Chapter 106 World Three [20]
Luo Yuezhu didn't want the so-called elder position of the Wulin Alliance. After Jing Ke said those words, the Wulin Alliance also hoped that she would not give it up.
It is true that they are concerned about the Tianyan Sect's mental methods and secret manuals, but this does not mean that they intend to tear their faces with the court and directly go against the court.
So after Luo Yuezhu refused the position of elder and some treatment, the Wulin Alliance was very sensible and converted the promised position of elder into 100,000 taels of silver notes and gave it to Luo Yuezhu. Then they took the half-dead Lin Yusu out of the prison and handed him over to Jing Ke to show their sincerity.
Jing Ke had no good feelings towards this person chosen by the rules. In order to help the Wulin Alliance save some medicinal materials, he used the weapons they provided to end Lin Yusu's life.
After spending half a day to deal with the matter, Jing Ke left Yangzhou with his apprentice as promised, without staying even a night longer.
It took the two of them half a month to walk from Yangzhou to Feng'an City, and the expression on the young apprentice's face gradually relaxed. When they passed by a village with beautiful scenery, he even stayed there for a few days. Before leaving, he helped them hunt a lot of prey in the mountains as a reward.
When they returned to Luo Mansion in Feng'an City after walking and stopping, Xiaomu hugged Luo Yuezhu and burst into tears, praising his young lady for her greatness while crying.
"Miss, Miss, I heard that you are the champion of the martial arts conference! The disciples of the martial arts leader are not your opponents. You are the well-deserved number one in the world!" Xiaomu said excitedly.
"After the news got out, business at the shop improved a lot. The government and many other people sent gifts, and the shop owners outside the city also sent a lot of things."
Xiao Mu said, "I didn't want to accept it at first, but they said it was for you, Miss, to congratulate you on becoming the best in the world. I couldn't refuse, so I kept it."
Luo Yuezhu patted Xiaomu's shoulder and suddenly became mature and steady. "Okay, I get it. Thank you for your hard work these past few years."
"It's not hard, not hard at all. Miss, after you come back this time, will you continue to travel outside? Or will you stay at home?" Xiaomu asked, her tone full of expectation. She wanted to hear a positive answer.
Luo Yuezhu did not answer immediately, but looked at her master.
"You are already the best in the world, and you are already an adult who can make your own decisions." Jing Ke said with a smile.
Whether enemies or annoying things, they have all been dealt with. The Demon Cult will not attack the little disciple, and the Wulin Alliance should not be that stupid.
Unless the emperor is really crazy, the little disciple will definitely have a peaceful and smooth life for the rest of her life. She can do whatever she wants without any restrictions, and no one will be an obstacle to her.
After thinking about this, Jing Ke couldn't help but look at his little disciple with a hint of kindness in his eyes.
This is how it should be. The little apprentice you raise should have a smooth journey, instead of having to go through unnecessary hardships under the deliberate design of rules.
After realizing that her master was indulging her, Luo Yuezhu's eyes changed slightly. She turned to look at Xiaomu and happily agreed.
"Well, we won't leave this year. My master and I will spend the New Year with you at home." Luo Yuezhu said.
"Great! I'll go to the kitchen and prepare a feast!" Xiao Mu raised his lips, his brows etched with unconcealed joy. "Miss, the business has been booming while you've been away. I've checked the quarterly account books several times; they're all in the study."
"Okay, I knew you could do it." Luo Yuezhu said with a smile. She had no intention of checking the account book. She could afford to give him this trust.
-
In order to celebrate his young lady's return home, Xiaomu, as the housekeeper, gave one month's wages to everyone who had been working in the mansion as a reward, so that they could share in the good news.
After the news of Luo Yuezhu's return with her master spread, the government and the wealthy families in Feng'an City immediately sent their invitations. Some invited Luo Yuezhu to a banquet, while others asked to visit her the next day or the day after.
Luo Yuezhu was already able to handle these things skillfully four years ago, let alone now.
After writing a letter back to the magistrate, Luo Yuezhu put the remaining visiting cards aside.
Luo Yuezhu did plan to stay in Feng'an City, but she had no intention of expanding her business. The 100,000 taels of silver she had won at the martial arts conference alone was enough for her and her master to live a very prosperous life for the rest of their lives.
Not to mention that Luo Yuezhu and Jing Ke have low consumption desires, they don't have overly extravagant hobbies, and it's basically impossible for them to spend a lot of money.
After spending more than half a month dealing with trivial matters, Luo Yuezhu suddenly felt like she had nothing to do.
Ever since I won the championship in the martial arts conference, my master no longer supervised my practice every day. Apart from occasional sparring, it seemed that he no longer had any requirements for me.
Does the master feel that I have grown up and therefore no longer controls myself?
After realizing this belatedly, Luo Yuezhu quickly knocked on the door of her master's room and asked the question.
"Hmm? You are already so powerful, do you still need me as your master to follow behind you and urge you to practice sword every day?" Jing Ke raised his eyebrows slightly, and there was a hint of confusion in his dark pupils.
Didn't my little apprentice want to grow from a child into an adult? I just let her go a little and let her experience what it was like to be an adult.
