The moment Ziqing laid eyes on the cave in the mountains behind the estate, she immediately gave Baili Xiaosheng a thumbs up. “You really know how to pick a spot!”

The cave’s mouth faced north, positioned so its back was to the Sheng estate—inside, no matter how loud the sound, it wouldn’t carry back to the estate grounds.

They’d probably find the missing note and still no one back at the estate would be awake yet!

“Heh heh, once my mother fell asleep, I explored the entire estate from end to end! All the visible paths and the hidden passages too—I know them like the back of my hand. If any of them think they can trap me, not a chance,” Baili Xiaosheng said proudly. Clearly, this particular skill of hers had been inherited from her master as well!

Jun Beiyue personally held up a torch to light the way, with the others following behind.

Inside the cave, it was just the four of them. Baili Xiaosheng walked to the very back of the cave, then drew out the flame-red, phoenix-tail-shaped sheng from behind her back. She glanced at Xiong Xiaobao and said, “You go first?”

When sheng and xiao played together, one would lead and the other would follow the rhythm.

Xiong Xiaobao understood music theory; she didn’t. But even without that understanding, she had a natural gift—she could pick up the phoenix-tail sheng and play, and whatever she played would come out sounding masterful.

Xiong Xiaobao remembered clearly—this was the first time Baili Xiaosheng had spoken to him on her own initiative since her true identity as a girl had been revealed.

He felt he ought to say something, but after a moment’s thought, he simply nodded.

In truth, it didn’t matter who went first. If Ziqing wasn’t mistaken, these two instruments should be a matched pair!

The white jade xiao had only four finger holes, and the phoenix-tail sheng likewise used only four of its pipes—the structure of the instruments themselves limited their range of tones.

Whatever note the white jade xiao produced, the phoenix-tail sheng could produce that same tone in response.

The only difference lay in timbre, which depended on the breath of the player!

This secret was perhaps unknown even to the Sheng and Xiao families themselves. Of course, Ziqing had no time to spare investigating the connection between the two families.

As soon as Xiong Xiaobao began to play, she focused her full attention. The same piece played by different people would produce different effects, and the same held true for the same instrument played differently!

Xiong Xiaobao, after all, was still a child, with limited experience—objectively speaking, he really wasn’t as skilled as the head of the Xiao family.

Baili Xiaosheng was different. Relying on her raw talent, there was an indescribable quality to the sound of her sheng.

And yet, regardless, when the phoenix-tail sheng met a genuine white jade xiao, the resulting duet became rich and overflowing with emotion!

Not to mention Ziqing—even Jun Beiyue could tell that this melody, this mood, was exactly what belonged to the climactic passage of “Parting Sorrow.”

There was no mistake—this was “Parting Sorrow”!

As Ziqing listened, she pulled out the score and checked it note by note!

If it had been the head of the Xiao family playing alongside Baili Xiaosheng, she probably would have caught any discrepancy immediately!

Xiong Xiaobao was a bit weaker, which made it harder for her to follow—fortunately, she’d brought the score along!

Watching Ziqing’s fingers race rapidly across the score, Jun Beiyue was utterly lost, but found himself growing tense right along with her without realizing it.

The last missing note!

The very last one!

They were about to find it!

“Parting Sorrow” was about to be complete!

Finally, the sound of sheng and xiao stopped together, abruptly, and Ziqing’s finger came to rest at the very end of the score!

“Found it?” Jun Beiyue, Xiong Xiaobao, and Baili Xiaosheng all asked at once, without meaning to.

But to their surprise, Ziqing’s brow furrowed deeply as she looked at Xiong Xiaobao. “Some of your notes wavered. I couldn’t hear it clearly.”

Xiong Xiaobao froze, and without meaning to, felt his face flush red. Without meaning to, he glanced at Baili Xiaosheng, suddenly at a loss.

With his handsome features and his blushing face, he looked exactly like a bashful young boy!

