The White Moonlight Subdues Everyone with a Suona - Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Na Na Na Na Na Na (1/2)
“Dad! Don’t just stand there daydreaming! Hurry up and edit it!”
Heaven’s Will urged her, its voice so anxious it almost went out of key.
To tell the truth, if it weren’t for the fact that this Qinghui Jade Brush, formed from its magic power, could only be used by Ji Bingyu, Heaven’s Will would have loved to roll up its sleeves and do it itself!
Heaven’s Will: If I can do it, I’ll go up too.jpg
“Don’t rush me! Almost done!”
Ji Bingyu looked incomparably calm on the surface, but in reality, she was panicking inside like crazy.
She didn’t dare scribble randomly on the Twelve Phantom Sound Scores.
Fate was a truly metaphysical thing. What if Xie Yuan actually ended up getting his hands on this copy of the Twelve Phantom Sound Scores later on anyway?
If he actually believed the random things Ji Bingyu scribbled on it and ended up suffering a qi deviation, what would happen then?
After all, in the original novel, Xie Yuan’s problems arose precisely when he cultivated the Twelve Phantom Sound Scores. Who knew if fate would suddenly play a joke at a time like this?
Fate was unpredictable; every time one thought they had the victory in their grasp, things were actually most prone to going wrong.
Ji Bingyu did not dare to gamble.
She bit her lower lip, holding the brush tightly in her right hand, hesitating.
With this layer of concern, Ji Bingyu didn’t even dare to write random vocabulary words on it, fearing it might cause Xie Yuan to have a “stroke of inspiration” and happily gain a one-way ticket to a suite in the Demon Realm.
“Dad! Hurry up! Xie Yuan is almost—” about to arrive.
It stopped abruptly.
Heaven’s Will’s words froze mid-sentence. It fell silent for a moment, its round eyes spinning erratically like corrupted computer code, and its whole presence glitched for a second.
“Xie Yuan was stopped by Yu Qianxue.”
Heaven’s Will was also a bit confused, as this was different from the original novel.
It knew Yu Qianxue’s identity wasn’t right. It was just that, firstly, Ji Bingyu hadn’t asked, and secondly, according to the original story line, things hadn’t progressed to this stage yet. Constrained by the laws of the world, Heaven’s Will couldn’t speak out rashly.
“This… this is good too. At least we have more time!”
Heaven’s Will spoke faster and faster. It turned to Ji Bingyu and asked urgently, “Dad! Are you done editing?!”
Ji Bingyu immediately gave the universal response: “Almost ready!”
However, this wasn’t just a brush-off. Heaven’s Will saw that Ji Bingyu, who had been hesitating just moments ago, was now holding the illusion of the Qinghui Jade Brush and moving her hand non-stop, rapidly writing and drawing on the Twelve Phantom Sound Scores.
Her hand speed was so fast it nearly left afterimages, comparable to students frantically rushing their homework in libraries right before the end of school vacation.
Seeing this, Heaven’s Will stopped making noise and very self-consciously stood on the right side, dutifully keeping watch.
Ji Bingyu moved her hand at lightning speed, flipping a page with every action drawn. By the time she reached the very last page, the Qinghui Jade Brush in her grip was almost on the verge of dissipating. Its original jade-green color had become extremely faint, turning almost transparent.
Only when the final stroke fell did Ji Bingyu, whose body had been tense all along, relax slightly.
Almost simultaneously, the Qinghui Jade Brush vanished completely, scattering into tiny dots of silver light in the air. Ji Bingyu’s hand holding the brush felt empty. She swayed as if losing her support, her arms dropping weakly to her sides, and her entire body collapsed into a sitting position on the ground.
“It’s done!”
Ji Bingyu murmured to herself.
She lowered her head, looking at her fingers that were still trembling, exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, and sighed once more.
How long had it been?
How long had it been since she experienced such a life-and-death race against time?
Ji Bingyu was filled with deep emotion, completely unaware that in the eyes of an outsider, the impact of this scene was entirely different from what she thought.
The moment Xie Yuan pushed open the doors of the hall, he saw Ji Bingyu sitting in the corner.
