Moonlit Calamity: The Dragon Girl's Life of Idleness is Broken

Chapter 383: Softness can transform into hardness, and its power can surpass that of a mortal.

In the eyes of musical instrument enthusiasts, the seven-stringed zither is not only a vehicle for leisure and self-cultivation, but also an embellishment for relieving worries and expressing feelings in life.

Long Chuqing said, "This technique seems simple, but it is not."

She paused slightly as she placed her delicate hand on the 'corner string' of the zither, then looked up at the scattered crabapple blossoms on the ground.

His voice was calm and unhurried, and he said with a smile, "When the strings of this zither vibrate, they resonate with the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth. The zither has seven strings, among which the five notes 'Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, Yu' correspond to the five internal organs of the human body. The civil tone is dominated by the Shao Gong note, and the martial tone is dominated by the Shao Shang note."

She slowly raised her slender fingers and traced them lightly across the strings. “The Gong tone enters the spleen, the Shang tone enters the lungs, the Jiao tone connects to the liver, the Zhi tone connects to the heart, and the Yu tone reaches the kidneys. I suppose your teachers must have told you these things when you first started learning the zither?”

Upon hearing this, Prince Xuan, Prince Qi, Xiao Han, and Ruoyang were slightly taken aback, and the scene of their first time learning the zither as children instantly flashed through their minds.

When they were young, they were taught to play the zither by an elderly Mr. Xi, who was proficient in music and had a profound understanding of it.

It was a rather quiet courtyard with a lotus pond in the middle, which was particularly beautiful when the flowers bloomed in the height of summer. There was also a tall sycamore tree in the courtyard, with a straight trunk and lush foliage, which must have been quite old.

When the weather was fine, Mr. Xi would sit under the shade of the sycamore trees, holding a zither, and teach them.

Whenever he taught, Master Xi's eyes revealed his dedication and love for the art of playing the zither.

He had a kind yet dignified face, and he patiently taught every prince and princess who came to study there, while also being very strict.

"Children, the strings of the zither are divided into 'Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, Yu, Wen, Wu.' The Gong tone enters the spleen, the Shang tone enters the lungs, the Jiao tone enters the liver, the Zhi tone enters the heart, and the Yu tone reaches the kidneys." Master Xi gently stroked the zither and began to patiently teach the young princes.

Master Xi’s voice was gentle yet steady: “This knowledge is an explanation of the relationship between the sound of the zither and the five internal organs of the human body, and also an understanding of the relationship between life and nature.”

"When you play the piano, you need to feel every note with your heart and let the music become one with your mind and body."

"The Gong tone is deep and resonant, the Shang tone is high-pitched and clear, the Jiao tone is melodious and gentle, the Zhi tone is passionate and stirring, and the Yu tone is soft and delicate, like flowing water..."

Long Chuqing smiled slightly as she looked at the expressions on everyone's faces as they were lost in memories.

This knowledge is not just simple theory for them; it will also lay a solid foundation for their future application in learning piano techniques.

Once everyone had snapped out of their thoughts, Long Chuqing continued to explain: "Learning the art of using the sound of the zither to injure others is not something that can be easily mastered simply by having internal energy. The internal energy must be just right. If the five notes are out of tune when you use your energy, it will be like scratching an itch through a boot at best, and at worst the strings will break and the sound will stop. Not only will it fail to injure the enemy, but it will also injure yourself."

Upon hearing this, King Xuan suddenly understood, "So that's how it is."

Upon hearing Long Chuqing mention the risk of the zither strings breaking, Xiao Han hurriedly stopped the eager Prince Xuan.

"Sixth Brother, wait a minute. This zither is quite valuable. Why don't we try another one?"

"Seventh brother, are you... are you questioning your elder brother's abilities?" King Xuan looked hurt, then laughed and said, "Fine, let's change to another one. Practicing with an ordinary zither will put less of a psychological burden on us."

King Xuan scratched his head: "Actually, I don't have much confidence in myself either, haha..."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

Indeed, even with diligent cultivation of internal energy, transforming the sound of the zither into a weapon of attack is by no means an easy task.

