“Go find Gengu.” She didn’t hesitate at all.
Yelü's face darkened, and he said coldly, "You've finally escaped, how can you go and die again? Even if you have great abilities, you can't fight against a large number of Song troops."
Lianyi said urgently, "We can't let him die! He's still so young..."
Yelü stood up and said, "Fine, I'll go with you, and I'll die with you. Two lives for one man's funeral, are you happy?"
"You don't know kung fu, don't go!"
"Very well, you'd rather die for him, then what am I? Saving you was a mistake, getting injured was pointless, I'm just a villain who abandoned my comrades."
Lianyi quickly turned around: "That's not what I meant!"
"What does that mean?" He suddenly stepped forward, raised his hand and hugged her tightly, pulling her wrist to his waist. "You're still injured here, stabbed twice by the Song army. Aren't my injuries injuries? Is Gengu more important to you than me? Or do you mean it doesn't matter if I die?"
He pressed close to her ear, his voice as soft as a whisper, his gaze fixed intently on her.
Lianyi's lips trembled slightly as she murmured, "No... I'm not..."
"Not what?" He pinched her chin, lifting her face. Her beautiful face, illuminated by the firelight, was indescribably exquisite. He whispered, "If you leave this cave, I will die immediately. I'm not joking; I will die the moment you leave."
The Killing of Crows, Chapter Four: Locking Up Spring (Part One)
Updated: 2008-10-08 21:45:00 Word Count: 4918
I wrote an extra chapter, so this is the second update today.
Lianyi couldn't remember what happened after that.
The night was dark, the firelight was dim, and she felt alternating chills and heat on her back, as if she had a force within her that made her want to give herself away at all costs.
The dry grass seeped through the clothes spread on the ground, pricking her bare skin, causing both pain and itching. The fire was like rapidly strummed strings, leaping up and down, very quickly, hovering over every part of her body.
In the distance, there seemed to be a tearing, mournful sound of a flute, lingering and poignant, as if a small hand had gripped her heart. She couldn't tell if it was happiness tinged with pain, or simply pain. She was held in someone's hands, rolled, folded, and unfolded, like a piece of new fabric in the hands of an experienced tailor, skillfully cut and folded to create a beautiful garment.
Wrap him up, wrap him up. His smooth skin, and the beads of sweat.
The cold moonlight poured in through the cave entrance, illuminating her alluring long hair. A hand appeared in her hair, reaching in to press against her snow-white neck, and then another layer of jet-black hair spread out, ruffled by her hand, even disturbing the dry grass spread on the ground.
It was chaotic, so chaotic that a figure flashed past the cave entrance without anyone noticing. That dark figure stood alone under the moonlight for a long time, leaning against a rock outside, slowly exhaling. A white mist shrouded his moist, glistening eyes, obscuring all mystery. Her eyelashes were wet, indistinguishable between sweat and tears. Yelü couldn't help but pick her up and lower his head to kiss her eyelashes. Lianyi closed her eyes and raised her arms to tightly embrace his neck.
Whether she is ascending or falling, she herself does not know.
The mournful sound of the flute seemed to drift into Xiaoman's dreams.
She had never heard such a sound before. It was as if something was being slowly torn apart, carrying a resolute quality. Startled awake, she pushed aside the fur covering her. Listening intently, she could indeed hear someone playing a flute in the distance. It possessed the lingering, mournful quality of a Qiang flute, unlike the clear, melodious sound of an ordinary bamboo flute; it sounded like a deity softly chanting, or a dragon roaring deeply.
The melody was so beautiful that Xiaoman couldn't help but lean against the window to listen carefully. After listening to one verse, it sounded familiar. Just as she was about to continue listening, the flute music suddenly changed direction, circling back to the previous verse and starting from the beginning again.
The scenery atop the city walls is vibrant with the warbling of orioles, while below, the spring mist laps against the shore.
When will the green willows and fragrant grasses cease to grow? My tearful eyes and sorrowful heart are already broken.
In a flash, Xiaoman's mind raced, and she instantly remembered Li Shisan. It was he who had played this very "Jade Pavilion Spring" melody at the Drunken Moon Pavilion. Who was Li Shisan? Yelü Wenjue's son. Who was Yelü Wenjue? The one who wanted to kill her, Tiancha Shifang.
She was secretly alarmed and somewhat doubtful, hesitating for a long time. Finally, she boldly pushed open the window to look.
The courtyard outside was pitch black, with only the shimmering snowflakes visible. Not far away was Tianquan's courtyard. His small building was brightly lit, and one could vaguely see someone leaning against the railing playing a flute.
I never imagined that Young Master Tianquan would have such refined tastes. Playing the flute alone in the silent snowy night, his voice filled with melancholy, the flute's melody mournful and poignant. It seems that this kind of noble young master, who likes to wear white, is fastidious, and as cold as an ice block, enjoys such elegant pursuits.
Xiaoman closed the window, too lazy to bother with it. But the flute music wouldn't stop, playing softly for a long, long time. It annoyed her, and she couldn't sleep. Finally, she put on her felt boots barefoot, draped a mink cloak over her shoulders, and rushed downstairs shouting, "It's very late, you know? You can play it during the day tomorrow, you can play it all day long, it won't matter..."
