Chapter 40

In the water pavilion, a wisp of smoke spiraled from the gilded censer, weaving the subtle scent of aloeswood into the clarity of the forest air lingering in Jiang Wan’s melody, crafting a hazy spring scene. The moment her fingertips left the strings, the entire hall fell into a silence as profound as an empty valley. The only sound was the occasional cry of an oriole in the distance, which only served to make the silence feel all the more deafening. "This... how is this possible?" Liu Ruyan’s fan clattered to the floor, exposing the flustered expression she had been hiding behind it. She stared at the guqin before Jiang Wan as if it were a ravenous beast. That performance of *Fisherman and Woodcutter's Dialogue* had stirred even in her—a woman who knew nothing of the qin—a sudden, longing desire to live out one's days as a hermit among the green mountains. Chen Yutong was the first to break the stillness. She rose abruptly, her lavender skirts sweeping across the blue bricks, her eyes shining with excitement. "Miss Jiang! This melody holds the detachment of 'the bamboo staff and straw sandals, light enough to outpace a horse.' How did you achieve this?" Her voice trembled, as if she had finally found a kindred spirit.