The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

Granny Feng did not sit down immediately. Her cloudy eyes, which seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, scanned Jiang Xuan back and forth like invisible probes.

From his overly calm face, to his seemingly relaxed yet powerful posture, and then to his hands resting on the stone table with their distinct knuckles—those hands that had just ruthlessly crippled the cultivation of a noble son of a powerful family in the capital.

This silent scrutiny carried a strong sense of vigilance and inquiry, as if it wanted to see through Jiang Xuan inside and out.

Jiang Xuan naturally noticed it.

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, thinking that the old woman was making a mountain out of a molehill and being overly nervous.

If he really wanted to harm Liu Qingyan, he wouldn't have acted that way in the hall just now.

He picked up the cup of tea that Liu Qingyan had just poured for him on the stone table, took a sip, and felt the warm tea go down his throat with a faint aftertaste, which calmed the turmoil caused by the revelation of his identity.

"It was just a bit of a surprise," Jiang Xuan put down his teacup, looked up at the elegant and refined young man in blue across from him, and his tone returned to its usual calm.

"I have long heard of Master Liu's name; it is renowned far and wide. She is the top art master in the empire, with unparalleled elegance. I never expected that such a legendary figure would appear before me so suddenly."

He spoke frankly, without any deliberate flattery or humility, simply stating a fact, his eyes still clear.

Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Liu Qingyan's usually cold face, like the first melting of ice and snow.

She did indeed appreciate Jiang Xuan's attitude.

In her past experiences, whether before or after knowing her identity, the way men looked at her was either undisguised admiration, suppressed fervent possessiveness, or approaching her with ulterior motives.

It is truly rare for someone like Jiang Xuan to maintain such clarity and calmness in his eyes after learning her identity, even with a hint of "So it was you" in his understanding, without any other distracting thoughts.

This gave her a rare sense of comfort.

"It's just an empty reputation."

Liu Qingyan's voice was like a clear spring flowing, with a touch of ethereal beauty.

“Young master, there’s no need to worry. On the contrary, Qingyan would like to thank you again for your guidance in Yanxia City that day. Otherwise, Qingyan might still be searching in vain in the city.”

She changed the subject, her eyes, which held the galaxy of stars, looking at Jiang Xuan with a hint of anticipation and barely perceptible nervousness.

"Since you knew of the name of the ancient Xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) back then, you must have some knowledge of it. I wonder... if your master, Xun Master, had the confidence to repair this instrument?"

This is the question she cares about most right now, as it is crucial to her pursuit of the path of music.

Jiang Xuan did not answer immediately. He tapped his fingers lightly twice on the cool bluestone tabletop, making a soft tapping sound.

"When it comes to restoring ancient artifacts, especially rare objects like the ancient musical ocarina, no one dares to make a definitive judgment without seeing it with their own eyes and hearing its broken sounds."

His voice was calm and professional.

"I need to take a look at it first."

A hint of understanding flashed in Liu Qingyan's eyes, without the slightest displeasure.

She nodded slightly, extended her fair and jade-like hand, and took out a wooden box about a foot long from her wide sleeves.

The wooden box has a deep, understated dark purple color. Its surface is devoid of any ornate patterns, only a smooth patina that has accumulated over time, exuding an ancient and rustic aura.

The edge of the box lid is inlaid with a fine ring of silver-gray metal, which seems to be some kind of special material that isolates spiritual energy.

Liu Qingyan's movements were gentle and solemn, as if she were holding not a musical instrument, but a rare treasure.

She placed the wooden box in the center of the stone table, her fingers lightly brushing over a few inconspicuous points on the edge of the lid.

"Click."

A very faint click of a mechanism.

The dark purple lid slowly popped open.

An indescribable, timeless aura, seemingly imbued with the sedimentation of millennia, accompanied by a peculiar, deep rhythm like the pulse of the earth, instantly spread and enveloped the entire courtyard. Even the tinkling sound of the spring water seemed to fade under this aura.

The box was lined with soft, deep purple velvet. On the velvet lay a musical instrument.

Its shape resembles a full teardrop, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, exuding a warm and jade-like texture, yet even more profound than jade. The color is not monochromatic, but rather like flowing rosy light, with subtle halos of golden red, indigo, and azure against a deep, dark purple base, as if sealing within a frozen, ancient twilight.

The surface of the musical instrument is covered with naturally formed, mysterious patterns that resemble the trails of stars, giving it an ancient and mysterious feel.