The young man in white upstairs slowly put down his flute. After a while, he said in a low voice, "You've come at the right time. I've heard you're skilled at the pipa. Would you be willing to play this piece, 'Jade Tower Spring,' for me?"
Xiao Man waved her hand: "Let's talk about it tomorrow. I'm not very good at playing the pipa either."
She yawned, and after calming down, she indeed felt sleepy. She turned to leave, but suddenly heard some movement behind her. She turned around and saw that he had jumped down from the building at some point and was standing behind her.
"Please." He seemed not to hear her refusal at all, and simply gestured for her to enter while pushing open the door.
Xiaoman had no choice but to turn around and leave. It seemed like this was their territory, and they had saved her; she couldn't be too disrespectful to their master. So she hesitated and walked into the house. It was her first time entering Tianquan's courtyard. Sure enough, there were many plum trees planted in front of the courtyard. The house was spotless, with a layer of snow-white wool carpet on the floor. There were braziers in the four corners of the house, their flames glowing brightly, making it warm as spring.
She looked down at her dirty felt boots, which Qifu had lent her, and it seemed inappropriate to step into them. But she wasn't wearing shoes underneath, and being barefoot in front of a man was very impolite. As she hesitated, Tianquan had already gone in and handed her a pair of snow-white shoes, which seemed to be made of fox fur and adorned with three small pearls.
She put on her shoes and went inside. Tianquan closed the door and went to the back room. After a while, he brought out tea: "I don't have anything fancy to offer, please don't mind." Although he said that, the tea set and snacks he brought out were very exquisite. Xiaoman was hungry, so she grabbed a piece and ate it. She lifted the lid and took a gulp. Suddenly, she noticed him staring at her and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
Tianquan glanced away indifferently and said, "This is Guzhu Zisun tea brewed with snow water from pine branches."
Is that so? She thought it was just a little fragrant, but nothing special. Besides, tea is just for quenching thirst, so there's no need to be so particular... Xiaoman took another big gulp, feeling sad about her own vulgarity.
Tianquan seemed to be trying to sleep but couldn't. His hair was down, and he wore a thin robe with the collar open. His earrings glittered in the firelight, giving him an unusually alluring look. Xiaoman ignored his good looks, sat for a while, ate two pieces of pastry, and drank a cup of hot tea. The room was warm, and she felt a little hot wearing a fox fur cloak, so she simply took it off.
Tianquan immediately got up, went into the inner room, and after a while came out with a white coat and a pipa.
"Here, put these on." He handed her the clothes without looking at her.
Xiaoman looked down at herself. She wasn't naked; her robe covered her feet and her neck was completely covered. Why was he making it look like she'd barged into a man's house naked?
Helpless, she could only thank him and accept the pipa. Tianquan handed her the pipa, saying softly, "I just don't know if it'll suit your hands."
Xiao Man touched it; it was a pipa made of rosewood, with an ivory headrest that seemed to have been used many times, as the ivory had a soft luster. The headstock was carved with auspicious phoenix tail patterns and inlaid with a piece of emerald green jade, making it extremely exquisite and absolutely no less impressive than Li Shisan's sandalwood pipa.
"Rich people are just different," she sighed.
"Then I'll play it. Actually, I didn't play very well, so please don't mind."
She held the pipa, tested its sound, and indeed it was clear and melodious. With a flick of her fingers, she played the tune of "Jade Pavilion Spring."
Just as she herself had said, her pipa playing wasn't very good. Although she had a good ear, her own playing was unremarkable, and several notes were mediocre. Fortunately, the pipa's tone was extremely crisp, adding a touch of clarity. It did, however, have a unique flavor.
Tianquan listened quietly. The firelight reflected on his face, flickering intermittently. His eyes were deep and unfathomable, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
As the melody reached the second stanza, it suddenly soared, then plummeted again, its pitch fluctuating wildly. The higher it rose, the more precipitous it became, and the lower it fell, the more subtle it became. At times, it was as majestic as towering mountains, and at other times, as delicate as the cry of a phoenix. She gently twisted the strings with her fingers, and the sound trembled without being uttered, revealing a hint of fierce and stubbornness.
Tianquan's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he clenched his fist.
With each flick, pluck, swing, sweep, wipe, and tap, the sound in her hands was like water gradually boiling, so intense that it made one restless and unable to sit still for a moment. Tianquan finally could no longer sit still, so he slowly stood up, took out the flute from his waist, and began to play softly.
The mournful melody immediately suppressed some of the fierceness in her voice, and Xiaoman paused slightly, unable to help but look up at him.
The flute he held was no ordinary flute; it was slightly curved, its color a lustrous white, and it was actually made of jade. Each finger hole was carved with various patterns, and it was adorned with pine-green tassels, making it extremely ornate.
After playing the entire second half, he didn't stop, but went back to start playing again from the beginning, and Xiaoman had no choice but to go back with him. Listening to the high notes in the pipa, which were difficult and tense, the flute music could keep up closely, like an endless mist, the higher it went, the more tense it became. One moment it was as if walking on flat ground, and the next moment it was as if it would break and fall.
