The Love Under the Moon wasn't just a divine artifact of the Love God; it also contained the Love God's divine position inheritance.
Normally, to use the Love God's Lyre, one needed to have received the divine inheritance contained within it.
But Lin Rong was different. He used his blood, containing pure and sincere emotion, to pluck the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, and his body was now imbued with its aura.
This aura allowed Lin Rong to play the Love God's Lyre freely, even without accepting the divine inheritance.
Playing the lyre was a skill possessed by only a select few musicians in his previous life.
However, in this life, it was a mandatory subject for every noble.
As a hereditary Duke, Lin Rong had naturally learned this skill during his childhood etiquette lessons.
Noble etiquette covered a vast range of subjects, touching upon nearly every aspect of life.
A person's energy was limited; unless one was a peerless genius, it was impossible to master everything.
Therefore, apart from a few essential etiquette practices that required specialization, others only needed to be known, not mastered.
For Lin Rong, as a male noble, playing the lyre fell into the category of "knowing how to play," meaning he didn't need to master it.
When Yang Wudi brought the Love God's Lyre to him, out of curiosity, Lin Rong played a piece on it.
Unexpectedly, the melody produced by the Love God's Lyre could temporarily calm his turbulent emotions.
This effect of the Love God's Lyre allowed Lin Rong to escape the vine cage of the Banyan Forest.
The feeling of regaining freedom was truly wonderful.
Even after half a month had passed, the novelty hadn't entirely faded.
Only those who had experienced the loss of freedom could truly understand how precious it was.
The ancients truly did not deceive me.
Lin Rong sat quietly on the sofa, eyes closed, playing the Love God's Lyre.
The melody he played was melodious and graceful, its notes as distant and tranquil as orchids in a secluded valley.
The old butler sat beside the young master, listening silently.
Although he wasn't an expert in music, just by listening to the melody, he could tell that this piece did not belong to any of the contemporary musical compositions.
However, since the young master hadn't explicitly mentioned it, he also tacitly refrained from asking about the origin of the music.
The melody Lin Rong played originated from his previous life and was called "Jieshi Tune: Secluded Orchid."
This was one of the few ancient melodies whose musical score he remembered from his past life.
The orchid is lush, its fragrance fills the air. If it's not plucked and worn, what harm does it do to the orchid?
Why is the tune of today like this? I travel in all directions, day after day, year after year.
The wind and frost are harsh, yet the wheat and rye flourish. If you are not harmed, I will not meet you.
The wheat and rye are abundant, they are plentiful. When a gentleman is harmed, he guards himself.
It flowed like a mountain spring, serene as a secluded valley; no matter how fierce the storm and thunder raged outside the window, it couldn't disturb the atmosphere filled with the lingering melody within the room.
The melody was slightly melancholic, yet it was sorrowful without being mournful, like entering a tranquil realm of profound peace, dissolving into infinite inner peace and serenity.
Closing his eyes to savor it, it held a unique elegance, purity, and a sense of distant freedom.
The melody played slowly, its tranquil notes weaving around the beams, painting a poetic atmosphere. Unconsciously, it approached its end.
As the piece concluded, the residual notes still echoed in the main hall, lingering like wisps of smoke, thin and unbroken.
Lin Rong opened his eyes. With his mind temporarily returned to its peak, his emotions were exceptionally calm. His dark, bright eyes showed no trace of emotional fluctuation.
The old butler also emerged from his reverie, a serene smile appearing on his aged face as he sincerely praised:
"Compared to last time, young master's lyre playing has improved."
"Madam had a high level of attainment in music; it's likely that young master inherited his mother's talent in this regard."
"Back when Madam was still here, she often sat in the garden she personally tended and played the lyre. At the time, young master used to complain that Madam spent too much time on these things, which reduced their time together."
Mother? A ripple stirred in Lin Rong's tranquil heart.
His relatives had passed away early in this life, and coupled with his deliberate avoidance, apart from that night in Dian Du City, Lin Rong had never proactively asked the old butler about his family's past.
And in that single instance, Lin Rong had only heard a small part about his grandfather before falling drowsily into the old butler's arms.
Although Lin Rong had come to terms with it and no longer avoided talking about his relatives.
Due to his personality, Lin Rong wouldn't actively seek out information on these matters, preferring to let things unfold naturally, with a gentle reserve.
Occasionally learning fragments of information about his relatives from the old butler was enough.
The departed are gone, and while remembrance is important, cherishing those still alive is paramount.
Lin Rong clasped the old butler's hand and turned to look outside.
Outside the window, the sky was still as dark as ink, and the fury of the wind and rain grew even greater. A deafening roar sounded every few moments.
Raindrops relentlessly beat against the bluestone ground. The soil beneath the vegetation was washed away by the heavy rain, mixing with the water to create a murky mess.
"The weather is so terrible; I wonder how the negotiations between the Royal Family and Spirit Hall are going."
The center of the inner city of Heaven Dou City.
