vixion taun du jo
Several hours later, a soft knock echoed against Mo Yan's chamber door.
His disciples, after a brief inquiry, respectfully permitted the visitor to enter.
Mo Yan sat by the table .. unmoving, silent as though a lifeless soul had been carefully dressed and placed upright.
His eyes held no light, no spark, only an abyss that mirrored his torn spirit.
Duie stepped in.
With a bowed head and reverence in every breath, he approached and requested permission to sit.
Mo Yan lifted his gaze toward him.
He already knew.
He knew Duie was aware of everything about them.
About him and Yu Sui.
And yet Duie did not beat around the bush. His question, though gentle, pierced like an arrow.
"Do you know where Yu Sui is?"
Mo Yan said nothing.
Duie shook his head slowly ... he didn't know either.
But then, with calm composure, he placed an ancient scroll on the table ... one etched in the forgotten Chwen script.
It shimmered faintly with a golden hue.
The scroll contained a spell ... a method to construct a divine sound artifact, one capable of connecting two minds across realms.
Duie's voice was steady, but his eyes shimmered with emotion.
..."Our beloved Emperor is aware of the sacred bond that exists between you and Yu Sui.
And that is why I've come .... to help.
This artifact… it can allow you to speak with someone through the mind ...even if they reside in another world.
Even… if they're in Black Heaven."
Duie revealed a folded blue paper infused with spiritual aura.
"All you need to do is focus on Yu Sui. Think of him ... with your heart.
And then… inscribe this spell using your own blood."
Mo Yan took a breath.
Silently, he accepted.
With controlled grace, he cut the tip of his finger and let his blood mark the Chwen characters across the blue talisman paper.
As the final mark was drawn, a radiant surge of qi filled the room.
From the paper, a dragon-shaped instrument emerged ...delicate as a thread, each of its ninety silver wires thinner than a strand of hair.
Its deep crimson hue shone .. the exact shade of Yu Sui's flute.
Duie was stunned.
That the love between them could manifest so purely… so identically… even the artifact itself had taken on Yu Sui's essence.
Upon the body of the dragon instrument, glowing softly in ancient white Chwen characters, was engraved:
Yu Sui.
Beneath the name… a carving of a flute .... his flute.
And at that same moment, somewhere across time and space, on Yu Sui's bamboo flute, a soft glow emerged beneath Mo Yan's name
A tiny engraving of the very same dragon instrument, now etched onto it as though it had always belonged.