Chapter 18

Yet, she was determined to master these four pieces. As Immortal Mo Shubai had said, if she could truly grasp their inner essence, passing the sect’s grand tournament would surely be a breeze.

For the past two years, she had begun experimenting with spiritual power ratios to compose her own new pieces. Every musical cultivator in the sect knew the standard repertoire; when facing opponents from the same path, everyone knew each other’s moves inside and out. Furthermore, Song Chi had noticed that once disciples reached the fourth level of Qi Refining, they began to perceive the existence of that mysterious energy. Therefore, using the sect’s standard music in battle ultimately came down to a contest of who had the better grasp of that mysterious energy and whose cultivation base was stronger.

In the latter, no matter how hard she tried, she would always be trailing at the back. As for that mysterious energy, while she considered her grasp of it decent, it was not enough. At least, whenever she tried to integrate it into her own compositions, it worked only sporadically.

Song Chi had an intuition that if she could master these four pieces taught by Mo Shubai, she would be able to adapt and transform her own music. In battle, that would surely allow her to catch her opponents off guard. The problem, however, lay in the need for emotion; all three of those pieces required intense, profound feelings to be performed successfully.

To conjure this emotion, she had spent the past few days mentally crafting countless tragic stories with herself as the protagonist, and she had played every mournful tune she could think of. Yet, the results were meager. At that moment, a memory surfaced in her mind: the Lantern Festival night from her past life, the image of a fellow disciple, trapped in the throes of unrequited love, playing the violin in the snowy night. That poignant, sorrowful beauty remained vivid even now.

Immersing herself in that fellow disciple’s heart-wrenching pain, Song Chi channeled his anguish and played a song titled "A Thousand Years" on her flute, using it as a substitute for the violin. She felt as though even the passing wild rabbits paused to listen; the gorgeous, sorrowful melody was so moving that even her own heart felt a bit tight and aching, filled with a sense of loss.

Seizing upon this emotion, she hurriedly grabbed her zither to play "Song of Clouds and Water."

The result? Good heavens, that mysterious energy seemed to possess a pair of discerning eyes; it saw right through the fact that her technique was hovering above her emotions. It only deigned to manifest a tiny bit more than it usually did. Song Chi let go of the zither, feeling for a moment as though a part of her had died.

So, what exactly is this intense, surging love? And who on earth is loving so deeply? Why must this damned music require killing with emotion? This was truly making things difficult for her.

"Could it be that I actually need to go find someone to date?" In her past life, there were indeed senior brothers and sisters who shared her frustration with being emotionless and would turn into heartbreakers, drowning their sorrows in alcohol. She didn't know if it improved their musical skill, but those individuals certainly did experience a heart-wrenching, painful romance. Perhaps it might actually have some effect.

"But who should I ask? Who would even agree?" Song Chi couldn't help but feel speechless. She had no luck in love in her past life, and she likely had none in this one. Su Qiwu, who blushed whenever he saw her, didn't count—the boy was simply too innocent; he would blush just from having his hand touched. There was no one else. At most, she had some interaction with Qi Zhenmo, but that was clearly just brotherly affection and nothing more. As for Ye Qingyu, the boy spent all his time picking fights with her; the two of them mostly engaged in staring contests filled with mutual hostility. Affection or anything of the sort simply did not exist.

Having never been confessed to in two lifetimes, she truly had no idea how one was supposed to go about such a thing.

Then, Song Chi recalled that the original owner of this body was indeed destined to go through a plotline at this time—a heartbreaking, painful one. Tomorrow night, the Lantern Festival, the original owner was supposed to muster the courage to invite Mo Feiyun to go down the mountain and admire the lanterns in the plum blossom forest. In the book, Mo Feiyun had stared at her silently for a while before finally agreeing. It was mentioned that he felt a sense of pity for her, always regarding her as a younger sister. Though he felt somewhat helpless regarding her affections, he couldn't help but want to protect her, so he accepted the invitation that she had gathered all her courage to propose.

