"Whose disciple are you, and have you taken a master?" Qin Xian inquired.
"I am but an orphan girl, temporarily studying at Azure Cliff Academy," He Qingqing replied.
"Your ability to master this tune is your destined opportunity," Qin Xian continued. "What do you perceive within the melody?"
"The composition encompasses myriad atmospheres, ever-changing and unpredictable. My cultivation realm is too shallow to dare speak presumptuously," He Qingqing murmured softly.
The pavilion was filled with masters of the qin arts—how could it be her place to critique the music?
Wangshu couldn't help but feel tense. This procedure was all too familiar: first inquiring about background and origins, then testing one's attainments.
She glanced toward the bamboo tower where Miaoyan resided, only to find the railing deserted.
Where had Miaoyan gone?
"Never mind. Speak what is in your heart," Qin Xian said with a smile.
He Qingqing: "I only feel that it tells the story of a person. He struggled desperately his entire life, yet his fate was fraught with adversity..."
"Hmm. What else?"
Encouraged by that gentle smile, He Qingqing spoke boldly:
"The night is long, but glory fleeting. Unfulfilled aspirations, unrealized ambitions, ultimately ending with no burial place. If this is the hero's end, why be a hero at all? Better to live as an ordinary mortal! I—"
Her voice suddenly rose, trembling slightly, "I find it unworthy for him!"
Several in the pavilion were taken aback.
Those listening by the pond were shocked into silence.
Discussions and praises ceased simultaneously as all eyes fixed on He Qingqing.
Qin Xian showed no surprise, sighing softly:
"If this mortal realm had no heroes, it would be far too lonely."
He looked up at the bright, silent moon, its radiance carrying a chill, silver light falling like scattered snow:
"This piece contains three days and nights of wind and snow. Let us temporarily call it 'Wind and Snow Array Entry Tune.' How does that sound?"
Wangshu forced a smile: "The name you've chosen is excellent, most fitting."
She looked at He Qingqing, her gaze slightly cold.
This young girl was about to ascend to heaven in a single bound through the Wind and Snow Array Entry Tune, and she was powerless to stop or alter it.
Jiangyun also watched He Qingqing, her gaze contemplative, yet she remained silent, as if waiting for something.
Qin Xian continued: "Among the younger generation of Sound Cultivators today, Miaoyan possesses the deepest attainments and most authentically inherits the Celestial Sound Sect's teachings. Had you entered our sect earlier, you might not be inferior to her now..."
Wangshu's face suddenly paled.
If their master's words spread, Miaoyan's hard-earned reputation would surely suffer damage.
He Qingqing's heart beat violently, her chest heaving.
She could even hear her own slightly hurried, nervous breathing.
Not inferior to Miaoyan?
Before tonight, she wasn't even worthy of playing Miaoyan's compositions. Could it be that after tonight, she would be comparable to the celestial fairy?
But then Qin Xian's tone shifted:
"Unfortunately, you harbor hatred in your heart and cannot complete this piece. Having endured wind and snow, one may have regrets toward others, but none toward heaven and earth. The tune depicts a true hero. When the melody ends, he must return to nature, merging with heaven and earth, without love or hatred. You should not hate. A pity."
He said "a pity" twice, as if lamenting a flaw in fine jade.
He Qingqing froze.
Her heart, which had nearly leaped from her chest, suddenly tightened.
Clutching her qin, her fingertips drained of color from the pressure, a piercing pain shooting through her fingers:
"I shouldn't hate?"
"Not only shouldn't, but cannot," Qin Xian said calmly. "If you wish to learn my qin, you must cast aside all resentment and hatred. Are you willing?"
The cold wind stirred her skirt hem. He Qingqing felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Looking again at the pavilion, that person's smile remained unchanged. It wasn't gentleness after all—only indifference.Being able to deduce the composer's intent from the melody naturally meant one could also discern the experiences of the player.
Though she, the player, wore a veil, she had long been seen through.
Every scar on her cheeks, every wound on her body, was laid bare under that person's indifferent gaze.
For a moment, she felt unbearably humiliated, as if the green stone beneath her feet had instantly cracked, plunging her entire body into a deep abyss.
"I..." She opened her mouth but could make no sound, as if icy water had flooded her mouth and nose, suffocating her.
She knew she ought to say yes. With just that one answer, her fate would be rewritten, and she would never have to suffer humiliation again.
The few people in the pavilion were equally stunned, unable to understand why the young girl hesitated.
Such an extraordinary opportunity—what was she hesitating for?
Could she be so foolish and slow-witted that she hadn't guessed Qin Xian's identity?
From the edge of the pond to the hillside, countless listeners were even more anxious than He Qingqing.
Tonight, they would witness the rise of a genius—how could they not be excited?
She would surely cast aside all past suffering and be reborn anew.
