There are two big news in Nan Guan City recently. One is that Miss Xue from Nan Yin Fang will start her first tour here. The other is that there have been several deaths due to monsters in Li Family Village outside the city.
Among the nine heavens and ten earths, Nan Yin Fang is a unique existence. Although it is ranked among the top ten immortal sects, its actions are quite different from ordinary sects and factions. Nan Yin Fang has always inherited the way of music and is regarded as the holy land of immortal musicians.
Disciples of the sect have been practicing music since childhood, and their cultivation is focused on musical instruments. Although their cultivation may not be weaker than others, they rarely engage in battles. Immortal musicians pursue the way of music that can be heard in heaven, communicated in earth, and achieved in the human world. In the early stages of practicing the way of music, they strive to use their own music to influence more people and seek more resonance. The more resonance they can create, the more successful their cultivation is.
Therefore, the cultivation process of Nan Yin Fang is to select the most talented few from a large number of outer disciples to become inner disciples. Each inner disciple is given a large amount of resources to plan tours and promote music. This has made each generation of Nan Yin Fang’s inner disciples very famous with countless supporters. The popularity of the sect is also an important indicator in the final evaluation of the inner disciples.
After several years of touring, each generation of inner disciples will hold a grand evaluation ceremony at the sect’s gate. At that time, each disciple’s supporters will gather from all over the world to provide support for their favorite musician, hoping to make them the chief disciple of this generation and become famous throughout the world.
This system has also made Nan Yin Fang a unique phenomenon. Its number of members is the smallest among the nine heavens and ten earths, but its influence is the strongest. For thousands of years, the practice of music has become more and more profound, and there are many experts who have mastered the way of music. Therefore, although this practice is unique, no one dares to underestimate it.
The competition among the inner disciples of Nan Yin Fang in this generation is extremely fierce. Two years ago, the talented Yu Xiang’er appeared and almost secured the position of chief disciple of this generation in advance. Soon after, Xue Lingxue emerged, and her amazing talent had already made her famous before she even debuted. Who knew that just a year later, there was another genius named Shen Qingyan, who was known for her unparalleled beauty and ancient charm. It was inevitable that some people lamented that any one of these three could have become the chief disciple in the past, but they happened to be born in the same generation. It can be said that it is a great competition in Nan Yin Fang.
Now, Yu Xiang’er has already performed several shows mainly in the eastern region, and Xue Lingxue’s first tour has come to the southern region instead of directly competing with her. However, the eastern region is rich and prosperous, while the southern region is mostly barren mountains and sparse cities, which cannot be compared. It is believed that after accumulating some popularity in the southern region, Xue Lingxue will eventually return to the eastern region.
Nan Guan City is located at the junction of the eastern and southern regions and is one of the most prosperous cities in the southern region. It was chosen as the location for Xue Lingxue’s first tour precisely because of this. Although the tour is still a few days away, the preheating has been very successful, and Miss Xue’s performance has become the hottest topic in the city. Even the venue and which business association will host the performance have become hot topics of discussion.”Are you two the immortal teachers from Shu Mountain?” A middle-aged man with a beard nodded and bowed with a smile, “I am the steward of the Li family village, surnamed Cui. You can call me Old Cui.”
“Don’t be too polite, Steward Cui. We’re younger than you, so just treat us like your nephews,” said the handsome young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, approaching to pat Cui’s shoulder. “He is Chu Liang, and I am Lin Bei. If you don’t mind, I’ll call you Uncle Cui.”
Lin Bei began to use his charm to get closer to Cui.
“Oh, you two…you two are too kind to me,” Cui the steward chuckled and said, “Our village master is busy with affairs and is not in Nan Guan City these days. Otherwise, he would definitely come to welcome you two personally.”
“It’s all the same, it’s all the same,” Lin Bei waved his hand. “We are here to solve the problem of demons for the people, nothing else matters.”
“Lin Young Master is right,” praised Cui the steward.
They were led inside and seated, and Chu Liang couldn’t help but speak up, “Steward Cui, can you tell us more about the details of the strange case?”
“Oh, right, right,” Cui the steward slapped his forehead and sighed, “We invited the young heroes from Shu Mountain because we had no other choice.”