Moon Xuan, once the Royal Court Etiquette Academy, had become Heaven Dou City's most high-end social club after Tang Yuehua's death.
The top floor of Moon Xuan.
Three figures in luxurious attire sat around a round table, arguing heatedly.
"Bishop Salas, if you want cooperation, you need to show sincerity."
Xue Qinghe's tone was slightly forceful. As the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou attending a meeting with Spirit Hall, he was no longer in his usual simple cloth robe but had changed into the exclusive attire of the Crown Prince.
His entire demeanor had shifted from amiable and elegant to imposing.
"You want my Heaven Dou to mobilize a million troops, while your Spirit Hall only offers two Titled Douluo? Where in the world is there such a cheap deal!"
"With a million troops in battle, even if those pirates have seven Titled Douluo, they'll be nothing but dead men in a grave, no cause for fear."
"Then why should my Heaven Dou cooperate with Spirit Hall? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child, easily fooled?"
"Let me tell you, Spirit Hall has suffered successive setbacks, greatly damaging the prestige of the current Pope. It's she who is begging us now, not the other way around."
"Bishop Salas, you'd best understand your position. Don't try to usurp the host or bully the subordinate!"
Platinum Bishop Salas was Bibi Dong's subordinate. Normally, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, had to maintain a smiling facade to keep up appearances. But now, there was no need for that.
In a sense, Xue Qinghe was now completely acting on personal grievances, his attitude so firm that he was just short of standing up to slap Salas.
This made Xue Xing, sitting beside Xue Qinghe, look at his great-nephew with surprise. Such a strong and upright attitude was completely different from the hypocritical villain with a hidden agenda he remembered.
Prioritizing matters, although Xue Xing and Xue Qinghe were at odds, he wouldn't contradict him in such a situation. Instead, he followed Xue Qinghe's words and agreed:
"Bishop Salas, the matter of cooperation was first proposed by your Spirit Hall."
"Spirit Hall offering only two Titled Douluo is indeed a bit excessive. At least five Titled Douluo should be sent to show sincerity."
"To show our sincerity, my Heaven Dou side can dispatch three hundred thousand troops and two Titled Douluo."
Two Titled Douluo? Could the Heaven Dou royal family even produce that?
Salas felt disdain in his heart, but then he thought about it again and quickly understood who Prince Xue Xing was referring to by "two Titled Douluo."
It was none other than Dugu Bo, the royal family's honored guest, and one of the two great guardian Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The current Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi, was very close to the Heaven Dou royal family. Ning Fengzhi himself was even Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's teacher.
Supporting one Titled Douluo for the royal family's use was, in Salas's opinion, reasonable.
As for Dugu Bo, it was even more so. Salas, as a Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall, naturally knew about the incident where Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo pursued Dugu Bo but was repelled by Xue Xing leading the Royal Knights years ago.
Therefore, it was only natural for Dugu Bo to fight for the royal family.
In reality, Bibi Dong's bargaining chip for Salas was seven Titled Douluo, a number exactly equal to the Seven Sacred Pillars Guardian Douluo of Sea God Island.
But in negotiations, who would reveal their bottom line right from the start? Salas had only casually mentioned that Spirit Hall would provide two Titled Douluo, intending to bargain later.
He never expected that the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou royal family would go all out as if he had taken the wrong medicine, catching him completely off guard and rendering his pre-prepared notes useless.
Fortunately, Prince Xue Xing gave Salas a way to save face, preventing him from being too embarrassed.
"Prince Xue Xing is too kind," Salas said unhurriedly after organizing his thoughts.
"Earlier, I was merely trying to test the waters. Anyone with common sense knows that since our Spirit Hall proposed cooperation first, we wouldn't only offer two Titled Douluo."
"However, after experiencing this matter, I finally understand why Emperor Xue Ye still lets Your Highness the Prince handle imperial affairs even with such an heir apparent."
"This young man! He usually puts on a humble and gentle demeanor, but unexpectedly, when faced with important matters, he becomes so impatient. He still needs more experience!"
Salas's last sentence did not name anyone, but the implication was that Xue Qinghe was incompetent, impulsive, and lacked foresight.
Prince Xue Xing found these words very pleasing, his eyes filled with smiles, while Xue Qinghe on the side wore a dark expression.
Seeing Xue Qinghe's expression, the narrow-minded Salas decided to retaliate further and attribute the credit for facilitating the cooperation to Xue Xing.
"Prince Xue Xing, since your Heaven Dou is so sincere, I won't hide anything either. Let's get straight to the point."
"Our Spirit Hall can offer seven Titled Douluo, and with your Heaven Dou's two Titled Douluo, our numbers will match those of the pirates."
"With the advantage in the number of Titled Douluo, and an additional three hundred thousand troops, we are bound to win this battle."
"I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"
Salas extended his hand as a gesture.
"A pleasant cooperation!" Xue Xing glanced at Xue Qinghe and shook hands with Salas with a proud expression.
The moment they shook hands, a thunderclap sounded outside, and the storm reached its peak.
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