22: Chapter 22 Birds in the Woods

His heart was currently a raging storm, and he was mentally slapping himself: 'Why the hell did my hands have to be so itchy and make a guitar!

Why the hell did my mouth have to be so itchy and sing a song! Wouldn't it have been better to just be a quiet fisherman?!'

Now look at this, I've been targeted by this little ancestor! Where am I supposed to conjure up an ancient book for her! I really can't believe myself!'

Just as Li Guidai's CPU was about to overheat from racking his brains to come up with an explanation, and he was so anxious he was about to explode on the spot,

Zhuge Xingyue watched his embarrassed state—scratching his ears and cheeks, his face flushed red—and suddenly let out a giggle, as pleasant as silver bells.

She stopped pressing him, straightened her body, and extended a slender, jade-like finger to tap the guitar in Li Guidai's arms. With a playful expression that seemed to say "I'm letting you off the hook," she said:

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore! Look how scared you are~ How about this, you use this... um, guitar? Right, guitar! You use it to sing me another song. If it sounds good, I won't press you about it today. How about that?"

After a long while, Li Guidai looked at Zhuge Xingyue's "if you don't sing, I won't leave" stance and knew he couldn't escape today. He sighed helplessly and said resignedly: "Fine!"

He didn't know why, but perhaps it was the scene, or perhaps it was the young girl before him, who despite her noble status, revealed a hint of loneliness, that made the high-spirited and passionate song "Bird in the Forest" from his past life inexplicably surface in his mind.

He felt that certain elements in this song might... well, help him bluff his way through?

He mobilized the meager magic power within his body and attempted to infuse it into the "Golden Phoebe Guitar" in his hands.

The beast-tendon strings vibrated slightly, producing a timbre different from before, one with a touch of roughness and power, barely managing to capture a hint of rock and roll.

He tried a few chords and felt it was passable.

Taking a deep breath, he strummed the strings forcefully, with a "go for broke" attitude, and began to sing:

"Running without time to pray, always feeling how wonderful the outside world is... Trading a few tears for pride, I want glory even if it's only for a second!"

Under the infusion of his magic power, his voice was much louder than usual, carrying a primal, unrestrained impact.

"I am just like that little bird in the forest, struggling to break free and rush into the embrace of the blue sky, bravely spreading my arms and closing my eyes, the distance is only one step away!..."

The singing echoed by the lakeside, filled with a longing for freedom and the distance, as well as that desperate drive to break free from all constraints.

Zhuge Xingyue, standing to the side, saw the playful smile on her lips gradually tighten.

When she heard "I am just like that little bird in the forest, struggling to break free and rush into the embrace of the blue sky," her heart felt like it had been hit hard by something.

That's right... the genius Second Young Lady of the Zhuge Family, seemingly infinitely glamorous and showered with love. Yet, every time the family recruited a new son-in-law, her father would bring her and her sister out like fine porcelain on display, using their presence to inspire, or rather, entice those youths.

How was she any different from a bird locked in a magnificent cage?

Seemingly possessing everything, yet unable to even decide the direction of her own flight.

How could she not want to break free from these seemingly splendid, but actually invisible, shackles and rush into the embrace of the blue sky that truly belonged to her?

Thinking of this, her eyes felt sore, and crystalline tears began to well up. She tried hard to tilt her head back, not wanting the tears to fall.

The song ended with Li Guidai's slightly hoarse but powerful final note.

The lakeside fell into a brief silence.

Zhuge Xingyue blinked rapidly, forcing back the tears that were about to fall, and tried hard to put on her usual willful and calm demeanor. She lifted her chin slightly and spoke in a deliberately flat tone:

"Hmm... not bad. I'll consider you passed. Today... this young lady won't pursue the origin of that 'ancient book' of yours."

Upon hearing this, Li Guidai felt as if he had heard music from the heavens!

Fearing that this unpredictable Second Young Lady might change her mind, he didn't even bother with polite pleasantries. He hurriedly hugged his precious guitar to his chest, shouting: "Thank you, Miss Xingyue! Farewell!"

Then, he scrambled away, running wildly toward Qingling Pass as if his life depended on it. His speed was even faster than when he was chased by the big yellow dog at the village entrance years ago, his retreating figure as disheveled as a startled rabbit.

Watching his comical, life-fleeing appearance, Zhuge Xingyue finally couldn't help but let out a giggle, her crisp laughter echoing by the lake.

She shouted toward the direction where Li Guidai had disappeared, deliberately raising her voice: "Hey! Why are you running so fast? I'm not going to eat you!"

However, when Li Guidai's figure completely vanished at the end of her line of sight, her laughter gradually faded.

Although a trace of a smile still lingered on her lips, a hint of faint loss and sadness, which even she hadn't noticed, flashed in the depths of her eyes.

"Running so fast... am I that scary?"

She muttered to herself, lightly kicked a small stone at her feet, and watched it skip across the lake surface a few times before finally sinking to the bottom.

She stood there, gazing in the direction where Li Guidai had disappeared, then looked down at her own slender fingers. The melody of "Bird in the Forest" seemed to still echo in her ears, and the resonance triggered by the song regarding the "bird in a cage" could not calm down for a long time.

Li Guidai jogged all the way back to Qingling Pass, still feeling lingering fear, his mind replaying the awkward scene of being "interrogated" by Zhuge Xingyue at the lake.

He shook his head and sighed: "What kind of situation is this... I clearly only wanted to quietly rely on my wife, be affectionate with her, and improve my cultivation. Why do I keep attracting these troublesome matters?

Those protagonist-template emotional entanglements, the curiosity of young ladies—can't you all just stay away from me!"

Dejectedly, he pushed open the stone door of Cave Dwelling No. 250, preparing to greet the usual cold emptiness, but unexpectedly discovered warm candlelight inside, and... it seemed there were two figures?

Looking closely, oh! My Yueer is back!

Li Guidai's mood immediately turned from overcast to clear, a smile appearing on his face unconsciously. Longing from many days surged in his heart, and he habitually wanted to lean in, just like usual, to affectionately pat his wife's firm, rounded bottom to relieve his "lovesickness" from these past days.

However, his hand had only been raised halfway when his smile froze on his face.

Because only then did he see clearly that standing beside Zhuge Yue was another girl!