C1 Autistic youth

Zhenbo was a coastal city in Jiangxi Province, located in the middle part of the mainland's coastline. People often said that the afternoon sun was the warmest in Zhenbo. When it shone through the window, it would sprinkle a layer of colorful powder on the floor.

Zhenbo's Dawn District was located to the east of the city. It was a relatively tranquil part of the city, and it was where the large residential communities were located. The atmosphere of business here was much more relaxed compared to other areas, so peace and quiet was the main theme of the Twilight Zone.

In a quiet residential district in Dawn, there was a rather quiet apartment. His master seemed to be in tune with this atmosphere, a very quiet and introverted young man.

According to the neighbors next door, the young man was autistic and had never taken the initiative to talk to anyone. He had never had a close friend since he was young. His parents had died early, and his grandmother had raised him. Now, his grandmother had also died, with only one uncle. However, they could not meet once a year.

A year ago, the young man suffered from amnesia, and when he woke up, he didn't say a word. The neighbors called him "Live Mute" behind his back. They clearly knew how to speak, but they refused to say a single word.

The young man was called Murong Heng, and was twenty-one years old.

Right now, Murong Heng was sitting on the rocking chair in his study, leisurely swinging it around, quietly reading the book in his hands. Ever since he suffered from autism, Murong Heng felt that there was nothing else he could do in his world. However, in the world of books, it seemed that he could find anything that he could not find in reality. Both material and emotional.

Murong Heng also did not go to school, he had dropped out himself. The teacher and principal had even taken the initiative to look for him, but he had refused them all with a cold silence. When the teacher and principal left, they turned around and looked at Murong Heng with eyes full of pity. For a child who had no relatives and was an autistic person, it was quite pitiful to think about it.

However, Murong Heng didn't seem to feel pity for himself. Even though both his parents had died, he knew that they were still watching over him and taking care of him in the Kingdom of Heaven. That was enough. Especially after he lost his memory, the clear memories of his parents disappeared from his mind. He just vaguely knew that they died in a car accident. He was only seven years old when he died.

The only thing that Murong Heng could communicate with was a grey kitten that Murong Heng picked up from the doorstep of his house one morning. A strong wind was blowing, and the cub was shivering in the corner behind the door. Murong Heng knew that if he did not save its life, it would definitely die. Murong Heng was an indifferent person, but to let him personally lose his life was something that he could not tolerate.

From then on, this cat and Murong Heng became the only owners of the house. One man and one cat, they were actually relying on each other to survive.

Murong Heng lived on grants from the community, and occasionally his uncle would even send him some money from Hong Kong. Uncle was doing business in Hong Kong, buying and selling musical instruments and making a little money. His uncle once thought of taking Murong Heng to Hong Kong as well, but Murong Heng's autism gave him a headache. After all, he was busy with his own business, so he didn't have time to take care of his only nephew.

In the end, after thinking about it again and again, Murong Heng's uncle decided to bring Murong Heng to Hong Kong when he turned 25. He also wanted to find an easier job and earn some money to support him. Before this, Murong Heng was staying at Zhenbo's old home.

Murong Heng wasn't interested in his uncle, but he had an indescribable feeling about the work his uncle did. He had never taken the initiative to ask anyone for anything, but on his twenty-first birthday, he had made his first birthday wishes to his uncle. And then his wish was fulfilled. Murong Heng wanted his own guqin.

His uncle had specially made a seven-stringed zither for Murong Heng from his own company. This zither was made with the best craftsmanship, and the strings were specially made from foreign countries, making it one of a kind that was unique and unique. Murong Heng's uncle might have thought that this was the only thing that he could do for his nephew, so he seemed to be especially attentive towards him.

From then on, Murong Heng's life had a focus. Other than eating, sleeping, and reading, he was also practicing his zither.

It had to be said that Murong Heng had great attainments in the zither arts. His uncle did not ask for a special teacher to teach him, because even if the teacher had come, it would have been in vain. Uncle specifically bought a few books on how to learn the zither for Murong Heng, who taught himself how to use the zither.

Some actions that ordinary people were unable to complete even after practicing for a long time, in Murong Heng's opinion, they were not even a big problem. It was as if Murong Heng was born to play the zither. In his hands, the zither was already more than just a zither, the zither seemed to have its own voice, consciousness, and life.

