Chapter 199: He Always Kept the Little Ones on His Mind

"The flute is the oldest Han Chinese musical instrument discovered so far, and one of Huaxia's most representative traditional instruments."

"Most flutes are made of bamboo, though some are crafted from stone or jade."

"Huaxia's instruments have their own unique charm. The music played by traditional instruments like the guqin, chimes, flutes, xiao, and guzheng simply can't be replicated by anything else."

Ning Fei stood in the courtyard, taking out his jade flute as he explained.

After finishing his woodworking in the afternoon, Ning Fei took a hot shower and changed into his Sun and Moon Robe, feeling completely refreshed.

He stood tall and straight in the courtyard right now, holding a crystal-clear purple flute. An autumn breeze swept past, making the hem of his robe and his long sleeves flutter gently.

It looked a bit like a master making an entrance in a martial arts novel.

Then, Ning Fei held the flute with both hands, brought it across his chest, and slowly raised it to his lips.

With a gentle breath, a melodious tune drifted through the air.

"Temple Master Ning knows how to play instruments too?"

"I'm completely floored. Is there anything he can't do?"

"So impressive. Once again, I'm on my knees in worship."

"Not gonna lie, this song is really good."

"Can someone explain what piece this is?"

The viewers discussed it animatedly, clearly amazed by Ning Fei's sudden display of talent.

Ning Fei had just received the skill and the flute, and since he was in a relaxed mood, he decided to play a tune to soothe his mind.

Playing an instrument was an excellent form of entertainment.

People who loved playing the guitar or piano often found a deep sense of joy when they performed.

Ning Fei realized that he also loved playing the flute.

Creating such a melodious tune with his own breath felt extraordinarily magical.

Closing his eyes, he felt as if he had created an entire world of music.

It just so happened that Ning Fei had previously looked over some scores for Kunqu opera and other traditional operas. He understood basic music theory but wasn't an expert, only managing to memorize the sheet music.

Now, he could perfectly perform them.

[Kunqu Xiaotian]: "Allow me to explain. Temple Master Ning is playing A Walk in the Garden and an Interrupted Dream, a piece from the classic Kunqu opera, The Peony Pavilion."

[Ban Zhao]: "Exactly, it's The Peony Pavilion. What Temple Master Ning is using is the qudi, a style of flute playing named for its role in accompanying Kunqu opera."

"Amazing. He's truly an all-rounder."

"It sounds beautiful."

At that exact moment, Zhou Xiaoxun and Zhang Xiaofeng arrived at the entrance of Qingfeng Temple.

"It sounds like there's noise inside?" Zhang Xiaofeng perked up her ears, listening carefully.

"It's an instrument! Temple Master Ning is playing something? It sounds like woodwinds, probably a flute!" Zhou Xiaoxun, who was well-informed and experienced, voiced her guess.

"Temple Master Ning knows how to play the flute?" Zhang Xiaofeng widened her eyes in surprise.

"I don't know either. I've never heard anything about this while watching his stream before," Zhou Xiaoxun replied.

"So what should we do? Should we knock?"

"Let's just listen for a bit. It's impolite to interrupt someone's performance."

Having made their decision, the two sat outside Qingfeng Temple, listening to the melodious tune.

Ning Fei played a complete piece.

The Kunqu opera The Peony Pavilion depicted the love story between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei, reflecting the pursuit of a free and romantic life by young men and women.

He was only playing the music itself. Some people disliked the vocal styles of traditional opera, but simply listening to the background music could still evoke a sense of resonance.

Under his performance, the viewers felt as if they could see the subtle and complex changes in Du Liniang's state of mind.

Playing The Peony Pavilion was just Ning Fei's way of trying to capture the charm of Kunqu opera and experiencing the gentle nuances of such an ethereal love story.

Afterward, Ning Fei played one of his favorite songs—Xu Shangao's "Amongst Mountains and Rivers."

This melody also received high praise from everyone.

The popularity of the live stream was soaring.

For some, listening to the music was only secondary. After all, there were plenty of great songs on music apps.

The main point was looking at the person.

A handsome Taoist priest in a long robe playing a jade flute, surrounded by autumn winds sweeping up fallen leaves—such an atmosphere was simply impossible to witness on an ordinary day.

It absolutely fulfilled all the ancient-style fantasies of a certain demographic of young women.

Bullet comments flooded the screen thickly.

Ning Fei thought everyone was appreciating his music, but in reality, far more people were just admiring him as he played.

