Chapter 30: The Guqin Devil and The Art Saint
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Futian was living in the guest room at Hua Fengliu’s house. His days consisted of playing the guqin, practicing his inscribing, and enjoying the company of a beautiful girl. With this comfortable life, time flew and the new year was fast approaching.
One day, a giant monster flew into Guqingzhou Academy, a huge black condor. Even though the guards of the academy had tried to stop her, she flapped her wings so vigorously that the wind prevented anyone from approaching her.
There were several people mounted on the condor. The leaders of this group were an old man and a young man.
“That way.” The older man pointed toward the academy. The huge black condor flew as directed, and on the way, the Director of the Hall of Earth Element, Shi Zhong, showed up, trying to stop this monster. “Stop, right now!”
However, the condor just ignored the warning, and so did the people on top of her. The wind from her wings was so intense that the fierce power knocked Shi Zhong yards away in a second. The people on her back didn’t seem to be affected by his interruption.
The condor was heading to Hua Fengliu’s house. The gentleman in white came out of his house and walked to the black condor without making much noise.
“Hua Fengliu,” the old man started speaking with a sneer. “It’s been three years since our deal. Where is Ms. Hua Jieyu?”
“It has not been three years yet. You promised me that you would not interfere with her,” Hua Fengliu responded coldly.
“The new year is coming in a few days, so it has, in fact, practically been three years. She’s too talented to waste so much time with you. This is just enough for our deal,” The old man said.
“Time is time, I insist it has not been three years yet.” Hua Fengliu did not give in.
“Mr. Hua, the Guqin Devil, I am Zhou Mu” the young man who bowed slightly to Hua Fengliu and greeted him. It was just general courtesy. In reality, the smile on his face showed that he was too young to be genuinely humble and had a faint sense of disdain.
Hua Fengliu glanced at him and asked, “Who are you?”
“My master, the Art Saint, has been feeling somewhat guilty over the years since he destroyed your natal spirit. He sent me here to see if you were doing well,” Zhou Mu smiled as he spoke. Hua Fengliu’s eyes soon turned sharply to this young man, but he was not going to attribute this humiliation to Zhou Mu. He turned to the older man and asked, “Why did you bring his disciple to my home?”
“I did not bring him here. The Art Saint actually sent him. Zhou Mu, sixteen years old, a Glory Plane invoker,” the old man told Hua Fengliu.
Suddenly, Hua Fengliu understood what the Art Saint was trying to do. He started laughing so hard that his hair flew around him, then he said, “He lost to me in the past, and he wants his disciple to win in the present? Is that correct?”
“My master destroyed your natal spirit and banned you from entering the City of Donghai forever. How did he lose?” Zhou Mu rejected.
“A win or loss is not judged by you, young man Hua Fengliu said with a smile. “Just go back, I do not have time for this.”
“Then I will come back for Hua Jieyu after the new year. If you try to stop me at that time, my family will not make it easy for you,” the old man sneered, and suddenly the black condor swayed upwards and flew away. Hua Fengliu looked at the shrinking image of that black spot and laughed, “You already lost in the past, and now you’re putting your hope onto your disciple? That’s not going to work,”
…
In the guest room, Ye Futian had finished a song. He opened his eyes, but the feelings from that song were not gone. Mr. Hua had not taught him any songs other than the Purification of the Night Moon. Ye Futian’s activities these days were just cultivation and music practice. In fact, his Plane of Martial Arts had reached Metamorph, the eighth plane. His Plane of Sorcery had broken through two planes directly, and now he was in the ninth Plane of Awakening, the Unmaker. Ye Futian understood that the Purification of the Night Moon played an essential role in this fast improvement.
At this time, Hua Jieyu was inscribing. Ye Futian went to her side and asked her gently, “Fox, do you want me to keep playing?”
“No.” Hua Jieyu did not even look at him.
“Then I guess it’s time for us to have a couple’s talk.” Ye Futian kept teasing her. Hua Jieyu put down the pen and started smiling at Ye Futian. However, the Spiritual Qi around her gathered, almost like she was going to attack. Ye Futian stepped away and said, “Gentlemen fight with words rather than actions.”
“I am a gentlewoman, thank you.” Hua Jieyu condensed the power into a wind-element spell and sent it toward Ye Futian.
“Don’t kill your boyfriend!” Ye Futian ran away quickly. Hua Jieyu was already a mage in the Glory Plane. There was no chance he could take that damage.
Hua Fengliu came in from outside and saw the scene. “Jieyu, stop it.”
Hua Jieyu stopped according to his demand. She glared at Ye Futian and complained, “Dad, this guy keeps picking on me every day.”
Hua Fengliu ignored the complaint and asked them to come with him. “Just follow me.” Ye Futian understood that there was something serious going on for Mr. Hua, and he stopped his joking attitude at once. Hua Jieyu and Ye Futian followed Mr. Hua to a room. Hua Fengliu led them to his own book collection room.
