by Feng Yue
“At that time, the King of Destiny was ruling his mighty kingdom. All land was peaceful then and Anglo was in the most western point of the world. But when the man died, everything changed.”
He sighed and offered a cigar to the youth. Ye Qingxuan waved his hand, rejecting it, so the Shaman lit the cigar for himself. In cloud of smoke, his eyes became blurred. “Mr. Holmes, let’s talk about the city’s history. I want to tell you about this city’s past, this country’s past—its greatness and glory.”
Ye Qingxuan leaned on his cane, prepared to take it all in.
-
“You know, King Arthur built this place to commemorate his love, the Maiden of the Lake. That was when the Dark Ages had just ended and the golden era of the Renaissance had just arrived. This was the most brilliant pearl of the West, heaven on Earth—Avalon!
“He gathered worldly treasures, countless poets, mighty knights and legions, the most magnificent brocade and the most fragrant incense here…But not even the beauties of the world could express his love for the Maiden of the Lake, because everything he had was gifts from her.
In the darkness, the Shaman told of the other history hidden behind the known history, the past buried in past. This was a secret hidden behind a heavy curtain.
“Before he met the Maiden, the great King Arthur was just a fisherman’s son. He was a commoner. But when he strayed into the Shadow World he met the Fairy of Lake. Nobody knows what happened during that time but all that matters is that King Arthur won her feelings. It’s the thing that is most worthy of appraisal, the so-called ‘love.’” Shaman chuckled, mockingly or in praise.
“The Maiden gave Arthur her love and strength, so he became and expanded his territory. With her help, he forged the Sword in the Stone, became the strongest of the strong, and created Anglo. He became the true King of Destiny!
“It was his era. The Knights of the Round Table galloped above the sky and the demons hid from their radiance. Even the natural catastrophes were banished one by one. The Western frontier of the human world had never been more peaceful.
“Everyone dressed in brocades and no one went hungry. It was such a beautiful age. Brilliant, great, and worthy of all good words to praise it. It was like a fairy in a fairy tale.
“Then everything changed.” The Shaman paused. His voice grew hoarse. “Arthur went mad. The power was so strong that it drove him mad. But at that time, no one knew that the man sitting on the throne had gone crazy.
“The older he became, the more he hated his son for being younger than him. He thought that the child was stealing his life. He drowned his son in boiling oil. When he was sober, he felt guilty and depressed and cried for three days and three nights.
“He suspected that his wife was unfaithful to him, so he ordered his men to strip her, and forced her to walk naked on the street to be humiliated by all. The street still retains its original look, but some people have forgotten that this is why it is called ‘Queen’s Road.’
“In order to maintain his sovereign authority, he executed almost half of his Round Table Knights. His relatives gained those rights and shot to power. This became what is known as the glorious blood of the Empire. In order to become King of kings, he could not even allow the existence of the sacred city. He enlarged his army to prepare for destroying the sacred city.
“In the end, the Maiden also disappeared because of his madness. The brilliant Avalon, the city of glory, fell to the state of a ghost city.” Shaman’s voice was hoarse and odd, emitting real darkness and madness.
“At that time, the entire city was covered by his distorted projections from the aether world. This formed the eerie space known as Avalon’s shadow. In that world, gallows were erected everywhere like a forest; the guillotine became a fountain from which the blood extended, meandering out the gate as the Blood Path.
“At last, mad King Arthur was deserted by all and was killed by his greed for power. All that remained was the Blood Curse, which is passed down the generations.”
“This is the city’s past. It was once beautiful and brilliant, but now it has become a gloomy, fickle, and dying crazy woman. It stares with her cloudy eyes, cursing the inhabitants with her vicious gaze.
“So far, all you’ve seen were the problems on the outside, but the real blight and the cancer, the root, are hidden in the shadows of the city. The evil had been planted hundreds of years ago …” He sighed and snuffed out the cigar, his rheumy eyes growing nostalgic.