Qin Xian patiently asked a second time, "Are you willing?"
He Qingqing turned her head and gazed into the distance.
At some point, Song Qianji had already left.
The crowd surged, countless faces—familiar and unfamiliar—but not one was the face she wished to see.
Her former classmates had become warm and kind, even cheering for her as if many things had never happened.
Was this kind of fate-changing truly what she wanted?
"I have never harmed anyone, never committed evil, never questioned justice or heavenly principles... Why can't I even hate? I am not a deity." He Qingqing spoke slowly, word by word, "My heart is filled with hatred that cannot be dispelled!"
She was accustomed to lowering her head and speaking softly, but her voice had never been so loud and sharp.
"How dare you!" Wangshu roared angrily, "Qin Xian is here—how dare you be so disrespectful?!"
Though they had long suspected, when the title was finally spoken aloud, it still shook everyone to their core.
One of the world's most powerful figures—who wouldn't revere him?
"I dare not be disrespectful. I only wish to ask, what exactly have I done wrong?" He Qingqing trembled all over, like a leaf in the wind, "Can you tell me?"
Qin Xian still wore a faint, indifferent smile, not the least bit angered, for such matters were not worth his anger.
He said calmly, "The Great Path leads to the heavens. The will of heaven does not concern itself with right or wrong."
He Qingqing laughed.
So that was it.
So this was the logic of the deities.
"I am not willing," she said softly.
After speaking, she bowed with her qin, her courtesy impeccable.
She turned and walked away, her back to the pavilion in the pond.
Raising her hand, she let her veil fall, revealing her true face.
—A face crisscrossed with scars, terrifying and distorted, its features barely recognizable!
The crowd gasped, exclamations of shock rising one after another.
He Qingqing remained expressionless, lifting her face to the moonlight.
Not a single tear fell—she would no longer cry.
The crowd parted spontaneously, allowing her to pass.
People wore complex expressions—some shocked and fearful at her appearance, some confused and bewildered, some full of pity and sympathy, and even some gloating with schadenfreude.
To refuse Qin Xian—she must be either a fool or a madwoman.
"Senior Brother Wenshu!" a cry rang out from the cliff by the pond.
With a thunderous sound, Ziye Wenshu, clad in black, leaped directly from the precipice and landed by the pond.
Rocks shattered and dust billowed.
The students of Azure Cliff Academy paused briefly before hurriedly bowing to the Courtyard Overseer.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Senior Brother Overseer," they offered their felicitations one after another.
Such a young Nascent Soul Realm—who wouldn't admire him? Who wouldn't envy him?
From now on, no one among the younger generation could rival Ziye Wenshu.
Under the gaze of the multitude, Ziye Wenshu remained silent and walked directly toward He Qingqing.The black-clad youth stood like a deity, blocking the path before the white-robed maiden whose features were ruined.
"Thank you for playing that melody tonight. Because of it, I have broken through my shackles."
Ziye Wenshu's voice was not loud, but everyone heard it clearly.
"No need for thanks," He Qingqing said.
"I owe you a debt that must be repaid."
He Qingqing spoke two more words: "Unnecessary."
The Azure Cliff Academy students watched in astonishment, finding the scene before them utterly surreal.
Never had there been a time when Ziye Wenshu spoke more while others spoke less.
"Come with me to Azure Cliff Academy. From now on, I shall protect you completely and support your cultivation." Ziye Wenshu extended his hand.
He needed not say more—his word had always been his bond.
While others were shocked, they envied He Qingqing's sudden turn of fortune.
To make such a person owe a favor and bow his head—even if she didn't become Qin Xian's disciple, merely returning to Azure Cliff Academy would grant her every wish.
Little did they know how many female students who admired the Courtyard Overseer would pinch their palms raw, tear their handkerchiefs, and burn with jealous rage.
He Qingqing declared, "You saved my life, and I helped you break through. I, He Qingqing, and you, Ziye Wenshu, are now even. We have no further connections."
"Excuse me." He Qingqing stepped past the black-clad youth without another glance.
She was not "that little girl brought back by Ziye Wenshu" as others called her.
She had a name. She was He Qingqing.
Ziye Wenshu still stood with his hand outstretched, expression bewildered as if puzzled.
This time, not only the Azure Cliff students but everyone present felt tidal waves of shock in their hearts.
To refuse both Qin Xian and Ziye Wenshu in succession—to reject the strongest elder and most exceptional genius in the Cultivation World.
Slapping two faces in one night—what did she actually want?
How could there exist such an utterly arrogant and presumptuous cultivator in this world?
Where could still accept her? Who would dare to keep her?
He Qingqing neither knew nor cared what others thought. At this moment, she only wanted to go to Song Courtyard and bid farewell to that person.
