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墨書 Inktalez
Qiluo Ling returned to her residence and habitually glanced at the clock on the wall, the hands pointing to a quarter past five.
She set down her backpack and placed the heavy yellow wooden box on the table. The lid was partially movable, and she easily opened it. In the center of the box, there was indeed a roll of yellow paper.
Perhaps the wall was moisture-proof, as after more than sixty years, the paper had darkened slightly, but its surface was still well-preserved, without any wormholes or damage.
Taking a deep breath, she solemnly unrolled the Sheet Music. The yellowish-brown paper revealed a stark white staff, with notes of varying durations marked high and low on five equally spaced parallel lines. At the top of the score, the title “The First Movement of Devil's Sorrow” was prominently written.
Qiluo Ling was stunned. The First Movement of Devil's Sorrow? Could there be a Second Movement of Devil's Sorrow, or even a third movement?
As she pondered this, a few crisp knocks came from outside, likely indicating that the music critic Cheng Yuping had arrived.
While in the taxi, Qiluo Ling had unexpectedly received a call from Cheng Yuping, who inquired about her search for the Sheet Music. Excitedly, Qiluo Ling informed her that she had already found it. Cheng Yuping was also thrilled and quickly said she would rush over to see the ancient Sheet Music for herself.
Qiluo Ling opened the door, and Cheng Yuping walked in.
“Where is the Sheet Music?” she asked eagerly.
“It’s on the table,” Qiluo Ling replied, nodding toward the direction of the Sheet Music.
Cheng Yuping was exceptionally excited as she walked straight to the table, cradling the roll of Sheet Music in her hands as if it were a treasure. Tears welled in her eyes, and her body trembled slightly.
It seemed she was even more excited than Qiluo Ling, leaving her with an inexplicable sense of confusion.
“Did you notice the title?”
“What?” Cheng Yuping finally tore her gaze away from the Sheet Music, seemingly not having heard what she said and looking at her in puzzlement.
“Look at the title,” Qiluo Ling reminded her again.
“The title?” Cheng Yuping murmured to herself. After taking another careful look, she suddenly deflated like a balloon losing air.
"Yes, the title of the piece is the First Movement, which means that the sheet music doesn't only contain this one piece."
"When you opened it, was there only this sheet music in the wooden box?" Cheng Yuping seemed a bit skeptical.
"Of course, the wooden box indeed only contained this first sheet music."
Cheng Yuping appeared disappointed, staring blankly around as if lost in thought.
Just as she was momentarily distracted, the sheet music slipped from her hands and fell to the ground. There happened to be a trash can nearby, filled with some wet garbage.
Fortunately, Qiluo Ling was quick and managed to catch the sheet music in mid-air.
"That was close. If it had fallen in there and gotten wet, it would have been a disaster," Qiluo Ling said with lingering fear.
"I'm really sorry," Cheng Yuping smiled apologetically. "Regardless, today is still a day worth celebrating! I brought a bottle of wine to commemorate it!"
Qiluo Ling nodded with a smile.
Cheng Yuping took out a bottle of red wine; it was a 630ml bottle of Italian Red Wine. Qiluo Ling found two transparent wine glasses from her place.
The clear wine glasses sparkled under the light, and the ruby-red liquid slowly flowed down the walls of the glass, finally pooling at the bottom that glowed warmly. The glasses gently swayed, releasing a rich and fragrant aroma that wafted through the air.
The two clinked their glasses together, and the crisp sound echoed in the air. Qiluo Ling looked at her glass filled two-thirds with red wine, hesitated for a moment, but under Cheng Yuping's enthusiastic urging, she tilted her head back and drank it all in one go. The unique sweet and sour flavor slid down her throat, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
Whether it was Cheng Yuping's persistent urging or the strong aftereffect of this bottle of red wine, she felt herself starting to lose her tolerance for alcohol. After three glasses, she sensed warmth gradually spreading through her body, creating a pleasantly dizzy feeling that was truly enjoyable.
"Listen, it seems like there's music," Qiluo Ling said, her cheeks slightly flushed under the light, making her look particularly radiant.
"What music?" Cheng Yuping asked in surprise as she looked at her.
"I hear that piece from the sheet music, Devil's Sorrow. It's really beautiful," Qiluo Ling spoke incoherently, clearly showing signs of being a bit tipsy.
"Really, is there music?" Cheng Yuping listened carefully.
"It seems so, but it also seems not."
After saying that, Qiluo Ling closed her eyes. She understood that soon, the alcohol would recklessly invade her bloodstream, and then a heavy drowsiness would wash over her...
In the early morning, she was awakened by the sound of rain outside.
