The Zither's music came to an abrupt halt.
Shen Meinan, who had been listening with rapt attention, blinked in sudden confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Chen Kuang replied, shaking his head. "Just realized there's a part that isn't quite perfect. I can refine it further."
"Oh..."
Shen Meinan nodded vaguely, only half-understanding. For her, anything like completing the Saint's unfinished score was already way beyond her skill level.
She could listen, sure, but she couldn't discern subtle flaws.
Still, if Chen Kuang said something wasn't right, then it must not be right.
After all, he was someone who could continue the Music Saint's lost Score, a true genius!
Yes, Shen Meinan had already made up her mind about that.
Even if she couldn't grasp the full depth of what he'd done, she was certain that Chen Kuang had indeed succeeded in extending the Saint's composition.
A Saint's power, left in the form of intention within the score, created a nearly insurmountable threshold. Just playing it was already as hard as ascending to the heavens, let alone completing it.
There was once a disciple of Heavenly Sound Pavilion who fancied himself a genius.
He tried to forcefully finish the composition, but ended up with his spirit shattered by the residual "will" left by the Saint. He became a vegetable.
Yet now, Chen Kuang had encountered not the slightest resistance.
Which could only mean one thing, the Saint's intention had acknowledged his continuation of the work.
"So he says he has no talent... turns out it's just not in cultivation, but in this instead."
"No wonder he wasn't interested in Mysterious Divine Path Sect. If word of this gets out, Heavenly Sound Pavilion would fight to bring him in as a Grand Elder on the spot."
Shen Meinan mumbled to herself, then hopped up beside him, hands behind her back, smiling radiantly with her small tiger teeth showing.
"If Heavenly Sound Pavilion really comes looking for you one day, Fellow Daoist Ruogu, don't forget us little folks when you make it big!"
Chen Kuang chuckled. "Sure. I'll make sure you get all the peanuts you want."
He paused, then coughed twice. "But please... don't eat the ones you dropped on the floor again."
Shen Meinan's face turned bright red.
"You-You knew?!"
She was instantly mortified. Her face burned like fire. "I- I was just trying not to waste it. I didn't even eat it! I'm actually very particular about food, really... ah!"
"Mingyan's waiting to have tea with me! I've gotta go!"
She bolted out the door, but three seconds later, sheepishly returned to reattach the door she had accidentally knocked off its hinge on the way out.
Chen Kuang: "..."
Once she was finally gone and had shut herself out, he couldn't hold back his laughter.
From outside came Shen Meinan's embarrassed shouts growing fainter and fainter as she ran:
"Don't laugh! Don't laugh! Don't laugh!"
Chen Kuang shook his head, grinning, but the smile soon faded from his face.
Zhou Yanwei is a prince of Zhou...
Judging from what he overheard, likely the second prince.
The Crown Prince hadn't yet been officially appointed in the Zhou Empire, but if by birth order and legitimacy, the eldest prince had the highest chance.
Rumor had it that this eldest prince was already titled, often assisted the emperor in governance, and was widely seen as the heir apparent.
This second prince, then... was a bit awkwardly positioned.
And yet, he had come here to Liang, incognito, acting like some wandering swordsman.
Not very princely at all.
Chen Kuang was more confused than ever.
Everyone on this boat seemed to have some hidden identity.
But who, among them, was the "cloud-ladder" his senior brother mentioned?
Who was his fated path upward?
Whoever it was, he'd have to disembark tomorrow anyway, so there wasn't much time to cling to anyone's leg now.
"No use overthinking it. One step at a time..."
He sat down on the bed, placed the Dragon Gums Zither across his knees, and decided not to leave the room again that night.
He would focus fully on studying the two scores he had just acquired.
Earlier, when he used the First Aspect in combination with the composition Anonymous, he had felt his first aperture stirring, almost opening.
Had he not been interrupted, he might have broken through on the spot.