"Master, I feel like I still have a lot of shortcomings..." Luo Yuezhu said, and couldn't help but lowered his head.
She is really a very contradictory person. When her master said that she was a child, she always wanted to prove that she had grown up.
But after her master recognized that she was capable of standing on her own and she felt like an adult, she wanted her master to continue treating her like a child.
"It's okay, you're only fifteen years old. It's normal to have things you don't understand. You can try to find the answers yourself, or you can ask me at any time." Jing Ke couldn't imagine where her little apprentice had suffered such a blow, but this did not prevent her from comforting her.
"Like your master, I am only 25 years old now. I am still a young knight in the martial arts world. Occasionally, I will encounter things that I don't understand." Jing Ke comforted him.
Yes, Master is only 25 years old. He is only two years older than my sister.
Luo Yuezhu looked up at her master, and a certain secret feeling began to emerge, slowly sprouting and growing.
"Master, can you tell me your birthday? I want to celebrate your birthday for you." Luo Yuezhu asked.
She has asked this question many times, but each time her master evaded her, leaving her with no idea of the answer.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I can't remember clearly. It was probably in winter." Jing Ke said.
Jing Ke really had no relevant memories in her mind. Her birth was a small accident. In Jing Ke's memory, she had never received any so-called birthday gifts.
Unlike the previous two worlds, there are no identity cards in this era that record the date of birth and place of birth, so Jing Ke does not know his specific date of birth.
"Winter?" Luo Yuezhu looked thoughtful. It was only July now, and there were still almost three months until winter, which was enough time for her to prepare a gift.
"Okay, don't worry about it. It's not my birthday." Jing Ke patted his apprentice on the shoulder. "Remember, martial arts training requires perseverance. Although your strength is already quite good, you still need to set aside at least one hour every day to practice."
"Yes, Master, I will practice sword every day." Luo Yuezhu responded obediently, but did not give up the idea of preparing a gift for her master.
-
The July sun was still a little hot. Even though both of them could use their inner strength to adjust their physical sensations, they still followed the crowd and stayed in the yard at home to rest in the cool air.
Jing Ke did not impose too many restrictions on her little apprentice's life. With plenty of free time, she began to do other things to pass the time.
Jing Ke had no interest in poetry and songs. She could not understand the emotions contained in some poems no matter what.
In Jing Ke's opinion, being talented but not appreciated, or being a resentful woman in the boudoir all feel like being imprisoned in one's own cage. Why put your hopes on others? You should rely on yourself for everything.
After excluding poetry, Jing Ke accepted the other three things: music, chess, and painting.
Jing Ke was good at painting. She gave her apprentice a hand-painted snow scene as a birthday gift for her twelfth-year-old. So in her spare time, Jing Ke liked to draw the appearance of her apprentice on the drawing paper.
When it comes to playing chess, Jing Ke can also figure it out by himself. By playing against himself, he can quickly study a pile of chess manuals thoroughly.
As for the piano, playing according to the music score is not a difficult task for Jing Ke, as her learning ability has always been excellent.
But music also emphasizes emotions and artistic conception. The same music score may be just soft music in the hands of some people, but it may become heavenly music in the hands of others.
Not everyone can play the piano, but simple appreciation is enough as long as you have ears. It doesn’t matter if you can’t hear other things, as long as you can judge whether it sounds good or not, it is enough.
Luo Yuezhu was one of those people who had a little knowledge of appreciation. After listening to the piano score that his master had learned by himself, Luo Yuezhu frowned and thought for a while.
"Master, you didn't play the wrong tune, but I can't seem to feel the emotions hidden in the sound of the piano..." Luo Yuezhu, who inherited some good qualities from his master, said truthfully.
"Then did you hear where the problem is?" Jing Ke asked. She also felt that there was something wrong with her playing.
Luo Yuezhu shook her head. "I can't hear that Master played anything wrong, but the music seems to have the right emotions. Master, you should be playing a piece of music with a hint of grief and anger, but all I hear is calmness."
To put it simply, this piece should make people feel immersed in the situation and experience sadness and anger from a first-person perspective.
But under Jing Ke's performance, the audience was completely in a third-person perspective, watching a person's grief and anger in a very calm state.
They know that the person is sad, angry, and dissatisfied, but they can only know, but cannot empathize or feel those emotions.
"That means there is no emotion." Jing Ke touched his chin and felt that he should find a professional to ask for advice and learn how to make his piano sound more emotional.
There aren't many outstanding musicians in Feng'an City, and the best ones seem to be in Fengming Tower.
After thinking about this, Jing Ke subconsciously glanced at his little apprentice. Although fifteen years old was already an adult here, it would be better for him not to take his little apprentice to a place like Fengming Tower.
"Yuezhu, I have to go out after dinner. Remember to rest early and don't wait for me to come back." Jing Ke said, and decided to go to Fengming Tower by himself tonight to discuss with the courtesan who was the best at playing the piano.
"Master, are you going out on some business?" Luo Yuezhu looked at her master and asked, "Can you come back before curfew?"
"I'm not sure about that. I plan to find a musician to discuss the art of playing the zither. I may not be back at 10:00 p.m., but I won't be back later than 12:00 p.m." Jing Ke said.
