Chapter 5941 Discussion of the Dao
Liao Yuhuang was overjoyed to receive Li Chunyang’s invitation. To be able to discuss the Dao with such a legendary existence was a wondrous experience.
As for Long Chen, he frowned slightly. Play the zither and discuss the Dao? He didn’t even know how to play the zither, yet everyone kept insisting he did. Were they just trying to make things difficult for him?
However, seeing Liao Yuhuang’s excited expression, Long Chen couldn’t bring himself to decline. With a helpless sigh, he walked forward with her.
The area beneath the divine statue was sacred, normally reserved for kowtowing. Only someone of Li Chunyang’s status was permitted to discuss the Dao in such a place.
Long Chen first bowed to the statue. If what he had seen earlier was true, then the Orchid Mound Divine Sovereign might have had ties to the nine star lineage.
Moreover, Orchid Mound City had refused entry to the Brahma line and its lackeys. That alone earned Long Chen’s respect. This senior deserved a bow.
Once they had paid their respects, Zither Sect disciples laid out bamboo mats for Long Chen and Liao Yuhuang on either side of Prince Chunyang.
The honored seats made it clear how highly Chunyang regarded them. Liao Yuhuang was inwardly ecstatic—perhaps this truly could dissolve the Zither Sect’s enmity with Long Chen.
However, many of the spectators frowned when they saw Long Chen in such an important position. Liao Yuhuang’s seat was understandable, as she was also a member of the Zither Sect. But who was Long Chen? What right did he have to sit alongside Li Chunyang?
Once Long Chen sat, Li Chunyang cupped his fists toward him.
“I am truly sorry for my rudeness. Just now, I heard from a junior apprentice-brother that Mister Long Chen is a famous figure whose name resounds throughout the world.”
“You flatter me,” replied Long Chen. “It’s not fame, but infamy.”
Since the Zither Sect disciples had already informed Li Chunyang of who he was, there was no need to elaborate. Still, knowing how much the Zither Sect valued decorum, Long Chen offered a few polite words.
Li Chunyang said, “Mister Long Chen is too modest. The High Firmament Academy is the number one academy within the nine heavens and ten lands, with roots tracing back to the primal chaos era. You, Mister Long Chen, are the youngest dean in its long history. That alone is unprecedented.”
The surrounding experts were startled to hear this. They all knew the High Firmament Academy, but some of them thought it had already faded into the river of history. Now they were learning that Long Chen hailed from it.
Long Chen shook his head. “I’m just a branch dean. Nothing worth mentioning. May I ask what guidance you have for me, Mister Chunyang?”
Long Chen disliked meaningless formalities and didn’t need anyone’s approval. He preferred to get straight to the point.
Li Chunyang nodded. “Direct and unpretentious—very much in line with your character. Although I don’t know you, you’ve earned junior apprentice-sister Yuhuang’s respect. That alone tells me you must possess unique insight into the Heavenly Daos or perhaps even the Music Dao. Just now, I played two songs, and I saw you listening intently. May I ask what thoughts you had on my music?”
From the moment that Long Chen appeared, Li Chunyang had sensed something unusual. The senses of a music cultivator were extraordinarily keen.
When Li Chunyang played his zither, his music became a bridge, connecting heaven, earth, and everyone listening. However, his music couldn’t penetrate Long Chen.
When his music reached Long Chen, it was as if a strange power blocked it. Long Chen was listening to it intently, but Li Chunyang couldn’t sense his existence.
This had never happened before.
The music of his zither was like a mental hand touching the deepest corners of people’s souls. But directly probing someone’s soul was taboo. Doing so would harm the status of a music grandmaster. That was why he had been so angered by the Qin family’s disciple earlier; her provocation had crossed that very line.
The Music Dao could touch both the heavens and the hearts of mortals—but only with the listener’s consent. Without that, it became a form of manipulation, no different from the bewitching melodies of devil music.
When people listened willingly, their souls could resonate with the player’s heart, and through that resonance, be guided into the Grand Dao. That was how music could help others comprehend the Heavenly Daos.
Li Chunyang was a true grandmaster of the Music Dao. His music could move even the most unfeeling stone.
Yet when his music reached Long Chen, it was met with a strange resistance. There was no echo, no resonance—only silence. The music was absorbed into nothingness, vanishing without a trace.
That phenomenon intrigued Li Chunyang deeply.
As for the incident with the Qin family, Li Chunyang didn’t even need to ask. He was well aware of the Qin family’s style, and Long Chen was clearly someone who refused to lose out.
Li Chunyang had already discerned who was in the right. What he truly wanted to know now was how Long Chen had blocked his music.
Long Chen shook his head. “To be honest, you and Fairy Yuhuang have both been deceived. I’m no master of the Music Dao. Just a braggart who likes to show off. I listened to your music carefully, but I couldn’t understand any of it. My mind drifted to other things entirely.”
Long Chen knew the vision he’d seen was somehow linked to Li Chunyang’s music, but he also suspected it was tied to the divine statue.
“Oh? To remain untouched by my music is a feat in itself. I’m curious—what were you thinking about at the time?” asked Li Chunyang.
Shaking his head, Long Chen replied, “I can’t say!”
Just then, a woman of the Zither Sect snorted.
“As expected, a conman.”
She had disliked Long Chen from the beginning. His unkempt appearance... his casual manner... How dare he act this way before Li Chunyang? It was practically sacrilegious.
“Yue-er.”
Li Chunyang shot her a disapproving glance, and the woman lowered her head reluctantly.
She said, “Yue-er understands her mistake. Mister Long Chen, please forgive me.”
Without sparing her a glance, Long Chen admitted, “She wasn’t wrong. I really am a conman. Now that I’ve been exposed, the fact that you’re not kicking me out is already strange. In that case, I’ll take my leave.”
He stood up.
His true reason for coming had been to pay his respects to the Orchid Mound Divine Sovereign and to give Liao Yuhuang some face. But beyond that, he just wanted to get a closer read on Li Chunyang.
Not to test his strength, but to judge whether he was friend or foe.
Yet, Long Chen hadn’t sensed anything favorable from Li Chunyang—nor anything overtly hostile. But that alone was enough for Long Chen to decide there was no point in staying here.
“I hear Mister Long Chen is a nine star heir. Is that true?” asked Li Chunyang.
These words directly stopped Long Chen in his tracks.