Chapter 8, Sanskrit Sound

Shu Yi opened her eyes and smiled, saying, "Coconut Sea girl, I assure you, I heard nothing at all." The face of Coconut Sea turned slightly red, "But I could hear it every time I came before." Shi Qing also stood up, "Perhaps it is the rhythm of your heart?"

Shuyi closed his eyes, fully concentrating on listening. The sound was soft and elegant, far removed from the coarse; it was indeed the voice of Brahma and grace. However, it was slightly dull, lacking the vibrant resonance of metal and stone.

Shu Yi suddenly said, "Yehai girl, yesterday was your first time seeing the mountain demon, right?" Yehai nodded and replied, "Yes, I had only heard the elders mention it before." Shu Yi continued, "I regret it now; I should have chased after it to see what was going on." Yehai laughed and said, "I wouldn't dare. I heard from the older generation that someone was once taken away by the mountain demon and never returned."

The sun has finally risen, revealing half of its face, as if it has emerged from a sea of clouds, its dark red hue not blinding but rather dripping with beauty, with half still hidden in the clouds, partially obscured, enhancing its delicate charm.

Ye Hai has changed back into her ethnic attire. She looked at Shu Yi and smiled, saying, "Mr. Shu, it seems you need to strengthen your exercise; just these few steps and you're already out of breath." The sky had begun to brighten slightly, and Shu Yi gazed at Ye Hai's profile, resembling a beautiful silhouette, and couldn't help but be mesmerized.

Shu Yi truly sat down, closed his eyes, and focused intently on listening. Shi Qing also sat down, brought his hands together in prayer, and silently recited scriptures, but his voice was very soft, audible only to himself.

At that moment, Shu Yi seemed to hear a faint sound of a piano, elusive and ethereal yet unreal. It was not only Shu Yi who heard it; Shi Qing, who had originally gazed calmly at the rising sun, suddenly brightened. Without waiting for Shu Yi to speak, Shi He - Tu - Shu Qing shot towards the direction from which the piano sound came, like an arrow released from a bow.

Xie Qing said, "What is her purpose in doing this? They haven't harmed us." Shu Yi smiled and replied, "That's because we are not the people they are looking for. There must be someone in the grass. I don't let Xi Men go over because I want to avoid unnecessary conflict. I believe there is definitely someone in the grass identifying our identities. Once they confirm that we are not the people they are looking for, they will take no further action."

Ten minutes have passed, twenty minutes have passed, half an hour has passed

Qing asked, "Mr. Shu, do you suspect that the Coconut Sea girl is related to the matter of the Liuli Qin?" Shu Yi shook his head, "No, she shouldn't be related to the Liuli Qin. She must have mistaken us for someone else. Don't you think? She approaches us, yet she is deeply guarded against us. Especially, she is very interested in our background, probing us several times; she wants to confirm whether she has mistaken the person."

Shu Yi hurriedly said, "Xiao Sheng, quickly go and take a look, don't let anything happen to the little monk." Sheng Rongguang nodded and also rushed off.

Shi Qing was somewhat puzzled: "Is that Lingyin Platform just a coincidence?" Shu Yi sat up, took out a cigarette, and Shi Qing showed an expression of displeasure. Shu Yi said: "Little monk, does Buddha still need the smoke and fire of the human world? Are you upset over a single cigarette?" Shi Qing remained silent

Ye Qinghan and Sheng Rongguang were whispering to each other, and their conversation was inaudible.

Xie Qing then asked, "Mr. Shu, if that's the case, why does the Coconut Sea girl continue to accompany us?" Shu Yi replied lightly, "A performance must be completed in its entirety, just like a book set. After all, it's only a short two days; once tomorrow passes, she will have fulfilled her task. If she doesn't finish the act, she might fear that we will become suspicious of her. Moreover, she has developed an interest in our identities, and it is quite normal for curiosity to drive her actions.

The old town is indeed situated on the mountain, and it is quite lively, although not prosperous. This area is the central region where the Ximing Wa people reside, and the ethnic customs are more pronounced.

Shu Yi was preoccupied with thoughts of Shi Qing and Sheng Rongguang, prompting her to quicken her pace

Shu Yi and Shi Qing entered the room together. After simply placing their luggage down, Shu Yi lay sprawled out on the bed. Shi Qing sat at the edge of the bed, took out a scripture, and began to read it attentively.

Shu Yi sat in front of the table, intently playing the guqin, and everyone remained silent, fearing to disturb him

Shi Qing stood behind Shu Yi like a statue

Ye Qinghan, Sheng Rongguang, and Ximen Wuwang remained standing, maintaining their vigilance. Although Ye Hai wore a smile while looking at Shu Yi and the others, a sense of unease lingered in her heart, and her peripheral vision darted around.

Shuyi sensed the embarrassment of Ye Hai and said, "It’s getting late, let’s head back, Miss Ye Hai. Where shall we go tomorrow?" Ye Hai replied, "Tomorrow I will take you to the Old Town. The Old Town is even more beautiful, as if it is built atop the mountains, with a sea of clouds all day long, shrouded in mist, resembling a paradise on earth."

Shu Yi said he was tired and yawned: "Alright, little monk, I'm going to sleep now; I have to get up early later." Shi Qing shot him a glance, too lazy to get entangled over a title, and picked up the scriptures again, quietly reciting them.

