Twenty-Four Bridges in the Moonlit Night

After spending a few days playing the role of a young wastrel (correction: street urchin) with Qin Ran, Li Shiwen went off to work at the imperial palace. Qin Ran reverted back to being a homebody, spending all day at home reading books.

However, as Li Shiyin had imagined, he became a frequent visitor to her father's study.

On this day, as he was reading, he was pondering:

The war between North Chu and Xuanqin had come to an end. The two countries had successfully negotiated peace, and North Chu was about to pledge allegiance to Xuanqin. According to Li Shiyin, the troops that Xuanqin had withdrawn from North Chu had now headed north to Great Yan...

He had already met his foolish disciple's family. Li Zhan and Yang Yanqi hadn't raised any objections to the relationship between him and his silly disciple. How they would develop in the future was up to them.

So... he thought, it was time to return to the Dao Sword Sect.

The crisis here had ended, but a new one was brewing at the Dao Sword Sect.

Although he had taken over the medicine hall, normalizing the supply of pills to the Dao Sword Sect, the pills were still being purchased from Zhican Valley. The Dao Sword Sect itself still lacked the ability to refine pills.

Despite his attempts over the past two years to cultivate the Dao Sword Sect's own pill refiners, his efforts were like a drop in the ocean compared to what was needed for an entire sect's pill supply.

If given time to develop slowly, adding a few more pill refiners and spirit plant cultivators each year, it would only take one or two hundred years for the Dao Sword Sect to achieve pill self-sufficiency.

But Zhican Valley and the Boundless Sword Sect certainly wouldn't give him that much time. They wouldn't allow the Dao Sword Sect to develop freely.

He just didn't know where the next wave of attacks would come from. Internal? External? Or would they simply turn hostile and cut off the pill supply? Or even... launch an all-out attack, regardless of the cost?

Qin Ran was thinking about these things while reading his book.

"Creak!"

At that moment, the door of the study was gently pushed open from the outside. He looked over and saw Li Shiyin tiptoeing in.

"Master?" she looked at him.

"Hmm?" Qin Ran raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

His silly disciple had indeed changed a lot, at least becoming much gentler. In the past, when she opened doors, it would only be with "boom," "bang," or "crash" sounds. She rarely opened or closed doors gently.

"Don't you like the flute?" Li Shiyin opened the door and walked in, her hands behind her back, standing at the entrance of the study. The bright light from outside shone on her, revealing a beautiful young girl in her prime.

"It's alright..." Qin Ran replied. He looked at his obedient and pretty disciple, not knowing what she meant.

In fact, years ago, he had only wanted to learn an instrument, and then thought the flute suited his immortal cultivator image, so he learned the flute. It wasn't that he particularly liked the flute.

However, after blindly learning for three or four years, he could play some tunes.

"Then Master, do you remember that there was a very skilled musician in Danyang City called Yuanshan?" Li Shiyin said, looking a bit embarrassed as she turned her gaze outward.

"Gao Yuanshan?" Qin Ran pondered.

A few days ago, Li Shiyin had mentioned to him that Gao Yuanshan had performed music at that spring poetry gathering. Of course, he remembered more clearly that when he first started learning the flute, Li Shiyin had mentioned this person, saying he was very handsome and that she had failed in an attempt to "snatch" him as a husband.

"I have some impression, what about him?" he asked.

"Didn't I say I would have him teach you to play the flute?" Li Shiyin said.

"?" Looking at his silly disciple's embarrassed expression, Qin Ran gradually realized that the direction of this conversation seemed a bit off. If he remembered correctly, his silly disciple had said back then that she would kidnap Gao Yuanshan to teach him to play the flute.

... Kidnap!

"Ahem!" Li Shiyin lowered her head, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and said softly, "Master, I've kidnap... no, no, no, I've invited him to our home."

"???"

As! Expected!!

So-called "The leopard can't change its spots!"

His disciple couldn't possibly be that gentle.

Qin Ran took a deep breath, closed his book, stood up, and asked Li Shiyin, "Where is he?"

"In the reception hall..." Li Shiyin raised her head to look at her master, saw the seriousness in his eyes, and quickly lowered her head again, saying, "I've had the servants receive him with proper guest etiquette."

... "Qin Ran looked exasperated, wanting to scold her, but finally only said, "Take me to see him."

"Hehe!" Li Shiyin ran over, grabbed Qin Ran's arm, and led him to the reception hall.

Arriving at the reception hall, Qin Ran saw a man sitting inside wearing a white round-collared robe with gold trim. He was about thirty-five years old, with his hair tied up and a light beard. He indeed had an extremely handsome face. Combined with his inherent elegant temperament and the steady demeanor of a middle-aged man, he could truly be called a "young girl slayer."

Looking at his face, one could imagine how devastatingly handsome Gao Yuanshan must have been four years ago at just thirty... No wonder his silly disciple had wanted to "snatch" him as a husband.