She sat on the ground alone, leaning against the bookshelf behind her, her sleeves and skirt sprawling out like the legendary Snow-Fat Flower that bloomed in places of extreme cold and heat. She exuded an air of noble detachment, as if existing outside the mortal world, yet her eyes were astonishingly bright, as though burning with an unquenchable flame.
Numerous sky-reaching bookcases stood inside the hall, making every disciple who entered look extraordinarily tiny. At the very least, when Xie Yuan pushed open the hall doors, a surge of trepidation and uneasiness had unconsciously risen in his heart.
But Ji Bingyu was different.
She sat on the ground in a free and natural posture, her entire person exuding a sense of leisure. Most of the light shining in from the doors fell around her body. Dust particles floating in the air moved about, yet did not dare approach her at all.
—She was like a ray of light.
Xie Yuan stood on the spot, somewhat dazed, remaining still for a long time.
In the end, it was Ji Bingyu who, alerted by Heaven’s Will, noticed Xie Yuan standing at the entrance. Supporting herself on the ground with both hands, she stood up nimbly and poked her head out from behind the bookshelf.
“Senior Brother Xie?”
Xie Yuan smiled: “It’s me. Just now, seeing that Junior Sister Ji seemed to have gained an epiphany, I didn’t want to disturb you, but I didn’t expect to still be noticed by you.”
This was actually true. Ji Bingyu’s appearance just now really looked like the legendary “sudden realization” or “a stir in one’s heart.”
Especially that transcendent sigh and that low phrase “it’s done”—even Heaven’s Will hadn’t dared to make a sound to disturb her.
Both of them were polite and refined. After meeting each other’s eyes, they smiled together.
“Alright, alright, the two of us don’t need to be so polite.” Ji Bingyu waved her hand. “Since we’ve come to the Book Treasure Hall, the proper thing to do is quickly choose a score destined for us.”
Regarding her newly edited version of the Twelve Phantom Sound Scores, Ji Bingyu was immensely confident. Meeting Xie Yuan’s gaze, she said, “I think this bookshelf of mine looks pretty good. It has plenty of collection books. Want to come take a look?”
Xie Yuan glanced over the bookshelf. He didn’t feel anything special, but since an acquaintance invited him, he didn’t mind taking a look.
He walked up to the bookshelf as suggested, scanned the books inside, flipped through a few of them, and then suddenly turned back, meeting Ji Bingyu’s eager gaze.
Xie Yuan casually raised the book he had picked up and asked, “Junior Sister seems very curious?”
Ji Bingyu nodded truthfully: “I am indeed very curious.”
Having spent years together, Xie Yuan had long gotten used to Ji Bingyu’s sudden words and actions. He didn’t mind and shook his head with a smile: “Then I’m afraid I have to disappoint Junior Sister.”
Xie Yuan placed the book in his hand back where it belonged. He turned back and blinked at Ji Bingyu, showing a rare trace of playfulness.
“My fate shouldn’t lie here. If Junior Sister is curious, why not wait until we exit the Treasure Pavilion to come find me and get to the bottom of it?”
After speaking, the corners of Xie Yuan’s lips curled into a smile.
He was refined and handsome to begin with. Among all the people Ji Bingyu had seen—except for Rong Qingyuan—no one looked better than Xie Yuan.
Especially with this smile from Xie Yuan, all the gloom in the depths of his eyes vanished, leaving his whole being vibrant and alive.
Ji Bingyu froze for a moment, then returned a smile.
She watched Xie Yuan walk past her side, turn around to wave at her, and then pass through row after row of bookshelves. His somewhat slender figure gradually vanished behind the shelves until he could no longer be seen.
Regardless of original novel or not, villain or not, at this moment, Ji Bingyu only knew that the youth in front of her named Xie Yuan was her senior brother, and also a friend who could walk alongside her.
Ji Bingyu stared blankly in the direction he had gone until Heaven’s Will reminded her, causing her to snap back to reality.
Xie Yuan didn’t pick up the Twelve Phantom Sound Scores…
He didn’t take it!