Whether the music sounded good didn't even matter. The key was that he looked handsome and the atmosphere was beautiful; that alone was enough to keep everyone watching.

'This skill is pretty good for relaxing.'

After finishing the performance, Ning Fei looked at the jade flute in his hand and thought to himself.

Just like with his sword dancing, he had found another enjoyable hobby.

Just as he lowered the flute, he heard a knocking sound at the door outside.

Opening the door, he saw it was Zhou Xiaoxun and Zhang Xiaofeng.

The wind outside Qingfeng Temple was rather strong. The two women were dressed quite thinly, wearing only a single layer, and looked to be shivering.

"Come in, quickly. How long have you been here?" Seeing their state, Ning Fei ushered them inside right away.

"We just got here. We heard you playing, so we didn't want to interrupt," Zhou Xiaoxun said with a smile.

"That was you playing just now, wasn't it? It sounded beautiful. Was it a flute?" she asked again.

"Just a hobby of mine," Ning Fei said with a smile and a nod. He then went back into the house and brought out two cups of hot tea.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, so I wanted to come take another look around Qingfeng Temple," Zhou Xiaoxun said softly as she took the tea.

"Yes, of course."

"I really envy your life. When the stress from filming gets to be too much, I love watching your live stream," Zhou Xiaoxun added quietly.

Zhang Xiaofeng sat off to the side, listening quietly.

"Everyone's lifestyle is different, and someone else's life might not necessarily be what you really want. You might only be seeing the good side of my life, but in reality, I have plenty of troubles too," Ning Fei said with a light chuckle.

"Like what?"

"Like..." Ning Fei paused. He thought about it, but he genuinely couldn't come up with any major troubles he was currently facing.

To be without desire was to be strong. Without grand ambitions, and having the time, energy, and money to pursue the lifestyle he loved, he truly didn't have much to worry about.

"That's exactly why you're Temple Master Ning," Zhou Xiaoxun remarked, seeing his expression.

Sitting beside her, Zhang Xiaofeng looked at Ning Fei, a trace of admiration welling up in her eyes.

The three of them chatted.

In fact, a huge portion of the show Life of Yearning consisted of celebrities simply chatting with each other, talking about their daily lives, and sharing their stories. It was quite interesting to listen to.

This scene perfectly matched the style of Yearning.

After chatting for about ten minutes, Zhou Xiaoxun happily took a group photo with Little Fox, Little falcon, Little Dog, and Little Fei before leaving fully satisfied.

Once they were gone, Ning Fei quickly tidied up the courtyard, bid his viewers goodnight, and went offline.

Before going to bed that night, Ning Fei went to the incubator to check on the Red Phoenix Canary Egg.

The egg was about the size of a chicken egg. Its white surface was streaked with red patterns, making it look quite extraordinary at a glance.

This was the first pet egg he had drawn from the System, so he was brimming with anticipation.

"I wonder how long it will take to hatch."

Ning Fei murmured softly as he gazed at the white egg.

...

The next morning, at Qingfeng Temple.

Ning Fei was working on the wooden boat, while Peng Xiaochang stood nearby watching it, his eyes full of curiosity and delight.

Not long after, Huang Sanshi came over as well.

"Teacher Huang, Temple Master Ning also has an incredibly strong native dog here. Did you know that dog can fetch packages?" Peng Xiaochang said, unable to wait to share the fun anecdote he had just witnessed when he saw Huang Sanshi.

"Fetch packages?" Huang Sanshi was also somewhat surprised.

"The terrain in South Village is rather complex, so delivery drivers usually drop all the packages off at the store next to the village committee office, and everyone goes there to pick them up," Ning Fei explained.

"Da Huang is very familiar with the route, so I usually just have him go pick up the smaller packages."

Hearing this, Huang Sanshi nodded in admiration, then asked, "What did you buy? Something for building the boat?"

Ning Fei smiled and shook his head. "No, I've already prepared everything needed to build the boat. It's fully stocked."

"It was because two of the little ones I raise got into a small squabble the night before last fighting over a toy."

"So I bought an extra toy, and the package just arrived this morning."

The package Da Huang had gone to fetch was none other than a Luo Xiaohei plush doll.

Since Little Fox had claimed the first Luo Xiaohei plush doll as her own, Ning Fei didn't want to play favorites, so he bought a second one for Little Dog to play with.

In his heart, he was always keeping the affairs of the little ones on his mind.

Even the very small things.