Chapter 40040 The song I am best at is naturally
Perhaps realizing her speculation might be too far-fetched, Madam Yin gave a slightly forced smile, but her gaze towards Little Lotus was still filled with inquiry and an indescribable familiarity. She tried to regain her usual gentle tone, "Nezha, is this your friend?"
Nezha then stepped forward and introduced in a calm tone, deliberately avoiding the key questions that my mother wanted to ask: "Mother, this is the little... Lotus Immortal, who came from the lower world and is staying here temporarily. This is the newly appointed Cloud and Water River God." He pointed at me in the water tank.
Little Lotus raised his eyebrows. "Lotus Immortal? Me?" He looked at Nezha with a questioning look, but Nezha calmly avoided his gaze.
I secretly rejoiced: Fortunately, it wasn't the Lotus Fairy...
"Lotus… Immortal Lord?" Madam Yin nodded slightly, her gaze still fixed on the little lotus. A natural sense of intimacy and a deep sense of doubt swirled within her. She keenly caught the subtle moisture and clear lotus fragrance of the little lotus, then glanced at Nezha, whose aura was as sharp as fire beside her. Doubts welled up within her like a sea of clouds.
"Mother?" Little Li Zhenying seemed to sense the subtle stagnation in the air. She tugged nervously at Madam Yin's skirt and called out in a soft, childish voice. Her clear eyes curiously darted back and forth between Little Lotus and Nezha's nearly identical faces. Confusion was written all over her face, as if she were trying to solve the mystery of her "twin brothers."
Little Lotus's body tensed imperceptibly under Madam Yin's gentle yet soul-piercing gaze. He tilted his head slightly, avoiding the gaze that stirred such a wave in his heart, and stiffly bowed, "...Madam Yin." His voice was dry, like a door that had been unopened for a long time, devoid of warmth.
In order to break this suffocating awkwardness, I suddenly jumped out of the water, completed a smooth 360-degree roll in the air, brought up a string of crystal water droplets, and then fell back into the tank with a precise "plop".
"Mommy! Fish! Tumbling fish!" Li Zhenying's attention was instantly captivated by my dazzling display. Surprised, she broke free from her mother's hand and scurried to the edge of the water tank on her short legs. Standing on tiptoe, her tiny hands clinging to the smooth rim, her large eyes gleaming like stars, filled with pure wonder and joy. "Brother, brother! Look! What a beautiful fish! It can even blow colorful bubbles!" she exclaimed excitedly, pointing at a shimmering bubble I had just spit out.
The child's innocence was like a breeze that instantly blew away the thin ice in the hall.
I floated to the surface and blinked at her: "Be careful, or you'll flip over and keep me company."
Her eyes instantly widened, and her little mouth opened into a cute "O" shape: "Talking Fish!" Her exclamation was full of disbelief.
"I am the river god appointed by His Majesty the Jade Emperor himself~" I waved my tail fin with a little pride.
"Not only can I talk, I can also sing. Do you want to listen?" I asked in a deliberately seductive tone.
Li Zhenying's little mouth was completely open. She clapped her hands excitedly and jumped on the spot: "What a great Yu Yu! I want to listen! I want to listen!!" The cheers echoed crisply in the empty palace.
Madam Yin looked at her excited daughter, shaking her head helplessly yet lovingly. Temporarily suppressing her suspicions, she also walked to the side of the vat and said softly, "Zhenying, be careful, don't get too close." She turned to look at me and smiled gently, "Lord River God, please forgive me for being naughty and disturbing you."
I spun gracefully in the water, blowing out a string of friendly bubbles: "It's okay, it's okay. The little lady is innocent and cute. I like her very much."
"You can sing? How come I didn't know that?" Little Lotus came over with a surprised expression on her face. She carefully took me out of the water tank with both hands and held me in her palms. She looked left and right, as if trying to find evidence that I could sing.
"You can do that just by having a mouth." I confidently shook the water droplets on my tail into his palm.
My banter dissipated the strangely tense atmosphere in the palace, replaced by Li Zhenying's starry eyes filled with anticipation. At her persistent entreaties, I cleared my throat and burst into song: "Is the sound of the bayan still coming from Six Star Street?"
I:……
Hey, what's the name of this song? How did it just come out so naturally?
I stared at him with my not-so-bright fish eyes. Although I didn't know the name of the song, since he could sing it at the top of his lungs, it should be widely spread, right?
Li Zhenying looked at me in surprise. She was completely immersed in this wonderful song. Her little face was full of surprise and intoxication. Her big eyes stared at me without blinking, as if she had seen the most magical treasure in the world.
Little Lotus was also listening intently. When the song ended, he murmured, "You really can sing..." Then, a subtle sense of disappointment flashed across his eyes, "Why haven't I heard you sing before?"
I blinked my fish eyes and said innocently, "No one wants me to sing."
"But what is Meteor Street? And what is the Yangqin?" Little Lotus asked. He was also curious about the unfamiliar lyrics.
"Probably... it's the name of a street, similar to the Milky Way. Another one is the instrument played when pulling rice seedlings, to praise the greatness of labor." I answered vaguely. I couldn't say it might be something from another world. Explaining something from another world would be too complicated.
