Death… and me

At this point in time, Chu Yang and Gu Du Xing could clearly hear the sound of heavy breathing. It appeared to have come from their great anxiousness. They turned to look at each other and did not know if they should laugh or cry.

If it were not for their great fortitude, they would probably have rolled onto the floor and burst out laughing.

They could see that the two self-proclaimed Casanoves, Young Master Ji Mo and Luo Ke Di, were walking stiffly with two young ladies holding their arms. With their chests pushed outwards and their backs straight, their bodies looked really awkward. Even though they tried their best to maintain a calm countenance, a trace of anxiousness could still be seen…

This was especially the case for Ji Mo. A few drops of sweat had appeared at the top of his nose.

How could this be the behavior of Casanovas?

"Ji Mo." Gu Du Xing called out.

Ji Mo did not hear anything. He was no longer in this world ever since the young lady in white had taken his arm.

"Ji Mo!" Gu Du Xing called out louder.

"Huh? Ah, yes." At this time, Ji Mo finally regained his consciousness.

"How is this place compared to all the other places that you've been to?" Gu Du Xing asked as he resisted the urge to laugh.

"Ah… not bad. It's still not as good… but it's acceptable." Ji Mo tried to put on a front and pretended to be an 'expert'. With his red face, he said, "I still remember when I was back home. Haha. I would go to places like this everyday… These small venues are not worth mentioning at all."

"Hmm, Ji Mo, you are truly experienced! Unlike the rest of us who don't even know where to go." Chu Yang said calmly.

"Hee…" The young lady who was holding Ji Mo's arm could not help but let out a soft laughter. The next instant, she immediately realized her slip-up and quickly covered her mouth as she rolled her eyes. The other young ladies' faces displayed a look of disdain as well. They lived there; how could they not possibly know? From the looks of Luo Ke Di and Ji Mo, forget about being Casanovas, they probably had never stepped foot into a place like this before!

Only young men who visited brothels for the very first time in their lives behaved this way. Even if it was just their second time… they would not have been this nervous!

Yet, this punk actually went on to boast about going to places like this every day when he was back home. What a joke…

Gu Du Xing refrained from laughing and said, "So, Young Master Ji Mo must be very well-versed with such places. Would you mind enlightening me a little?"

"What is there to enlighten?" With an educated look, Ji Mo lowered his voice, "Once they lead you into a room, just remove your pants and climb on…"

"Hahaha…" Gu Du Xing gave a thumbs up and continued, "You're good!" Then, he turned his head and walked forward with a wild laughter.

Other people might not have known, but how could Gu Du Xing be unaware of it? The word 'lust' was the biggest taboo of all the great clans of Middle Three Heavens! This was especially true for all the talented second young masters. Each one of them carried the hopes of the clans on their shoulders.

It did not matter what kind of martial was involved; premature venting would lead to a loss that could not be recovered! It would, in turn, affect their achievements in their lifetime. If these people were not able to achieve great things, they could not represent their clans…

Under such a situation, how could Ji Mo's group dare to enter a brothel? This was simply a dream! If the clans were to find out, they would probably be skinned and beaten to death!

On the other hand, the young masters that fooled around were all rejects from ordinary clans. The important disciples in the great clans were all trained and cultivated strictly; they were absolutely not allowed to play around!

Because of the great demands that the clans had for them, they were strictly disciplined ever since they were little. This had ultimately become a habit and a way of life for them!

As for the rumor about great clans having many Casanovas, Gu Du Xing and Chu Yang simply took this as a joke! Casanovas only appeared in the middle and lower ranked clans. If a great clan's successor were to be a Casanova, how could this clan possibly remain standing firmly for many years to come? Wouldn't they be destroyed quickly?

Stories of prodigal sons were only for ordinary people, They were not for the descendants of the great clans! This was because they would never be able to turn back if they took just one wrong step. Even if they could turn back, they would never be able to return to their previous positions!

Seeing Ji Mo and Luo Ke Di acting as if they were not new to the concept of brothels, Chu Yang and the rest did not buy it for even a second.

After entering the place, they noticed that they were in an enormous room! In this great hall, there was a large furnace with coals burning. It created a warm fire that sufficiently made the entire room feel as if it was the warm season of spring!

The sounds of voices went on endlessly.

There was a stage at the end of the great hall. It was roughly three feet above the main ground, with curtains draped all around it. One could faintly see through to a small gap in the middle. Behind this curtain lay an ancient zither.

Surprisingly, there were already many people sitting inside. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen. At the seats closest to the stage, there were some five to six young masters engaging in the loudest discussion in the entire room.

"This place is a brothel?!" Luo Ke Di finally asked in great amazement, "Brothels… are like this?"

Due to his loud voice, everyone turned to glare at him.

At that same moment, a mistress in her 30s walked up onto the stage with great elegance. While this woman was slightly older than the younger ladies, her demeanor was still nowhere less graceful and worldly. Each movement and action of hers revealed the vibe of a noble character.

All of a sudden, all the voices in the great hall came to a halt.

"Gentlemen, we will now begin our daily performance." The woman smiled casually with a lingering gaze like spring water. She looked at all the faces in the great hall and continued to introduce, "All of you are aware the Miss Xiao Lu is a master zither player. She was given the name of Heavenly Zither Melody. Would you be interested in hearing her music?"

