The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 473 Attack again
The three of them then took their seats. Yang Yao'er sat in the main seat, Zhao Ti sat at the side table, and opposite them was the zither stand, with Yang Qingqi sitting behind the zither.

After careful consideration, Zhao Ti asked, "Miss Yao'er, may the food be served now?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yao'er blushed and glanced at Yang Qingqi, saying, "Brother Zhao, are you hungry already?"

Yang Qingqi looked surprised upon hearing this, and then glanced at Yang Yao'er with a half-smile in her eyes.

Yang Yao'er's face flushed even more, and she said in a very low voice, "Brother Zhao, Yao'er is my nickname. I only use that name with my parents or close female friends..."

Zhao Ti was immediately embarrassed upon hearing this. A woman's given name is her maiden name, which can only be used by family members and is not allowed to be known by outsiders. In particular, among outsiders, only the husband can call her by her given name. But since she is already the husband, she is also family.

“Yao…Miss Yang, please don’t misunderstand…” Zhao Ti hurriedly explained, “I only called you by your name because Miss Yang and…Miss Qingqi share the same surname and it was difficult to distinguish them. Please don’t take offense, Miss Yang.”

"Ah, Miss Qingqi..." Upon hearing this, Yang Yao'er immediately looked at Yang Qingqi, her expression somewhat strange.

Seeing this, Zhao Ti felt a headache coming on and asked again, "This... it's not also a girl's name, is it?"

Yang Yao'er shook her head: "This is not Sister Qi's given name. It's one character different, but it's very close. Sister Qi's given name is Qiqi."

Yang Qingqi blushed immediately after playing the zither and exclaimed, "How can you talk about such private matters, sister? It would be a laughing stock if Young Master Zhao heard it."

"Ah?" Yang Yao'er exclaimed softly, "I forgot, Sister Qi, please don't be offended. Oh, I'm so sorry, Brother Zhao has also learned about your nickname."

Yang Qingqi bit her pink lips lightly, her cheeks burning. Her identity was extraordinary. Her nickname was only used by her parents at home, and even her siblings wouldn't call her that. Outsiders, even her best friends, almost didn't know it. However, Yang Yao'er was an exception, but she never expected that it would be so easily revealed now.

Yang Yao'er's eyes darted around, and she suddenly said, "It is indeed difficult to distinguish between the two Miss Yangs. It would be awkward for Brother Zhao. I think you should just continue to call me Yao'er as you just did. As for Sister Qi... just call her Miss Yang."

“Sister Yao’er, you…” Yang Qingqi’s beautiful eyes flickered, and she hesitated to speak.

Yang Yao'er waved her hand and said in a bold manner, "We are all people of the martial world, there is no need to be so coy. Brother Zhao, you can continue to call me that."

Yang Qingqi looked at her and thought to herself, "That's not what I meant. Your name is a 'small' character, which is not easy to pronounce. My name is not like that. Wouldn't it be better to call me Miss Qingqi and you Miss Yang?"

"This..." Zhao Ti felt something was off, but it would be hard to tell the two of them apart if they didn't address each other that way. Since the other party had brought up the topic of "people of the martial world," he would just call them that. People in the martial world really didn't care much about these etiquette rules. Although he knew that the other party was not a person of the martial world, he could only pretend not to know at the moment.

"Alright, Miss Yao'er, then I will address you that way."

“Brother Zhao, just call me Yao’er. There’s no need to be so polite with all this ‘Miss’ stuff.” Yang Yao’er said happily, “I’ve never called you anything else since I met you, Brother Zhao. In the martial arts world, we address each other as brothers and sisters. Although you are a scholar, since I come from the martial arts world, I might as well follow the local custom.”

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Alright..." Zhao Ti scratched his head and agreed.

"Brother Zhao, are you hungry? There's food being cooked in the kitchen at the back of the boat. I'll have Qinghua and Hongyu bring it over right now," Yang Yao'er said, calling to the two maids behind her to serve the food.

Then she looked at Yang Qingqi and explained, "Sister Qi, I told you before that Brother Zhao is sick and cannot go hungry. If he goes hungry, he will sweat and collapse, which will be life-threatening. Let's eat and chat at the same time."

Yang Qingqi nodded: "I've heard that such a rare disease does exist. I didn't expect that Young Master Zhao would suffer from it. This disease is difficult to treat. Generally, one should carry some rock sugar or candied fruit with them and eat them when the disease occurs to relieve the symptoms. Otherwise, it may lead to a critical situation and sudden death."

Zhao Ti glanced at the two women, muttering to himself, but he could only grit his teeth and admit it, saying, "So that's how it is. The doctor only said that we should eat on time and not be hungry. In that case, we should carry some sugar powder with us when we go out from now on."

