Vol 4 Chapter 24.3 (1/2)
Chapter 24 – Zither of Divinity (III)
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A faintly discernable sound echoed deeply within Ye Yin Zhu’s heart. The music was melancholic and crisp, with an undulating and indeterminable mood, as if this sorrowful melody was giving voice to a song of wondrous yearning:
“I am a pearl in the hands of G.o.d. In G.o.d’s hand, I have been reincarnating for five hundred years.
“Five hundred years ago, people called me Ming Zhu. I was called Lady Lan Ming Zhu.
“During my 18 years, I fell in love with a man called Qin Zhi. He was twenty years my senior, but I still love him without any misgivings. I remember facing the sun during the dawn, pursuing an adorable white-feathered sparrow into the Maple Forest. I then heard the cries of the zither, its clarity and smoothness—it resembled a tranquil, unperturbed stream, a celestial melody!
“I saw him, Qin Zhi. A clear male figure dressed in white. He sat upright atop a floor of red autumnal leaves, his hair slightly covering his face. Both hands, like running water, lightly caressed an orange guqin in front of him, intoxicating every living creature with its celestial melody. Ever since that moment, I had fallen in love with him with no chance to return. Along with that smooth zither music as fluid as clouds, the red autumnal leaves fell gently, painting the sky with its color as accompaniment. I couldn’t help but dance the <raiment of=”” rainbows=”” and=”” feathers=””>>. So, under a sky full of red autumnal leaves and with a strange white clothed man, I danced!
“The Blue Dias of the Lan clan held the power to overturn the whole world, with the most wealth under the heavens—how I wished I was merely an ordinary girl! But I was not. I was Lan Ming Zhu and the beloved daughter of the Patriarch of the Lan clan. Qin Zhi, that senior twenty years older than I whom I desperately love, was only a wanderer, no home to his name. Even more, he wasn’t a wandering bard; a Divine Music Mage was not considered a wandering bard, as they performed to make a living——
“‘A shameful ident.i.ty and a large age difference, it would be harmful to the Lan clan’s reputation, so— cannot mate!’ Father had said. Afterwards, our relations.h.i.+p was forbidden.
“But I was the eldest daughter of the Lan clan. I had never been afraid of any matter nor anyone. I am my father’s sole daughter. Even though I had seen him beat servants to death for a single mistake, I was not afraid of him.
“I tried to find him by any and all means possible, honestly telling everyone, ‘I’m in love with him, so no matter what, I want to be together with him.’
“One evening, with the drizzling rain as company, I once more stole out in search for him, but I found him collapsed on the ground. His body was bloodied, as scarlet as Eijitsu roses blossoming in the night!
“‘Father did it… It was him… It was him…’ So I concluded!
“He once told me: ‘If I am happy, then he can only be my happiness for several days, but if I am broken-hearted, then he would help me bear the pain for several years. Now, however, my father had killed him! I didn’t shed tears because tears were already flowing from my heart— across my face was a maniacal smile, like a saint jumping brazenly into the glorious wind. The abnormal omen of misfortune, the secrecy…
“——Of course this was father’s masterpiece!
“……
“——I swore I had only intended to frighten him; I truly didn’t intend to kill father. I had only placed a serpent in father’s bed. Of course, I was resentful and vengeful towards him for killing Qin Zhu, but I truly didn’t intend to kill him. The fact was, however, that I had killed my father! Yes, I killed the one who had never glared at me, the one who loved me, pampered me, and even allowed me to run amok and pull on his beard!
“It didn’t matter if he wasn’t a good man. To me, he was a good father! Thus, in this world, I was not worthy of his love, so I left reluctantly. With a flick of my wrist, the scissors slashed a graceful arc. I smiled afterwards—carefree.
“I was a pearl in the hands of G.o.d. In G.o.d’s hand, I searched for five hundred years. Since I knew of G.o.d’s existence, I clearly comprehended all possibilities available. I sought G.o.d in order to force him to allow me to see him, and G.o.d always told me, ‘Karma is determined by the heavens. Because his life with you has ended, even if you see him again, he would not recognize you.’
“I said, ‘I don’t care. I only want to see him, to see the one that made me love him for five hundred years and long for him for five hundred years.’
“G.o.d told me I was already part of G.o.d’s domain. If I wanted to go, I must remember to not shed tears. G.o.d stressed that emotions must not pollute the earthly realm and must not influence the realm. Permanent tranquility—no fear, no happiness, no sorrow, no anger.
“I promised I wouldn’t, especially since I was already in the hands of G.o.d and had been reincarnating for five hundred years, already possessing divine karma. I merely wanted to look for him, to resolve this cherished desire. I would’ve returned afterwards, continuing my reincarnations in the hands of G.o.d.
“G.o.d allowed me to turn into this beautiful b.u.t.terfly.
“One day, two days.. I flew over the limitless ocean.