Chapter 054: Deceive Song Ye Once More!

Qin Xuanxi questioned Su Yunhe again, "Did the Flute Immortal ever return to see you after that?"

"No," Su Yunhe shook her head. "After the Flute Immortal left, I set up the barrier on Ink Bamboo Mountain once more, and even strengthened its power. This barrier has been maintained for fifteen years now, until it was broken by you, the Demon Lord of Xuanyuan."

"Then how can you be certain that the Flute Immortal will appear on your daughter's wedding day?" Qin Xuanxi pressed further.

"It's all because of the zither piece 'Long Night,'" Su Yunhe explained. "The 'Lanyu Heart Sutra' that has been passed down in our Solitary Jade Sect is a qin-playing cultivation method. I composed 'Long Night' with great care to perfectly align with the Lanyu Heart Sutra. Only those who can channel the Lanyu Heart Sutra can truly perform 'Long Night' to perfection. Years ago, the Flute Immortal and I played this piece together, but that performance left a regret in our hearts. The Flute Immortal’s flute technique had reached its peak, but my rendition of 'Long Night' always fell short, unable to blend flawlessly with his flute. The fault lay with the Lanyu Heart Sutra: unless a woman remains untouched, her practice of the Sutra will always be lacking, and it will mar the music of 'Long Night.' At the time, my daughter was already several months old, and naturally, I was no longer a maiden. Yet, I longed to make up for this regret in my heart, hoping that 'Long Night' could one day be performed with the Flute Immortal in an unparalleled duet."

"So I promised the Flute Immortal that when my daughter Qingyu grew up, I would teach her both the Lanyu Heart Sutra and the piece 'Long Night.' I hoped that she could, on my behalf, achieve with the Flute Immortal a zither and flute duet without equal through the ages. Of course, should Qingyu lose her innocence before then, she too would be unable to render a perfect 'Long Night.' That is why it must be done before her wedding night."

"The Flute Immortal, too, promised that on my daughter’s wedding day, he would appear. Otherwise, once my daughter is married and no longer pure, he would never again have the chance to hear the most flawless performance of 'Long Night.'"

This time, Su Yunhe truly revealed everything without reservation to Qin Xuanxi. Qin Xuanxi believed her, for Su Yunhe would not dare to lie while her daughter's life still hung in the balance inside the Demon Lord Taixuan.

"In these fifteen years, are you certain the Flute Immortal has never returned?" Qin Xuanxi pressed for confirmation.

"Never!" Su Yunhe replied. "As I just said, for these fifteen years, the barrier around Ink Bamboo Mountain remained intact. My daughter and I have never left, nor seen any outsiders."

Qin Xuanxi pondered that, according to Su Yunhe, should the Flute Immortal truly desire a perfect performance of 'Long Night,' he would have to appear before Su Qingyu’s wedding night. Since the Flute Immortal was hiding and difficult to track, Qin Xuanxi decided the best strategy was to wait patiently, letting the prey come to her.

Fifteen years ago, when the Flute Immortal last appeared at Ink Bamboo Mountain, Su Yunhe’s daughter was less than a year old—a mere infant. Thus, the Flute Immortal had no idea what the grown Su Qingyu looked like. Likewise, he had never seen Qin Xuanxi’s true face. Though Qin Xuanxi was the Wine Immortal’s disciple, the Wine Immortal had sworn to the world never to take on a student, so no one knew he had secretly trained Qin Xuanxi. Whenever the Flute Immortal came to visit, the Wine Immortal would first hide Qin Xuanxi away, ensuring the Flute Immortal never glimpsed her.

This provided Qin Xuanxi with an opportunity to impersonate Su Qingyu. As soon as the Flute Immortal showed himself, Qin Xuanxi would have the chance to capture him off guard.

Of course, to fool the Flute Immortal, Qin Xuanxi would need to master the Solitary Jade Sect’s secret art, the Lanyu Heart Sutra, as well as attain exquisite skill with the zither, and learn to play 'Long Night.' This presented no difficulty, since the sect leader herself was present. Moreover, as someone who contained both immortal and demonic powers, Qin Xuanxi could also cultivate immortal methods. Even her master, the Wine Immortal, was unaware of her dual nature, so the Flute Immortal would never suspect that the woman skilled in the Lanyu Heart Sutra was, in fact, the Demon Lord of Xuanyuan in disguise.

Precisely because the Flute Immortal would never imagine Qin Xuanxi capable of using immortal arts, he would dare appear before her, believing her to be the real Su Qingyu.

"Su Yunhe, if you truly wish to save your daughter, hand over the secret manual of the 'Lanyu Heart Sutra' and the score for 'Long Night' to me," Qin Xuanxi demanded.

Su Yunhe was surprised—what use would a demon lord have for an immortal sect’s heart sutra? Yet, the Lanyu Heart Sutra was strictly forbidden from being passed on to outsiders; she could not go against the rules of her ancestors. But she had only one daughter, and the Solitary Jade Sect had only this one disciple. If she refused, both mother and daughter would die at Qin Xuanxi’s hands, and the sect would be lost forever.

For a moment, Su Yunhe was torn. But for the sake of her daughter’s life, for the future of the sect—both private and public reasons—after much deliberation, Su Yunhe handed over the sole copy of the Lanyu Heart Sutra and the score of 'Long Night' to Qin Xuanxi.

With the sutra and the score in hand, Qin Xuanxi thought that, once she had mastered them, she could simply wait here for the Flute Immortal to walk into her trap. But if he delayed too long, she had a final plan: to marry in Su Qingyu’s name and lure the Flute Immortal out.

After all, the Flute Immortal knew that once Su Qingyu had consummated her marriage, lost her innocence, he would have to wait who knows how many years for another perfect duet. And he had already promised Su Yunhe to appear on Su Qingyu’s wedding day.

Now that Qin Xuanxi was to impersonate Su Qingyu, if she needed a wedding to draw the Flute Immortal out, a suitable groom was ready at hand—Song Ye, the honest and loyal villager from Autumn Whisper Village. She was already betrothed to him, after all. She would only need to tell Song Ye that Qin Xiyi was not her true name, that her real identity was Su Qingyu of the Solitary Jade Sect, and trick him one more time.

After all, someone as honest as Song Ye, who had already been deceived once, would surely fall for it again. Besides, Qin Xuanxi had never told Song Ye her true background; this was the perfect opportunity to appear before him as a disciple of the Solitary Jade Sect, and at the same time fulfill her promise to marry him.

As for the consummation of the marriage, that was entirely in her hands. Without her consent, what man would dare lay a finger on her?