In the quiet depths of her heart, Ji Bingyu vaguely heard the snapping sound of something breaking, followed by the faint sensation of something sprouting out from the soil.
Waves of emotion surged within Ji Bingyu. She spoke: “I—”
“Junior Sister Ji.”
A sharp female voice sounded from behind. Ji Bingyu turned around with the momentum and immediately saw Yu Qianxue standing not far behind her.
Although Yu Qianxue had lost to Ji Bingyu in the final match of the arena tournament, she had her previous combat foundation from the Demon Realm. Before encountering Ji Bingyu, her record in the arena could indeed be called an undefeated general.
Therefore, calculating by total match points, Yu Qianxue was also among the winning disciples in the end.
Yu Qianxue looked at Ji Bingyu standing in front of her, only feeling that her own back was starting to throb with pain again. She clenched her fingers in hatred, her long fingernails digging deep into her flesh.
Yu Qianxue spoke sarcastically: “It seems I have good luck today. Just walking around randomly and I bump into the famous Junior Sister Ji.”
Ji Bingyu raised her eyelids and pulled out her ancestral skill of sarcastic banter: “Mm, it’s my bad luck.”
Choked by her response, Yu Qianxue wracked her brain trying to find words to retaliate. Ji Bingyu couldn’t be bothered with what she thought. After editing the Twelve Phantom Sound Scores, she was already somewhat drained of energy, and with the relief of a completed mission washing over her, she felt entirely lazy.
Having finally completed her task, Ji Bingyu only wanted to hurry back to her cave abode to have a good sleep—ah no, to enter a deep meditative trance.
Heaven’s Will: Thanks, but there’s really no need to describe slacking off in such a fresh and refined way.
However, knowing that Ji Bingyu had indeed worked hard during this period, it didn’t stop her and silently permitted her actions.
Anyway, although there were many treasures in the Treasure Pavilion, Rong Qingyuan’s stash in the back mountain was no less impressive.
If Ji Bingyu couldn’t find anything suitable in the Treasure Pavilion, worst-case scenario, it would go discuss it with Rong Qingyuan or randomly flip through secret realms in the world and stuff her inside.
Reaching a tacit understanding across space, Ji Bingyu, who was slacking off by decree of heaven, gave a lopsided smile, randomly grabbed a book from the shelf, and strutted away without even looking at Yu Qianxue.
Her arrogant manner looked exactly like the goose from the illusion earlier!
Yu Qianxue stomped her feet in resentment, nearly biting through her teeth. Bearing in mind that she had a mission to carry out, she closed her eyes to calm her surging demonic energy, carefully recalling the scene she had just witnessed in her mind.
Every action of Ji Bingyu and Xie Yuan had been seen by her.
Although she was a bit far away and couldn’t hear clearly what they were saying, Yu Qianxue could guess the gist of it.
First, Ji Bingyu seemed to have gained an epiphany here and had been guarding the spot all along.
Second, upon meeting Xie Yuan, Ji Bingyu’s eyes shone brightly… mm, it seemed she really wanted Xie Yuan to obtain a certain book.
Then, Xie Yuan looked around and shook his head—he didn’t take this book in the end.
Why?
Yu Qianxue’s mind raced, and she clapped her hands, suddenly arriving at a conclusion.
They were yielding to each other!
Xie Yuan left this opportunity for Ji Bingyu!
Completely unaware that her line of thought had drifted far off course through endless twists and turns, Yu Qianxue felt secretly proud of her sharp insight, while also feeling immensely curious: what secret manual had Ji Bingyu and Xie Yuan seen in the end?
She stepped forward, standing in the position she remembered Ji Bingyu had occupied, closing her eyes and feeling around.
Three times to the left, three times to the right, the storage compartment on the slanting right side, slowly moving upward…
Found it!
Yu Qianxue snapped her eyes open, discovering with delight that this was precisely the Twelve Phantom Sound Scores that the Demon Lord had instructed her to find a way to bring back to the Demon Realm!
Truly, getting it without spending the slightest effort!
Her previous gloom was swept away, and Yu Qianxue thought happily that today was indeed her lucky day.
