Fang Yun’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at the nervous gatekeeper, asking while walking, “What’s going on? What are they carrying?”

Stepping out of the study, Fang Yun recognized some of the voices outside. They belonged to the old qin masters who had taught at the Dragon Pavilion that day.

“I’m not sure, I didn’t look closely, but there are a lot of them,” the gatekeeper replied.

Fang Yun asked, “Could they be carrying qins?”

The gatekeeper paused, then whispered, “It seems like they are indeed carrying qins. There were so many people, and they seemed very excited. I was afraid they were enemies, so I ran back here. The lady is at Mrs. Lai’s house playing the qin, so I could only find you.”

“Alright, I’ll handle it.”

Fang Yun straightened his clothes and personally opened the front door. Outside were the qin masters from that day.

“Gentlemen…”

Before Fang Yun could finish his greeting, the elderly qin masters, who were clearly quite old, swarmed him like a group of monkeys, surrounding him at the door.

“What’s the deal with this fingering technique?”

“Who composed ‘The Good Evening Prelude’? It’s incredible how it utilizes the left hand technique to such an extent, it’s simply miraculous!”

One of the old men even grabbed Fang Yun’s clothes, holding a score of ‘The Good Evening Prelude’ and exclaimed excitedly, “What’s the deal with these ‘pinching and plucking’, ‘back locking’, ‘falling finger chant’? Who is the master who created this?”

Fang Yun knew that since he had played ‘The Good Evening Prelude’ and other pieces, the neighbors could hear it. This kind of thing couldn’t be concealed, so he didn’t ask Yang Yuhuan to hide it. However, he didn’t expect that in just a few days, a group of qin masters would come, one of whom was a Hanlin Scholar who had just entered the third realm of qin mastery.

Fang Yun could only say, “I once obtained a fragmentary qin score. After my own deduction and arrangement, I gradually completed these fingering techniques and pieces. As for who the qin master who created it was, I’m not very clear. It’s just a very ordinary piece, why are you all so excited?”

To the Holy Temple, everything from the Holy Origin Mainland didn’t exist. Anything Fang Yun brought out would be considered his original work. If he claimed it was someone else’s work, it would arouse suspicion.

However, the “fragmentary qin score” was different. If he said it was completed, the Holy Temple would still consider him the author, but with the source of the fragment, it would be much more reasonable. After all, Fang Yun’s qin mastery was mediocre before.

“Absurd! This piece indeed contradicts the qin style of our ten nations, being too soft and completely unsuitable for war songs. However, this style is extremely suitable for soothing soldiers’ emotions. During a war, those Accomplished Scholars and Presented Scholars who accompany the army have to constantly recite soothing poems to calm the soldiers, which consumes too much talent and is detrimental to the war. Although there were soothing qin pieces before, they were not soft enough. Your ‘The Good Evening Prelude’ is the most suitable for soothing soldiers. If it is slightly improved, it can definitely become an excellent soothing piece. With just a little talent and a Treasures of Literature qin, it can stabilize the soldiers!”

Another person said, “Old Zhou has spent his life in the military and values practicality. What I value is the mood and interest in this piece. The qin style of the ten nations is too rigid, emphasizing the right hand and neglecting the left hand technique. I’m afraid it’s hard to make a breakthrough over time. Your left hand technique has lit a beacon for the qin path of the ten nations!”

“Did you get enlightened by the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars?”

“Quick, let us see the fragmentary score!”

Fang Yun was left speechless by these old men, saying, “Gentlemen, please come inside to talk. If you don’t come in, I won’t say a word!”

“Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s talk inside!”

The group of old men escorted Fang Yun into the living room. Before Fang Yun could speak, the old men pressed him into the seat of honor, then moved their chairs over. If there weren’t enough chairs, they would stand, surrounding Fang Yun tightly.

“You are now our teacher. Don’t be restrained, speak!”

“Speak quickly!”

Except for a few old qin masters who were smiling and watching, most of them were in a hurry.

Fang Yun looked helplessly at these old qin masters and said, “Gentlemen! I know you have studied the qin for a lifetime, but any one of you could make a name for yourself in Yu Hai Prefecture, and a few of you even have a reputation throughout the Holy Origin Mainland. With such high status, why are you in such a hurry? Let’s talk slowly.”

“Can we learn new fingering techniques and new qin pieces by talking slowly? Let’s get to the point! Where is the fragmentary score?”

All the old qin masters looked eagerly at Fang Yun.

Fang Yun spread his hands and said, “The fragmentary score was too damaged. As soon as I finished flipping through it, it completely fell apart.”

“What a pity! What a pity!”

“Such a masterpiece is hard to see the light of day, how painful!”

Several old qin masters beat their chests and stomped their feet, almost crying.

“Then you write out the qin score,” an old man said.

“That score is very complicated, and I can’t remember many parts of it. I’m slowly recalling it, recalling a bit and writing a bit, and then slowly completing it. If you ask me to write it now, there will definitely be various omissions,” Fang Yun said.

“You…” The old qin masters were speechless. Fang Yun was right, he wasn’t an Imperial Scholar, so he couldn’t have a photographic memory.

Fang Yun smiled slightly and said, “So, please allow me to think more, gentlemen. I will write as much as I can think of and perfect, and let you see. If there are parts I don’t understand, I will ask for your advice, okay?””What if you deceive us?”

An elderly qin master immediately expressed his displeasure, “Since Li Wenying has faith in Fang Yun, there should be no problem!”

“Fang Yun is definitely trustworthy. Knowing that the Dragon King wants to kill him, he still dared to confront the Dragon King at the flood control poetry meeting. A person with such a broad mind would not deceive us.”

