A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Faced with Liu Mingxuan's surprise, Su Fan nodded noncommittally.

Liu Mingxuan's mouth was still open, unable to close.

Finally, as if realizing something, he exclaimed in surprise, "You're my master's junior uncle, so wouldn't that mean you're my grand-uncle?!"

Su Fan smiled but didn't say anything.

At this moment, Qu Feiming had fully realized what was happening.

He stood there, his expression shifting from shock to bewilderment, from bewilderment to embarrassment, and from embarrassment to a complex, indescribable feeling.

He still wants to take on apprentices?

What kind of apprentices do you take on?

The young man in front of him was a generation older than him.

The Taoist school emphasizes this the most, so he can't deny it.

Longhu Mountain saved him from disaster back then, and he has always remembered this favor and held Longhu Mountain in awe.

Qu Feiming straightened his collar, took a half step back, and bowed respectfully to Su Fan: "Disciple Qu Feiming greets Junior Uncle."

Liu Mingxuan stood to the side, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly before finally bowing in greeting.

Su Fan watched as these two people, whose combined age was over a hundred, bowed to him, and he also felt that this was a bit absurd.

Su Fan coughed lightly and said, "Elder Qu, please don't be so polite. Let's address each other as we are. I'll call you Elder Qu, and you can just call me Xiao Fan."

Qu Feiming quickly waved his hand, his tone very firm: "No, no, the seniority cannot be confused."

Su Fan said, "Mr. Qu, please listen to me first. If the outside world finds out about our identities, some people will start to have ulterior motives. Let's not test people's nature. It's best to avoid trouble as much as possible."

Qu Feiming straightened his back and raised his voice a few decibels: "Let's see who dares! I haven't been wasting my years of hard work."

Su Fan thought to himself, "Why is this old man so out of control?"

While thinking that way, he said aloud, "You can't guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days. It's better to avoid trouble. Besides, we're not afraid of trouble, but we don't cause trouble either, and we can't give others a chance."

Qu Feiming was silent for a few seconds, then realized that what he said made sense.

His impetuousness just now was purely due to his own head. Now that he's calmed down, he realizes that his connections and influence might not be of much use in the face of real trouble.

He nodded and sighed, "Since Junior Uncle has said so, then let's do as Junior Uncle says."

Su Fan said, "Then it's settled. From now on, we'll each discuss our own points, including Professor Liu."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Liu Mingxuan.

Liu Mingxuan nodded quickly and respectfully, "I will listen to my grandmaster."

Su Fan felt somewhat awkward upon hearing the words "Grandmaster Uncle".

But he didn't correct him further, and instead changed the subject: "By the way, Mr. Qu, what brings you to Northeast China this time?"

Actually, Su Fanzhen didn't mean to show off or embarrass Qu Feiming; he simply wanted to ask about the purpose of Qu Feiming's trip.

Qu Feiming was a little embarrassed and said vaguely, "I...I wanted to learn about the Kaoshan Tune, a musical form."

Su Fan said "Oh," put down his teacup, and naturally began to talk about Kaoshan Tune: "Kaoshan Tune starts with a high pitch and ends smoothly. In Northeastern dialect, it's called 'high start, light finish.' It mainly uses the Zheng and Shang modes, with a melodic line that rises and falls dramatically, which suits the bold character of Northeasterners. However, Kaoshan Tune has also changed in recent years. Some newly adapted Errenzhuan plays combine it with slow and fast tempos, making the rhythm more flexible. If you want to study it, the old artists in the three northeastern provinces have a lot of materials, but you'll need someone to take you to dig them out."

Qu Feiming's eyes widened in astonishment upon hearing this.

He has studied folk music all his life, and naturally he also understands Kaoshan tune.

But Su Fan's few words summarized the core characteristics of the Kaoshan Diao more accurately than the papers he had written over the years.

Qu Feiming couldn't help but ask, "Junior Uncle, you said the ending of the Kaoshan tune is steady, but when I listen to some old recordings, the ending sometimes rises. What's going on?"

Su Fan said, "That's a regional difference. The accent of Liaoning Province is harder, and the ending of the sentence is crisp. The accent of Heilongjiang Province is softer, and the ending of the sentence sometimes has an upward-rising tone, like a question. This is related to the dialect. The ending of the Heilongjiang accent is inherently higher than that of Liaoning Province. The version you heard with the upward-rising tone most likely came from Heilongjiang Province."

Qu Feiming then asked, "How are the two singing styles, 'Shan' and 'Rang,' handled in the musical notation?"

Su Fan said, "It's hard to remember. 'Shān' means to give up the strong beat and move the main beat back a little. The score says it's the main beat, but when you sing it, it's back. 'Rāng' is even more subtle. It means to make a very short pause on a certain note and then quickly glide to the next note. These two techniques can't be passed down from the score. They can only be passed down orally. To put it another way, the soul of Kaoshan tune isn't in the score, but in the breath of the singer."

……

Next, Qu Feiming asked many professional questions.

Su Fan's answers were all spot on.

Furthermore, every answer was very constructive.

This left Qu Feiming feeling somewhat dazed. He felt that what Su Fan said was more professional than any expert in this field.

This time, Qu Feiming was completely convinced.

He originally thought Su Fan was just talented, able to write good songs and play good tunes.

But now it seems that this is more than just good talent.

Su Fan's theoretical foundation in ethnic music is more solid than anyone he knows.

If Qu Feiming's respect for Su Fan just now was due to seniority within the Daoist sect...

Now, he is truly convinced.

Meanwhile, Liu Mingxuan, who was standing to the side, had already picked up a pen and paper and started taking notes.

After discussing the "Backing Mountain Tune," Qu Feiming took a moment to process the conversation before suddenly changing the subject, his tone more serious than before: "Junior Uncle, what are your thoughts on the piece 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix'?"

Su Fan thought for a moment and said, "The piece 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' is, in essence, about the word 'transformation.' It doesn't mean death, but transformation. The joyful and sorrowful versions are essentially the same; they are both expressions of the hundred birds' feelings for the phoenix. The difference lies in the state of the phoenix."

Qu Feiming leaned forward slightly, listening attentively.

Liu Mingxuan stood there with his mouth agape, completely at a loss for words.

This made him feel somewhat ashamed of his status as a music professor.

Su Fan continued, "The mournful version I played was about a phoenix ascending to heaven, with all birds mourning and all things grieving. The tone was mournful, but not despairing. Why can't it be despairing? Because the phoenix didn't die, it just left. So the long note at the beginning should be desolate, but not hopeless. The listener should feel that the big bird has just flown away to a higher place."

At this moment, Liu Mingxuan felt a sense of unreality.

He asked himself, "Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?"

Goodness, they've even come up with the three ultimate questions.