Chapter 248 – Blackwave Zither (4)
Chapter 248 – Blackwave Zither (4)
Altogether, the chains numbered to five. Similarly, the guqin inside the crystal coffin had five strings…
Every chain produced a different sound that could be associated to a different note of music.
‘It is possible to use the chains to play music?’
She made the little qilin stop and return to the side, while she tried out the chains, walking to and fro between them. She was once a guqin musician, so hearing the chains issuing notes reminded her of the sounds of nature, causing her to subconsciously play the antiquated melody “Returning Home”[1].
The sounds of music echoed throughout the hall. As she played the melody, her heart became filled with emotions. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her friends, her close relatives… Her desires were nothing but dreams.
The poem melody was originally somewhat sorrowful; adding to her current mood influencing her playing, it became even more forlorn. As if they were alive, the notes roamed all around the hall, cycling while the candle flame gently swayed along with the music.
When the tune ended, Ning Xuemo heard a voice bursting in sobs. She lifted her head and saw the little qilin’s big eyes overflowing with tears streaking down his cheeks. It was crying like no tomorrow.
The corner of her mouth stretched. ‘This little qilin is very easily touched!’
She raised her hand and stroked its head. “What are you crying for?”
The little qilin replied, “I want my mom and dad…”
Ning Xuemo remained silent for a moment before she spoke, “You didn’t get to meet with them? Do you still wish to see them?”
“Because I did not meet with them that’s why I wish to. Without question, they are my most beloved people in this world. Unfortunately, they had passed away… Master, how about your father and mother?”
Ning Xuemo sighed. In her previous world, she was an abandoned child. She heard that she was barely born and was already thrown out on the side of the street as trash. Then she was picked up by her adopted parents. Her adopted parents were extremely good to her, treating her like their own daughter. Even with her highly abnormal IQ, she was a very hardworking person. Thus, by repeatedly skipping grades, she was already attending university by the age of twelve, attracting the interest of the people from the National Bureau. They wanted to recruit and nurture her as a special agent. However, she didn’t have much interest to work as a special agent at that age. Several times, they tried to invite her, but she declined. If it wasn’t because of that tragic event, perhaps her life would have continued without ever having a connection with that line of work.
Without that event, she wouldn’t have lost her most dearest people.
That day, she was informed about her parents’ murder. Both of them were at home when it happened, while she was outside attending class. All of a sudden, her whole world collapsed. Later on, she learned that her adopted parents were also special agents and were assassinated by a hitman hired by M Country.
In order to take revenge, she eventually agreed to the National Bureau’s invitation. As soon as she accepted, she received a set of special agent trainee uniform. Through five years of grueling training and experiencing challenging missions, she matured and slowly became the chief of a team of secret service agents. Of course, she still continued to search for the murderer as to repay the hatred of killing her dear ones.
A secret service agent was a profession that once one sets foot in, it would be for a lifetime without the possibility of turning back. Inside that team of special agents, she had many friends, comrade-in-arms, and subordinates, who shared life and death experiences with her. To her, they were all her close relatives…
Unfortunately, at the present, she was unable to see any of them.
When she thinks about it, the circumstances surrounding her transmigration were quite strange. Usually, in those transmigration novels, most protagonists would transmigrate after meeting some mishaps. In her case, she just went to sleep and transmigrated while sleeping. When she woke up she was already in another world with no way to return to her own world.
In her previous world, she was only twelve when her parents died. In this world, the same thing happened but at the tender age of eight.
Regardless of which world she was in and no matter how old she is, she was a miserable child, fated to never be blessed with her parents’ love as she grew older. Her past was similar to the little qilin, but compared to it, she was more fortunate. At least, she once experienced the unconditional love of a parent.
[1] The original was a poem by Tao Yunming (Click here), a Chinese poet from the period of Six Dynasties. The poem is meant to evoke nostalgia and sorrow of being far from home and the return to countryside (home) for a peaceful life, far from the tumults of the city. For the poem with TL of lyrics, click here. For the melody with the guqin, click here.