The instant she began playing, Ziqing stopped abruptly, looking up at everyone and crying out in shock, “It’s Lament of Parting!”
“What?” Jue Mingzi was the first to be stunned. “Isn’t Lament of Parting already complete?”
“That’s right, Ziqing, isn’t Lament of Parting already whole?” Baili Weisheng was confused as well.
Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed, and he said nothing, instead picking up the score and studying it carefully. On the journey back to the capital, he had studied musical theory under Jue Mingzi, and with his strong foundation and sharp intuition, he had made tremendous progress.
His command of music theory now was no less than Jue Mingzi’s.
After a moment, Jun Beiyue declared with absolute certainty, “There’s something wrong with this piece! What Xuanyuan Lige wanted to give you wasn’t hidden in the blood zither—it’s hidden in this melody itself!”
At these words, everyone was startled, and Jue Mingzi began examining the score in earnest.
Ziqing glanced at Jun Beiyue—husband and wife shared a silent understanding.
Ziqing quickly began playing the piece again, and this time, Jue Mingzi finally caught what was wrong.
“Lament of Parting—it really is the same melody as Lament of Parting!” Jue Mingzi murmured, his face full of disbelief!
This left Baili Weisheng and Xiong Xiaobao thoroughly anxious.
“What exactly is going on?”
“Mommy, stop keeping us in suspense!”
…
Ziqing said nothing, continuing to play. But soon, even laymen like Baili Weisheng and Xiong Xiaobao could hear it themselves!
The melody sounded plain enough, yet it carried a soul-gripping power. Though it sounded light and lively, it inexplicably gave rise to a sense of sorrow!
As if joy carried to its extreme turned to grief.
The opening of Lament of Parting had always carried that same feeling!
“This is a piece composed to imitate Lament of Parting—the melody differs, but the mood and atmosphere can be made similar. If I’m not mistaken, and…”
Ziqing didn’t finish the thought, instead picking up the score again and studying it intently.
Everyone waited cautiously, sensing instinctively that something momentous was about to be revealed, not daring to interrupt Ziqing.
But soon, Ziqing understood.
“And what’s more, this should be a piece of demonic sound illusion!” Ziqing said seriously.
“Demonic sound illusion? Like the kind Yelu Qianqian used before…” Baili Weisheng asked timidly.
“You could say that. A demonic sound illusion piece can only be achieved with an instrument of sonic slaughter—in other words, only the blood zither can play it out. The scores for demonic sound illusion pieces are usually completely ordinary-looking, but when played, the entire tone and mood of the piece can be unexpectedly transformed…”
As Ziqing spoke, she herself grew startled, only now realizing that Xuanyuan Lige had left her an illusion!
Her heart suddenly ached, sharp and sudden!
She’d told herself she’d made peace with it. She’d told herself she’d let it go. She’d told herself she’d moved on!
But at this very moment, her entire heart felt as though it were being torn apart—it ached!
Xuanyuan Lige hadn’t left her the blood zither, nor had he left her this score—he had left her the demonic sound illusion that could be created using the blood zither and this score together!
What kind of illusion could it possibly be?
Not only had Ziqing grasped the truth—Jun Beiyue had reacted almost at the same instant.
Baili Weisheng, though half a beat behind, exclaimed in shock, “Xuanyuan Lige left behind a demonic sound illusion—he couldn’t possibly… he couldn’t possibly… he couldn’t possibly want to see you, could he! No, no, no… he wants you to see him!”
A demonic sound illusion was essentially a means by which a musician could control the consciousness of the listener through the sound of the instrument, conjuring an entire world.
Though it was a false world, within that world, anything was possible.
What kind of illusory world would Xuanyuan Lige have crafted?
Would he himself still exist within that illusory world?
For a moment, everyone froze in place. Then suddenly, Ziqing hurriedly grabbed the blood zither and, with a resounding “Ting,” began to play.
She noticed her own fingers were trembling.