…
As for Ji Bingyu, after leaving the Treasure Pavilion, she was simply too exhausted to wait for anyone. She only greeted Senior Brother Xun Yanchi and Senior Sister Lingyun, who were waiting outside.
There were seven peaks in total on Changqing Sect, five of which had peak masters who recruited numerous disciples. Among all these disciples, only Xun Yanchi of Gaoyue Peak and Lingyun of Ruyun Peak were universally recognized as Senior Brother and Senior Sister by all disciples.
This wasn’t just a matter of cultivation strength, but also due to their extremely responsible attitude toward sect affairs and their genuine care for their junior brothers and sisters.
For instance, right now.
Seeing Ji Bingyu walk out with a pale face, her usual smiling countenance now looking listless—bearing quite a resemblance to Qingxuzi’s sickly and weak appearance—Lingyun’s heart instantly thumped.
She couldn’t help stepping forward, asking softly, “Junior Sister Ji, are you alright?”
“Ah, ha, fine, totally fine.”
After stepping out of the Treasure Pavilion, Ji Bingyu felt the physical exhaustion even more keenly. Seeing the gentle and kind Senior Sister Lingyun, she hurriedly forced another smile: “I’m quite fine, Senior Sister doesn’t need to worry.”
Who would have thought that such a forced, pale smile in Lingyun’s eyes looked even more like put-on happiness concealing sorrow.
Her heart sank, exchanging a glance with Xun Yanchi beside her. Seeing him give a barely perceptible nod, she understood completely in her heart.
She clearly spent so much time choosing her natal magical artifact back then, yet this time when going to the Treasure Pavilion, she was the fastest person to come out…
It seemed Junior Sister Ji didn’t manage to select an item to her liking.
This was normal too. After all, one person could only take one item, relying entirely on their heart’s guidance to choose, and could only see the quality rank of the taken item after coming out. Although there were countless treasures in the Treasure Pavilion, if one wasn’t careful, taking a common Ninth-Rank item happened occasionally as well.
Thinking about how Ji Bingyu fought so long on the arena stage only to fail to get a musical score to her liking in the end, Lingyun felt extremely heartbroken for her.
Even the taciturn Xun Yanchi spoke up: “No matter.” He paused, choosing his words carefully, “There is always a next time.”
Another time?!
Recalling the thrilling, breath-taking ordeal this time, Ji Bingyu’s right hand twitched uncontrollably, her body devoid of strength. Her whole person looked as if she hadn’t closed her eyes for three days—even her eyes were filled with the desolation of a corporate slave forced to work overtime.
Ji Bingyu’s mind was in total chaos as she said dazedly, “Next time… it should be very far away.”
Little did she know that these words made Lingyun’s heart tighten even further.
Oh no! Junior Sister Ji is so dispirited to this extent!
She must be safely sent back to Xueyu Peak immediately!
Thus, before Ji Bingyu could wait on the spot, she was exceptionally led out, escorted by Senior Sister Lingyun, traveling smoothly and without obstruction all the way back to her happy old home.
She merely controlled the white jade pendant hanging on her neck to send a message to Rong Qingyuan, and then immediately collapsed inside her cave abode, sleeping so deeply that days and nights blurred into one.
Heaven’s Will also knew that even with its help, controlling the Qinghui Jade Brush was extremely taxing, so it thoughtfully refrained from disturbing her.
And so, Ji Bingyu slept for five full days.
When she emerged from her secluded retreat on the sixth day, Ji Bingyu woke up early, stepping outside refreshed and energetic. Following her routine, she played a suona tune in the backyard, then quietly waited for her senior brother next door to roar, “Ji Bingyu, stop playing the suona—”
A round of applause drifted over. Li Fuqing was leaning on the wall. Seeing Ji Bingyu look back, his poker-faced youthful face twitched, and the corners of his lips curled upward, freezing at one-third of his usual wicked arc. His upper lip raised slightly, revealing snow-white teeth.
Li Fuqing felt that he was exhibiting a very gentle smile.
“As expected of Little Junior Sister! Little Junior Sister plays so well!”
Ji Bingyu: ?
She put down the suona and asked cautiously: “Senior Brother, can you not smile like that?”
