A younger sister!
Even Sheng Zimo, composed as he usually was, couldn’t hold his calm this time.
What secret was his father about to reveal to him?
He had another sister? He already knew about her—she had died shortly after birth, hadn’t she?
Back then he’d still been young, but he remembered his mother had fallen into deep depression over it for a long time afterward, eventually moving out of the Sheng household entirely to live at a temple.
“Mo’er, you have a sister—your ninth sister, that is. Her talent is what we call absolute talent. From the moment she was born, she showed extraordinary sensitivity to the sound of the sheng, along with a clear preference for it.”
The head of the Sheng Clan said this flatly, while inside, Sheng Zimo’s thoughts churned violently.
Absolute talent!
How could this be!
To those in the world of music and tone, such a person was practically a legend, almost godlike.
Musical talent came in different tiers—some possessed high natural gifts, others low, but regardless of one’s level of talent, without dedicated practice, even the most gifted person would achieve nothing.
But those with absolute talent were different!
Even without formal training, they retained an extraordinary sensitivity to music, and no matter their age, the moment they began to learn, they could effortlessly surpass everyone else.
Some, even more remarkably, could master an instrument purely by instinct, without any teacher at all.
Those possessing absolute talent didn’t have it for every instrument—rather, the gift applied to one specific instrument alone.
This phenomenon was often described as a memory imprinted deep within the soul from a past life, carried forward into this one—an innate gift from birth.
The words “absolute talent” struck Sheng Zimo like a thunderbolt, leaving his entire mind, his entire being, utterly stunned.
The hope he had just glimpsed a moment ago was instantly shattered to pieces.
He felt like a child who had gritted his teeth and worked hard for a very, very long time, coming before his elders full of excitement and confidence, hoping for praise and recognition—only to be told, “You’ve worked very hard,” before the elder turned to praise another child instead: “You’re so impressive, so clever, so talented, your future is limitless.”
Diligence could make up for lack of talent, but being praised only for one’s effort was such a deflating thing to hear!
Even more crushing was knowing that no matter how hard he worked, he could never match up to someone else’s natural gift. “Mo’er, do you know? From the moment your ninth sister was born, she cried and cried without stopping, so much that your mother and I had no idea what to do. But the moment she heard the sound of a sheng, she stopped crying instantly, and would even smile.”
“The very same piece of music, played on any other instrument, would still make her cry. But with the sheng alone, she recognized its sound from the moment she was born!”
It was clear just how much the head of the Sheng Clan loved this daughter, his voice growing unconsciously emotional as he spoke.
Only someone with absolute talent would show such a preference for a particular sound from the moment of birth.
“So… Ninth Sister, she…”
Sheng Zimo murmured the question. Everyone had always assumed his ninth sister had died shortly after birth, and knew nothing more about it.
Could there be something more complicated behind this?
“She…” the head of the Sheng Clan took a deep breath. Even after all these years, though time had eased much of the pain, bringing it up still hurt.
“She didn’t die—she was taken. There was a traitor within the Sheng household. Unfortunately… after all these years of investigation, all these years of searching, we haven’t found a single clue,” the head of the Sheng Clan sighed repeatedly.
That night, he and the wet nurse had stepped out for just a brief moment, and in that short gap, the child had vanished, while his wife had been found unconscious on the bed, unable to be roused.
“Father’s meaning is…”
Sheng Zimo didn’t understand why his father was telling him all this at such a critical moment, nor why his father would make an exception and let him take part in the sheng-and-xiao duet.
“Mo’er, when playing the sheng, breath control matters above all else. This father hasn’t played the sheng in all these years, because of what happened back then…”
The head of the Sheng Clan left the sentence unfinished, but Sheng Zimo understood at once.
His father had fallen ill from the grief, his breath disrupted, his energy insufficient—for a sheng player, that was an absolutely fatal condition.
Only now did Sheng Zimo recall that when his father had taught him to play the Phoenix-tail Sheng, he had only ever explained, never once demonstrated.
So that was the reason!
“Mo’er, until we find your ninth sister, you are the pillar of the Sheng Clan. The sheng-and-xiao duet is a major matter—the head of the Xiao Clan surely won’t give you any trouble, rest assured,” the head of the Sheng Clan said earnestly, patting Sheng Zimo firmly on the shoulder.
If everything before this had felt like a blow, then this last statement from the head of the Sheng Clan was nothing short of a fatal strike.
Sheng Zimo suddenly understood everything—finally grasping why his father had set aside so many legitimate sons to invest his effort in him, an illegitimate son instead!
His father wanted to leave the clan head position for that legitimate daughter! He was still holding out hope of finding her!
For her sake, he had even given up on all his legitimate sons!
So it hadn’t been his own hard work that had made his father give up on those legitimate sons—it had been because of the mere existence of someone with absolute talent!
And he himself, at best, was nothing more than a pawn, a foot soldier devoting himself entirely to the Sheng Clan’s cause, never destined to become its commanding general.
Seeing Sheng Zimo remain silent, the head of the Sheng Clan patted his shoulder again. In his eyes, this son was the most obedient, most well-behaved, most sensible of them all.
Feeling the weight of that hand on his shoulder, Sheng Zimo lowered his head, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness. Had he known this all along, why would he have wasted so much effort inciting his brothers to turn on each other?
Ninth sister, was it?
Whether you’re alive or dead, if you ever try to return to the Sheng household—not a chance!
“Father… your son understands.”
Only then did Sheng Zimo lift his head, his expression earnest and resolute. “Father, rest assured, your son knows his duty and will give it everything he has! And please set your mind at ease, Father—Ninth Sister will surely be blessed by fortune, and will find her way back to the Sheng household one day.”
The head of the Sheng Clan nodded repeatedly, then handed the Phoenix-tail Sheng to Sheng Zimo, pointing out the details he needed to pay attention to for the duet.
An hour could pass slowly or quickly, and by now, the entire area around the heavenly lake was already packed with spectators.
The opening of the Jade Water Nectar Heavenly Lake was a rare sight indeed, and the appearance of the poison beasts even rarer still.
After all, these were the only two natural poison beasts remaining in Nanzhao after hundreds of years.
Up in the high pavilion, the Prince of Nanzhao, along with Ziqing and the others, had all taken their seats.
Xiong Xiaobao and Baili Xiaosheng had both hurried eagerly to the viewing platform, waiting.
“Such a huge frozen lake—how are they going to break the ice?” Xiong Xiaobao wondered aloud.
“Idiot, didn’t I already tell you? With medicine,” Baili Xiaosheng glanced at him, looking rather disdainful. This boy could be brilliant one moment and hopelessly dense the next.
Xiong Xiaobao just laughed sheepishly. “Oh right, I forgot.”
He leaned in closer, putting on his best ingratiating expression. “When can you take me to explore the poison den sometime? Mommy said that’s your master’s old lair.”
“That’s easy—once my master gets back, we can go anytime,” Baili Xiaosheng said, unable to help feeling a pang of worry for her master.
“Young Prince, why do you think Master hasn’t sent word in so long?”
“Mommy was just saying the same thing. Maybe they ran into trouble—they went out to sea after all,” Xiong Xiaobao said.
Baili Xiaosheng said nothing more, an inexplicable unease settling over her.
“Don’t worry, Meng Duo’er’s with him too. That wolf-grandmother of mine can’t do anything to them,” Xiong Xiaobao reassured her.
Yet Baili Xiaosheng rolled her eyes, muttering, “That girl’s not reliable at all. Still crying at her age—can’t count on her.”