Qiao Qiu couldn't help but chuckle, "Bring me the whip. You can hurt me however you want, young master will grant your wish."

"Young master, please save your poor subordinate! You don't want to lose such a capable subordinate so inexplicably, do you?" Liu Yibu almost burst into tears.

Qiao Qiu laughed and scolded, "Your skin is so thick that even an arrow couldn't pierce it. Fine, then bring the zither from the wall."

"Yes, sir, I'll go right away." Liu Yibu beamed, jumped up, and turned to get the zither.

The zither table was rearranged, and the incense burner was lit again, but the flowers were no longer placed in front of the window.

The people huddled together below became excited when they saw wisps of smoke rising from the windowsill. They all covered their mouths, afraid of disturbing the person above.

As soon as the first note of the zither sounded, even those who hadn't seen any blue smoke automatically fell silent.

The only sound echoing along the entire street was this zither music.

Qiao Qiu loved the carefree and unrestrained feeling of the martial arts world. Although she was born as a man after transmigrating to this world, she lived a freer life than in her previous lives.

Because she did everything she wanted to do, no one could force her to do anything, no one.

So Qiao Qiu played "A Laughter in the Vast Sea" again, and compared to her first life after obtaining the ring, she felt even more dashing.

As the song ended, Qiao Qiu felt a surge of pride.

The listener couldn't help but ask loudly, "Young Master Shen, did you compose this piece?"

Upon hearing this, the others also looked curiously towards the windowsill.

Qiao Qiu stood up, looked at the person who had asked the question, and said, "This piece was not composed by me."

After listening to the music for so many days, this was the first time they heard the voice of the pianist. It was even more beautiful than they had imagined, and many people looked at Qiao Qiu with starry eyes.

"May I ask, sir, who is the composer?"

Qiao Qiu was slightly taken aback. She hadn't really paid attention to who the composer was, so she could only reply, "This person is a close friend of mine. He doesn't want anyone to know about him, and I don't want anyone to disturb his peace either. Please forgive me for not being able to tell you."

"I see. May I ask, Young Master Shen, what is the name of this piece?"

"This piece is called 'A Laughter in the Vast Sea'."

"Thank you for informing me, young master."

"You're welcome," Qiao Qiu replied, then turned and went into the inner room, disappearing from everyone's sight.

"Young Master Shen has an exceptional temperament. I heard that his full name is Shen Junbai, and he is the richest man in Xiangzhou. He doesn't seem like a businessman at all."

"Both can play the zither and do business, but compared to Young Master Shen, our Master Wei is truly..."

"Don't you want to stay in this business? You dare to talk badly about Master Wei on his turf?"

Liu stepped closer to the window, looked down at the crowded people below, and said with a smile, "Greetings, everyone. My young master is tired and will not be playing the zither for the time being. He sent me to inform you so that you won't have to wait any longer."

Someone asked, "Young Master Liu, when will your son resume playing the zither?"

Liu Yibu smiled politely and said, "My young master is no ordinary person. It is already quite an achievement that he has played the zither for several days. If you want to play again, I'm afraid it won't be so easy."

"By the way, my young master plans to open several shops in Baicao City. We would appreciate everyone's support." Liu Yibu's eyes darted around, not forgetting to promote the business at this time.

"Okay, I'll definitely go!"

"On behalf of the young master, I would like to thank everyone in advance."

Opening a shop would generate plenty of buzz.

Qiao Qiu stopped playing the zither, but the news that she was going to open a shop in Baicao City spread like wildfire throughout Xiangzhou City. Everyone was talking about it, and it had even become one of the topics of conversation during their leisure time.

For this, Qiao Qiu praised Liu Yibu for once, and Liu Yibu was so happy that he almost flew away, walking with a gust of wind.

Some were happy, some were sad, but the saddest of all was Wei Chao, the richest man in Baicao City.

He knew that if things continued like this, not only would Shen Junbai not open a flower shop, but even if he opened other shops, Wei Chao knew that they would sell very well for some time to come.

As a businessman, Wei Chao keenly recognized the benefits brought by the celebrity effect.

However, he realized it too late; compared to Shen Junbai, his piano skills were merely the difference between knowing and being proficient.

Wei Chao never imagined that one day, a child who hadn't even grown a full head of hair would compare him to someone else.

He admitted defeat; he truly accepted his loss.

Before things could be salvaged, he quickly sent someone to invite Qiao Qiu.

However, Qiao Qiu couldn't find him at this time.

When Wei Chao received the news, he was a little confused, but after thinking about it, he understood. He had publicly embarrassed Shen Junbai, so it was understandable that the other party was a little upset.

To show his sincerity, he went to the inn to find Qiao Qiu in person.

He tried to be friendly, but all he got in return was two firm words from Qiao Qiu—"No!"

Wei Chao was furious and stormed off.

This time, he went to the prefect and offered a large sum of money to have Qiao Qiu expelled from Baicao City.

Little did he know that the prefect had already been secretly bribed by Qiao Qiu through a barrage of gifts.

The key point is that Qiao Qiu is more generous than Wei Chao, always spending either large sums of money or priceless treasures.

Furthermore, Qiao Qiu is a royal merchant who is currently favored by the emperor. Why would the prefect go to such a popular person for someone who failed to be selected?

That being said, the prefect was also a cunning man. He took advantage of his fear of trouble and refused Wei Chao's offer.

Wei Chao returned with a large sum of money, so angry that he looked up to the sky and sighed, then his vision went black and he fainted.

Less than a day later, Qiao Qiu heard the news that Wei Chao was bedridden. She sat by the window and pondered for a while, then stood up, went to the cabinet, took out the Boya Qin (a type of zither), and handed it to Liu Yibu.

Liu Yibu asked, puzzled, "Young Master, what are you doing?"

"Take the Boya Qin to Wei Chao and tell him that if he has figured things out, he should come to me. If he can't figure it out, then don't blame me." Qiao Qiu stood by the window, her hands behind her back, with a purple moon flower in full bloom beside her.

"Yes." Liu Yibu's expression became more serious. He picked up his zither, turned around, and left.

Qiao Qiu placed one hand on the windowsill, the vermilion windowsill contrasting sharply with her fair and slender hand.

She didn't want to truly oppose Wei Chao, but she was even more unwilling to harm the Emperor's dignity. The Emperor had been kind to her, and she couldn't leave it unreturned.

Fearing that Wei Chao might break it again, Liu Yibu specially wrapped it in a zither case before going to see Wei Chao.

This time, he negotiated with the butler, exchanging benefits and threats in his words, and successfully scared the butler into going inside to convey his message.

Wei Chao finally met him.

When Liu stepped inside, he saw Wei Chao lying on the bed. In the two days since he last saw him, Wei Chao had lost a lot of weight, but his eyes were still sharp.

Liu Yibu placed the zither on the table and solemnly conveyed Qiao Qiu's instructions to Wei Chao.

To ensure his master's efforts weren't wasted, Liu Yibu specifically mentioned the name of the zither to him before leaving. (For the latest chapters, please visit Tangkexing---Mobile Address:)

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