Only Take One Flute

"Woo... whimper... woo woo..."

Hu Yun raced through Niu Kui Mountain with two stalks of purple bamboo still bearing branches and leaves over his shoulder, and every so often, they produced a burst of pleasant music.

The Little Paper Crane no longer perched on Hu Yun's head. Instead, she stood atop one of the purple bamboo stalks, swaying along with it. Whenever a "woo" sounded, her two wings flapped especially hard, rising with the pitch as she played to her heart's content.

The sky had only just turned dark when they left. By the time they returned to Ning'an County, the county town had fallen quiet. Before they even entered the city, they could already hear dogs barking from its deep and secluded reaches.

"Shh... Little Paper Crane, hold onto these two bamboo stalks. Don't let them make any more noise."

Hearing this, the Little Paper Crane tilted her head at Hu Yun, but she still did as told. One paper wing to each side, she lightly curled them around the bamboo tips and instantly suppressed every faint tremor in the stalks. Naturally, no more sound emerged.

The next instant, Hu Yun took a running start and darted straight up Ning'an County's city wall. Then, from the other side, he leaped away, gliding into the depths of Ning'an County. He was so nimble across the rooftops that he scared half the cats in Ning'an County to death. The other half either had not seen him or were old cats who had seen Hu Yun before.

When the fox and crane returned to Ju'an Pavilion in high spirits, only Ji Yuan and Mother Jujube remained in the courtyard. Ji Yuan raised his head to look at Hu Yun and the Little Paper Crane entering through the gate, then his gaze fell