The man in tight-fitting clothes looked closely. What the woman had felt from the purple-clothed young lady’s body was a jade pendant shaped like a feather, light red in color and quite rare, with seven characters carved on it: “Carefree Young Master Fang.” “Young Master Fang? Which Young Master Fang sent little sister back, and how does he know little sister’s identity?” The man in tight-fitting clothes was both surprised and delighted. “This Young Master Fang must be little sister’s benefactor. When little sister wakes up, we must inquire carefully and reward him generously.” The woman in tight-fitting clothes went out to inquire. All the guards outside said they only saw a yellow shadow flash, and the purple-clothed young lady flew into the house. As for who brought her and how they left, no one had seen.
Half a day later, a gentle breeze came, and the sun was warm and tender. Zhong Chunji slowly opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling in confusion. She… why wasn’t she dead yet? She heard someone say gently beside her ear, “Little sister, do you feel better?” From the voice, it was a young woman. She slowly turned her gaze. Before her was a concerned woman’s face that actually bore some resemblance to herself. Who was she? “I…” That woman grasped her hand. “My surname is Zhao, called Zhao Zonying. He’s called Zhao Zongjing. Little sister, you are our little sister, originally surnamed Zhao, called Zhao Zonghui. We are descendants of the late emperor and Empress Wang. Now Big Brother Zongjing serves as commander of the Imperial Guard’s Twenty-eighth Squadron. We’ve been looking for you for a long time.” Zhong Chunji didn’t understand what she was saying for a moment and asked in confusion, “Late emperor?” Zhao Zonying said joyfully, “Yes, big brother has the honor of being a prince, and little sister, you are precisely a princess of the current dynasty.” Zhong Chunji stared at her blankly. “Princess?” Zhao Zonying held her hand and smiled. “We already received news that little sister had grown into a beautiful young lady with a melancholy expression, well-read in poetry and books, highly talented. Look, you and I resemble each other—no proof is needed to know you’re my sister.”
Zhong Chunji felt her hand being held, feeling extremely warm. Looking up, beside her stood a burly young man with a gentle smile, his shoulders very broad, as if even if the sky fell, these two could hold it up for her. Immediately her eyes reddened. Growing up beside Xue Xianzi, her master was unpredictable, often disappearing for years at a time, with an extremely eccentric temperament. She had never felt such familial warmth. After her eyes reddened, tears poured out, and she actually began crying loudly.
Zhao Zonying and Zhao Zongjing looked at each other. Zhao Zongjing came over to gently stroke her head. Zhong Chunji cried heartbrokenly. After quite a while, she sobbed and asked, “Am… am I really a princess?” Zhao Zonying said gently, “Of course you are.” Zhong Chunji cried, “I… how could I be a princess?” Zhao Zongjing said, “Golden branch and jade leaf, born of the imperial family—of course you’re a princess. No need to doubt.” Zhong Chunji just shook her head. “I… I always feel this is all fake… all lies. I… how could I have such good fortune? How am I worthy…” Zhao Zonying and Zhao Zongjing smiled speechlessly, gently stroking her head, patiently comforting her with soft, low words.
Twenty steps outside the house, behind the residential buildings, Fang Pingzhai hid under the eaves, listening intently. Hearing Zhong Chunji cry loudly and Zhao Zonying gently comfort her, saying they would take her back to the capital to see the capital’s prosperity and wouldn’t continue staying here, he drifted away.
In the Shumei Residence, Liu Yan still sat facing the wall, while Yu Tuan’er had moved a stool to sit at the doorway, looking at the blue sky. Fang Pingzhai had told Liu Yan to avoid first, but Liu Yan’s so-called “avoiding” was to continue sitting in the room, holding his flute in his arms. Yu Tuan’er had urged him several times to hide in the cellar, but Liu Yan acted as if he hadn’t heard. After several ineffective attempts, Yu Tuan’er moved a bench to sit at the main gate, resting her chin in her hands and looking at the sky, having made up her mind that if anyone came to search, she would carry Liu Yan and flee. As for where to flee to, she naturally only thought of the mountain forest near Haoyun Mountain—that was where she had grown up.