Ye Qingxuan was silent for a long time. Then he asked quietly, “Did you tell me all this to make me give up on the Blood Path?”
The Shaman shook his head. “No, I’m just worried about the city. If I wanted you to give up, I would say it directly.”
Ye Qingxuan glanced at him and sighed. “I never expected that the Shaman was so concerned about the country and people.”
“Everyone wants to make their living environment better. Aren’t you the same?” Shaman asked lightly. “Even if your fortune and fate are bad, you’ve been working hard all this time, haven’t you?”
Ye Qingxuan fell silent but the Shaman chuckled. “I think you’ve felt something vaguely, haven’t you? Mr. Holmes, or should I call you by your other name?”
“I’ve thought about the possibility before and now I’m sure.” Ye Qingxuan looked up to the Shaman, or rather, the ‘old guy’ his Father had mentioned. “I just never imagined that my father’s so called friend is the former Dark King.”
“I never imagined that the son of the evil hunter, Moon Chant, would be known as a dark musician.” Shaman patted his shoulders and sighed nostalgically. “I’ve had my men keep an eye on you ever since you returned to Avalon, but I didn’t expect that this would bring you so much trouble. When I heard of the melody you use, I knew that you were back. You’re better than I expected.”
“I’d rather know… what my father had done to set me in this situation.”
“I don’t know.” Shaman shrugged and said, “When he was on the run, I was still hiding in the Southern Isles. When I came back, I realized that he had vanished, and you and your mother had been banished from Avalon. Unexpectedly, even the famous Lan…”
“Don’t say that name.” Ye Qingxuan interrupted. “Don’t say that name if you want to continue to talk.”
-
Shaman was taken aback. He studied youth’s face and shrugged as if he perceived the indifference and anger behind those gloomy eyes. “Well then, I won’t say it.”
He sighed. He wanted to say that someone had been caring for Ye Qingxuan all these years and wanted him to go back… But this child probably would never return. Who would trust the so-called family again after being betrayed once?
He had wanted to meet Ye Qingxuan and talk about the stories of him and Ye Qingxuan’s father as an uncle and comfort him. But it seemed that it did not matter to Ye Qingxuan. It would never matter.
He sighed. He inhaled the smoke of the cigar and blew out the memories of the past. Ye Lanzhou was known as a unique gentleman and a peerless musician with a son who seemed to be made from steel. Would he be content or sad, seeing the current state?
152 Savior in the Quagmire
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you deal with the rumors. You have nothing to do with the Blood Path and shouldn’t be in this mess. The least I can do is make sure you stay far away from the dark side of life,” the Shaman said lightly. “Just return to the Royal Academy of Music and stay there. Soon, order will return and Avalon will become peaceful once again. You’ll be able to live your own life too, Ye Qingxuan.”
But the youth did not reply and instead just lowered his head. After a long time, he asked in response, “Do you think I will?”
The old man was stunned. “Is my promise not enough?”
Ye Qingxuan chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not about promising to solve the problem.” The Shaman was about to say something, but the youth continued. “Even if you can protect me, if I do get involved with the Blood Pat
h one day, would you choose Avalon’s Shadow or the insignificant child of an old friend?
“Whether you like it or not, I’ve already been pulled into this quagmire. Since I’m here, I need to at least understand what happened. Closing my eyes, stuffing my ears, burying my head into the sand and pretending nothing happened…that’s not my style.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“I’m just saying that no one’s promise is enough for these things,” the youth said lightly. “You can make thousands of promises but I only have one life. I can’t hand it to someone so easily. If my rejection hurts your dignity, then I’m sorry. I need to live carefully and cautiously. I don’t want to die before I accomplish things.”
The room’s temperature seemed to drop. The Shaman no longer spoke. He studied the rebellious confidence in the youth’s eyes. “…So you’re saying that it’s okay to die after you finish those things?”
Ye Qingxuan considered those words and nodded. “Perhaps.”
