Chapter 454: Little Sister Cai Shiqin, Xia Hong in the Library Tower

In the 297th year of Cai Qiu, the eighth day of the tenth month, daytime

In the western guest courtyard of the Governor’s Mansion, Linchu County City

The biting cold wind whipped the trees in the courtyard, making them sway back and forth

The icy light shone mercilessly down; frost continuously condensed on the roof and outer walls, forming thick layers of ice film

A row of icicles hung from the eaves—though not as exaggerated as the ten-meter ice fields beyond the city walls, they still stretched over a meter; irregularly swirling snowflakes in midair seemed to whisper of restlessness and unease

Fortunately, every room in the guest courtyard had coal stoves burning, their warm, hazy air currents melting most snowflakes before they touched the ground; combined with the servants’ constant cleaning, no significant snow accumulated

“Cheng… cheng… cheng… cheng…”

From deep within the purple bamboo grove behind the courtyard, a clear, melodious guqin tune suddenly rang out

The music alternated between vast and distant like distant mountains, cold and ethereal like celestial tones, and long and tender like human speech—captivating, exquisitely beautiful, and possessing a subtle magic that gradually calmed the turbulent snowflakes above the courtyard, silencing their wild whirls until they drifted gently downward

Dozens of servants in coarse hemp tunics, who had been sweeping the courtyard, had long stopped their work, eyes closed, utterly absorbed in the music, faces filled with rapture and delight—even as a line of maids entered the courtyard with food boxes and walked toward the bamboo grove, they remained oblivious

“Giggling… giggling… these fools are spellbound by the music again.”

“This piece is ‘Chu Feng’ from Cangcang, right?”

“Correct. The Lady of the County rarely plays this—this must be Su’s playing.”

“Su has only been learning for about a month, yet she’s already mastered it! Most people take half a year just to learn one piece!”

“Of course she does—when Su arrived at the mansion over three months ago, her self-composed ‘Teacher’s Grace’ stunned everyone; even the eldest heir praised her as a natural musical prodigy—her learning speed is naturally faster than ordinary people.”

“Yes, yes, I remember now—she can even compose her own qin pieces; learning others’ pieces must be effortless for her.”

………………

As the maids whispered among themselves, they followed the music along a green stone path, winding through twists and turns until they reached the heart of the bamboo grove—a delicate five-corner pavilion draped in warm-hued gauze curtains, suddenly coming into view

On the pavilion, two young maidens, both sixteen, sat facing each other

A light breeze stirred the curtains, revealing two exquisitely beautiful faces that instantly dimmed the pavilion and the quiet bamboo grove around them

The left maiden wore a sky-blue cloud-silk dress adorned with gold thread; her long black hair was pinned back with two exquisitely crafted phoenix-and-lovebird silver hairpins; on her forehead rested a silver ornament engraved with a chi pattern—upon closer inspection, it was made of hundreds of tiny, scale-sized shimmering pieces that glowed brilliantly under the cold light

Around her neck hung a milky-white jade ring; two emerald jade pendants dangled from her waist; though every detail radiated nobility, her brow held no trace of arrogance—her beautiful eyes were as calm and gentle as autumn water, and a soft smile lingered on her lips as she quietly watched the white-dressed maiden playing the qin

The right maiden’s white dress was also of brocade fabric, its hem fluttering like flowing clouds in the wind; faint silver thread embroidered creeping lotus patterns along the sleeves glimmered only when sunlight passed over them, as if moonlight flowed across the fabric; her black hair was loosely tied with a single white jade hairpin, revealing a fair, radiant face

Around her neck hung a warm golden jade ring; two pale moon-white jade pendants hung from her waist—her aura lacked the former’s opulence but carried a unique elegance and serenity

Before her lay a five-string ancient qin, two meters long; its five strings emitted golden, blue, green, red, and yellow spiritual light respectively—and as her slender, ivory fingers lightly brushed them, the five-colored lights spread slowly outward in harmony with the enchanting melody, profoundly mysterious

“Cheng…”

As the final note faded, the maiden spread her fingers gently across the strings, waited for the sound to vanish, then lifted her gaze to the green-clad maiden, her eyes filled with anticipation

“Incredible, Xing’er—you’ve learned too fast! You’re already playing ‘Chu Feng’ as well as I do!”

Hearing the green-clad maiden’s praise, Su Xing’er’s beautiful eyes instantly curved into crescents; she couldn’t help grinning proudly: “Thanks to Master Shi Qin’s superb teaching—I could never have learned this so quickly without you!”

Cai Shiqin shook her head with a gentle smile; seeing the maids with food boxes waiting outside the pavilion, she said: “You’ve played long enough—you must be hungry. Today I had the kitchen prepare some special dishes—come try them with me and tell me how they taste.”

