A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 83

"I haven't played for a long time, and my skills are rusty. If the music is off-key, please forgive me, Princess," Nangong Ruoxu said politely to Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu smiled and raised his hand in a gesture of invitation: "Please play the zither, young master."

Nangong Ruoxu first washed his hands with water before sitting down, straightening his clothes slightly, and gently touching the strings of the zither with his fingers...

Up in the teahouse, Mo Yan leaned against the railing, listening to the music with a troubled expression. "Why is she still playing? This princess keeps playing like this. My senior sister and brother-in-law don't have time to talk."

“This music was not played by Xiao Yu’er,” Ning Jin said calmly, slowly pouring himself a cup of tea.

Who is that?

"This piece, 'Mountain Dwelling Journey,' should have been played by a man, either the owner of the music house or your brother-in-law."

"Why not Brother Zhan?"

Ning Jin glanced at her sideways and asked, "Can Zhan Zhao play the zither?"

"Brother Zhan, you don't know how?" Mo Yan asked curiously.

"So you've finally discovered that he has flaws too?" Ning Jin said with a faint smile.

Mo Yan curled her lip and said disdainfully, "What's a shortcoming if I can't play the zither? I can't either."

“Girl,” Ning Jin put down his teacup, leaned closer to her, and looked at her very seriously, “Tell me, what is it about Zhan Zhao that makes you so infatuated?”

Mo Yan tilted her head and thought for a long time, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper, as if she still couldn't think of any good points about him.

"What, can't think of any good points about him?" Ning Jin sighed softly. "You're such a silly girl, only you would fall for that cat."

Mo Yan shook her head.

"I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with him, but no matter how I think about it..." she said with great melancholy, "I feel like Brother Zhan is perfect in every way."

Even Wu Zichu shook his head and sighed.

Ning Jin smiled wryly and said, "That's why I say you're a bit dim-witted."

As they were speaking, a sharp, piercing sound of shattering gold and jade suddenly rang out, followed by an abrupt halt to the music, which sent a chill down everyone's spine.

“The string is broken,” Ning Jin said in a deep voice.

Mo Yan stared nervously in the direction of the music room, but unfortunately, she couldn't see anything that was happening inside.

Inside the music room, Nangong Ruoxu sat pale-faced before the zither. Ning Wangshu supported him, holding his hand, and looked at him anxiously. A streak of crimson blood was clearly visible on his slender fingers, where a broken string had cut his fingertip.

"Don't worry... I... I'm fine." Although he was covered in cold sweat, Nangong Ruoxu only cared about comforting Ning Wangshu.

Ning Wangshu was both angry and furious, and tears were about to fall from her eyes: "Why didn't you tell me you couldn't play the zither?"

The guqin's sound was deep, resonant, and clear, but Nangong Ruoxu, long ill, had suffered severe damage to his heart and meridians. Listening to the guqin from a distance would have been better, but playing it like this, with the sound penetrating his very being, was unbearable for him. When the plan was initially discussed, the princess's fondness for the guqin led to the idea of using it to connect with friends, thus arranging for Nangong Ruoxu to play. Ning Wangshu had never heard him play the guqin before, assuming he disliked such things due to his long illness, but she had never considered this possibility. Seeing his increasingly pale face as he played, she became suspicious. When she saw beads of sweat on his forehead, she was shocked, and just then, a string snapped.

"What's wrong with him? What's wrong with him?" Zhao Yu asked Zhan Zhao, confused.

The latter, without bothering to reply, saw that Ning Wangshu was about to transfer her inner energy to her husband, so he stepped forward and said in a low voice, "I'll do it." His inner strength cultivation was far superior to Ning Wangshu's, and Ning Wangshu nodded and stepped aside.

“You can only use 10% of your internal energy, otherwise he won’t be able to withstand it,” Ning Wangshu said.

Zhan Zhao nodded, placed his hand on Nangong Ruoxu's back, and slowly channeled a stream of true energy into him to protect his heart meridian.

"Thank you... Lord Zhan..." Nangong Ruoxu said with difficulty.

Zhan Zhao said in a deep voice, "Don't speak, calm your mind and collect your energy."

After a short while, Nangong Ruoxu's complexion improved slightly, and he slowly nodded, indicating that Zhan Zhao could withdraw his palm.

As Zhan Zhao stepped back, he happened to see Ning Wangshu looking at Nangong Ruoxu with sorrowful eyes. That gaze seemed somewhat familiar. He suddenly remembered that Mo Yan had looked at him in a similar way that day, and he was startled.

The author has something to say: Yesterday, I was given a blow by the editor, who told me that "Bing Xin" would be very difficult to publish, whether as a fan fiction or a martial arts novel.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed; I believe every writer longs to see their work published.

But... regardless of whether there is hope or not, Lion will continue writing and will not give up halfway.

In the previous chapter, I announced that I would be going to get VIP access. To be honest, I was prepared to be scolded and receive negative points.

However, I really didn't expect everyone to be so understanding and supportive, and some even came out of hiding to show their support.

The lion was truly, truly moved... bowing deeply...

Chapter Seventeen

Are you feeling better?

Ning Wangshu knelt before him, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and asked softly. Nangong Ruoxu pulled her hand down, looked at her with a faint smile, and said weakly, "It's alright, don't be afraid... It's probably because the new string wasn't properly preserved, so it suddenly broke."

A broken string for no reason is an ominous sign. He wasn't worried about himself, but he was afraid that she would overthink things and cause him unnecessary trouble.

“I’m not afraid.” Ning Wangshu understood what he meant and forced a smile. “As long as we can be together, I’m not afraid of anything.”

Their eyes met, a thousand tender feelings and endless affection conveyed without a word.

Zhao Yu, who was watching from the side, was stunned. She quietly pulled Zhan Zhao aside and asked, "Does this Young Master Nangong have some kind of illness? How could he suddenly fall ill while playing the zither?"

Zhan Zhao took a deep breath. Although the development of events was almost entirely unexpected, he was finally able to wait for the princess to take the initiative to inquire about the matter. So he asked the princess to speak privately and reported what he knew in detail. Zhao Yu listened in astonishment and asked in a low voice, "Are you saying that Lady Nangong knew that Young Master Nangong was about to die, but still wanted to marry him?"

Zhan Zhao nodded and sighed softly, "Perhaps for them, as long as they can be together, even just for a day is good."

Zhao Yu was speechless. She had grown up in the palace since childhood, accustomed to her father being surrounded by numerous concubines, all of whom were completely obedient to him. But how much of that affection was genuine? Who could say for sure, let alone which one her father truly loved? Now, having left the palace, she suddenly encountered such a devoted and passionate person, who took unwavering loyalty and life-or-death devotion for granted. This was something she had never seen or imagined before.