"There's an ox on the distant shore~"
Verdant Green Maiden sang softly.
She raised a hand and waved to Old Yellow Ox, who was running along the shore beside the boat.
Old Yellow Ox saw her gesture.
He stopped dead.
Then, with a flick of his hoof, Old Ox ran off in the opposite direction.
Liu Yong, beside her, did not connect Verdant Green Maiden with Old Yellow Ox.
All he heard in her lingering song was an echo drifting through an empty valley. He could not help looking at her and sighing. "Lady Shao Dian, your singing suits the spirit of this Chu sky remarkably well!"
At her words, Verdant Green Maiden looked at Liu Yong.
"In ancient times, this place was called Cloud Dream Marsh. I lived here for a while."
"I see!"
Liu Yong looked as though everything had fallen into place.
No wonder.
Watching Old Yellow Ox run into the distance, he was suddenly struck by inspiration. He leaned his bamboo pole against the boat and began to recite.
"The east wind blows at dawn; by the bank, new-yellow willow threads sway."
"A wild ox's hooves fly wildly, trampling the sunlight to shards along the dike."
"..."
Verdant Green Maiden raised an eyebrow and turned to Liu Yong.
"That's to the tune of 'Magnolia Blossoms, Shortened Form.' Weren't you bad at writing this kind of verse?"
"Magnolia Blossoms, Shortened Form" had fewer words than "Magnolia Blossoms" and was a short tune. Liu Yong's strength lay in long tunes. After all this time, this was the first time she had seen him compose a short one.
"How could I see such a divine ox and not be inspired?"
Liu Yong laughed.
After a little thought, he said, "I plan to call this piece 'The Ox Arrives.' What