“Recently, our Li family village has been competing for the opportunity to host Xue Lingxue’s tour in Nan Yin Fang. It was almost a done deal and we were about to succeed.” Cui the steward began to explain.
This Li family village was located on an open hill outside of Nan Guan City, not a private residence, but a high-end amusement and banquet garden that catered to the upper class.
Wanting to host Xue Lingxue’s performance was naturally to attract more popularity and make a name for themselves.
“Our only competitor is Jing Yue Xuan on Qin Nan River. They do business with painting boats and sightseeing cruises. Their proposal is to park a painting boat on the river, with Xue Lingxue performing on it while the audience sits along the riverbank. Ha ha, how ridiculous.” Cui the steward said, taking the opportunity to attack the competition.
Lin Bei timely agreed, “Indeed.”
Cui the steward continued, “But just before the deal was sealed, something strange happened in our village. For several consecutive days, people bumped into a demon at night! The demon came and went like the wind, moving very quickly. We have several martial artists in our village, but they can’t see its movements at all. Instead, a few waves of guests were disturbed and spread the news.”
“And it seems that the demon only disturbs women and not men, we don’t know why…”
“At first, it wasn’t a big deal, and no one was hurt. But Jing Yue Xuan took advantage of the situation and spread rumors everywhere, saying that people had died in our village due to the demon. The news spread, and now our competition to host the performance is extremely unfavorable…”
“So we begged Shu Mountain for help and invited two young heroes to help us slay the demon.” Cui the steward said hopefully.
“But isn’t Nan Yin Fang one of the nine heavens and ten earths? Is it necessary to invite us?” Chu Liang was a little puzzled.
“Hey, you don’t understand Nan Yin Fang,” Lin Bei smiled knowingly, “Although those immortal musicians have high cultivation, they don’t like to fight. Moreover, the number of disciples in Nan Yin Fang is very small, and they almost never help others slay demons and monsters.”
“For someone like Xue Lingxue, her tour in Nan Guan City is crucial, and she needs to focus all her attention on preparing for the performance. If there is a demon that distracts her and forces her to expend extra energy to slay it, it might affect her performance.””Their cultivation path is quite different from that of normal cultivators.”
“Mr. Lin is right,” said Steward Cui. “Nanyin Fang won’t help us with these matters. Moreover, our founder, who was also a Shu Mountain disciple, has always maintained a good relationship with the Shu Mountain Sect by continuously offering tributes every year.”
“So, it was the Shu Mountain seniors who built this manor. We must have a good time here,” Lin Bei said immediately. “Uncle Cui, I have an unkind request. I wonder if it’s convenient?”
“Mr. Lin, please feel free to ask,” Steward Cui said with eagerness.
“After we help you get rid of the demons, we will naturally take care of the performance. Can we stay in the manor for a few more days to have some fun, and leave after the performance?” Lin Bei asked.
“Haha,” Steward Cui said, “There is no problem with that. I can promise on behalf of the manor owner. If the two young heroes help us solve the problem, we will have to treat you with great hospitality. Mr. Lin, are you also looking forward to Miss Xue Lingxue’s performance?”
“Hehe,” Lin Bei smiled and said, “In Nanyin Fang, my first choice is Shen Qingyan, and my second choice is Xue Lingxue. However, in the whole world of martial arts, my favorite is our Shu Mountain Sect’s Jiang Jiang, Jiang Yuebai.”
“Ah, Mr. Lin and I are truly kindred spirits! I also prefer Shen Qingyan, and I have long admired the name of Shu Mountain’s Fairy Jiang. It’s a pity that I haven’t had the chance to see her,” Steward Cui said, showing a sincere smile for the first time. “Qingyan, Qingyan, beautiful and sweet-voiced!”
“Qingqing in my heart, for your joyous face!” Lin Bei also excitedly added.
The two of them became excited, clasped hands, and looked delighted, as if they had found a confidant in each other.
Chu Liang, on the other hand, was full of question marks.
Lin Bei’s thick eyebrows and big eyes…after all, he was not very old, so it was understandable. But Uncle Cui, you must have passed at least four cycles of your life, and you’re still into this?
What’s salty? What’s sweet?
Are we really living in the same world?
Hmm?