The fluttering petals carried a delicate fragrance, and everyone wore expressions of intoxication and fascination, completely forgetting where they were. After an unknown amount of time, the flute music stopped abruptly, like the cessation of a sudden rainstorm.
Everyone then came to their senses and was about to offer a compliment when they saw Gu Liyan on the stage raise his hand. The flower petals fluttering in the air moved toward him, dancing in rhythm with his slender hand.
"How... how did they do that?" The girls on the second floor stared blankly at Gu Liyan as she performed.
"Wow! This Gu Liyan is a Qi Transformation Realm expert!" Lan Ying looked at Gu Liyan in shock. "His range is so wide, and his skills are so refined. It seems he is not an ordinary Qi Transformation Realm expert?"
Qingqing looked at Gu Liyan, but felt that the performance was not like that.
Gu Liyan smiled slightly from below the stage and moved his hands quickly. A breeze swept across the entire stage of the Fengchen Restaurant, and then countless purple petals gathered and finally turned into a purple lotus, as if it had come to life, and landed in Gu Liyan's palm.
Gu Liyan tossed it into the air, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the lotus flower. But the next second, the lotus flower suddenly disappeared and fell into darkness.
Where are they?
The crowd gasped in surprise. Just then, the lights came on, and someone pointed at the stage and exclaimed, "Look! He's over there!"
Gu Liyan smiled slightly, and once again took out the jade flute, Chang Shang. Its sound was mournful, like weeping, lamenting, resentful, and yearning...
"What, what is this?"
"Oh my god! I really want to cry!"
"Waaaaah, I suddenly remembered my first love!"
Qingqing stared blankly at Gu Liyan below the stage, her mind replaying her past...
Suddenly, Gu Liyan spoke loudly: "Three feet of white silk and red saffron, a thousand troops and ten thousand horses, the sound of war drums, corpses strewn across the Yellow Springs, demons, ghosts, Buddhas and devils, no one to save them..."
As soon as he finished speaking, only Gu Liyan stood on the stage with his hands behind his back.
"What a 'no one can save demons, ghosts, Buddhas, or monsters!' If I hadn't failed to reach the Qi Transformation Realm, I probably would have been controlled by this voice too." Duan Tianqi squinted at Gu Liyan. "This guy is no simpleton!"
On stage, Gu Liyan smiled slightly and snapped his fingers. The people around him snapped out of their grief and realized that the poignant memories had vanished with the wind.
"Xiao Fang! My Xiao Fang! I will never flirt with other men again!" a middle-aged man said, wiping away tears.
"My dear mother, I miss you so much!" A young man knelt on the ground and wept bitterly.
"Those who accompany us in this mortal world will one day leave us. I hope that everyone can cherish the people in front of them while they are alive!" Gu Liyan said with a smile, "I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself. This tune was written for the Red Dust Wine, and I'm presenting it to you all for this premiere."
Everyone was silent. Duan Tianqi was the first to stand up and speak:
"According to the rules of the Wind and Dust Restaurant, you will be the one to set the price for the first bowl of wine, which is also the price you pay for the first bowl of wine each time you perform as a host. Tell me, how much is your performance worth?"
Gu Liyan was slightly taken aback. He hadn't heard the girl mention it before, but he didn't care. Instead, he held up one finger.
"Ten thousand taels?" Duan Tianqi frowned and asked subconsciously. Hong Ling had originally asked for ten thousand taels, so how could Gu Liyan compare to his Hong Ling?
Gu Liyan smiled and shook his head, "It's only an ounce!"
Are you playing us?
"This mortal wine is not for you to waste!"
Upon hearing Gu Liyan's asking price, everyone became furious, as the Red Dust Wine they were looking forward to always started at a hundred taels.
The murmurs of the crowd reached the second floor, causing the women there to gasp in surprise.
"Didn't anyone tell him that the lowest price is one hundred taels?" Cheng Xi asked, frowning.
"Could this guy be deliberately lowering the price to stay?" Green Embroidery clenched her fist.
"What a cunning fellow!" Huang Xi said angrily.
"Haha, I think he's very clever. This way he can fulfill the bet, right?" Lan Ying looked at Gu Liyan with a smile.
Qingqing stood in the corner, watching Gu Liyan's upturned lips, and thought to herself: No, it's not that simple! He has other ideas!
"Boy, you don't know the rules! This Red Dust Wine is priceless, how come it's worthless to you!" Duan Tianqi said coldly.
"Rules? Rules are made by people, and besides, didn't you just say that I'm the one who sets the price? So I'm the one who sets my rules!" Gu Liyan said arrogantly.
"What? You dare—" Duan Tianqi was about to explode in anger, but then he remembered that Master Weng seemed to have visited his residence, so he suppressed his rage. "Kid, you've got guts!"
Duan Tianqi stared coldly at Gu Liyan. Apart from his father, this was the first time anyone had dared to reason with him.
Gu Liyan's lips curled up slightly. Ignoring Duan Tianqi, she continued, "Although I said the first bowl of this Red Dust Wine would be priced at one tael, I didn't say it couldn't be auctioned!"
"What?"
What is an auction?
Everyone looked puzzled.
"The starting price is one tael, with each bid increasing by at least ten taels, capped at ninety-one taels. The winner will be determined by luck!" Gu Liyan announced with a smile. "The second bowl starts at one hundred taels, capped at nine hundred and ninety-one taels! And so on!"
Everyone then realized:
"I see, now we all have a chance!"
"I can finally compete!"
Upon hearing this, Duan Tianqi burst into laughter, pointed at Gu Liyan, and said:
"Haha, I must say, you are the smartest businessman I have ever met!"
Gu Liyan smiled slightly and said nothing.
Duan Tianqi coldly pointed at Gu Liyan and continued, "I'll offer one ounce for the first bowl of wine! Who dares to bid?"
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