Yuan Qi looked at Bai Fujun calmly, her hesitant expression piquing everyone's interest. Many assumed Yuan Qi couldn't play any instruments and were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Especially the woman from the Feng family, who directly mocked Yuan Qi: "Can't you do anything? All you can do is catch ghosts and tell fortunes? Tch..."
After saying that, she made a very disdainful expression, and everyone present echoed her. Even the woman from the Jiang family's collateral branch agreed with this statement: "You may be very capable, but we don't buy into these superstitious things. You'd better leave there as soon as possible; that's not a place for you."
Yuan Qi wasn't going to tolerate these people. She stood up and retorted with a half-smile, "You people, do you really think that whoever is more talented, better looking, or of higher status can marry the Sixth Young Master?"
Sure enough, the women all adopted indignant expressions, and some even stomped their feet in anger.
Yuan Qi continued to provoke them: "Marriage is all about fate. No matter how good your backgrounds are, you are not destined to be with the Sixth Young Master. There's no use in being jealous here. No matter how much you provoke him or how much you behave, the Sixth Young Master will not marry you. He doesn't even want you as concubines. Do you really think this is a martial arts contest to choose a husband, where the Sixth Young Master will marry whoever wins?"
Everyone was a little embarrassed, feeling ashamed after being scolded by Yuan Qi. Yuan Qi was right; this was not a martial arts contest to find a husband.
Everyone was dejected.
The girl from the Feng family came up with another idea: "Of course we know we can't be the Sixth Young Master's wife in this lifetime, but we just can't accept it. Why is Li Jiaojiao qualified? She has to convince us. And why are you sitting next to the Sixth Young Master? You have to convince us too."
These people were unaware of the troubles Bai Fujun had encountered, and Bai Fujun didn't want others to know about them. Yuan Qi could understand Bai Fujun's feelings.
So, Yuan Qi thought for a moment and said, "It's not that I can't play the zither or the flute, it's just that I only know some special pieces, such as the Demon-Slaying Song, the Heart-Cleansing Mantra, and some melodies that can be turned into offensive moves with high destructive power. Would you like to try them?"
Everyone looked at each other in disbelief. Then the girl from the Feng family said, "I don't believe that a tune can hurt people. Try playing a tune yourself."
Yuan Qi muttered under his breath, "They really won't shed a tear until they see the coffin. I'll show you what they've got."
Just as Yuan Qi was about to bend down and take out a xiao (vertical flute) from his cloth bag, a maidservant came out from the crowd carrying a jiaowei qin (a type of zither) and placed it on the qin table that had been prepared beforehand.
The girl from the Feng family even said provocatively, "Please."
She snorted defiantly, "Don't think I don't know. You set up a stall on Tianshui Street every day. If you have such skills, do you even need to set up a stall?"
Bai Fujun saw the zither and tugged at Yuan Qi's sleeve, asking, "Will it work?"
Yuan Qi patted his hand: "Don't worry, this is nothing to me."
When the crowd saw Yuan Qi touch Bai Fujun's hand, another uproar ensued.
Yuan Qi walked to the table and sat down. With a gentle pluck of his right hand, a light and melodious zither tune rang out. It was beautiful to hear, but the experience was not pleasant. They felt a gust of wind hit their faces and their eardrums hurt. Some of the weaker ones even had a buzzing sound in their ears.
The light and melodious tune lingers for a long time.
Many people experienced tinnitus and instinctively covered their ears.
Yuan Qi asked, "So, do you want to hear more?"
We all looked at each other, feeling a little guilty but unwilling to give up.
The legitimate daughter of the Jiang family's collateral branch said indignantly, "What's this? Let's try again."
Yuan Qi said calmly, "You are not demons or monsters, so how can I use exorcism spells on you? Here's what I'll do: you are too hot-tempered and too jealous, so I'll play a 'Heart-Cleansing Mantra' to calm you down."
Yuan Qi channeled his spiritual power to his fingertips and plucked the strings of the zither. A deep and melodious sound rang out. Although the noisy environment made it difficult to hear such a loud zither music, strangely enough, everyone could hear it.
As everyone's minds gradually calmed down, the room also quieted down, and their restless hearts were soothed, allowing their minds to slowly settle down.
Jealousy, resentment, anger, and injustice gradually dissipated, and everyone's eyes softened as they listened attentively to the music.
Even Bai Fujun's state of mind changed. The slight irritation in his heart disappeared, and he calmly looked at Li Jiaojiao beside him and smiled slightly.
After the song ended, everyone seemed to have forgotten about picking a fight with Li Jiaojiao, and they became more amiable when talking to those around them.
Bai Fujun said, "Everyone, please start eating."
During the meal, Bai Fujun took good care of Li Jiaojiao, occasionally picking food for her. Others couldn't help but feel envious, but their jealousy had lessened considerably compared to before, and no one provoked Li Jiaojiao anymore.
Yuan Qi glanced at Bai Fujun inadvertently and found that he looked like he was about to die, and that he would not live past today.
She looked at Bai Fujun with slight surprise. Could it be that someone was trying to assassinate him?
Bai Fujun also noticed Yuan Qi's strange gaze: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You're probably going to die," Yuan Qi said in a low, serious voice.
Bai Fujun saw that she wasn't joking: "I'm perfectly fine. The physician just checked my pulse yesterday."
"So someone wants to kill you. Do you have any plans after you finish eating?" Yuan Qi didn't want to see Bai Fujun die either.
Such a handsome person, what a pity to die? Yuan Qi casually grabbed his arm to check his pulse, and he was indeed in good health. Hmm, then someone had tried to assassinate him.
Bai Fujun nodded: "Let's go boating on the lake with Li Jiaojiao and admire the lotus flowers."
"I suspect someone wants to kill you. Don't go. Just go home. I'll take you." Yuan Qi let go of Bai Fujun's hand. She knew Bai Fujun's birth date and time and calculated with her fingers. Sure enough, Bai Fujun was destined for bloodshed and death.
Bai Fujun trusted Yuan Qi completely: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
He then summoned a servant who was not far away and whispered a few instructions to him.
The servant left with a serious expression; Yuan Qi guessed he was going back to reassign guards.
"Try to stay home as much as possible these next few days, and if you do go out, bring extra guards. I don't know who you've offended, but you look very deathly. But don't worry, I'm here, you'll be fine."
When the banquet ended, the noble ladies refused to leave, so Bai Fujun had to take Li Jiaojiao away first, see her off to her car, and send several guards to escort her.
Yuan Qi boarded Bai Fujun's carriage and noticed that the Bai family had many guards, and there were quite a few experts accompanying them today, so Bai Fujun should be alright.
The carriage was traveling at a leisurely pace when suddenly it was struck by something, and the carriage shook violently.
Bai Fujun's face was cold: "Could it be that they're going to make a move in the street?"
The Bai family guards immediately surrounded the carriage, and the next second, people leaped down from the rooftops on both sides of the street.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
