Chapter 49

Putting aside personal hobbies like changing clothes, what Lu Zheng admired most about Mr. Yue was his skill with the zither.

Mr. Yue loved playing the zither the most. His music was sometimes passionate, sometimes leisurely, sometimes as clear and vast as a mountain stream, making one feel as if a gentle breeze was brushing against their face. At other times, it was as desolate as the withering of all things, evoking many profound thoughts and a sense of being lost.

Mr. Yue once said to Lu Zheng, "What is music? All things have their own music. The joy of life lies in coexisting with friends in the world. If all things in the world are my friends, then I will never be lonely in this world, and this is the ultimate joy. The sound of the zither is the resonance between the person and the instrument. The key to resonance lies between the fingers and the strings.

If the finger pressure is too heavy, the person overpowers the strings; if the finger pressure is too light, the strings overpower the person. If one does not know the zither, does not understand its sound, then there is separation. Therefore, the person and the zither must not deceive or separate from each other. Deception leads to loss, separation leads to failure. They must know and harmonize with each other, which is the art of the zither.

Not only between a person and a zither, but also between people, and between people and all things in the world, it is the same. They must know and not take from each other, harmonize and not lose each other. All things are my friends, and this is the way to coexist. Thus, where in life is there not ease?"

As Lu Zheng listened to these words, he thought of Tang Xiaojiu, Mingkong, Old Song, and Lai Liqi. He didn't need to mention Jiu Ge and Mingkong, and Old Song had been very kind to him. But Lai Liqi had bullied him and Jiu Ge, and the snake demon had even tried to eat him. How could he be friends with them? However, Mr. Yue's words must have a reason, and it was good to keep them in mind.

Although he didn't fully understand these words, Lu Zheng loved listening to Mr. Yue play the zither. Even just watching Mr. Yue's fingers move on the strings made him feel very comfortable, as if his own heartstrings were being touched. He often became so engrossed that he almost forgot everything. If he encountered Mr. Yue playing after drinking, it was the most exciting thing for Lu Zheng. He still remembered the first time he saw Mr. Yue play after drinking, a scene that he would never forget.

That night was a full moon. Lu Zheng had been staying at the Sun and Moon Pavilion for a month. After dinner, the sky was clear, with only a full moon floating in the sky, casting a clear light on the ground. Mr. Yue had drunk a lot of wine and, instead of leaving as usual, staggered to the flower bed, glanced at it, and with a wave of his sleeve, a low table appeared on the ground, on which was Mr. Yue's zither. Lu Zheng was already used to Mr. Yue's unpredictable abilities and was not surprised.

With the zither table in front of him, Mr. Yue's body twisted as if he couldn't bear the alcohol and fell to the ground, sitting down. He casually waved his hand, and a series of golden and jade-like sounds flowed from the strings, resonating under the moonlight, incredibly pleasant to the ear!

Mr. Yue, slightly drunk, nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with the sound. He straightened his back, and his fingers, incredibly agile, jumped on the strings, plucking a zheng note.

The zheng note entered Lu Zheng's ears, and his heart skipped a beat, feeling a warm sensation spread from his chest, making him feel incredibly comfortable. Li Yi and Xin'er were also attracted and turned around.

Then, Mr. Yue's left hand pressed the strings, and his right hand, after retracting and releasing, struck the strings with all four fingers. The zheng note changed to a gong note, which was long and chaotic. Mr. Yue's finger technique changed again, first wiping and then kicking, transitioning to a shang note, followed by a yu note, and then a jiao note.

Lu Zheng, who had learned the zither from Mr. Yue, naturally recognized that this was the beginning of a piece Mr. Yue had taught him, called "The Five Tones Generation Spectrum." This piece, following the order of the Five Elements, played the five tones in a cycle, containing all the techniques of playing the zither, making it a beginner's piece.

However, Mr. Yue did not follow the usual order of water generating wood, wood generating fire, fire generating earth, earth generating metal, and metal generating water. Instead, he started with fire and ended with wood regenerating fire. Compared to the water generation sequence, the fire generation sequence was more passionate and intense!

Therefore, Mr. Yue's zither music was very majestic. The initial zheng note, though low, contained a sense of vastness, making one feel a sense of boundless space. In this emptiness, there were traces of agitation, as if in the vast primordial chaos, the universe had just opened, and the vast primordial energy contained countless seeds of fire.

Then, Mr. Yue struck the strings, and the music changed dramatically. The newly opened universe, in a misty atmosphere, saw the birth of all things. In the wilderness, fires sprang up, illuminating the shadows of all things, some running, some flying, some swimming. The music depicted a scene of the universe creating life! The intense vibrations were like stars falling, fires bursting, and mountains and seas collapsing, with a momentum that was overwhelming. The music was so shocking that it made one's heart and soul tremble, and Lu Zheng and Xin'er felt as if they couldn't catch their breath!

