Chapter Sixty-One: Slow, Slow Tune

One of them was the patriarch of the Zheng family. This was their roots; as a member of the clan, he had to show respect and give face.

The second was the General of Ninguta. Yet even towards this figure, bestowing face depended entirely on the matter at hand, and he would only grant a certain degree of respect rather than blindly following the other's wishes.

Aside from these two men, he held no one else in any regard. Yet now, a mere teenager had rejected him, and had done so even after his repeated requests.

This was simply refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit!

"Are you truly determined not to sell?" Holding onto one last shred of fantasy, Zheng Yugong asked once more. This time, he didn't even bother to find an excuse; his face was dark as thunder, completely baring his displeasure.

"Not selling." Jia Ping'an remained smiling cheerfully, his tone exceptionally resolute.

"Farewell." Seeing that the matter was a dead end with no room for negotiation, Zheng Yugong dispensed with further words and rose directly to his feet.

"Safe journey, Master Zheng. Chang Chao, see our guest out on my behalf." Jia Ping'an still wore a smile on his face as he spoke, subsequently rising with him.

Zheng Yugong uttered not another word, nor did he drop any parting threats. Perhaps he knew that casting threats was utterly useless, and that talking a thousand times was inferior to taking a single action.

Chang Chao obediently escorted Zheng Yugong out. As they reached the entrance of the third floor, Zheng Yugong suddenly halted, turned his head slightly to look at Chang Chao, and said, "I think very highly of you. How about it? Would you like to become the master of the Third House?"

"The... master?" Chang Chao's face was painted with complete astonishment.

This was no act; he was genuinely and deeply startled.

"That's right. If you have such an intention, come find me later." Zheng Yugong spoke as if in utmost earnest, then, without waiting for any reaction from Chang Chao, strode away.

With his mind in a complete tangle of confusion, Chang Chao returned to the Fuwang Chamber on the third floor. Jia Ping'an had not left; the smile that had previously graced his face was now greatly restrained as he sat there, slowly sipping his tea.

Given that Zheng Yugong had already approached Chang Chao beforehand, and now that they had fallen out, this move was bound to be played. He was simply waiting for Chang Chao's return to see what the latter might say to him.

Chang Chao arrived and, without the slightest hesitation, repeated word for word what Zheng Yugong had just said to him.

Clearly, Chang Chao was trustworthy—or perhaps he was clever enough to understand that a man like Zheng Yugong could never be trusted. In comparison, the Young Master was his sole reliance for the rest of his life.

"To make you the master rather than the manager—are you certain you heard correctly?" The smile on Jia Ping'an's face vanished entirely, replaced by an expression as deep and tranquil as still water.

"This subordinate heard correctly. The word used was indeed master," Chang Chao reiterated in a tone of absolute certainty.

Come to think of it, the difference between a master and a manager was vast.

A manager merely administered the shop temporarily, holding administrative rights rather than true operational control and ownership.

A master, however, was different; that was the existence of a true proprietor.

Everyone knew that the Heaven's Third House was established by Jia Ping'an, making him the undisputed master here. Now that business was thriving so immensely, no amount of silver could ever buy it. Thus, if someone wanted to become the master, there was only one possible scenario...

That scenario was Jia Ping'an no longer existing—to put it bluntly, Jia Ping'an being dead.

Only upon his death would there be any possibility of a new master stepping in.

"Is this the dagger being revealed at the map's end?" Jia Ping'an silently pondered to himself, after which a smile returned to his face.

Did Jia Ping'an fear death?

Naturally, any normal person feared death, let alone someone as young as he was, who possessed such a miraculous spatial artifact. He feared it all the more.

Since he did not wish to die, Zheng Yugong would first need the capability to kill him. Besides, the most terrifying enemy was the one whose intentions and actions remained completely unknown to you.

Once you understood their motive, however, they became much easier to deal with.

"Very well, this has nothing to do with you. Go and do whatever you ought to do." Once Jia Ping'an had figured things out, his expression lightened considerably.

"Young Master, do we need to do anything?" Chang Chao naturally lacked such seasoned composure; he remained anxious over the proposition of becoming the master.

"Do what? He is merely trying to frighten you. Have no worries." With those words, Jia Ping'an stood up and walked out of the private room.

"Young Master, where are you going?" Believing that Jia Ping'an intended to take some major action, Chang Chao asked with uneasy persistence.

"I am going to teach Lady Bai a new tune. What, would you like to come along?" Jia Ping'an stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and asked with a smile at Chang Chao.

"Oh, I don't understand music." Chang Chao immediately shook his head. Then he truly watched as Jia Ping'an went downstairs and headed toward the small courtyard where Bai Ruolan resided.

Jia Ping'an was indeed heading over to teach Bai Ruolan a new tune.

While *Ambush from Ten Sides* was classic enough, playing it a dozen times or more every day would inevitably grow tiresome. Jia Ping'an had decided to teach her a few more pieces, and this time he wanted something refined—Kunqu opera, for instance.

Kunqu opera, also known as Kunju or Kunshan tune, is one of the representative genres of traditional Chinese theater.

