Chapter 263 - 145 Kiss
After Phoenix left and my wife finished playing a song, Li Nuo walked into the room.
Song Jiaren's hand left the zither strings, and she turned to ask, "Did I play terribly?"
In fact, she could have omitted the words "did I."
But Li Nuo still went against his conscience and said, "Not bad, there has been significant improvement compared to when you started."
If Phoenix were an art student,
My wife would be a martial arts student.
Her hands were naturally meant for holding a sword, not for playing the zither.
Just as one cannot expect Phoenix to fight against ten opponents, one must also be more forgiving of my wife's musical abilities.
Song Jiaren slowly stood up and said, "You play this piece."
Li Nuo thought for a moment and said, "There are some matters to attend to at the Ministry of Justice, I'll come back in the evening and play it for you."
Song Jiaren nodded and softly said, "Alright."
When leaving the Song Residence, a look of helplessness appeared on Li Nuo's face.
It couldn't go on like this forever.
Once or twice was fine, but he couldn't waste a day of his life every time his wife wanted to hear him play the zither, just for that brief period.
He had to think of a solution fast to make Music into a permanent skill.
This needed long-term planning, but first, he had to get through today's challenge.
Li Nuo boarded the carriage, Housekeeper Wu asked, "Young master, are we heading to the Ministry of Justice?"
Li Nuo replied, "No, to the Ministry of Justice."
...
Music Bureau.
Liu Shang gently caressed the ancient zither in his hands.
Having neglected Music over the past few years, he had recently taken up the zither again and rediscovered the old sensations.
Not only that.
For the past half month, every time his hands touched the zither, a strange feeling surged in his heart.
He felt as though his zither was alive.
He could feel the rhythm of the zither as clearly as though it had breath and a heartbeat.
Liu Shang dared not tell anyone about this.
He feared others would think he had hysteria.
If so, not only would his promotion hopes be dashed, but he might also lose his current position.
While he was feeling uneasy, an agitated Director rushed in, stammering, "Liu, Lord Liu, it's dreadful news, the officials from the Ministry of Justice have come. They want you to go with them to the Ministry of Justice..."
Liu Shang breathed a sigh of relief.
He had thought the affair of him keeping a concubine had been found out by that promiscuous tigeress, but it was just the Ministry of Justice coming.
Liu Shang looked displeased at the Director and said indifferently, "Making a fuss over nothing, I thought it was a serious matter..."
The Director stood there dumbfounded.
Had Lord Liu gone mad? That was the Ministry of Justice, the notorious Ministry of Justice with no returns — wasn't this a serious matter?
Liu Shang walked to the door, saw a Ministry of Justice official standing outside, and with a smile said, "Isn't this Director Zhang? How come you have time to visit my Music Bureau today?"
Director Zhang glanced at him and asked, "Lord Liu, you haven't stopped frequenting the brothel recently, have you?"
Without needing him to say more, Liu Shang voluntarily picked up his zither and put an arm around Director Zhang's shoulder, saying, "Let's go. My zither playing has improved recently. I'll show you in a moment..."
The two figures gradually vanished, leaving the officials of the Music Bureau in shock.
Lord Liu wasn't mad, he was insane.
Having received such a great shock all at once, perhaps he was unable to accept it for the time being and could only choose to escape...
The Music Bureau was not far from the Ministry of Justice.
Having come here who knows how many times, Liu Shang no longer felt the initial fear and tension.
The officials from the Ministry of Justice were not as dreadful as the rumors outside.
There was no severe torture nor wrongful forcing of confessions. None at all.
They were meticulous in their work and even pleasant to talk to.
Liu Shang quite liked it here.
Staying in the Ministry of Justice's jail, he didn't have to worry about official duties or see that promiscuous tigeress, and his mood was relaxed, allowing him to devote himself entirely to music.
Liu Shang's hands rested on the zither strings.
That peculiar sensation appeared once again.
And it was clearer than ever before.
Outside the cell.
The portrait of Liu Shang on the Law Code had been re-lit.
But Li Nuo did not rush to leave.
Listening to Liu Shang's zither was undoubtedly a pleasure.
He needed to cleanse his ears.
Soon, a soothing zither music began to emanate from the cell.
Li Nuo distinctly perceived that in the span of this month, Liu Shang had improved even further.
Is this what they call talent?
Moreover, his zither music now contained something indescribable, an inexplicable feeling.
Li Nuo stood and listened for a while, and as he heard a faint noise beside him, he turned his head and saw a figure standing next to him, slightly startled, he said, "Father..."
Li Xuanjing nodded, his gaze directed towards Liu Shang's cell, a trace of extraordinary light flickering in his eyes.
Soon, the music went from calm to increasingly urgent.
Li Nuo's heartbeat also started to accelerate.
The zither music became even more frenetic.
Li Nuo's heart raced uncontrollably, and his brows furrowed as he sensed something was off.
This zither music, it wasn't right!
Clang!
At the height of the zither music's urgency, suddenly, a metallic sound echoed from the cell.
The next moment, the wooden door of the cell burst apart.
Li Nuo's expression changed, and he instinctively moved to protect his father.
As if sensing the crisis, the powers of Legalism naturally surged within him, and a series of invisible but perceptible blades whipped out from the room, restrained in the void before Li Nuo, before slowly dissipating.
Li Nuo looked down to see countless deep gashes on the ground by the doorway of the cell.
"What has happened?"
"Protect Lord Li!"
"Retreat quickly!"
...
The people of the Ministry of Justice quickly moved aside after reacting.
The zither music continued.
Li Nuo watched the scene from afar, his face likewise showing a look of shock.
Sound wave attack, this was the capability of the Confucian Fifth Realm.
But Liu Shang was too sleazy to possibly be a Great Scholar of the Fifth Realm.
