Some zither melodies are lofty, while some confuse the heart. Whether they are meant to clear the mind or distract it, who can say.
But he wanted to play the zither for Yun Qian, because in dreams, even without a guqin, he could conjure one.
Having been on Muyu Peak for so long, he knew a bit of the seven-stringed zither and the five-stringed zither, and could play simple tunes that were decent enough.
So.
Xu Chang'an believed Miss Yun would surely be interested in his zither skills. He imagined his technique wasn't great, and it would be hard to respond to her praise with a straight face... yet he never considered... Yun Qian might not want to listen at all.
Could it be that she saw through his intent to soothe her with his music?
Yet, with his skill, he couldn't achieve the depth and calm of Senior Zhu, and she had no reason to worry.