Chapter Thirty-Three: Hearing "Heavenly Wind through Pines and Snow" Once More

On the fifteenth day after arriving at the Jinxiang Sect, it was also the day of departure.

That morning, the sound of a pipa drifted from the Wind Lotus Cottage. As the melody concluded, Yunqi clapped his hands in praise, “The musical artistry of Jiangnan is truly remarkable.”

The piece Jiangnan Jing had chosen, ‘Wang Hui’s Farewell to the Master,’ was melodious and crisp, the strings delicate. At times, the low notes flowed like quiet sobs, as if mourning the coming separation; then the high notes burst with brightness, like laughter, as if rejoicing in the mastery of his craft.

Yunqi sighed, “It surpasses any other I’ve heard.”

Jiangnan, embarrassed, could not lift his head.

Yunqi continued, “This must be ‘Wang Hui’s Farewell to the Master.’ My mother was skilled with the pipa, though my father preferred the zither. Thus, she often paired the pipa with the se; however, I rarely heard her play the pipa.”

Jiangnan replied, “So both your parents are masters of music.”

Yunqi waved his hand, “Not masters, merely cultivating their spirits when idle.”

As if recalling something, he asked, “The piece you used when confronting Thin Daoist the other day—I’d never heard it before. It sounded fierce, like a raptor soaring through the sky. What was it?”

Jiangnan answered, “It was ‘The Saker Seizes the Swan,’ a song from the northern Yuan dynasty.”

Yunqi nodded; that explained it.

Jiangnan Jing looked at his pipa and said, “Actually, I also favor the zither. But the zither values intent over technique, making it much harder to cultivate. So, for daily use, I rely on the pipa for protection.”

Yunqi noticed the pipa’s sound board, yellow and lustrous, the color of apricot flesh and the texture of ivory, and asked, “What is it made of?”

“It’s ivory yellow rosewood, sourced from Qiongzhou Island. The wood is dense and tight, perfect for music, with beautiful grain, which is why it’s known as ‘music wood.’ Paulownia is similarly prized. Most renowned pipas and zithers are made from rosewood and paulownia.”

Yunqi nodded—he knew this as well.

“But I’ve heard that there is a famous zither in the world—not rosewood or paulownia—yet it ranks among the top ten. Do you know of it?”

Yunqi shook his head.

“It is said that in Sichuan, there is a famous zither-making family—the Lei family—renowned since the Sui and Tang dynasties. The zithers made by the Lei family are called Lei zithers, standing alone in their class.

The Lei family has produced many renowned masters; among the current top ten famous zithers, ‘Nine Heavens Jade Pendants,’ ‘The Great Sage’s Remnant Sound,’ ‘Flying Spring White Cascade,’ ‘Withered Wood Dragon’s Chant,’ and ‘Colorful Phoenix Singing in Qishan’ are all Lei zithers.

Most famous zithers are made from paulownia, but among the Lei clan, there was a master craftsman in the flourishing Tang era—Master Lei Wei, honored as ‘Lei Immortal.’

Lei Immortal crafted zithers without being bound by convention, full of creativity, hence his title. His creations are called ‘Immortal Pieces.’ Among the ten famous zithers, four have been confirmed as his work; others are rumored but unverified, so they’re not counted.

The aforementioned ‘Nine Heavens Jade Pendants,’ ‘The Great Sage’s Remnant Sound,’ and ‘Colorful Phoenix Singing in Qishan’ are immortal pieces. But beyond these three, among the ten famous zithers, there is another made by Lei Immortal, hailed as the rarest of the immortals.”

As he spoke, Jiangnan Jing seemed lost in reverie, narrating gently:

“It was during the flourishing Tang dynasty, when Lei Immortal was at the height of his fame. He had a bosom friend—a green dragon of the lineage. One winter, heavy snow sealed the mountains. Lei Immortal and the green dragon drank and sang in the forest. The dragon, being Lei Immortal’s close friend, was also a musical master. In their drunkenness, he requested Lei Immortal to craft a zither.

