I Have a Golden Crow

The trio chatted by the lake for a while, then Lin Shiwei received a call from her master.

When the three returned to the Demon Spirit Institute, Yang Qingqing and Fu Jianzhou were already waiting at the courtyard gate.

Yang Qingqing still looked radiant, but Fu Jianzhou had changed in appearance.

In the past, he was definitely a sunny, warm-hearted guy. Just the gentle smile he often wore made people feel pleasant and comfortable.

At this moment, however, Fu Jianzhou's aura was melancholic, and his gaze seemed a bit unfocused as if he had become another person.

The trio politely greeted Master Qing, and then Du Yu cautiously observed Fu Jianzhou: "Senior Brother?"

"Yes." Fu Jianzhou squeezed out a faint smile and said softly, "Thank you for waking me up."

"How many times has it been now, Senior Brother Fu?" Du Yu put an arm around Fu Jianzhou's shoulders, but unfortunately, Prince Du was only 179 cm tall, making the gesture somewhat comical.

Du Yu laughed, "You don't have to thank me every time you see me."

Fu Jianzhou nodded, "She also thanks you."

"What?"

Fu Jianzhou: "Thank you for your music and your story."

Du Yu: "If you like it, you can play it often."

Regarding the Butterfly Lovers tune and its tragic folk tale, Du Yu attributed everything to the Shadow Gu Tower.

He stated that it was all thanks to the Shadow Gu Tower's help, that its catering to preferences allowed the West Xia's Flute to open up.

Shua~

Just as Du Yu wanted to say something more, he suddenly felt that the man he was holding had turned into a woman.

Du Yu was startled!

He quickly let go and took a step back to the side.

Fu Jianzhou's body was suddenly enveloped in a layer of illusory shell, much like that of the Demon Soul of a Demon Tamer.

Her figure appeared ethereal and mysterious, with a long dress reaching the ground, exuding a mysterious aura.

Although her face was somewhat blurry and difficult to see clearly, there was no doubt that she was a classic beauty of exceptional appearance.

Li Mengnan and Lin Shiwei couldn't help but glance sideways secretly.

Yang Qingqing slightly raised her eyebrow, looking at the rare Artifact Spirit.

Just now, when Fu Jianzhou accepted inquiries from colleagues, the West Xia's Flute was extremely uncooperative, let alone revealing itself!

Slowly, the Flute Maiden raised her hand and gently rubbed Du Yu's head.

Du Yu: "..."

Is this a gesture of thanks?

This pose seems familiar, like something I've seen in Jiangnan Water Village...

Goodness~ Are you petting a Wolf Lake Dog?

To outsiders, it looked like a long-skirted girl gently stroking Du Yu's dog head, but in reality, the Flute Maiden was using Fu Jianzhou's palm.

The Flute Maiden spoke softly, still in Fu Jianzhou's voice, "I will practice the tune until it's perfect, and then invite you to listen."

"Mm-hmm, alright." Du Yu nodded repeatedly, with a feeling that something was strange.

After all, the tone of the Artifact Spirit was different; although the voice was still Fu Jianzhou's, the manner was so elegant.

As the Artifact Spirit dissipated, the illusory lines shrouding Fu Jianzhou quietly disappeared, and he returned to his usual appearance.

From this scene, it could be seen that the West Xia's Flute was much more dominating than the Shadow Gu Tower.

At least the Shadow Gu Tower would not suddenly appear to control Du Yu's body to speak.

Not to mention the West Xia's Flute using Fu Jianzhou's body, completely ignoring the "master-servant" relationship, autonomously inviting Du Yu to listen to the music.

Du Yu had previously used the term "marriage" to describe the relationship between the West Xia's Flute and Fu Jianzhou, and it seemed quite accurate now?

On second thought, it was indeed the West Xia's Flute that had actively chosen Fu Jianzhou.

And Fu Jianzhou, as a substitute, didn't even have the right to resist.

He was stripped of his mind and controlled like a puppet, muddled and dazed, reaching the edge of the lawn, passively accepting the Spiritual Qi and Spirit Contract of the West Xia's Flute.

These two equally suffering beings, with equally heart-wrenching experiences of lost love, naturally could empathize with each other's past.

Hopefully, the West Xia's Flute made the right choice, and hopefully, they both could find some solace in one another.

While thinking, Du Yu suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.

Darn it, the case is solved!

I was wondering why the Flute Maiden's gesture of touching me was like petting a dog.

The story has three protagonists!

Man, woman, and Wolf Lake Dog?

Come on...

Thinking of this, Du Yu felt entirely unwell!

The Little Wolf Lake Dog in the story is so silly.

With its carefree demeanor all day, only knowing how to frolic around and splash water everywhere, how am I anything like it?

Even if I were, I would be the Wolf Lake Dog in the story's final chapter—majestic and mighty under the thunderstorm-laden night sky, alright!

"Let's go home," Yang Qingqing spoke softly, interrupting Du Yu's thoughts.

Li Mengnan said in a low voice, "Is everything settled with Senior Brother Fu?"

Yang Qingqing shook her head, "The story of the West Xia's Flute cannot be told in a day or two.

Currently, the Artifact Spirit is unwilling to cooperate, so we can only wait for the future."

Actually, Li Mengnan can't be blamed because she had just seen Senior Brother Fu, and then the Flute Maiden appeared and communicated with Du Yu.

Naturally, Li Mengnan thought the Flute Maiden was very cooperative at work.

But that was not the case!

It's practically as hard as reaching the sky to communicate with the Flute Maiden, let alone meeting her!

