Ziqin

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*Title: 梓(zǐ) referencing to Chinese Catalpa(a tree with creamy white flowers);琴(qín): a musical instrument such as a guqin or zither

Not knowing how many times in the middle of the night dreaming about the past, there is always a soft voice whispering in his ear, the words “master”, “master”. The callings cause his heart to soften, but once again swiftly turns sour.

Hundreds of years getting by in emptiness and solitary on Qing Zhu Feng Shang (Bamboo Peaks), only a dried up peach tree that is about to die is left, along with qin that has broken strings. Everyday he shuts himself off, concentrating on refining his cultivation techniques, not because of the possibilities of receiving a serious internal injury but for whatever reason he was not aware of. He wanted to wait, to protect that person, but will not meet [that person] ever again…

Associated Names
One entry per line
梓琴
Related Series
Peach Demon (Shared Universe)
Master Series (Shared Universe)
Recommendations
Ballad of Ten Thousand Gu (2)
Hua Xu Yin (1)
Demon King/The Parting of the Orchid and Cang (1)
Heart Protection (1)
Sansheng, Wangchuan Wu Shang (1)
Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes, All Thanks to a Single Moment of Impulse (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. SATISFYINGNOVELS: TRAGEDY/HEARTBREAKING
  2. short tear-jerker novels
  3. I love novels!!!!
  4. Short Story
  5. tragedy [bg]

Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/28/17 Shugui Translations c2
03/28/17 Shugui Translations c1
05/18/16 Bananachocolatecosmos c2
05/08/16 Bananachocolatecosmos c1
Write a Review
8 Reviews sorted by


The Lazy Slug
The Lazy Slug
January 25, 2018
Status: Completed
I don't know what to feel about this.

It is short and bittersweet, but frankly not memorable. The idea is there, but I daresay the details and the emotions were horribly lacking.

... more>>
Spoiler

The story is tragic. It shows of a forbidden love of a master and disciple.

The master (Mu Jin) was gravely ill, so the disciple went through the Death Valley to retrieve an elixir for him. She did not die from the tirade (because her fellow sister-disciple had saved her). Ironically however, she still died because of the punishment from the sect.

It was mentioned that the whipping could scatter souls, so I guess it was indirectly implied that she could never reincarnate again. Hence, the heavy undertone of the tragedy (?) Not sure.

[collapse]

Anyhow, the story just tangentially brushed through the elements that would've otherwise made this story infinitely better. There is the 'save-master' driven scene prior to death, a bittersweet way of dying and the death-of-disciple-and-master-grieving element... they were there!

Spoiler

And if Mu Jin's choice of abandoning cultivation for the sake of not destroying the qin was any indication, that first part really shows the emotional depth of his character.

[collapse]

Then again...

I really expected something from this story. I expected a lot from the flashback. True, borrowing allemandi96's words: "... the charm of Ziqin comes about through its concise narration and dialogue." It was too "concise" and straight to the point that the 'tragedy' of this story was heavily toned down and the impact completely escaped me. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
allemandi96
allemandi96 rated it
December 9, 2016
Status: c2
Short, memorable, and bittersweet.

Ziqin is a story about emptiness and fulfilment. There are two chapters; the first plays with the theme of weighing a personal treasure against immortality while the second brings to light the emotions that are tied to that very treasure.

A basic familiarity with the world of wuxia cultivation is recommended, if only to clarify bits and pieces of idioms and mannerisms. While the setting is somewhat lacking in overflowing description, the charm of Ziqin comes about through its concise narration and dialogue. Jiu Lu Fei Xiang, as... more>> the author of the popular Sansheng, Wangchuan Wu Shang and Mulberry Song, has brought to life yet again a story of gentle affection and unspoken affliction. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
izal5416
izal5416 rated it
May 2, 2020
Status: --
It's quite good, like a heart-wrenching c-drama condensed into 2 chapters. Neat, concise, and emotional. Read Ziqin if you're looking for a quick, decent-quality read.

Read the translations from Shugui, not Banana chocolate. I highly suspect Banana did MTL, because their English grammar is atrocious and barely comprehensible. They also attempt using pinyin with tone markings to try to come off as knowledgeable, but even their tone markings are wrong. They show an extremely shallow, flawed grasp of the Chinese language. It's annoying, I'm sorry.

It's probably not good that my review... more>> for the translator is longer than my review for the actual story, but that's really all I have to say. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
tedy2004
tedy2004 rated it
October 31, 2020
Status: Completed
It was a okey read, being short, tragedy stuff lol with loopholes like
Spoiler

how did that ML get injured or why elder sister go with Ziqin to that place, or why was that place evil? Idk, no reasons

[collapse]
, in short, many reasons aren't said in the story, you can just think about them, which meh..

Recommend if you don't have anything else to do, to waste time, while waiting.
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
nixxara
nixxara rated it
January 12, 2017
Status: Completed
Interesting short story that tugs on the heartstrings. Chapter 1 is in the perspective of the male MC and chapter is in the perceptive of the female MC. The story is generally a love story between a master and disciple.

Don't be scared to start this. The chapters are short/medium length and it's not heartwrenchingly sad. You just feel sympathy for the characters. No emotional rollercoaster rides so don't worry.
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
earlgreyt
earlgreyt
April 1, 2019
Status: Completed
Too short to rate, but beautifully written none-the-less. Excellent translation that really made the author's words shine. I greatly enjoyed the concepts in this one. Despite the length, you can tell the world building was pretty solid and there's a lot of unspoken things, such as how the 'righteous' sects were prejudiced against her origins and it is very likely that her punishment was so harsh because they already thought she was bad from the core.

I would definitely be up to reading something longer written by this author.
0 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Demonic Reader lv 451F
Demonic Reader lv 451F rated it
January 19, 2019
Status: c4
Put it bluntly and non-remantic, it's ultra_short story of a dao cultivator who fails his heart demon tribulation.

Funny is the deity who advices him. He should know that heart demon tribulation is the hardest obstracle, but he advices idiotly.
0 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
KKristen
KKristen rated it
February 28, 2017
Status: c2
This is a tragic short story with only two brief chapters. If you have some free time, you might as well check it out.

In my opion, it isn't bad. The story is still a pretty one that will tug on your heartstrings a bit. However, the concept is good but the execution may leave you unsatisfied -- mainly due to the poor translation quality. If you can tolerate broken English and are in the mood for something short and bittersweet, this series should only take you about 10 minutes to... more>> finish. <<less
0 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
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