Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 178
"Hmm, flick it hard with your finger, let it bully you." Zi Jin felt extremely distressed looking at Xiao Bai's injured hand, which she was deliberately hiding.
After patting the person in her arms for a while, listening to their gradually lengthening breaths, Zi Jin's gaze returned to the white jade zither. The seven extremely thin and sharp silver strings on the zither were unexpectedly eerie, even sharper than any divine weapon Zi Jin had ever seen. Forget playing it; even a forceful touch would cleanly slice off one's fingers. How could she possibly play it?
The master's teachings on concentrating the mind and gathering energy are obviously useless for this zither. Concentrating the mind and gathering energy and gathering inner breath... inner breath... but what's the use? When chopping bamboo, gathering inner breath can speed up the knife and make it more agile. When carrying water, gathering inner breath can stabilize the overflowing water in the bucket... so how should one play the zither?
Zi Jin closed her eyes slightly, focused her mind, and gathered her inner energy as usual. She gently raised her hands, placed them on the zither with her eyes closed, and after a long while, she raised her hands to pluck the strings.
A clang rang out, the sound of metal clashing against metal resounding. Zi Jin suppressed the churning air in her chest and slowly withdrew her hand. She closed her eyes, gripped the zither stand tightly, and held her breath.
Xiao Bai slowly opened her eyes, her brows furrowed with heartache. She stared intently at the pale-faced Zi Jin, and quickly closed her eyes just as Zi Jin was about to open them.
After a long while, Zi Jin finally suppressed the turmoil in her body. She slowly opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and then glanced at the person leaning against her lap. Seeing that he was still fast asleep, she felt slightly relieved. Zi Jin looked at her hands. Although there were no cuts, the pain was truly unbearable; it felt as if her internal organs had been torn apart. However, it wasn't all for naught. The fact that her fingers weren't cut meant that she had used the right method.
Zi Jin carefully examined the white jade zither on the table when a soft groan came from her arms. She hurriedly looked up and saw that the sleeping Xiao Bai had accidentally pressed against his injured hand. Seeing blood seeping from the hand again, Zi Jin felt a pang of heartache. She gently removed the hand and placed it beside Xiao Bai's face, on her own lap. Seeing the unease and pain in Xiao Bai's eyes, Zi Jin gently stroked his silver hair, comforting him. Watching Xiao Bai's sleeping face gradually settle into a peaceful sleep, a barely perceptible smile appeared on Zi Jin's lips.
Flick it with your fingers? ...Flick with your fingers? ...What if you gather your inner energy all the way to your fingers? ...
After thinking for a moment, Zi Jin revealed a confident smile and gently patted Xiao Bai's sleeping face: "So smart."
Zi Jin closed her eyes again, focused her mind, gathered her inner energy, and pressed that true energy into her fingers little by little. Her hands slowly caressed the zither, following the score she had just seen.
With a slight movement of the ten fingers, the sound of the zither seemed to have been washed by a clear spring, a clear sound of mountains and water, deep and quiet, shrouded in mist and haze.
The lingering melody, with its clear and distant charm, is like a gentle embrace, a warm envelopment, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes hidden, sometimes revealed.
For some reason, when Zi Jin listened to the music, she felt that the pain in her injured heart was not so bad.
Lingering and ethereal, like the white clouds in the mountains, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden, it makes one feel as if bathed in spring sunshine, broadening one's mind and discarding complicated worldly thoughts.
Before the piece was finished, Zi Jin slowly stopped playing, leaning against the piano table, panting softly. It had been too exhausting; she had been injured by the vibrations earlier, and the exertion left her chest feeling tight. It seemed that she had to stop here for today.
After lying on the zither table for a while, Zi Jin finally caught her breath. She slowly sat up, but perhaps her movements were a bit too loud, waking up Xiao Bai who was fast asleep.
Xiao Bai opened her sleepy eyes: "Xiao Zi..."
"Hmm? It's still early, go back to sleep." Zi Jin gently nuzzled Xiao Bai's cheek and coaxed him softly.
"It's cold..." Xiaobai wrapped herself in the blanket and said, sounding a little aggrieved.
Zi Jin looked at the zither with reluctance, then slowly put away the sheet music. "Let's go back." Just as she was about to help Xiao Bai up, Xiao Bai, unlike usual, didn't cling to her but slowly stood up on its own. Zi Jin was slightly taken aback, then smiled. "Does your leg still hurt?"
Before Xiaobai could answer, another voice interrupted, "You can play half a piece on the first day, silly girl! That's great." Cheng Qingsong saw that Zi Jin was looking at Xiaobai's legs with concern and didn't seem to care about his words, so he continued angrily, "Don't worry about him. That piece has healing effects. If you can play it well, it will be very beneficial to his health... Seeing this idiot makes me angry!"