Kunqu performance is a comprehensive art form integrating singing, dancing, stylized movement, and spoken dialogue, with the gentle, thread-like bamboo flute as its primary accompanying instrument. Its vocal melodies are exquisite, placing strong emphasis on the control of rhythm and tempo during delivery, and paying meticulous attention to enunciation and diction. This creates a unique style renowned for its lingering, winding, soft, and distant grace.

It is simultaneously an elegant art form, which made it comparatively well-suited for high-end venues like the Heaven's Third House.

Jia Ping'an had previously asked Bai Ruolan and learned that the concept of Kunqu did not yet exist in this world. In that sense, he was introducing an entirely new genre, making him its founding pioneer.

Precisely because it was nonexistent, however, the material Jia Ping'an taught could not be overly complex. If no one could understand it, the effect would be lost. Therefore, he chose to progress from the shallow to the profound, and today's lesson was the Suzhou-style Kunqu piece *Sheng Sheng Man* (*Slow, Slow Song*).

Comparatively speaking, this tune was more accessible and easier to be accepted by first-time listeners.

When Bai Ruolan heard it for the first time, it sounded to her like heavenly music; she fell instantly in love with this style of singing. The two of them spent the greater part of the day in the room, practicing the vocalizations back and forth.

After leaving the Third House, Zheng Yugong's face remained etched with lingering anger.

Although he had prepared himself for the possibility of failing to acquire the white fox when he came, actually receiving that result still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He was merely the dependent of an exiled official who happened to have good fortune in rescuing a white fox, and after obtaining ginseng and wealth, had managed to set up a Third House. Did he truly believe that everyone under heaven was completely helpless against him?

Did he genuinely think he could disregard the Zheng family's face without consequence?

A person so ignorant of life and death deserved to die.

"Go, send men to keep watch on the Third House. From this moment on, I want to know every single move that fellow makes." Walking down the street, the more Zheng Yugong thought about it, the angrier he grew, and he issued instructions to his personal attendant walking beside him.

This time, Zheng Yugong wanted not only the white fox, but also the formulas for Huacha tea and Dukang wine. All of it would belong to the Zheng family.

Jia Ping'an spent a full two hours teaching Bai Ruolan how to sing the tune.

Jia Ping'an's own vocal range was mediocre—he could merely carry a tune without going off-key. Bai Ruolan, however, possessed genuine innate talent in this regard. After practicing twice, she was already singing with proper form and style. Henceforth, she only needed to familiarize herself with it further until the day of its public debut, whereupon it would astonish everyone.

Seeing that Bai Ruolan was already able to smoothly render the lyrics and melody of *Sheng Sheng Man*, Jia Ping'an took his leave of her courtyard.

As he was departing, Bai Ruolan bowed deeply to him.

Perhaps Jia Ping'an, acting as a literary plagiarist, did not think much of imparting this tune, but Bai Ruolan understood very well that with this piece under her belt, she had instantly elevated herself to a master of the musical arts. Even though she remained a slave in status, by virtue of what she had learned here, she would become a high-ranking slave no matter where she went, and would generally be spared from mistreatment.

That bow was to thank Jia Ping'an for imparting a means of survival, and for granting her a different kind of life.

"Heh." Jia Ping'an did not dodge; he accepted the gesture in full.

It was true that he was a plagiarist, but this was also part of his own capability. Had it not been for his former life's senior leader's fondness for traditional culture, and his own use of leisure time to learn a great deal just to please said superior, recalling these things—even after having heard them—would not have been so easy.

They say that what one learns becomes one's own, and that the pursuit of learning knows no bounds.

While accepting her gratitude, Jia Ping'an also thanked his own hardworking and studious former self.

"Practice well. I look forward to the moment you unveil Kunqu to the mortal world." After accepting the gesture, he offered a few words of encouragement before stepping out of the courtyard.

Watching Jia Ping'an's retreating figure, Bai Ruolan solidified her resolve even further. "Young Master, Ruolan will certainly not let you down."

Indeed, when Bai Ruolan smiled like that, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Yaya holding a pipa and slowly moving forward in front of the camera—truly, breathtakingly beautiful.

Upon stepping out of the courtyard, the smile on Jia Ping'an's face gradually faded. Shortly after, he saw Chang Chao trotting up to him. "Young Master, several strangers have appeared outside."

Thanks to Jia Ping'an's instructions, Chang Chao had enlisted some of his former beggar acquaintances to act as scouts stationed around the perimeter of the Third House.

One should never underestimate these beggars. Precisely because people were accustomed to seeing them beg everywhere, their presence seemed entirely ordinary no matter where they appeared, failing to arouse anyone's suspicion.

Initially, Jia Ping'an had instructed Chang Chao to contact these beggars so they could cause a disturbance at the Third House, allowing him to gauge Zheng Tongheng and his associates' reactions. He had not expected Zheng Liyuan to proactively pay a visit, rendering the ultimate effect even better.

Since the beggars were temporarily unneeded, Jia Ping'an had stationed them around the Third House to see if they might uncover anything. In any case, ever since he acquired the spatial realm and its fertile black soil, the efficiency of growing vegetables and the like was frighteningly high—harvests could be reaped overnight.