Episode 167

  When guests arrive, they lightly pluck the strings of an ancient zither, playing a classic melody with gentle ripples, calm and serene. Suddenly, an oriole appears, landing delicately on a lotus stem, its elegant neck raised high as it sings sweetly. Another bird flies in, circling around the oriole on the lotus before alighting beside it when the oriole lowers its head to gaze at it. The two birds dance lightly together, like companions. Below them, goldfish swim leisurely in the water, carefree and peaceful. It's as if the orioles are playing with the water, without a ripple. Suddenly, the zither music changes to a rapid and urgent tempo, like a fierce eagle swooping down from the clouds in the distance. The sound is like a swift strike, and the wind between the clouds suddenly picks up, stirring the water's surface and creating waves. The eagle startles the birds on the lotus, sending the goldfish swimming below scurrying for cover. Chaos erupts on the lake's surface, and those who hear the music find their emotions hard to calm!

  "How wonderful! Like the music of the immortals! Even in the ancient capital of Kyoto, there is no such exquisite sound as this! The sound is like silk, entwining my heart and making my liver and intestines break into pieces!"

  That wonderful person's eyes were filled with a misty white fog, and she spoke softly.

  "Who is playing the zither?"

  "Returning to the Third Master, this person is a zither master in our household, deeply understanding the subtleties of music. However, his appearance is extremely ugly, and ordinary people dare not look at him."

  The old mother in the courtyard accompanied him with a smile.

  "Hmm!"

  The three gentlemen nodded and entered the inner room with Miss Yuan.

  Afterwards, the brothel business was booming. The patrons were all from the wealthy and powerful families of the country, rich merchants and big households. Every day there was music and dance, every night there was a lively atmosphere.

  Half a year has passed in this way. One day, a young maid came to summon me, saying that Miss Yuanyuan had invited me. I was surprised and said:

  "Sister, Yuan Yuan is a noble lady from the capital, how can I possibly meet her? If I were to frighten her to death, what greater sin could there be?"

  "Miss Yuan had known you wouldn't go in person, so she asked me to convey the message. One can tell a person's character by their music, why refuse?"

  "What's the use...?"

  "Golden foot, must you have Miss personally come?"

  "Then go!"

  Insufficient to carry the zither and go, entered the inner room.

  The residence of Miss Yuanyuan, the dancer, is surrounded by bamboo forests and winding streams built by craftsmen. Fresh flowers are in full bloom, emitting a faint fragrance that fills the air. It's truly elegant and secluded, quiet yet full of life.

  Insufficient had just entered the front hall of the guest house, a painted screen separated it from the back room. Insufficient was still hesitating when a gentle and soft voice came from behind the screen:

  "Please sit down, sir."

  "I don't dare!"

  He sat down on a small stool beside him.

  "I have heard that your master's qin sound is lofty and profound, its meaning seems to be beyond the realm of human world! Such qin skills are already superior to those of many masters in the capital."

  "Miss, your praise is misplaced! Jin Mou feels ashamed and dare not accept it!"

  "You're too polite!"

  Miss Yuan paused for a moment and then continued:

  "Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival. The three young masters of Yangshan have invited me to sing and dance on the platform, I thought of sharing the stage with you, sir, would you be available to join?"

  The Double Ninth Festival is a holiday in the countries of the ancient continent. It has been over a year since I arrived, and I have already experienced it once, and its scenery was heard early. At that time, regardless of men and women, old and young, all people in the boudoir and travelers enjoyed climbing high platforms. Among them, there were also young men and women chasing each other, which is called lovers. In some places, officials invited song girls to climb the platform, sing a poem of praise, and dance a fairy dance. The atmosphere was lively and unparalleled.

  "Miss Yuan has invited me, and I am deeply honored. At that time, I will follow Miss to go."

  "Thank you!"

  "You're welcome!"

  So, on the second day, I followed Miss Yuan to Yangshan to ascend the platform.

  The Chongyang Platform was built on the gentle slope of Yangshan Mountain. The pavilion leaned against the cliff, three zhang high and tens of zhang wide in circumference. Wooden railings surrounded it on all sides, with a canopy above, making a beautiful scene. There were officials and soldiers guarding around to maintain order. When it was not yet time to ascend the platform, Yangshan Mountain was already bustling with people's voices, and the heads of the crowd surged around the high platform, like a sea of mountains.

  Just as they were about to take their seats, an elderly man with a tall hat appeared on stage.

  "I, Wang Guo Fa Shi Mo, offer prayers by imperial order. Again, on the Double Ninth Festival, I return to the high platform. The autumn is high and refreshing, with vast clouds drifting. Elegant guests gather, with gentle music and soft pipes. The poet sets out wine, with refined and elegant words. Once more, the virtuous king, exerts himself in governance. Tens of millions of people, enjoy peace and happiness everywhere..."

  The monk's hands clasped together, his voice warm and gentle, carried far and wide for ten miles. As soon as he finished praying, the music and dance began. The wonderful sounds of silk and bamboo instruments filled the air, fluttering and rising up.

