Chapter 225

In the woods, the whispers were like plain speech, lacking the usual rise and fall of someone reciting poetry. It seemed more like a playful conversation, perhaps because the speaker would occasionally laugh while thinking. If not for the lines, "The waning moon hangs on a sparse parasol tree; the clock stops, and people are calm," which were clearly not colloquial, Zhou Bangyan and Li Shishi might have struggled to identify them as poetry.

They stopped there and exchanged glances. Once understood, the lines were indeed exquisitely balanced, clearly rare and beautiful verses, though it was unclear whether they were a poem or a *ci* (lyric). In the light over there, Yunzhu was also leaning against Ning Yi, listening quietly.

Years ago, at Jin Feng Lou, she had encountered many scholars and literati. While alone in the brothel, she had experienced situations where someone would recite a love poem, hoping to impress her. However, she was too preoccupied with her own circumstances to ever be moved by them.

Since being with Ning Yi, their interactions had always been unconstrained. Ning Yi usually didn't act like a great scholar, sometimes composing odd poems or writing bizarre lyrics. Because she had given her heart to him, she found it merely amusing. She knew Ning Yi was highly learned, but this was the first time they had seriously composed *ci* or poetry together like typical scholarly lovers.

When Ning Yi thought for a moment and then recited, "Who sees the solitary wanderer come and go, a faint shadow of a lone wild goose?" she nodded, realizing it was a *Shang Suan Zi*.

Not far away in the woods, Li Shishi glanced at Zhou Bangyan, then softly said, "Shang Suan Zi…" This *ci* had certainly never been heard before. At first listen, it was difficult to categorize, but simply hearing the first stanza felt good. The imagery was profound, yet in Ning Yi's slightly smiling voice, it became relaxed, as if he were telling a story.

"Tsk, startled, then turns back, with a sorrow no one understands. Picking through cold branches, unwilling to perch—the lonely sandbar is cold."

While the two were still meticulously memorizing and savoring the lines, Ning Yi calmly recited the second half of the *ci*. He paused briefly on "picking through cold branches, unwilling to perch" before uttering the rest. Yunzhu thought for a while, her eyes slightly red. She raised a hand and placed it on Ning Yi's hand, stroking her own cheek. After a moment, she softly said, "Picking through cold branches, unwilling to perch—the lonely sandbar is cold. Heng, is this *ci* for me… Do you like it?"

"I like it."

"I don't particularly like it."

"Hehe…"

The two spoke in soft whispers. Over in the woods, the other two finally grasped the entire *ci* in their minds. The *Shang Suan Zi*, with its two stanzas, was only forty-four characters long, yet it perfectly outlined an artistic conception of desolation and longing. Generally, the length of a *ci* doesn't determine its superiority, but it's usually true that longer lines can outline more. However, these forty-four characters, from "the waning moon hangs on a sparse parasol tree" to "the lonely sandbar is cold," almost every line was incredibly rich in information. The two stanzas were perfectly aligned yet seamlessly integrated.

Ning Yi had just composed such a *ci* almost casually. Both the perfect structure of the lines and the sublimation of the artistic conception within them demonstrated the poet's nearly peak poetic skill.

Zhou Bangyan had just felt that "Ying Tian Chang" was a work others would struggle to match. He had been inspired and proud, but at this moment, as he savored "Shang Suan Zi," he didn't know what emotions to feel. He simply looked at Li Shishi, but at this moment, Miss Shishi was also silently reciting the lines in her mind, trying to commit them to memory, having no time for anything else.

Ning Yi and Yunzhu conversed softly for a while. The two in the woods weren't sure whether they should leave. Before they could decide, soft singing reached their ears. Although Li Shishi and Zhou Bangyan were not familiar with Yunzhu, they knew she was a woman. When she hummed a *ci* melody, Li Shishi realized this woman also understood music. She initially thought Yunzhu would sing the *Shang Suan Zi* Ning Yi had just composed, but after a few hums, her soft voice sang, "A myriad of sorrows…"

After the first line, Li Shishi understood what *ci* this was.

"A myriad of sorrows, sorrows boundless, stretching to the ends of the sky. The mountain moon knows not my heart's affairs, the wind on the water vainly scatters the flowers before my eyes. The green clouds sway obliquely.

After dressing, I lean alone on the tower overlooking the river. A thousand sails pass, none are he; the slanting sun gently flows, the water stretches far, my heart breaks on the white rushes island!"

This was "Wang Jiang Nan" by Wen Tingyun from the late Tang Dynasty, depicting a woman leaning on a tower, longing for her husband's return. The lines "A thousand sails pass, none are he; the slanting sun gently flows, the water stretches far, my heart breaks on the white rushes island!" expressed an exquisite sense of longing. It was one of the essential pieces for courtesans to learn, and Li Shishi was extremely familiar with it. To her surprise, the woman before her, with her soft and melodious voice, was in no way inferior to her, and even surpassed her in the emotional depth and beauty of her singing at this moment. Although there was no instrumental accompaniment, as she softly chanted, it seemed as if the entire world melted into the tender warmth of her voice.