The entire xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) exudes an indescribable sense of weight and vicissitude, as if it has witnessed countless years of change and the transformation of heaven and earth.

However, this perfection contains an undeniable flaw.

Near the top of the xun, there is a tiny, almost imperceptible crack that disrupts the overall smoothness and adds an irreparable stiffness to its lingering quality.

The moment Jiang Xuan saw it, his heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand!

Ancient music and spiritual sound!

Really it!

This familiar outline, etched into his very bones, this unique halo, this ancient and timeless aura… it is exactly the same as the instrument that Mr. Lu used to gently caress and play with deep affection in the sunset and moonlight countless times in the depths of his memory!
Countless childhood memories flooded my mind instantly.

Beside the fence of the small courtyard, Mr. Lu sat cross-legged, holding an ancient xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) to his lips, playing an ancient melody that seemed to communicate with heaven and earth and soothe the soul.

The melody sometimes flows like a mountain stream, sometimes drifts like a lone plume of smoke in the desert, containing endless longing and desolation.

Whenever Mr. Lu played this piece, a complex light would always flicker in his cloudy eyes, a light that Jiang Xuan could not fully comprehend at the time.

He told Jiang Xuan that this piece of music was the last trace his mother left him…

"Young Master Jiang Xuan?"

Liu Qingyan's gentle call was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, pulling Jiang Xuan back from the surging waves of memories.

Jiang Xuan snapped back to reality, only to realize that he had been lost in thought without realizing it. His gaze was fixed on the ancient musical instrument, and his fingers were slightly raised, as if he wanted to touch it, but they remained suspended in mid-air.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, and his gaze returned to clarity. However, deep in his eyes, there was still a trace of lingering reminiscence and... an indescribable complexity.

"Sorry, I lost my temper."

Jiang Xuan's voice had a slightly hoarse quality that was barely perceptible.

Liu Qingyan didn't care; instead, her clear eyes held a hint of knowing pity.

She saw the intense emotion that surged in Jiang Xuan's eyes in that instant. It was not a simple surprise or admiration, but a deep-seated familiarity and...nostalgia.

she asked softly.

"Young master seems to be... reminiscing about someone upon seeing this object?"

Jiang Xuan remained silent for a moment, neither denying it nor giving a direct answer, but simply nodding slowly.

"Hmm. This thing reminds me of an old friend, and some... old stories."

He didn't elaborate, but the heavy emotion he conveyed was clearly evident.

Granny Feng watched from the side, a hint of surprise flashing in her murky eyes.

She took Liu Qingyan almost all over the empire, visiting countless renowned spirit pattern masters and weapon crafting masters, including many highly skilled and experienced old monsters.

When people saw the ancient Xun, they either coveted it greedily, marveled at its materials and craftsmanship, or were helpless in the face of its incompleteness, shaking their heads and sighing.

No one has ever expressed such a profound, complex, and seemingly blood-related emotional resonance with this ancient artifact as Jiang Xuan.

This caused the high wall that she had built in her heart because of Jiang Xuan's ruthless methods to loosen slightly.

Jiang Xuan composed himself and focused his attention back entirely on the ancient Xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) before him.

He extended his finger, his movements extremely gentle, as if afraid of disturbing a spirit that had been sleeping for thousands of years, and carefully took it out of the box.

It feels warm and slightly heavy to the touch, with a strange sense of intimacy.

He closed his eyes, held his breath, and focused his mind to the extreme.

Then, with his fingertips, he tapped the nine holes of different shapes, sizes, and depths on the ancient Xun in turn, with a specific rhythm and extremely slight force.

“Om… Ee… Ooh… Hum… Ho… Ta… Ah… Yin…”

Nine distinct musical notes, each containing the rhythm of the universe's origin, drifted out of the hole like nine fine yet incredibly clear threads.

Some sounds are like the clear, melodious clang of metal and stone; some are like the deep, resonant murmur of the earth; some are like the wind passing through a secluded valley, ethereal and far-reaching… The nine tones flow and intertwine, creating an ancient and mysterious artistic conception.

When one of the holes was struck, what should have been a clear and resonant sound turned into an extremely brief, muffled thud, as if abruptly cut off, which was then replaced by a sluggish, discordant noise.

Liu Qingyan and Granny Feng held their breath almost simultaneously!
As they watched Jiang Xuan close his eyes and concentrate, his fingers striking the strings with precision, and felt the nine clear, flowing ancient sounds that abruptly stopped at crucial points, their shock was beyond measure! This was no simple appreciation, but the work of a true expert who had a thorough understanding of the structure and musical principles of the ancient Xun!

