Chapter 77: The Seven-Stringed Zither!

  Xiao Yun simply nodded, and Jiu Xiao smoothly added two more strings. The seven-stringed zither was now almost complete, and the next step would be to tune it. If the modified Jiu Xiao couldn't produce a smooth sound with seven notes, then this zither wouldn't qualify as a true seven-stringed instrument.

  Hong Kexin's eyes were fixed intently on Xiao Yun, not even blinking, her previous fatigue had been thrown far away. The Seven-Stringed Zither, a legendary instrument, would undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on the musical history of Tianle Continent if it reappeared in the world, producing a subversive impact. Could Xiao Yun really recreate it?

  "Clang!"

  Seven strings of the guqin were stretched straight, Xiao Yun adjusted the tuning pegs, sat up straight, placed the Jiu Xiang Ping on her knees, and put her hands on the strings with some excitement, with a hint of nervousness, her right thumb plucked the Shao Shang string.

  "Boom!"

  The sound of the zither did come out, but what followed was a loud explosive sound.

  The white jade bridge, unable to withstand the impact of the strings, suddenly shattered into powder. Xiao Yun was stunned, thinking that it could still be used, but unexpectedly, the white jade bridge was so fragile. Looking at the bridge pool, the newly replaced bridge pool board also had a long crack.

  The power of beast tendons should not be underestimated. If the mighty energy is mobilized, the impact will definitely be stronger. Ordinary materials are obviously unable to withstand it.

  Xiao Yun's head was aching, having prepared for so long, he thought he could finally make the seven-stringed zither, but unexpectedly it all came to nothing, a feeling of wanting to cry but having no tears lingered in Xiao Yun's heart.

  "Can you really make a guqin with seven strings?"

  Hong Kexin was somewhat disappointed, but she was still very curious. Xiao Yun must have had some confidence, otherwise he wouldn't have dismantled the Jiuxiao for no reason.

  "What a pity, the material is too inferior!" Xiao Yun shook his head and disassembled the zither board, preparing to restore Jiu Xiao to its five-stringed form.

  "Is it just the material that's not good enough?" Hong Kexin asked tentatively.

  Xiao Yun nodded, picked up the broken axle board that would break with a slight touch, and sighed, "For the time being, I couldn't find any good materials. I thought of making do with it for now, but I didn't expect it to be so fragile."

  "If it's just a matter of materials, maybe I can help!" Hong Kexin paused for a moment, and it was clear that she also wanted to see the legendary seven-stringed zither.

  "Who?" Xiao Yun suddenly turned his head towards Hong Kexin.

  Hong Ke Xin nodded, hesitated for a moment, took out a stick from her storage bag and handed it directly to Xiao Yun.

  A cylindrical log of azure color, about the thickness of a child's calf and two feet long. Xiaoyun took it in her hand, feeling extremely heavy, with an unusually hard texture. The wooden body was covered with golden threads, like a golden dragon, which made it clear that it was no ordinary object. The surface was slightly uneven, but perhaps due to being played with for many years, it felt very smooth to the touch, as if coated with a layer of varnish.

  "What kind of wood is this?"

  Xiao Yun was somewhat astonished, the material of this wood, he had never seen before, but he could be certain that this wood was absolutely not inferior to the top-grade Tongmu used by Jiu Xiao, and even surpassed it.

  "This is a piece of dragon wood, given to me by my master. Originally, I wanted to use it to make a clock hammer, but the dragon wood is very precious and I couldn't bear to use it, so I've been keeping it all along."

  "Dragon Descending Tree?" A bright light flashed in Xiao Yun's eyes.

  "This is indeed a Golden Silk Dragon Wood, it can already be considered as top-grade wood. In terms of quality, it's definitely better than the wood used for your guqin!" Hong Kexin said.

  With a surge of excitement, Xiao Yun looked at Hong Ke Xin with an odd expression, waving the Dragon-Suppressing Wood in his hand, "Are you willing to give this thing to me?"

  "If you can really make the seven-stringed zither, I'll give it to you, but if you can't, then consider this piece of dragon wood as borrowed from me, and you'll have to find a way to return it later." said Hong Kexin.

  Xiao Yun sweated profusely. Such precious wood was hard to come by, even with spirit crystals. If it were ruined, where would he find a replacement?

  "Thank you, Miss Hong. You've really helped me out." The opportunity was too good to pass up, and Xiao Yun didn't hesitate for a moment, directly taking the Dragon-Subduing Wood. He looked like he was afraid that Hong Kexin would change her mind.

