Master of Kaidan
Chapter 418

Chapter 418: Chapter 418

"Worse?" Yun Yao’s expression was somewhat stunned. After all, she had formally studied the guzheng; when she said she had "studied for two years," she was merely being modest. Even though she couldn’t compare to the masters, she still possessed the ability to appreciate music.

The NPC had said her playing was mediocre, which she acknowledged, since she indeed fell short in comparison, but to say it was worse than yesterday—that, she could not accept.

You see, after learning from that Skill Book, her fluidity while playing and the strength of her plucking had improved significantly. How could it be worse?

Seeing Yun Yao’s unconvinced face, Feng Xue said with a faint smile,

"I am indeed surprised by how quickly you grasped the finger skill. However, you haven’t been able to combine inner strength, finger movements, and the sounds you want to produce. As a result, it turns out worse than when you played without inner strength. I preach a unity of power and skill, mind and intention, spirit and nature. Your strength and technique are mismatched, your ideas and the essence of the music are discordant, and what’s more outrageous is your lack of focus: at least yesterday, you were more concentrated."

...

Yun Yao was left speechless by Feng Xue’s torrent of words and finally had to admit her error.

Although she could see that Yun Yao was still somewhat resistant, Feng Xue was too lazy to correct the player’s arrogance towards NPCs. She simply picked up the guzheng from the stool, imitated a pose from Kung Fu movies missing vital parts, made an air stool, placed the guzheng on her lap, and with both hands pressing on the strings, said to a glum Yun Yao,

"Although it’s not completely satisfactory, you’ve learned something. I’ll teach you a piece. If you can learn it, I will take you on. But let me make it clear—if you perform like today next time, don’t blame me for turning against you."

"Eh?!" Initially thinking she had failed the mission, Yun Yao revealed a surprised expression, hurriedly swore solemn oaths, and nodded repeatedly, even forgetting that she was still kneeling down.

Feng Xue, well aware of the players’ habits, wasted no words but simply plucked the strings with her index finger, softly speaking,

"Listen well, learn well."

As the sound of strings through the air began, they seemed no different from a usual guzheng at first, but as the piece continued, a cold sensation gradually emanated from underfoot.

Although it was midsummer in the game, the chill incessantly penetrated through sleeves, trouser legs, and collars, sending shivers across bodies.

Even though not greatly exaggerated, the noticeable chirping of insects in the countryside suddenly stopped, and some cicadas even fell rigidly from the trees, as if they had been frozen to death.

"F*ck, why did I get a stiffening debuff?"

"Me too!"

"I’ve got a chill here."

"I’m experiencing hypothermia!"

...

The players instantly became noisy while Feng Xue’s playing did not stop, continuing until after ten minutes when she finally pressed her hands on the strings, quelling any lingering reverberations.

"We survived!"

"If it weren’t for the lack of a health bar in this game, I’d suspect I was starting to lose blood!"

"Don’t doubt it—you were definitely losing blood!"

...

Listening to the chattering of players nearby, Feng Xue gathered some useful information, but seemingly directed his gaze towards Yun Yao with a smile, saying,

"How about it? Have you learned it?"

"..." Yun Yao looked at the man in front of her, her expression slightly twisted as if the question "Are you serious?" was written all over her face. It’s such a long piece, one would need to listen to it repeatedly to transcribe it, right? And you’re asking if I’ve learned it?

However, considering that he was an NPC, Yun Yao suppressed her urge to flip the table and meekly asked,

"Is there a score?"

"Yes." Feng Xue’s reply surprised her, but it was more of a pleasant surprise, just as she was about to reach out for it, she heard those lips, tilted at a 37-degree angle, utter a cold phrase—

"Five hundred taels."

"Eh?"

"What do you mean, ’eh’? Playing an instrument is a costly profession. If you can’t even earn that much money, you would starve to death under my care, and I might end up having to provide for you. Do you think I look like a big fool?"

Feng Xue gave Yun Yao a cold glance, and she felt utterly overwhelmed, but she no longer had time to haggle as Feng Xue had already removed the air wall, and thus, the small hut was instantly filled with players...

...

In the ancient-style room, the body laying rigid on the bed had its helmet’s indicator lights blinking slowly. As the light changed from green to white, the stiff body suddenly moved, and as the helmet was removed, a refined face hung with outrage after a moment of confusion.

"Damn it! You expect me to be provided for? Five hundred taels... banking on my not being able to learn it, huh?! I’ll show you the power of modern technology, you NPC!"

Muttering furiously, Yun Yao connected the data cable to the helmet and uploaded her previous game video to the computer, while taking out a stack of manuscript paper and repeatedly listening to that chilling melody.

"Eh, why do I feel a bit cold?" While transcribing the music, Yun Yao suddenly shivered and noticed the goosebumps covering her skin. Although it was not as exaggerated as in the game, she realized that this was probably not because she lacked some sort of inner strength, but rather because her computer’s speakers had become distorted.

As someone who made a living from music, her speakers were certainly not the cheap items around two hundred yuan. However, all recordings would have different degrees of distortion, especially since it was taken directly from the game footage amidst the noise of other players.

"Interesting, this piece is probably more sophisticated than I thought. I wonder which master was involved in creating this music for the game company..."

Briefly contemplating, Yun Yao realized she didn’t know any masters with a similar style and stopped thinking about it, dedicating herself entirely to transcribing the score.

She had made up her mind, even if it was not for the game, but just to prove a point, she was already at odds with that NPC!

...

"Not a single decent one, huh!" Watching the chaotic performance of the players, Feng Xue sighed. Initially, he had thought that the game system had a musical support feature because of Yun Yao’s performance, but after enduring an ordeal comparable to the Asatuo Band, he had confirmed that the previous player had real talent.

Well, indeed, strength is always relative.

"But compared to the three rock streamers I collaborated with before, they still fall short." Remembering the three rock-spirited streamers who had accompanied him earlier, Feng Xue couldn’t help but feel nostalgic and then waved his hand to dismiss these utterly talentless players, returning to his woodworking business.

After all, having one player in a newbie village with a decent musical foundation was already not easy, expecting too much seemed a bit greedy.