  Due to her ugly and frightening appearance, she was not worthy of being placed among the lower-ranking people, so she was alone on the edge of a high platform in a single tent. Later, Zhao Jing's famous courtesan Yuanyuan's dance skills were renowned throughout the land, and at this time, she had already begun to dance on stage. Before one could even see her enter the scene, the strings suddenly rose to a high pitch. Like a sudden downpour of rain, Yuanyuan's body began to spin and twirl, dancing as beautifully as a flower. Then several zithers sounded in unison, harmonizing with each other, like celestial music.

  The faint sound of the mundane world is heard, and suddenly there is a feeling. The hands play the zither without stopping, and its spirit seems to wander and reach out to the vast universe. Its body and mind, as well as its ordinary form, are like smoke and dust, drifting away in the vast expanse. In the end, it merges with the endless void. It is as if the universe was born from his chest, and his spirit and physical body also come to an end and dissolve into the great universe.

  At that time, a faint golden light suddenly appeared outside the insufficient body. Upon closer inspection, the seven-colored divine light flowed slowly and wrapped around the body, lightly and leisurely. However, inside the body, the various acupoints, the sea of consciousness, and the elixir field - the two small worlds - were in a state of frantic turmoil like a mountain collapse or a tsunami.

  Firstly, the spiritual energy within the meridians and acupoints burst forth like a dam breaking, surging wildly and flowing rapidly like a waterfall. Later, in the small world of the sea of consciousness, it suddenly tore apart like a rip, stretching out in all directions. The small world was as bright as a painting, with colorful lights flowing and entwining, emitting a radiant glow similar to the seven-colored light outside.

  The light flowed wildly and twisted, its colors gradually becoming mottled and chaotic, finally culminating in a blinding white light that suddenly burst forth. The radiance within the sea of consciousness was instantly extinguished, plunging into darkness like ink, rendering everything invisible except for the darkness itself.

  Insufficient hands do not stop rising and falling, the piano strings tremble softly with it. The music is lightly spit out, flowing directly into people's hearts. In the world, all kinds of hardships are like rivers and streams, gathering into the sea of fate, and countless ordinary bodies float and drift, struggling in the mundane old affairs! Being trapped in the sea of fate, they are all like drowning, unable to do anything, following the waves and flowing, eventually sinking. However, those who have died, although submerged, still come and go, endless and unbroken!

  The countless listeners below the platform were all moved to tears, as if overcome with sorrow and unable to hold back, at that moment tears flowed like a fountain.

  Although the world is difficult, it cannot stop all living beings from crossing to the other shore!

  The sound of the qin suddenly became slow and resolute, long and full of subtle interest. The sound was gentle, lightly knocking on the heart, everyone's eyes were bright, watching the dance with joy.

  In the small world of insufficient knowledge, a soft hum suddenly burst forth in brilliant golden light. The great golden sun in the high sky was transformed from the god of insufficient knowledge, and now shone resplendently in all directions. All things in the small world flourished and prospered, and life finally sprouted everywhere. What was once a desolate land like death itself now had a gentle breeze, a soft hum, and a sweet melody!

  In the body, all the orifices and meridians have returned to calmness. Only the divine light of the original energy's pulse is stirring, like a great river flowing. The small universe of the elixir field finally presents a scene of starry sky with patches of cloud, no longer the darkness and stillness of before.

  The strings are still flowing, the songs and dances are gradually becoming peaceful, on the Yangshan mountain, tens of thousands of people are quiet as if there is no one.

  At this time, the external golden light had already returned to nothingness, his whole body felt relaxed and his two spirits were clear. He then smiled slightly and said:

  "After visiting the Temple of the Mountain God, I suddenly felt that my mental state had transcended the realm of the mundane world and entered a state of unity with the universe! It can be seen that the cultivation practices of the ancient sages were indeed like this!"

  Later, the sound of the zither was faint and distant, and the singing and dancing had already ended. However, on Yang Mountain, it seemed as if the lingering sounds still remained, echoing without ceasing. When that round-faced girl came to her senses, she hastily returned to search for his trail, but he was already gone, leaving no trace behind, and she did not know where he went!

  Yuanyuan seemed to have lost something, her expression was dispirited. After returning, on the second day, she also left without saying goodbye.

  There were many rumors among the people, saying that the zither player Jin Zu in the brothel was a celestial being who had descended to the mortal world to enlighten the people, and that he had taken the famous courtesan Yuanyuan out of the mundane world and brought her into the ranks of the immortals.

  Later, a guest traveled to Kyoto and heard that the famous courtesan Yuan Yuan was still in the mortal world, in the city of Luoyang. However, he knew that the rumors from earlier were not true. Nevertheless, the common people in the countryside of Davue did not pay attention to this, but only the legends of immortals and gods spread among humans, never ending for a long time.

  Yet who would have known that the insufficient one had fled far away, and it was as if a certain awareness had entwined itself around him, its energy mechanism seemingly somewhat familiar. Insufficiently startled, he naturally hastily escaped.