"Here's the payment," passing twenty five[25] duan silver pieces to the female attendant, Shung Yun said before digging into his meat.
"I'll make use of the Silver-Layer pill before I go to bed," he mumbled as he feasted on the hot dish in front of him.
***
"I should warn you before you go through with this," Mr. Guchun said as he stood in front of a tattered two[2] story building with grasses around it, "the person living here acts strange and abnormal. You can say he's an eccentric. So, do be mindful before you go inside."
"If I can learn the guqin from him, then I don't care if he's insane or not," Shung Yun said with the left side of his cheek a little swelled and a stick emerging out of his mouth.
"Alright," Mr. Guchun said before knocking on the door in front of him.
Knock! Knock!! ...... Knock! Knock!!
"Looks like he isn't home," Shung Yun said as he moved the stick in his mouth to the left, prompting the left side of his cheek to shrink and the right side of his cheek to swell.
"I don't know. He doesn't usually leave his house," Mr. Guchun said as he prepared to knock on the door again.
"Do you think the person knocking would continue?" an upper-stage middle aged with disheveled hair reaching the back of his knee and a goatee sweeping the floor asked the female doll sitting across him.
",…,"
"I do too, Yi'er," the upper-stage middle aged man said as he sat cross-legged across the female doll, "he/she must really need our assistance if they could come all the way here. Do I answer if he/she knocks again?"
",…,"
"Alright," the upper-stage middle aged man said as he stood up from his cross-legged position.
Knock! Knock!!
Crrrk!!
"You are?" he asked as he opened his door a little while peeping through the opening.
Seeing the face peeping through the opening on the door, Mr. Guchun asked with a surprised tone, "is it Bai Qhan?"
"Depends on who's asking," the upper-stage middle aged man said as he scratched his disheveled goatee.
"It's Guchun. You remember me, right?" Mr. Guchun asked the upper-stage middle aged man.
"I thought you'll be dead by now, Guchun," the upper-stage middle aged man said as he opened his door wider, "what brings you here?"
"You're still so blatant with your words, Bai Qhan" Mr. Guchun said as he shook his head, "I brought a kid who's interested in learning how to play the guqin. You were the best in town back when we youths. I'm sure you still got it in you."
Straining his neck forward as he looked at Shung Yun, Bai Qhan said, "he has a handsome face. I can't let him get near Ming Yi. You both should leave."
"Isn't Mi…," stopping his sentence, Mr. Guchun said, "hasn't she left with the storm god."
"Yi'er left her soul in the doll her mom gave to her before she passed away. She talks to me even to this day. I won't let the kid come near her," Bai Qhan said as he pushed the door.
Stopping the door from closing, Shung Yun said to Bai Qhan, "junior promise to be kind and caring to Miss Ming Yi during the time he's learning with you, Senior Bai."
"Mmmmm," Bai Qhan hummed as he scratched his goatee, "alright. I'll teach you how to play the guqin."
"This junior will forever be grateful to senior," Shung Yun said as he bowed his head in the direction of his cupped fists.
"I don't need you to be grateful to me. Just do as you promised to Yi'er," Bai Qhan said as he pulled the handle of the door, opening it wide enough for Shung Yun to pass through, "I won't be seeing you off, Guchun."
"It's alright," Mr. Guchun said before looking at Shung Yun, "don't forget about the race this night."
"I won't," Shung Yun said before entering into Bai Qhan's home.
"We have a visitor, Yi'er," Bai Qhan said as he carried the female doll as if carrying a baby, "why don't you say hi."
",..,"
"What the hell are you standing like a fool for!? Didn't you hear Yi'er saying hi to you!?" Bai Qhan looked furious as he shouted at Shung Yun.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ming Yi. I was distracted by the unique features of your home," Shung Yun said as he cupped his fists towards the female doll, "I'm Shung Yun by the way."
"At least you have some manners," Bai Qhan said as the look on his face softened, "go upstairs and bring my guqin."
"Alright," Shung Yun said as he moved through the stairs to the upper floor of the two[2] story building.
Coming down with a black colored seven[7] stringed instrument, he moved forward before presenting it to Bai Qhan.
"It's really been a while," Bai Qhan said as he gently struck the strings on the guqin, playing a soothing tone in the process.
[Disclaimer: what you'll read isn't the correct way in which a guqin is played]
Stopping after twenty six[26] seconds, he passed the guqin to Shung Yun, "repeat what I did."
A little surprised by the task given to him, he quickly got over it due to him previously paying rapt attention to Bai Qhan.
Taking hold of the guqin, he closed his eyes as he recalled the feeling he got when Bai Qhan played the soothing tone.
Moving his fingers across the strings of the guqin, his expression went through degrees of changes at each sound of the guqin before he came to a stop.
"I can't get the sounds," muttering that as he looked at the guqin resting on his thighs, Shung Yun felt astounded.
"First thing you should know about a guqin is that each string has more than a single note of sound. So don't expect to out-rightly copy what I played because you caught every motion of my fingers," Bai Qhan said as he rocked the female doll in his hand, "your assignment for today will be to know each note in the middle string of the guqin. You have until evening to do that."
"I understand," accepting the assignment, Shung Yun immediately went to work.
Having tons of experience in the sounds of notes due to the piano lessons he took in his past life, he easily grasp each note with every stroke and pluck of his finger.
After going on for hours, he was convinced he has gotten every possible sound the middle string of the guqin could produce.
"I'm done, senior," taking his finger off the guqin, Shung Yun said to Bai Qhan.
"Then do the same for the string at the left side of the middle string," Bai Qhan said without taking his eyes off the female doll.
Enjoying the lessened voices of the siblings in his soul due to his senses fully focused on the guqin in front of him, Shung Yun calmly began working on the second string of the guqin.
Gaining experience after taking care of the middle string, he was able to strike and pluck the string with the appropriate strength, thereby; lessening the time he got each sound from the string.
"Enough," Bai Qhan said as he walked down the stairs of his home, "it's time to fulfill the promise you made to Yi'er."
Stopping his finger from plucking the string, Shung Yun placed the guqin beside him before standing up from his cross-legged position.
"What does senior have in mind?" he asked Bai Qhan.
"Yi'er hasn't seen the outside world for a while now. Take her sight-seeing through the outer sanctum of the town," Bai Qhan said as smiled at the female doll, "you don't have to thank me, Yi'er."
"It will be my pleasure to walk Miss Ming Yi through the streets of the outer sanctum of the town," Shung Yun said with a smile on his face.
"You're really a good kid," Bai Qhan said as Shung Yun's attitude to Ming Yi impressed him, "don't let her be uncomfortable in your arms."
"I won't dare," Shung Yun said as he held the female doll in his hands and her head resting on his left shoulder.
"Have a great time, Yi'er," Bai Qhan waved his right hand at the female doll as Shung Yun walked out the door with her in his hands.
New Chapter...…
Have a fruitful day...…..
In the presence of God, there's fullness of joy. The love of God is for every human on Earth. Don't let the world make you miss it..........
Thanks for your time and patience…," Author_X