardly and said, "That hat is for shading from the sun. Brother Bai Shi, you want to learn to play the qin, right? Let's start."

Bai Shi snapped back to reality, forced a smile, and nodded. The qin master pointed to the qin platform and said, "Sit there."

The qin master then carried the qin into the thatched cottage, leaving the door open, and sat by a wooden table, plucking the strings.

The sound of the qin seemed to have the power to penetrate everything, spreading through the air and disrupting the tranquility. At that moment, his words echoed through the air.

"Playing the qin... is for calming the mind. If the mind is not calm, the music is just noise..." The qin master said, plucking the second string. This time, the sound was much deeper and lingered in the air for a long time.

Listening to the qin master's words, Bai Shi slowly sat down. As he looked at the strings, the qin master plucked the third string.

The force of this string was even more penetrating, and the sound resonated, startling the birds in the trees, causing them to fly away instantly.

"Playing the qin is like cultivation... if you can merge your consciousness with the music, the qin will carry your own aura. A calm mind leads to high qin skills and high strength... a chaotic mind is like being possessed."

As the qin master plucked the third string, his words echoed again.

Bai Shi looked at the flowing stream, and from the babbling sound, he understood the qin master's words. In his thoughts, the qin master plucked the fourth string.

The sound of the fourth string seemed to contain the power of the earth, as if activating some natural law. The moment the sound resonated, it seemed to have the power to travel for miles, shaking the air and causing the water in the pond to tremble.

"A chaotic mind can be calmed by the mind... chaos and calmness come from consciousness and willpower... when consciousness merges, the earth's aura can merge... and there is no music in the world, only what comes from the heart. So, I can only teach you some finger techniques and mental techniques. As for the music, you must find it yourself."

The qin master's words ended, and he suddenly plucked the fifth string. The moment the string was plucked, an invisible energy wave burst out from the thatched cottage, dispersing the clouds in the sky and passing over Bai Shi's head, hitting the rock wall with a loud explosion. After the dust settled, a large, neatly written character appeared on the rock—Silence!

As if seeing through Bai Shi's heart, the moment this character appeared, Bai Shi's body trembled, his lips quivered, and he turned to look at the wooden house.

At that moment, the qin master had already walked out of the wooden house.

The qin master smiled and walked towards Bai Shi, explaining some finger techniques. He then said, "In fact, I already knew you were a cultivator, and a cultivator beyond the Foundation Establishment stage... to have such an achievement at your age is indeed a miracle. However, since you chose to learn the qin from me, there must be something that you cannot settle in your heart.

This happened after the Cave Profound stage, because if it had happened before, you would not have been able to achieve your current strength..."

Bai Shi looked at the qin master, silent. In the silence, he heard the qin master say, "When you saved Nie Chang yesterday, I saw a person in your eyes, but it was just a shadow, a shadow in your heart, a thought in your mind—what you yearn for!"

The qin master finished speaking and walked to the front of the qin platform. Just as he was about to leave, he paused and said, "I brought you here to learn the qin because I hope you can寄托 your thoughts in the music, bury the music in your heart, and in this state of calm, absorb the dense earth aura here to enhance your strength!"

The qin master then disappeared into the passage.

Bai Shi looked at the path the qin master had taken, unsure how to express his feelings at that moment. In his thoughts, he looked up at the sky, seeing the glaring light, but he did not frown. In the intense light, he saw the outline of the sun, but its color was different.

Taking a deep breath, Bai Shi slowly closed his eyes. His fingers began to explore the strings, starting to compose his first piece of music...