Li Zhenying lay on the edge of the water tank, her face flushed with excitement, and praised sincerely: "Yuyu, you sing so beautifully!"
"Thank you for the compliment!" I accepted it with a clear conscience. Generally, a widely sung song is one that everyone from an eighty-year-old to a three-year-old can hum.
"Is there anything else? I want to hear more!" She tilted her little face up, her big eyes blinking, full of shining anticipation, making it impossible to refuse.
I was about to say, "Of course," when Madam Yin's warm hand gently caressed the crown of her daughter's head. She said softly, "Well, Zhenying, I'm sure your brother still needs to discuss important matters with the River God and the Lotus Immortal. We won't disturb them." Even as she addressed the Lotus Immortal, Madam Yin's tone held a subtle awkwardness, her gaze subconsciously drifting back to the silent figure of Honglian.
"But..." Li Zhenying pouted, obviously wanting to listen to the song, but seeing her mother's gentle yet persistent eyes, she could only look at me reluctantly again.
Nezha spoke at the right time, breaking his sister's little disappointment: "Mother, is there something you want to ask for?" He noticed the exquisite jade box that Madam Yin had been holding in her hand.
Madam Yin then remembered the purpose of her visit. A gentle smile returned to her face as she handed the jade box to Nezha. "I just got some lotus seeds from the Yaochi Lake. Thinking it's quiet here, I brought them to you... and your friends to try." Her eyes swept over the little lotus and me again, offering a kind invitation. "These lotus seeds are calming and refreshing, and they're rich in spiritual energy. They're also beneficial for spiritual practice."
Nezha took the warm jade box, which felt slightly cool to the touch. He opened the lid, and a clear, sweet lotus fragrance instantly filled the air. Within the box lay a dozen plump, round, jade-white lotus seeds, each brimming with spiritual energy. They were clearly treasures from the Jade Pool.
"Thank you, mother." Nezha's tone softened a little.
Madam Yin looked at her son, then at Little Lotus, who stood beside her, her eyes lowered and silent, her aura clearly fluctuating. The strange feeling in her heart grew stronger. She hesitated for a moment, then finally said gently, "Lotus Immortal has just arrived in Heaven, and Lord River God has also been newly appointed. If there's anything you're not used to, or if you need anything, just have Nezha come to me."
Little Lotus stiffened again, almost imperceptibly. He didn't look up, staring at the cold ground beneath his feet, as if trying to see through it. The concern in Madam Yin's words was like a tiny needle, gently piercing his frozen heart, bringing with it an unfamiliar bitterness. His throat rolled, and in the end, he could only utter two words stiffly: "...Thank you."
Mrs. Yin looked at his aloof demeanor, a subtle flicker of disappointment and worry in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it. She took Li Zhenying's hand and smiled gently at us. "Then Mother will take Zhenying back first. You two... chat slowly." With the last sentence, her eyes flicked to Little Lotus again, a hint of something hesitant to say.
"Goodbye, brother! Goodbye, Brother Lotus Fairy! Goodbye, singing fish!" Li Zhenying waved goodbye obediently, and was led away by Madam Yin, looking back every few steps.
Until the gentle figure and the jumping little figure disappeared outside the palace gate, the invisible gentle atmosphere brought by Madam Yin in the hall seemed to be withdrawn, and was filled with coldness and solemnity again.
Nezha closed the jade box, and the clear lotus fragrance seemed to be trapped inside. He turned around, his eyes falling on the little lotus, who still had her head lowered, her expression unclear. He looked at the jade box again, was silent for a moment, and suddenly raised his hand and threw the entire jade box in the direction of the little lotus.
The jade box drew a beautiful arc in the air.
Little Lotus raised her hand almost subconsciously and caught it steadily. It was warm to the touch, the box still retaining a hint of warmth from Nezha's fingertips. He raised his head, eyes filled with obvious surprise and confusion, and looked at Nezha.
Nezha had already turned around, leaving him with only a cold back view. His voice was flat and emotionless:
"She gave it to me. You... just do with it." After saying that, he no longer paid attention to anyone and walked straight towards the inner hall.
Little Lotus stood there, holding the box of fragrant lotus seeds, as if holding a burning charcoal. He looked down at the jade box, then up at Madam Yin's departure, his expression a complex one. The scent of the lotus seeds within the box faintly echoed his own lotus fragrance, yet carried a strange, otherworldly warmth of a mother.
He stood there for a long time, motionless. In the vast palace, there were only him, me, a fish spitting silent bubbles in a tank, and the heavy box of Yaochi lotus seeds that I didn't know what to do with.
"Little Lotus, do you want to listen to some music? It's just the two of us now. What do you want to listen to? You choose the song and I'll sing it."
Little Lotus was stunned for a moment, and then she didn't know what she was thinking about, and her smile became obviously relaxed.
He said, "I want to order a song? I don't know what songs you have in mind. Why don't you just sing your best song?"
What am I best at?
Got it!
"Then I'll sing! Ahem—rise! Those who don't want to be slaves—"
Of course, the national anthem is what I am best at!
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