Chapter Twenty-Four: The Celestial Chimes Zither
The entire room was enveloped in silence.
After a long pause, Tianchan was the first to speak. “Sir, don’t go too far. We may be gravely wounded, but we are not lambs awaiting slaughter.”
Yang Wenhao smiled faintly. “Too far? Since you say so, perhaps I’ll push further.”
He rose slowly, stepping before Tianchan and Dique. With a flash of light in his hand, a sword suddenly appeared, astonishing the hatchet gang members nearby. Yang Wenhao pressed the blade to Tianchan’s throat.
“Hand over your martial techniques, and you may live.”
His voice was saturated with murderous intent. He never believed that the pair ranked second on the assassin list were good men; thus, he acted without hesitation.
“You—” Dique, though blind, could not conceal the fury burning within him.
Just as Dique was about to strike, Tianchan stopped him.
Tianchan’s heavy voice sounded. “So, if we give you the martial techniques, that’s all you want?”
Yang Wenhao replied, “Of course. A gentleman’s word is his bond.”
“Give it to him,” Tianchan turned to Dique.
Dique remained silent for a moment. As an assassin, he sensed the killing intent emanating from Yang Wenhao. He was certain that refusal meant certain death.
Once he obtained the martial techniques, Yang Wenhao’s lips curled into a smile.
“Gentlemen, you have outlived your usefulness.” Yang Wenhao’s tone was calm. “Allow me to send you both to the underworld.”
At his words, Tianchan and Dique burned with rage. “You break your word; you are no gentleman.”
Yang Wenhao smiled coolly. “I never claimed to be a gentleman. Besides, your hands are stained with blood. I’m simply ridding the world of evil; there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“You—”
Two brilliant silver sword arcs flashed, and Tianchan and Dique fell, their throats cut.
“Congratulations, host. You have slain Tianchan and Dique, ranked second on the assassin list. You receive an extra bounty of three hundred points.”
Yang Wenhao sheathed his sword, took the martial techniques, and walked away, instructing the Second Boss to tidy up the battlefield before leaving.
The Second Boss had witnessed Yang Wenhao’s manipulations firsthand, and couldn’t help but feel uneasy. To promise and then break it—such behavior was truly that of a scoundrel.
A proverb echoed in the Second Boss’s mind: “To serve a lord is to serve a tiger.”
Yang Wenhao, of course, knew nothing of the Second Boss’s thoughts. He had already returned to his own room.
Upon obtaining the Six Styles of Guzheng and the Dragon Claw Filigree Technique, Yang Wenhao felt a subtle surge of happiness.
“Fusion requires two hundred points. Proceed to payment?”
“Fuse.”
System fusion came with an automatic learning feature, meaning all techniques previously fused were already mastered by Yang Wenhao.
Having learned the Six Styles of Guzheng and the Dragon Claw Filigree Technique, Yang Wenhao began to wonder if he should commission someone to craft a zither.
But realizing the power he required far surpassed that of any ordinary zither, he turned his thoughts to the system shop.
Speaking of zithers, Yang Wenhao had already settled on pursuing a legendary instrument.
After searching, he indeed found the one he sought: the Fuxi Zither.
“Fuxi Zither, ancient divine artifact. Fuxi saw the phoenix gather upon the paulownia tree and crafted a zither in its likeness. Possesses the power to command the hearts of all beings. Price: 1,000,000,000 points.”
An ancient artifact of unimaginable power, but seeing the price, Yang Wenhao was instantly deflated.
He checked the zeros—nine in total. Nine hundred million points, and he thought a thousand points made him wealthy.
Now he saw himself as nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.
The Fuxi Zither was beyond reach—poverty barred the way.
He had to look elsewhere, but with so many options, Yang Wenhao was overwhelmed. The good ones were too expensive; the cheap ones were worthless.
“System, do you have any recommendations?”
Generally, the system’s recommendations fit him perfectly, so he asked directly.
“Recommend ‘Nine Skies Jade Pendant Zither’. Modeled after the Fuxi Zither, crafted with paulownia wood for the top and fir for the base. Paired with a skilled musician, it offers unexpected benefits. Price: eight hundred points.”
“Hm… Fuxi Zither…” Yang Wenhao considered for a moment before deciding to purchase it.
“Purchase ‘Nine Skies Jade Pendant Zither’?”
“Buy.”
“Eight hundred points deducted. Host now has ninety-seven points remaining.”
He had been comfortably well-off, but now he was nearly broke.
Nevertheless, he had acquired some fine items.
After purchasing the Nine Skies Jade Pendant Zither, Yang Wenhao eagerly retrieved it from his item space.
It was the first time in his life he’d seen a real zither, and he was a bit excited.
The moment he saw the Nine Skies Jade Pendant Zither, Yang Wenhao was utterly dazzled.
Even someone like him, who knew little of music, was awestruck by the instrument’s beauty; one could imagine how extraordinary the zither truly was.
“Now that I’ve mastered the Six Styles of Guzheng, it’s time to test their power.” Yang Wenhao extended his hands, slender fingers gently caressing the seven strings.
“Ding… zheng… beng…”
As Yang Wenhao’s long fingers began to play, the quiet room filled with the sound of the zither.
The music, instead of disturbing the peace, seemed to enhance the sense of tranquility within the room.
But the next moment, the tune shifted; gone was the serenity, replaced by an aura of slaughter.
A zither’s music is gentle in times of peace, fierce in times of war.
The melodies could soothe, or they could kill.
“Whoosh, whoosh…”
Several notes, played by Yang Wenhao, transformed into shadows slicing through the air.
Yet the room was empty—where were his enemies?
“Crash…”
A sound like shattering glass rang out.
On the far side of the room, the ornamental vase was now in pieces, fragments of porcelain scattered across the floor.
He ceased playing; the music stopped. Yang Wenhao was very satisfied with the zither.
Playing the instrument was a kind of cultivation, a way to soothe and refine oneself.
“Boss! Boss!”
The Second Boss’s voice came suddenly from outside.
Yang Wenhao put away the zither. “Come in.”
The door opened, and the Second Boss appeared.
He saw the shattered vase but dared not ask.
Yang Wenhao looked at him and asked, “What is it?”
The Second Boss hurriedly replied, “A Xing has brought back the Fiery Cloud Demon God.”
“Oh?” A smile crept onto Yang Wenhao’s face. The Fiery Cloud Demon God had arrived—things were about to get interesting.