Chapter 321: A Zither as a Gift (2) Seeing that the Saint had turned restless, the crowd went silent in an instant. Some of the female disciples looked at Tang Yinxuan from the back with faces of envy. How does a lass like you with no prominent background deserve favor from the Saint? With curiosity in mind, Tang Yinxuan walked towards the reception of the hotel restaurant. In favor of the Saint’s kindness, she paid no attention to the commotion behind. She had not been supported by such strong backing at Heavenly Sound Sect. She had been discovered by a Half-step Inborn from the Sect by chance, and taken in as a disciple from there. Through her own efforts, she had ascended to become one of the top disciples in a short span of just over a decade. Yet, despite having achieved her current status as a Half-step Inborn, she was not very confident in the face of the assessment today. Given that even the granddaughter of the Vice Sect leader also had to vie for the position of Saintess these days, her Master too had little confidence in her becoming one. She was bound to lose, should there be a competitor whose natural abilities were paralleled with hers, but came supported by rich resources and strong backing. This was something Tang Yinxuan had found hard to concede. “Where are they?” Tang Yinxuan asked as she came to the restaurant entrance. She swept a glance inside and saw a familiar figure at the far end. Walking over, Tang Yinxuan looked at the party’s surroundings. He was seated alone. Whereas another two familiar figures sat at a table nearby. “Our lovely Tang Yinxuan, to think you made it here so quickly!” Wang Xian greeted with a smile, waving as he saw Tang Yinxuan approaching. The delicacies on the table had remained untouched. Alongside lay a precious sword and a box, where the latter resembled a zither casing! Somewhat doubtful, Tang Yinxuan looked at Wang Xian and asked, “Young Master Wang, may I know the purpose of you asking me over?” With a warm smile, the current Wang Xian appeared gentlemanly and dashing. In fact, he looked much more elegant than the current Saint. But Tang Yinxuan knew better. This young man standing before her was highly likely to be the leader of the Abyss, the organization feared by many. “Mainly to apologize over the issue of the zither from before!” Wang Xian explained. He noticed that Tang Yinxuan was not carrying any zither on her back. Likely to say, she had not found another one worth bringing around, after the one gifted by her late mother was ruined. “You don’t have to,” Tang Yinxuan declined upon the mention of zither. With a cold expression, she remained standing instead of sitting down. Seeing her slightly glum face, Wang Xian shook his head. “I went to Ning City to settle some matters. It so happened that I obtained a zither yesterday, but I’ve got no use for it. So I’m giving it to you!” he chirped. As he explained, he retrieved the Zither of Hao Zhong and placed it in front of Tang Yinxuan. “I don’t suppose you’ll want to chat with me while standing. I was the reason why your zither was ruined. So here’s one to make it up to you!” he added. Tang Yinxuan hesitated for a moment, before she seated herself across from Wang Xian and nodded. “I’ll decline the zither. Since you’ve helped to elevate my cultivation, we’re even!” she said in return. “Erm …” Wang Xian muttered as he rested his back on the chair. “Take it. Having accepted two billion dollars from you and being your bodyguard for several days. We’re actually more indebted to you, to be exact!” Wang Xian persuaded. Tang Yinxuan procrastinated briefly, and looked at the zither on the table before shaking her head. “I’ve already got one,” she rejected again. “Just take it as you’re told. Accept it so we can call it even!” Wang Xian persisted. With a tinge of dominance, Wang Xian placed the zither at a spot nearer Tang Yinxuan. “We may not be close. But even so, I don’t wish to owe anyone anything,” he continued. After which, he gestured towards the food on the table. “Have you eaten? If you haven’t, let me give you a treat!” he invited. Lifting an eyebrow, Tang Yinxuan nodded in reply, “Sure!” She picked the zither up and placed it on her side, before picking up the cutlery and starting to