by Feng Yue
Without realizing, Ye Qingxuan began playing the music score carved into his memory, but this time, it was pure venting. He did not worry about the art, did not bother with the notes, and did not think about sensing and controlling the aether. He threw away all concern. Ye Qingxuan was just focused on venting out his anger. Only sharp piano music sounded in the darkness.
The helplessness, confusion. and anger that had built up in his soul over the past few days was all thrown into the lonely music. Like a maniac dancing, he slammed his hand down on anything he could in despair, creating broken sounds. He shattered the silence, shattered all reason, and shattered all restraint.
The irritation and depression in Black Friday was expressed to the extreme in this crazed performance. He had never connected with the anger and…helplessness in the piece before. Confusion was born from the helplessness, and gave birth to trepidation. Frustration grew in it, followed by fury, and finally turned into an explosion of hysteria. But when the music reached its climax, the piercing sounds suddenly lowered.
The broken, angry, manic sounds became weak and soft, like murmuring in one’s ears. It was as if something was brewing in the empty music, sucking away all of its strength and the musician’s soul. Ye Qingxuan had not purposely been controlling it, but he fell completely into the performance. He did not even know if he was playing the piece or if the piece was guiding him, leading his mind deeper into the melody. Like peeling a shell, layer by layer, lifting up layer by layer of disguise, he gradually sank into the soft melody. He was completely focused on the meaning of each note and measure.
He began thinking, “What is this piercing yet broken melody trying to express?” Was it anger? Or frustration? Depression? Fear? Resentment towards goals unrealized? Loneliness? Utter despair? No, it was none of that.
In an instant, lightning flashed through his heart, cutting through all confusion, ripping through all questions. For an instant, everything became ‘real.’ Ye Qingxuan flinched, eyes flying open in shock. “Guilt?”
Yes, it was guilt. It was the ‘pain’ of not having enough time, it was gambling everything to try and save something, and it was the ‘despair’ of failing in the end. It was being forced to disappoint family and friends. It was the ‘helplessness’ of missing an opportunity and never having the chance to make up for it. It was a helpless ‘guilt.’ Guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt…
Throughout the dark music, every note and interval bled with guilt. For a moment, the ‘soul’ of the melody was finally revealed from the plain notes. The melody began changing wildly. Like a pool of still water suddenly rippling, consciousness suddenly glowed from within the shell. This was the life of this dark music piece—it was the ‘soul’ of the melody!
—
Charles paced outside the door with a pile of fruits in his arms. He did not know what had happened to his junior during that trip. Ye Qingxuan had changed completely, locking himself up in the basement, making everyone worry over him.
Charles had gone to the backyard of the School of Modifications to get fruit to comfort Ye Qingxuan. He wanted to fill the youth’s stomach and then have a good talk about going to the therapist. But when he finally made up his mind and opened the door, he froze.
The wailing music flowed from behind the door, echoing in his ear. It was alive, like an angry spirit softly singing a heartbreaking song.
Charles was rooted to his spot. The fruit fell to the ground but he did not care. His eyes grew wide, almost popping out of the sockets. What…the heck was this?!
He thought there was something wrong with his ears. Had this guy had locked himself in the basement, banged on the piano while venting, and somehow entered the state that all musicians dreamed of—resonating with the soul of the music?
Ye Qingxuan had gone from a student with no foundation at all to grasping the essence of the music in one step. And a dark piece filled with despair at that?
Features twisting, Charles shut the door carefully, not daring to interrupt whatever Ye Qingxuan was doing. He crept around, picking up the fallen fruits, and returned to the living room. He chewed on a banana blankly, his mind somewhere else.
The girl brushing Old Phil in the corner looked up. Seeing Charles like this, she asked in confusion, “Charles, are you okay? You look like your girlfriend just got kidnapped…”
“Nothing…” Charles mumbled numbly. After a long time, he slapped himself. When he was sure he was not dreaming, he could not help but slap his knee and mutter, “F*ck me!”
