Faraway Wanderers - V1C7
Chapter 7
The Zither and the Flute
The zither's sound was hauntingly delicate, like a spider web stretching out in every direction, woven with dangerous, treacherous intent.
Gu Xiang also felt her insides churn at the sound, but she quickly evaluated the situation and immediately forced herself to calm down.
Wen Kexing, who had been sleeping on the bed moments earlier, was now awake, standing silently by the window. The moonlight cast a gentle glow over his face, softening his features. His eyes remained unblinking as he gazed intently into the darkness.
His shadow lengthened behind him as he stood still, with his face shifting between a blank stare and a faint smile, giving the impression of a distant yet intriguing stone statue. Under the darkness of night, his dangerous presence was unleashed fully and without limits.
He appeared ghostly, devoid of any human emotions.
Gu Xiang quickly covered her ears the moment she sensed something unusual, making every effort to block out the outside noise. She sat upright and, after minutes of meditation, finally overcame her nausea.
Wen Kexing’s slender fingers traced the window bars as he let out a soft laugh, saying, “They even recruited ‘Enchanted Song’ Qin Song… this will surely be expensive. It makes you wonder who they’re really after.”
In an instant, he caught the sound of something rushing through the air — thick and faint, reminiscent of old, unused instrument strings. Nearby, another person was hurling tiny rocks into the infinite night sky. The flying objects made barely any sound, but those elusive rocks subtly interrupted the endless zither’s melody—much like tossing a stone into water, immediately creating ripples that spread beyond sight and reach.
As expected, the song came to a stop.
Wen Kexing leaned against the window, listening carefully with his eyes closed. A slight smile formed at the corner of his lips.
The zither suddenly echoed again, its powerful melody rivaling the roar of floods and the growl of giant beasts. It appeared the user had activated a deadly move. Almost simultaneously, a deafening noise erupted from the next room. It sounded like a flute, but flutes usually don't produce such sharp sounds—so sharp that they seemed capable of tearing something apart.
A fierce clash erupted between the powerful flute and the demonic zither, both reacting with incredible reflexes.
The zither strings break in an instant.
The world fell silent afterwards.
Wen Kexing remained in his place, shaking his head and murmuring, “Our ancestors were never mistaken; it’s natural for a swordsman to fall by his weapon.”
Gu Xiang exhaled after it was all over, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. “Say, Master, is that Qin... Qin something dead?”
Wen Kexing whispered, “Even if he’s alive, his meridians are broken; he’s useless now. Death might be a better option for him.”
He suddenly pushed the window open and spoke to Gu Xiang in an even softer voice, as if deliberately not wanting to disturb anything. “Listen, Ah-Xiang, life is always full of fascination. If you desire something, you must be ready to pay its price. Killing with a zither can be entertaining, but you need to be cautious of those who can strike back.”
Gu Xiang tilted her head and asked, “When will they fight back?”
Wen Kexing remained patient. “When they’re more powerful than you.”
The girl nodded and, after thinking it over, asked, "Why compete with someone stronger when you can simply pick on weaker ones?"
He turned his head to look at her. Bathed in moonlight, the man’s entire body shone with a silver glow, making his expressions increasingly difficult to interpret. After a moment, he responded, “Or you can choose to target no one and be a good person like me.”
Wen “Good Person” Kexing then exited through the window, leaving Gu Xiang speechless and staring after him.
Zhou Zishu’s situation wasn't ideal either. He crafted this flute out of boredom during his journey, but poor workmanship left the notes off and the tuning inconsistent, so he never intended to use it. He didn’t expect it to help tonight. After just one use, a large crack appeared; fortunately, he managed to provoke his opponent into exhausting themselves, enabling him to land the decisive blow. Without that, the outcome could have been very different.
Zhang Chengling looked as if he had just been pulled from the water. Despite Zhou Zishu covering his ears because the boy wasn’t strong enough, the zither’s sounds still caused him internal injuries. His face was as pale as paper after vomiting.
Zhou Zishu was concerned about his own youth and weakness for meditation, so he placed his palms on the younger’s back and lowered his voice, saying, "Concentrate.” Then he used his inner strength to help the boy, and only retreated after seeing the boy's face improve. His own body was soaked in sweat.
He thought it was fortunate they were near Tai Hu, or he would have felt extremely humiliated for nearly failing the mission he had promised to complete. Since he had rarely done any good deeds in his life, he couldn’t afford to fail this first one; otherwise, it might bring bad luck.
In jianghu, almost no one had as much information as him — Tian Chuang’s former leader. He immediately recognized who the opponent was at first sight.
According to legends, 'Enchanted Song” Qin Song was a eunuch who enjoyed dressing as a woman. His vibrant clothing signaled his dangerous nature. Because he could kill without leaving any evidence, he was highly valued. He believed that the more he was paid, the more loyal he would be to the benefactor.
Since silence had fallen, Zhou Zishu suspected he was either dead or close to dying. If he had been as strong as before, he would have killed him, but now only half his life remained, casting doubt on success. Additionally, that might be too harsh.