eat. Wang Xian took a look at her before starting on his meal. Neither Tang Yinxuan nor Wang Xian had uttered a word then. It was an admiration of aesthetics which Wang Xian had towards Tang Yinxuan and her melodic voice. Other than that, he had no ulterior motives. As Tang Yinxuan was a very slow eater, she had yet to be done even long after Wang Xian had finished eating. He played on his mobile phone, and had no interaction with her. It was a rather rare sight. A handsome man and beautiful lady seated together in a corner, having a meal, but with no interaction throughout otherwise. “I’m going off,” Tang Yinxuan said to Wang Xian upon finishing her meal. “Sure. It’s already after ten. Time for me to head back and turn in as well!” Wang Xian replied, smiling. Tang Yinxuan looked at him with doubt before picking up the zither on her side. Carrying the zither on her back, she headed for the exit. Wang Xian walked alongside Tang Yinxuan while holding his long sword. Once again, there was no interaction between them whatsoever. Both of them had just stepped out of the restaurant, when they heard a few shocked voices coming at them. “Oh? It’s Junior Sister Tang!” a voice called. “It’s Junior Tang indeed. Junior, didn’t you say you were leaving early for an urgent matter?” another asked. Tang Yinxuan stood dazed for a moment as Wang Xian remained by her side. Slightly taken aback, he too looked over at the crowd with gleaming eyes. A figure emerged in his mind, which stood in contrast to the group ahead. “There’s a guy with her. Hey, look everyone. Junior Tang’s carrying a new zither on her back!” someone in the crowd exclaimed. “Who’s that young man?” another asked. The group of disciples from the Heavenly Sound Sect stared at Tang Yinxuan in utter confusion. Tang Yinxuan had left the Saints’ Feast earlier in a hurry. Little would anyone expect to see her meeting a young man here. There seemed to be more than meets the eye with what was going on. Upon seeing Tang Yinxuan’s look of shock which was soon followed by a frown, the Saint, who was walking in the middle, withdrew his smile. He scanned Wang Xian over before turning to Tang Yinxuan, and asking coolly, “Junior Yinxuan, didn’t you say you had something urgent going on?” “I did, my friend wanted to give me this zither as a present. So I’m here to collect it!” Tang Yinxuan explained and met them with a calm look. “Oh? What zither is that? Senior’s curious now, junior. You’ve even rejected my Sky Devil Zither. I’m curious to find out which zither your friend has gifted you with!” the Saint refuted. As he smiled coldly, the Saint turned to look at Wang Xian. He raised his head slightly and stared down at Wang Xian snobbishly. “Who’s this friend of yours here? I’m the Saint of the Heavenly Sound Sect!” he announced. “Just a nobody, here to present a zither as a gift!” Wang Xian replied plainly as he looked at the Saint. “Haha! No names mentioned, huh. By all means. I won’t remember it anyway!” the Saint smirked. “Junior Sister, what good zither can a nobody gift you with? Consider my offer. After all, it’s your most crucial selection test tomorrow!” he advised Tang Yinxuan. Dismissing the Saint’s words, Tang Yinxuan looked on with a face of dismay and annoyance. She turned to check on Wang Xian, to see if he had been offended. A nobody? This gentleman here is most likely the leader of the Abyss. How does that make him a nobody? Right now, she was more afraid of Wang Xian, for fear that he may strike at this Saint any moment and finish him off. After all, she was not sure if Wang Xian would be mindful towards a Saint from the Heavenly Sound Sect. “There’s no need for that. But I’m thankful for your kind intentions, Senior. As for tomorrow, I’ll leave it to my own fortunes to see if I can make it as the Saintess!” Tang Yinxuan excused herself graciously. “Junior Tang, you accepted a gift zither from a nobody right away, but kept turning down the help offered to you by a Saint. Isn’t this too much?” a female disciple snapped. She resented Tang Yinxuan with a face green with jealousy. “That’s right. How can a lousy zither from a nobody compare to the Saint’s Sky Devil Zither? Junior, is there something going on between you and this lad?” another questioned.