I went there to discuss music theory, not to have fun and stay overnight at Fengming Tower. I should be back before midnight.
"Okay, then Master, please be careful." As a disciple, Luo Yuezhu was not in a position to continue asking questions, and she could not stop her master.
So all Luo Yuezhu could do was to go to bed later, study more about internal skills, and wait obediently at home for her master to come back.
-
As Jing Ke expected, he only needed to come to Fengming Tower, state his purpose, pay the money, and then he could smoothly meet the courtesan who played the most outstanding zither.
But some things are just so unfortunate. After Jing Ke came to Fengming Tower, he found out that this was Fengming Tower’s monthly event.
It is called a grand event, but in fact it just makes a few people who originally only sold their skills and not their bodies sell both their skills and their bodies.
In today's society, places like Fengming Tower are officially permitted to exist, and the law only superficially restricts court officials from appearing in such places.
Jing Ke did not have excessive sympathy, so naturally he had no interest in spending money to redeem a stranger.
After crossing the threshold, Jing Ke's outstanding features and the sword at her side attracted the attention of many people. Some of them recognized Jing Ke as Luo Yuezhu, the world's number one master, and their eyes turned to her with eagerness.
However, the madam didn't seem to recognize Jing Ke. When she heard that she was going to meet the courtesan, she looked embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry, Qiuyue is going to perform on stage today and is preparing now. If you really want to meet Qiuyue, why not stay a little longer and buy Qiuyue's time tonight?"
It was not the first time that the madam had seen a female knight come to Fengming Tower, so she was very natural when talking to Jing Ke, and simply followed the rules and procedures.
"How long will it take?" Jing Ke asked.
"In half an hour, Qiuyue will go on stage to perform. After the performance, it will be time for guests to make their bids." The madam said with a smile.
Madam: "If you want to stay, there are private rooms on the second floor with a nice view."
Jing Ke thought about it and realized that half an hour was not a long time. It was only the end of the You hour and he still had two full hours.
"Okay, please arrange a private room for me." Jing Ke agreed.
Qiuyue's performance was scheduled for half an hour later, but the stage was not idle during this half hour. There were people dancing, playing the piano, and singing Wenwan Jiangnan Community.
At the finale, Jing Ke even saw someone choose sword dance. Judging from the opponent's moves and the flexibility of their movements, the person who performed the finale was a person with internal strength.
His internal strength wasn't very high, but in Feng'an City, if he showed off his skills, he could easily become a guest of honor in a wealthy family.
It seems that Fengming Tower is also a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers are hidden. Maybe there is a big sect behind it as a backer.
-
After hearing that the top courtesan Qiuyue was about to go on stage, Jing Ke perked up a little, picked up the tea and took a sip, waiting for Qiuyue's performance.
Miss Qiuyue's guqin skills are the best in Feng'an City. On such occasions, she would naturally choose the guqin, which she is good at, as the performance piece.
The sound of the piano soon came from the stage, and the originally noisy hall immediately became quiet, and everyone was listening attentively.
Jing Ke was no exception. She closed her eyes and carefully felt the piano sound coming from the stage.
The music played by Miss Qiuyue was not some rare piece of music, but just an ordinary piece of music for courtship and love.
But again, the same music score gives people completely different feelings when played by different people.
After Jing Ke indulged herself in it, the memories that had been buried deep in her heart were forcibly brought out, and she couldn't help but recall some warm moments.
Being together as a couple for a lifetime is a wonderful thing.
If the people around you can understand you and resonate with you spiritually, then you would only envy the mandarin ducks and not the immortals.
After listening to Miss Qiuyue's performance, Jing Ke couldn't help but pay more attention to her, and his desire to discuss music theory with her became more determined.
As expected of Feng'an City's most skilled musician, he truly possesses true skill. Waiting for half an hour was well worth it! I'm sure I'll have a great evening!
After the song ended, it was time for the auction.
Miss Qiuyue's fees as a courtesan were already expensive, and since this was her first time receiving a customer, the madam directly gave her a base price of one hundred taels of silver.
"I'll pay! One hundred and fifty taels!"
"Two hundred taels! Plus a string of pearls!"
"Two hundred and thirty taels! A set of headgear!"
But in just a moment, the original one hundred taels was increased to five hundred taels, and some people added ten taels at a time.
Jing Ke had no shortage of money, but when he thought about spending so much money in exchange for a night, he felt it was too uneconomical and wondered whether he should come back tomorrow.
Theoretically, there will definitely be a big gap between the price tonight and the price tomorrow night. It's only one day, and Jing Ke can afford to wait.
Just when Jing Ke was about to leave early, the sword dancing girl who was supposed to be the finale suddenly stood on the stage and took out ten silver notes of one hundred taels each.
"One thousand taels, that's my offer." The sword dancing girl said with a cold face.
Huh? What's going on? The girl from Fengming Tower wants to buy the first night of Fengming Tower's courtesan out of her own pocket?
Jing Ke's interest was piqued at once, and he was in no hurry to leave. He sat back in his chair and watched the people in the first-floor hall in an uproar.
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