Smiling like a husky with dog food stuck between its teeth, there’s really not an ounce of aesthetic beauty in it, Senior Brother!
Li Fuqing said: “Is it not good-looking?”
Ji Bingyu said decisively: “Not good-looking! A bit ugly!”
People often used “crocodile tears” to describe the pity of hypocritical people, but when it came to Li Fuqing, it completely turned into a “crocodile smile”!
She was almost tired of saying how terrifying it was!
Li Fuqing’s brows furrowed as he instinctively wanted to retort, but when he caught sight of Ji Bingyu’s face, he forced himself to hold back.
He offered another gentle smile.
“It’s fine. Although I am ugly, I am very gentle.”
Ji Bingyu: ??
Her face scrunched up tightly: “Senior Brother, you aren’t sick, are you?”
Li Fuqing instinctively said: “Screw you, how could I possibly—”
The remaining words got stuck in his throat. Looking at Ji Bingyu, Li Fuqing pulled out that gentle smile once more.
“Thank you for Little Junior Sister’s concern, Little Junior Sister is truly too kind~ Boohoo, Senior Brother is fine~”
Ji Bingyu: ?????
You call this fine?!
I think you look like you have a severe mental illness!!!
Ji Bingyu’s face was full of terror. Carrying her suona, she immediately took a standing-only ticket overnight to escape from Xueyu Peak, rushing to the Hall of Enlightenment at the fastest speed of her life.
Then, inside the Hall of Enlightenment, Ji Bingyu encountered even more terrifying things.
Falling asleep in class, Instructor Xu offered a gentle smile: “No matter, rest well.”
Ji Bingyu, who thought she was about to be punished and kicked out: ?
Blowing the suona, Master Qianming led the applause himself, looking gratified: “Not bad! Junior Niece Ji has made much progress again!”
Ji Bingyu, who thought she was about to be silenced: ??
After class, Feng Feishuang ran up to Ji Bingyu shyly, giving her a red-faced hug, and said to her in a soft voice: “Don’t be sad, there is always a next time!”
Thought… no need to “thought” what anymore, this in itself was terrifying enough!!!
Gentle Master Qianming.
Gentle Instructor Xu.
Gentle Feng Feishuang.
Gentle Pei Leye.
Gentle Zhong Ziqi.
…
Ji Bingyu wore a mask of agony: “Enough, I’m about to forget what the word ‘gentle’ even looks like!”
If she hadn’t confirmed that her physical condition was exceptionally good, Ji Bingyu would have almost thought she had contracted some terminal illness and was about to pass away soon?!
Seeing that Heaven’s Will ran off right after using her, and Rong Qingyuan also left a message in the white jade pendant saying he had matters to attend to while in secluded cultivation at the top of Xueyu Peak for a few days, everyone else she asked spoke with hesitation, making proper communication impossible.
After a whole day, Ji Bingyu’s mind full of doubts went completely unanswered.
“Little Junior Sister.”
Shen Hege called out to Ji Bingyu, rescuing the innocent grass on the ground from under her hands just in time. Looking at Ji Bingyu’s face, his expression ultimately turned into a gentle smile.
“How about Senior Brother teaches you a new piece?” Shen Hege pursed his lips and smiled, “Earlier there was a piece named ‘Entering the Butterfly’ that was quite pleasant to hear. I went to learn it, and now I want to play it for Little Junior Sister.”
Compared to the superficial, exaggerated acting of certain people mentioned above, Shen Hege’s gentleness was genuine gentleness that felt like a spring breeze, making one unconsciously soften as well, while their entire mindset became much calmer.
Ji Bingyu sighed and said: “I also want to learn music from Senior Brother, and even more so want to hear Senior Brother play, but can Senior Brother tell me why everyone’s attitude toward me today is so strange?”
Shen Hege fell silent for a moment, raised his eyes to look at Ji Bingyu, and shook his head with a smile.
“Since it’s like this, Senior Brother will speak directly then.”