If this really was the Vast Sound of the Fifth Realm, with merely the Second Realm cultivation of Legalism, he would have been slashed by a thousand knives in that instant.
The power of that sound wave just now was, at most, only of the Second Realm.
In line with the descriptions of the Le Family in the books.
Not following the path of Confucianism, purely cultivating through music, upon initial entry, they possess the strength of the Second Realm of all schools.
Unexpectedly, the Le Family, after being integrated into Confucianism for hundreds of years, still managed to produce a pure Le Family Disciple.
The Le Family is not like Confucian or Legalism; they do not need to engage in practical affairs to increase their cultivation.
For the Le Family, the difficulty lies in entering the realm.
After entry, the higher one's talent, the faster the increase in cultivation.
Liu Shang was not yet thirty years old.
Such talent was truly terrifying.
Not knowing how much time had passed, inside the cell, the sound of the zither finally stopped.
Liu Shang had been so engrossed in playing that he closed his eyes and immersed himself in his own music.
When he finished playing and opened his eyes, his expression momentarily stunned.
Where did the door to the cell go?
Not only was the door gone, but the ground was also full of deep and shallow marks, as if someone had hacked and chopped it with axes and knives.
In the entire cell, not a single piece of floor or wall remained intact.
He was completely dumbfounded.
All this had happened in the time it took to play one song, what had happened?
Liu Shang slowly stood up and walked outside, his face full of confusion.
The officials from the Ministry of Justice all looked at him with faces full of horror.
Liu Shang glanced around, perplexed, and asked, "What happened?"
An official from the Ministry of Justice angrily said, "Presumptuous Liu Shang, how dare you attempt to assassinate Lord Li, seize him!"
...
Song Residence.
Li Nuo looked at the Law Code in front of him, the portrait of Liu Shang on it had already disappeared.
Just now, Liu Shang's portrait suddenly brightened in an unprecedented way, then turned into endless specks of light and completely merged into his body.
Li Nuo plucked the zither strings casually with one hand, effortlessly playing a beautiful melody.
The portrait was gone.
But the ability of Music remained.
The last advancement in Stealing Technique was the same.
The difference was, he had to capture so many chiefs, stewards, and ordinary thieves from the Thief Sect to make the stealing ability permanent.
But this time, by capturing only Liu Shang, he gained the Music ability he had longed for.
Li Nuo played a few more phrases seriously.
Although he had acquired the art of zither, he did not have Liu Shang's ability to turn sound waves into attacks.
Even so, he was quite content.
He could play the zither for his wife at any time now, without having to spend a fortune chasing women.
He really ought to thank Old Liu properly.
Song Jiaren stood at the doorway of the room, watching Li Nuo play such a beautiful melody with just one hand.
Then she looked down at her own hands.
Suddenly, she didn't feel like learning the zither anymore.
After all, with her husband there, she could ask him to play whatever piece she wanted.
Li Nuo turned his head and said, "Didn't you want to hear the piece from this morning? I'll play it for you."
Song Jiaren moved a chair and sat down beside Li Nuo.
As Li Nuo played the zither, she watched intently.
His hands seemed to possess a magic touch; even a casual stroke could coax out a moving tune.
It was the same piece, yet it sounded so different when she played it.
Li Nuo turned to look at her and said, "Try playing it yourself."
Song Jiaren shook her head.
She didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of him.
Li Nuo thought for a moment and asked, "Shall I teach you?"
Moments later, Song Jiaren sat before the zither, with Li Nuo standing beside her, slightly bent over, placing his palm on the back of her hand.
His archery was taught to him by his wife, hand over hand.
Teaching her the zither, hand over hand, seemed reasonable.
He needed to control his wife's fingers to pluck the strings, which should have been impossible, as during the playing process, they would need to keep their fingers moving in sync.
Fortunately, he was a Law Practitioner.
He could use the Imprisonment Skill to link their fingers together so that whatever motion Li Nuo's fingers made, hers would mimic, allowing her to feel the sensation of playing.
However, this meant their bodies were also pressed closely together.
At a glance, it appeared as though his wife was nestled in his arms.
Song Jiaren's cheeks flushed, not realizing this was what he meant by teaching her.
Their bodies pressed closely together, her face was only inches from Li Nuo's; she didn't even dare turn her head, for such a slight motion might lead to actions far more intimate.
Li Nuo's fingers moved subtly, the restrictions of Legalism causing Song Jiaren's fingers to stir across the zither strings.
A tranquil melody flowed forth beneath her touching.
Song Jiaren stared at her hands in a daze, never having imagined that such beautiful music could come from under her fingers.
Seeing Li Nuo's serious expression out of the corner of her eye, the embarrassment in her heart gradually faded.
Perhaps he was truly trying to teach her.
She closed her eyes and began to earnestly feel the sensation.
Li Nuo was also feeling earnestly.
Holding his wife was truly delightful.
Soft and fragrant.
He wondered why he hadn't thought of this method earlier.
But in the past, their relationship wasn't there yet; holding her this way might not have resulted in a soft and fragrant wife, but rather an over-the-shoulder throw.
As Song Jiaren was immersed in the music, and Li Nuo in feeling the embrace of his wife, both were absorbed in their own worlds, with only the pleasant sound of music flowing in the room.
After a while, the piece ended, and the music slowly ceased.
Song Jiaren turned her head, wanting to say something, just as Li Nuo did the same.
"You…"
"I…"
A soft and cool sensation came from their lips.
Their eyes met, and time seemed to freeze in that moment.
"Wow…"
Song Mu'er stood at the doorway, her eyes wide as she witnessed the scene, unable to help an exclamation.
The next moment, she immediately covered her eyes with her hands, yet her curious gaze still peeked through her fingers, leaking everywhere…
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