Xiaoman suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, her hands went erratically, and she couldn't play the tune anymore, nearly dropping the pipa. She hurriedly grabbed it, looked up, and gave a quick smile: "Sorry, I didn't hold on tight."
Tianquan put down his flute, walked to her side, suddenly grasped her wrist, placed his fingers on it, waited a while, and then said, "I'm sorry, I forgot to restrain my power, I'm afraid I hurt you with my internal force, but fortunately it's nothing serious."
Ugh, it's just playing a flute, not killing anyone. Do you really need to use your internal energy for that?
Xiao Man touched herself and seemed to find nothing wrong, so she relaxed a little. Then she heard him say, "Your pipa... is too stubborn and very cold. You must not be like that in the future; it's not good for you."
If she hadn't stubbornly used her high notes to fight back, refusing to admit defeat, he wouldn't have unconsciously used his internal energy. For someone who knew absolutely no martial arts, this was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.
Xiaoman felt these words sounded familiar, as if she had said the same thing to someone else before. She shrugged, noticing the strange and unique flute in his hand, and couldn't help but say, "Can I take a look at your flute?"
Tianquan handed her the flute: "This is called a shakuhachi. It is 1.8 feet long, hence the name. Its sound quality is different from ordinary flutes."
Xiao Man held it in her hand and played with it for a while. She was about to blow on it when she suddenly remembered that this person was a germaphobe, so she quickly put it down. He said, "Try blowing on it, but don't be startled by the sound quality."
She did indeed try to play it, and the shakuhachi produced a piercing, harsh sound. She was immediately startled and quickly handed it back to him, saying, "It's impressive that you can play it."
After sitting for a while, Xiaoman kept yawning and finally couldn't help but get up: "I'm going to sleep, I'm so sleepy."
Tianquan didn't stop her. He escorted her to the door to change into felt boots. Her feet were bare, her toes white and lovely, her entire soles slender and beautiful. They only peeked out briefly before being tucked into the felt boots. Tianquan asked in a low voice, "How...how old are you this year?"
What a strange question. Xiao Man looked at him, puzzled: "Sixteen years old in total, seventeen by the traditional reckoning."
He nodded, then, as if lost in thought, fell silent.
Xiao Man ran back to her own courtyard, tucked her cold body into the warm fur, and let out a long sigh of relief. Recalling his strange words and actions, she felt that he was hard to understand.
She rolled over, gently patted her chest, carefully covered it with her hand, and whispered, "Zexiu, don't be angry. I was just talking to him. I won't look at anyone else but you."
Her chest felt warm, as if someone was holding her.
Outside, the world was covered in ice and snow, and the cold was biting. But in her heart, there was the warmth of spring and a vibrant sense of life.
She locked the entire spring in her heart and fell into a blissful slumber.
After Xiaoman left, Tianquan leaned against the window alone, thinking for a long, long time about things he couldn't forget from a long time ago, things that had been brought up tonight for some reason.
A breeze picked up, ruffling his long hair. He stirred slightly, looking down at the building below, where a dark figure had appeared out of nowhere. Seeing him looking over, the figure put his hand to his mouth and whistled a few times, three long and two short.
Tianquan nodded slowly, and the man immediately jumped up to the top of the building and gently stood on the railing.
"Mount No Return is already preparing to release the true young master to announce it to the world. How are your preparations going, young master?" the man asked in a low voice.
Tian Quan said calmly, "The plan has changed. This matter has nothing to do with this girl. I don't intend to let her out."
The man was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
"There's no need to repeat it; your ears aren't damaged."
The man was silent for a moment before saying, "Young master, didn't you originally plan to bring that girl here to appease her and make her lower her guard so she would obediently serve you? Now that Mount No Return is finally about to take action, this is the moment we've been waiting for. Why has the young master suddenly changed his mind? Could it be that the girl is unwilling to obey you?"
Tianquan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he said softly, "Why have you become so talkative lately?"
The man was indeed somewhat fearful. He bowed respectfully and said, "Since that's the case, I'll go back and discuss other countermeasures with the others. However, young master's actions are somewhat willful."
Tianquan remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Go back and tell them... this has nothing to do with her, and don't cause her any more trouble."
The man said, "Understood, farewell."
Just like when he came, he jumped off the tall building and suddenly disappeared.
The wind gradually picked up, but Tianquan pushed the window open even wider, leaned against the window, and stood quietly for a long time.
Let me say a few words about the shakuhachi. This instrument was a court instrument from the Sui and Tang dynasties, and it was also used in the Song dynasty. It was only after the cultural discontinuity of the Yuan dynasty that it was gradually replaced by the xiao and dizi. Therefore, the shakuhachi is not a Japanese instrument, but a fine one from our own country.
If you'd like to know more about the sound quality of the shakuhachi, I recommend Seiichi Kyoda's album "Sora" (Cosmos), it's quite good.
In the flute series, there's also Roorb. The Dragon Flute album has a song called "Todai-ji," which has a very beautiful atmosphere.