There were shelves in his book collection room and a chamber that was concealed in the wall behind them. Ye Futian was surprised when Mr. Hua opened the chamber and took out something that seemed to be very important.
There were some books in the hidden chamber. Hua Fengliu took them out and handed them to Ye Futian. “Futian, they are all yours now.”
Ye Futian knew that these books were the true treasures. He took the books and read the names on them: Dragon Roar in the Mountain, The Fiend’s Carnival, The Dance in Flamboyant Feathers… These books were actually guqin music sheets.
“Professor, these are all music spells, am I right?” Ye Futian asked.
“Okay, so you do know what they are. I used to be good at this specific kind of spell and, in fact, when I was young, people gave me the title of the Guqin Devil because my natal spirit was a guqin. Someone destroyed my natal spirit and totally prevented me from making any progress on my cultivation since then. Now, it’s your turn to take over,” Hua Fengliu said and sighed. Ye Futian was surprised. He had already known that the professor was a Mandate Sorcerer, but he never knew that his natal spirit had been destroyed.
“Don’t ask me why, or try to avenge me. I just hope you cultivate hard enough to not to waste all the talents you have been granted.” Hua Fengliu looked him in the eye and kept talking, “This city is too small for you in the long term. Next year I believe you will reach the Glory Plane. Do you want to sail through the East Sea and go inland?”
“My godfather asked me to leave here after I turn eighteen, but I still need to consult with my father and my godfather about this,” Ye Futian responded.
“The new year is coming soon. You should get home. I’ll tell Yu Sheng to go home when he gets back,” Hua Fengliu told him.
Ye Futian nodded a little reluctantly. He looked at Hua Jieyu and said, “Fox, take care of your father after I’m gone.”
Hua Jieyu, however, felt angry. In fact, during the whole time this boy was living at their house she had done all the household work. Now he was just telling her to “take care”?
“Oh my, you’re finally leaving.” Hua Jieyu seemed excited.
“Hey, what’s with the attitude?” Ye Futian felt heart-broken.
“What do you think?” Hua Jieyu laughed at him.
“I’m leaving now,” Ye Futian told her.
“Okay.” Hua Jieyu smiled.
Ye Futian walked to the door and looked back at her. “Seriously, I’m leaving.”
“Just go.” She was still smiling.
Ye Futian sighed and waved to Mr. Hua. “See you next year, Professor.”
Then he left for home.
After he left, the room became quiet suddenly.
Hua Fengliu shook his head with a wry smile and said, “He made this place so lively, and now that he’s gone, this silence almost feels unfamiliar.”
“You’re too into this boy, dad,” Hua Jieyu joked to her dad.
“Then what about you?” Hua Fengliu smiled at his daughter.
“Me?” Hua Jieyu blinked her eyes and said, “I’m happy that he left.”
“The three years is up. Someone already came here from the City of Donghai to inform me. Actually, you might also have to leave after the new year.” Hua Fengliu turned his eyes to the snow outside. He felt lost.
Hua Jieyu was shocked. She was reluctant to leave her father. She looked at the lonely figure of her father and said, “I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here with you, dad.”
“Silly girl, your mom is also missing you. Your family is not going to let you stay with me anymore. I am happy to have enjoyed your company over these three years.” He patted his daughter on the head and kept speaking gently, “You may never see Ye Futian again. Moments ago may have actually been the final farewell for you guys, and you were just making fun of him.”
Hua Jieyu was tremendously shocked. Several minutes ago the boy had left, and they were joking with each other. Now, it was their farewell?
“Jieyu, tell me, do you like this boy?” Hua Fengliu suddenly asked her.
“What are you talking about, dad?” Hua Jieyu was surprised again. She looked at her father, and it seemed that she was shy about answering this question, “That’s just impossible.”
“Really?” Hua Fengliu smiled at his daughter, “You’re turning sixteen this year. You do have the right to decide your future, including whom to be with. You have not experienced much, so you don’t understand that there are things and people in this world that once you miss, you miss them forever. I do like that boy. He’s smart and talented. It seems to me that he’s not going to waste his talents. More importantly, he looks like a playboy, but he is truly devoted to love. I’m pretty sure he is the same as I was at his age. Make your own decisions. Don’t miss someone you really love forever. Think about my words these days. Remember, life is short. Do not have any regrets.”
Hua Jieyu was dumbfounded by what her father had just said. She hadn’t realized that she might miss someone forever!
“The boy has been spending so much of his time with you, and you just take it for granted. But if you disappear from each others’ lives, another beautiful girl will appear in his. You are not a couple yet, so do not just think that you are the only one for him in this world.” Hua Fengliu smiled and left his daughter alone. Hua Jieyu started to think about this seriously for the first time. The feeling was intense, but the concept of love seemed to be pretty faint and unfamiliar to her.
She always felt annoyed when Ye Futian was around in the house. However, when he was suddenly gone, she actually felt as if something was lost and even needed time to adapt. Her father had told her that she could miss someone forever, and thinking about this indeed gave her a sense of fear. Fear of the thought that she had just lost something precious.