-
The Shaman stared deeply into his eyes and then looked away. His voice turned from gentle to serious. He was no longer “old guy,” but was the Shaman now, the former Dark King. “If you don’t plan on getting out of the mess, then why don’t you help?”
“The Shaman needs my help too?” Ye Qingxuan asked back.
The Shaman nodded. “As you’ve seen, I’ve declared war on all of downtown. There’s also the parliament standing before me. The Professor is an obstacle.”
Ye Qingxuan was taken aback. “You’re not scared of the parliament but you’re scared of the Professor?”
“You don’t know how destructive he is,” the Shaman said. “To me, as long as you have a worry, then you have weakness; as long as you have a goal, then there is a path toward it; as long as there is a benefit, then it’s worthy to go after.
“In this gamble I have many bargaining chips, so I never worried about the parliament. But the Professor is different from them.” His eyes were chilling. “The Professor is a maniac, an unstable element because he doesn’t care about gambling. No one knows what he’s thinking, but he knows too much. That is the most terrifying.
“Nine years ago, he appeared in Avalon and singlehandedly ruined the order and rules I created. He forced this city into the quagmire. All these years, he has been walking freely in this quagmire, digging for the dirty and dark secrets. He has also bought associates and created a network…
“But even if he’s alone, he can still cause destruction. Do you understand?” He looked at Ye Qingxuan. “I can’t have a variable in my world. The Professor must disappear.”
“So you want me to do it?” Ye Qingxuan asked.
“Weren’t you planning on it before? I’m also curious why he’s so determined to get you, and why he thinks you have something to do with Avalon’s Shadow…You’re also curious about him, are you not? Or you could say that you’re even happy that you’ve found a good opponent—the best counter to you.”
Fear flashed past the Shaman’s eyes as he spoke. “I hope you don’t think the Professor is a beaten dog now. Who knows what else he has hidden? I’ve also heard that he has prepared to attack the Royal Academy of Music. You might see him in the classroom in a few days.”
Ye Qingxuan fell silent. He was stunned by the Professor’s audacity. So many people in downtown had thirsted for Avalon’s Shadow…but no one had ever gone after the Royal Academy of Music.
If Ye Qingxuan did not go out, he would only be challenged by the elites. No one else would care about him. It was the birthplace of Royal musicians and the breeding grounds of Anglo’s musicians. Other than the visible defenses, there were countless hidden research labs. And if the alarm was activated, the Round Table Knights would come from the sky…The Professor wanted to attack the Academy? Was he crazy?!
“All you have to do is find the Professor. I believe in your abilities. I can also help you too, or even hire the Bloody Butcher to deal with the trouble. But I don’t want you to be distracted by him at the moment.” He focused his eyes on the dark shadow of the towering city behind him and said softly, “After all, I want to put all my focus on the true enemy now.”
“The parliament?”
“Someone in the Parliament. I suspect that Satan’s power has already seeped into Avalon. His follower might be hidden amongst them.”
Ye Qingxuan fell silent and then suddenly asked, “You mean they did all this on purpose?”
The Shaman nodded. His voice was filled with battling emotions. “Avalon doesn’t care about the mess in downtown, right? They just watch on as downtown falls further, rots further, and becomes a bloody quagmire.
“The parliament wants to see this. If they want the Blood Path, they won’t leave any witnesses for the Royal family to interrogate. They must make everything into a mess. But unfortunately for them, they won’t get what they want as long as I am here,” he said lightly.
“The creator of the quagmire should be buried in it. I will personally bury their corpses.”
“So you came back to stop them?” Ye Qingxuan glanced at him. “You were free from the quagmire. You could’ve just gazed at it from afar and stayed away. Why did you come back?”
-
After a long silence, the Shaman said, “Maybe because of responsibility.”
“You think you’re responsible for this city?” Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh.
“Why not?” the Shaman asked back, but his eyes became helpless. “To be honest, I don’t understand it either. My era has passed and this city doesn’t welcome me anymore. Why did I come back? I’m just making it hard for myself.”
