My Fairy Growth System

Chapter 104 The Ballad of Falling Flowers Reveals a Conspiracy

The following day.

A huge advertisement board was placed at the entrance of the Raoliang Tea House.

"Composer of 'Love of Butterfly Lovers,' zither prodigy, fashion trendsetter, Inner Sect Disciple of Tianxiang Valley, Yu Qingtan, will be the resident musician at Raoliang Tea House starting today! First-day consumption, 10% off for the entire venue!"

Below it, there was also a portrait of Yu Qingtan sitting and playing the zither, exactly as she was dressed today.

Her hair was braided into two plaits and fixed at the back of her head in the shape of an 8 with a hair accessory, while bangs covered her forehead, and two locks of hair draped over her shoulders down her front.

She was wearing a goose-yellow chest-high robe skirt with a light green gauze garment over the upper body and a pair of light yellow cloth shoes. There were plum blossom embroideries on the skirt hem, gauze garment, and the surface of the shoes.

This outfit was made by Yu Qingtan according to a set of clothing designs she had won in a draw called 'Falling Petal Ballad.'

Yu Qingtan's own appraisal was, "So beautiful it bubbles."

It was naturally Yu Qingtan's idea to place an advertisement.

The Lichuan Cultivation World did have some understanding of advertising, but not much.

As expected, once the advertisement was out, the number of customers significantly increased.

The cheapest tea at the Raoliang Tea House only cost one Spirit Stone per pot, which was quite affordable.

Yu Qingtan's work hours were during the morning Si hour, afternoon Wei hour, and evening Xu hour, totaling three periods.

Right on the Si hour, Yu Qingtan appeared on the performance stage of the tea house with the Roaming Zither in her arms.

By this time, seventy to eighty percent of the seats in the tea house were already filled.

Seeing Yu Qingtan, who was even more beautiful than her portrait, everyone was struck silent, staring dumbfounded at her.

There were no opening remarks, no warm-up.

Yu Qingtan sat down, placed the zither down, and began playing 'Love of Butterfly Lovers.'

The melodious tune resonated, captivating the customers, who listened spellbound, many of them forgetting even to drink their tea.

After the music ended, the echo lingered among the beams.

Thirty breaths later, a round of enthusiastic applause broke out.

The applause ceased.

The melodious sound of the zither rose again.

The piece was 'Yearning.'

This was a teaching piece for learning the zither, and also a classic piece for Dao comprehension by the seniors of Tianxiang Valley.

The third piece, 'Small River.'

The fourth piece, 'High Mountain.'

The fifth piece, 'Flowing Water.'

...

The last piece was 'Xiaoxiang Water Clouds.'

'Xiaoxiang Water Clouds' was not a piece from the Lichuan Cultivation World, but rather one from Yu Qingtan's past life.

The thick-skinned Yu Qingtan naturally presented it as another new piece of her own.

After the performance concluded, Yu Qingtan bowed and then carried the zither off the stage.

Now somewhat of a celebrity, she needed to maintain her demeanor.

She left behind guests gazing after her figure, reluctant to leave, each of them taking a bamboo stick from their tea table and throwing it into a basket in front of the stage.

This was considered a tip for Yu Qingtan, one Spirit Stone per bamboo stick, limited to one per person.

"This Miss Qingtan is too beautiful, I must support!"

"Indeed, outrageously beautiful! Support, support!"

"Love, love, love!"

"From now on, I'll come every day, don't ask why, if you do, it's because I love tea."

...

"Daoist Zhang, I told you that the sign outside Raoliang Tea House wasn't an exaggeration, this Miss Qingtan's zither skills are extraordinary, comparable to a master, and her last new piece especially was awe-inspiring!"

"Daoist Li, I misspoke earlier, Miss Qingtan's zither skills are unparalleled, far surpassing mine, Zhang is ashamed."

...