Every afternoon, after a heavy rain, a melodious tune of a zither could be heard from a certain corner of the quiet district. The gentle and moving sound of the zither leisurely drifted about, making the surroundings of the zither sound like a paradise on earth, incomparably beautiful. Sometimes, in the silent night, there would also be the faint sound of a zither. The surrounding people didn't feel disturbed at all. On the contrary, they enjoyed the sound of the zither, enjoyed the peace and self-improvement in their hearts.

Since then, the music of the district had become a unique "scenery", colorless and intangible. However, it had indeed seeped into the hearts of every passerby and taken root within them, relieving them of the fatigue of the day and opening up a new world.

In Murong Heng's life, the only thing that he could not miss was his zither.

On that day, Murong Heng played the zither as usual, and sat on the rocking chair to rest. He liked to read during breaks. Moreover, the books he liked to read were not life philosophy or the four books and the five scriptures. What he liked to read were fantasy novels.

Perhaps it was because his own subconscious also knew that his life was boring, that Murong Heng longed to find a trace of freedom and release in this imaginary world. He liked the fantasy story where everything was possible. People could fly into the sky and become immortals, everything had spiritual energy, and there was no end to the cycle of life and death.

The moment Murong Heng read a book, he would sink deep into the world inside, unable to extricate himself from it. He had imagined himself in that world countless times, cultivating his own cultivation, gradually eliminating the impurities in his heart and completing the trajectory of his life.

However, he also knew that the contents of the book were all lies. The author had imagined them in his dreams. However, he did not mind at all. As long as he was able to enter his current state, he would be satisfied.

Just as Murong Heng was immersed in his fantasy world, the sound of the doorbell rang and pulled Murong Heng's thoughts back to the real world! Murong Heng frowned slightly, who would come looking for him at this time?

Murong Heng's life was very quiet. Ever since the teachers and principal had left last time, only a few aunts from the neighborhood committee had visited him a few times to give him community grants and then to even bring him some snacks that were made in his house. However, the community's auntie had just arrived yesterday afternoon. It was impossible for her to come looking for him two days in a row.

Although Murong Heng had some doubts in his heart, he still quickly put on his bed and walked towards the door.

The door opened and a girl about his own age stood behind it.

The first impression that Murong Heng had of this girl was that this girl was too beautiful. He had never seen such a beautiful girl. Perhaps the female celebrities on TV had beautiful looks, but they could never hide the true vicissitudes of life of those women.

But the girl in front of him was indeed very different. She did not put on any makeup, but it was as if she had smeared human peach blossoms from April. Her eyes did not have the slightest bit of impurities, they were clear and transparent. The girl's long hair draped over her shoulders like a concubine just out of a bath or a green lotus that had never been in the mortal world. The corner of the girl's mouth raised slightly, exuding a captivating seductive charm!

The girl's pink cheeks gave him an impulse to pounce on her and kiss her. Murong Heng's heartbeat quickened at this thought of his, and her cheeks flushed red unconsciously.

Seeing that the young man in front of him was staring at him for a moment, Xiao Yuer couldn't help but sneer as his face flushed red. This young man had nothing in common with the "zither immortal" he had heard of. She even suspected that she did not go through the wrong door, but she had seen Murong Heng's portrait before, so she confirmed that the man in front of her was actually the "Zither Immortal" Murong Heng! That "zither immortal" whose name shook the Alien Continent!

"Meow." A crisp cat cry pulled Murong Heng's thoughts back to the world from the girl in front of him.

Ah!" When the beautiful girl saw the grey kitten on the ground behind Murong Heng, she was pleasantly surprised. It was obvious that she couldn't resist such a cute kitten.

When the kitten saw the girl firmly grasping its gaze, it turned around and ran back into the house, not coming out again.

A man and a woman looked at each other through the door. Murong Heng would never take the initiative to speak, even when the other party was already at his doorstep. In his world, he was used to answering people's questions, mostly in emotionless phrases such as "Mmm," "Oh," and "Yes."

Xiao Yuer looked at the rash youth in front of him, and also felt helpless. This "Zither Immortal" whose Alien Continent could shake the world had actually fallen to such a stage. Had the legendary calamity truly destroyed the youth in front of him?

"Hello, my name is Xiao Yuer."

"Yes."

"…" Xiao Yuer didn't know what to say for a moment.

Canto I