Now, he would have to adjust himself and reenter that state.
"Just as well. These compositions deserve more scrutiny. Especially The Stars. If I can grasp its essence, it may rival White Lotus Rebirth in power."
"One near, one far; one light, one dark. Perfectly complementary. Together, they can become my killing trump cards."
With that, he lost himself in study until nightfall.
In the meantime, Lin Eryou once again came to invite him to dinner, and both Mingyan and Zhou Yanwei came to pay visits.
He declined all of them, citing his work on the score.
The only exception was Shen Meinan, who kindly brought him food...
...which she ended up eating most of herself, leaving her stomach round and full.
Elsewhere, on the deck of the tower ship...
Shen Meinan walked out, patting her full belly and letting out a satisfied burp.
Yet as she gazed toward the distant fishing lights across the lake, she sighed deeply.
"Sigh..."
"What's this? Little Miss Carefree is sighing now?"
Mingyan stepped up beside her in flowing red robes, smiling. "That guy is so focused that he won't even see me, but he'll still meet with you. Shouldn't you be happy?"
Shen Meinan shook her head. "He's leaving."
Mingyan blinked, amused. "You're fretting over that? How adorably naive."
Thinking she was being teased, Shen Meinan turned to defend herself.
"If he's leaving and I don't know when we'll meet again, isn't that something worth being upset about?"
Mingyan sighed. "If you care that much, why not chase after him?"
Shen Meinan froze.
Mingyan raised an eyebrow. "Do you have some grand goal keeping you tied down here?"
Shen Meinan shook her head firmly. "No..."
She had run away from home without a clear destination. She could go anywhere.
So... why couldn't she follow someone?
Her eyes lit up.
"Yeah! I can chase after him!"
She immediately beamed with joy, hugging Mingyan gratefully. "Thank you, Sister Mingyan!"
Mingyan smiled gracefully. "A fleeting encounter is still a fated one. As disciples of the Buddha, we cherish guiding the fated."
But she hesitated, frowning slightly.
"Still... that Ruogu carries a strange, familiar aura. He may not be simple."
Shen Meinan leaned in, speaking mysteriously: "Exactly! He's amazing!"
She skipped off happily.
Mingyan remained where she stood, lifting her elegant fingers and gently twisting them in the air, summoning two threads of shimmering illusory red silk.
The threads stretched into the void, leading to unknown ends.
"So many threads of desire... When the Buddha stirs, even heaven rejoices."
"But strange... one of these threads is abruptly severed in the middle, as if forcibly wiped away. A blank space remains."
She murmured to herself, brows furrowed, then relaxed.
"But now... another thread has formed. And it is more mutable."
A red vermillion mark appeared on her forehead, glowing faintly with a mystical light.
Behind her, a soft halo bloomed into existence.
Her red robe simmered and was, in fact, no robe at all, but countless threads of desire woven together.
"Little Meinan... you'd better thank me properly in the future."
Mingyan smiled faintly, her figure fading into the darkness like a wisp of smoke.
Before she vanished, she couldn't help but reach up and rub the spot where Shen Meinan had accidentally collided with her earlier.
"How did it get so... big..."
She muttered.
Meanwhile, in his room...
Chen Kuang sat with eyes closed, both hands hovering over the Dragon Gums Zither, fingers plucking invisible strings.
The air inside the cabin trembled with unseen force, vibrating to the silent melody.
With a flick of his wrist, tiny fractures appeared on various pieces of furniture in the room.
Zzzzt!
It was unnoticeable at first glance, but upon close inspection, each item had been cleaved clean in two without showing any outward damage.
Chen Kuang opened his eyes.
His aura surged sharply, climbing rapidly.
First Aperture: Opened!
At the same time, a new line popped up in his system's status bar:
[You have refused others three times in a row. You have gained the passive ability "Refusal Stands": Once you refuse someone, that matter will be rendered completely impossible to succeed.]