“I guess, in this kid’s eyes, the Path of the Saints is the first, poetry is the second, calligraphy is the third, and the way of the qin probably only ranks fourth. He doesn’t care at all and wouldn’t hide anything.”

“Right, right.”

Fang Yun said, “Since you all trust me, I will take it slow. Every half a month, I will either bring out the fragments of the score that I remember, or the complete score and fingering that I have deduced. How about that?”

The old qin masters looked at each other, suspecting that there was more to the story, but they couldn’t say it outright at this time. In case they annoyed Fang Yun and lost everything, it would be better to get a new score or fingering every half a month.

Soon, all the old qin masters looked at Pan Hanlin. With the absence of the Three Absolutes Master, Pan Hanlin’s attitude was the most important.

Pan Hanlin said, “Regardless, Fang Yun’s willingness to disclose the fingering and score is a great contribution. We should not be too greedy. Moreover, this ‘Good Evening Prelude’ alone is enough for us to study for a long time. As Fang Zhenguo said, we can wait.”

“Master Pan is right. The fragments of the score belong to Fang Yun, and how he handles them is his business.”

“Right, right, right. Master Fang, I was too impatient just now. I apologize to you.”

The old qin masters then realized that while it was one thing for Fang Yun to have inside information, their eagerness to see the fragments of the score was also quite impolite, so they apologized one after another.

Fang Yun knew that these old qin masters meant no harm, so he smiled and said, “Gentlemen, you are too kind. Shall I now explain in detail the ‘Good Evening Prelude’ and the fingering in it?”

“Sure, sure!”

“Fang Maocai, don’t worry, we won’t steal your credit. When the time comes, you can organize this ‘Good Evening Prelude’ and the fingering, and we will vouch for you and present it to Jianmei Gong. It will surely be included in ‘The Path of the Saints’. Although the way of the qin is not as important as the interpretation of the classics and poetry, the value of these fingerings and scores combined is not less than that of a town!”

“Once the complete score is completed, its value may even surpass that of a town,” someone said.

Fang Yun remained silent, knowing that what was in the Book of Heaven and Earth was not a “fragment of the score”, but the crystallization of wisdom in the way of the qin over a thousand years.

When the old qin masters had calmed down, Fang Yun said, “Before I talk about the fingering, I would like to ask, why did you all suddenly come here as if you had made an appointment?”

The old qin masters laughed, and one of them said, “There was a qin meeting today, originally to discuss the future of the way of the qin. One of my disciples mentioned the ‘Good Evening Prelude’. His wife is friends with Mrs. Lai, and they live not far from your house. We asked his wife to bring the score for study and performance, and found that not only was the fingering novel and in line with the way of the qin, but the ‘Good Evening Prelude’ itself was also a masterpiece, extremely extraordinary. After finding out that it came from you, we immediately came together. Look, many of us brought our qins, ready to learn the fingering at your house.”

“I see. Then I will talk about these fingerings. I’ll go get my qin.” Fang Yun finished speaking and returned to his study. He carried his qin to the living room, followed by Fang Da Niu and the gatekeeper carrying the qin stand.

One of them said, “Huh? Isn’t this the Zhen Dan? It has been around for four hundred years and can be collected. It’s a bit inappropriate to use it for performance. Does Fang Yun intend to teach with this qin?”

“Old Yao, don’t you know about Fang Yun and the Cui family?”

“I don’t know.”

“Fang Yun got lucky and found out that this Zhen Dan actually has a history of six hundred years and has been infused with talent three times. So he asked Master Cui to infuse it with talent and got a four-fold Treasures of Literature qin.”

Almost all the qin masters looked at Fang Yun with envy. Most of them only had ordinary Presented Scholar’s Treasures of Literature qins or Imperial Scholar’s Treasures of Literature qins. The value of Fang Yun’s Zhen Dan qin even exceeded that of ordinary Hanlin Scholar’s Treasures of Literature qins, which was enviable.

After setting up the qin, Fang Yun began to explain in detail the fingerings that appeared in the ‘Good Evening Prelude’.

Just as he had been speaking for a quarter of an hour, someone knocked on the door.

Fang Yun didn’t stop, he continued to speak, and the old qin masters didn’t pay any attention either.

The qin masters here were at least Talented Scholars, and they were also experts in the way of the qin. Their ears were extremely sensitive, and they could hear the conversation at the door. After hearing a few sentences, they all turned their heads in surprise. Fang Yun also had to stop the lecture, said “Please wait a moment, gentlemen”, and walked out with a puzzled look.

Because everyone heard the word “Meng family”, and there was a Meng family among the Semi-Saint Prominent Families.

As Fang Yun walked, he looked outside the door. A polite middle-aged man in a white Imperial Scholar’s robe was standing outside the door, smiling and saying, “Yes, it’s the Meng family of the Martial Nation’s Semi-Saint Prominent Families. We hope to see Fang Yun and Fang Zhenguo.”

The gatekeeper turned around and saw Fang Yun coming.

As he walked, Fang Yun smiled and said, “I am Fang Yun. May I ask what the Imperial Scholar has come for?”

The Imperial Scholar saluted and smiled, “Martial Nation’s Imperial Scholar Meng Linyu pays his respects to Master Fang!”

“Imperial Scholar, you are too kind. I have guests at home and it’s not convenient to invite you in. If there’s something important, you can come with me to the study,” Fang Yun said.Meng Linyu reined in his smile, saying seriously, “I have traveled a long distance to discuss an important matter with you.”

“Please!” Fang Yun led Meng Linyu into the study.

Once they were seated, Fang Yun asked, “May I ask what brings you here, Brother Meng?”

“I heard that you bought a piece of fur on the day of Qixi?” (To be continued.)