20demayo Chapter 319 The Soul of Shu
Chapter 319 The Soul of Shu
It was clearly an illusion, yet the heart-wrenching screams pierced my eardrums with uncanny realism.
Nianyao forgot where she was, and with a jolt of fright, she fell from the tree and lay on the ground, unable to move for a long time.
It turns out that Xu Sheng wasn't mad; there really was a woman imprisoned at the bottom of the sea in chains.
Was the Azure Dragon of the East originally a real dragon? It was just skinned and had its tendons pulled out, transforming it into dominoes, and the ropes used to hang the dominoes were dragon tendons.
The rope that Luo An tied to his sword could stretch and contract freely and was impervious to swords and spears. Could it not be silkworm silk at all, but dragon tendon?
Who can imprison a person at the bottom of the sea? Who can pull out a dragon's tendons?
Why are bronze mirrors and dominoes related to the tomb of the first emperor of Nanyue?
After she struck the bronze mirror with her sword, she was knocked down by a tremendous impact. Where did that force come from?
And what about sea snails? Why can they move as freely in the water as fish?
……
A series of questions bombarded her mind, making Nianyao's head feel like it was about to explode, and she let out a painful groan.
"Are you hurt?" a voice suddenly rang out, and then someone helped her sit up.
It took Nianyao a while to see clearly the face in front of her that resembled Luo An's. She stammered, "Your...Your Majesty."
The house on Xuanzhi Mountain has an ordinary exterior, but the interior is simply and elegantly furnished. Facing the door is a wooden screen, with semi-transparent paper windows on both sides, letting in soft light.
A guqin (a seven-stringed zither) sits in front of the screen, and a sprig of white magnolia is placed in a porcelain vase with dragon patterns in the upper left corner of the zither table, filling the whole room with a faint fragrance.
The body of the zither is entirely black, with an azalea carved on the headstock. A cuckoo perches on the azalea branch, and the words "Shu Soul" are carved on the upper right corner of the headstock.
Xu Nuo stood beside her and said, "This is... a zither made by Master Luo himself. The body is made of catalpa wood, the frets are decorated with mother-of-pearl, and the tuning pegs are made of jade. It is very well made."
Master Luo? Luo An's father?
Nianyao gently stroked the surface of the zither with her hand; not a speck of dust was on her fingertips, indicating that someone had cleaned it every day: "Your Majesty is very thoughtful."
Xu Nuo casually plucked the strings twice, and the sound was as clear and melodious as the water falling in an autumn pool.
Although Nianyao didn't know anything about the zither, she thought it sounded beautiful: "Does Your Majesty have a deep understanding of the zither?"
Xu Nuo said, "Playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting are fundamental skills that one must master. Being a monarch is also very arduous."
Nianyao didn't know any of these basic skills. Hearing this, she sighed, "It seems we wanderers of the martial world are truly free. Hmm, this handwriting looks familiar?"
A poem was inscribed on the screen: "A single oar travels thirty thousand miles, how can one escape the deepest depths? Watermarks hold the intent of rain, rock shadows carry the gloom of autumn. I am ashamed to possess the bones of an immortal, yet unable to cultivate the heart of the Dao. Later generations have made a grave mistake, failing to seek it in the sea."
Xu Nuo said, "These are the characters from Luo Laozhuang. Before my sister left, she moved all the things she used and left behind here."
To the left of the room was a desk, complete with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Beside the desk was a bookshelf with several books scattered about. Besides medical books, there was a copy of the "Chongxu True Scripture."
Nianyao picked it up and flipped through it casually: "I really admire you guys, you can read all kinds of books. When I was little, my dad made me read the Three Hundred Poems, but I couldn't get through it."
Later, Uncle Liu taught me to memorize the *Tao Te Ching*, saying that after memorizing it, I would become a moral child and grow up to be a noble adult.
The elders really went to great lengths to get her to study.
Nianyao shook her head: "I told Uncle Liu that I don't want to be a moral person, I just want to be myself."
My childhood feels like it was just yesterday, though it seems like so long ago. Those who are no longer here remain so vivid in my memory.
Seeing that Nianyao seemed a little sad, Xu Nuo changed the subject: "It's fine as long as you're yourself. What were you doing climbing the tree?"
Nianyao put down the book, picked up the inkstone, and replied, "I've loved climbing trees since I was little. I always climbed to the top and looked into the distance, and I almost fell down a few times. My dad was very helpless and always said that I was so mischievous that he didn't know who I took after."
Xu Nuo wondered: Did Nian Yao climb the tree simply because she liked climbing trees?
Nianyao put down the inkstone and looked at Xu Nuo: "Your Majesty, this tree is very tall and big, perfect for climbing. The view from the top is also beautiful, offering a panoramic view of the entire Qinzhou. You can go up and take a look when you have time."
Only Nianyao could suggest that the ruler of a country climb a tree.
Xu Nuo was both amused and exasperated: "It's better to be more careful. Luckily, nothing happened just now. It would have been bad if you had broken your arm or leg."
Nianyao replied decisively, "No, Mother will protect me."
Xu Nuo seized the opportunity to continue, "You call her 'Mother,' and your brother 'Your Majesty'?"
You brought it up once before, why are you bringing it up again? Are you really that fixated on a particular form of address?
Perhaps because Xu Nuo seemed too gentle, and since there was no one else around, Nian Yao spoke the truth: "I dare not. Luo An hasn't called out yet, so I dare not call out first."
Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow: "Are you afraid of him?"
Nianyao instinctively wanted to deny it, after all, she always boasted that she was fearless, but she changed her mind before she could finish her sentence: "I am... yes, I am afraid of him."
Xu Nuo never expected her to admit it so readily, and couldn't help but chuckle: "It's rare that you have someone you're afraid of, that's good."
Nianyao didn't understand: "Your Majesty, what's so good about it?"
She promised, "It is good to obey one's father at home and one's husband after marriage."
Nianyao suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and replied insincerely, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."
Seeing that her response was rather perfunctory, Xu Nuo shook his head: "You're just lucky. Let's go, I'll take you down the mountain."
Good fortune? How come she can't see that she's lucky!
After the two left, Nianyao looked back and saw two words on the lintel: Zigui!
He's a cultured person after all; even the room name is written in such a profound way that it's completely incomprehensible to others.
The two walked down the mountain together. Nianyao asked, "Your Majesty, Xu Sheng said that Mother left something for Luo An. What was it?"
Xu Nuo said, "Isn't everything in the room part of it?"
Last time, Xu Sheng said Xu Nuo didn't know what she left behind? Now she's saying everything in the room is there. Is Xu Nuo just giving Xu Sheng the runaround, or is she just giving her the runaround?
Nianyao asked again, "Why do you trust Xu Sheng so much?"
Xu Nuo replied, "Personally, he is the child that my elder sister has publicly acknowledged. Publicly, he is a highly talented disciple of Guigu. Shouldn't I trust him?"
Nianyao said, "It's not that I shouldn't, it's just... you don't care what he does?"
Xu Nuo said, "A general in the field may disobey orders. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Besides, if you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them."
"That's because they don't want to get involved!" Nianyao persisted, "Your Majesty, will you negotiate peace with Dongyang?"
Xu Nuo stopped in her tracks: "You want us to make peace?"
Nianyao said with a righteous expression: "The success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers. Victory and defeat are just two words, but behind them are the white bones of countless soldiers and the blood and tears of countless parents, wives and children."
Xu Nuo nodded in agreement, but her tone was somewhat heavy: "You're right. We, my sister and I, were once soldiers too. We once had parents, and we also had our own blood and tears."