With the strum of his right hand, a melodious tune wafted to the heights as he lightly said to her, “Sing a song.”
As soon as he made the request, the zither notes surged forth like crashing waves.
There was a worldly struggle in the music. But the pain it told carried a loftiness like that of someone who was looking down at the chaos from above.
Chen Rong moved her lips, softly singing along: “We drink to today’s prosperity and let tomorrow’s ship weather tomorrow’s storm. When I ask my lord where to find the gods’ dwellings, he tells me they do not exist. The world is full of mortals, and this one is especially heartless.”
Chen Rong had an excellent singing voice. There was a sentimental enchantment in its clarity. When she sang, there was richness and splendor even in the careless song.
However, this song…
The scholars looked at one another and then turned to Chen Rong in bemusement.