Laughing in the Mortal World

The Hundred Charm Demoness twisted her body towards the opposite bank of the river. She tried to find the person Yue Qianchou had promised to, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't confirm it.

Others might not understand, but Yan Zixia did. She knew that the person Yue Qianchou was talking about was her. Her beautiful eyes welled up with tears, but fortunately, the moonlight was dim, so it wasn't easy for others to see.

The melody was clear and bright, brewing a carefree charm under the moonlight. Yue Qianchou, with a calm smile on his face, looked around at everyone and softly sang along with the music. "The mortal world is so laughable, infatuation is the most pointless, it's good to be indifferent to everything. This life is not over, but my heart is already undisturbed, I only want to exchange it for half a lifetime of carefree living. I smile at people when I'm awake, and forget everything in my dreams, sighing that the night falls too early. The next life is uncertain, love and hate are wiped away with a stroke of the pen, I only wish to be happy until I grow old while drinking and singing..."

The surprise on everyone's faces turned into attentive listening. Their worries seemed to dissipate with the song, and they were all immersed in it. Some even swayed slightly to the melody involuntarily.

Is this the same foul-mouthed, utterly despicable guy? This kid actually has this side to him! Below, Chou Wuyuan stood frozen, completely dumbfounded. The woman in Ziyi was utterly dumbfounded. Elder Bi's disciple was indeed extraordinary; he had hidden his abilities far too well.

"The world is so ridiculous, and infatuation is the most pointless thing... Are you talking about me, trying to comfort me? So you've always known my heart!" Yan Zixia murmured dreamily.

The moonlight is hazy, the stream flows gently, fireflies dance in the breeze, and there is a light breeze.

As he sang, Yue Qianchou himself entered the melody, his expression detached and serene. A faint smile graced his face as he glanced at the fireflies resting on his shoulder. Singing joyfully in the moonlight, he said, "No matter how cold the wind, I don't want to escape; no matter how beautiful the flowers, I don't desire them. Let me drift. The higher the sky, the smaller my heart. I don't care about cause and effect, I'll just get drunk alone. I'll cry today and laugh tomorrow. I don't ask anyone to understand, I'm full of pride. The song is being sung, the dance is being performed, the long night is endless, I'll find happiness as dawn breaks..."

After repeated listening, the catchy melody was memorized by everyone, and many people hummed it softly, finding that the song could relieve their worries!

The music eventually came to an end, and beauty cannot last forever. The music slowly faded, but the crowd remained immersed in joy, oblivious to the passage of time. Yue Qianchou nodded slightly. It seemed the performance had been well-received. Suddenly, he noticed the Hundred Charm Demoness below watching him with a malicious grin. He frowned, and without a word, picked up the plain zither from his lap and tossed it back to her.

The Hundred Charm Demoness caught the tumbling zither, cradling it gently in her arms. A smug, silvery laugh rang out, startling everyone awake. The gazes directed at Yue Qianchou now held profound respect. To improvise such a beautiful and classic piece—how many in the world could do that? He was truly a prodigy.

Qiu Wuyuan Chou Wuyuan his lips and swallowed hard. He didn't understand the art, but he could still tell from the surface that it sounded "pleasant to listen to." Even a rough man like himself wanted to abandon everything and be carefree after hearing it, which showed the extraordinary charm of the piece. Tsk tsk! Looking at Yue Qianchou, he shook his head in amazement. So this guy wasn't just good at cheating and fighting; he could actually do something so refined! It was truly unexpected—a real talent! He was practically a refined scoundrel!

Yue Qianchou stood up, intending to leave, but then heard the Hundred Charm Demoness below ask with a smile, "Sir, do you really intend to leave like this? A good melody needs a good name to match. Since you have already left the melody, you must tell us the name of the melody!" Everyone looked at Yue Qianchou and nodded slightly.

This thing isn't anything special, and it's not like you can eat it if you just keep it in your mouth. Yue Qianchou said without hesitation, "Let's call it 'Laughing in the Mortal World'!"