A yellow shadow flitted in the distance. Fang Pingzhai waved his red fan, looking left and right as he walked back. Seeing Yu Tuan’er sitting on a stool at the main gate, he sighed from afar, “Seeing this situation, I know my master completely disobeyed. Fortunately, I’m supremely clever and extremely capable, and led the troops away. Otherwise, the consequences—would truly be terrible, very terrible…” But Yu Tuan’er asked, “You didn’t die?” Fang Pingzhai immediately choked. “Cough cough… Why would I die? In your heart, am I really so vulnerable? In your heart, leading troops away means fighting and killing, and in fighting and killing, I would definitely lose, and me going to face the enemy knowing I would lose makes me bright, great, handsome, and lovable? If not, you’d feel very disappointed, regretful, and sad…” Yu Tuan’er impatiently waved her hand. “It’s good you didn’t die. What about the troops?” Fang Pingzhai laughed heartily. “The troops… regarding the troop problem, I can only tell my dear master who hopes a big rock will suddenly fall from that mountain outside and crush him to death.” Yu Tuan’er said, “Where does he want to seek death? Stop talking nonsense. He’s still inside.” Fang Pingzhai lifted the curtain and entered. What met his eyes was still Liu Yan’s back. “Dear master, your disciple has already led the troops away. This place is safe.” Liu Yan didn’t answer. Fang Pingzhai waved his red fan, pacing in the medicine room. Since Liu Yan didn’t answer, he talked to himself. “Do you know how I led the troops away? I did something earth-shaking and magnificent that few people would believe if told. Do you want to know what it was?” Liu Yan turned a deaf ear. Fang Pingzhai turned around. “You really want to know, don’t you? You really want to know, don’t you? I’ll tell you—in the forest, I picked up the current dynasty’s princess. I threw the princess into the troop encampment, and they left.” Hearing this, Liu Yan’s brows furrowed slightly. “Princess?”
“Princess Langya of the current dynasty. I heard she’s the third daughter of the late emperor and Empress Wang. I heard she’s full of poetry and books, highly talented. I heard she’s graceful and beautiful, like a fairy from heaven.” Fang Pingzhai spoke eloquently. “I picked up this Princess Langya in the forest. Don’t you think it’s mysterious? Isn’t it a strange encounter? Isn’t it hard to believe?” Liu Yan said coldly, “If this were true, would you throw the princess into the troop encampment?” Fang Pingzhai said, “Eh… Master, you really understand me. Actually, that Princess Langya is the purple-clothed young lady who nearly sent Master Huang to see the King of Hell. I don’t know what her name is, but though her appearance is beautiful, she really lacks princess charm. Not interested.” Liu Yan closed his eyes. “Her surname is Zhong, called Zhong Chunji.” Fang Pingzhai said strangely, “So you know her? Knowing such a terrible woman is indeed not good. No wonder you never mentioned it.” Liu Yan said, “She’s Xue Xianzi’s disciple. Whether she’s really a princess or not, ask Xue Xianzi and you’ll know.” Fang Pingzhai said “Eh!” “What does that mean? Are you saying you think she’s not a princess?” Liu Yan opened his eyes, his gaze cold and clear, saying calmly, “I didn’t say that.” Fang Pingzhai pointed his finger at his nose. “But that’s exactly what you mean.” Liu Yan looked at him coldly without speaking. After a while, he closed his eyes. Fang Pingzhai covered his head with his red fan and sighed. “Fine, I didn’t expect you to tell me the story completely and clearly anyway, so—I won’t ask. What happens next? The troops are gone. Master, are you starting to plan to teach me the ultimate sound-killing technique?”