Upon hearing this, Zi Jin was overjoyed and gave Cheng Qingsong a fawning smile: "Master, you truly live up to your reputation as a lawless and carefree wanderer. The mental cultivation techniques you taught me are not only exquisite and profound, but even the items you presented were things I had never heard of before."
"Hmm! Let's eat first. Get some rest tonight and continue tomorrow." Cheng Qingsong tilted his head slightly, stroked his beard, and said in a very magnanimous manner.
Zi Jin quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Master."
Cheng Qingsong narrowed his beady eyes into slits and walked away with light steps.
Xiao Bai tugged at Zi Jin's sleeve, clearly unable to bear such neglect.
Zi Jin smiled slightly, tidied Xiao Bai's messy hair, and gently pinched Xiao Bai's cheek.
Xiao Bai wrapped her arms around Zi Jin's waist from behind, rested her face on her shoulder, and muttered softly, "He's not good... Look at me, I'm pretty."
Zi Jin's smile widened: "Yes, my Xiao Bai is even more handsome than the immortals of the heavens. I can never get enough of looking at him."
A breeze rustled through the bamboo grove. The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the grove, making Rouge Valley feel even warmer…
Love and hate leave no trace, deep feelings are hard to wait for; the descendants of the gods, three generations of marriage entanglements, the old dynasty's storms still tell of love (Part 4)
The old dynasty's storms still tell tales of love (Part 4) In the early morning, Zi Jin quietly dressed herself, glanced at the person still fast asleep in bed, and quietly opened the door and went out. Walking towards the well, she saw a letter as she passed the stone table, which she opened as usual.
Girl, I'm leaving the valley. The food in the kitchen is enough for you and that silly boy for the day. Last night, I added a little extra calming medicine to that silly boy's medicine. You must concentrate and practice the zither diligently at Chenshi (7-9 AM), and don't be lazy. I'll be home late.
Zi Jin smiled slightly, quickly washed up, and walked towards the depths of the bamboo forest. The zither and quilt were still placed in the same spot as yesterday.
Zi Jin started up very slowly, just like yesterday. Perhaps it was the effect of the medicine her master had given her yesterday, but her internal injuries from yesterday no longer hurt at all. Moreover, hearing the music gave her a sense of comfort from the bottom of her heart. It seemed that the healing effect was indeed real.
The rustling bamboo forest and the melodious sound of a zither.
At this moment, Zi Jin's heart was extremely calm. It felt as if she had received everything she had waited for for countless lifetimes; it felt as if her empty heart had been filled to the brim, leaving no gaps.
Upon first seeing Rouge Valley, Zi Jin felt a sense of familiarity, but at that time, Xiao Bai was teetering on the brink of death, and she had no time to attend to her. Later, as Xiao Bai gradually recovered, Zi Jin finally had time to explore the source of this inexplicable familiarity. It was the fulfillment of a long-held wish and dream; Rouge Valley was the paradise she had always longed for.
Back then, I was preoccupied with Xiaobai and Sikou Xunxiang day and night, and had no time to appreciate the scenery here. Only now do I truly understand that without Xiaobai, even the most beautiful paradise is in vain. Without the companionship of a beloved, what is the world worth? How can this little paradise fill that greedy heart? It's not so big, nor so small; all it takes is to gain one person, just one person, and that is enough for my family, my country, and the world.
In the distance, the familiar man descended from the sky like an immortal, arriving on clouds, his robes fluttering as if dancing without wind. He glanced sideways and recited: "I leave behind nothing of this world, you and I will be together until we grow old, Jin'er... my Jin'er."
The music stopped abruptly.
Zi Jin frowned slightly, gazing at the empty bamboo grove. She slowly lowered her eyes, gently resting her head on the zither table, a faint smile playing on her lips. "I've made you wait two lifetimes, waited bitterly for two lifetimes. Enough, enough. From now on, no matter who you are, no matter who I am, I will never make you wait again, never let you suffer again. In this life, let me be good to you, let me love you a little more than you do. Let's just stay together like this."
...We leave behind nothing of this world; we'll be together until death do us part...
Would you be willing in this life? Would you be willing?
The quilt beneath him was still from yesterday, seemingly still carrying the man's scent. Zi Jin took a deep breath and slowly sat up, his eyes meeting a pair of tearful, aggrieved eyes. His silver hair was disheveled, and he was still wearing only a thin undergarment. Zi Jin was slightly taken aback, and quickly pulled up another brocade quilt beside him, draping it over Xiao Bai: "Why aren't you wearing a robe?"
Xiao Bai wrapped her arms around Zi Jin's waist, her long eyelashes trembling slightly: "Xiao Zi... don't leave, wake up, I'm scared..."
Touching Xiaobai's cold body, Zi Jin felt another pang of heartache and gently coaxed, "I meant for you to sleep a little longer, why were you so willful, running out without even putting on a robe?"
Xiao Bai pressed her forehead against Zi Jin's and whispered, "Xiao Zi isn't here, I'm cold, I'm scared..."