After striking the instrument, Jiang Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his deep gaze falling on the tiny crack on the xun's body, his fingers gently tracing the damaged area.

"The ancient musical scale has nine tones, corresponding to the nine palaces of heaven and earth, and encompassing the birth and death of all things."

Jiang Xuan's voice was deep and clear, carrying a certainty of insight into the essence of things.

"What this xun is missing is not the ordinary broken tone hole, but the most core and ethereal 'empty' tone among the nine tones."

"'Void' sound?"

Liu Qingyan couldn't help but repeat it softly, her eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

"good."

Jiang Xuan nodded.

"Nine tones are."

Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, Yu, Bian Gong, Bian Zhi, Qing Jiao, Xu.

Although the first eight notes may vary, they still follow certain patterns, such as corresponding to mountains and rivers, the five elements, or the four seasons.

Only this ninth note, 'Void,' is formless, intangible, without appearance or abiding. It represents a kind of 'emptiness,' a kind of 'nothingness,' a state of primordial chaos before the creation of heaven and earth and before the birth of all things. It is also the core soul of music, connecting heaven and earth and pointing directly to the Great Dao of the Divine Soul!

He pointed to the crack in the xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument).

"This crack, though seemingly minor, actually damaged the key spiritual rune node that carries and activates the 'illusory' sound. Ordinary repairs can only restore its form, not its spirit. Forcibly repairing it will only cause the first eight sounds to lose their spirituality and become utterly mortal."

Liu Qingyan listened intently, a faint blush rising on her usually cool face due to her excitement.

Every word Jiang Xuan uttered precisely revealed the core secret of the Ancient Law Spirit Ocarina, and also revealed the real problem that she had been unable to solve despite visiting famous teachers for many years!
The anticipation in her eyes was almost tangible starlight, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Young master... is there... any way to repair it?"

Granny Feng also stared intently at Jiang Xuan, her cloudy eyes filled with solemnity and a glimmer of renewed hope.

This was the first time they had truly seen a glimmer of hope for restoring this divine artifact!

Jiang Xuan pondered for a moment, his fingers unconsciously stroking the smooth surface of the ancient Xun, feeling the stiffness emanating from the damaged parts.

After a while, he slowly spoke.

"Repair is not impossible."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyan's eyes instantly shone brightly, as if the entire courtyard had brightened up because of her.

“However,” Jiang Xuan’s tone changed, becoming unusually serious.

"Repairing the 'Void' sound node is not something that can be done in a day. It requires special spiritual materials, combined with unique secret methods, to draw upon the purest 'ethereal energy' in the world, and to nurture, repair, and re-engrave the incomplete spiritual pattern bit by bit."

The effort and time invested are immeasurable. The slightest misstep could render all previous work futile, and the instrument utterly destroyed.

"Time is not an issue!"

Liu Qingyan responded almost immediately, her voice resolute and her clear eyes filled with determination.

"As long as it can be repaired, Qingyan is willing to wait no matter how long it takes! If any materials are needed, Qingyan will do everything in her power to find them!"

Grandma Wind spoke up at the right moment, her hoarse voice carrying a urging tone and a hint of barely perceptible urgency.

"Young man, name your terms! If it's within my power, this old woman will agree on behalf of the young lady!"

She knew full well that the cost of repairing such a divine object would be enormous, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, any price would be worth paying.

Jiang Xuan's gaze swept across Granny Feng and Liu Qingyan's faces, finally settling on Granny Feng, and he spoke calmly.

"I will discuss the conditions with you, Granny Feng, later."

He deliberately emphasized "discussing it separately".

Upon hearing this, the heavy weight that had been hanging over Granny Feng's heart finally lifted with a thud!
What she feared most was that Jiang Xuan would make exorbitant demands or propose conditions that were unacceptable to Liu Qingyan herself.

Since he is willing to talk privately, it means that things are still under control and at least there is room for negotiation.

For the first time, a genuine look of relief appeared on her wrinkled face as she looked at Jiang Xuan. Though faint, it was there nonetheless.

"Good! Good!"

When Liu Qingyan heard that Jiang Xuan had agreed to repair it and that the conditions were negotiable, a bright and pure smile, like the sun shining on a snow-capped mountain after a rain, bloomed on her face.

That smile instantly dispelled all her aloofness and coldness, making her breathtakingly beautiful.

Even with Jiang Xuan's resolute will, he couldn't help but be taken aback. (End of Chapter)