Suspicion Without Evidence

Bodhi Temple, in the eastern part of the Great Wilderness.

Xi Yue was playing chess with an old monk at a stone table in the courtyard outside the Zen Temple's guest rooms.

"You usually value Bodhi Dew so much and are very stingy with it, so why did you lend it to the winged man so readily this time?"

The old monk smiled and placed a piece, "If something really happens to Jianmu, it's a matter of great importance to the world, not just to the Yu people. We can't be petty, we can't be petty."

Xi Yue scoffed, "The monk is dishonest. You look so relaxed, but I don't sense any worry at all."

The old monk smiled kindly, "The art of divination is not necessarily exclusive to you, benefactor."

"You've calculated the results; Jianmu is fine, and we might not even need your nectar. So, why not do me a favor?"

"Exactly."

Xi Yue became interested. "What kind of divination?"

"Dead Trees Sprout."

"?" Xi Yue asked in astonishment, "Are you sure you know the meaning of this divination?"

The old monk's smile grew even more amiable, "Ah? Doesn't it mean withered wood coming back to life?"

"That's an old woman... Never mind, if it applies to Jianmu, then your interpretation can't be said to be wrong." Xi Yue pouted and casually replied, "Anyway, it has nothing to do with me."

The old monk laughed and said, "Of course, who would dare call you an old woman?"

Xi Yue snorted, her face extremely sour. "Yes."

With a "smack," the chess piece landed, almost shattering the chessboard. "Stern Orange Peel Old Daoist Nun? You just wait."

The old monk's face twitched slightly, then he slowly said, "Actually, the problem with the Jianmu branch of the Feathered People reflects a very serious matter. Aren't you concerned, benefactor?"

Xi Yue casually said, "Does this reflect that the Jianmu tree itself is already in decline? Otherwise, it would be difficult to damage its branches using ordinary methods... It can only mean that it is no longer strong enough and is no longer the Jianmu tree we know."

"Yes... you are still wise enough to see the truth." The old monk pondered, "The Jianmu tree is deeply connected to this world; if something goes wrong..."

Xi Yue said calmly, "We can't even get in, so what's there to think about?"

The old monk remained silent.

Xi Yue glanced at him. "Stop pretending to be all concerned about the world. I don't believe you can't guess the root cause of Jianmu's decline."

The Heavenly Being plunder ninety percent of the Spiritual Qi of the world, and the energy supply needed by the Jianmu tree simply cannot keep up, so it will inevitably decline sooner or later. Anyone who knows that the Heavenly Being exist doesn't even need to guess the reason for this.

The only question is why the Heavenly Being didn't directly occupy the Jianmu tree, and whether they had some secret discussions with the Dragon Son.

The old monk sighed.

Xi Yue said, "If you dare not ask about the fundamental factors, what's the use of asking about the Jianmu tree?"

The old monk said calmly, "Does the benefactor dare to ask?"

"I dare, it's just inconvenient."

"So what's the difference...?"

Xi Yue was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Anyway... there's someone there. I'd like to know how much he can uncover."

The old monk was taken aback. "Could it be... the person who drank with you, benefactor?"

"Snap!" Xi Yue slammed down another chess piece, her eyebrows furrowing. "You have countless descriptions, why choose this one?"

The old monk grinned. "Because... it's too rare."

Xi Yue glared angrily, while the monk smiled amiably. Just then, another monk rushed in. "The envoy from the Feathered People has arrived and returned the Bodhi Branch."

The old monk clapped his hands and laughed, "Indeed, the Dead Trees Sprout."

Xi Yue felt that he was hinting at someone, but she had no proof.

Guided by two winged beings, An'an arrived at Qin Yi's new residence.

This was no longer the courtyard of her confinement; it was the residence of the core leaders of the Feathered People, nestled beside the sacred temple and beneath the sacred tree. The pool in the courtyard was a spring of Spiritual Qi, and the ravine behind the house was a Mother-Child Water, instantly giving it a high-class and sophisticated feel, with extremely strict security. An'an carefully passed through the numerous guards, only to be greeted with friendly smiles from the Feathered People, who all said, "The Husband instructed that Princess An'an can go directly to see him upon her arrival, without needing to announce her arrival."

Then they assigned two winged girls to guide her.

An'an felt somewhat relieved, thinking to herself that the gentleman was indeed a gentleman. The greatest sign of a gentleman is that he remembers kindness and would not take her, the Clam Clan's, sacrifices for granted.

It's good that you have the intention; at least you won't feel like your good intentions have been wasted.

