Eagle King

Author: Jiang Shengnan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: When Di Tianlan entered the cave, he didn’t know what would happen next. When Di Tianlan entered the cave, he didn’t know what would happen next. In fact, he had been avoiding someone these past few days—the headmaster of the Hundred Medicine Gate, Lan Si. But he was always an optimist and had never regretted anything he had done, including venturing into Miao Territory and meeting Lan Si. Lan Si was actually a very lovely girl, though a bit willful and capricious, but she was deeply in love with him. He never imagined that when he left her, he would cause such trouble and commotion. Lan Si led the Hundred Medicine Gate herself, releasing countless poisons in pursuit, even unleashing her own life-and-death golden silkworm. Fortunately, Di Tianlan’s martial arts skills were not weak, and he knew a little about other supernatural arts, allowing him to break the golden silkworm without harming Lan Si.
When Di Tianlan entered the cave, he didn’t know what would happen next. When Di Tianlan entered the cave, he didn’t know what would happen next. In fact, he had been avoiding someone these past few days—the headmaster of the Hundred Medicine Gate, Lan Si. But he was always an optimist and had never regretted anything he had done, including venturing into Miao Territory and meeting Lan Si. Lan Si was actually a very lovely girl, though a bit willful and capricious, but she was deeply in love with him. He never imagined that when he left her, he would cause such trouble and commotion. Lan Si led the Hundred Medicine Gate herself, releasing countless poisons in pursuit, even unleashing her own life-and-death golden silkworm. Fortunately, Di Tianlan’s martial arts skills were not weak, and he knew a little about other supernatural arts, allowing him to break the golden silkworm without harming Lan Si.
Right now, he was thinking about the words Lan Si had said when she left, each word filled with tears: “Di Lang, I can’t accept it. The happiness we shared under the starlight, amidst the flowers, those ten days with you made me feel like my past life was wasted. Such happiness—how can you just leave like that, just walk away as if nothing happened?” But why didn’t Lan Si understand his feelings? His departure was to turn fleeting joy into eternity, because in those ten days, they had spent the happiest time together. The days ahead would not be as joyful as those ten days, and love would only lose its beauty with time. Even if he stayed, his passion would fade, and he would no longer be the Di Tianlan who drank snake wine with Lan Si under the stars.
At this thought, his mood suddenly sank. If a beautiful love brought such lingering troubles, it hardly fit his principle of a joyful life. At least, he needed to cultivate his mind and character for a year or two, and stay away from tempting other girls. Although he would be moved by lonely girls, unhappy girls, or beautiful girls, and would want to bring them into the realm of life’s joy, if the outcome turned out the opposite of what he wished, it would only bring him deep sorrow.
Just as Di Tianlan vowed to cultivate his heart and character, to become a gentleman, he heard a melody of the qin—its sound came from within the cave. The music was elegant and flowing, so beautiful it was indescribable. Listening to it, it felt like snowflakes drifting down from the sky, yet amidst them, plum blossoms quietly released their fragrance, slowly melting under the delicate scents. Plum blossoms and snow bloom beyond the extreme cold, yet they understand and cherish each other. As plum blossoms bloom and snow melts, an indescribable tenderness and reluctance fill the air, stirring a melancholy in his heart that he couldn’t shake off.
Then, he heard the same melody repeated three times on different notes. Each repetition of the plum-snow compassion carried similarities, yet evoked different feelings in his heart. Di Tianlan listened intently to the music, and memories flooded his mind, leaving him lost in a daze. When the music stopped, a soft voice came from the depths of the cave: “The qin is tuned to the variant notes of the Xian, but who is the esteemed listener?”