Xiang Yun, a peerless beauty, sat openly playing the qin on stage, yet none of the ghostly guests below stared at her face—all were lost in the melody. By the time the song ended and the ghosts regained their senses, Xiang Yun had already quietly left with her instrument.
"How was it?" she asked from the warm chamber beside the music tower. "How does my music compare to the rowdy dancing across the street?"
"Only after hearing you play did I truly understand what they meant by 'a melody that lingers in the rafters for three days,'" Song Miaozhu replied earnestly. "Turns out, that wasn't just ancient exaggeration!"
"The melody lingers for three days? Oh, you flatter me! I'm no Han E!" Xiang Yun laughed. "If you'd come a decade or two earlier, I could've taken you to the Echoing Melody Pavilion to hear Han E's singing. Now that was true lingering resonance!"
"Han E once ran a business here in Fengdu?" Song Miaozhu asked in surprise.
If she hadn't, a ghost from the Warring States period wouldn't have lasted in Fengdu until now.
"That's right. Back then, she lamented being born before the era of spiritual energy. She finally got her wish this time. Of course, now that she's reincarnated, she's left her past behind. Whether she'll sing like she once did? Who knows. As for me—I'm not ready to part with my skills just yet.
"Not everyone's lucky enough to be born with talent or find the right opportunities. I lived through that age, toiled my whole life, and was nothing more than an ordinary woman. Might as well enjoy a carefree afterlife in the underworld."
"Sister Xiang Yun, are you from before the Han Dynasty?" Song Miaozhu's heart stirred. She had found no one in the living world to discuss spiritual energy and cultivation with—but here was a ghost who had lived through that very era!
"Correct," Xiangyun said.
"Then, Sister Xiang Yun, do you know what spiritual energy was like during the resurgence? How can one absorb and harness it?"
"Though I lived in the last age of cultivation, I had no talent for it. All I know is that cultivators sought the Dao, exploring the fundamental truths of heaven and earth to channel spiritual energy and refine themselves. The living world's tales of mountain spirits, demons, and exorcisms all draw inspiration from that time.
Back then, spiritual energy favored nature—the closer one was to the natural world, the easier it was to attract its power and undergo transformation. Now, it's a new era, and new rules will emerge. But I suspect one thing remains unchanged: spiritual energy is still drawn to what it loves. I once dreamed of immortality too and collected some cultivation manuals. They weren't valuable then, let alone now. Take them."
Xiang Yun produced a dark wooden chest filled to the brim with books.
Song Miaozhu accepted them like treasures. "Thank you, Sister Xiang Yun! If I ever master my ancestors' craft, I'll give you a ten percent discount on all paper craft!"
Her ancestor had pioneered the art of paper crafting but hadn't left much in the way of cultivation knowledge—just the basics of the paper craft method. Only through generations of refinements did it become what was now known as the Secret Art of Paper Crafting.
As Xiang Yun said, these old texts might be outdated, but even a little insight could inspire new research into today's cultivation methods.
"I'll hold you to that," Xiang Yun said with a teasing smile. "If you ever change your mind and get stingy on me, I won't let it slide!"
"Don't worry, I won't back out," Miaozhu promised.
A mere ten percent discount wouldn't hurt her profits. She'd never operate on such razor-thin margins anyway—she could easily afford it.
After packing the ancient texts into a spare chest, Song Miaozhu, now too eager to stay longer, bid Xiang Yun farewell. Remembering Xiang Yun's lingering resentment toward the strip club, she added:
"The audiences of Fragrant Cloud Pavilion and that bar aren't even comparable. Even if some ghosts stray there out of novelty, in the long run, your music will win out. Even in Fengdu, where novelty is scarce, gimmicks without substance don't last. And honestly, that bar's patrons probably lack enough virtue to stay here long anyway."
"You're right. Many regulars who went there eventually returned to the qin," Xiang Yun admitted. "I'm not worried about losing business anymore—I just hate how their presence lowers the prestige of my pavilion. No matter how many times I see it, I can't accept such vulgarity. A place like that belongs in Chunyi Alley! Though, with those looks, they'd barely rank there. The only thing they have going for them is the novelty of their dance."
Song Miaozhu: "???"
"Wait—did that mean Chunyi Alley was full of stunning beauties?"
Now she was curious.
"What's with that look?" Xiang Yun chided. "You're young—go admire handsome living men instead of getting tangled up in ghostly affairs. Chunyi Alley ghosts are respectable! They just earn their keep with their looks."
Song Miaozhu: "..."
What an outrageous misunderstanding! Who was the one overthinking here?
She just enjoyed looking at pretty faces—who didn't? And she only liked free views. No way would she pay for it.
No matter how beautiful, nothing was prettier than money!
To prove her innocence, Song Miaozhu left Fragrant Cloud Pavilion without so much as a glance at the bar's dancers. After floating a few dozen meters, she suddenly vanished. She'd been an idiot, walking like a normal ghost when she could've teleported back to the shop anytime with her owner's token!
Back in the store, just as she opened the chest of books, a message arrived on the GhostLink app:
[Qin Master Xiang Yun]: The bar owner followed you. I doubt we can hide it much longer. If they want to buy that sound system—go ahead and sell it. I'm not afraid of them anymore.
[Proprietor Song of Anshou Hall]: I'm not planning to sell large sound systems anymore. Too much hassle to install. Of course, your pavilion is the exception. But I've got a shipment of loudspeakers arriving soon. The underworld might not be so quiet for much longer.
[Qin Master Xiang Yun]: Nicely done! Oh, and if you get the chance, drop by Tiandi Bank. I remember your ancestors used to love that place!
[Proprietor Song of Anshou Hall]: Got it.
Song Miaozhu smiled and closed the GhostLink.
She hadn't considered the hassle of installation before. After learning how to set up speakers and generators, she'd regretted selling them. If not for Xiang Yun's gift and their shared history, she wouldn't have even made an exception for her.
She loved money, but she also knew when to compromise.
Goods from the living world were a temporary venture—paper craft were her real path to profit!