Lan He journeyed south through Jingchu, gathering inspiration and composing music, losing all track of time. …
Lan He journeyed south through Jingchu, gathering inspiration and composing music, losing all track of time.
One day, he noticed the local music shamans all wore red tassels and asked them why. "Cinnabar is the purest yang," one replied, "able to commune with the God of Music. Red cord wards off evil and draws the god's favor."
Longing for the Snowplum siblings, Lan He bought cinnabar to dye silk and crafted a tassel each for the guqin and the flute, stringing several silver bells from their ends.
Months later, he returned to the Ba Bridge, but the old friends were nowhere to be found. He hung the cinnabar tassels on the gnarled boughs of an ancient plum tree and left.
The next day, the siblings arrived and heard faint music drifting from the branches. The wind had stirred the bells, drawing out a sound like the hollow breath of a flute. They took down the tassels and fastened them to their own instruments, knowing then that though their friend was far away, he had not forgotten them.
For those whose hearts are in tune, words are not always needed. The world is wide enough to be a home, and when the spirit finds its echo, the kindred soul will come.