Chapter 269 - Reunion (1/2)

“Gurgle, gurgle…”

Leng Shuangrong and Leng Yueyan talked for more than an hour by the splashing waterfall, which had seriously undone some of the knots in Yueyan’s mind.

“You’re not much of a talker, and I’m always concerned that you’d hold all your feelings inside. If you can’t get away from those emotional entanglements, they could possess you like demons.”

“I feel so ashamed to have made you worried.” Leng Yueyan apologized with her head down.

Leng Shuangrong slowly shook her head and continued, “You’re born among the mortals, so you’ll naturally be confused with their feelings. That’s a process you have to go through both as a mortal and a cultivator. No need to blame yourself for it.

“But don’t let those mortal entanglement bother you too much; sometimes you have to look on the bright side.”

“Thank you for guiding me. I won‘t allow myself to be trapped in romance. I’m waiting on his words to make the final decision about our relationship,” Leng Yueyan answered while nodding her head.

“Do you know the background story of the scenic spot ‘The Fairy Playing Zither’ on Mount Huang?” Leng Shuangrong asked.

Leng Yueyan nodded. “There is a human-shaped rock on the peak to the left of the Clouds Pavilion at the Xihai gate. And another rock laid before the former one that looks like a Chinese Zither. The human-shaped rock looks like a beauty, and the rock in front of her looks like her Phoenix Zither to be played.

“She is sitting by the zither and leaning herself down to strum the strings. It’s called ‘The Fairy Playing Zither’ because it’s said that she was a fairy from heaven who used to be a zither expert.

“The Heaven Emperor allowed her to take a trip to the mortal world, but she was so fascinated by the scenery here that she played the zither here and forgot the time. The Emperor was so pissed off and punished her by turning her into a piece of rock. She lost the privilege to go back to heaven forever.”

“That’s what those folks say. Do you know how it really happened?” Leng Shuangrong asked.

“I have no clue,” Leng Yueyan replied. She genuinely had never heard that story before.

Leng Shuangrong sighed and continued, “The one in the story was actually one of our Founder Masters. She wasn’t there for the scenery; she was there because of a man.”

“How did that happen?” Leng Yueyan opened her eyes widely, seeming quite surprised.

“I’ll explain it to you. Let me tell you her stories,” said Leng Shuangrong, trying to recall something by looking up into the sky.

Leng Yueyan immediately raised her spirits and get ready for the story. The story was a tragic one, and the young Founder Master was called Yun Zhiyi, a worldly powerhouse at that time.

Her zither skills were as exquisite as her cultivation skills. Many young talents were attracted by her but she ignored all of them. That was because she already had someone to love. The man was also a genius back then, and his name was Xiang Yixi.

The two fell in love at last. One of them played Chinese Zither, while the other knew how to play the lute. Sometimes, their Taoism concerts could even bring the withered land back to life.

The harmony of the zither and the lute was later used as a symbol of inseparable love. Unfortunately for them, the dark turmoil soon came upon the world.

Xiang Yixi led all the young talents to resist the catastrophe. He left his lute to Yun Zhiyi upon leaving, telling her that he would be back someday to play it with her again.

On the eve of the war’s end. Yu Zhiyi accidentally snapped a string of her zither while she was playing. The second morning, bad news arrived, saying that Xiang Yixi and the other 3,000 people did not survive the war.

The dark turmoil had been stopped at the cost of their lives. It was a narrow victory. Since then, Yun Zhiyi wept day after day, sitting on the peak of Mount Huang, playing the zither.

The zither sounded so dismal without the lute. All creatures on the mountain were soaked in tears. The melody went on and on, echoing through the mountains day after day.

Yun Zhiyi gave up on her cultivation and retired from her position as the Headmaster. She left the whole world behind and kept playing the zither on the mountain. A hundred years had passed, and the man never returned.

Her heavy feeling of missing him brought her sickness and haunted her until the end of her life. When she grew old, she was afraid that Xiang Yixi wouldn’t be able to recognize her aging face, so she tried her best to rejuvenate herself.

Before she died, she turned herself into a piece of rock, wishing that she could stay on the mountain forever. She wanted to wait for Xiang Yixi to come back to the peak where they once played the melody together.

That was how the beautiful scene spot came into being. Few people knew the tragic romance behind it.

“How do you feel about this story?” Leng Shuangrong asked.

“Love is the most difficult thing to read in the world. Why does God always have to be so mean to lovers?” Leng Yueyan asked, searching for something in the sky.

“Then how do you feel about the relationship between you and Ning Zhe?” Leng Shuangrong kept throwing questions at her.

Leng Yueyan turned around in order to not be looked in the eyes. She said slowly, “If he abandoned me for his purity, I’ll definitely leave him in this life and the next one; if not, we can continue our romance.”

“OK.”

Leng Yueyan smiled gently. She picked up the cup and took a sip. The slight bitterness took over her mouth, which was then replaced by a light sweetness.