Not everyone who can play the piano can learn this skill. It requires not only superb piano skills but also profound inner strength. Both are indispensable.

Even if one knows the principles and tricks, without comprehension, one cannot understand the core knowledge points and will find it difficult to master them.

If it were a normal performance, there would be no need to worry about these things, but if one were to channel internal energy into their fingertips to play, no one could guarantee that the zither would remain intact.

Therefore, there's no need to be overly cautious about practicing on a piano that you don't usually use.

Xiao Han instructed Qing Tong to fetch two paulownia wood zithers from the storeroom.

"Let me try it first!"

King Xuan took the new zither and couldn't wait to start playing it.

He began to practice his skills and play the strings as instructed by Long Chuqing.

Instantly, the sound of zithers filled the Qinli Courtyard.

The music started again, but this time it sounded a bit awkward.

Beginners often struggle to control their strength. They may have the power, but if they don't master the strength, the sound of the piano will be punctuated with abrupt changes.

Suddenly, a series of rather shrill sounds came from the strings of the zither in King Xuan's hand, startling the birds on the branches into flight.

King Xuan suddenly groaned, and several fine cracks appeared on the surface of the zither.

"This? Oh no, it seems I used too much force." King Xuan looked slightly embarrassed.

Long Chuqing's eyes flickered slightly as she moved behind him: "It's nothing serious, Your Highness. It's just that your strength was a bit too much. It's normal for a beginner to not be able to control their strength. The zither is a gentleman's instrument, and one should use the principle of using four ounces to move a thousand pounds."

She placed her palm on the seven strings of the Xuan King's instrument, guiding him to feel that delicate balance.

"Your Highness, the flow of energy should be like a stream gently flowing over sand and stones, with the breath sinking to the dantian and the power penetrating to the fingertips, yet also like gently caressing a child, leaving some strength unused."

A flash of understanding crossed King Xuan's eyes: "Alright, thank you for your guidance, Miss Long. I will give it another try."

Long Chuqing guided him on how to circulate his internal energy to differentiate and distribute the sound of the zither.

"listen--"

Long Chuqing gave a soft reminder.

Under Long Chuqing's guidance, King Xuan gradually mastered the secrets of internal energy circulation.

The music gradually became smoother, clear and melodious like a spring striking a stone. The previously obvious "clanging" staccato sounds also changed with repeated practice and began to blend in.

King Xuan was overjoyed: "Miss Long, it seems I'm starting to get the hang of it!"

Long Chuqing smiled.

Everyone gazed at the paulownia wood zither, now cracked from being struck by the King of Xuan, which stood quietly in Xiao Han's hands.

Xiao Han thought to himself: It's good that he had the foresight to replace his usual zither in advance.

Otherwise, it would be scrapped by now, and he would be heartbroken.

Long Chuqing carefully tuned the new zither and handed it to Prince Qi.

Prince Qi accepted the new zither. The lacquer on the zither was as good as new, and it had obviously never been used.

He gently stroked the strings.

After the piece ended, he felt that his piano playing remained weak and powerless.

Seeing that his sixth brother's zither playing was too forceful, he tried to control his strength, but the result was this weak effect.

But if he used too much force, he was afraid of breaking the instrument again.

"Miss Long, what is the reason for this?" he asked humbly.

Long Chuqing moved to his side, leaned down slightly, and placed her fingers on his zither strings: "Does Your Highness know that the power of zither music does not lie in its volume? The power of gentleness can also bring out its advantages."

Her fingers plucked the strings seven times in succession, "The soft strength transforms into hardness, which can still overcome the force of a thousand pounds."

In an instant, a lingering sword aura poured out from the zither, causing ripples to spread across the pond.

"So that's how it is!" King Qi looked at the layers of water and suddenly stood up.

"No rush, you need to calm down and slowly understand."

"Alright." Prince Qi sat down again and began to play, gradually finding that profound feeling under Long Chuqing's guidance.