Elsewhere, within the Ice Waterfall City, a different scene unfolded. Yun Sheng’s Ice Zither, after nearly half a month of meticulous carving, had finally been shaped into a Piano Embryo. Even the Masked Female Prisoner couldn’t help but glance sideways at the sight of the Piano Embryo. This lute, crystal clear and carved from a single piece of thousand-year-old ice, resembled a reclining Ice Sculpture beauty, flawless and exquisite from every angle. She hadn’t expected that Yun Sheng, trying her hand at ice sculpture for the first time, would perform so splendidly. Ice sculpture is not a craft that can be mastered quickly; over this period, the Masked Female Prisoner noticed that Yun Sheng’s focus and mimicry skills were the best she had seen. Such a temperament, had it been in an elderly or a middle-aged person who had experienced much of the world, would not be strange, but seeing it in someone as young as Yun Sheng was indeed peculiar. The Masked Female Prisoner was truly puzzled about what kind of experiences had nurtured such calmness in such a young girl. Yun Sheng was unaware that the Masked Female Prisoner had also grown curious about her. Owing to possessing Yanling’s Hand and Shennong’s Eyes, she observed with great detail and remembered all the little carving tricks of the Masked Female Prisoner. With meticulous effort, a fine lute was finally crafted. The Thousand-Year-Old Ice Zither, handmade, flawless. The entire body was carved from ice, and though not made of jade, it surpassed jade in countless ways. Were it not for Yun Sheng being confined in the prison, undistracted, she could not have crafted such a fine lute in one go. She also understood that even given another chance, she would not be able to carve another lute exactly the same. At the moment the zither was completed, even Xuan Meimei, who hailed from Emperor’s Song City and had seen various superior instruments, couldn’t help but feel envious. "What’s the use of having a Piano Embryo, the most important part of a lute is its strings, unless you think you can carve the strings out of ice," Xuan Meimei sneered with sour sarcasm. After understanding Yun Sheng’s intention behind carving the lute, she had also secretly tried to learn it. But Xuan Meimei was not Yun Sheng; impetuous and eager for quick success, she gave up after only a few days of carving, wasting good ice material in the process. As for Yun Sheng’s lute, she could only admire it with envy. Reminded by Xuan Meimei, Yun Sheng realized that the lute in her hands was merely a frame, still lacking strings. On the continent, lute strings are typically made from variet... Could Yun Sheng, now trapped in the Ice Prison, find lute strings anywhere? A Thousand-Year-Old Ice Zither with no strings; how could she play it without them? Ice, after all, cannot be carved into elastic lute strings. How could she play the Emperor’s Song without strings? Yun Sheng felt somewhat disheartened, her dejected demeanor all observed by the Masked Female Prisoner watching quietly. The Masked Female Prisoner, with a thoughtful look, glanced at the frame of the Ice Zither. Despite the absence of strings, Yun Sheng still cherished the newly-carved Thousand-Year-Old Ice Zither. She carefully engraved several Karma Fire Lotus patterns on the body of the lute, thereby enhancing its beauty significantly. The next morning, after a short rest, Yun Sheng suddenly noticed a few silver strings on her zither. "What are these?" Yun Sheng was utterly astonished. She touched the strings, and upon contact, the strings had elasticity, their color a faint silver, as if bathed in moonlight. She incredulously looked at the Masked Female Prisoner. Those silver threads were actually from the Masked Female Prisoner’s silver hair. Ever since Yun Sheng had entered the Ice Prison, she had noticed that the Masked Female Prisoner cherished her long silver hair very much. She usually cleans her hair with clean snow, and last time, when Xuan Meimei took a few extra glances at her hair, she was slapped hard on the face. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵 Yet, she cut her own hair to make strings for the zither. It appears that last night, while she was asleep, the masked female prisoner secretly made the zither strings without her knowing. Yun Sheng felt a surge of emotion in her nose. After coming to the Wuji Continent, indeed many people around her were caring, but this unfamiliar care came from a stranger. "Thank you," said Yun Sheng softly, her lips curling into a genuine smile, her deep dimples and her expressive black eyes filled with joy. This was the first time the masked female prisoner saw a sincere smile on Yun Sheng’s face. Under the mask, her exceedingly beautiful face also curved slightly in a smile. Just as the masked female prisoner was about to let out a smile, she suddenly became alert, as if uneasy about her unusual emotions. She was not good at showing kindness to others, but for some reason, she was very fond of this young girl skilled in medical arts. Seeing her smile made the masked female prisoner feel much better. Yun Sheng didn’t like to accept favors without reason. After thinking, she took out a hairpin from her sleeve. The hairpin was made by Yun Sheng while crafting the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Zither, polishing it in her spare time. Her intention was to use it to tie the masked female prisoner’s hair, whose silver hair was very beautiful. It would be quite fitting to use such a crystal-clear hairpin. The masked female prisoner hesitated, then with a swift gesture, snatched the ice hairpin. After obtaining the hairpin, she didn’t wear it but instead rubbed it in her hands, not letting others see it, probably fearing that they might snatch it away. Although Yun Sheng couldn’t see her facial expression under the mask, she saw a hint of joy in the eyes of the masked female prisoner. That hint of joy made Yun Sheng feel even warmer inside. The relationship between Yun Sheng and the masked female prisoner became even more harmonious because of this incident. The two of them still didn’t speak much, but their private interactions carried an unprecedented sense of harmony. This sense of harmony made the other female prisoners in the Ice Prison quite wary. The hair of the masked female prisoner, surprisingly, was very suitable for making zither strings. Not only was her hair of good quality, but it was also very flexible. Yun Sheng tested the sound and found the tone to be beautiful. Yun Sheng also discovered for the first time that human hair was quite suitable for making zither strings. Having obtained the strings, Yun Sheng began practicing Emperor Hong’s Song as she had planned. The melancholic zither music would sporadically resonate in the cold Ice Prison over the following days. Upon hearing the zither music, the masked female prisoner leaned against the cold wall and closed her eyes. Inside the Ice Prison, a previously unknown emotion emerged. Martial artists and mages alike felt somewhat affected by the special nature of Yun Sheng’s zither music. At one end of the Ice Prison, Yuan Bupo also heard the long-missed zither music. The moment he heard the music, Yuan Bupo, who had been worried about Yun Sheng’s safety all month, eagerly jumped up. "It’s Yun Sheng’s zither music!" Yuan Bupo recognized the sound of Yun Sheng’s music. What surprised him even more was that in the following days, Yun Sheng intermittently played Emperor Hong’s Song a few times. Among them, several Chapters were clearly the ones he had played only once before Yun Sheng, the last three Chapters of Emperor Hong’s Song. Suddenly, Yuan Bupo realized that Yun Sheng’s mastery and progress in Emperor Hong’s Song had far exceeded his earlier expectations. Because he was concerned about Yun Sheng’s identity, he only played it once in front of her. Yet just from that one time, she was able to remember such a complex piece of music.