The earth-shaking changes continued without end, reaching their peak. Suddenly, all the changes stopped in an instant. For a moment, the world was silent, and the dust settled. In the silence, a gong note appeared, as if born from destruction, soft and gentle, flickering in the distance, almost imperceptible. The music was now clear and sparse, like stars scattered in the night sky, and its echo slowly turned into the sound of waves, bringing a continuous flow of moisture.

Lu Zheng listened intently, and the heat in his chest, which had been moving with the music, making his blood boil and his mind almost uncontrollable, suddenly turned deep and calm, as if entering a void.

He heard Xin'er let out a soft cry, and saw a streak of light flash by. Teacher Li Yi rushed out of the pavilion, his black robe flying, covering his face, but a bright silver light shone from his waist as he drew his sword!

A silver dragon moved in the field, the sword drawn silently. Lu Zheng's eyes welled up, deeply moved by this scene, never expecting that his usually stiff and reserved teacher could perform such a dynamic and fierce sword dance. The silver dragon, which was Li Yi's sword, moved with large, expansive, and slow movements, his steps heavy but silent, not even the rustle of his clothes. With each movement, he slowly accumulated explosive power.

As the silver dragon danced, a clear and beautiful phoenix cry pierced the sky, and the silver dragon responded with a roar. Mr. Yue's drunkenness disappeared, his expression filled with an indescribable charm, his eyes bright, as if containing the universe. His fingers moved, plucking, stabbing, locking, brushing, and piercing, his hands moving back and forth on the strings, producing countless sounds, like wind howling, thunder rumbling, rain falling, and flowers blooming. In an instant, it was as if all things were welcoming spring, lively and bustling. The power accumulated by the silver dragon also burst out, and the dragon and phoenix sang together, filling the field with clear sounds, and all things echoed.

At that moment, the flowers in the flower bed, seemingly moved by the music and sword dance, began to sway and bloom, shining with unprecedented brilliance under the moonlight. The various insects in the flower bed also began to chirp, responding to the beautiful sounds.

Mr. Yue's music could move the flowers to bloom and the insects to sing at night, and Lu Zheng and Xin'er were completely entranced, lost in the music!

Li Yi leaped into the air, his limbs stretching out, the sword piercing the sky like a meteor. As he landed, the sword fell in front of him, and he casually plucked it, producing a dragon's cry, perfectly matching the music.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng felt an intense surge of joy, as if a bright light had appeared in his eyes. He looked up and saw a huge cloud, like an open canopy, hovering over the Sun and Moon Pavilion, its edges faintly radiating a pale, seven-colored light under the moonlight!

As the sword was sheathed, the silver light disappeared, and Li Yi let out a long cry, echoing through the sky and filling the world. At this moment, the music reached its final transformation, a clear and powerful string sound, like a tearing silk, slicing through the sky. Mr. Yue looked at the cloud, stood up, and swept his sleeve toward the sky, shouting, "Scatter!"

With this shout, the seven-colored light of the cloud immediately disappeared, and the cloud rapidly rolled toward the center, shrinking smaller and smaller, and soon vanished completely!

The cloud disappeared, but the music's aftertones still resonated in everyone's ears, spreading far and wide, filling the world. It made one's thoughts drift far away, lost in the world, without a destination.

This wonderful performance of music and sword dance, with Mr. Yue and Li Yi in perfect harmony, was so marvelously indescribable and breathtaking. Mr. Yue's sleeve sweep even scattered the clouds in the sky! Lu Zheng and Xin'er were so amazed that they couldn't speak.

Suddenly, the aftertones faded, and the world returned to normal. They heard a "rustling" sound and looked over. Xin'er exclaimed, "Oh, the flowers!"

As the music faded, all the flowers in the flower bed fell from the branches, leaving only bare branches exposed in the night. All the insects that had been singing also fell to the ground, their bodies light, as if only shells, covering the ground in an instant!

The flowers withered, and the insects fell to the ground! The wind carried Mr. Yue's sigh, "The zither moves all things, and they bloom and wither in one night, fulfilling their destiny."

At the time, Lu Zheng didn't know that Mr. Yue meant that the flowers had used all their essence to bloom and wither in one night. Many years later, he understood that Mr. Yue meant, "Emotion moves all things, and they bloom and wither in one night, fulfilling their destiny." Only then did he truly understand why the flowers withered and the insects died from exhaustion that night!

However, after that night, Mr. Yue rarely played the zither like that again.

---

**Note:** Thank you for reading! Please consider following and recommending!