Chapter 4: The Sound of Purity

  He has been appearing less and less often lately, and every time he appears, he seems to be thinking about something, and doesn't respond even when called several times.

  "Hey, what's wrong with you, prisoner? What are you thinking?"

  "There's nothing much, just preparing some things, need to consider more carefully, you're different."

  What's wrong with him? What is he thinking?

  Forget it, I'll just complete tonight's task. Now, I'm walking through a place similar to a forest, and as my abilities grow stronger, the places where I'm taken are farther away, and I don't recognize this place at all.

  It's really quiet here, except for a few faint sounds of the wind and the stream, nothing else can be heard. The surrounding tall trees look very ominous, and with every step I take on the dry leaves, the feeling of unease in my heart grows stronger. I don't know how long I've been walking, but still nothing has happened, it's as if no matter how far I walk, I'll never reach the end, facing the unknown darkness, the chill in my heart makes me even more terrified than usual.

  "Prisoner, why is it so strange here? Speak up."

  "Don't worry, this is where you're supposed to be. You'll gain something from it. There's something important that needs to be taken."

  I believe in the words of the prisoner, keep moving forward... There is a sound, what is it? Beauty has me so enchanted, I only know to search for it, without thinking about anything else.

  The sound grew louder and I didn't know where I was, but it automatically stopped in front of a clear spring. There was the back of a girl wearing a light yellow linen long dress, with black hair that trailed all the way to the ground. All the sounds of nature seemed to be her accompaniment, and I couldn't describe it anymore. Her surroundings were radiating dazzling light, such a woman existed like a goddess.

  The singing stopped abruptly, and everything returned to calmness. I stared blankly at the back of her figure until she turned around. I couldn't help but stare again, for a beauty that transcended nature and all things, one that anyone would willingly bow down to in reverence. She smiled faintly and beckoned me over. Without hesitation, I walked towards her in the water.

  "Ba, you should know that she is the one I protect." The cold and detached voice sounded somewhat out of place. It made me tremble and stop in my tracks.

  "Long time no see, prisoner." answered Bai Rou softly.

  "Considering our past friendship, I've never made a move on you. You understand the purpose of my visit this time, hand it over." The prisoner furrowed his brow, his voice even colder than usual.

  "Hah, I didn't expect a familiar face to show up today, but how come as soon as you open your mouth, you're after my life?!" Bo's smile remained unchanged.

  "Sister, you misunderstood. Prisoner didn't say he wanted to kill you, just that he wants you to hand over something. Although I don't know what it is either, but prisoner said it's very important." I immediately started explaining.

  "But little sister, if I don't have it, I'll really die." Qi looked at me with a pleading face.

  I looked at Qiu with difficulty and said: "Forget it, or she will die."

  "Hmph, she's already dead, and now she's even more deserving of death. Soul, one last chance, will you give it or not?"

  "Prisoner, why won't you let me go? I'm telling you, don't give in."

  "Alright, let's just consider it a conclusion to what happened back then. How many humans have you lured with your pure tone and consumed their souls? Do you still remember? Today, I won't give you another chance."

  Both sides are unwilling to back down, I know that now I can only protect myself well, this war is something I fundamentally cannot intervene in.

  "Ahhh......" Ba's originally beautiful voice turned into a scream, I covered my ears, my head hurt badly. I leaned against a tree and sat down, my body was tense.

  "Ba, you actually dare to turn his pure sound into a demonic tune!" I saw Kui's furious expression for the first time, it seems he really doesn't plan to let Ba off.

  The prisoner began to chant, his eyes fixed intently on Gui. Dozens of golden lights shot towards Gui, and Gui's voice grew louder, blocking those golden lights. The prisoner shouted "Linghun, appear!" and suddenly a silver bow appeared in his hand, adorned with several purple gemstones that shone brightly in the dark night. Upon closer inspection, there were also some intricate carvings on the bow, understated yet exquisite. That was probably what they meant by "low-key luxury". I watched anxiously as two figures emerged in the distance, Gui seemingly at a disadvantage. Just as she was still fending off the prisoner's golden lights, he drew back his bow and shouted "Go!" I didn't see any arrow, but I could sense a sharp beam of light shooting towards Gui. Sure enough, that beam pierced through Gui's left shoulder, shattered several trees, and landed on the ground. She struggled to get up, clutching her left shoulder.

  "Prisoner, you're ruthless. Didn't you want a pure sound? Then I'll let it perish with me." Baipi could no longer fight back, her facial features twisted in horror, apparently having steeled herself for this.

  "Stop it, that's his most treasured thing, can you bear to part with it?"

  "Hahaha, what he cherished the most, hahaha, and what about me? I'm at this stage today because of him, it's all because of him. But I don't blame him, yet he still wronged me, wronged me." The soul was crying without tears, in such despair.

  "You misunderstood... He did it to save you back then." The prisoner let out a sigh, his tone somewhat subdued.

  Three hundred years ago, there was a small town that was not prosperous but not poor either. In the town, there lived a female doctor named Xue Xiao who was very beautiful and kind-hearted. She used to travel around the world, saving people from illnesses, until she came to this small town. The townspeople were very simple and warmly welcomed her. The female doctor liked it here and decided to stay after being persuaded by the villagers multiple times. She taught medical skills and some cultural knowledge from other places, leading the town towards prosperity.