Ye Qingxuan remained silent.
Sensing the awkwardness, the Shaman chuckled. “Sorry, I said something you don’t understand.” Smoking his cigar, he sighed. “Actually, I was an author for some years after leaving Avalon, and published some books.
“They were all bad poems and folktales, so the sales were very low. But some people liked my poems and so I loved them. Sometimes I would meet them and drink and talk with them. Many of them were students or researchers. They were young, stubborn, and innocent.
“We would sit in a tavern and drink bad beer. The owner was my reader too and would give us discounts. Sometimes, he would play an instrument. To be honest, he was really bad at it.
“Sometimes I’d wish that I had a few female readers. Even if they were far away and just wrote me a letter, it would be nice. But sometimes, I would get drunk, hang on their shoulders and say some random things. But I’d be satisfied and everyone would be happy.
“The world is big and people desire many things. But some people just want recognition…it’s that simple. I’ll keep writing as long as they’re there and someone wants to read my books. I’ll keep writing until I die. I want to respond to their voices.”
He gazed at the youth. “To be honest, I’m sad that the city has become this mess after I left. Some people felt that they were living without dignity and wanted me to return. So I did. I’m the only one who can give them hope. This is what I want. Do you understand, kid?
“I want to respond to their wishes and change this dark quagmire. I want the people who can’t live under the sun to have dignity too. So many corpses have been buried in the quagmire all these years. They’re all begging me for help. If I don’t do these things, who will?
“I’ll recreate the rules and give these people a way to live. Even if there’s no sunlight, they should have rules and order. If no one will do it, then let me do it. If these people are abandoned by the king, then let me be their king. Do you understand now?”
The Shaman stood in the cemetery. His black shadow covered the tombstones, reaching into the distance. He studied Ye Qingxuan, but there was no blazing light in his eyes. Instead, they radiated with piercing darkness.
“I returned because I’m their savior, their king!” He stepped forward and stared at the youth, reaching out his hand. “Ye Qingxuan, come help me, just as your father did.”
There was a long, long silence. As if he was deep in thought, it was a long while before Ye Qingxuan looked up and said, “I’ll help you.” He stared at the Shaman’s outstretched hand and saw the power hidden behind the hand—it was an invitation and a great gift. If he reached out, he could become the Shaman’s right hand man and control Avalon.
But he did not reach out. Instead, he took a step back and shook his head. “But I’m helping you for myself, not for your so-called order of the underworld.”
The Shaman fell silent.
“To be honest, I don’t understand what you’re saying about the savior, the king, the order of the underworld—but there’s one thing I know.” In the silence, Ye Qingxuan looked up into the Shaman’s eyes.
“No matter how glorious the title is, evil is evil. It will never make this city good. Everything you’re doing will only make it not as bad. When those people abandoned living under the world, they should be ready to die in the sewer. They shouldn’t be hoping for some savior to give their lives more dignity.
“In the end, the savior of villains is still a villain. And no matter how orderly this world is, it is still a quagmire. You’re trying to find a savior in the quagmire?” Ye Qingxuan shook his head, his eyes becoming cold and scornful. “You’re looking in the wrong place.”
In the silence, cold rain fell through the fog to the still cemetery. When the rain drops landed on the Shaman’s palm, they broke and turned to water vapor.
He retracted his hand and sighed soundlessly. “Ye Qingxuan, you look identical to your father.”
“We’re not the same,” Ye Qingxuan said as he put on the hunter. “Not the same at all.”
153 The Beautiful Life of the Academy’s Disgrace 1
It was an afternoon two days later in the Royal Academy of Music. After several days of heavy rain, the summer’s heat seemed to have vanished. The mist suffusing downtown seemed to be a sign that autumn was coming. Even the scorching sun had become cooler and in the afternoon. Calm sunshine filtered down from the sun, warming instead of scalding the people. Even the ever-gloomy academy seemed to have brightened. It was full of brilliance and everyone felt comfortable.