He then heard applause outside and someone praising, “How moving this nighttime melody is—how could anyone not miss their hometown after hearing it? Brother Zhou has beautifully blended the sounds of flute and zither under the moon and stars tonight; this talent and elegance must belong to a true beauty.”
He had never encountered anyone talking such a lot of nonsense.
Zhou Zishu suddenly realized he hadn’t noticed the other person outside the window at all; someone so unpredictable would be difficult to manage even in the best of circumstances. He could only think of three and a half people with such influence, and offending any of them would be a risky move.
He took a deep breath and opened the window, then pointed at his sickly face with its deadly pale skin and dull eyes. “This beauty?” he asked sarcastically.
Wen Kexing hesitated, looking at a face that wasn't especially attractive but not so unattractive as to be overlooked. He then turned his eyes to the moon.
Zhou Zishu sat on the windowsill with his legs raised, watching the others' gaze. “The full moon shone brightly tonight; its cold, water-like moonlight made the ground seem shrouded in mist.”
Zhou Zishu wondered if Wen Kexing was among the three and a half dangerous individuals; at the same time, he was unsure why the man was following him. His confusion only deepened the more he pondered.
He sensed a distinct aura from this man, hinting they might share similar characteristics; the other wouldn't act unless it benefited him. He was following another person—or more precisely, Zhang Chengling heading to Tai Hu—indicating an underlying plan. After numerous thoughts that led nowhere, he scoffed at himself—old habits are hard to break.
He looked down at Wen Kexing, who was studying him with eagerness, and smiled, "If Brother Wen is really curious, why not make me shed my skin to see the flesh inside?”
Wen Kexing raised his eyebrows. “Fine by me.”
His hands moved to Zhou Zishu’s face almost immediately after he said “fine,” but Zhou Zishu was ready, leaning back and raising one leg to kick Wen Kexing’s wrists.
Within seconds, so many moves were exchanged back and forth that it would leave any onlookers dizzy.
Zhou Zishu felt restricted by his position on the window sill, which limited his movements. He ducked to avoid an attack and jumped down. However, the night was against him, and on top of his earlier torment, a nail caused sharp pain, slowing him down.
Wen Kexing’s palm was near his torso unexpectedly, but the man suddenly paused just before the strike with his strength.
Zhou Zishu glanced down at the palm nearly touching his chest, maintaining his calm expression. He smiled and said, “Thank you, Brother Wen, for your mercy.”
He was interrupted when a palm reached up to touch his face. Wen Kexing continued to gently caress it, as if trying to verify if it was truly human skin.
Zhou Zishu didn’t have a chance to step back before Gu Xiang, hearing the noises, looked down from the window and quickly pulled her head back inside, exclaiming, “Oh my, how rude of me!”
Wen Kexing was standing very close to him with a serious expression. The seriousness was softened under the moonlight, making it seem somewhat rude.
Gu Xiang casually exclaimed, “Oh man, I’m going blind, I’m going blind…”
Zhou Zishu quickly coughed, took a long step back, and tried to calm himself. He felt both amused and embarrassed by the situation. “Has Brother Wen seen what my face looks like yet?”
“Human skin," Wen Kexing replied after some thought.
Zhou Zishu appeared to agree instantly without hesitation.
Wen Kexing looked at his hands. "Strange... It feels as if it has become one with your body.”
Zhou Zishu responded calmly, “It’s a shame to say this, but I was actually born with it.”
If another person, aside from Gu Xiang, were watching, they would definitely think that one of these two men is a lunatic.
Wen Kexing felt somewhat overwhelmed as he looked at Zhou Zishu one last time before leaving, not to his room but to an outdoor spot. Gu Xiang poked her head out again, rolled her eyes with a grin, and said, "Huh, Master probably can't accept reality right now. I bet he’s planning to visit his pretty friend at Gou Lan Bordello. It’s a good thing he’s gone; everyone can now prepare to sleep."
Although they were quite far from Wen Kexing, his voice still reached Gu Xiang directly and clearly through the air, without him having to look back.
He asked, “What did you just say, Ah-Xiang?”
Gu Xiang admitted, “Just a fart!"
Then she quickly re-entered, as if intending to keep the reply to herself.
Only then did Zhou Zishu breathe out, relaxing his body. He clenched his teeth and leaned against the wall silently.
His pain came in waves and phases, which was fortunate. He waited until he felt slightly better before gathering himself and going back inside.
Tonight felt longer than usual.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
Three days later, Zhou Zishu and a noticeably thinner Zhang Chengling after just a few days arrived at Tai Hu.He knocked on the door, but before he could explain anything, the butler looked at Zhang Chengling and exclaimed, “Are you… are you Chengling? Are you really Chengling?”
Then he turned his head to shout at the servants, “Go tell Sir quickly, Young Master Chengling is here! Young Master Chengling is still alive!”
Shortly thereafter, Sir Zhao Jing of Tai Hu personally came to the door to welcome them. Zhang Chengling dropped to his knees, indicating that the news had spread widely. They wept together for a moment before being ceremoniously escorted inside.
Finally, Zhou Zishu mused that his ancestors would no longer be haunted — being a good person really was exhausting.
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