Liu Yan closed his eyes in silence. After a long quiet period, Fang Pingzhai watched his eyes carefully. Though this person’s face was bloody and mangled, his eyelids were still intact, and his eye movements were very flexible, still reflecting the subtle changes in his innermost thoughts. After quite a while, Liu Yan opened his eyes. “The art of sound killing doesn’t exist for the purpose of killing people.” Fang Pingzhai hummed in acknowledgment, listening sincerely. “And then?” Liu Yan said, “People like music because melodies can express emotions, so the way of music is just a method of expressing feelings. It’s just that some people have superior techniques while others have inferior techniques.” His tone was very bland, even somewhat cold. “The art of emotional expression, when practiced to a considerable level, can injure listeners’ internal organs by using internal energy to stimulate blood and qi. But the fundamental purpose of sound killing isn’t to kill people. To learn sound killing, first learn musical pieces.”
“Musical pieces?” Fang Pingzhai frowned. “What musical pieces? Which pieces can kill people and which can’t?” Liu Yan said blandly, “Musical pieces have no relationship with killing or not killing. If you just want to kill people, you needn’t learn music.” Fang Pingzhai lowered his head and coughed once. “I—of course intend to use it for killing. The above statement was a joke—believe it or not, up to you.” Liu Yan gazed ahead, looking indifferently for a long time, then slowly took out a bamboo flute from his sleeve and played a section of melody. Fang Pingzhai listened intently. Liu Yan suddenly stopped playing. “In the piece I just played, if you were to beat drums for accompaniment, how many places could you beat drums?” Fang Pingzhai stared dumbfounded. “How many places? Three… three places…” Liu Yan said coldly, “Nonsense! It’s seventeen places. This section has seventeen drum beats. Tomorrow at this time, I’ll play it again. If you can’t beat out these seventeen drum beats then, the art of sound killing has no connection with you.” Fang Pingzhai was stunned for a while, furrowed his brow, waved his red fan to his chest and stopped moving, looking up at the medicine room’s ceiling, motionless.
He was trying hard to recall the melody Liu Yan had just played. Though he’d only heard it once, with his memory he could force himself to remember it. Where to beat drums—if you wanted to beat drums for accompaniment in the piece, where should you beat? Seventeen places… seventeen places… where should the seventeen drum beats be struck? After long contemplation, he felt in his sleeve for a small flying knife, crouched down and drew many strangely shaped symbols on the ground. What he wrote was certainly not musical notation, just symbols he randomly drew to record the music. Otherwise, the tune he’d forcibly memorized might be forgotten later.
Liu Yan didn’t look at him. He looked at the wall, his mind blank. After a long time, what he remembered was from very long ago, when he first learned drums, the precious look in his drum teacher’s eyes, because he was a six-year-old child who could memorize music. He wanted to teach Fang Pingzhai drumming partly because he’d begged desperately to learn, and partly because Fang Pingzhai had very good rhythm and sang very openly. But he hadn’t thought that this person Fang Pingzhai… actually had the talent for memorizing music too.
Not everyone could memorize music. For someone who could memorize music, would seventeen drum beats be difficult for him? Liu Yan looked at the blank wall. Teach or not teach? He knew that in his bet with heaven, before the betting even began, he had already lost.
Outside the door, Yu Tuan’er poked her head in. She had heard the sound of the music and looked strangely at Fang Pingzhai’s dazed back. This strange person finally had a quiet moment. “Hey!” She waved at Liu Yan. “Hey hey, are you going to eat? I made duck soup for you.” Liu Yan turned a deaf ear. After a long time, he said, “I don’t like eating duck.”
Yu Tuan’er outside the door beamed with joy. “Then I’ll eat the duck soup. I’ll make fish soup for you instead.” This time Liu Yan didn’t object, still facing away from the door, gazing at the white wall. Yu Tuan’er turned and left, humming and singing, very happy. Lin Bu was reading on one side, saw this and smiled speechlessly, shaking his head.