Jun Beiyue and Ziqing saw it plainly, wanting to laugh but not daring to let it show.

Baili Xiaosheng, however, had no such restraint, and said cheerfully, “Oh? Even Little Prince can blush?”

This wretched girl—of all the things she could pick up, she just had to pick up her master’s worst habit!

Would she die if she didn’t say it out loud?

“You’re the one blushing. He’s just too hot, that’s all. Why would he blush?” Xiong Xiaobao retorted fiercely at once, and even went so far as to drag over a piece of clothing.

“Let’s start over. Mommy, listen more carefully this time,” he said seriously.

Baili Xiaosheng truly showed Xiong Xiaobao no mercy, her smile only growing brighter—clearly provoking him on purpose.

Xiong Xiaobao silently vowed that one day he would beat this wretched girl at her own instrument.

Soon, the two children began playing together again, and Ziqing, just as before, moved her finger rapidly beneath the notes on the score.

As the sheng and xiao grew faster and faster, her finger moved faster and faster too, until suddenly—the music continued, but Ziqing’s finger abruptly stopped!

Right between two notes!

Jun Beiyue immediately pressed his lips tightly together, not daring to make a sound this time.

Seeing this, Baili Xiaosheng and Xiong Xiaobao both stopped at once, equally afraid to ask.

After a long moment, Ziqing finally looked up at them, her jaw clenched tight.

“Did… did you find it?” Xiong Xiaobao couldn’t help but ask timidly.

Ziqing looked at him, so overcome she couldn’t get the words out, and simply nodded hard, again and again!

“Found it!” Baili Xiaosheng cried out. “That means every missing note in ‘Parting Sorrow’ has been found! The whole piece can finally be played in full!”

Ziqing kept nodding. She had to admit—as calm as she’d been a moment ago, she couldn’t stay calm now.

They’d found them all!

The fourteen notes were words the musician had left behind for later generations: “Parting Sorrow” would carry them home, to a place without sorrow.

Now that the piece was finally complete, what would happen if it were played?

What exactly would this complete rendition of “Parting Sorrow” do to bring them home?

Ziqing had no room left to think about anything else—at that moment she was nothing but overwhelmed with excitement. Rather than saying they were one step closer to success, it would be more accurate to say only one final step remained.

Beside her, Jun Beiyue quietly let out a breath. Finally.

Ziqing, giddy with excitement, nearly lost her composure entirely and reached to take up the Wuzheng right then to play “Parting Sorrow.”

Jun Beiyue caught her hand in time, gently smoothing back her bangs, and said softly, “Easy now. There’s no rush.”

This man was rarely this gentle, and yet whenever he was, there was always a reassuring strength to it.

Ziqing’s restlessness was instantly soothed by his touch, and she put away the score for “Parting Sorrow.”

Here, now, was truly not the place to play “Parting Sorrow”!

Or perhaps, in her excitement, Ziqing had forgotten something entirely—that “Parting Sorrow” required a duet, one between the Wuzheng and the Mozheng.

And the only person who could play that duet with her was Xuanyuan Lige.

Ziqing had momentarily forgotten this, but Jun Beiyue had never forgotten it for a moment. He had once told her not to worry, that he would take care of this matter himself.

Once everyone had settled their emotions, the group made their way back down the mountain as the sky began to dimly lighten.

Baili Xiaosheng should have gone back to Madam Sheng’s side, and yet she lingered, unwilling to leave.

She knew that once dawn broke, it would be time to part.

She truly couldn’t leave—and now, having taken up the position of family head, she couldn’t leave even more so.

Her world, her life, was about to change completely. She would no longer be able to wander the world freely with her master.

She didn’t know whether, once he learned of this, her master would gloat over her misfortune, or feel reluctant to leave her behind.

Knowing her master’s temperament, he was probably delighted at the chance to be rid of his little housekeeper.

Master… Xiaosheng has never missed you this much before. When will you finally come?