Supreme Master - Chapter 5: Serenade of the Azure Sea

Translator – Misty

Chapter 5: Serenade of the Azure Sea

Quickly, under the arrangement of the young girl, Gu Qingfeng followed the mansion’s servant boy for a bath.

The mansion was truly comfortable, with the bathing area set up impressively. Not only was there a hot spring to soak in, but there was also a small rain array overhead. When activated, it felt like a light drizzle from the sky, making Gu Qingfeng marvel at how much people nowadays enjoy life.

He reminisced about his days of cultivation when the world’s spiritual energy was scarce, and the spiritual veins were monopolized by major sects. Even spirit stones were considered luxuries. Sometimes, fierce battles were fought over a single spirit stone. But now, after a great catastrophe, it’s as if the heavens and earth have been reborn. Everything is reviving, with spiritual veins abundant everywhere, and no one hesitates to use spirit stones for array operations.

Joyful occasions lift the spirits, and a bath and change of clothes seem to bring a fresh start.

After bathing, Gu Qingfeng felt much more relaxed. He ate a few Qi restoring pills. Although still weak, he was much better than when he first woke up, and his complexion gradually improved.

He put on new clothes brought by the servant boy, which fit well. Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

In the mirror, his figure was tall and straight, with long black hair casually draped, a pale face with distinct, cold features, and narrow, deep eyes like an abyss.

Gu Qingfeng touched his face, feeling indescribable emotions inside.

Cultivation knows no years.

Truth be told, since refining his body with the Ancestral Fire of Nine Serenities, it had been a long time since he last looked in a mirror, almost forgetting his own appearance.

“Back in the day, I was also known as a handsome young man in the nearby villages… Now… alas, I’ve matured…”

Despite appearing to be in his early twenties, wearing a new, youthful white robe, he still lacked the vigor of youth, only possessing a deep, twilight aura.

Cultivating a Golden Core can indeed preserve youthful appearance, but it can’t preserve the youthfulness of the heart.

No matter how young one looks, it can’t hide the traces left by time deep within the heart.

Sigh.

The servant boy brought many fruits and seeds. Gu Qingfeng ate while waiting, but after a long time, Ouyang Ye didn’t come. Bored, he went out to stroll around.

Earlier, Ouyang Ye mentioned a music and arts festival taking place, with many masters of music art arriving from the Qingyang realm. As Gu Qingfeng wandered, various melodies reached his ears, causing him to shake his head in dismay. The chaotic music was a mess, embodying the old saying of ‘randomly playing the piano’.

“These are considered masters? Even when I first played music, I was better than this…”

A profound melody, if played correctly, can indeed transport one back through the ages. But if not, it’s simply torturous, as music easily resonates with one’s spirit.

The mansion was filled with gardens, and it seemed each garden had someone playing the piano. Gu Qingfeng, listening, couldn’t help but stop in front of one garden. The piano sound was not particularly beautiful, quite ordinary, obviously played by a beginner.

Gu Qingfeng stopped because the piano sound amused him.

The piano sound was intermittent, as if the player was practicing, stopping each time they made a mistake, then playing again, repeating the same error over and over. The player seemed very persistent, continually playing, always erring at the same spot.

“Quite stubborn…”

Unable to stand it anymore, Gu Qingfeng walked in, surprised to find a young girl of about seven or eight years old playing the piano.

The little girl, not very tall, with blue hair, looked adorable as she stood in the pavilion, tilting her head and playing. Perhaps frustrated by her repeated mistakes, she muttered, “Why do I always make a mistake here… Why? My finger technique is correct, the strings are fine… the rhythm is good too. Could it be the spiritual technique I’m using is wrong?”

As music art is one of the ten great immortal arts, it’s not as simple as just playing. A wonderful piano piece, if played without spirit, might sound pleasant or even heavenly, but playing with spiritual power is like endowing the music with a soul, making it more vivid and mystical. The reason music art can deter spirits is precisely because of the infusion of spiritual power. A powerful music piece can be as formidable as a terrifying magical spell.

The little girl was persistent, adorably stubborn, repeating the same mistake dozens of times, each time at the same spot. Gu Qingfeng walked over, smiling, “Little sister, your finger technique is not wrong, nor are the strings or rhythm. The mistake is in the use of your spiritual technique.”

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“Ah!”

Startled by his voice, the girl looked up in surprise and shyness, her face turning red as she asked, “Who… who are you?”

“I’m just passing by, came over when I heard you playing.”

“Oh,” the girl said, then looking up again, asked, “Big brother, what did you say? Is the spiritual technique wrong?”

“You just used the ‘Four-String Minor Feather Technique’, which is a bit heavy for the tune you were playing,” explained Gu Qingfeng, sitting down in the pavilion. “Try switching to the ‘Light Caress Cascade Style’ with the ‘Three-String Minor Repetition Technique’ and see.”

“Switch to ‘Light Caress Cascade Style’ and ‘Three-String Minor Repetition Technique’?” The girl checked her music score, “But… it’s not written like that in the score.”

“The score is static, but people are dynamic, aren’t they? You won’t know unless you try.”

