Chapter 1291 Zither Goddess' Return
"Master Zou, regarding the recruitment, have you decided on your next disciple yet?" A group of adults sat before Master Zou, who was renowned as a top zither expert in the Lower Heavens and also the previous owner of the Soul Ensnaring Zither.
"Not yet. There are so many promising applicants, and I only have one slot left, so I am having a difficult time choosing." Master Zou said as he calmly brushed his long, white beard.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and a veiled figure nobody there recognized walked inside.
"Who dares interrupt—"
An awe-inspiring and unparalleled presence enveloped the room, leaving everyone in a state of paralyzing awe and fear.
While the room was filled with silence, the veiled figure walked to the center of the group and asked them in a cold voice, "Which of you is surnamed 'Zou'?"
"T-That would be me… Dare I ask your identity, senior? And why are you looking for me?" Master Zou raised his hands which were still trembling in fear.
The veiled figure then spoke, "The Soul Ensnaring Zither that I had left in your ancestor's hands for safekeeping — why did you give it away?"
"The Soul Ensnaring Zither?! Impossible! You can't be the Zither Goddess!" Master Zou exclaimed in utter shock as this realization dawned upon him.
The veiled figure suddenly retrieved a thin-bladed sword and pointed it at Master Zou's throat, yet nobody in the room dared to move a finger, their bodies still frozen in fear.
"Answer my question!" she demanded.
"The Soul Ensnaring Zither has been with my family for over 25,000 years, collecting dust all the while because nobody could play it," Master Zou explained, and he continued, "I was never informed of its purpose, entrusted to us for safekeeping. Thus, I believed that if anyone possessed the ability to play it, they should rightfully inherit it."
After a moment of silence, the veiled figure asked, "The person who inherited it… This 'Yuan'. Where can I find him?"
"I'm sorry, but I do not know. However, I know someone who may be able to answer your question, Zither Goddess."
"Fei Yuyan. She's a disciple from the Dragon Essence Temple. She was with Yuan, and they seemed quite close with each other."
"..."
After another moment of silence, the veiled figure spoke, "Given your familial ties to my dear friend, I shall not chastise you for parting with my cherished zither."
"T-Thank you, Zither Goddess!"
"Stop it."
"Excuse me?"
"That nickname. I never liked it."
"Then how shall I address you, Senior?"
"By my name, Tan Songyun."
After saying those words, Tan Songyun lowered her sword and walked out of the room before disappearing like a ghost.
"That was the Zither Goddess? She's quite different from what I've heard..." one of them whispered, his voice filled with bewilderment, long after her departure.
"Right? I always thought she was a benevolent goddess," said another.
"That was probably the Zither Goddess from 25,000 years ago. People can change a lot in a year, much less thousands of years," another sighed.
Meanwhile, at the Dragon Essence Temple.
"Amazing! Fairy Fei, you've improved once again!"
"I love you, Disciple Fei!"
After her performance ended, her audience at the Dragon Pavilion cheered like there was no tomorrow.
Fei Yuyan gave an elegant bow and said, "Thank you all. This will be all for me today."
"See you next month, Fairy Fei!"
"I'll be waiting for you!"
Fei Yuyan left the Dragon Pavilion shortly after and made her way back home.
'It's almost been a year since he left… What is he doing now? Where is he?' Fei Yuyan pondered about Yuan as she walked home.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when a veiled figure descended from the sky and landed right in front of her.
"What?!" Fei Yuyan jumped back after being startled.
"Are you Fei Yuyan?" Tan Songyun asked her without even giving her a chance to recover.
When she arrived at the sect, the first thing that caught her attention was Fei Yuyan's zither performance, and after hearing the other disciples address Fei Yuyan's surname through divine sense, she decided to approach Fei Yuyan.
"Y-Yes… I am… but who are you?" Fei Yuyan asked.
"Then are you familiar with 'Yuan'?"
"Yuan…?" Fei Yuyan was taken aback to hear his name just as she had been thinking about him. If this wasn't fate, what else could it be?
"I'm sorry, but you won't be able to find him here." Fei Yuyan said a moment later.
"Where can I find him?"
"I don't know," Fei Yuyan shook her head.
Once again, Tan Songyun retrieved her sword and pointed it at Fei Yuyan. "If you value your hands, I'd suggest you tell me the truth."
"?!?!"Fei Yuyan was dumbfounded, as she didn't expect her to get so aggressive so suddenly.
"W-Why are you looking for him?"
"He has something that belongs to me."
"Sorry, but I really don't know. He left for the Second Heaven almost a year ago." Fei Yuyan had no problem telling her the truth, as there was no way this mysterious woman could find Yuan with such a clue, and it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Tan Songyun gritted her teeth in frustration after hearing this news.
'Second Heaven? How troublesome!' she cursed inwardly.
"Tell me everything you know about this Yuan."
"And what will you do when you find him?" Fei Yuyan asked.
"That's none of your business."
Fei Yuyan gritted her teeth and uttered, "Then I won't help you."
"You don't care about your hands? Without them, you'll never be able to play the zither again." Tan Songyun swung her sword so quickly that Fei Yuyan couldn't even see her movements, and the tiles around her suddenly had several sword cuts on them.
However, despite the fear on her face, Fei Yuyan remained resolute, "You can take my life for all I care! I won't help you find Yuan if you're going to hurt him!"
"..." Tan Songyun fell silent, leaving Fei Yuyan to wonder about her expression hidden behind the veils.
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