  Later on, she fell in love with a young man named Yu, who had a beautiful voice and loved to sing for Xue Xiao every morning until she fell asleep at night. However, the young man soon got seriously ill, and the female doctor decided to go up the mountain to pick herbs. But it was slippery after the rain, and the female doctor rolled down from the road and was rescued back. Although her life was not in danger, her face was ruined.

  She comforted herself by thinking that even though she lost her beauty, at least she still had the one she loved. However, the young man left, deciding to go out into the world to make a name for himself. Years later, he came back as a minor official and brought his wife with him. Xue Xiao did not cry or make a scene but continued to treat illnesses and save people. However, she became increasingly unhappy and eventually left this world.

  The townspeople built a stone statue of her at the town entrance to commemorate her, and every day someone would come to worship her. The young man from back then would also come to the statue at night, singing the song Xue Xiao loved the most, filled with guilt and saying sorry for wronging her.

  Xue Yu saved people all her life, and after death, she became a goddess. Everything changed, but her heart remained the same, deeply loving that young man. After several reincarnations, he had become the Music God. Forgetting all worldly affairs, his life was now only music, the purest sound in the world. Xue Yu refused to listen to advice and insisted on loving him. The Flower Goddess of the Hundred Flowers Temple couldn't bear it and said to her: "Child, gods cannot have love. If you insist on this, you will be punished." Xue Yu's unrequited love was in vain, so she asked the Flower Goddess to help her once, willing to exchange anything, even her life. The Flower Goddess said, "Alright, this fate is your karma. How can I stop it? I can make him remember his past with you, but you must bear all consequences." And then gave her a dan medicine pill.

  Various scenes appeared before his eyes, this life, he promised her, never to betray. The irony is that how could the divine realm allow it? Yu Bei was punished and was about to scatter his soul, Xue Cui exhausted all means to save him back. He only said sorry, I still ended up betraying you, forget me, I actually loved my wife from those years ago, towards you it's just guilt. I choose death.

  At this time, Xue Xiao had no magic power left. The man in front of her would rather die than abandon herself again. She cried, crying so unwillingly. Now she has restored the scarred face of a mortal, and everything is gone.

  She thought she would just disappear like that, but later she woke up and became an undead. However, she discovered that Yu's magical power was within her, the pure sound he had been cultivating with great effort. Xue Xiao began to think back, in life after life, it was all for others, but in the end, what did she get? She wanted to live on, no matter how long, and find that man's reincarnation, to take revenge. From then on, she willingly became a ghost, eating human souls, thereby becoming ageless and immortal.

  "...Do you know that the pure sound is what he left for you? If it weren't for him, could you still be alive now? He knew he owed you too much and wanted to repay you with his life. Don't you understand?"

  "Scoundrel, you deceived me, he said he didn't love me." she muttered to herself.

  "Ba, he is my only friend. I was lonely for hundreds of years and then he became my first friend. If it wasn't for him transferring the pure sound into your body, you would have lost your soul, and what did you do?"

  "Are you telling the truth and not cheating me?"

  "Think it over carefully yourself."

  The surroundings returned to calmness, the prisoner gazed at Xue Lin with a complex look in his eyes, closed them and turned around. Xue Lin furrowed her brow tightly, muttering to herself.

  "Feathers, why didn't you tell me and let me hate for so long, it's really exhausting. I said no matter how long I would wait for you, now I'm going to find you, wait for me, and never separate again." Baipi looked up at the sky, stretched out her hand, and smiled, a warm smile spreading across her face.

  "Little girl, come here." Ba said, looking at me.

  "Go ahead, Xi Meng is fine." The prisoner nodded at me.

  I walked towards her, with a heavy feeling in my heart. She shouldn't be... Looking at her half-reclining under the moonlight, she was so beautiful it hurt my heart.

  "Leave the pure sound to you." Ba began to change, her face was covered with scars, her skin shriveled up, and her black hair turned into a head of white hair.

  As expected, she really gave up, and she will be destroyed. No, I don't want her to disappear. "No, I don't want to!" I knelt in front of her, holding my head with both hands. If I had given it to her, wouldn't that have been equivalent to indirectly killing her? Her spirit was so beautiful, why did it have to end like this?

  "Foolish girl, you don't need to blame yourself. Only by giving it to you can I be at peace and go find Yu Ah. This is something he treasured dearly, only a child like you who can match the pure sound can have it. I won't let it fall into the hands of someone with a dark heart, or else I would be unforgivable to Yu."

  "Come a bit closer, I have something to tell you." The weak soul beckoned me over with a few waves of his hand.

  She leaned in close to me, her voice whispering against my right ear: "Child, you will definitely become the strongest Dreamweaver. Treasure the pure sound well. Remember this: you and Tsu are people from different worlds, don't have feelings for him, or it will ruin you. Also, you must get stronger, later when you meet a ghost named Sui Mo, you must kill her. As long as she exists, Tsu's curse can never be lifted."

  "I understand, thank you." I nodded solemnly at her.

  "Sorry." A voice came from afar, a prisoner's voice.

  "Prisoner, I'm just going where I should go. At least I'm happy now, aren't I? Hope you've also forgotten the past, forgotten her. The current her is no longer the simple girl of the past. Take care."

  Bo's body is disappearing bit by bit before our eyes, and there will never be any trace of Bo in this world again.

  "Let's go." The prisoner said to me and then disappeared.

  I still have a lot of doubts, such as why the pure sound gave me? Who is he and Bo? And who is that "her" that Bo mentioned? However, we are too tired tonight, I don't want to ask, and Bo certainly doesn't want to answer.