Times Have Changed [MDZS]

Chapter 10: Suspicious Woman

A few notes were all it took for Wei Wuxian to completely snatch the control from the Yin Metal. As he continued to play, the puppets also heeded his commands and started to move accordingly.

Wen Rouhan was a great cultivator, his cultivation high. However, in terms of dark arts, he could never compare to Wei Wuxian. The army of puppets that he had sent had not even passed the border before they turned limped and halted.

Wei Wuxian was having a headache. It would be hard to hide such legion of corpse puppets. In the end, he couldn't bear to dirty the waters or forests of Gusu. He played a tune and ordered these puppets to dig their own grave.

Needing to catch his breath, Wei Wuxian decided to find a place to rest. His feet had brought him towards the waterfalls in the nearby forest. Wei Wuxian unfastened Wei Yuan from his back, hugged the child near his bosom, and sat while leaning against a large stone beside the basin of the falls. The black dog snuggled against his side while Wei Wuxian had no energy to berate him.

Wei Wuxian looked up at the clear night sky. He couldn't help but wonder how the moon was especially bright tonight. Its light, together with the music of the falling water had relatively cleared his mind which was disturbed by his earlier contact with resentful energy. This was a rare occasion that he felt peaceful. He knew that this sounded absurd since he had just cleared a troupe of corpse puppets. Perhaps it was the wind blowing in Gusu. It would be more wonderful if his rest was accompanied by Cleansing music. Time he would voluntarily ask Lan Wangji to play for him.

Wei Wuxian was almost in a meditative state when he suddenly blinked in alarm. He heard soft crunches of dried leaves being stepped upon. Someone was approaching. But the footsteps were light and sure. The person themselves was not emitting even a little killing intent.

Wei Wuxian held his black dizi tightly as he pressed his back against the rock that perfectly hid them. Since the person had no killing intent, he could talk with them peacefully. But it would be better if the person had not noticed them as he was not in the mood to entertain strangers. He decided to observe first.

Wei Wuxian raised an elegant eyebrow as he heard some rustling of fabric from the other side. What was the person doing? Could it be that they were also here to rest? Wei Wuxian tilted his head as he tried to listen more attentively. He was so focused that when the sound of zither suddenly scattered in the air, it had greatly startled him to the point that he almost revealed himself.

Guqin in Gusu? And dared to play in this isolated place in the middle of the night? Could it be?

As the ominous feeling filled Wei Wuxian's heart, the person also continued to fill his ear with their zither music. The sound of the zither flowed through the wind. It was definitely not loud but had the power to travel even to thousand miles away. It was both demanding and solemn, like a song full of queries and worries.

When the last note sounded, Wei Wuxian's heart was already unexplainably trembling. He had this urge to see the person who had the leisure time to play zither at such place and time. He had a hunch but was afraid to be disappointed. However, he was more afraid to face the person had his hunch end up as true. In the end, his worries won over his urge and curiosity. Wei Wuxian had stopped himself from standing and seeing who the person was at the last minute.

Simultaneously, he heard that a single note of zither echoed through the night once again. It was low and heavy to the heart. Even Wei Wuxian didn't know why he became dispirited after hearing that single note. What was that last note for? It didn't seem like a part of the piece at all.

There's a rustle of fabric from the other side. The person was going to leave? Should he stood to see or not? Wei Wuxian waited for the leaving footsteps but there was none. This had successfully tempted him to sneak a look. Wei Wuxian carefully took a peek. His eyes widened in surprise as it landed on the top of the huge rock they were hiding behind. His Clarity Bell that he had given to Lan Wangji in the foot of Mount Yiling was there, lying desolately!