Chapter 475 - 0290 The Regret of Being As Firm as Gold and Stone

On Muyu Peak, there is the Six Arts for Women, and tea is connected with the Six Arts, these are things Xu Chang’an is somewhat familiar with.

Listening to the sound in his ears, like a clear spring, continuous ’ding dong’ sounds, Xu Chang’an felt greatly relaxed, with a coolness spreading in his heart.

Music truly has a magical power.

The same melody that Xu Chang’an hears in his ears, that falls into the ears of the girls at Flower Moon Building, might sound worlds apart.

In the elegant room, Xu Chang’an listened to the music with a relaxed expression and a look of enjoyment.

But those ordinary girls listened with flushed faces, some holding their hearts with a rosy blush on their faces, leaning on their companions, and some... did not even hide the emotions in their eyes, intertwining fingers with those beside them.

——

For those listening to the music, everyone sees a different scene.

Xu Chang’an sees Li Zhibai sitting on the ground, holding a steaming cup of red tea, turning his head to talk to someone, warm and serene.

The girls at Flower Moon Building see two women leaning on each other, moving forward hand in hand, an unyielding bond in adversity.

Zhu Pingniang’s melody directly strikes the most vulnerable place in their hearts.

So it’s no wonder matters of false Phoenixes and fictitious kings flourish in Flower Moon Building, with such a class leader, in such an environment, and most critically, with sisters around who genuinely accompany and support each other along the way.

It’s really hard not to get caught up in it.

"..."

Zhu Pingniang, who was playing the qin, noticed the small movements of the girls below, a slight curve on her lips.

What each person sees is different, including herself, the performer... Zhu Pingniang looked towards the void in the direction of the Chaoyun Sect, as if seeing Miss Li in a Daoist robe, gently propping her face, dotingly watching herself play the qin.

She had known Miss Li for a long time now.

So long that as she thought back across the years, from her initial disdain and misunderstanding of Li Zhibai, to reliance, to a warmth surpassing that of family...

Passionate, yet a sense of regret lingered in her heart.

"..." Zhu Pingniang lowered her gaze, sighed gently.

The meaning behind gifting Li Zhibai a pot of ’Jade Dew Wine’...

It’s just as Li Zhibai thought, merely saying "Do not worry about life, as long as there is wine and Tong Jun", indicating that even though she has changed her name to "Zhu Pingniang", she’s still her Tong Jun.

There’s no misunderstanding; Li Zhibai wouldn’t misinterpret her intentions with the wine, just as the girls at Flower Moon Building wouldn’t misinterpret Xu Chang’an.

However, people can change.

Zhu Pingniang looked at the hands entwined together of the girls below.

She didn’t guide them to like women, she merely used the qin to reveal the possibility of "companionship", showing that there can be things in the world like [steady as gold and fragrant as orchids].

Being with the person you like sooner is always better than realizing after supporting each other like sisters along the way that from the beginning it was not friendship but love... and then being filled with regret.

Hmm, speaking from personal experience.

Fairy Zhu had also wondered, if, back when she was younger, there had been a senior like her to point things out...

She might have realized how passionate her feelings were towards Miss Li much earlier, and wouldn’t have been restricted by mundane conventions, ending up now with just regrets.

It’s hard not to be regretful, because what they have transcended the bounds of love.

For the present Zhu Pingniang and Li Zhibai, redefining that emotion as love would be a desecration, a significant downgrade.

Not to mention Li Zhibai, even Zhu Pingniang herself wouldn’t want that.

Simply speaking, she regrets that she and Li Zhibai were just "good sisters" when they were younger.

But what’s irreversible is her regret.

That’s why Zhu Pingniang didn’t let Yun Qian come to listen. Although a single piece might not make Yun Qian like women, that Ms. Yun has a husband; to have her listen to a melody carrying the flavor of "Twin Lotus" would be really inappropriate.

"..."

Zhu Pingniang pressed down on the qin strings, from a low pitch to a high pitch, and shortly after, gently descended from the high pitch, like pearls scattered on the ground, frail yet glimmering.

Everyone was captivated by the watery music, the sense of regret within the music affected everyone.

The flow of harmonics suddenly mellowed, the song’s gripping power drastically diminished, as if Zhu Pingniang’s playing technique had faltered.

The girls at Flower Moon Building showed puzzled expressions, suspecting whether Zhu Pingniang’s tattered guqin was out of tune.

Some closed their eyes, pausing their gaze, immersing themselves in the changing harmonics of the music.

The trajectory of the melody was like the ups and downs of a relationship, with peaks and, naturally, calm and regret.

The girls didn’t know what Zhu Pingniang regretted, but listening to her music made them cherish the girls beside them even more.

Xu Chang’an, however, listened just for the sound, feeling it like a yellow oriole exiting the valley, resonating thrice.

He had once found ’Dusk Rain Melody’ pleasing to the ear; perhaps there’s no saving him.

"..."

Much later, when the mountain winds ceased, Zhu Pingniang placed both hands on the qin, silenced the remaining tones, then turned her head towards the stage.

Miss Lu stood there absentmindedly watching her.

Zhu Pingniang recalled Qinling, thinking that if it were Qin’Er, she’d likely have rushed up and clung to her leg by now.

Smiling, she exchanged a few words with Miss Lu, then left the stage with her black gown, leaving the still entranced young girls lingering in the melody.

In the room.

Xu Chang’an stretched lazily; after a qin song, he felt refreshed, as if even the flow of Spiritual Power within him had become smoother. Truly worthy of Senior Zhu.

He looked in the direction where Zhu Pingniang had left, quietly sitting in the room waiting.

It was not Zhu Pingniang who came over, but Miss Lu.

"Ms. Zhu invites you over," Miss Lu said, perhaps still lost in the music, seeming a bit absent-minded.

Xu Chang’an didn’t mind, following her to a set of stairs.

"Sir, this is a place Ms. Zhu doesn’t allow us to approach, please go up yourself." Miss Lu performed a bow.

"Thank you." Xu Chang’an smiled at her and went upstairs.

"..." Watching Xu Chang’an’s silhouette, sensing his gradually fading presence, like a mountain breeze brushing her cheek, Miss Lu shivered slightly, suddenly snapping back to reality.

Recalling the young man’s handsome face, a blush crept up her ears.

Hmm.

As fine as Ms. Zhu is, she realizes she still prefers men after all.

She left smiling, going off to arrange the ingredients.

——

The staircase Xu Chang’an stepped onto appeared ancient and elegant, incredibly delicate, but once Spiritual Qi was invoked, it became apparent how extraordinary the pavilion was.

Zhu Pingniang seemed to have set an Illusion Realm on either side of the staircase.

Not an Illusion Realm, just a mystical scene made up of Spiritual Power, explaining why ordinary girls weren’t allowed to approach.

As Xu Chang’an walked up the staircase, the light through the lattice windows seemed to rise and fall like a tide, interweaving light and dark, and with each step, it was like treading on the water’s surface, ripples scattering, resembling starlight gathering and dispersing beneath his feet.

The entire staircase and corridor were suffused with [black] and [white].