A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Seeing the two of them, Su Fan decided to stop hiding it.

He muttered to himself, "Let me, the elder, teach you younger generation a lesson."

"I believe that the so-called 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' should be divided into three parts. The first part is a lament performed at the funeral of a respected elder. It is not the body that is being sent off, but the soul. It is played for the living to let them know that the elder has gone to a good place."

Su Fan held up two fingers and said, "This second part is the beginning of the celebratory version. The version you arranged uses a suona to simulate bird calls, with all the birds singing together, creating a lively and extraordinary atmosphere. This is the phoenix's rebirth, with all the birds paying homage. The tone is joyful, enthusiastically joyful, and extravagantly joyful. When this kind of celebratory tune is used for a child's full moon or first birthday, with all the birds coming to congratulate them, it signifies that the child will be successful and blessed in the future. It's not just ordinary joy, but joy filled with blessings."

Qu Feiming's eyes lit up.

He had been compiling "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" for decades, and had never explained its purpose so clearly before.

Su Fan continued, "The third part is still a joyous tune, but it's different from the second part. The second part is 'A Hundred Birds Paying Homage,' which is inward-facing, a gathering, an embracing gesture. The third part is 'The Phoenix Soars to the Sky,' with a hundred birds seeing it off, which is outward-facing, a scattering, a farewell to a departing guest. The joy in this part isn't a boisterous celebration, but a joy carrying blessings and expectations. It's often used in weddings, for sending off and welcoming the bride. The bride's journey from her parents' home to her husband's home doesn't mean she'll never see him again, but rather that she's starting a new life. So the tune should be festive, but not overly so; there needs to be a touch of wistfulness in it."

Qu Feiming remained silent for a long time after listening.

He spent half his life dismantling, reorganizing, and teaching "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," but he never distinguished the three realms of this piece so clearly.

Ascension, rebirth, flight.

Sorrow is a farewell.

Joy is welcoming.

Another kind of joy is letting go.

Qu Feiming stood up, took a step back, and bowed respectfully to Su Fan.

This time, it had nothing to do with seniority within the Taoist sect, nor with who was whose senior uncle; he was willingly and completely convinced by Su Fan's insights.

Su Fan also stood up and reached out to support Qu Feiming's arm: "Old Qu, what are you doing? Sit down and let's talk."

Qu Feiming straightened up, his eyes a little red.

He grasped Su Fan's hand, his voice slightly hoarse: "Junior Uncle, I've spent my whole life compiling 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,' and only today have I truly understood it."

Su Fan said, "You are too modest. Without your compilation of the happy tune version as a foundation, I wouldn't be able to play the sad tune version either. We can see further by standing on the shoulders of our predecessors."

……

Su Fan then opened up, explaining the complete plot and three levels of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix".

Qu Feiming and Liu Mingxuan sat opposite each other, barely saying a word except for nodding.

Liu Mingxuan didn't get a chance to speak.

He looked at his master, then at Su Fan, his mind in turmoil.

He remembered that he had mentioned earlier that he could give Su Fan an opportunity to study at a music academy.

Thinking about it now, he felt incredibly embarrassed.

Putting everything else aside, I need to study Su Fan's insights for a while.

Should we give them the opportunity to pursue further education?

Bullshit!

Liu Mingxuan felt that giving Su Fan a lecturer position would be more than enough.

At the end of the conversation, Qu Feiming said, "Junior Uncle, I'll organize the third part you mentioned, 'Phoenix Soaring to the Sky,' which is used for sending off and welcoming the bride, when I get back."

Su Fan said, "Mr. Qu, if you think it's good, you can edit it, and you can still use your name as the signature."

Qu Feiming shook his head: "No, it must be your name, Junior Uncle."

Su Fan explained, "I have seniority in the Taoist sect, but not in the music industry. If you compile it, people will believe it. If I compile it, people will say I'm a self-taught amateur. This isn't modesty; it's the truth. This will save a lot of trouble."

Qu Feiming thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do: I'll compile it and sign it with both of our names, then no one will be able to say anything."

Su Fan did not object to the proposal.

Before they knew it, the group had been chatting for most of the day.

Su Fan glanced at the time and said, "It's getting late, I'm about to leave."

Qu Feiming and Liu Mingxuan were both reluctant to part with him.

They also wanted to hear Su Fan impart his knowledge.

Su Fan added, "Before we leave, let's take a picture and post it on Weibo."

Qu Feiming asked, "How should the caption be written?"

Su Fan said, "Don't say anything about our relationship. Let everyone guess. That way, no one will dare to make trouble for me in the future."

After taking the photos, Su Fan left.

He booked a flight to Jiangxi Province.

The matter in Northeast China is now settled; it's time to head to Longhu Mountain.

The next day, before boarding the plane, Su Fan opened Weibo and posted the group photo.

In the photo, the three people are standing together, with Su Fan in the middle and Qu Feiming and Liu Mingxuan on the left and right respectively.

The caption simply read, "A chance encounter in Harbin."

At almost the same time, Qu Feiming also posted the same group photo.

However, his caption included an additional paragraph and a link.

"We have discovered another version of 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,' and we welcome everyone to listen."

The link contained the third part of "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," a piece he had painstakingly compiled overnight: "The Phoenix Soars to the Sky."

Netizens were instantly outraged when they saw the photos.

"Su Fan has finally become an apprentice! Has Master Qu publicly accepted disciples?"

"Master Qu personally posted the group photo. With this kind of prestige, Su Fan can now walk with impunity in the folk music circle!"

"No wonder Su Fan plays the suona so well; it turns out Master Qu was giving him pointers behind the scenes!"

"Master and apprentice in the same frame, this is a sign of passing on knowledge and skills!"

……

Filled with surprise and curiosity, everyone clicked on the link posted by Qu Feiming.

The sound of the suona rang out, different from the mournful version played by Su Fan, and also different from the cheerful version played by Qu Feiming.

This version is festive yet tinged with a sense of reluctance, and warm yet subtly conveying a feeling of farewell.

One netizen commented after listening: "This song sounds like a daughter getting married. I'm happy, but my eyes are a little wet."

One person astutely observed: "This isn't just any ordinary celebratory tune; it's a tune played to send off a bride. It's warm and festive, yet tinged with sadness at parting—absolutely brilliant!"

After listening to the piece, everyone noticed that the composer's name was listed as Su Fan and Qu Feiming.

Ordinary people probably think that Su Fan became an apprentice, and that Elder Qu was mentoring the younger generation by adding his name to the list.

But people in the industry don't see it that way. In the list of composers, Su Fan's name comes first, followed by Qu Feiming's.

This order usually means that the former contributed more to the piece.

Therefore, people in the industry immediately thought that Qu Feiming had gotten the order wrong.

As a result, several friends who knew Qu Feiming well called him directly to ask, "Mr. Qu, did you get the order wrong?"

Qu Feiming's reply consisted of only three words: "Not backwards."

Nobody understands what's going on.

Qu Feiming's seniority and experience are what they are, how could he possibly let a young man be ranked ahead of him?

After much thought, he finally came up with an explanation for himself: "Elder Qu is promoting his closed-door disciple by deliberately putting Su Fan's name first to pave the way for him and build his reputation."

Thinking about it that way, it makes sense.

As a result, people in the industry forwarded the story on their WeChat Moments, adding captions such as "Master Qu's mentorship of younger generations is a well-known story."

Only Qu Feiming and Liu Mingxuan knew that the order wasn't about promotion at all; Su Fan was simply supposed to be ranked first.

If we're talking about mentoring, it was Su Fan who mentored them.