"Musician Gao!" Qin Ran entered the room and cupped his hands in apology to Gao Yuanshan, "My apologies, my deepest apologies, I'm truly sorry for the discourtesy!"

Gao Yuanshan was drinking tea. Hearing this, he put down the tea lid, turned around, and saw the scholarly Qin Ran and the peculiar, spirited (crossed out) Li Shiyin.

When he saw Li Shiyin, his eyes showed panic and evasion, but Qin Ran's demeanor made him feel at ease. He returned the greeting, saying, "It's no trouble at all. I'm actually fine, the Sword Immortal was just joking with me."

"My unruly disciple is crude and has offended you greatly," Qin Ran said, sitting down opposite Gao Yuanshan.

"Haha..." Gao Yuanshan forced a laugh, glanced at Li Shiyin standing behind Qin Ran, and still asked, "The Sword Immortal told me that her master is proficient in music and the bamboo flute, and specially invited me to exchange ideas. May I ask if you are the Sword Immortal's master?"

"I am her master..." Qin Ran nodded, but then shook his head, saying, "I enjoy music and can play the flute, but I'm far from proficient."

"So immortals also enjoy music!" Gao Yuanshan smiled but sighed, "I thought you all pursued longevity and combat power, and wouldn't care about these miscellaneous skills."

"Actually, immortals are still human. Music, dance, fine food can move people's hearts, so naturally, they also move the hearts of cultivators," Qin Ran replied. "Moreover... music and dance are not miscellaneous skills, but grand paths. As they say, 'Music moves people's hearts, and the heart is the Dao.'"

Gao Yuanshan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Could there really be those who enter the Dao through music?"

"Of course there are..." Qin Ran nodded, "Cultivators who enter the Dao through music are often far stronger than ordinary cultivators. Firstly, sound waves themselves have extremely strong destructive power. Secondly, music can influence a cultivator's Dao heart, state of mind, soul, and primordial spirit, which is very powerful."

"Immortal..." Gao Yuanshan asked Qin Ran, "Is it possible for me to cultivate?"

"If you have spirit roots, of course you can cultivate," Qin Ran replied.

"Do I have spirit roots?" Gao Yuanshan asked again.

Qin Ran used his eye technique to look Gao Yuanshan up and down, then said, "Mr. Gao has considerable spiritual energy, so you naturally have spirit roots."

"Would the Immortal Master be willing to accept me as a disciple?" Gao Yuanshan immediately knelt down.

"???" Li Shiyin's eyes widened. This plot development wasn't right, how come he was here to compete with her for her master?!

She hurriedly stepped forward, pulled Gao Yuanshan up from the ground, and said with a sour face, "I am Master's direct disciple, my master isn't accepting any more disciples!"

"?" Gao Yuanshan's face was filled with disappointment.

"Besides, I asked you to come to teach my master to play the flute, not for you to learn cultivation from my master," Li Shiyin added.

"Alas!" Gao Yuanshan sighed and said to Qin Ran, "Immortal Master, let's just discuss music then!"

Li Shiyin's actions made Qin Ran want to laugh. He watched as his silly disciple huffily walked back, and gave her a mock glare.

He smiled and said to Gao Yuanshan, "My unworthy disciple invited you here to exchange ideas. Let's exchange then. You teach me to play the flute, music theory and instruments; I'll teach you the essence and principles of cultivation. This is also an exchange."

"In the future, I can cultivate my temperament through music, and you can enter the Dao and cultivate based on music theory."

Gao Yuanshan was very pleased and repeatedly said, "Good, good! Exchange, this is indeed an exchange. Good! Very good. Hahaha..."

Li Shiyin saw her master glaring at her, and she wrinkled her nose at him in return, expressing her dissatisfaction with Gao Yuanshan.

"Didn't you like him very much?" Qin Ran smiled and secretly transmitted a message to Li Shiyin using divine sense.

"I did not..." Li Shiyin remembered the foolish things she did when she was younger, her face reddening slightly as she transmitted back, "I only like Master."

Qin Ran was very happy inside... It seemed he was more handsome than Gao Yuanshan.

"The flute is easy to understand but difficult to master. There are many aspects worth paying attention to..." Gao Yuanshan, unaware of the exchange between master and disciple, began to earnestly discuss the flute with Qin Ran. "You are a divine immortal, with some advantages over us mortals. Certainly, you don't need to worry about breath control..."

Gao Yuanshan indeed had great attainments in music theory and flute playing. Under his guidance, the flute sounds produced by Qin Ran gradually became less unpleasant, slowly gaining the characteristic melodiousness of the instrument. Eventually, he truly mastered the flute.

Of course, with Qin Ran's instructions, Gao Yuanshan also began to cultivate his vital energy and sense the world's energy through music, embarking on an alternative path of cultivation.

As for many years later, when Gao Yuanshan achieved enlightenment through music and became one of the Immortal Qin Empire's soul immortal masters, that's a story for another time.