104 Long Time No See
The dark wailing music was still continuing in the basement, but Ye Qingxuan had sunk into confusion again. He had felt the soul of the dark piece of music, but what was the soul like? He had found the essence hidden in the melody, but he could not describe it!
As the melody resounded, Ye Qingxuan focused on one question: what exactly is guilt? As he fell into a daze, uncontrolled aether was pulled by the melody, gathering from all directions. It was like fog but also like light. The layers of apparitions hovered in the basement, unable to form a solid shape. Because Ye Qingxuan had never thought about what guilt looked like, he still could not find the true nature of the essence.
Was it cold rain? An eerie breeze blew through the basement. Cold water vapor solidified near the corner of the wall and vanished quickly afterward.
Was it a thunderstorm? Dark clouds suddenly appeared in the aether apparition. Roaring thunder shook the charcoal clouds. Heart-stopping lightning flashed at times. But the storm disappeared quickly as well.
Was it the feeling of a thousand blades piercing the heart? But the flashing blades disappeared after cutting through the apparition.
Was it like burning lava? A gust of heat appeared within the music, blowing like foehn wind from Hell.
Illusions appeared and disappeared continuously within the aether, like flashing scenes from a dream, but the changes eventually slowed, becoming more and more difficult.
Finally the illusion froze completely as if something great was brewing within. An untouchable emotion was solidifying, forming its structure. Slowly, there was the pitter-patter of dripping water. Water droplets solidified within the illusion, falling and grouping together, finally turning into a silent torrent! Although it was inside a closed basement, but there was the essence of a lonely sea. It was a river—a black river.
The black water flowed soundlessly inside the aether apparition as if it wanted to cover the entire world. The water gradually rose, flowing over Ye Qingxuan’s ankles, rising to his waist, reaching his neck. It rose inch by inch, flooding the room with cold despair. It flooded into the soul from every pore, invading every inch of empty space. This was guilt—an eternal black river in everyone’s heart.
The black river was like a noose amid the wild melody, tightening ever so gradually, stealing every last breath, casting one into eternal despair and repentance. There was no redemption! When the soul finally suffocated, the quiet river would begin to rumble. It was like a hopeless spirit roaring wildly, crying helplessly, begging and pleading for salvation.
The black river flowed on, crashing against every inch of the walls. Even the insignificant organisms hidden between the floorboards writhed in pain. They were caught by the hopeless melody and sank into the river of guilt.
As the climax neared, explosive crashes sounded continuously. Rats and insects gone wild crashed headfirst against the walls, trying to find peace and relief from eternal death. The desperate souls struggling in the black river passed away just like that.
The music silenced. Ye Qingxuan woke up from the crazed playing with a jump. He gasped for breath, sweat rolled down his back. “Is this-is this how to play complex notes?”
In the silence after the storm, he gazed at his hands in confusion. His hands had lost all strength from the wild playing. Soreness radiated from every finger. It hurt his heart to move them even a little bit.
After a long time, he lowered his head and pressed down on the keys. The piano w
as silent. The strings had broken. All of them had broken. How could such an old piano survive such a powerful performance? Or maybe a better word would be ‘destruction’?
But for some reason, Ye Qingxuan felt much better. Maybe he had emptied all his dark thoughts while venting.
“Yezi, do you feel better?” A calm and cool voice sounded behind him. The voice was like moonlight.
Ye Qingxuan froze. It felt like an illusion, but the voice was so real. He turned around slowly. Seeing something impossible, his eyes widened in shock, “F-father?”
All light had extinguished in the dark room during the wild music, but calm moonlight shone down from somewhere, illuminating the man’s white robe and eyes. Those orbs were clear and quiet like the moon. He stood in the moonlight, gazing around and smiling at the youth. After all these years, his smile was still the same. It was filled with the enlightenment and desolation of having seen fate.
“Oh, Yezi, long time no see.” Quietly, he asked, “How are you?”
