Xuan’s brows twitched in annoyance.

Noticing that, the child released his pressure, giving Xuan a moment to breathe.

"Apologies, I should probably introduce myself," the child said with a chuckle and slightly bowed. "My name is Chen Shun, and I am the first Head Monk as well as a First Level Spirit Lord. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Xuan."

Xuan’s eyes widened. "You’re the first Head Monk? More importantly..."

Chen Shun shook his head. "Despite my appearance, I am nearly 300 years old. I’ve undergone several body reformations, but recently, my friends from the Lower Heavens played a prank on me."

He smiled. "They gave me a Heaven-ranked pill that turned a cultivator into a child. I was fooled, and thus my humiliation began. So don’t treat me as a child."

"Right..." Xuan narrowed his eyes. Really hard to take him seriously when he’s a total squeaker. But oh well...

"So what now?"

"Now I’ve come to announce a change in plans," Chen Shun replied. "The disciples of the Serene Blossom Valley will head back to their sect. However, Xue Hanbi will remain here as your caretaker. It is under her own request, and her father approved as well. It’s now your turn to make a decision."

"Well..." Xuan rubbed his temples. "What about the seclusion? Can’t I only be in there with Foyan?"

"Correct. That was the case until earlier," Chen Shun replied mischievously. "You see, after careful consideration, we changed it up a notch. Instead of you being in there with Foyan for a month, you will only be in there with him for 12 hours of the day, every day."

"As for the remaining hours, you will have Xue Hanbi nursing you back to health. This might seem like a waste of training to you, but Foyan promised to be harsher on you. That means more grueling training fit into less time."

With that, Chen Shun fell silent, giving Xuan a moment to think it over.

But in the end, there wasn’t much to think about. He didn’t dislike having Hanbi around. If anything, having someone to talk to was nice, especially during the seclusion.

No way would I get along with Foyan. That guy is a walking time bomb, Xuan thought and finally nodded at Chen Shun.

"I agree."

"Great." Chen Shun smirked. "You have two days to prepare. Tomorrow, the Serene Blossom Valley disciples are going to perform with a zither. You should come out, I heard Xue Hanbi’s expertise lies not only in healing and martial arts, but also in music."

"..."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

Hearing that, Chen Shun gave Xuan a satisfied wave and walked away.

This guy seems a little off, Xuan thought in passing. He wears a fake smile, and aside from completely changing my seclusion training... I wonder what else he’s up to?

Putting that aside for the time being, Xuan walked out of his room, heading to the Martial Training Grounds.

Since he was a bit curious about the zither performance, he was just going to train until it started.

.

.

.

(9 hours later, Grand Jade Temple’s Outer Main Hall.)

"Come here! It’s about to start!" a monk yelled, running without restraint alongside a few other monks.

Xuan was also among those monks as he shamelessly cut ahead of them and arrived at the Outer Main Hall.

It was a large grassy area surrounded by a tranquil river. In the very center of the grass landmass, beside a small wooden hut, there were ten beautiful women.

Each of them held a zither. He had never seen one before, but it reminded him of a mix between a violin and a guitar, except it could be played with just their fingers.

Hanbi, on the other hand, sat on the far right side, behind two women.

Isn’t she the best one here? Why’s she sitting in the back? Xuan thought, puzzled.

Despite that, the area was getting crowded really fast, so he didn’t hesitate to jump on a nearby tree and climb to the very top, getting the perfect vantage point.

Yet it seemed like Hanbi spotted him as they locked eyes. He wasn’t sure if he imagined it, but a slight smile appeared on her face, but then just as quickly faded.

Even so, a few minutes passed as the crowd gathered, and eventually, every monk was there, eagerly waiting for the women to play the zither.

And soon enough, the woman in the very front of the group raised her hand, waving at the monks and getting their attention.

"Heya everyone. I’m Yuxuan Yun, a master of the zither. Today we’ll play the staple of the Serene Blossom Valley. It’s called Lament of the Fallen Star."

When she finished the last part in particular, Xuan saw Hanbi flinch momentarily. However, she quickly put on a smile as if nothing had happened.

