Song Yan looked thoughtful at those words.
The Zither Dao, he supposed, resembled sword intent and sword heart in the Sword Dao, placing emphasis on comprehending artistic conception.
And this Master Ye Yin had been stranded on a remote overseas island and gained a sudden realization amid adversity. That, too, had been a fortuitous encounter.
Ye Yin continued, "Later, I was extraordinarily lucky and encountered a merchant fleet's seagoing vessel."
"The fleet had also come through the storm and wanted to stop at the island to rest and make repairs."
"By then, I had broken through my bottleneck in the Zither Dao. I also realized that, as a cultivator, my cultivation was far too low. I probably wasn't yet qualified to see a true immortal kingdom upon the sea."
"So I abandoned my search, hoping to return to the Tang Court sooner, tell my friend about this extraordinary encounter, and play this Dark Sea Tide-Rising Melody for him."
"After I briefly explained my circumstances, the fleet's owner agreed to take me back to the Eastern Dark Sea Archipelago along the way."
"From the Eastern Dark Sea Archipelago, I made my way back to Great Tang, and back to Chang'an."
"Who could have imagined that, after a mere seven or eight years in the Eastern Sea, I would return to Chang'an to find the places unchanged but the people gone?"
"The situation at court had been turned upside down. Though my dear friend, a high official, had weathered decades of struggles in officialdom, even he failed to withstand the repeated false accusations and schemes."
"By the time I returned, his entire household had been executed. I didn't even know where their remains were."
"I built a cenotaph for him and played this melody for him one last time. Later, I was