Volume 6: Xiangxi Ghost Sorcery Chapter 5: Digging Graves and Excavating Tombs

  In the luxurious dining hall of Chufeng Hotel, Ouyang Xuan sat quietly in a corner, with a cup of light Longjing tea in front of her.

  As he savored the aroma of China's top tea, Ouyang Xuan couldn't help but feel his pores relaxing all over his body. With the soothing and pleasant ancient music playing on the music stage in the center of the dining hall, Ouyang Xuan closed his eyes contentedly and thought to himself: No wonder everyone wants to be rich, being wealthy really does feel good!

  Three days have passed, and the excavation of the ancient tomb is proceeding in full swing. Meng Cai, who escaped, has not been heard from yet. As a result, Ouyang Xuan, having nothing to do, spends his days like this!

  Suddenly, a warm applause broke out in the restaurant. Ouyang was startled and quickly opened his eyes to see a twenty-year-old girl in a white dress walking onto the music stage with bare feet. Her long hair flowed down, her face as beautiful as a flower, like an unpolished natural jade, full of natural and refreshing air!

  Look around at the diners again, many people have an excited expression, applauding frantically, as if they have extraordinary expectations for this beautiful woman.

  Ouyang Xuan was shocked and thought: Who is this girl!? Is she somehow extraordinary!?

  Just then, two young men dressed in ancient Chu state attire carried an ancient zither onto the music stage and placed it in front of the woman in white.

  The woman in white skirt smiled and nodded to the diners around her, then lightly lifted her skirt and sat down cross-legged.

  Wow, playing the guqin! Ou Yang Xuan's eyebrows rose in interest, and he couldn't help but feel a strong fascination. Nowadays, there aren't many people in China who can play the guqin.

  "Ding——ding——ding——" The woman in white tried out her voice, her expression turned serious, and she was ready.

  In an instant, the restaurant fell silent, except for a faint sigh, it was as quiet as a desolate and vast valley!

  Ouyang Xuan gently closed his eyes, waiting for the wonderful music that was about to arrive.

  "Ding——" A short musical note leapt into the air, and Ou Yang Xuan suddenly felt his heart skip a beat, as if there was a very familiar, very intimate feeling.

  In a moment of wonder, a string of beautiful notes burst forth. For a time, Ouyang Xuan seemed to have entered a strange and wonderful realm: he wore a golden crown on his head, an ancient Chinese robe on his body, standing proudly between the vast sky and earth, with white clouds under his feet, the boundless universe and countless stars above his head, for a moment, there was indeed a sense of pride as if flying to the ninth heaven, being the only one in the world.

  Slowly, as the guqin continued to play, this strange feeling became more and more familiar, more and more obvious. Suddenly, the Zhu Rong inner elixir in Ouyang Xuan's body actually stirred up, emitting a faint golden light in the spiritual sea.

  Ouyang Xuan was greatly shocked: This, how can this be!? He hastily opened his eyes, calmed his mind, and tried to suppress the restless Zhu Rong inner elixir!

  However, contrary to his wishes, Zhu Rong's inner elixir seemed to become more and more excited, more and more lively with the sound of Guqin. Ouyang Xuan could no longer suppress it, and suddenly stood up, shouting: "Stop!"

  Ouyang Xuan's momentum was overwhelming, and this sudden loud shout was like a thunderclap on a clear day, instantly shattering the notes in the air.

  The white-dressed girl on the music stand was startled, and couldn't continue anymore. She hurriedly pressed her hands against the piano keys, looking at Ouyang Xuan in confusion: "Sir, what's wrong?"

  At this time, the other diners who were listening with relish became unhappy and glared at Ouyang Xuan with malice, some even scolding loudly: "You little brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting!?"

  Ouyang Xuan was furious, his sharp eyes scanned the dining hall, and the terrifying and majestic aura instantly intimidated everyone in the hall to silence.