The girl pondered for a moment, looked again with wide eyes, then hesitantly began to play. When she reached the part she’d been getting wrong, she changed her finger technique to the ‘Light Caress Cascade Style’ and used the ‘Three-String Minor Repetition Technique’, and surprisingly, she succeeded.

Perhaps shocked at the ease of success, or hardly believing it was true, the girl tried again and succeeded once more. She looked at the music score, then back at Gu Qingfeng, unable to believe it and wondering how a melody could be played without following the score exactly.

“Big brother, are you a musician here?”

“Me?” Gu Qingfeng shook his head, indicating he wasn’t.

“Then, big brother, you must know a lot about music, right?”

“It’s okay, I played for a while before.”

“Then your music art must be quite advanced?”

“Of course,” Gu Qingfeng, sitting cross-legged, eating seeds, said with a smile, “Back when I played music, if I claimed second place, no one dared to claim first. There wasn’t a piece in the world I couldn’t play.”

“Really? Big brother, can you play ‘Unfeeling Falling Blossoms’?”

‘Unfeeling Falling Blossoms’?

Gu Qingfeng hadn’t heard of it.

“What about ‘Purple Clouds Soaring’?”

Gu Qingfeng shook his head; he hadn’t heard of that piece either. The girl mentioned more than a dozen songs, none of which he knew. Seeing her doubtful gaze, Gu Qingfeng felt awkward, realizing he might have bragged too much.

“Big brother, you said there’s no song in the world you can’t play… how come you don’t know any of Sister Su Xian’s famous pieces?”

“Su Xian? Who is that?” Gu Qingfeng wondered, unfamiliar with the name.

“Sister Su Xian is the musician I admire most!”

Gu Qingfeng guessed that this Su Xian must be a recent musician.

“Big brother, what songs do you usually play?”

“Usually… well,” Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment, “The pieces I play might be a bit old for you, not sure if you’ve heard of them. For example, I can play pieces by the great powers like ‘Mo Yan Ancestor’, ‘Black Piano Granny’, and ‘Si Ma Xing Kong’.”

“‘Mo Yan Ancestor’, ‘Black Piano Granny’, ‘Si Ma Xing Kong’… they’re all ancient predecessors, right? Their pieces are too… too peculiar for me. I only like the songs from ‘World Honored Mother’ and ‘King of Crimson Heavens’ from the ancient times.”

“King of Crimson Heavens’ songs?”

Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow and grinned, “Well, I’m best at playing ‘Gu Tianlang’s’ pieces.”

“Big brother!” The girl looked skeptical, “You can’t even play Sister Su Xian’s songs, yet claim to be good at King of Crimson Heavens’ pieces… His pieces are much harder than Sister Su Xian’s.”

“Hahaha! Speaking of playing others’ tunes, I can’t be sure, but when it comes to the songs of King of Crimson Heavens, I can play them blindfolded… Each piece is a world of its own.”

“The big brother is bragging again. My grandfather pondered over the King’s songs for a lifetime and dared not boast of mastering even ten of them in their true essence.”

“What, you little girl, you don’t believe it?”

Gu Qingfeng stood up, stuffing the spirit fruit into his pocket, clapped his hands, and laughed, “Today I’m in a good mood, let me show you.” After taking the ancient zither from the girl, he tried a few melodies. It seemed a bit unfamiliar, perhaps due to not having played for a long time.

“Big brother, what are you playing? It’s all over the place, and why aren’t you using any spiritual techniques?” The little girl reminded, “Without infusing spiritual power, a piece lacks soul, lacks life, and can’t bring out its profound essence.”

“Yo, you’re quite knowledgeable for your age.”

The little girl’s ancient zither was an old banana-leaf zither, its surface marked with cracks, indicating its age. Gu Qingfeng plucked the strings, saying, “But not all pieces require spiritual power to express their profound essence. Sometimes, playing them plainly can also capture their core.”

After trying a few more melodies and getting comfortable, he began to play ‘Serenade of the Azure Sea.’

Back in his days of being immersed in music, he composed many pieces, but ‘Serenade of the Azure Sea’ was not the most mystical nor the most evocative of them all. He chose to play it partly out of pure fondness and partly because his current situation was similar to when he first created it.

Back then, young and reckless, he offended many, suffering countless injuries, losing his cultivation several times. Once, he was ambushed by celestial experts, his primordial spirit exhausted, barely escaping death. Those days, he hid in the azure sea, drinking away his sorrows, which led to the creation of this piece.

Now, judged by the heavenly dao, his fundamental dao destroyed, the throne of demons and immortals taken, his cultivation gone… it felt like returning to those old times.

Playing ‘Serenade of the Azure Sea’ after so many years brought a flood of emotions.

This is the magic of music, easily evoking memories and touching the deepest emotions of the heart.

This was why Gu Qingfeng was once so obsessed with music.

As the piece ended, his thoughts returned from the past.

Gu Qingfeng exhaled, shaking his head slightly, not quite satisfied, “It’s been so long, I can’t quite find that old feeling.”

The little girl had been listening intently, her face showing amazement, staring at Gu Qingfeng with eyes wide as if seeing a monster, as if her soul had been snatched away, stunned.

“An eye-opener! Truly an eye-opener!”

An exclamation came, and Gu Qingfeng looked over to see an elder who had appeared in the garden at some unknown time.

(End of Chapter)