"Laughing in the Mortal World? The 'Laughing at the Mortal World' from 'How laughable is the Laughing in the Mortal World'? What a good name!" A glint of surprise flashed in Hundred Charm Demoness's eyes as she nodded in approval. The crowd began to whisper among themselves.

Yue Qianchou flicked a cyan flying sword from his long sleeves and stepped onto it, taking flight. Below, Hundred Charm Demoness, carrying her zither, leaped up and followed behind him. Yue Qianchou glanced back, then immediately stopped in mid-air. Hundred Charm Demoness also stopped with a smile.

"Palace Mistress Ye, why are you following me?" Yue Qianchou asked in astonishment. Hundred Charm Demoness plucked the strings of her zither with a few fingers, and after a few melodious notes, she smiled and said, "Naturally, I'm going back with Master to continue learning from him!"

"Uh... it's too late, it's inconvenient! Let's talk about it another day!" Yue Qianchou glanced at the group of people below and said with a slightly twitching expression.

The Hundred Charm Demoness giggled, "Late? Late is good, it's quiet at night and no one will bother us, perfect for asking your questions!"

Yue Qianchou nearly fell off his sword, his body swaying slightly. He glanced at her semi-transparent clothing and thought to himself, "Master's wife, are you kidding me?! With so many people below, how dare you say such cryptic things? You're dressed like this, coming back with me to spend the night. What will people think?"

The crowd below exchanged bewildered glances. The Hundred Charm Demoness was renowned for her allure, and although no one had witnessed her romantic escapades firsthand, her reputation for promiscuity was widely known in the Cultivation World. Now, this scoundrel was with this wanton woman—that seemed fitting, in their minds.

Fortunately, Yue Qianchou was unaware of his subordinates' thoughts, otherwise he would have summoned the Special Forces Team to wreak havoc!

"You brat, you destroyed my attic! I haven't even settled the score with you yet, and you dare to refuse me?" Hundred Charm Demoness smiled on the surface, but secretly threatened him through telepathy. Yue Qianchou's face stiffened, and he opened his mouth but couldn't say a word. His cultivation level was too low to defend himself through telepathy.

The two remained locked in a stalemate in the air for a while, but in the end Yue Qianchou gave in and flew into Hundred Flower Valley somewhat dejectedly. Hundred Charm Demoness chuckled and followed him.

"The next life is unpredictable, love and hate are wiped clean... Is this what you wanted to tell me?" Yan Zixia below turned back, somewhat lost in thought, still muttering to herself. Once this woman starts daydreaming, anything can fit the mood, anything can be interpreted, and not even ten oxen could pull her back—no, not even ten thousand oxen could pull her back.

After enjoying a lively show, everyone dispersed, thoroughly amused and full of surprises. None of them had expected Yue Qianchou to have such a hidden talent. Truly, appearances can be deceiving!

"Ziyi girl," Wu Licheng said, handing her another incense stick, "There are still plenty of fireworks left, let's keep playing!"

"Yes, yes, let's keep playing." Bi Zicong and the other two responded, and immediately volunteered to take out fireworks from their Storage Bag and start arranging them on the ground. Ziyi took the incense stick, lit a fuse, and watched as a streak of light shot into the sky and exploded with a "bang".

The colors were still vibrant, but she had lost her initial enthusiasm. Her lips pursed slightly, showing a lack of interest. She glanced at the four men setting up the fireworks and couldn't help but compare them to Yue Qianchou. Her brows furrowed slightly. She thought to herself, "As expected of scions of the Aristocratic Clan, all they know is to play around, always following women around. They're so pathetic. It seems when I was with him, I was always following him around. He was always busy, almost never stopping. I was doing just fine with him, how could I end up with these vulgar people playing children's games? So tasteless!"

"That despicable guy! I've been with him for so long, and he can play the piano and compose music, but he never told me. Liar! "Ziyi's pretty face turned cold. She threw the incense in her hand to the ground and turned to leave.

"Hey! Girl in Ziyi, where are you going? There are still so many fireworks here," Bi Zicong called out, and the other three were also taken aback.

"You guys have fun! I'm going back," said the Ziyi without turning her head.

"We'll go back with you," the four said almost in unison. The woman in Ziyi's face darkened, and she abruptly turned around, shouting, "Don't follow me!" With that, she quickly left.