Their bond was clearly close; before Su Xing’er could respond, Cai Shiqin rose and pulled her up, walking straight toward the main hall of the guest courtyard, waving to the maids to follow and set up the feast

Su Xing’er knew Cai Shiqin’s nature and would not refuse; she waved her hand, retracting the Five-Color Demon Melody Qin into her body, and followed her toward the main hall—glancing back at the snow drifting endlessly above the bamboo grove, a flicker of memory rose in her eyes

Unconsciously, she had lived in the Governor’s Mansion for nearly four months

On the twentieth of the fourth month, she and her three brothers, under their master Hong Yu, departed from Qinghuacheng; they traveled slowly, pausing often, taking over a month, finally arriving on the seventh day of the sixth month at Linchu County City, the largest city in western Cai Qiu

Previously, because of Hu Tiejiang, she had told her three brothers that Master Hong Yu intended to train them to oppose Cai Qiu—back then, it had still been speculation; but during this month-long journey from Qinghuacheng to Linchu County City, Su Xing’er could now be certain: Hong Yu’s goal was exactly that

Because along the way, Hong Yu repeatedly took them to visit slave-villages, deliberately letting them witness the hardships of the lower classes; coupled with his frequent questions about their views on the Six-Tier Registration System, his guiding intent was unmistakable—not just to Su Xing’er, but even her three brothers, Su Jing, could see it clearly

Of course, even if they saw it, they felt no resistance; even without considering Hong Yu’s great kindness to them, they despised the Six-Tier Registration System just as deeply—for their parents had died because of registration

But these thoughts, for now, could only be buried deep within

As their master had said, toppling a system that had operated for centuries and taken root in people’s hearts was no simple task—even for him, it was immensely difficult, let alone for the four siblings

“Improving your strength is most important. To challenge this system, you at least need to reach the Xianyang level—only then do you have any chance at all.”

Recalling Hong Yu’s words on the journey, Su Xing’er’s expression grew solemn; she pushed aside these idle thoughts and continued recalling the events after their arrival in Linchu County City

Given their experience in Qinghuacheng, she had expected to be unimpressed upon entering Linchu County City—but in truth, on the seventh day of the sixth month, when they entered the city, she and her three brothers were profoundly shaken

The Linchu County City authorities clearly knew they were coming

On the day they arrived, as soon as they verified their identities at the city gate—before even entering—the city guard respectfully escorted them directly to the Governor’s Mansion; Cai Yunlan, the eldest heir and son of Governor Cai Qiuyang, personally led over a hundred household members out to greet them

Such a high-level reception once again reshaped Su Xing’er’s understanding of Master Hong Yu’s power—only then did she fully grasp just how immense his claim had been: “There is no one in Qinghuacheng who can threaten me”

Just as when they entered Qinghuacheng earlier that year, on the night they arrived in Linchu County City, Hong Yu was invited to a banquet—this time, however, the four siblings were also invited

After the banquet, the Governor’s Mansion directly assigned them to this guest courtyard; since then, Hong Yu had settled them all within the mansion

Hong Yu occasionally went out, though no one knew what he did—but the Governor’s Mansion’s treatment of the four siblings steadily improved; more than thirty maids were assigned, and over a hundred retainers, all of them at the Cold-Resisting cultivation level

Especially last month, on the twentieth of September, the eldest heir sent them a new golden registration document—directly upgrading all four of their registration tiers to the highest rank in Cai Qiu: the Worldly Registration

This was why she now wore this attire, matching the rank of the current Lady of the County, Cai Shiqin

If she were still the ignorant little girl from Changqing Valley, she would have laughed herself awake in her dreams at becoming a Worldly Registration member

But now, after nearly a year of being immersed in Hong Yu’s influence, and understanding clearly what Hong Yu needed her to do, Su Xing’er had long lost all awe for this so-called registration document

She knew well: whether noble or worldly, her and her siblings’ status was entirely due to Master Hong Yu’s influence—it had nothing to do with them personally. Only by improving their strength and helping Hong Yu as soon as possible, repaying his kindness, was their most urgent task

Living in the county city for nearly four months, Su Xing’er had never slackened her cultivation—when they left Qinghuacheng on the twentieth of the fourth month, her base strength was just over nine Zong; now it was sixteen Zong—a seven-Zong increase in five months, proving her diligence

Her diligence was so extreme that even Hong Yu had grown concerned; last month he specifically advised her to slow her pace, to leave the guest courtyard and socialize with peers in the Governor’s Mansion

Su Xing’er naturally obeyed Hong Yu’s orders without question

The young Lady Cai Shiqin before her was someone she had met just last month

It was pure coincidence: Su Xing’er had been learning the qin for only five months total—her journey began with an idle hum during the journey in May

One day, bored on the road, she recalled the Mo’ao song Hu Tiejiang had sung during their journey into Qinghuacheng; her three brothers were all silent types, and Master Hong Yu never chatted with them—so, desperate for distraction, she began singing

Unexpectedly, her singing caught Hong Yu’s attention

Having grown up in the remote Changqing Valley, Su Xing’er had never imagined she would ever touch a qin—in fact, when Hong Yu first brought out the Five-Color Ancient Qin, she didn’t even know it was a musical instrument

But once she touched it, everything changed—especially after Hong Yu briefly explained the five tones of Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu; she gained divine insight, mastering the qin’s five tones in less than a day

What followed was even more astonishing

Though she had mastered the five-tone technique, she had no sheet music and could not play any complete pieces—she could only improvise, composing randomly