*

Aside from that one customer, there weren't any other customers that morning. Nan Qing, however, thought it was quite nice. She brought out her rocking chair from the Nebula Realm and placed it in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass shop window. The shop's location was excellent; the morning sun shone directly on this spot, and with her sunglasses on, it felt warm and cozy—extremely comfortable. Besides, she was sunbathing with the air conditioning on, so it wasn't hot at all.

Xiao Ba also lay on her lap, its little thorns all spread out. Except for the fact that it was missing a pair of sunglasses, its blissful expression was exactly like Nan Qing's.

"Ring ring..."

Just as the man and the beast were enjoying themselves, the copper bell on the door rang softly, the shop door was pushed open, and Nan Qing lazily opened one eye and looked towards the entrance.

The woman who entered was a young woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six, dressed in an elegant suit, with her well-maintained black hair flowing down her back, and carrying an expensive handbag.

"Hello, do you have a guqin in your shop?"

Upon seeing the sweet and pretty young woman, Nan Qing put on a warm smile, got up from the rocking chair, and her light green skirt swayed gently with her steps.

"There are two left, come and take a look."

She led them to the counter where the guqin were displayed, placed the two guqins in the glass cabinet behind her on the counter, and lifted the first piece of satin cloth embroidered with green bamboo. A Zhongni-style guqin came into view. The body of the guqin was about three feet six inches long, with smooth and beautiful lines. The lacquer was warm and jade-like, and after years of polishing, it showed natural crackle patterns like flowing water.

Nanqing's fingertips lightly traced the flowing water patterns on the zither's surface, and she spoke softly:

"This is a Song Dynasty style Luoxia (Sunset Glow) string, with cedar wood for the head and silkworm silk for the strings, producing a clear and resonant tone."

Then another piece of dark blue silk cloth was lifted, revealing a Fuxi-style guqin. The body of the guqin was jet black and shiny, and the tail of the guqin was intricately carved with a phoenix pattern with outstretched wings.

"This is a Tang Dynasty guqin, made from the heartwood of a century-old paulownia tree. The strings are also made of high-quality silk and wrapped with gold thread, giving it a full and rich tone."

"Whether for collection or personal use, these two guqin are excellent."

Both guqin were beautiful, and the woman seemed inclined to touch them, but stopped gracefully just before she could. She looked up at Nan Qing, her eyes filled with expectation, and softly asked:

"May I try out the sound?"

Nan Qing had always been fond of pretty little beauties. She smiled, revealing two small dimples on her round, soft face, and gestured for her to enter.

"Zheng—"

The clear and melodious sound of the guqin echoed in the store, with a lingering resonance. Those who understand the guqin can hear from its mellow tone that it is not only well-preserved, but also contains the spiritual essence accumulated over the years.

The woman's fingers danced over the two instruments, her eyes revealing a tender yet hesitant expression.

"Both of these instruments are so good, I'm having trouble choosing between them."

She looked up at Nan Qing and said softly, "Does the boss have any suggestions? I was planning to give the zither to my grandmother as an 80th birthday gift."

Nan Qing leaned against the counter, her gaze sweeping over the two zithers before she pointed to the Tang-style zither, "Qingluan".

"Although the Song zither is elegant, its tone is rather cold. If it is to be given to the grandmother at home, then this 'Qingluan' zither would be more suitable."

As she spoke, she reached out and plucked the strings, and deep overtones immediately emerged, with a mellow tone and a long, warm aftertaste.

The woman also raised her hand to touch the phoenix pattern on the zither, and smiled:

"Qingluan...a good name."

"Legend has it that when the blue phoenix appears, the world will be at peace. Listening to this zither music really reminds me of the nursery rhymes my grandmother used to lull me to sleep."

"Thank you. I'll take this instrument then. Please wrap it up for me."

After the woman left, the shop became quiet again. Smelling the faint sandalwood fragrance emanating from the incense burner, Nanqing suddenly had the urge to play the zither.

She placed the little guqin, which was jumping around on the guqin, on her shoulder, and walked to the tea table with the Zhongni-style guqin in her arms. She placed the guqin on the table, picked up the little guqin again, and put it aside.

She murmured, "It's been so long since I've played..."

With a gentle caress of her fingertips, her right hand "wipes" and "picks," while her left hand "chants" and "nudges," a melody of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" slowly flows from her fingertips.

At first, the sound of the zither was clear and cold, like the murmuring of a spring in a secluded valley. Then it became melodious and gentle, like the echoing of a stream. The seven strings seemed to come alive under her fingers, vividly depicting the majestic mountains and flowing water, and telling the story of Bo Ya meeting his soulmate.

As the melody deepened, Nanqing's expression became increasingly intoxicated. She would lean forward at times and sway at others, the jade beaded necklace around her neck swaying gently with her movements.

The sound of the zither drifted out, and even passersby outside the shop couldn't help but stop and gaze through the glass windows at the figure playing the zither inside.

Among that group of people, one person stood out from the crowd.

He was dressed in an ancient-style black robe with dragon patterns, wearing a twelve-tassel crown, his face was like a piece of cold jade, and his eyebrows and eyes were as deep as ink. Like everyone else, he stared intently at the figure in the shop.

Two stylishly dressed girls approached, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Hey bro, which character are you cosplaying? The emperor? That's so cool!!"

One of them immediately pulled out his phone, eagerly asking, "Can I take a picture with you?"

Qin Mobei frowned, his eyes dark, and he remained silent.

After leaving the imperial tomb, he realized that this world was no longer the Eastern Lin Dynasty. Pedestrians dressed strangely, spoke and acted frivolously, and people even surrounded him, pointing and saying things he couldn't understand.

For example, right now.

The girl holding the phone, seeing that he didn't speak, smiled and reached out to tug at his sleeve: "Just one photo, you look so cool in that outfit~~"

Qin Mobei frowned, took two steps back, and gave the two men a cold glance.

--presumptuous!

The Empress is right there, yet these two women dare to get so close. Are they trying to prevent him from sleeping in the palace tonight?

His eyes darkened, and his voice turned icy: "Step back!"

The two girls trembled at his imperial aura, but in the blink of an eye, their expressions became even more excited than before:

"Wow~~ So fierce, so cool, even the rejection is so awesome!!"

Qin Mobei frowned, his five fingers clenched tightly in his sleeve. Seeing the two women's frenzied state, he flicked his sleeve and walked towards "Baogu Zhai".

The woman inside must be his empress. If she saw him walking so close to another woman, how could he explain himself...?