However, after they went down the mountain and arrived at the lantern festival, Mo Feiyun saw Cui Xueruo walking with Immortal Mo Shubai. The heroine’s flushed cheeks and affectionate gaze made Mo Feiyun’s heart ache with extreme bitterness. Even though he was walking beside the original owner, he remained silent for the rest of the night. The original owner naturally noticed, and her own heart turned cold as well. Although they finished walking the long street and even took a boat on the lake, they were both nursing their own emotional wounds. After returning from the festival, the original owner tucked away her feelings and thereafter only watched Mo Feiyun from afar, never getting close again.

Song Chi remembered feeling a twinge of that bitterness when she read the book. She thought that perhaps by experiencing it herself, she might understand it more deeply. To harbor affection for someone whose heart was hidden away for another woman—what a profound sorrow that was. Though... she wasn't actually in love with Mo Feiyun, perhaps it might still have an effect.

At this point, she had no choice but to treat a dead horse as if it were a living one. But there was another problem: the original owner was a charming and lovely girl, a truly innocent young maiden, whereas she was, at best, a block of wood pretending to be cute. Would Mo Feiyun still feel that same pity for her?

Song Chi was truly caught between laughter and tears. What a grueling life of cultivation this was! Why, exactly, did she have to kill with emotion?

"But I have to try." Even if she were rejected, the sadness of that rejection might just be enough to spark the right emotion.

Song Chi jumped up from the snow, brushed the snow off her backside, and as she walked back, she decided to 'accidentally' run into Mo Feiyun in the plum forest tomorrow.

Mo Shubai knew that Song Chi had been facing difficulties lately, so whenever he was not busy, he would come to the medicinal herb garden to check on her progress. He himself had been stuck at this stage for a long time. In truth, he still hadn't experienced such intense emotions to this day. However, capturing that energy did not entirely require intense emotion to be unleashed.

But distinguishing that cold, emotionless energy from the thousands of tangled threads was no easy task. Even he did not believe Song Chi could pass this hurdle if she were as cold-hearted as he was. To truly utilize the strengths of a musical cultivator, one needed at least the cultivation of a Golden Core practitioner. But she clearly did not have that kind of time.

Yet, Song Chi was even harder to move emotionally than he had imagined. That mournful tune had even stirred something in his own heart, leading to some insights into musical cultivation. But the "Song of Clouds and Water" that Song Chi played afterward... still lacked any significant emotional fluctuation.

At that time, several people were hiding nearby... Yes, recently, even Su Yu and Ji Minghuang had been lurking in the vicinity. Only the innocent Cui Xueruo had not stooped to such stalking. When that melody was played, all those present felt its power deeply. Su Qiwu, in particular, had the keenest sensitivity; his face darkened, and his hands trembled as if he were playing the music in the air. He would likely gain much insight into the way of musical cultivation after this. The others were not far behind, all wearing thoughtful expressions.

Then they saw Song Chi sigh while hugging her zither, suddenly sprawling out on the snow like someone who had half-died. Everyone present couldn't help but smile. Then, Ye Qingyu was the first to react, grinding his teeth in anger, his eyes flashing with cold light. It was obvious: if she couldn't even summon a shred of emotion for a piece of music, how could this girl possibly perceive the affections they held for her? It was as if all their lingering sentiments had been poured out for a blind person.

Immediately after, they heard Song Chi muttering nonsense about 'dating.' Mo Shubai saw several faces flush red on the spot. When she mentioned who she might ask, a few more began to gnash their teeth, especially Ye Qingyu, whose gaze was the fiercest. He probably felt that if she didn't choose him, she would be in for it. Such was the affection of youth.

Afterward, Song Chi jumped up from the snow, and as she walked back, she even put her hands behind her back in a calm, collected manner. Her demeanor suggested she had already decided whom to invite. Tomorrow, the Lantern Festival, was indeed a lively and auspicious day.

Even Mo Shubai was a bit curious now as to whom Song Chi would ask. The thoughts of this child were something even he could not fathom.