  Ouyang Xuan stepped down, walked towards the music stage in big strides, and politely asked the white-robed girl: "My name is Ouyang Xuan, may I ask for your name? Also, this ancient music is very peculiar, what's its name?"

  The girl in white saw that Ouyang Xuan was no ordinary person, and after suppressing the discomfort in her heart, she said softly: "My name is Luo Susu, this piece is called 'Nine Heavens'!"

  "Nine Heavens"!? What's the origin of this? Ou Yang Xuan raised his firm and resolute eyebrows, exceptionally handsome.

  The girl in white looked stunned, her face slightly red, and said: "Jiutian" is an ancient melody, the author is unknown, it is said to be passed down by the fire god Zhurong back then.

  "Zhurong!?" Ouyang Xuan was shocked and exclaimed: "Impossible?!"

  "I'm not sure about that," Russell shook his head and said: "It is said that Zhu Rong is not only the god of fire, but also an excellent musician. He often plays beautiful and touching music on Mount Taihua to inspire the common people, making them full of confidence in life."

  Later, since Zhu Rong was the Southern Heavenly Emperor, our Chu land is his territory. In order to commemorate this ancestor, we Chu people have passed down the "Nine Heavens" from generation to generation. Unfortunately, many years ago due to war, the "Nine Heavens" was lost, until recently it was rediscovered in an ancient tomb. I heard about it and was very happy, so I went to the museum to copy the score and came here to perform for everyone!

  Ou Yang Xuan suddenly realized: No wonder Zhu Rong's inner elixir was so excited, it turned out that he had sensed the aura of Zhu Rong himself. This "Nine Heavens" is undoubtedly the crystallization of Zhu Rong's heart and blood.

  "Haha, I understand, I understand!" Ouyang Xuan burst out laughing excitedly, then suddenly looked apologetic and bowed to the astonished Luo Susu: "Sorry, Miss Luo, I was really rude just now! It's just that this song has a lot to do with me, so I couldn't help but interrupt. I'd love to learn from you about 'Nine Skies', is it possible?"

  Looking at Ouyang Xuan's eager eyes, Luo Suxin didn't know why, but her heart softened, and she nodded in agreement: "Okay!"

  "That's great, you keep playing, I'll wait for you outside!" Ouyang Xuan smiled and nodded, then left the restaurant.

  He didn't dare to listen anymore, once he couldn't control Zhu Rong's inner elixir, he didn't know what kind of disaster would be caused, and maybe even the Chu Feng Inn would be burned down in one fire!

  "My god, what a big show-off!" Someone in the restaurant muttered under their breath as they watched Ouyang Xuan's departing back.

  Russell was a bit strange, and didn't know why Ouyang Xuan said he had a great relationship with "Jiutian", so he calmed down and started playing again, but there was a faint blush on his face!

  ＊＊＊

  Coffee shop.

  Two cups of coffee on the table exuded a faint fragrance, Ouyang Xuan smiled and gestured: "Miss Luo, please!"

  "Thank you!" Russell's cheeks, as smooth as jade, showed a faint flush.

  "Miss Luo has a noble and elegant temperament, not worldly at all. I don't know what kind of profession she is in?" Ouyang Xuan saw that Luo Su was a bit shy, so he had to find something to say himself.

  "I'm a student of HN Art Academy's Music Performance Department!" Lu Suxiu said elegantly, gently stroking the corner of her forehead.

  "No wonder I thought you had the temperament of an artist and the innocence of a student! It turns out to be true!" Ouyang Xuan said sincerely: "But, Miss Luo, since you are a student, why were you performing at the Chufeng Hotel?"

  Russell took a sip of his coffee and smiled: "First, I want to earn some living expenses through hard work and thrift, now the cost of going to university is really too high. Second, I want to see if I can meet a good horse and get social recognition to promote China's classical music."

