Chapter Eighty-Five: The Palace!

  "Alas, what is this thing called love in the world? It makes people promise to live and die together!"

  After finishing the story, Xiao Yun let out a long sigh. This was a story his parents used to tell him when he was young. Every time it was spring and they were planting seeds, he would hear the calls of the oriole. Whenever he heard the oriole's mournful cry, Xiao Yun would think back to this story and be moved by it.

  It's a pity that after growing up, I went to live in the city and rarely heard the oriole's call. I didn't expect to hear this long-forgotten bird call again in this place. At the same time, Xiao Yun was also reminiscing about his childhood memories, thinking of his parents on earth, wondering if they were doing well now?

  "Wooo..."

  Just as Xiao Yun was reminiscing about the past, a sobbing sound came from beside her ear. She lowered her head to look and saw that Hong Ke Xin was hugging her own arm and crying.

  "What's wrong?" asked Xiao Yun.

  "You made me cry!" Hong Ke Xin said with tears in her eyes.

  Xiao Yun wiped away sweat, "I told you I wouldn't say anything, but you insisted that I speak. Don't cry!"

  "Who knows you'd tell such stories." Hong Kexin said.

  "Sister, if you want to cry, don't hug me and cry!" Xiao Yun was speechless, the clothes on her shoulders were all wet from Hong Ke Xin's tears, she should have just kept quiet!

  "Li Guiyang, Li Guiyang..."

  The cry slowly rushed into the valley, a gray shadow fell in front of Xiao Yun and his companion. He picked up a stone from the ground, bent his fingers and shot it directly into the darkness with a "pa" sound, and the bird's cry stopped abruptly.

  "Let the two of you guard the fruit tree, not to let you talk about love here. If the fruit is eaten by birds, I'll see how you cry!" Ji Yunwen turned his head and looked at Xiao Yun and others, seeing Hong Ke Xin holding Xiao Yun's arm and crying, thinking that the two were having a romantic affair here, suddenly scolding Xiao Yun.

  "Good riddance to that miserly Master Jia!"

  Xiao Yun hadn't responded yet, but Hong Kexin stood up, her tearful eyes staring angrily at Ji Yunwen.

  "What?"

  Looking at Hong Kexin's furious appearance, Ji Yunwen was baffled. What Jia Caizhu?

  "Why did you have to kill her?" Hong Ke Xin shouted at Ji Yun Wen.

  "Who killed him?" Ji Yunwen was even more shocked.

  "Yingying ah, Yingying is so pitiful, how can you have no sympathy at all? And yet you still ruthlessly killed her!" Hong Kexin said.

  Xiao Yun heard this and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. This chubby girl was too naive, still immersed in her own story. Ji Yunwen had now hit the nail on the head.

  "What's wrong with her?" Ji Yunwen blew his mustache and looked at Xiao Yun, "Is this little fatty sick or something?"

  Xiao Yun smiled and stepped forward to mediate, "She's talking about the bird you just killed."

  "bird?"

  Yan Wen Hu's beard shook with rage. "If I don't beat it to death, and let it steal the fruit, will you compensate me?"

  "You..."

  Hong Ke Xin wanted to speak, but Xiao Yun hastily stopped her and said to Ji Yun Wen, "Senior, you go rest, we will guard the fruit tree well."

  "Watch closely!"

  Yan Yunwen shook his head and walked away, "These young people nowadays are really beyond understanding. They cry like this just because a bird was killed, I don't know how many birds I've killed in a year."

  Xiao Yun was covered in sweat and hastily blocked Hong Ke Xin, afraid that Hong Ke Xin would rush up to find Ji Yun Wen to settle the score.

  "This old man is even more detestable than that wealthy Master Jia!" Hong Ke Xin said furiously after Ji Yun Wen left, having just called him "senior" and now directly calling him "old man".

  Xiao Yun smiled helplessly, "It's just a story, why take it seriously!"

  Hong Kexin pouted, but didn't argue with Xiao Yun either. Although she clearly knew it was just a story, the unwavering affection Zhang Yingying had for Li Guiyang in the story happened to touch her girlish heartstrings.

  Xiao Yun found some firewood and lit a bonfire to warm up. She let Hong Ke Xin cry alone for a while, and finally calmed down.

  "Have you cried enough?" asked Xiao Yun.

  Hong Ke Xin nodded slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed about her previous loss of composure, and quickly changed the subject. "Do you have confidence in ripening the Zuoyin fruit within these eleven days?"