"Yes!" The entire crowd resonated loudly.

"Besides, Miss Xiao Lu is in a good mood today. She said that anyone who's successful in inviting her out can ask her three questions about music. If those three questions succeed in piquing her interest, that person may enter her room. Miss Xiao Lu would then play a melody just for him and have dinner with him, alone. Moreover, from today onwards, that person would be a special guest at our House of Exceptional Beauties!"

"Whoa…"

Everyone cheered in excitement. Of course, this was an extremely irresistible opportunity!

"Who is this Miss Xiao Lu?" Gu Du Xing asked with an icy look, "I can't believe that she's so valued…"

Ji Mo and Lui Ke Di glared at him angrily.

"You people don't know who Miss Xiao Lu is?" A person who was seated next to them chuckled, "Then, why did you come here?"

It was as if being ignorant about Miss Xiao Lu was equivalent to being ignorant in general. As expected, everyone in the great hall was going nuts because of the magnificent appearance of this Miss Xiao Lu.

"Don't you know that the three masters of the Nine Heavens will have a match after 20 years?" Chu Yang laughed dryly.

"A match amongst three masters?"

"In June, when the lotus bloom, the three masters will meet in the middle of the continent. Who is extraordinary? Who will take the top position?" Chu Yang recited softly, "Angelic transverse flute is like vast water, the saintly end-blown flute is like a floating boat; while the sound of the zither is like the rustling sound of the heavens. One stroke of change paints spring. After 20 years of wind and rain, who will stand? After weathering for 20 years, who will remain?"

"In the Nine Heavens, there were originally nine masters. Each of them had his their own musical instrument and were at their respective peaks. One day, out of nowhere, these nine masters wanted to compete to see who was the top in the world. Hence, they began to compete."

"At the time, it was the month of June at Lotus Lake in the capital of Great Zhao. They had their competition in front of the public that was watching them intently. Eight people remained on an equal level, except for the Sheng master that lost and left the ranks of the masters. From then on, they would become the eight masters instead!"

"The nine masters' skills were passed down for many generations. These eight remaining people were equally matched. Furthermore, they were at the pinnacle of their respective art forms, hence it was extremely difficult to advance any further. Therefore, they made a pact to return to the same place in 20 years to compete once again. The difference was that their disciples would be the ones competing on their behalf."

"20 years later, some disciples were not as proficient in the arts and ended up quitting. Thus, they became known as the six masters!"

"As of now, there are only three masters! They are the masters of the transverse flute, end-blown flute, and the zither. June of next year will mark the next 20 years period and it will the time when the three masters compete for the very last time! The best in the world must be determined by then! This Miss Xiao Lu is the only disciple of the zither master!" Chu Yang explained comprehensively.

"While transverse flute, end-blown flute, and zither are not martial arts, their fame and influence in this world are massive! Great Zhao, being in the center of the continent, would most likely suffer a great blow come June next year." The moment Chu Yang said this, his eyes flashed for a quick moment and a mysterious smile appeared on his face.

"Ah… but what does 'one stroke of change paints spring' mean?"

"Of course, the witnesses of that competition between the nine masters had noted down the event…" Chu Yang said slowly.

"So, you didn't actually bring us here today to play." Gu Du Xing smiled. He had guessed Chu Yang's intention.

The meeting of the three masters in the center of the continent was a world event! If they could use it to their advantage, that would surely give Diwu Qing Rou a massive headache. How could Chu Yang possibly allow such a great opportunity to play Diwu Qing Rou?

Chu Yang's coming here today was indeed a most important movie!

Chu Yang smiled and said, "This zither master, Miss Xiao Lu… Hahaha." He simply laughed and did not explain anything further.

How could Chu Yang not have been aware of such a great world event in the previous life? He still remembered clearly that in the previous life, end-blown flute master took the top position, transverse flute master took the second, while the zither master took the third. In other words, this Miss Xiao Lu was defeated!

However, her failure was not due to her lack of refinement in her craft. Instead, it was because her zither had suddenly been stolen right before the battle of the three masters in the center of the continent… The zither of a zither master could be considered a priceless treasure and the most valuable item in the world!

How could her state of mind be clear when she had just lost her zither? Besides, where could she go to find such a suitable zither in such a short span of time? Furthermore, how could there be two zithers that were exactly alike?

Thus, it was only logical that the zither master lost the competition.

After losing, the zither master did not seem to accept her defeat. The other two masters were then murdered at approximately the same time! Their two great clans collapsed as well! This eventually caused an uproar in the world. Unfortunately, nothing could be done since no one knew who the culprit was.

It was not until years later that Chu Yang understood that the culprit was actually the power backing the zither master! However, this movie of theirs was extremely cruel, since there was no conclusion as to who had stolen the zither. Nevertheless, it was certain that one of the two clans had taken part in such theft hence at least one party was guilty and deserved the punishment.

Even though they were unable to find any evidence, they had unexpectedly killed both clans! A total purge!

An overkill! But… there was no other way, hence being overly extreme was the most effective way… Yet, after killing these people, the zither was still unable to be found. Just like that, the nine masters faded away with time…

"This is our chance." Chu Yang smiled as he winked at Gu Du Xing.