  "Oh," Ou Yang Xuan was taken aback: "So that's how it is, now girls like Luo are really hard to come by! However, HN is after all a bit out of the way, and it's difficult to have good exhibition opportunities. SH and BJ should be your best exhibition venues!"

  "Hmm, I've been thinking, next year I'll start my internship, and I thought of going to Beijing to give it a try, hoping to succeed!" Rosy's beautiful face was filled with infinite longing.

  Ouyang Xuan thought for a moment, then took out the business card from his pocket and said seriously: "Since that's the case, Miss Luo, this is my business card. Please take it. If you encounter any trouble in BJ in the future, you can find me, and I'll generally be able to help you resolve it!"

  Lu Ru received the business card, took a look, and was stunned. He looked at Ouyang Xuan as if he couldn't believe it.

  Ouyang Xuan smiled: "How, who stipulated that consultants must be old men!? Can't a handsome guy do it!? Hehe, actually I'm also a student, from QH University. This time I came on official business and didn't expect to run into Miss Luo like this!"

  Russell smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said with admiration: "Sorry, I didn't expect Mr. Ouyang to be so formidable, thank you very much."

  "Stop calling me Mr. Ouyang, just call me Ouyang, we're all students, no need to be so formal," he interrupted. "Or if you don't mind, I'll call you Susu, okay?"

  Lu's face suddenly turned red, like a delicate rose, that kind of natural charm made Ouyang Xuan's heart skip a beat.

  "This... if Miss Luo doesn't want to, then forget it!" Ouyang Xuan somewhat regretted his own rashness.

  "It doesn't matter, we're all students!" Luosuo nodded slightly, her voice was very soft, but she actually agreed.

  "So, Su Su, can you teach me 'Jiutian' now? I really love this ancient music!" Ouyang Xuan was delighted.

  "Ah, this is the score of 'Jiutian'. Russell calmed down and took out a sheet of music from his side, saying seriously: "The difficulty of playing 'Jiutian' is very high, the connection between high and low notes is quite difficult, but most importantly, it's a kind of atmosphere, that carefree and unrestrained atmosphere, which is hard to convey! However, Ouyang, can you play the guqin?"

  Ouyang Xuan was taken aback, scratched his head, and said with embarrassment: "I won't! But I can play the sheng, should be able to blow it out too?"

  Russell was taken aback, and after a moment of contemplation, he said: "The sheng is also an ancient Chinese musical instrument. Compared to the guqin, it has more elegance and freedom, but less refinement and luxury. However, it still matches the style of 'Jiutian' quite well and should be able to produce a good effect! If you have time, I can teach you seriously!"

  Ouyang Xuan sighed: "I'm afraid I don't have time to stay here for long, I may leave at any time! However, with the score, I can study it slowly by myself. If Su Su can give me a phone number, I can also ask her for advice at any time!"

  "En, that's alright!" Russell nodded and was about to say something when suddenly, Ouyang Xuan's mobile phone rang.

  "Please wait a moment!" Ouyang Xuan nodded and answered the phone: "Hello, I'm Ouyang Xuan!"

  On the other end of the phone was Ren Changming's voice, Ouyang Xuan's expression became excited, nodding: "Good, I understand! I'll go to the Municipal Bureau immediately. Oh, send a car to pick me up!? Alright, I'll wait, you guys quickly prepare the materials, this matter can't be delayed! Goodbye!"

  Hung up the phone, Ouyang Xuan looked at Lu Suxu with a hint of apology and sighed: "Look, things have come to this, I'm leaving!"

  "This is my phone!" Russell hastily wrote down his mobile number on a note and handed it to Ouyang Xuan.

  Ouyang Xuan stood up: "In the future, when you come to BJ, remember to call me, goodbye!" He turned around and called out to the waiter, instructing him: "Put it on my tab!"

  "Goodbye!" Russell nodded slightly.

  Ouyang Xuan left, and Luo Su Su looked at Ouyang Xuan's tall and majestic back as he walked away, suddenly feeling a sense of reluctance to part with him.