Ouyang Ye had wanted to ask more, but Gu Qingfeng was there tuning his erhu, the intermittent notes grating on her nerves until she felt thoroughly agitated. "Hey, I'm saying if you don't know how to play the erhu, just don't play it, okay? Don't you know that kind of broken, halting string sound is harsh and awful to listen to!"
"Little sister, what kind of talk is that? Who told you I don't know how to play the erhu."
"Then play a complete tune for me to hear!"
"Alright, since we're idle anyway. What tune would you like to hear? I'll play one for you."
"'What tune would I like to hear'—you talk as if you can play anything."
"Of course."
Gu Qingfeng took a drink straight from the wine pot's spout and laughed. "There isn't a tune in this world that I can't play."
As his words fell, Ouyang Ye's expression suddenly stiffened. The words Gu Qingfeng had casually spoken made her involuntarily think of a person.
A person who had turned to ashes three years ago.
Three years ago, at the Taixuan Platform.
That person had boasted in front of all the prodigies from the Four Great Domains, also saying there wasn't a tune in the world he couldn't play. At first, no one believed him. But then, that person had used only a very ordinary guqin to show everyone what it meant to have peerless mastery of musical artistry.
That person had said those words three years ago.
And today, three years later, this guy before her had actually said the same thing.
Ouyang Ye felt very strange inside. She didn't understand why this guy before her always made her think of that person from three years ago.
When she first saw this guy outside the first Cave Dwelling, she had already been reminded of that person from three years ago.
At the second Cave Dwelling, encountering this guy again had made Ouyang Ye involuntarily think of that person from three years ago once more.
And now it was happening again.
Was it because she missed that person from three years ago too much, or was this guy before her really that similar to that person?
It should be the latter.
This guy was probably too similar to that person from three years ago.
The same white robes, the same Golden Core cultivation.
The same casualness, the same free-spiritedness, the same indifference.
Really, really similar...
Gazing at the handsome man in white before her, Ouyang Ye, in a daze, truly felt as if this guy before her was that unforgettable person from three years ago.
However.
It was only a daze.
Coming back to her senses and looking at this guy's extraordinarily handsome face, Ouyang Ye shook her head with some disappointment.
"What's wrong?"
"It's... nothing. I just suddenly remembered someone."
"A friend?"
Ouyang Ye shook her head slightly, as if negating something, and murmured, "No, we weren't friends. As for what we were... I'm not clear either."
"A friend who wasn't a friend?" Gu Qingfeng asked offhandedly. "Why think of him out of the blue?"
"You and him... are somewhat alike."
"Is that so? How are we alike?"
"Can't really say. Anyway, the feeling you give me is quite similar. But..." Changing tack, Ouyang Ye continued, "But, you're more handsome than him. And you're gentler than him. As for him..." As she spoke, Ouyang Ye seemed to sink into memories, her eyes becoming somewhat distant as she murmured softly, "He was... a... a very complex yet simple person. Complex because no one knew where he came from, and no one knew where he was going. Simple because he was a very pure person—pure in his daily leisure, pure in his daily laziness, and pure in his daily boredom, as if he didn't know what to do."
"He was also a very extreme person. When in a good mood, he was exactly like an uneducated, flamboyant, and frivolous young master. When in a bad mood, he gave off a completely different feeling—like an invincible War God, or a cold, aloof Demon God, or even more like an Emperor who looked down upon all living beings and dominated heaven and earth."
"He was also a very mysterious and peculiar person. Mysterious because everything about him was like a riddle, full of unknowns and strangeness. Peculiar because everything about him was filled with the incredible."
"He was like a meteor under twilight. The twilight was that mysterious, lonely, lifeless, and unfathomable twilight. The meteor was that incomparably brilliant meteor, streaking across the sky, capturing everyone's gaze. As the meteor passed, the twilight also vanished, leaving behind only darkness... The kind of darkness that makes people sigh with regret, that makes people sad, that makes people grieve, that makes people ponder, that makes people reminisce..."
Beside her, Gu Qingfeng leaned against the wall, sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion, one hand holding the erhu, the other lifting the wine pot, taking occasional sips. He knew the 'he' Ouyang Ye spoke of was himself. He just hadn't expected the little girl to speak of him in such a tone, in such a distant state, uttering such thought-provoking words.
In his memory, during his over a year at Yunxia Sect, his interactions with Ouyang Ye hadn't been many. At most, they'd met only a dozen or so times. First, he hadn't flirted with her; second, he hadn't teased her. At most, he'd just cracked some jokes, never doing anything else.
Why did it sound from the little girl's tone as if she actually missed him?
And it was genuine missing.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't stupid. He could tell from both her words and her eyes.
But, unexpected was just unexpected.
Gu Qingfeng didn't feel any discomfort, nor did he feel anything deep inside. If it were before, he would have immediately snuffed out Ouyang Ye's thoughts, even resorting to extreme measures if necessary. However, now he wouldn't do that.
Ever since awakening in this world and meeting Ouyang Ye in his own mausoleum.
Ever since learning Ouyang Ye was connected to Yun Nishang.
Ever since learning Hongxiu was Yun Nishang's reincarnation.
Ever since learning Yun Nishang had long begun laying plans for Karma.
Ever since finding the Ice Profound Heart and the Flaming Sun Heart, and seeing the remnant wisp of consciousness Yun Nishang had left behind.
He knew that between him and Yun Nishang—or more precisely, between him and Ouyang Ye—there would inevitably be tangled Karma as well.
Whether from this life or the previous one.
Was there a difference?
Was it important?
No!
There was no difference, and it wasn't important. At least, to Gu Qingfeng there was no difference. To him, the Karma of this life and the Karma of the previous life held no distinction either.
He had long since come to terms with it. After meeting the lost Jun Xuanji and then seeing that remnant wisp of Yun Nishang's consciousness, he had come to terms with it. He no longer intended to stubbornly seek out any Karma, nor did he intend to change any Karma, nor did he intend to sever any Karma. He chose to let things take their natural course.
If heaven wills rain, if a mother wills remarriage.
What is destined to come will eventually come.
Since that's the case, why bother seeking out any Karma?
Suddenly, a tremendous rumbling sound erupted, not only interrupting Ouyang Ye lost in her memories but also Gu Qingfeng lost in his contemplation. Ouyang Ye snapped back to reality, discovering the entire Cave Dwelling was shaking violently. "What's happening?" she asked in alarm.
"Don't panic. It's just the Nine Palaces shifting positions."
Compared to her, Gu Qingfeng appeared much calmer. He put away his erhu and leisurely stood up. "The Cave Manor Eye is about to appear..."