Shu Yi opened his eyes and said, "Let's go, we should take a look too." The crowd hurriedly ran towards the direction where Shi Qing and Sheng Rongguang had disappeared. Ye Hai was filled with questions and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Shu, what exactly is going on?" Shu Yi replied, "Don't ask for now, I will explain it to you slowly later." Ye Hai responded with an "Oh" and obediently followed behind them. Ye Hai was filled with questions and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Shu, what exactly is going on?" Shu Yi replied, "Don't ask for now, I will explain it to you slowly later." Ye Hai responded with an "Oh" and obediently followed behind them.

Shu Yi did not respond, but淡淡地 asked, "Did you not see anyone when you arrived?" Sheng Rongguang shook his head and looked at Shi Qing, who said, "I also did not see anyone. I chased until I was less than 100 meters from here, and the sound of the zither had already stopped."

The melody has not yet concluded, yet the sound of the zither has ceased

Shu Yi said, "Let's go, we will talk after returning to the inn." Everyone lost the desire to continue enjoying the scenery and descended the mountain back to the inn. They all squeezed into Shu Yi's room, and Ye Hai followed in. She did not understand how a sudden sound of music from an old guqin could enchant these men as if they were under a spell. She wanted to figure it out, even though it was no longer part of her job.

Ye Qinghan stood beside Shu Yi, while Ximen Wuwang quickly put away the camera in his hand. Ye Hai was stunned by this sudden turn of events, and after a moment, she finally reacted: "Mr. Shu, what happened?" Shu Yi remained silent, and Ye Qinghan shushed Ye Hai, signaling her to be quiet. In fact, everyone had heard the sound of the zither, but Shu Yi and the others were much more sensitive to it.

Shu Yi said: "However, I have a question that I cannot understand. That giant gorilla, I once thought that if it is not a real mountain gorilla, then it must be part of the Coconut Sea group, with the aim of forcing us to retreat from Lingyin Valley. But after the events in Lingyin Valley, I became confused. Since they were only trying to identify people, is there really a difference between Qian Niu Valley and Lingyin Valley? Why go to such lengths and expend so much effort? I noticed Coconut Sea's expression when she saw the giant gorilla; she was also startled. That kind of expression was not feigned."

In the woods, the figures of Shi Qing and Sheng Rongguang could be faintly seen; the two were crouched down, seemingly studying something. Shu Yi and the others approached, and Shi Qing looked up at Shu Yi, saying, "Sir, look at this." After speaking, he stood up, holding a zither that resembled an ancient guqin, faintly marked with patches of rust. Shu Yi took it and examined it closely. Shi Qing then asked, "Sir, is this..." He paused at this point, not wanting to mention the Liuli Qin in front of Ye Hai.

Shu Yi sighed and said, "It seems that it is better not to have such curiosity; otherwise, spending all day with mountain demons is not a pleasant affair." Ye Hai couldn't help but laugh again

Shu Yi said, "I tell you, little monk, stop reciting that mindless scripture of yours. What do you think about today's events?" Shi Qing had a serious expression on his face and replied, "Mr. Shu, I am not a little monk. Besides, how could my recitation of scriptures be mindless?" Shu Yi laughed, saying, "You, you are always so serious. Even Buddha has a smile on his face sometimes." Shi Qing smiled shyly.

Shu Yi said, "Do you really think there are giant apes?" Shi Qing shook her head and replied, "I don't know, the light in the canyon is too dim today to see clearly." Shu Yi asked again, "Why does the Coconut Sea girl insist on taking us to the Lingyin Platform?" Shi Qing responded, "She is the guide; perhaps she thinks that place is quite special." Shu Yi nodded and said, "It is special, especially that qin platform."

Ximen Wuwang held the camera and said, "Why isn't the sun coming out yet?" Ye Hai replied, "Look at you, so anxious. The sun will rise soon, but you must seize the opportunity, as it rises very quickly, just like leaping up from behind the mountain." Upon hearing this, Ximen Wuwang dared not lose focus, holding his breath and quietly waiting.

The coconut sea indeed woke everyone up on time. A few people, holding flashlights, slowly made their way to the summit. After about forty minutes, Shu Yi and the others reached the top of the mountain. Shu Yi's physical condition was relatively much poorer than theirs, and he sat on a round stone at the peak, gasping for breath.

On the way, Ye Hai briefly introduced some customs of the Wa people to Shu Yi and the others, especially some taboos, which everyone noted down. After finding a clean inn to stay in, Ye Hai told everyone to rest for a while, and that she would come to wake them up around four in the morning, as the sunrise here is quite early, around five o'clock.

Shu Yi took a drag from his cigarette and slowly replied: "It is a coincidence, yet it is not. The coincidence lies in her choice of Lingyin Terrace as the location, as it is secluded and not a tourist spot, meaning there would hardly be any passersby. The reason it is not a coincidence is that this place was carefully selected by her, and the sound of leaves rustling in the forest that we hear should not be from anyone else, but from her companions"

The day has already brightened.

Ye Qinghan and Ximen Wuwang searched the vicinity carefully for half a day, but in the end, they found nothing

Although Ximen Wuwang had been to Ximing, he had never visited the Old Town. He said, "If that is the case, we should go tonight." Ye Qinghan asked, "Why?" Ximen Wuwang smiled and replied, "At the peak of Yunfeng, watching the sunrise in the east is a completely different scene." Shu Yi nodded and said, "Miss Yehai, what do you think?" Ye Hai responded, "Alright, how about we set off after dinner?"