As for what will happen next, An'an doesn't know. Currently, the Nine Great Kings hasn't shown any reaction to the Clam Girl, seemingly without any resentment... hopefully, it never will.

Whether or not there is a concert, the Clam Girl still has to do her best to attend the Qiu Niu King's concert, and she still needs to continue learning the flute.

An'an knocked on Qin Yi's door. "Sir, An'an has come to learn the flute."

The door was ajar and not under any force; it opened easily with a knock.

Qin Yi was sitting at his desk by the window, writing something with a pen in one hand. He stood there frozen, staring blankly as she burst in. There was a commotion under the desk, and soon a pair of wings emerged. Then, the wings covered her face, and she ran away in a flash.

An'an couldn't understand this silent farce at all. What was Yu Shang doing under the table? And why was she running around in such a hurry? She didn't even say hello. How rude!

"S-Sir?" Seeing Qin Yi's twitching face, An'an asked cautiously, "Did I disturb you, sir?"

"No, no." Qin Yi coughed twice and sat up straight. "You've come at the right time. I'm writing a new score for you."

An'an breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward with a delighted expression. Sure enough, he was writing a new score, and he was already halfway through. After several days of instruction, An'an was no longer a complete novice. She could tell that the score wasn't for solo performance, but probably for ensemble.

"There are still more than ten days until the concert. I think you can barely learn the basics of the flute, but it's unlikely that you can play anything really well." Qin Yi said as expected, "I asked the Feathered People, and they said that the King just wants good music, not necessarily for all your tribes to perform. If you can bring in outside help and play music that satisfies him, he will only be happy and will have no objections."

An'an nodded. "Yes, His Majesty only wishes to receive different kinds of music, without any racial restrictions. To be honest, An'an had thought the same thing before, and wanted Mr. An'an to go with him... but I was afraid he wouldn't agree, so I was too embarrassed to bring it up."

Qin Yi laughed and said, "I'm not trying to take advantage of you. To be honest, I want to get closer to Qiu Niu and hope you can take me in. So it's me asking you, not the other way around."

An'an smiled, "Sir, you are indeed a gentleman of integrity. Since that's the case, it's a win-win situation that everyone agrees on, so why is anyone asking anyone for favors?"

Qin Yi said, "Then you read the score. We'll focus on practicing this piece intensively these days."

An'an bowed and said, "Yes."

Yu Shang, who had just run out, returned wiping her mouth, glaring at An'an and saying, "You usually hide yourself away like a shell, but how come you can talk so fluently in front of my Husband, speaking more smoothly than anyone else? All that talk about being a gentleman, being open and honest, and hitting it off immediately... How exactly do you intend to hit it off with my Husband?"

It wasn't a big deal when no one was around, but after someone said that, An'an's face turned bright red.

The clam shell snapped shut, and a pillar stood upright in the center. From within the pillar came a voice on the verge of tears. "Just... just an ensemble..."

Yu Shang opened her mouth, but this feeling of being bullied had lost all the thrill of a fight. It wasn't as satisfying as fighting with that Daoist Nun and the Witch back then; it was so boring.

Qin Yi was also filled with ellipses, when he suddenly realized a serious problem.

These days, I feel that An'an is pretty normal except for not quite grasping the concepts... But judging from her performance, could it be that she will be locked up like a pillar when it comes to performing in front of an audience?

What's the point of playing ball then?

Daily training and performing in front of an audience are two different things. Many people can yell at their teammates for ten minutes straight without breaking a sweat, but when they stand on a stage, they stammer and can't utter a single word. What's the use of playing well in practice if you completely fall apart on stage?

"This won't do." Qin Yi, who was teaching music for the first time, finally realized the key problem. He got up, paced back and forth a few times, stood by the pillar, and tapped the clam shell.

The clam shell opened a crack, and beautiful eyes blinked inside.

Qin Yi said with a stern face, "When it comes to playing the flute, you regard me as your teacher, right?"

"Yes, yes, An'an is sincerely learning the flute."

"So you'll follow all my training methods, right?"

An'an sensed something was wrong, and her voice lowered. "Yes..."

"Alright, from now on, open your clam shell wide and don't close it, then stand at the entrance of the Winged Human Holy Hall for one hour."

"Huh?" An'an's face turned green.

"Pfft..." Yu Shang burst out laughing. This was the time when countless winged people went to the temple to pray. Would this girl faint if she stood there with her clam shell open for an hour to be stared at?

The shame and anger vanished instantly; she even felt that her Husband was standing up for her.

Yes, it must be.