Villain: Fairy, please offer your loyalty

Gu Fan was in a very good mood after leaving Chang Le Palace.

It felt as satisfying as making the owner of a buffet cry from the sheer amount of food they ate.

He Lian's ripe figure was still lingering in his mind.

The shift from resistance to submission, and finally to active pleading, reveals that while the Han Dynasty imperial family was incompetent, they certainly had a knack for cultivating women.

"Tongzi, locate the Cai residence."

Gu Fan straightened his collar and took out a pair of sunglasses from his system space and put them on.

Now that we've finished the greasy braised pork, it's time to try some light and refreshing tofu with scallions.

……

The Cai residence is located in the east of Luoyang, a quiet oasis amidst the bustling city.

There is no extravagance of the Grand Tutor's Mansion here, nor the oppressive atmosphere of the Imperial Palace; instead, there is a pervasive, slightly pretentious, scholarly air about it.

Hidden in bamboo groves, the air is filled with the fragrance of ink.

Gu Fan's Nine Dragon Carriage was too ostentatious, so he stopped outside the city. He had come over with Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju.

As soon as they arrived at the door, they saw that old man Cai Yong craning his neck to look outside, just like a gatekeeper.

Upon seeing Gu Fan, Cai Yong's old face beamed with joy, and he rushed over, lifting the hem of his scholar's robe.

"Oh my! Immortal Master! You've finally arrived!"

Pfft!

Without saying a word, Cai Yong bowed deeply, his movements so practiced they were almost heartbreaking.

"Last night, I respectfully read the 'Three Hundred Tang Poems' bestowed upon me by the Immortal Master. When I came to the line 'The roc rises with the wind in a single day, soaring ninety thousand miles high,' I felt a chill run down my spine! That is the Great Dao! This bow of mine is on behalf of all scholars in the world!"

Gu Fan's lips twitched.

This old man is seriously poisoned.

"Alright, Lao Cai, stop with this feudal superstition." Gu Fan offered a helping hand. "I'm here for artistic exchange, not to be worshipped."

"Yes, yes, yes! Art exchange!"

Cai Yong excitedly scrambled to his feet, turned around, and shouted into the room, "Wenji! What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and come out to pay your respects to the Immortal Master!"

The curtain was lifted.

A graceful figure slowly walked out.

Gu Fan raised an eyebrow.

Is this Cai Wenji?

They're definitely got something special.

If Zhen Mi is not the white rose blooming in the night, then the one before us is the orchid growing on the edge of a cliff.

She wore a plain white silk dress without any fancy decorations, except for a blue ribbon tied around her waist, which outlined her slender waist as if it would break at any moment.

Holding an ancient-looking jiaowei qin in her hands, her face was unadorned, revealing a sickly pallor and a coldness that kept people at a distance.

Especially those eyes.

Although his head was lowered, when he occasionally glanced at Gu Fan, there was a hint of...disdain that was hard to detect?

[Ding! System scan initiated!]

Name: Cai Yan (courtesy name Wenji)

[Identity: The First Talented Woman of the Han Dynasty]

[Appearance Rating: 94 (Cool and artistic vibe, with an innate intellectual aura)]

[Current Status: Vigilant, Disdainful, Unconvinced]

[Inner monologue: Hmph, so this is the so-called immortal master? This is the villain who forced the Empress Dowager? He reeks of money; that poetry collection must have been stolen from some reclusive scholar! A crude brute!]

Yo?

Is he still an angry young man?

Gu Fan was amused.

He liked this kind of self-important, artsy girl the most.

Because the sound is most crisp when their pride is shattered.

"This humble woman, Cai Yan, greets...Young Master Gu."

Cai Wenji gave a slight curtsy, displaying impeccable manners, but the perfunctory tone in her voice was obvious even to a deaf person.

She didn't even look up at Gu Fan, as if looking at him would dirty her eyes.

Cai Yong was a shrewd old man, and upon hearing his daughter's tone, he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Wenji! How dare you speak to the Immortal Master like that? Speak louder! Show some emotion!"

"Father, my throat is sore today," Cai Wenji replied calmly, then looked up and stared directly at Gu Fan.

That look in his eyes carried a hint of provocation.

"I've heard that you, sir, are exceptionally talented, and that you bestowed upon my father a heavenly book to help him break through his current realm. I, Wenji, am unworthy, having studied music since childhood. I wonder if you... know what 'the heart of the zither' is?"

Gu Fan took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of peach blossom eyes that seemed to be smiling but weren't.

"The heart of the zither? I don't understand."

Gu Fan answered crisply: "All I know is that whether a piece of music is played well or not depends on whether the listener enjoys it. Everything else is nonsense."

"vulgar!"

Cai Wenji cursed inwardly, but a cold smile appeared on her face.

He really is an incompetent spoiled brat.

"Since you don't understand, then I, Wenji, will make a fool of myself."

Cai Wenji walked to the stone table in the courtyard and sat down, setting up the Jiao Wei Qin (a type of zither).

"This piece is called 'High Mountains and Flowing Water,' composed by Boya of the pre-Qin period. It emphasizes the lofty aspirations of towering mountains and flowing water. If one's mind is not broad enough, one may not understand its profound meaning."

After she finished speaking, she gave Gu Fan a special look.

The meaning is obvious: You're a country bumpkin, don't blame me if you don't understand.

Gu Fan wasn't annoyed. He casually pulled over a chair, sat down with an air of authority, and took a cup of milk tea from Mei'er's hand.

"Please begin your performance."

Zheng—

The sound of the zither began.

It must be said that this first talented woman of the Han Dynasty is indeed quite remarkable.

The fingertips plucked the strings as if divinely inspired.

At first, it was like a mountain stream dripping, clear and melodious; then in the blink of an eye, it was like the wind blowing through the pines in a myriad valleys, desolate and vast.

The surrounding bamboo grove swayed gently to the sound of the zither, and several birds even perched on the branches, as if attracted by the music.

Cai Yong listened with rapt attention, nodding and swaying his head, exclaiming, "Wonderful! Wonderful! Wenji's zither skills have improved again! This piece already has the style of a master!"

Cai Wenji was immersed in her own world.

She is building a high wall with the sound of the piano.

A high wall, belonging to scholars, elegant and inviolable, kept out a boor like Gu Fan who only knew how to use force.

She was telling Gu Fan: You can have my body, but you will never understand my soul!

The song ended.

The lingering sound echoed around the beam.

Cai Wenji pressed down on the strings, let out a long breath, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

She raised her head and looked at Gu Fan with a hint of pride.

"Young master, what do you think?"

She is waiting.

Wait until this boorish man shows a confused look, or says something laughable that makes people laugh at his ignorance.

however.

"ha--"

Her response was a big yawn.

Gu Fan handed the empty milk tea cup to Mei'er and picked his ear.

"That's it?"

Cai Wenji's smile froze.

"Young master... what do you mean?"

"As for the technique, it's so-so, I'd give it a nine out of ten."

Gu Fan stood up, stretched, and spoke casually, as if he were commenting on the old man selling sweet potatoes downstairs.

"But when it comes to feelings... zero points."

"you!"

Cai Wenji stood up, anger finally showing on her usually cold face. "You can humiliate me, but you can't humiliate my way of playing the zither! You say I have no feelings? That's utterly ridiculous!"

Gu Fan chuckled, walked up to her, and looked down at her.

"What is 'high mountains and flowing water'? Have you ever seen real high mountains? Have you ever seen real rivers flowing into the sea?"