—
“Is it really you?” Ye Qingxuan rose subconsciously, but was quickly stopped. He finally realized that there was an obstacle between them. It was made of instrument strings suspended in the air. The strings reflected the moonlight, creating an abstract and unclear instrument. It was the instrument that had been completely awoken by the music—Jiu Xiao Huan Pei.
“First, I must congratulate you. You’ve finally earned the recognition of Jiu Xiao Huan Pei.” Standing under the moonlight, Ye Lanzhou studied the youth, “Yezi, you’ve worked hard and become a musician.”
Ye Qingxuan stared at the man in shock. After a long time, he sat down as if his legs could no longer support him. “It was actually pretty easy.” He lowered his head, a bit sad, “I just spent a little time.”
“My apologies for not being able to truly be by your side and congratulate you on your most important moment. As you can see, I am just a memory right now.” Ye Lanzhou sighed as an apparition in the moonlight, “You’ve awaken Jiu Xiao Huan Pei. This means that you’ve returned to Avalon and found what I have left behind.
“But where did you find this music score? Sharon Hotel? The library? Queen’s Road? Or was it from some old guy? I feared that you would not be able to find it, so I left behind many identical carvings, but I did not actually want you to return. I didn’t even want you to find it.”
Ye Lanzhou studied the youth in silence. He said softly, “Sometimes, I even wish that you’ll forget me and live as an average person. How great would that be? You won’t have to experience all these dirty things. All you’ll have to do is work hard and you will be able to live happily.”
“Father, what’s the point of saying all this?” Though Ye Qingxuan knew it was just an illusion, he still could not help but question him.
As if sensing the youth’s question, Ye Lanzhou’s expression turned helpless, “There’s no point in everything now, right? Let me tell you what you must remember. Listen carefully. What I will say next is very important.”
105 Old Guy
“Listen carefully. What I will say next is very important,” Ye Lanzhou said. “First, since you have awakened Jiu Xiao Huan Pei and received its recognition, you are now the master of the Ye family.
“In other words, every word you say and every action you perform represents the Ye family of the Dragon Bloodlines. I messed up and ran from the East, but you don’t have to worry about that.
“But this zither is something passed down from your great-great-great-grandfather. You know, it’s an old thing, and old things have a lot of rules. Unfortunately, you can only use a portion of its features before you become an official musician, so just deal with it. At least you don’t have to buy an instrument so you can save some money.
“But if you really don’t like it, you can get another one. It’s an old thing. Just keep it as a memento,” Ye Lanzhou calmly said such obscene things, as if he was not scared of their ancestors striking him with lightning.
“To be honest, the Dragon Bloodline isn’t as good as you think. There are a lot of annoying things. That’s why I came to the West. I sealed your talent when you were born because I wanted to let you choose what to do with the seal when you became of age. If I’m not around, you can only wait until you reach Resonance level and it will unlock automatically.” Ye Lanzhou shrugged, “If you need some secret tricks or talent, then all I can say is sorry.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan almost coughed up blood. He had never heard of a father who could ruin his son’s life this much!
“Ha, sorry, that was my mistake, don’t mind me. But there is one thing that I hope you’ll pay attention to.” Under the moonlight, Ye Lanzhou’s expression turned serious. “Listen, Yezi. Before you reach Resonance level, you cannot, must not research anything about me.
“I’ve already wiped away many people’s memories of me, but there are some strange creatures that I can’t reach. Don’t delve into these things before you’re powerful enough to truly protect yourself. This is for the good of you and everyone around you. My only advice to you now is: if you are still in Avalon, leave as soon as possible. It’s best to not have anything to do with Avalon.
“The sins that the crazy King Arthur had committed centuries ago have put a curse on the Royal family. Anglo will pay for it. So, before that day comes, you must not enter Avalon’s Shadow, understood?”
Ye Qingxuan listened to Ye Lanzhou’s message in shock. After a while, he could not help but chuckle bitterly, “Father, you’re too late.”
Ye Qingxuan had already become tightly connected to Avalon. He had already almost entered Avalon’s Shadow. All of the thugs and gangsters in downtown knew that he had something to do with Avalon’s Shadow.