The four watched the slender figure disappear into the moonlight, then exchanged bewildered glances, wondering why Ziyi had suddenly become angry. They were unaware of Ziyi's thoughts; if they had, they would have cried out in protest, "It's not that you want to play this game! What cultivator would play such a thing? We played along, and you think we're vulgar? Where is the justice?!"

"What happened? Did someone make her angry just now?" Tan Fei asked in surprise. Wu Licheng shook his head and said, "Who would dare to make her angry? Maybe they've gotten tired of playing around. Sigh! Women's hearts are really hard to fathom, especially beautiful women."

"Looks like we need to find something new." Bi Zicong nodded in deep agreement. Jing Zuo pointed to the fireworks scattered on the ground and said, "What about these? I still have quite a few in my Storage Bag. Keeping these things in your Storage Bag isn't a good thing. If something goes wrong, they could become explosives."

"What else can we do? She asked us to play, so we'll play! Who knows what she's thinking? This woman is like a child; she might come back to us when she gets interested again." Wu Licheng squatted down and lit a bundle himself.

"Whoosh... Bang!" Fireworks soared into the sky. The other three exchanged glances and lit incense as well... So the four men played there until late at night, until they figured Ziyi wouldn't be coming back. Furious, they dumped all the remaining fireworks from their Storage Bag into the stream.

Over there, Yue Qianchou and Hundred Charm Demoness had just arrived at Hundred Flower Inn when they heard fireworks exploding again. They only glanced back at them. After entering, Yue Qianchou knocked on the counter and said, "Manager, prepare another empty room for me."

The shopkeeper had just nodded in agreement when the Hundred Charm Demoness laughed and said, "No need."

Yue Qianchou turned back with some delight and said, "Palace Mistress Ye, is there something you need to do before leaving? Shall I see you off?" He was really a little afraid of her, and it would be best if he could see her off. But as soon as he finished speaking, Hundred Charm Demoness secretly stretched out a sharp index finger and poked it directly into his lower back, making him wince in pain.

"What? You want to get rid of me?" Hundred Charm Demoness laughed.

"No, you've misunderstood," Yue Qianchou said through gritted teeth. Hundred Charm Demoness glanced upstairs and nodded, "That's good. I have something to discuss with you. Take me to your room."

"Uh... this isn't very convenient! Ouch!" Yue Qianchou had barely opened his mouth when another sharp pain shot through his lower back, so he didn't dare to say anything more and quickly headed upstairs. Hundred Charm Demoness nodded and smiled seductively at the shopkeeper, then followed Yue Qianchou, making the shopkeeper feel as light as a feather.

P. S.: The above is free once it reaches 3,000 words, so as not to harm the interests of readers. Just a little reflection.

'Laughing in the Mortal World' might be the last song to appear in this book. If it's sung again, I'll probably get cursed by the readers. Think about it, what you like might not be liked by everyone. It's probably really inappropriate to put something like this in a paid chapter. I'll put the brakes on the other songs I like later!

Many readers may not have heard the song "Laughing in the Mortal World." I first encountered it many years ago. My impression is that it was sung by Brigitte Lin as Dongfang Bubai, holding a pipa (though it wasn't actually her singing). It immediately captivated me. I'm not a celebrity follower, but her portrayal of Dongfang Bubai in period costume truly drew me in, making her a classic beauty in my eyes. In Tsui Hark's "Swordsman Dongfang Bubai," Brigitte Lin's femininity still lingers in my memory. This kind of feeling is hard to find in modern films. I wonder if it's because of the overuse of technology and the pursuit of blockbuster effects, making it difficult to see such captivating performances anymore, or if today's actors are too superficial? I don't understand this industry, so I can't say for sure.

It's an undeniable fact that women's beauty fades with time. Seeing photos of Brigitte Lin now online by chance filled me with a sense of melancholy. If I truly possessed Ruyi Pill, I would gladly give her one to preserve her youth forever, but that's impossible.

With this final song, "Laughing in the Mortal World," I commemorate Brigitte Lin in my heart, and wish her eternal happiness!

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