The Double-Chapter 497 - 153 Xiao Hong_6

Having found this warm sanctuary, the black little bird seemed quite comfortable and soon squinted its eyes as if about to fall asleep. Ji Heng watched it for a while, shook her head, and walked to the other end.

This bird was not supposed to be alive, but he truly couldn’t bring himself to do as Jiang Li suggested: to deliberately feed a mute medicine to a bird—it was better to take it back. The Shen residence had simply lost a mynah, and seeing how noisy this mynah was, it wasn’t favored by people either.

He couldn’t help but get the strange impression of "keeping a mistress."

...

In the first few days of the New Year, the festivities were in full swing. Everywhere on the streets, children could be seen playing, dressed in new clothes and hats, holding sugared haws, and their noisy jubilance was a sign of a festive atmosphere.

At Mingyi Hall during the New Year, the students didn’t have to attend school, so the doors were firmly shut. The masters, having a rare moment of leisure, either gathered in small groups with friends or took the time to tend to their own matters. It was, after all, quite a laid-back time.

Xiao Deyin, however, was different.

She lived alone in a mansion and did not stay with her family. People said it was because she had a resilience not inferior to that of men. She never planned to marry in her lifetime. Although she was gentle and beautiful, and not lacking in admirers from official families, her ambition lied in becoming a zither master, devoted to the ancient zither for life. The Xiao family initially tried to persuade her but eventually gave up.

From initial misunderstandings, people gradually began to admire her. After all, it was not something ordinary people could do— a beautiful woman who neither sought fame nor wealth, nor wished to be near her family, solely aspiring to be a great zither master. People respected her, students revered her, and with her reasonable nature as a master, her reputation in Yanjing City was exceptionally good.

Although Immortal Jing Hong was also outstanding in zither music, she had a past of staying in a brothel and was not as pure as Xiao Deyin. Moreover, Immortal Jing Hong had now married, making Xiao Deyin, without question, the first zither master of Northern Yan.

If it had been any other New Year, Xiao Deyin would have already visited zither friends, and they would have played the zither and composed poetry together. But this year, Xiao Deyin politely declined all invitations, simply saying she had caught a chill and should not go out.

More precisely, it was after that day’s Shen family banquet that Xiao Deyin had caught this "chill."

In the courtyard, a maid asked Xiao Deyin, "Master, will you not go out today either?"

Xiao Deyin looked at the weather; it was a rare good day without snow, on the contrary, the sun was out. The sunlight was warm, as if penetrating deep into her bones, and seemed to dissipate much of her gloominess from the past days.

She hesitated for a moment and said, "Since it is so, let’s go out and have a look."

Staying inside the mansion without seeing anyone would inevitably arouse suspicion. In that case, it would be better to go out for a walk, as long as she returned early.

Thinking this, Xiao Deyin let the maid comb her hair, apply some makeup, and chose a dress that made her complexion look a bit better to wear.

The gate of the mansion was lively with remnants of firecrackers set off by many children. To seek tranquility, Xiao Deyin’s mansion was situated in a small alley. The alley, usually sparse with pedestrians, was exceptionally quiet. Xiao Deyin was about to take a walk when she suddenly heard a familiar sound of zither music coming from not far away.

It was "Guanshan Yue" (Moon Over the Mountain Pass)!

Her hand trembled, and her heart shuddered, she grabbed the maid beside her and asked, "Did you hear that?"

Startled, the maid, not knowing what she meant, asked, "Master, what do you mean?"

"The zither music! It’s the zither music! ’Guanshan Yue’!"

The maid realized, "Indeed, there is zither music, and it’s not far from here."

Xiao Deyin then felt relieved; she was not the only one who heard it, so it couldn’t be a ghost. Listening intently, the zither music didn’t sound like it was played by Xue Fangfei— it was much more ordinary.

Before she could fully relax, two passersby in the alley, overhearing her, turned and said, "This young lady also knows ’Guanshan Yue,’ huh? Today, Yanjing City has a mysterious zither player whose rendition of ’Guanshan Yue’ is mesmerizing. Those who have heard it are all trying to emulate it; these past days it’s been played everywhere."

One of them even laughed, "Speaking of which, some people say this mysterious person’s zither skills surpass those of Northern Yan’s first zither master Xiao Deyin. Whether that’s true or not, who knows."

Xiao Deyin’s sight went dark.