"Daoist Wang, Miss Qingtan's zither music lingers for a full thirty breaths, even longer than the previous musicians, this pot of ten Spirit Stone Cloud Mist Tea was well worth it!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, to be able to hear such celestial music for just ten Spirit Stones is more than satisfactory. Moreover, Miss Qing Tan's attire is so pleasing to the eye, it's simply a steal."

...

"Sister Liu, Miss Qing Tan's outfit is so pretty, isn't it? She truly lives up to being called a trendsetter. I'm going to make a few copies of it when I get back."

"You, you just love pretty clothes. She plays the zither so well, yet you don't appreciate it."

"Sister Liu, I'm tone-deaf, you know, but it does sound very nice indeed."

...

Yu Qingtan looked at the Charm Points and Affection Value slowly increasing on her system panel, feeling very content.

"What fine 'cash crops'!"

Although the tips she received could only yield a tenth, the acquisition of Charm Points and Affection Value was satisfying enough for her.

...

Ten days later, even though the signboard at the entrance had long been taken down, Raoliang Tea House was packed with customers every day.

Some people even arrived early to queue at the teahouse door, waiting for it to open.

Each day, Yu Qingtan's Charm Points increased by about two thousand, and her Affection Value by over forty.

That night, after finishing her work, Yu Qingtan planned to return to her room as usual and work on her talisman-crafting technique.

But Xiang Ru stopped her at the door.

"Sister Qing Tan, Auntie asked me to get the Roaming Zither from you; she needs to maintain it."

As she spoke, Xiang Ru's eyes gleamed with excitement.

She had completely become Qing Tan's adoring fan. After Qing Tan gave her a dress that suited her, she became utterly obedient to Qing Tan.

"Xiang Ru, does Uncle Xiang Yu often maintain the Roaming Zither?"

Yu Qingtan asked.

"Not that often, I guess, perhaps once a year? Strange, wasn't it just maintained a month ago?"

Xiang Ru said, puzzled.

Yu Qingtan's eyes flashed, then she handed the zither to Xiang Ru.

"Since Uncle Xiang Yu requires maintenance, you better take it to her quickly, don't keep her waiting."

"Yes, yes, of course."

...

The next day, Xiang Ru returned the Roaming Zither to Yu Qingtan early in the morning.

Yu Qingtan continued her normal work.

Another five days passed.

At night, Yu Qingtan finally went to sleep.

She was sleeping very little these days.

An odorless, colorless smoke began to emanate from the Roaming Zither.

Yu Qingtan felt her head grow foggy, and it took a long time before she slowly woke up again.

She found herself lying in a strange place, surrounded by white haze.

She extended her Divine Sense and discovered four girl-like figures sitting with their heads down, each with a zither before them.

She checked her body and found that her cultivation had been sealed.

A figure in a white dress, resembling Xiang Yu but appearing somewhat older, abruptly appeared in front of Yu Qingtan.

"You're awake. Tsk, tsk, a 15-year-old at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and indeed possessing a celestial-grade Spirit Root, haha, heaven truly blesses me! Hahaha..."

The figure laughed heartily as she spoke.

Yu Qingtan retreated warily and asked, "Who are you? Where am I?"

"As the rare owner of a celestial-grade Spirit Root, naturally you shouldn't die in ignorance. I am Xiang Jin, the former Golden Core Cultivator from Tianxiang Valley who perished in the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation at Raoliang Tea House.

But actually, I didn't completely perish. During the lightning tribulation, my Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Roaming Zither, was almost elevated to a Taoist Instrument, but it fell just short of developing an Artifact Spirit. I also sustained serious injuries from the tribulation and couldn't withstand the final heavenly lightning.

Thus, I chose to enter the Roaming Zither with my soul, becoming its Artifact Spirit. This place is the Taoist Instrument space within the Roaming Zither."

Upon hearing this, Qing Tan understood and asked apprehensively, "Since you are a senior from Tianxiang Valley, what is your intention in bringing me here?"