Out of fear of death, Invest Everything into Health-Chapter 253 - 138: The Fawn Crosses the Water, Falling into His Embrace

Fan Wubing said, "The Changle Pavilion."

"Is it willing to let you use it?"

"Yes."

Chengming sighed deeply, "I made it for my late wife Jiang Nianshu. She was still very young then and couldn't afford a good zither of her own. I often saw her looking at those luxurious, high-end zithers in the music store with sparkling eyes." He smiled, "I was just a poor lad then, knew nothing besides forging. I liked her, so I sneaked into the store, sketched a zither in secret, thinking it's just a piece of wood and about twenty strings, I could make one for her."

Fan Wubing listened with great interest.

He wasn't fond of love stories. But Chengming's tone, as if reliving the past, caught his interest.

Chengming said, "But I was a blacksmith, not good at crafting zithers. I struggled for days, managing only to make the body. The zither I copied had a dragon shape. I used stones and got the scales wrong, making the slender body short and stout, so I had to turn it into a carp instead."

"Pfft—" Fan Wubing chuckled, "What about the strings?"

Chengming stroked the Bao Li Zither as he spoke, "I didn't know what regular zither strings were made from, so I pulled some fine iron wires, cut them to size, then twisted them on. Back then, my mind was full of Nianshu... I clearly wanted to give her a zither, but I didn't make it seriously. I still remember the look on her face when I gave it to her, like I was a fool. But unexpectedly, she was willing to use it."

"A zither with iron wire strings... can it be played?"

"At first, it was hard to play and even broke her fingers a few times. But later, she managed to play it." Chengming smiled knowingly, "The first time she played a tune on the Bao Li Zither, she was thrilled and even treated me to a meal. Thinking about it now, she might have thought I was silly then, but wasn't she just as silly?"

"And later?"

"Later..." Chengming narrowed his eyes, gazing into the pitch-black distance, "Later... we each gained an immortal fate and started cultivating... Her music got better, and my iron forging also improved. But... the happiness seemed to dwindle. We gained so much: power, wealth, status, and could get any good zither we wanted, yet felt as if we lost everything."

Fan Wubing was deeply moved.

He had once lain on a sickbed thinking the same. Having much, yet feeling like losing everything.

Chengming's voice grew lower and lower, "Once, Nianshu said to me, 'Brother Ming, cultivating immortality is so exhausting, I want to take a break.' I thought she just wanted a break. But I didn't expect she would resolutely disperse her cultivation, letting time consume her,"

Fan Wubing's heart trembled, "Disperse her cultivation?"

Chengming lowered his head, "She died of old age. When she left, I saw the happiness of her youth on her aged face. I thought, for her, this should be true relief."

Fan Wubing couldn't comment. He thought he hadn't experienced enough to imagine how Jiang Nianshu faced dispersing her cultivation and choosing to be devoured by time.

Chengming picked up his pipe, rubbing his eyes. The heavy atmosphere instantly dissipated.

He smiled, "Since this Bao Li Zither is willing to be used by you, you can take it with you."

Fan Wubing placed his hands on the Bao Li Zither, one by one, the strings slowly appeared, "Master Cheng, may I play a tune here?"

"Of course."

Fan Wubing's fingers began to move.

It's hard to say if it was his fingers plucking the strings or his meaningful intention vibrating through the music. Perhaps both.

The melodious tune, accompanied by heavy snow, rippled out into the night.

Chengming's expression shifted from calm to delightful surprise, then shock, finally to tranquility.

He once again confirmed he hadn't misjudged the person.

If this young man, perhaps... really could make the "Rain Dragon Heavenly River Sound" reappear.

He thought, "At that time, by any means, I must produce the Dragon-Soothing Sound..."

...

It was only the following dawn when Fan Wubing returned home.

As soon as he opened the courtyard gate, he saw Fu Manman sitting on the threshold of the main house, head buried in her knees, breathing deep and steady... asleep.

He walked into the yard, making sounds as he stepped into the snow.

Fu Manman immediately sat up straight, lifted her head, looked at him happily first, then asked discontentedly, "Why didn't you come home last night?"

"You sat here all night?"

"You didn't come back. Of course, I waited here for you." Fu Manman stood up, her eyes wide, staring at him intently, "Why didn't you come home last night?" Her nose twitched, "You smell like... a woman, like liquor. Oh! You must have been at the brothel drinking with women!"

Fan Wubing paused.

He spent the first half of the night at Sister Hongyu's place, and the latter half at the Three Flavors Blacksmith Shop. Indeed, he carried both the scent of a woman and of liquor.

Fan Wubing didn't know how to explain it right away.

He thought... why do I need to explain to her? Are we in such a relationship that I need to explain if I don't come home?

He planned to rebuff her with this thought, but seeing Fu Manman's face, he instantly lost steam.

Saying such things would only hurt her feelings for no reason, wouldn't it?

Fan Wubing stepped forward, gently embraced Fu Manman, stroked her long hair on the back, and softly said, "I can't explain it to you, but I must tell you, it's definitely not what you think."