Regarding emotion, they were a couple, so it was understandable if she couldn't compare. But in terms of vocal quality and singing technique, Li Shishi felt an unmatchable quality, which somewhat startled her. She naturally didn't know that Yunzhu had been studying Ning Yi's preferred modern singing techniques, blending them with the current singing styles. This not only preserved the artistic conception of contemporary songs but also, in terms of pure beauty and melodiousness, made her singing far more pleasant than others. If someone else were to perform with this technique, it might be criticized as decadent or overly vulgar. However, Yunzhu's own skill had reached the level of a master, and when she sang it now, it was utterly natural and flawless.

Ning Yi's "Shang Suan Zi" earlier was certainly an expression of compassion for her persistence, particularly the line "picking through cold branches, unwilling to perch." But she knew Ning Yi felt he had somewhat wronged her in this matter, which was why the *ci*'s imagery carried a hint of sadness. At this moment, she used "Wang Jiang Nan" as a response. Her singing was relaxed and beautiful, not sorrowful, using "A thousand sails pass, none are he" to echo "picking through cold branches, unwilling to perch," and conveying her longing for his swift return. After finishing the song, she was slightly shy, leaning against Ning Yi, letting him embrace her.

Previously, at Jin Feng Lou, when scholars recited words of praise or expressed admiration through poetry, she, though always intelligent and literate, had never had the heart to respond. It was only now, immersed in love, that she tasted the romance within this literary and poetic essence, subtly intoxicated in her heart.

The two in the nearby woods, after hearing the *ci*, were also slightly moved. Perhaps the scene of scholars and beauties in the water towns of Jiangnan, described in legendary novels, was exactly like this.

After a long while, Ning Yi finally laughed, "Are you competing with me in *ci*? Hehe."

"I just suddenly felt like singing."

"Hmm, very nice."

Ning Yi looked up at the sunlight filtering down: "However, the imagery in both these *ci* is a bit melancholic. That's not good."

"When Heng comes back, I'll sing happy *ci*."

"Hmm, let me think…" He pondered for a while, and the woods fell silent. It was already noon, and sunlight shone on the grass between the trees. Small spring flowers dotted the view. A moment later, a different kind of imagery emerged.

"Clever clouds weave their art, flying stars convey their sorrow, the Milky Way stretches far, secretly crossing. When the Golden Wind and Jade Dew meet, they surpass countless unions in the human world. Their tender feelings like water, their blessed moments like a dream…"

On the other side, Li Shishi and Zhou Bangyan were stunned. They had seen many lovers, and many scholarly lovers who spouted poetry when expressing affection, but they had never seen anyone toss out such *ci* as if it were a game. Ning Yi was in a cheerful mood, and the lines flowed smoothly: "...How can they bear to look back on the path to the Magpie Bridge? If feelings last forever, why must they be confined to day and night?"

This *ci* was easier to understand than the previous "Shang Suan Zi," and its superior quality was also more apparent. Zhou Bangyan swallowed silently. Relatively speaking, a woman would be more easily moved by such lines. Li Shishi's hand lightly clutched her lapel, trembling slightly. As for Zhou Bangyan, he was a *ci* composer skilled in writing about scenery and emotions, so he could better appreciate the quality of such *ci*. He had also composed *ci* for the Qixi Festival. If "When will the bright moon appear?" meant no one needed to compose Mid-Autumn *ci* anymore, then if "Que Qiao Xian" were released now, he… might not be able to compose Qixi *ci* anymore.

If after hearing the previous "Shang Suan Zi," he still felt somewhat unaffected by Ning Lihang's prior reputation, then after this one, he could only recall Ning Yi's total of five *ci*.

Ning Yi laughed, "Come on, come on, do you like this one? You sing again, and I'll give you another one…" "Hmm, this one is truly for you."

"He's going to…?" Zhou Bangyan and Li Shishi were somewhat speechless. Yunzhu, on the other hand, softly recited the *ci*, moved for a long while: "Isn't it enough that I've lost? Actually, I also liked Heng's previous *Shang Suan Zi*…" "They're all yours." Ning Yi thought for a moment, then sighed with some hesitation, "Actually, I feel that 'If feelings last forever, why must they be confined to day and night' is a bit… low. Should I change it?"

"Don't change it!" Yunzhu grabbed his hand, her face flushing a moment later, "I… I really like it."

"You liked it before but didn't say?"

"You have to be inspired, Heng!"

"As long as you like it, that's fine." Ning Yi said, then thought for a while and hugged her. "Uh, ask what love is in the world, that it makes one live and die for it. A pair of birds flying south and north, how many winters and summers have their old wings endured…"

Yunzhu narrowed her eyes, her heart filled with what felt like honey. Then she suddenly struggled, "Don't compose anymore, don't compose anymore… If you compose so much at once, what if you're not here later? I won't listen anymore…"

"Uh. Not listening anymore, huh…?" The two chatted and laughed, their joyful voices spreading through the woods.

On the other side, Zhou Bangyan and Li Shishi emerged from the woods, their faces somewhat pale when they saw the crowd. Li Shishi clutched her lapel, trembling slightly. If the first *Shang Suan Zi* had only amazed her, hearing the second *Que Qiao Xian* recited so casually had already startled her somewhat. How could this be? And then the third… "A pair of birds flying south and north, how many winters and summers have their old wings endured…" "How many winters and summers have their old wings endured…" What was after that…?

Her heart pounded, and her brow furrowed slightly.