  Hong Kexin opened her mouth, and even if she wanted to take it back, it was already too late. Seeing Xiao Yun prepare to cut down the Dragon Slaying Wood, Hong Kexin hastily asked, "You, do you really have confidence in this?"

  "Don't worry!"

  Xiao Yun handed over a gentle smile, he was an expert in the field of sound, after all, adding two strings was just a matter of having materials, and for him, it wasn't a difficult task.

  Hong Kexin still had some doubts, after all, she had invested a precious dragon-reducing wood, if Xiao Yun was messing around somewhere, that piece of dragon-reducing wood would be in vain. She didn't think Xiao Yun could find another dragon-reducing wood to return to her, and what he just said was just a joke.

  Hong Kexin's nervousness, Xiao Yun did not notice, pulled out the knife, wanting to split the dragon wood in half, in order to make the qin zhu and other objects. However, a new problem soon arose, the wooden dragon wood was extremely hard, the knife cut on it, just like cutting directly on an iron block, unable to move it at all, Xiao Yun busied herself for half a day, only managing to scratch out a white mark on its surface.

  Looking at the small knife with a rolled blade in his hand, Xiao Yun clicked his tongue and thought that he had indeed thought too simply. Such precious wood material, how could it be damaged by ordinary soldiers?

  "Take this and try it!"

  Just as Xiao Yun was in a dilemma, Hong Kexin handed over a small knife, about half a foot long, like a fruit knife. The blade was crimson and looked quite eerie. Xiao Yun didn't hesitate and once again used the small knife to make a move on the Dragon-Subduing Wood.

  This time, however, it was much easier. Although it was extremely laborious to cut, with a swipe, he could at least carve a wound on the Dragon-Subduing Wood. Xiao Yun's heart rejoiced - as long as he could injure the Dragon-Subduing Wood, that would be enough; at most, he would just have to expend more energy.

  ——

  Slow work produces fine things, Xiao Yun's undivided attention to cutting and carving, his spirit is full, while Hong Ke Xin, who was initially spirited, couldn't hold on for long and started dozing off.

  Time flies second by second, and before we know it, dawn is approaching, and the fourth day arrives.

  "Clang!"

  A single note of the guqin awakened Hong Kexin from her sleep, and she rubbed her sleepy eyes as she looked towards Xiao Yun. Xiao Yun was sitting beside a fire pit that had long since burned out, with the Jiu Xiang placed on his knees, and a large pile of wood shavings scattered around him. From the looks of it, he hadn't slept all night.

  "Huh?"

  Waking up, Hong Kexin seemed to have thought of something and immediately walked to Xiao Yun's side. Looking at Jiu Xiang, her eyes lit up. The seven strings on the black zither were straight as pens, and Xiao Yun occasionally plucked a string, listened carefully, and then continued to tune it seriously.

  Looking at Xiao Yun's serious appearance, Hong Ke Xin did not disturb him, but her heart was filled with anticipation. Although she didn't dare to believe it, deep down in her heart, she really wanted to see the long-lost Guqin of Seven Strings.

  "Clang, clang, clang......"

  Her fingers slid over the seven strings, and under Xiao Yun's serious tuning, each note gradually approached perfection. After more than half an hour, a smile finally appeared on Xiao Yun's face.

  "Is it done?" Hong Ke Xin's heart was somewhat impatient.

  "Hum!"

  At the moment when the seven sounds returned to their positions, the sky shook and all the four-stage and above monsters in the holy land looked up at the sky with reverence in their eyes.

  A golden light accompanied the dawn, breaking through the morning from the ninth heaven above and falling down, straight to where Xiao Yun was. When it reached the top of the mountain cave, it split into three: one entered Xiao Yun's body, one entered Hong Ke Xin's body, and the most dazzling golden light entered the 'Jiu Xiao'.

  The sudden change left Hong Kexin stunned, she had also made a detour to the beam, knowing that the golden light was merit, and before she could be surprised, she immediately sat cross-legged, activated the spiritual platform image, and quickly absorbed the merit in her body.

  Xiao Yun was also stunned for a moment. The seven-stringed zither, as well as the seven-note melody, had appeared in this world before. He hadn't expected to recreate the seven-stringed zither and actually have good fortune befall him. This was truly beyond his expectations. Could it be that on Tian Yue Continent, Wen Wu Ding Xian was just a legend, and in reality, there was no such thing?