"Mr. Li, please wait a moment."
Li Guanyi’s footsteps halted slightly as something was thrown his way. He reached out and caught it—it was a piece of gold. Turning around, he saw a spirited young man, around twenty years old, with an unrestrained look in his eyes and the imposing air of a fierce tiger or soaring dragon, who laughed:
"Mr. Li has good reflexes."
Leaning against a tree, the young man leapt down, his demeanor bold and relaxed. He gave a respectful bow with his hands clasped together and said:
"I am Jiang Yuan, a prince of Ying Country. I saw you being invited by our elder brother, and judging by your current appearance..."
"Did talks break down?"
He spoke these words with an easygoing martial world air, to which Li Guanyi replied with an air of neither servility nor arrogance, "The Crown Prince has broad ambitions but, unfortunately, I do not share such grand visions and cannot walk the same path with him. It’s not a matter of ’talks breaking down’ or not."
Jiang Yuan looked at Li Guanyi, smiled, and idly plucked at his bowstring, saying casually, "That brother of mine is deadly serious. When talking to him, it’s either about the world or its people—so dull. Come on, let’s go do something interesting."
"You’ve come all this way, Mr. Li; don’t leave so easily."
Jiang Yuan tossed his bow casually to an attendant.
He strode over quickly and threw an arm around Li Guanyi’s shoulder, dragging him along with a brotherly gesture:
"Come on, I’ve been wanting to get to know you for a while. Everyone talks about Geshu Yin and Xu Huixiang being so impressive, but with my eye for talent, I can see that you’re the most outstanding among them all."
"To tie with each person yet win by just one move makes you even more difficult to beat than them."
"Come on, let’s drink and enjoy music."
Li Guanyi felt a slight stir in his heart and was curious to experience the young heroes of various countries, so he followed along. Jiang Yuan took Li Guanyi to a feast that was worlds apart from the Prince of Ying’s banquet, in its utter opulence, with exquisitely beautiful tableware and drinking vessels.
The topics that Jiang Yuan and Li Guanyi discussed ranged from horseback riding to hunting—there was an air of luxury about them, yet occasionally, Jiang Yuan would reveal a lofty and uncommon boldness. He sat at the head dressed in hunting attire, with a beauty playing the zither. Jiang Yuan said, "I’ve heard that Mr. Li has extraordinary talents. The land of Jiangnan is known for its cultural elegance. What do you think of my musician’s zither sound?"
Li Guanyi said, "Very good."
This was not Li Guanyi merely paying a polite compliment.
He had grown up with his aunt, listening to her play the zither, and had studied the zither diligently himself. With his own understanding of music theory, he could tell that the musician’s zither playing was pure and reflected immense effort. Li Guanyi felt that the musician’s zither skills might even be stronger than his own.
Of course, they were not as good as his aunt’s.
Li Guanyi silently added.
Jiang Yuan laughed heartily and clapped his hands, saying, "Come out." The zither music stopped, and a beautiful girl came forward. She was only seventeen or eighteen, with a delicate and comely appearance. She bowed respectfully, and Jiang Yuan boasted, "This is my musician; she’s eighteen this year and has been playing the zither for fifteen years."
"She has not slacked a single day; hence, she has achieved such skill at the zither."
"What do you think?!"
Li Guanyi remarked, "The young lady has produced beautiful zither music."
The girl nodded gently, her demeanor gracious and mild. Her hands were fair and slender, though some calluses were visible, indicating she likely came from humble beginnings. The marks on her fingertips revealed the daily dedication to her zither practice. Seeing this, Jiang Yuan took a sip of wine and said with a laugh, "If you like her, I’ll give her to you!"
Of course, Li Guanyi could not possibly accept this.
Yet, he felt a slight, almost imperceptible dislike in his heart toward the bold prince’s words and actions. He simply said:
"There’s no need. A musician like her has practiced diligently, and it’s obvious from her hands. She likely didn’t come from a privileged background, with calluses on her hands, yet she has achieved such skill with the zither, clearly striving with all her might for every opportunity."
"She hasn’t been lax for a single day over these many years to attain such accomplishment. It’s best if she stays with Your Highness. As a ranger, I cannot provide for her daily zither practice."
Jiang Yuan did not bring up the matter again, and they continued drinking until it was nearly night.
In the Jiangnan summer, the rainy season brought increased humidity, and Li Guanyi felt rain was imminent. He had a martial arts competition on the morrow, so he bade his farewell. Jiang Yuan escorted him out, smiling, "Meeting Mr. Li today truly felt like meeting an old friend; I’m overjoyed. I have a gift for Mr. Li."
A servant passed him a beautifully carved, extremely luxurious case.
Jiang Yuan handed it over, saying, "Please take a look, Mr. Li."
Li Guanyi was about to refuse but then he detected a faint trace of blood in the air. His pupils shrank sharply, and he abruptly opened the case. Atop the red silk lay two hands, slender and graceful, showing the marks of over a decade of daily zither practice on the fingertips and palms.
They were still slightly twitching.
No longer able to play the zither.
These were the hands of the musician from before.
Li Guanyi’s mind exploded with shock.
Almost instinctively, his hand reached for his sword, but in an instant, a murderous intent locked onto the young man. Li Guanyi’s forehead veins bulged, anger flaring as he glared at Jiang Yuan in front of him. Li Guanyi was standing at the bottom of the steps, while Jiang Yuan stood above on the terrace.
Jiang Yuan wore ornate clothing, a red python dragon robe. As the sun set, the blood-red color of the sunset and the dim yellow of the lanterns fell upon the young man, making him look like some fierce draconian creature. Narrowing his eyes, Jiang Yuan said, "You don’t like it?"
"She was my favorite musician. You admired her zither sound but refused to take her with you, so I thought it best to give you her hands. From now on, I won’t be hearing her music either."
His voice remained bold and unflustered, but a furious killing intent was rising swiftly within Li Guanyi.