Zhu Xian: The way of heaven collapses, and I only have one sword!

Chapter 44 A song that shocked the city, the only way to break the formation!

After saying that, Chen Qiye's eyes searched around and soon locked onto a relatively spacious and crowded open space on the street. Then he strode over, raised his hand and waved it, and a guqin landed steadily on the stone table in front of him. He took out a piece of cloth and spread it next to the guqin, indicating that everyone should put the few silver coins on it, as the capital for "opening the business".

Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan and Zeng Shushu stood aside, watching Chen Qiye prepare in an orderly manner, their hearts full of curiosity and anticipation.

Zeng Shushu, in particular, could no longer contain his excitement and kept shouting around: "Come, come, everyone, take a look! A master is performing here today. This is a rare opportunity. Don't miss it if you pass by!" His exaggerated appearance attracted the attention of many passers-by.

Soon, a crowd gathered around. They looked at the guqin on the ground and the handsome young man in black clothes and snow-white hair in front of them, all with a puzzled look on their faces, wondering what he was going to perform.

Chen Qiye smiled faintly, remaining silent. He slowly sat down before the zither, his slender fingers lightly resting on the strings. Instantly, ethereal music flowed from his fingertips, like the tinkling of a mountain spring, or the lingering, melodious sound of a forest breeze. The melody, like an invisible force, instantly captured the hearts of everyone present. Silence fell instantly, leaving only the beautiful sound lingering in the air.

Then, Chen Qiye opened his lips and sang: "Turning into wind, turning into rain, turning into spring, I walk towards you. Dreams are like sounds, dreams are like shadows, dreams are the palm prints in the distance, turning into smoke, turning into mud, turning into clouds, floating towards you. Thoughts are like the sea, love is like a city, and longing is the most far-reaching..."

Chen Qiye's singing voice and piano music intertwined, flowing and melodious, piercing the hearts of the audience. His unique voice, paired with the dreamlike lyrics and music, captivated the audience. When the song ended, the lingering sound lingered in the air, as if everyone was still immersed in the dreamlike scene. For a moment, no one uttered a word. After a long moment, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

Everyone woke up as if from a dream, came back to their senses, and looked at Chen Qiye who was sitting in front of the piano, their eyes full of amazement and admiration.

At this moment, a wealthy businessman in a silk robe was the first to react. He strode forward, pulled out a heavy ingot of silver from his purse, and generously placed it on the cloth spread in front of Chen Qiye. He said loudly, "Sir, your talent is well-deserved of such a generous gift. I haven't heard such a moving piece of music in a long time!"

The rich businessman's action seemed to have lit a fuse, and the people around him followed suit. For a moment, copper coins and silver coins fell on the cloth like snowflakes.

Chen Qiye wore a humble smile on his face and nodded to thank everyone one by one. After a while, the cloth in front of him was piled with silver and money, enough for their expenses for the next period of time.

Zeng Shushu's eyes widened as he excitedly helped collect the money, muttering as he did so: "Qiye, you're truly a hidden talent! With just this one skill, will we ever be worried about running out of money?"

Chen Qiye stood up, carefully collected the silver and money, and put it into his Qiankun bag. He bowed to the crowd who were still savoring the experience and said, "Thank you all for your support. I'm sorry for showing off today."

The crowd then dispersed with a lingering feeling.

Lu Xueqi looked at Chen Qiye, her eyes full of admiration and pride, but she tried to restrain herself in front of everyone and just said softly, "I didn't expect you to have such a skill."

Chen Qiye raised his eyebrows slightly and responded with a smile: "Qier, I know much more than that." As he spoke, he gently took Lu Xueqi's hand, his eyes full of tenderness.

Lu Xueqi blushed slightly, and subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back, but she felt reluctant. After hesitating for a moment, she finally let him hold it. She coughed lightly and changed the subject, "Now that we have the money, let's find an inn to settle down. We've been running around all day and we're all tired."

Several people walked towards the inn. Along the way, Lu Xueqi let Chen Qiye hold her hand. She felt like there was a deer in her heart, sweet and a little shy, until they checked into an inn called "Shanhaiyuan".

The owner of Shanhai Garden saw the four people enter and hurriedly came to greet them with a smile on his face. "Dear guests, we have upper rooms, middle rooms, and lower rooms in Shanhai Garden. I wonder which one you would like to stay in?"

"Let's go upstairs." Chen Qiye nodded and gestured to the shopkeeper to look at Lu Xueqi.

The shopkeeper understood and said immediately, "Sir, we only have two superior rooms left. They are spacious and comfortable, with great lighting. It's no problem for two people to share one."

When everyone heard the shopkeeper say that there were only two upper rooms left, they were stunned at first.

Zeng Shushu's eyes rolled around, and he jumped out first, a sly smile on his face. He nudged Chen Qiye with his elbow and said teasingly, "Hey, Qiye, it seems this arrangement is very thoughtful. How about you and Senior Sister Lu share a room, and Xiaofan and I share a room. I just have a lot of new things I want to share with Xiaofan!"

Zhang Xiaofan looked at Chen Qiye, then at Lu Xueqi. Even if he was stupid or unromantic, he could still see what was going on.

Lu Xueqi's face turned red in an instant. She spat softly and said angrily, "Junior Brother Zeng, don't talk nonsense!" But despite saying that, she did not break free from Chen Qiye's hand, which was still holding hers. She just lowered her head slightly, trying to hide her shyness.

Chen Qiye had a faint smile on his face as he looked at Zeng Shushu and said helplessly, "Just as you say. This arrangement is appropriate."

The shopkeeper quickly completed the check-in procedures for them and arranged for them to live in the most luxurious West Garden in the back garden of the large Shanhai Garden, which had a total of four villas.