Du Yu sighed softly, "Indeed, her story is too long to tell."

You have to know, West Xia's Flute started from the Jiangnan Water Village and traveled all the way to the western part of Great Xia!

Great Xia is an independent continent, and the lady protagonist even reached the far west and saw the ocean!

The people and Demon Beasts she encountered along the way, the stories she experienced, the land she measured with her own feet, are enough to write an ancient travelogue!

The dream that the Flute Maiden showed Du Yu was a greatly simplified version. Just the large-scale battles Du Yu could think of numbered three.

If this West Xia's Flute could be thoroughly researched, a true epic full of heroics and tears could probably be written!

The only problem is whether West Xia's Flute is willing to revisit those sad past events for humanity during its painful search journey.

After all, every day she searched for her lover was painful torment.

It's worth mentioning that the Artifact Spirit of West Xia's Flute is quite different from other Artifact Spirits.

The Artifact Spirit of the Shadow Gu Tower, although it appears as a woman in black mist, is an image conjured by the Shadow Gu Tower, not of the previous owner, Guo Yueyao.

But West Xia's Flute...

Du Yu clearly saw when the lady owner, Bai Lan, was on the verge of death, her Spiritual Po drilled into the flute.

Perhaps the Artifact Spirit of West Xia's Flute is not Bai Lan herself.

But this Artifact Spirit has at least merged with part of the lady owner Bai Lan's Spiritual Po and endless desire!

Therefore, the feelings of the Flute Maiden could very well be indistinguishable from the lady owner's. The journey of searching was extremely painful for her, too.

If she doesn't want to speak, who could pry open her mouth?

With a complex mind, Du Yu and the others boarded the military vehicle, heading to the Golden Autumn City airport.

As for the subsequent management of West Xia Park, other departments within the bureau handle the follow-up work.

Their mission in Xixia Town has concluded, but the historical story research on West Xia's Flute has just begun...

By the afternoon, the group had returned to their hometown—Ancient Pine Tower City.

Along the way, Senior Brother Fu also sensed the cautiousness of his younger brothers and sisters.

This inwardly melancholic older youth reassured them repeatedly of his well-being, then, also at Master Qing's suggestion, drove home alone.

The task of escorting Yang Qingqing and Du Yu back to Xishu Garden naturally fell to Lin Shiwei.

As the vehicle drove into the community and parked stably in front of the building, Yang Qingqing suddenly spoke, "In the coming days, give some quiet alone time to Sword Province.

In three days, a few of you should visit his home to check on his mental state."

"Yes."

"Yes!"

"Go back and rest well." Yang Qingqing opened the car door with one hand, seeming to remember something, her motion paused.

She turned back to look inside the car, "Your current status is quite special, representing the Great Xia Bookstore. Pay attention to your image."

Li Mengnan responded obediently, nodding earnestly.

Yang Qingqing nodded in satisfaction before getting out of the car, and Du Yu tapped the front seat-back as a farewell, immediately following her out.

Li Mengnan was a bit confused and turned to look at Lin Shiwei, "Why does it feel like Master Qing was only talking to me?"

Lin Shiwei glanced at Li Mengnan with a smile before stepping on the gas.

"You silly junior, what kind of look is that? Do you think I could embarrass the Great Xia Bookstore?"

"Hehe~"

"Hey, you..."

As Du Yu watched the vehicle drive away, he took out his access card and swiped it to open the unit door, "Come on, Master Qing."

"Hmm."

Du Yu hesitated in his heart, this woman is becoming more and more stylish, not even bothering to open the door herself...

He gazed at her graceful figure and softly reassured, "Master Qing, don't worry too much about Senior Brother Fu.

West Xia's Flute and Senior Brother Fu share a similar plight. She should be very good to brother, there won't be any issues."

Compared to the earlier worry about West Xia's Flute strongly joining and causing internal discord, Du Yu had figured things out much more by now.

As long as West Xia's Flute has enough sympathy and compassion for Senior Brother Fu, there shouldn't be any major issues.

Yang Qingqing, seeing her disciple's efforts to comfort, nodded with a smile, "You've done a good job on your mission. A resounding success. Senior Cheng Feng also gave you high praise."

"Hehe, lucky, just lucky." Du Yu pressed the elevator button, "All thanks to the Shadow Gu Tower."

Yang Qingqing did not comment, holding her admiration inside.

"By the way, Master Qing, the bookstore's cultivation subsidy has arrived. I'll pay the mortgage later, remember to collect it."

Yang Qingqing stepped into the elevator, casually asking, "How much have you paid off?"

Du Yu: "The bank card had 200,000, plus the subsidy of 200,000, so I've paid a total of 400,000."

Yang Qingqing lightly nodded, "Almost enough for a paltry start."

Du Yu: "..."

You really know how to encourage someone, huh!

Seeing Du Yu's face full of resentment, Yang Qingqing couldn't help but slight raise the corners of her mouth.

"Oh, Master Qing, will there be project funds or a monetary reward for our successful tackling of West Xia's Flute project?"

"Not sure." Yang Qingqing glanced at the opening elevator door, casually summoning Bai Yujing, "If project funds are allocated, I'll deduct them for you."

"Oh." Du Yu pursed his lips, holding Bai Yujing's deer antler with one hand as they exited the elevator door, "Goodbye, Master Qing."

"Come up and make dinner for me later."

Du Yu: "..."

Watching Du Yu's silence, Yang Qingqing slightly raised an eyebrow.

Du Yu immediately nodded, "Yes."

Oh, dear~ this house I bought, seems like I'm tied to it for life...