Zhou Mo said, "All right!"
Visa held the Jade Flute, and a lilting, melodious tune rose into the quiet night. This "Great Desert Autumn Longing Melody" was recorded in the Soul-Seizing Manual, one of its eight soul-seizing demonic melodies. As the notes entered Zhou Mo's ears, a boundless desert seemed to unfold before his eyes. He saw a great round moon rising from its edge, and a lonely traveler appeared in the landscape within his mind, walking through the desert. Viewed from high above, the traveler looked so solitary and small.
Although Hu Xiaotian had already practiced the soul-stabilizing technique in the Soul-Seizing Manual, he still dared not lower his guard. With Visa playing the demonic melody at such close range, he should, in principle, have been affected just as much as Zhou Mo. The greatest difference was simply that he had prepared himself. Earlier, Hu Xiaotian had strictly forbidden the servants from approaching the garden without permission, precisely to keep the demonic melody from affecting them.
Despite all his preparations, Hu Xiaotian remained exceedingly cautious. He gathered his concentration, practicing Guarding the One, while his inner breath quietly circulated according to the Bodhi No-Mind Zen Method.
Zhou Mo was already entranced. He had held his cup of wine motionless for a long time without even noticing, utterly immersed in the music. The flute sounded bleak and distant one moment, soft and lilting the next. Sometimes it resembled a lonely traveler recounting his weathered past; sometimes it resembled a sorrowful young woman pouring out her heart.
At last, Zhou Mo drained his cup. His eyes grew vacant, as though his spirit had drifted out of his body with the flute's song.
Seeing that the moment had come, Visa played two gentle changes of key before lowering the flute. Her beautiful