  Xiao Yun shook her head and remained silent, this matter was too serious.

  Yan Yunwen said, wanting to ripen the fruit in a short time, unless there is a fairy tune or a divine melody, the limit that Xiao Yun can play now is only Tianlai. Moreover, wanting to pick out the fairy tune from a large number of tunes, it's unknown how long it will take, and even if you pick it out, you may not have the ability to perform it.

  Now, I happen to have a ready-made song "Wò Lóng Yín", with the power displayed in this song, it should at least reach the level of a immortal song. However, throughout the entire song, even when he was at his peak, he could only play twelve notes, and even if he wanted to use it to feed the Zǔ Yīn Guǒ, it would be impossible. Moreover, war songs are not suitable for the Zǔ Yīn Guǒ's taste.

  After thinking for a while, Xiao Yun took out an embroidered handkerchief and examined it carefully in the firelight, "I wonder if this thing will be useful?"

  Hong Ke Xin curiously walked over and asked, "What are you looking at?"

  "It should be a score, only one note of the solo score!" Xiang Yun said, suddenly seeming to think of something, looked up at Hong Ke Xin, "Your Zhong Wang Palace is not repairing the solo score? You take a look, this is indeed a score?"

  "What is a monophonic sound spectrum?"

  Hong Kexin was stunned for a moment, took the embroidered handkerchief from Xiao Yun's hand, and looked at it in front of her eyes. On it was embroidered a big character "gong".

  Just one note, how can it be considered a musical composition? Hong Kexin furrowed her brow. As the proud disciple of Zhong Wang Palace, she had seen countless solo scores. Although solo scores were solo, they could still play melodies and weren't just limited to one note. How could one note be considered a melody?

  "How is it?" asked Xiao Yun, he always felt that this embroidered handkerchief was extraordinary, but he couldn't see through it.

  Hong Ke Xin shook her head, "A single note can only be considered a sound, not a melody. According to what you said, let's just assume it is a musical score, but I have never seen such a score before."

  Xiao Yun felt somewhat disappointed and said, "As far as I know, the score of single note reading is not non-existent. It's said that in the Great Flame Nation, there are two great generals who have reached the realm of music, named Hong Ha Er Jiang, they cultivated this kind of score."

  "Huh?" Hong Ke Xin was taken aback, "I've heard of these two seniors, but I haven't seen them before. Many melodies require the use of sound spirits to sense and understand thoroughly. This embroidered handkerchief only has a 'gong' character on it. If what you said is true, this should be a gong pulse melody. As someone with a top-notch gong attribute root bone, I shouldn't have no feeling at all."

  "Really?" Xiao Yun heard this and looked slightly disappointed.

  Hong Kexin said, "I'm also talking nonsense, maybe I'm just ignorant. That old man in the cave should have some experience. Let's take a look at him tomorrow and see if he can figure out something."

  Xiao Yun's eyes lit up, and he saw a glimmer of hope. The old man had lived for over a hundred years, so he shouldn't have lived in vain. He had used so many melodies to nourish the Zu Yin fruit tree, and the number of melodies he had seen couldn't be small. Maybe he really knew something. If this embroidered handkerchief was indeed a musical score, and it could reach the level of a divine melody, then there was hope. A single note's worth of music, no matter how difficult, shouldn't be impossible for him to play, right?

  Put away the embroidered handkerchief, and even the Xiao Yun at night did not dare to take out the Jiuxiao sieve to select the heavenly music, or perhaps the immortal melody, fearing that it would attract some kind of monster. The two sat by the fire heap, starting their long night watch.

  ——

  "Senior, take a look, is this a musical score?"

  On the second day, Xiao Yun placed the embroidered handkerchief in front of Ji Yunwen.

  Yan Wen glanced over and looked up at Xiao Yun, "Where did you come from?"

  Xiao Yun Dao said, "I accidentally obtained it, and I always felt that it was different, but I couldn't understand the mystery behind it. Senior, with your vast knowledge, can you help me appreciate it?"

  "Monophonic scores are rare, and monophonic monophonic scores are even rarer. However, you've asked the right person!" Ji Yunwen smiled wryly.

  "Huh?" Xiao Yun's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and from his tone, Ji Yunwen seemed to have discovered something.

  Yan Yiweng waved the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and said, "This score must be understood through resonance, otherwise, even if you comprehend it for a hundred years, it will only be a torn piece of cloth."

  "But I used my spiritual sense last night and didn't discover anything," said Hong Kexin.