She was sleeping on the sofa, the lights in the room still on. She was alone in the house; the empty room had a mess of cups and plates on the table, a desolation that felt like a scene from a dream where lively toasts and drinking had just ended.
Her heart shivered slightly. She wasn't afraid of loneliness; what frightened her was the lonely self that came after the revelry.
Qiluo Ling rubbed her head; it hurt a bit, but it was bearable. Every time she drank, her body would feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Cheng Yuping was not in the house. When did she leave? She had no recollection at all; she only vaguely remembered feeling exhausted and drowsy, her consciousness starting to blur. It seemed that Cheng Yuping had helped her onto the sofa and softly told her, "If you want to sleep, just sleep..." After that, she couldn't remember anything.
Qiluo Ling stood up from the sofa and froze when she picked up a glass of water from the table. The wooden box on the table was completely empty.
Her awareness suddenly sharpened. In a flurry, she grabbed her phone and dialed Cheng Yuping's number. A gentle standard female voice came from the phone: "The number you dialed is not in service. Please check and try again." She could hardly believe her ears and repeated the call several times, but it remained out of service.
Qiluo Ling recalled the business card holder in her bag. No matter how she turned her bag upside down, not only was the business card holder missing, but also Cheng Yuping's music critic card. She clearly remembered habitually placing her card in that holder; how could it have disappeared?
Cheng Yuping's phone number and business card had vanished strangely. It was as if she had disappeared too, as if she had never been there at all. Qiluo Ling stood by the window and opened it; cold air rushed into the room. Yet she remained motionless there, deep in thought.
Could it be that there was actually no one sitting next to her on the plane? Or were the discussions about Freud and forbidden music at the café merely illusions? Or was the scene with Professor Chen before Cheng Yuping's murder also an illusion?
She recalled carefully; in fact, there was no need to think back—the feelings spoke for everything. At that moment, Qiluo Ling felt very sad—a sadness born from being deceived, a sadness from being manipulated by others. Perhaps from the moment she boarded the plane or even earlier, her life had already been controlled and arranged by others; their only goal was to seize that Sheet Music, making Cheng Yuping's appearance merely a small episode in their plan.
Why did they want to steal that Sheet Music? That unparalleled music did not belong to this world; it could only belong to the inheritors of Demonic Music. To anyone else, that music held no meaning except for herself. Did they not know that playing and listening to that music came at an expensive cost?
She was puzzled, not knowing how long she had been standing by the window. The sky began to brighten slightly, and the rain had stopped.
Qiluo Ling left the room and went downstairs to the front door, where she found the old man guarding it. She gestured to describe Cheng Yuping's appearance and asked him how long ago she had left. The old man told her that Cheng Yuping had left at eight o'clock in the evening, and a black Mercedes had picked her up from the road. Then the old man handed Qiluo Ling a letter, saying it was entrusted to him by Cheng Yuping to give to her.
Qiluo Ling opened the letter, which was written in elegant handwriting: "As a friend, I like you very much; this is what I want to tell you first. Perhaps you cannot understand why I took away your precious Sheet Music. Please forgive me, as this is my mission. Watching you sleep so peacefully on the sofa makes me sad too, after all, I have feelings as well.
In fact, you can live without that Sheet Music and do not need to look for another score. Perhaps at some moment, you will remember everything your Great-Grandfather knew. Maybe you should break free from that mission; you are so young, and your life needs a fresh start."
Putting down the letter, Qiluo Ling felt an unusual sense of confusion.
When the piece "Devil's Sorrow" played for the first time—specifically for "her"—it was like a ray of light flashing through a dark life; she understood it was meant for her. It was not only a part of her mission but also the beginning of her journey to rediscover life and bloom with love.
Now, that momentary illumination quickly faded, and the music abruptly stopped, disappearing into the vast night sky without even an echo. Qiluo Ling felt lost and uncertain about where to go next.
In the afternoon, she took the subway to the café where she had discussed music with Cheng Yuping, trying to find some clues. Cheng Yuping had once said that this café was across from her home.
Qiluo Ling crossed the street and inquired in several neighborhoods, but no one recognized her. She also checked with the Music Research magazine office and called them, but no one answered; the phone's unanswered ringing echoed in her empty heart.
As dusk gradually fell, she returned empty-handed. A gentle breeze brushed against her face, and frustration felt like a demon controlling her mood.
Qiluo Ling arrived at a bar and played "Night's Piano Piece No. 5." Suddenly, she recalled a few lines from Xichuan's poem "Midnight Piano Piece": "A person approached me; I couldn't avoid it just as I couldn't avoid my youth. In Midnight Piano Piece, I licked my cracked lips and realized life's inevitability. A person approached me, hesitated for a moment, then retreated into his boundless shadow..."
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