But he noted that, as well as her being in the back. Something didn’t add up.

"Now then, since everyone’s here, we’ll start right away," Yun said, gesturing with her finger for everyone to remain silent.

Like clockwork, all the loud and obnoxious monks fell silent. It seemed like their discipline was not for show.

A few seconds passed in utter silence, and soon, Yun strummed the zither’s string.

A trembling, fragile note resounded as the air seemingly shivered. A barely noticeable ache appeared in Xuan’s chest, which he ignored.

Then came a second note. This time, all of the women rang it in unison.

It was a heavier note that somehow perfectly matched the one Yun played before.

All of a sudden, a memory resurfaced inside Xuan’s mind. It was that of Yuelan and his family before the plane crash.

A loving memory. A memory he had burrowed deep inside his heart out of sorrow.

The third note wavered sharply, slicing through the fragile warmth. It was as though that loving memory could no longer remain hidden, spilling outward before his eyes.

He could see the faces of his family right above the ten women playing the zither. They were still blurry, and that was when the fourth note rang out.

It was drawn out and seemingly hollow. Yet it drained his strength slightly as he nearly fell off the tree. But once his mind regained a bit of clarity, the projected memory became even clearer.

The fifth note rose far beyond the previous note. It seemed desperate, like a scream that etched itself into his mind.

That, in turn, projected a second memory beside the happy one. It was the day he got the tragic news that his parents had passed away. Yuelan was right beside him, and in that memory, he held her tightly as they both silently sobbed.

Unbeknownst to Xuan, a single tear trickled down his cheek as the chaotic sixth note finally resounded through the air.

The chaotic note immediately dissipated the projected memories. His mind turned blank momentarily as he tried his best to recall them.

In doing so, he missed the seventh note and the eighth note as they came across as nothing but loud and beautiful sounds.

Still, they seemed to ramp up the song just as the sixth note had, yet they were empty, as if the intention behind the song itself had vanished after the fifth note.

In the corner of his vision, he spotted Hanbi frowning, her fingers tightening on the strings. It was likely that she had felt the same.

But with the other women calmly playing the zither, and the monks below him not reacting, it seemed like they were the only two who noticed something was off.

Soon enough, the last note emerged. It was barely audible, like a sigh.

It dragged like the fourth note, but then abruptly ended just like the first note.

And just like that, the women exchanged glances with each other and rose from their seats.

They performed deep bows at the audience, causing loud cheers to resound.

"Yeaaah! Do more!"

"That was amazing! You should join the Grand Jade Temple and play this song for us!"

"Sign my head!"

"Now now, there’s plenty of time for that." Yun giggled gently, scanning the crowd. "I do truly hope you enjoyed it, as that was the masterpiece our sect had developed. We would play more, but sadly, our sect master had ordered us to return."

She smiled. "If you wish to hear more of your songs, feel free to visit the Serene Blossom Valley sect. We do open house performances at the end of every month, so I’ll be eagerly waiting for you, okay?"

Yun blew a kiss at the crowd like some seductress, and with a faint smirk, she gently carried the zither with her as she walked through the crowded main hall.

The monks were mesmerized. Some were already planning their trip in two weeks, while others had already made plans to create fan clubs.

But in the end, Xuan didn’t share the same sentiment. He stared at the back of the flock where Hanbi was.

She walked with her head down, not even paying him a glance, and eventually, the women left the outer main hall.

The monks stuck around for a little while longer, and from his vantage point, Xuan spotted the three Head Monks making their way after the women, as if they were going to lead them out.

He knew Hanbi was going to stay, so he didn’t even bother saying his goodbyes.

Instead, after hearing that song, he felt empty.

It was a beautiful song, but it wasn’t finished. There was a single note missing, or maybe even more.

"Tsk... I really don’t like this..." Xuan mumbled and jumped down from the tree.

He was going to go to the cafeteria, but the more he thought about the song, the less hungry he felt.

So, while the other monks were preoccupied, he secretly made his way into the cave he had shown to Hanbi.

Seclusion would begin any moment now, so he might as well spend his last moments calming his mind.