My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

He touched his chest again; his heart was still beating, faster and heavier than usual.

He didn't know what was going on.

He had seen many women—maids in the marquis's mansion, noblewomen in the capital, and singing girls at banquets—but none of them made his heart skip a beat like this.

But just now, just now, when he held Aro's hand, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

It's not an illness, not panic, but something indescribable, like something has taken root in my heart, or like something has blossomed in my heart.

He sat at the table, staring at the paper on it, at the character "A," for a long time.

Then he folded the paper, put it in the book he always carried with him, closed the book, and placed it under his pillow.

He picked up the bowl of now-cold bear meat and took a bite. The meat was cold, but his heart was warm.

Downstairs, A-Luo ran into the courtyard and sat down at the stone table.

Her face was still red, and her ears were red too.

Lu Yang was gnawing on a bone when he looked up at her and asked, "What's wrong? Why is your face so red?"

A Luo shook her head, picked up her bowl, lowered her head and ate her rice, not daring to look at anyone.

The chubby baby ran into A Luo's arms, looked up at A Luo's rosy face, and reached out his little hand to touch it.

A Luo glanced down at him and smiled, but the smile seemed a little unnatural.

The chubby baby didn't understand, tilted his head, and touched it again.

Ye Qingfeng leaned back in his chair, holding a teacup, and looked at A Luo.

His gaze was calm, with a slight smile on his lips, as if he knew something, yet also as if he knew nothing at all.

He took a sip of tea, put down the cup, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the jujube tree above his head.

As A-Luo ate, whether out of joy or simply because she was enjoying her meal, she suddenly began humming a song.

The sound wasn't loud, and the tune was very simple, like the kind her mother used to sing to lull her to sleep when she was little.

She hummed a few words, and Miao Gui put down his chopsticks, turned to look at her, and had an indescribable expression on his face.

"Ah Luo, what are you humming?"

A Luo paused for a moment: "Little Qu, my mother taught me that."

Miao Gui shook his head, his lips twitching slightly: "The way you hum that little tune sounds like you're slaughtering a pig."

A Luo's face turned red instantly.

She opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but didn't know what to say.

She knew she wasn't a good singer, but she was still a little embarrassed to be told that so directly by Miao Gui.

Lü Yang was unconvinced.

He put down his chopsticks and glared at Miao Gui: "How dare you talk like that? A-Luo's humming is quite beautiful, you must have something wrong with your ears."

Miao Gui glanced at him: "Are you deaf? Listen to what she just said, her tune was faster than a rabbit's."

Lu Yang panicked: "How could it have run away? It's clearly accurate! Immortal Master, don't you agree?"

Ye Qingfeng held his teacup, glanced at him, and said nothing.

After waiting for a while, seeing that the immortal master didn't respond, Lü Yang had no choice but to force himself to say, "Anyway, I think it sounds pretty good."

Miao Gui was too lazy to argue with him, so he picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup.

A'Luo lowered her head, her face flushed, and whispered, "I really can't sing well. But I know someone who sings incredibly well."

Lu Yang became interested: "Who is it?"

A'Luo looked up, her eyes lighting up: "Yunniang. She sings beautifully and can also play the pipa."

When her husband was still alive, she would perform on stage every year during the grand festival, and everyone praised her performance.

Miao Gui put down his bowl: "Yunniang? You mean that widow?"

Aro nodded.

Lu Yang glanced at Miao Gui, then at A Luo: "Then let's invite her to sing a song."

A Luo bit her lip and looked at Ye Qingfeng.

Ye Qingfeng was picking up food when he felt A Luo's gaze. He looked up, saw those bright, sparkling eyes, and smiled helplessly.

"Why are you looking at me? If you like it, go and invite them."

A Luo's eyes lit up. She put down her chopsticks, stood up, and turned to run outside.

After running a few steps, he came back, put the chubby baby down from his arms, placed him on a chair, and told him, "Sit still and don't run around," before turning around and running off again.

The chubby baby sat on the chair, gripping the edge of the table with both hands, watching A Luo run away. He pouted, but didn't cry. He just continued to eat the bear meat with his hands.

Aro runs very fast.

The alley was pitch black, with only a few windows in the distance emitting a dim yellow light.

Her footsteps clattered on the flagstones, startling a cat that was dozing on the wall. The cat meowed, jumped down from the wall, and ran away.

She didn't stop, she ran all the way to Yunniang's house and knocked on the door a few times.

"Yunniang! Yunniang!"

The door opened.

Yunniang stood at the door, wearing a thin outer garment, her hair loose, as if she was about to go to sleep.

She saw A-Luo and paused for a moment, then asked, "A-Luo? What's wrong?"

A'Luo, panting, took her hand and said, "Yunniang, take your pipa and come with me."

Yunniang was pulled a couple of steps outside, then stopped: "Where are we going? It's so late..."

"Come to my house! The immortal masters are having dinner and want to hear you sing." A'Luo's voice was urgent and fast.

Yunniang hesitated.

She looked down at her old coat, touched her disheveled hair, and whispered.

"I...Isn't it inappropriate for me to look like this? Besides, I'm a widow, won't they mind if I go to your place?"

Aro grabbed her hand and pulled hard, saying, "I don't mind, I don't mind! They're all good people, they won't care about these things. Go get the pipa, I'll wait for you!"

Yunniang was overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, so she turned around and went back into the house. She changed into clean clothes, gathered her hair, tied it up with a silver hairpin, and took the pipa down from the wall.

The pipa was part of her dowry and had been with her for several years. There were a few scratches on the instrument, which her husband had accidentally scratched when he was still alive.

She couldn't bear to replace it and kept using it, and now she's even more reluctant to replace it.

Arlo pulled her along, jogging all the way.

Yunniang, carrying her pipa, followed behind her, panting heavily.

When she arrived at A Luo's house, she stopped, took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and then followed A Luo inside.

In the courtyard, the lanterns cast a dim, yellowish glow at dusk.

The table was littered with cups and plates, and Lü Yang was gnawing on a bear bone, his mouth covered in oil.

Miao Gui held the bowl and drank the soup, slurping it down with gusto.

A'luo led Yunniang to the table and said with a smile, "Immortal Master, Yunniang has arrived."

Yunniang stood there, holding her pipa, looking somewhat awkward.

She looked at the people on the table, her gaze shifting from Lü Yang to Miao Gui, then from Miao Gui to the chubby baby, and finally settling on Ye Qingfeng.

The Taoist priest leaned back in his chair, holding a teacup, and looked at her.

His gaze was calm; he glanced at it briefly, then smiled and nodded slightly.

Lu Yang put down the bear bone in his hand, wiped his hands on his clothes, stood up, and moved a chair over.

"Yunniang, sit down, sit here. I'm sorry to have called you so late."

"Mainly because A-Luo said you sing really well. None of us sing well, so we wanted to hear your celestial music."