At this moment, Qinghua and Hongyu began to serve the dishes, while Yang Yao'er raised some questions about music, which Zhao Ti answered one by one, making Yang Qingqi's eyes light up.

When the food was served, the two women did not eat, but drank some wine. They took turns expressing their different opinions on music theory and stringed instruments such as the qin, xiao, zheng, and dizi. When they had any doubts, they asked Zhao Ti for clarification.

Since Zhao Ti seemed to have an epiphany last time, when he awakened to this path in his mind, he has become almost omniscient and knowledgeable. In particular, his experience is so profound that it is indescribable. He cannot help but suspect that it is the awakening of his own memories. In his previous life, he was a music master who far surpassed all the great musicians, or even a music god.

Yang Qingqi was increasingly shocked as she listened. It would be one thing if the other person had extensive knowledge or common sense about music, but their experience in this field was so profound and masterful that it left her greatly astonished.

These experiences cannot be obtained simply by having high talent. They must be gained through long immersion in music. One must have both talent and a long period of practice. Only with the support of talent and decades of refinement can one truly understand the subtleties. But the other party is just a teenager, about the same age as me. How could he possibly have these things?

Could it be that the other party has a teacher who can be described as a master of music, who has instilled and taught them all these things, and then integrated them into a coherent understanding, so that they can speak fluently and know everything at this moment?

Zhao Ti ignored their surprise and only wanted to finish eating and talking so he could go home quickly. The food at Yang Yao'er's place was excellent; both the ingredients and the cooking methods were top-notch, something he could hardly get at home. Consider it a treat.

Seeing him eating with relish, Yang Qingqi seemed thoughtful. After a moment, she smiled and said, "Young Master Zhao's mastery of music is truly admirable. I admire him greatly and look up to him with awe. I wonder if you could play a piece for me after you finish eating? I heard from my sister Yao'er that you played 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' for her last time. It is a masterpiece that has never been circulated before. I wonder if it was composed by you?"

Zhao Ti glanced at her, but didn't put down his chopsticks. He mumbled, "After I finish eating, I'll go home to study. As for that poem, 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix'... I suppose that's my own work."

Since this piece of music has never been passed down in the world, has never been recorded in history, and no one knows about it, and since I don't remember anything from my previous life, it might really be my own composition. There's no need to deny it at this point, because denying it would not only make me seem hypocritical, but would also raise suspicions.

"Young Master Zhao, it's just playing a piece, it won't take up too much time..." Yang Qingqi said, trying to persuade him when he refused.

"No, no." Zhao Ti shook his head: "The autumn imperial examination is coming soon, and I need to hurry up and study. There are still many classic texts that I haven't fully understood. I really can't waste any time."

"Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao, please play a piece. It's only a quarter of an hour..." Yang Yao'er looked at Zhao Ti, her little face full of pleading. "I already told Sister Qi that you only need to play 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' once. I... I want to hear it too..."

Zhao Ti glanced at Yang Yao'er, sighed inwardly, and thought to himself, "You're such a busybody. What do you mean you want to hear it? You made a promise to them, didn't you? If I don't play now, it'll look like you're bragging, and then I won't be able to explain it to them."

If you hadn't spoken up, and I'm not familiar with Yang Qingqi, I could have simply refused if I couldn't refuse directly. But now that you've spoken, I'm in a bind and have to waste some more time.

Zhao Ti remained expressionless, pondering to himself. He wasn't actually that familiar with Yang Yao'er, but she had covered for him regarding the old servant surnamed Zhu, saving him a lot of trouble. He felt obligated to reciprocate, and couldn't very well refuse her request now, lest she lose face in front of his best friend. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then I'll make a fool of myself by performing a song in a moment."

"That's great, that's great!" Yang Yao'er clapped her hands upon hearing this, her expression beaming with joy and excitement.

Yang Qingqi glanced at her, then at Zhao Ti, raising her beautiful, delicate eyebrows with an expression that seemed to have gained some insight.

"Brother Zhao, are you playing 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix'?" Yang Yao'er asked Zhao Ti again.

"Whether I play this piece or not is fine," Zhao Ti said indifferently. His mind was filled with a vast array of musical pieces, including some comparable to "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix."

"Ah, Brother Zhao..." Yang Yao'er blinked, "Brother Zhao, would you like to play a new piece?"

"Didn't Miss Yao'er just say that she would play Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix again? Why do you want to change to a new piece?" Zhao Ti put down his chopsticks, picked up his fruit drink and took a sip.

