By now, my vision had turned completely dark, and a constant ringing filled my ears. The lashes of the whip had scattered much of my soul. The Soul-Scattering Whip—it scatters the soul completely. Death under its punishment means there will never be another chance for reincarnation.
“Master…” My voice had grown hoarse. “Are you healed?”
His arms tightened around me. “I’m healed. Qin’er’s medicine was very effective. I woke up when your Aunt Qi Ling came to find me.”
“Do you blame me?”
He remained silent.
“Do you blame me for loving you, Master?”
His silence stretched on for so long that panic began to creep into my heart, as I couldn’t see his expression. Finally, he spoke: “I don’t blame you.” Yet his voice carried a sorrow I couldn’t put into words.
I smiled faintly. “Master, I want to play the zither.”
“Qin’er, be good. Focus on healing first.”
“This is the last time. Let me play for you, Master.”
Exposing the truth he refused to say aloud, I felt him freeze. His chest rose and fell sharply a few times before he finally changed direction. Carrying me to the zither, he sat down with me. But I no longer had the strength to lift my hands to the strings.
I sighed inwardly, forcing a smile. “When I was injured in the past, Master would always brew me tea. That tea seemed to have a magical healing effect. Master, would you make it for me one last time?”
“…Alright.”
As the warmth I leaned on disappeared, I used all my remaining strength to sit upright. Hearing the door open, I guessed that Master had entered the house. Unable to hold myself up any longer, I slowly let my face rest against the zither strings. Today, they seemed so taut, as if they might cut into my skin.
“From today on, your name will be Zi Qin. How does that sound?”
In a daze, I seemed to hear the words Master had spoken when he first brought me to Qingzhu Peak: “From now on, if you’re ever bullied or wronged, tell me. I’ll protect you.”
This life—I don’t know why I lived it. But to have your protection was my greatest fortune.
Suddenly, my cold, heavy body felt lighter. I lifted my hand and placed it on the zither strings. My thoughts drifted far away, beyond my control.
“Master! I’ve learned to play the zither!”
“Oh? Let me hear it.”
“Qin’er… you’re pressing so hard. Don’t your fingers hurt?”
“They don’t hurt!”
“But I fear these zither strings won’t last long if you keep playing like this.”
“The strings won’t break. As long as Qin’er is alive, the strings will never break…”
I smiled faintly, gently hooking my finger over the string.
“Zheng!” The sound rang out, sharp and resounding, like a cuckoo’s cry of bloodshed.
The string snapped.
I softly closed my eyes.
Faintly, I seemed to hear the sound of a teacup shattering. And then, the world fell silent, as if death itself had come.
[The End]
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