“Your life must be hard now, right?” Ye Lanzhou suddenly said, “I created a key to unlock this melody. You can only truly understand it in your most confused and painful state. If you need help, go find that old guy. Even though he’s heartless sometimes, he’s the most trustworthy man in Avalon. He owes me a lot, so go and annoy him.”
Old guy? Ye Qingxuan blanched. He had seen this nickname in Ye Lanzhou’s notes. It was mentioned on Black Friday’s sheet music. The inspiration for this composition had come from talking with this old guy, but who was he?
Ye Lanzhou stroke his chin in deep thought, “What’s his name? I suddenly can’t remember. I think he’s called…” Here, his apparition wavered. The moonlight began scattering.
“Oh? It seems like we’re running out of time. This is all we have.” He smiled helplessly and waved at the youth, “Goodbye, Yezi.” A faint cacophony, like explosions and angry roars, came from the shining illusion. Ye Lanzhou looked behind him and sighed, eyes darkening, “These guys are faster than I thought.”
As if Ye Lanzhou could not hold it in anymore, he lowered his head and covered his mouth, and coughed lightly. Blood seeped through his fingers, dripping onto his ivory robe, turning it bloody yet beautiful.
“Sorry, I have a cold these days,” he chuckled with difficulty. Touching the corner of his lips, he had a careless smile on his face and waved at Ye Qingxuan, “Take care of yourself, Yezi. Don’t be like me.” Ye Lanzhou retreated slowly. Dust fell onto his white robe, making it look worn and sad.
The moonlight gradually dimmed. His smile blurred, but as he looked at the youth, his eyes were filled with longing and satisfaction. The basement returned to pitch black darkness. In the scattered moonlight, the last farewell from a long time ago sounded, “Yezi, it’s so great that you can become a musician.”
The youth stared at the spot where the moonlight had been. He lowered his head after a long time, “Yeah.”
—
Late at night, the basement door opened soundlessly. Ye Qingxuan peered out from behind the door. After making sure that no one was around, he nodded in satisfaction. Good, everyone was asleep.
He crept toward the empty living room. Starlight illuminated the deserted table and chairs. The only sound in the silence was t
he crickets outside. Taking his jacket from the hanger, he quickly put it on. He stuffed his hair inside a hat.
“Thank god nobody saw me.” Looking at his blurry reflection in the mirror, he nodded in satisfaction, “This outfit should do.”
A hand suddenly reached out from the corner of his vision, and slung over his shoulder. Ye Qingxuan flinched at the sudden touch, barely stopping himself from yelping.
A drunken smile appeared. The man hooked an arm around him and waved at the boy’s reflection in the mirror, “Hey, Junior, you still awake?”
Looking at Charles, Ye Qingxuan forced a smile, “Senior, you’re still awake?”
“I keep getting nightmares about bloody things these days and it scared me awake.” Charles shrugged, “I was just getting ready to drink a bit and I ran into you. Want to come with?”
“It’s okay.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled, shaking his head.
“Where are you going? You’re all bundled up.”
“I’m…going for a walk.” Ye Qingxuan racked his brain for an excuse and stated seriously, “I’ve been in a bad mood these past few days so I wanted to take a walk. Maybe then I can think everything through.”
“Really? Then you have to be careful.” Charles said lightly, “You know a ton of people in downtown want to get you to get rich.”
Ye Qingxuan looked into Charles’s drunk eyes and asked awkwardly, “You know everything?”
“I haven’t been getting around these years for nothing.” Charles picked his nose and studied the kid before him, “Let’s put it like this. It’s like all of downtown got drugged with aphrodisiacs over the past two days. They’ve practically captured all of the old guys with white hair to find you. All they’re missing is a ‘wanted’ poster with your face plastered all over the city.
“Are you trying to hand yourself over, wrapped up with a bow on top? Listen to my advice and stay in the academy. Here, at least the professor can protect you. If you don’t leave, what can they do?”