“Although the Treasure Pavilion claims to possess ‘countless treasures, rare in the world,’ many of them were items brought back by various elders when they traveled the mortal realm in the past. They might not be of high rank, not some first-rank cultivation method, nor some exquisite musical score, but each has its own origin and story…”
It had to be said that Shen Hege’s voice was soft and pleasant to hear. Listening to him talk about these things was like listening to a gentle young traveler of the martial world uncovering a corner of past stories.
Ji Bingyu listened with relish. She even took out a pot of tea and a plate of pastries from her storage ring, missing only a plate of melon seeds!
“So…” Shen Hege patted Ji Bingyu’s shoulder, “It’s fine.”
Ji Bingyu: ???
This, how did this turn into confusing behavior again?
Ji Bingyu thought for a long time without knowing what she was supposed to be concerned about. She silently finished listening to Shen Hege play that song “Entering the Butterfly.”
Fairly speaking, this piece indeed fit Shen Hege’s style well. The melody was gentle and long, with several continuous notes creating a sense of endless flow, making one feel as if they had entered the body of a tiny butterfly, flying between heaven and earth at varying heights alongside the tone, witnessing the vastness of the universe.
As large as the sun, moon, and stars, with green mountains surrounding sea islands; as small as a single flower, grass, and leaf, revealing all living beings within a drop of morning dew.
Entering the butterfly, observing heaven and earth through a butterfly’s eyes, experiencing all living beings through a butterfly’s body.
Ever since he had no past mental knots binding him, Shen Hege’s mind had grown increasingly broad and vast. His mindset was peaceful and kind to all things, and his musical style was uniquely distinct.
Ji Bingyu finished listening with admiration, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Seeing Ji Bingyu’s words of praise, Shen Hege smiled gently: “This is nothing, Junior Sister can do it too.”
Facing Shen Hege’s eyes filled with implicit encouragement and expectation, Ji Bingyu actually produced an illusion of “if I can do it, I can go up too.”
Ji Bingyu: Gradually expanding.jpg
Under Shen Hege’s expectant gaze, Ji Bingyu slowly pulled out her suona.
…
…
Night had fallen. The permanent snow on the highest peak of Xueyu Peak glittered like dots of stars, and the snowy mist surrounding it dispersed like haze, looking truly like a fairyland from afar.
As soon as Shaoyang Yu came out and learned the news that “Ji Bingyu’s dream was shattered in the Treasure Pavilion,” she asked anxiously: “How is Little Junior Sister?”
Li Fuqing shook his head: “I don’t know.” He sighed, saying with a poker face, “I’m not good at comforting people, so I left it to Third Junior Brother to do.”
Shaoyang Yu nodded with a face full of worry after hearing this.
“So—hey! Third Junior Brother!”
Li Fuqing was sharp-eyed, being the first to catch sight of Shen Hege’s figure, and asked hastily: “After you played that piece today that can calm the mind and make one feel enlightened, what was Little Junior Sister’s reaction?”
Shen Hege slowly raised his head, his face serene and tranquil: “Little Junior Sister said it was very pleasant to hear.”
Shaoyang Yu pressed further: “Then did Little Junior Sister learn it?”
As everyone knew, apart from listening, if one could learn this piece, it would be of even greater benefit to a music cultivator.
Shen Hege slowly turned his head. As if recalling something, his face—which usually lacked expression—raised a slight smile filled with holiness: “She learned it.”
Before Shaoyang Yu and Li Fuqing could speak, Shen Hege added: “Little Junior Sister played this piece ‘Entering the Grave’ very well.”
Shaoyang Yu: ???
Li Fuqing: ???
Wait a second, what is “Entering the Grave”?!
Wasn’t Third Junior Brother’s song called “Entering the Butterfly”?!
Shaoyang Yu and Li Fuqing finally realized post-facto that something wasn’t quite right with Shen Hege.
Although Shen Hege was usually gentle, it was the feeling of an upright gentleman, rather than like this now…
“After hearing this piece ‘Entering the Grave,’ it allows one to look past the mortal world and place life and death aside.”
—As if he had experienced life and death and was about to enter a monastery.
Li Fuqing swallowed hard with difficulty, exchanging a glance with Shaoyang Yu.
We’re finished, another one on Xueyu Peak has gone crazy!