In this world where humans and ghosts were indistinguishable, the moonlight was piercingly cold.
The road ahead was vast and uncertain—whether she lived or died, from now on she would walk alone.
"Wait!" A cry came from the heart of the lake pavilion.
Compared to Wangshu's youthful voice, this female voice sounded aged.
"Jiangyun, have you thought this through?" Qin Xian suddenly spoke.
Jiangyun's eyes revealed sorrow: "Master, my time grows short."
Qin Xian said no more, only nodding faintly: "Very well. As you wish."
Jiangyun stepped forward, approaching He Qingqing:
"My name is Jiangyun. My life-bonded zither is 'Nine Heavens Circling Jade.' I am the Peak Lord of Lotus Flower Peak in the Celestial Sound Sect, with thirty-six disciples under me, yet I have never taken a personal disciple. Would you be willing to become my disciple?"
Her face was aged, her hair snow-white, her gaze severe. Yet this great adept was actually introducing herself.
He Qingqing stared at her, stunned: "I carry hatred in my heart."
"I care not for such things! Hate if you must hate, love if you wish to love!" Jiangyun took her hand. "If you learn my skills, repay those who treat you well, and take revenge on those who bully you!"
He Qingqing trembled from head to toe.
"Are you willing?" Jiangyun pressed.
He Qingqing nodded, her eyes reddening, voice choked: "Master."
"My good disciple." Jiangyun smiled, her wrinkles smoothing as she repeated "good" three times. "From now on, the young disciples of Celestial Sound Sect shall have an eldest senior sister!"
※※※
The bright moon traveled through clouds, illuminating the rugged mountain path.
Song Qianji opened the wine jar, releasing rich fruit fragrance that scattered on the night breeze.
The Formation Master truly didn't deceive me—what fragrant wine."Better have a drink first."
One sip, two sips, three or four sips—Song Qianji tilted his head back and gulped down nearly half the pool.
The taste was clear and smooth, with a sweet aftertaste.
It hardly seemed like wine, more like rich fruit juice.
By the time he entered the mountain pavilion, he suddenly felt the world spinning and couldn't help patting the pavilion pillar:
"This pavilion is too, too shaky."
The night breeze was cool, and Song Qianji squinted his eyes.
There were already people in the pavilion—one sitting, one standing—seemingly an elderly man out enjoying the cool air with his granddaughter.
The young girl wore a pale yellow dress, her gaze shifting like a fledgling bird leaving the nest, lively and spirited.
The elderly man leaned against the chair back, his face sickly.
"Sorry to disturb you both, I'll just catch the breeze and leave," Song Qianji greeted them.
Only then did the girl in yellow turn to look at him, exclaiming in surprise, "You can see us?"
Her master's concealment illusion array was meant to confuse the mind.
In this person's eyes, there should be no one here at all.
Song Qianji wondered what kind of question that was—two living people, who wouldn't see them?
I've only had a little wine, it's not like I'm blind.
The girl glanced at the elderly man, seeking instructions on how to handle this person, but the old man remained unmoved.
The girl didn't ask further.
She knew her master was in a bad mood today.
When news spread that the Calligrapher Sage had personally named the Calligraphy and Painting Examination champion, her master had been overjoyed and sent people to investigate Ji Chen's background. Only after digging to the bottom did he realize he'd been fooled.
Was the Calligrapher Sage making such a grand display, setting up decoys, simply out of boredom, following his usual deceptive habits?
Or had he already found a worthy disciple and was hiding his true target?
If it was the latter, who was that person? Where were they now?
She had no way of knowing. Worried that her master's pent-up frustration would worsen his illness, she invited him to the Star-Picking Platform to admire the stars.
The Huawel Sect's Star-Picking Platform stood at an extremely high elevation, piercing through the night fog to offer a full view of the Wind-Smoke Valley.
Including the final round of the Go Examination, Li Ergou versus Zhao Lin.
Li Ergou's Go style was taught by Wei Ping, and he had already reached some proficiency.
Might as well watch Wei Ping. Wei Ping hadn't yet become the Calligrapher Sage's disciple—hopefully, seeing this would ease her master's frustration.
This match would decide the Go Examination champion.
The two players were evenly matched, locked in a fierce battle that lasted until nightfall without a clear winner.
Song Qianji followed their gaze and saw people playing Go in the valley, so he quietly observed the game.
The three in the pavilion watched in silence, the atmosphere relatively harmonious.
Until Song Qianji exclaimed, "The white stone is wrong!"
The girl glared at him angrily, "Hey, drunkard!"
He ignored her. When the black stone player made a move, he cried out again:
"Ah, you're wrong too!"
The girl said coldly, "Do you even understand the Way of Go?"
Song Qianji let out a tipsy burp and smiled:
"I understand it exceptionally well!"
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