Not following the expected path? Reborn and unexpectedly married to a demon.

Others didn't feel any sense of intimacy; they only thought the people in the painting were beautiful, and the painting possessed a strange, sacred power that made people afraid to stare at it for too long.

It didn't feel like Chu Luo had described at all.

Upon hearing Chu Luo's words, Qi Tianqing smiled and said, "You have a connection with this place, and with the person in the painting. You feel a sense of familiarity with the person in the painting, which means she probably likes you too."

This painting looks quite old.

"Where is the person in the painting now?" Chu Luo asked.

"She's no longer here," Qi Tianqing replied with a smile.

In fact, Chu Luo had vaguely sensed it as well.

"Here's the pipa. Do you think it's still usable after all these years?" Daoist Qi Tianqing handed the pipa to Chu Luo.

Chu Luo tightened and loosened the pipa strings, tuned them, and then gently plucked them. The strings produced a clear, resonant sound, indicating that it was a fine pipa.

Chu Luo sat down, holding her pipa, and asked, "Daoist Tianqing, what kind of music did the senior in the painting like?"

Qi Tianqing smiled; Chu Luo was indeed a polite child.

"She was naturally fond of lively gatherings and liked listening to cheerful music. She would listen to different music at different times, and she especially loved gazing at the moon under the pine trees while enjoying music and a drink."

Qi Tianqing looked at the portrait and recalled the bright and cheerful girl from that time.

Chu Luo immediately picked up her pipa and played a piece called "Meeting Joy".

She revised the piece, no longer the gentle and joyful style of the first encounter, but a straightforward and sincere expression of the joy of first meeting.

After the piece was finished, it truly gave people a glimpse into the joys and sorrows, and the lively atmosphere of the mortal world.

The young Taoist priest, still unsettled, asked, "Is the area down the mountain really that interesting?"

Qi Tianqing laughed loudly, "At such a young age, you've certainly developed a pair of good ears. Whether it's interesting down the mountain or not, others can't say for sure; you have to go and see for yourself."

"Master, aren't you afraid that after this young Taoist priest goes down the mountain, he'll be tempted by all the dazzling lights and never come back? Are you really willing to let go of such a clever young Taoist priest like me?"

Qi Tianqing laughed loudly upon hearing this, and Chu Luo laughed as well.

“Cultivating Tao is a choice in life, not a necessity. In this vast world, with all its flavors, as long as it doesn’t harm the heavens or reason, choose what you like,” Master Tianqing said calmly, not minding at all.

Chu Luo felt that the high steps of Wangchen Mountain were probably designed to prevent too many disciples from climbing up, as those who were not sincere, lacked physical strength, or couldn't undo the spells along the way would not be able to make it.

Chu Luo has added another task to her daily routine: playing the pipa.

She changed the score for the qin (a seven-stringed zither) to the pipa (another seven-stringed zither) score. Because of her superb skills, she believed that after practicing the pipa several times, it could also have a calming and nourishing effect on the mind.

As she practiced, she tried to use the pipa to disturb people's minds. One day, the piece she revised sounded fine, but it almost caused a fight among several young Taoist priests on Wangchen Mountain who were really enjoying listening to music.

She realized that the music could both calm and disturb the mind, but this particular piece was a bit too weak.

Every day on Wangchen Mountain, she would go to the room where the painting was located and play the pipa for that lovely senior.

Although it was a painting by one person, Chu Luo felt as if that interesting senior was keeping her company in that room.

Listening to her music also soothed her in some mysterious way, making her feel at ease and peaceful.

The night before she left, she took the painting down and brought it to the ancient pine tree on the mountaintop where her predecessors used to enjoy the moon, listen to music, and have a drink.

"Senior, the moonlight is beautiful tonight. You must have been cooped up in that room for too long. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to come to Wangchen Mountain again. Tonight, I'll play a piece for you in your favorite way."

Chu Luo looked at the starry sky, the full moon hanging like a jade plate in the sky, and the gentle breeze blowing through the mellow wine, filling the air with its aroma.

Chu Luo raised a glass to the painting and said, "Senior, I don't know why, but I just inexplicably like you. Looking at you makes me feel like I can do what I want to do."

After having a few drinks herself, she picked up her pipa and started playing.

As they played, the moonlight shone down, draping the mountains and forests in a gentle, shimmering white veil.

Chu Luo looked up at the moon, momentarily stunned by the dazzling night sky, and murmured, "The moon of today is not the moon of ancient times, yet the moon of today once shone on the ancients. Senior, were you also once awestruck by such beauty?"

The wind blows across the painting, and the painting sways slightly, as if it is replying to her through the wind.

In this moment, a new melody welled up in her heart and flowed from the strings under her fingers.

It shines brightly with the moonlight, becoming one with it, transcending time.

After the song ended, Chu Luo looked at the painting. She wanted to ask her senior if he liked the music, but she noticed that there were several places on the painting that were shining brightly in the moonlight.

She rubbed her eyes, thinking she had been drinking and the wind had made her dizzy.

No matter how much she rubbed it, the painting still glowed, and Chu Luo was then certain that the light was coming from the painting.

She walked up to the painting; there was nothing wrong with the front of it, the light was coming from the back.

There were some words flashing on the back of the painting. Chu Luo copied them down by the moonlight. It was a piece of music and a set of numbers.

Qu Zichu recognized it immediately; it was a pipa piece, but she didn't know what the numbers meant.

The more she looked, the more blurry her vision became, and she became so tired that she lay down and fell asleep by the table.

She woke up to find a woman of enchanting beauty sitting on the other side of the table.

When Chu Luo saw the real person, she called her "senior" in disbelief.

"Chu Luo, thank you for playing music for me every day. I haven't heard such beautiful music in a long time. I especially loved your 'Moonlight' just now; I could feel the gentle moonlight shining on me as soon as I heard it."

Chu Luo was very happy to hear that her senior liked it; he truly was her kindred spirit.

.

"I used to love two songs, one was called 'Respecting Old Age' and the other was called 'Dismounting in Chang'an,' and now I have another one."

Chu Luo remembered that the song she had just copied from the back of the painting was called "Respect for White Hair".

Although she had never played that piece before, she sensed that it was no ordinary piece while copying it.

"The poem behind the scroll?"

"Yes, the information for the other piece is also there, but it's pointless to just put it there; we need to decipher the numbers to find it."

Chu Luo loves the pipa and is especially fond of good pieces. Solving puzzles and searching for music further piques her interest.

Seeing the sparkle in Chu Luo's eyes, the senior smiled, patted Chu Luo's head, and thought to himself that this girl really suited him.

"All I ever wanted was a daughter, to dress her up beautifully, to take her to see all the sights in the world, and to let her experience all the interesting things in the world. Unfortunately, I never had that wish in my lifetime. Seeing how happy you are has rekindled that desire in me."

Chu Luo looked at her senior, speechless for a moment.

"Does the senior prefer girls?"

The older woman smiled and nodded, "Girls are so wonderful. Before I got pregnant, I tried many methods to have a girl. I even chose the best-looking fathers and aunts for my child."

"You even pick and choose your child's aunt?" Chu Luo asked, puzzled.

"I've heard that daughters resemble their fathers and are very likely to resemble their aunts, so I've even considered that. If all goes as expected, I should have a daughter as beautiful and intelligent as you."

This was the first time Chu Luo had ever seen someone go to such lengths.

"Was it as expected or as surprising?"