Mu Qingxian, an immortal of the Juntian Pavilion, has immortal bones that become strings, and a zither called Forget Worries. A single melody from it can command the music of all six realms. He swore to forsake all emotion, yet paused on the banks of the Wangchuan River for a wild flute that disrupted the rhythm of heaven and earth. Su Yinshang, an abandoned girl from the mortal world, was born able to hear the speech of all things. Within her, the three tones of Qing Shang, Zhuo Yu, and mortal melody intertwine. She is the prophesied “source of the calamity of music.”
He takes her as his disciple, intending to tame the Zhuo Yu within her, but as their zither and flute harmonize day after day, he glimpses a warmth beyond the rules. The strings of his Forget Worries zither begin to change pitch with his heart, and the cuts on his fingertips grow ever deeper. Her bamboo whistle conceals her admiration, but she does not know that her fate as a “star of ill omen” has already doomed all who draw near to become ash in the calamity.
When A Man’s spirit of music shatters amid the Qing Shang notes, when he breaks the Pursuing Notes flute with his own hands, when the sorrowful music of the Rift of Silk sweeps away half a lifetime of affection between master and disciple, she falls into the demon abyss, while he keeps watch over his broken zither. Amid the cold winds of the Valley of Silence, he plays a longing no one can understand for a hundred years.
The calamity of music finally arrives, and the six realms face silence. He destroys his immortal bones to make strings, while she uses her broken flute to carry on the fading notes. In the clash of Qing Shang and Zhuo Yu, they finally understand: harmony is not about sanding away every rough edge to achieve order, but about embracing the resonance of every imperfection.
This time, there is no Juntian oath and no ill-omened fate. Only the wind chimes of Forget Worries Lane, answering the zither and flute of the Listening Bamboo Retreat, entwined in endless tenderness until eternity.
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The Immortal's Trial: The Bones of Nishang
The Immortal Path of Jiangzhu: The Calamity of Worldly Desires
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A Letter from the Mountains: Mountain Paths and Dusty Roads
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The Black-Robed Well
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