After everything was packed up, Chen Qiye took the four of them to Shanhaiyuan's own restaurant for dinner. It was located on the busiest street in Heyang City, but the VIP room on the third floor was particularly clean and tidy, with less than ten tables in the spacious hall.

Chen Qiye took the menu handed over by the waiter, scanned the densely packed dish names, and ordered many dishes in a row. Not only the waiter was stunned, but even Lu Xueqi and the other two were stunned.

"Sir, are you sure you want these?" the waiter asked in disbelief. "I don't want the dishes I just ordered. Bring me the rest." Chen Qiye nodded and said in a startling tone.

The waiter stood there in a daze, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. He stammered, "Okay... okay, sir, please wait a moment!" After that, he hurried to the kitchen with the menu.

Zeng Shushu couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Qiye, your way of ordering dishes is really unique. Others just pick out what they like, but you pick out the ones you don't want."

"I am who I am, a different firework." Chen Qiye said with a smile.

While a few people were talking, the waiter brought up the first dish, and finally a plate of fresh stewed fish. As soon as the steaming dishes were placed on the table, the rich and mellow aroma instantly spread, arousing everyone's appetite.

"Bring another bottle of good wine." Chen Qiye said to the waiter.

After a while, the waiter came hurriedly with a jar of fine wine and carefully filled everyone's glasses.

Zeng Shushu looked at the full glass of wine in front of him, his eyes full of curiosity. He picked up the glass and put it to his nose and sniffed it. The strong aroma of the wine rushed into his nose, making him sneeze.

"This stuff smells really strong, is it really that delicious?" He tilted his head back and took a big gulp. In an instant, the wine slid down his throat, and the spicy feeling instantly exploded between his mouth and throat. Zeng Shushu choked and his face turned red. He kept coughing, and tears were about to come out. "Cough cough cough, what is this smell? It's so unbearable!"

Zhang Xiaofan looked at Zeng Shushu's embarrassed look, picked up the wine glass hesitantly, and took a sip. As the wine entered his throat, a warm current instantly spread throughout his body. He felt his head buzzing, his face quickly flushed, and he felt a little dizzy. He quickly put down the wine glass and waved his hands repeatedly, "This wine is too strong, I can't drink it."

Lu Xueqi wasn't good at drinking to begin with, and seeing the two's reactions, she felt even more timid. She frowned slightly, picked up the wine glass and took a sip. Instantly, a blush appeared on her face, and she looked at Chen Qiye with some resentment, "Qiye, this is what you ordered, so drink it yourself."

Chen Qiye looked at the embarrassed state of the three people and couldn't help laughing. "I drink it, then I drink it."

After saying that, Chen Qiye picked up the wine glass alone, tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass. The spicy wine slid down his throat, but he looked as usual, as if the strong liquor was just ordinary tea to him.

"Qiye, why don't you show us what you have?" Zeng Shushu stared at Chen Qiye with sparkling eyes, his face full of anticipation.

Chen Qiye raised the corners of his mouth slightly, "Since you want to see it so much, I will show you my skills again." After that, spiritual power surged around his body, and in the flash of light, a pipa condensed by pure spiritual power slowly emerged in his arms.

Chen Qiye gently plucked the spiritual pipa, and in an instant, the passionate melody of "Breaking the Formation Music" burst out. At first, the music sounded like the collision of golden swords, crisp and clear, as if thousands of troops were gathering in the distance, and the sound of horse hooves could be faintly heard.

The originally noisy diners in the restaurant suddenly quieted down, attracted by the magnificent melody that they had never heard before. The music became louder and louder, like the beating of war drums, and every note struck heavily on everyone's heartstrings. Chen Qiye closed his eyes and immersed himself in it, his ten fingers dancing nimbly, and spiritual power overflowed from the strings.

Lu Xueqi's eyes were filled with wonder and admiration. Her heartbeat quickened as she watched Chen Qiye, completely absorbed in his performance. Although Zhang Xiaofan didn't understand music, the passionate music made his blood boil, as if he were on a battlefield. Zeng Shushu's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, as he immersed himself in the heavenly music.

The melody became increasingly high-pitched, like the shouts of soldiers charging, with an indomitable momentum. Passersby outside the restaurant also stopped, attracted by the heart-stirring music. A few martial artists even danced to the rhythm unconsciously, as if they were fighting with the thousands of troops in the music.

When the song ended, the lingering sound lingered in the air for a long time. The restaurant was first silent, then erupted into deafening cheers and applause.

"Your song is so murderous." A woman at the next table said in a crisp voice.

Chen Qiye glanced up and saw eight people sitting at the next large table: six men in yellow and two women. One of the women wore a long black dress, covered by a black veil, revealing only a hint of white skin. The other, dressed in emerald green, was about the same age as Chen Qiye and the other three. She was very beautiful, with a pair of bright, lively eyes that rivaled Lu Xueqi's.

Seeing the newcomers, Chen Qiye was slightly startled. Combining their characteristics, he quickly recognized them, but he didn't say anything. "This piece of music is called 'Breaking the Formation Music'. It's meant to depict the scenes of fighting and charging into battle. It's normal for it to have a strong murderous aura."

The girl in the green dress nodded, turned around to look at the woman with the veil on her face, and then sat back down.

Chen Qiye withdrew his gaze and continued to dine with the three of them. Soon, the four of them were satisfied with their meal and wine and returned to their residence.

Chen Qiye said to everyone at the gate of Xiyuan: "Early tomorrow morning, we will set off for Kongsang Mountain."

Zhang Xiaofan and Zeng Shushu responded and followed each other back to their room. In contrast, Lu Xueqi followed Chen Qiye somewhat awkwardly. She now had reason to suspect that Chen Qiye did it on purpose.

(End of this chapter)