Lei Immortal gladly agreed. The two wandered through snowy pine forests, Lei Immortal carrying his axe. Whenever they found an oddly shaped pine, they paused to listen to the wind through its branches.

Eventually, they found an ancient pine whose wind sounded continuous and lingering, like crying and pleading. Lei Immortal felled it on the spot and crafted a zither.

The zither was in the Fuxi style, named ‘Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow.’”

Jiangnan Jing swayed his head, as if lost among snowy mountains and pine woods.

Yunqi’s heart was shaken!

It was ‘Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow’!

In the heart of Three Pure Mountains, within Green Pine Lake, that young green dragon possessed an ancient zither with four seal-script characters on its underside: ‘Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow’!

That young dragon could not possibly be Lei Immortal’s friend. How did it come to Three Pure Mountains? What was the connection between Lei Immortal’s companion and the young dragon of Green Pine Lake? Where was the companion now?

Yunqi was stirred within, but his face remained calm. He asked curiously, “With ‘Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow’ so unique, I would love to hear its immortal sound. When was it last played?”

Jiangnan Jing shook his head. “It has not appeared for a long time. But I heard that sixty years ago, there was a great battle in Sichuan, when the Daoists hunted a green dragon. I wonder if it was the owner of ‘Heavenly Wind, Pine Snow.’”

Yunqi was again shaken, but he only replied, “I see.”

After the music and a bit of idle talk, two sturdy servants from the Jiang family carried a wooden chest into the cottage.

The servants opened the chest.

Yunqi glanced at it and saw, instead of the expected spiral nails, a chest full of hollow arrow shafts, with blank talisman arrowheads—no restrictions on them!

Yunqi looked to Jiangnan Jing.

Jiangnan Jing was a bit nervous. “You may not know, but my family deals in talisman arrows. The small spiral nails you wanted are used only for making talisman arrows and have little other purpose, so we guessed your intentions. Don’t worry, though our business is modest, offering these is insignificant—not a precious gift, just hope you won’t mind.”

Yunqi exhaled through his nose, at a loss for words. How extravagant the Jinxiang Sect was! Was it the gold of the Five Elements or simply wealth?

He had gone to such lengths to dismantle Thin Daoist’s talisman arrows, even counted on Autumn Water, prepared everything but the nails—only for them to provide all he needed.

It was like preparing a grand feast but missing the salt, borrowing some, and the host brings an entire table of dishes instead—an odd feeling indeed.

Yunqi bowed in thanks, then used his magic to pull the chest toward him. As it neared the stone on his wrist, it suddenly vanished, as if falling into another space.

“I have troubled you much these days. Now, I must take my leave,” Yunqi said to Jiangnan Jing.

Jiangnan Jing nodded and led Yunqi outside.

At the dock on Ming Guang Hall Lake, Jiang Yanxing, Jiang Yuexing and his wife, and the Daoist Xianjing were all waiting.

Yunqi bowed farewell to each, summoning the ‘Dragon Car.’

Jiang Yanxing stepped forward to present an object—a jade slip.

“Since you insist not to let us see you off, please accept this. It is a map of the Poyang Lake region, marking boundaries of sects and noble families, as well as secret places and dangers. As a disciple of Three Pure Mountains, you need not fear sects or clans, but some places are perilous. Please, take care.”

Yunqi accepted it, feeling that Jinxiang Sect’s standing on Poyang Lake was well-deserved.

He stowed the jade slip, bade farewell, and boarded the ‘Dragon Car,’ riding the clouds southward. Originally bound west for the Southern Wilderness, he now returned south before heading west.

Poyang Lake was vast beyond measure. On his arrival, an adept had carried him on the wind, but now he traveled alone, winding through many turns, taking four or five hours.

Returning to the place where Jiangnan Jing had met Thin Daoist, he found the area deserted, put away his cloud ride, and dove headlong into the lake.