"This, this..." Yang Yao'er pursed her lips. Although "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" was excellent, she still wanted to hear a new song if there was one.

“Sister Yao’er, you’ve heard of ‘Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,’ but I haven’t. You told me before how amazing ‘Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’ was, so why are you asking Master Zhao to play something else now?” Yang Qingqi said with a smile.

"Sister Qi, but Brother Zhao said he can play a new piece. Since you haven't heard either of the previous pieces, why don't you listen to the new one first?" Yang Yao'er said hurriedly.

“Sister, you’re going back on your word. Didn’t Young Master Zhao say he wanted to play ‘Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’ again? Why do you want to hear something new?” Yang Qingqi said with a half-smile.

“This…” Yang Yao’er looked at Zhao Ti and said cautiously, “Brother Zhao, how about playing both of them? It won’t add much time…”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti's face darkened immediately. He glanced at Yang Yao'er, whose cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.

“Miss Yao’er, Miss Yang, it’s really not that I’m being stingy with my skills.” Zhao Ti took a breath and gently shook his head, saying, “Studying is truly the most important thing. If it weren’t for the upcoming autumn examinations, I could play eight or ten pieces without any problem. Today, I can only play one. Perhaps after the examinations are over, if you two are still in Yuzhou, I can invite you two ladies to meet up and have a long and enjoyable conversation. The more the better, and I’d even play for a whole day.”

As he spoke, he stood up and walked towards the piano platform across the street, thinking he should finish playing quickly and go home, lest things get complicated and Yang Yao'er, with her clever and mischievous ways, come up with some tricks that he wouldn't be able to refuse, which would be troublesome.

The two women exchanged a glance upon hearing this, and Yang Qingqi said, "That's fine then. I wonder if the young master would like to play 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' or a new piece?"

Zhao Ti then walked to the zither, and seeing Yang Qingqi make way for him, he nodded slightly: "I will play a new piece, which will not be inferior to the previous Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix. After all, neither of you ladies has heard the new piece before, so it is suitable for this moment."

Yang Qingqi glanced at Yang Yao'er with her beautiful eyes and smiled, "Young Master Zhao is indeed on Yao'er's side and listens to what Yao'er says."

Yang Yao'er blushed even more upon hearing this, and stammered, "What are you saying, Sister Qi? It's clearly better to listen to the new song."

Zhao Ti's lips twitched, and he said seriously, "Actually, this new piece has more than Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix. It not only has music but also lyrics, making it more perfect and more captivating than Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix. It's not that I played it this way because of what Miss Yao'er said."

"Are there any lyrics?" Yang Qingqi asked in surprise. "Since ancient times, very few songs have been set to lyrics. The music usually circulates first, and then people write the lyrics. Moreover, a song often has more than one set of lyrics. Famous songs often have several or even a dozen lyrics. I wonder how many lyrics are in the new song that Brother Zhao wants to play?"

Zhao Ti said, "There is only one corresponding musical score for this piece of music."

Yang Qingqi asked in confusion, "Could it also be a work by Brother Zhao, which has not been passed down and is why only one word of it exists? I wonder what the name of this piece is?"

Zhao Ti stroked his chin. He didn't know if the piece he was about to play existed in the world. If not, then it could only be considered as his own composition.

"This piece is called General's Command."

"General's Command?" Yang Qingqi exclaimed in surprise, "I've never heard of this song before. It seems it really was composed by Young Master Zhao, and the lyrics were also written by him, right?"

"Well... I guess so." Zhao Ti nodded, but couldn't help feeling puzzled. Why had no one heard of the music he knew in his previous life? Could it be that his previous life wasn't in the Great Qian Dynasty, but in some distant country, which was why his music wasn't well-known?
He was puzzled, but this was not the time to ponder it. He sat down behind the guqin and began to play.

The song "General's Command" is much shorter than "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," only about half the length, but the whole piece is stirring, passionate, and inspiring.

The lyrics were also bold and heroic, and he recited them as he played:
Facing countless waves with pride

Passion is like the red sunlight

Gallbladders of iron, bones of steel

A heart as vast as a hundred thousand feet, a vision as far as ten thousand miles.

I will work hard...

In an instant, the incredibly uplifting music and chanting emanated from outside the boat, drifting across the surface of the Yujiang River and along its banks.

Yang Qingqi was stunned, her expression filled with shock and disbelief. She clenched her two fair hands together tightly, her slender fingers intertwined, and her legs pressed tightly together, remaining motionless.

Yang Yao'er's blush didn't fade, and she was extremely excited. She even started singing along with Zhao Ti's chanting.

For a moment, the two of them were completely absorbed in it, as if they couldn't extricate themselves.

(End of this chapter)