Yuan Xiaozhong saw that things were taking a turn for the worse and had already fled.
The sound of crashing and banging echoed from inside the small building, mixed with Yuan Xiaozhong’s pitiful screams. Tan Yin had just finished healing the old turtle’s injured leg when she turned around to see Yuan Xiaozhong’s wooden arm rolling toward her feet, quickly followed by two legs. Finally, his torso landed with a thud, sending a spray of snow into the air.
Yuan Xiaozhong had been tragically disassembled.
How violent… how brutal… Tan Yin poked his face lightly with her finger, and he groaned in indignation, “Dazhong was so ruthless! I’m never cooking for him again!”
Before he could finish, Yuan Zhong appeared in a flash of golden light. With a loud crack, he severed Yuan Xiaozhong’s head from his body, sending it rolling across the frozen lake.
After completing this act, Yuan Zhong exhaled slowly, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes and hair, and smiled gently at Tan Yin. “Put him back together.”
How terrifying… Tan Yin quickly began reassembling Yuan Xiaozhong’s limbs while glancing nervously at Yuan Zhong. He was walking into the Xie Xiang Forest, searching around for his beloved cranes. All he found were a few bloodstained feathers. The celestial cranes, who had been living in the forest, were now crying and flying into his arms, seemingly wailing about Yuan Xiaozhong’s atrocities.
Once Yuan Xiaozhong was pieced back together, he hid behind Tan Yin, too scared to move. But suddenly, Yuan Zhong called out to him, “Come here.”
“Master…” Yuan Xiaozhong felt as though he was going to cry mechanical tears as he clung tightly to Tan Yin’s clothes, twisting and turning in fear. She patted him gently on the back in an attempt to comfort him.
Yuan Zhong, growing impatient, walked over and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him back to the Xie Xiang Forest. Tan Yin couldn’t hear what Yuan Zhong was saying, but Yuan Xiaozhong nodded furiously, obeying every word. He quickly dug a small pit and buried the bloodstained feathers with the utmost reverence, bowing deeply in apology. He had never acted so obediently before.
From that day forward, Yuan Xiaozhong would scurry away at the sight of Yuan Zhong, like a mouse avoiding a cat, as meek as could be. Even Tan Yin found it strange that she had created such an autonomous automaton. His every move was beyond her control, and from the moment his spring was wound, he acted like a completely independent being, saying and doing things she could never predict. She wondered if the ancient masters who created automatons experienced something similar.
In contrast, Yuan Zhong’s creation, Xiao Erji, was much simpler. After careful refinement, Xiao Erji, though still not lifelike, resembled Tan Yin to a noticeable degree. Its movements were less clumsy now, though it could only perform two actions: walking and turning in circles.
Yuan Zhong, however, seemed utterly unfazed by Xiao Erji’s limitations. Lately, he had taken to composing chaotic new tunes, matching Xiao Erji’s circular motions with his own, transforming ancient melodies into disjointed rhythms. A traditional piece like Guanju sounded completely offbeat when played on his qin, with mismatched tempos that made it nearly unrecognizable. The Youhu clan was known for their elegance in pursuits like music, fragrance-making, wine brewing, flower appreciation, and dance. Although they weren’t great at fighting, they excelled at all things refined, and Yuan Zhong was no exception.
It was a clear, crisp day after the snowfall. A few sparse plum trees surrounded the small building, some with red blossoms, others with white. They appeared to have been planted randomly, yet their arrangement was subtly ingenious, creating a delicate balance of space and beauty. Even the scent of the plum blossoms, sometimes faint, sometimes strong, was nuanced and elusive.
Under one of the plum trees, Xiao Erji was spinning in circles. While its posture could be called graceful, the limitations of its craftsmanship made its movements awkward. Clad in Yuan Zhong’s white robes, from a distance, it almost had the air of an otherworldly being, with flowing sleeves and long hair swaying in the wind. Against the backdrop of snow, plum blossoms, and distant ink-wash mountains, it exuded an unexpected, ethereal elegance.
Yuan Zhong had set up a wooden table in the distance, with a small incense burner, a qin, a painting, and a pot of wine. Occasionally, he would be inspired and play a few scattered notes; at other times, moved by emotion, he would pick up a brush and sketch, the outlines of distant mountains and a graceful beauty slowly taking shape on the paper.
Tan Yin sat beside him, busying herself with wood and rivets. She had never been skilled at these refined pastimes, unlike Yuan Zhong, who was adept at so many interesting and intricate arts. She had been carving small wooden figures, each dressed in a different colored outfit. They hopped and danced their way toward Xiao Erji, circling around it. Unfortunately, Xiao Erji’s unpredictable movements quickly knocked the small wooden figures over. Tan Yin rushed over to gather the poor little figures before they could be trampled again.
Suddenly, she heard Yuan Zhong let out a soft laugh. His fingers lightly plucked the strings of his qin, and the melody, which had been calm and elegant, shifted to a higher pitch, becoming soft and tender. The notes filled the air with a seductive quality that even Tan Yin, who knew nothing of music, found herself entranced, frozen in place.
As he played, he sang quietly:
White silk without pattern, fragrant and blooming,Jade trees adorned with snowy buds.In the deep, still night, floating light and mist,Coldly soaking the soft, glowing moon.
It was a song about plum blossoms, originally composed with a pure and graceful melody. But in his hands, it had become imbued with tenderness and passion. Tan Yin stood there like a fool, unable to react even after the song had ended. She turned to look at Yuan Zhong, who was leaning against the table, smiling at her. Though he said nothing, she felt as though she knew exactly what he wanted to say.
0 Comments