Xuanyuan Lige, do you know? The best gift you ever left me was yourself!
Within the demonic illusion, you must, you absolutely must be there!
Ziqing’s emotions were clearly unstable, and as she played “ting, ting, ting,” though there was rhythm to it, the tone grew chaotic, devoid of any coherent mood or atmosphere.
Her current state was simply not suited to playing this piece. Even if she managed to play it in full, it wouldn’t be able to conjure the illusion.
But seeing her fingers tremble so violently, no one dared to stop her.
In the end, it was Jun Beiyue who stepped forward. Without a word, he simply wrapped his arms gently around Ziqing from behind.
That familiar warmth always had a way of calming and settling a person, and Ziqing’s hands slowly stilled. Only then did she realize she’d acted impulsively.
“Since he left it for you, it will surely remain yours forever. Don’t rush. You should rest,” Jun Beiyue said flatly.
Ziqing’s tense body finally relaxed. She let go of the blood zither and smiled ruefully, knowing that if she didn’t take time to recover, no matter how she played, she wouldn’t be able to conjure anything.
Seeing Ziqing not push the matter, everyone, though anxious themselves, breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the knocking at the door sounded again. “Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!”
“Your Highness, Princess Consort… Guxi is back!”
“Princess Consort, Guxi is back!”
…
Hongyi was practically shouting herself hoarse, while beside her, Guxi stood silent, neither stopping her nor joining in.
After years of training out in the world, Guxi was no longer the tender, green boy he had once been.
Dressed in a set of blue combat attire, his dark hair bound high, hands crossed behind his back, feet planted shoulder-width apart, he stood ramrod straight, like a sturdy pine tree—his gaze resolute, calm, and composed.
Rather than saying he had grown into a responsible young man, it would be more accurate to say he had truly become a mercenary in his own right.
“Guxi is back?”
Only now did Ziqing catch what Hongyi had been shouting, and she was overjoyed.
Guxi had once volunteered to go to Yaoshun Island. Alone, he had not only successfully infiltrated the island but had also managed to embed himself within one of the sects there, sending back a great deal of useful information.
After completing his mission on Yaoshun Island, Ziqing had asked him whether he wanted to return to her side, but Guxi had said he wanted to continue training out in the world a few more years.
Ziqing had thought that, because of Shiliang, he might never come back—but here he was.
This was nothing but a joyous occasion!
Ziqing glanced once more at the blood zither. Though she desperately wanted to know right away what illusion Ali had left behind, she still held herself back.
Playing the zither—especially a piece like this demonic sound illusion—required not just the right state of mind, but also mental strength.
Just as Beiyue had said, whatever Ali had left for her would surely remain hers forever.
“I’ll play it in a few days.” Ziqing said, and went personally to welcome Guxi.
Baili Weisheng approached at last, gently stroking the blood zither, murmuring to himself, “Little Lili… in the end, I couldn’t save you. But the two things you entrusted to me—I, this humble scholar, have accomplished them both! We’re even now, aren’t we?”
As he spoke, his fingers were just about to pluck the strings when Jun Beiyue stopped him in time. “Careful. The blood curse may be broken, but this instrument only recognizes Ziqing.”
Baili Weisheng didn’t believe it, dodging Jun Beiyue’s hand and lightly plucking at the blood zither—only to find his finger actually bleeding! Startled, he quickly withdrew his hand. “Well, I’ll be damned, it’s true!”
“Elder Jue, let me check your pulse, see if you’ve fully recovered,” Jun Beiyue said flatly.
“No need, no need, I’m perfectly fine! It’s just a bit of memory loss…” Baili Weisheng hastily waved him off.
“Are you certain you’ve fully recovered?” Jun Beiyue asked, raising an eyebrow.
Baili Weisheng was about to answer, but suddenly paused, frowning as he thought for a moment, and quickly his expression turned troubled. “That… from Yuqiong Mountain until yesterday… what… what exactly did I do during that time?”