by Feng Yue
“Did I pass the inspection?” He smiled wryly. “So, how many people are we going to look for then? I heard that there are more than twenty people on Revelations’ main team this year.”
“You don’t have to look for more. Five is enough.”
“Five?” Bench Guy counted on his fingers for a long while. “There are only four people. Is there someone else who joined?”
“Not a human, but we do have a dog.” Charles waved to him with Old Phil’s paw. “What do you think? This is one of your teammates. Do you want to come and say hello?”
“…” Under Old Phil’s disdainful gaze, Bench Guy was shocked and could not react immediately.
“Since we have enough people, there’s one last problem.” Charles slapped his thigh and looked up. He asked, “Has anyone played soccer before?”
“…” It was dead silence and no one raised their hand.
Ye Qingxuan asked in a low voice, “Senior, haven’t you played before?”
“Of course not. I was really annoying when I was little, so no one would like to play with me. It was really sad. Yezi, don’t tell me that you haven’t played before?”
“Uh…” Ye Qingxuan’s gaze suddenly drifted up. “I used to have a lot of homework. How would I have time to play?”
Stunned, Charles turned to Bai Xi.
“What are you looking at me for?” Bai Xi snorted. “Why would I fight over a ball with dozens of people for no reason? It’s not like I can eat the ball!”
Charles looked at Old Phil with the last shred of hope. Old Phil glared at him as looking down on his IQ. Did he think a dog would play soccer for fun?
Charles was completely hopeless. He turned toward Bench Guy. “You?”
Bench Guy felt a little awkward all of a sudden. “Well, when I was young, my tutor was very strict. I thought all of you would have played before.”
“…That is to say, none of us have ever played before?” No one responded. And so, Charles sighed. “It’s late tonight. Everyone go take a bath and sleep. We still have to go get killed tomorrow. Hope that it won’t be too ugly…”
-
The next day, was a breezy and sunny day. In the Requiem enchantment was a vast stadium with every seat occupied. As far as one could see, it was a dark mass of noisy people.
Ye Qingxuan stepped onto the field, feeling the green grass underfoot, the wind with the smell of grass, and the light earthy smell of the soil. It made him nostalgic. Even the sound of the tide that had haunted his ears was gone now. It was as if he was back in a vast prairie on the mainland instead of this distant and strange city.
“It feels so good to be standing on firm soil, Charles.” he suddenly said without any particular reason, making Charles bewildered.
When the crowd in the audience noticed that the youth had appeared on the field, they suddenly began rustling.
Quite a few people booed him while there were a lot of people with painted faces who waved flags and cheered, despite the pressure from the school.
“Concertmaster Ye! I support you!”
“Concertmaster Ye will win! Show those guys your power!”
In the crowd, someone suddenly screamed, “Eastern Ye, I want to make babies with you!”
“…Making babies is unnecessary.” Ye Qingxuan’s expression slacked and he waved to the spectators.
Soon the referee appeared on the field. It was the first game of the day, and captain Charles went to draw on behalf of his team. Ye Qingxuan had strongly opposed this because Charles was always unlucky; however, it seemed that no one in this team was lucky, so he just went with it.
The result was as predicted…
“It really is the shortest draw.”
Ye Qingxuan looked at the returning Charles with an expressionless face. Charles squeezed out an awkward smile. “The rainbow comes after the storm. The rainbow comes after the storm…”
“After the storm your *ss! The first is the seed team of Modifications. Of the twelve players, there are three graduates! The others are all destructive maniacs…” Ye Qingxuan wanted to die. “We don’t even need to play. They can just put the soccer ball aside and shoot a frost ray or palm flame per person and I don’t even know how dead we’ll be!”
“Hey, Concertmaster Ye, we’re ready. Can we start?” On the other side of the field, the Modifications guys were ready and filled with anticipation.
With the current situation, everyone knew that Concertmaster Ye, who had had his time to shine in the first round, was now the easiest to bully.
If it was the ordinary students who had the advantage in the first round, then the second round was completely reversed. This was the graduates’ home turf. These guys had been in the school for years and had learned countless music scores.
Even the stupidest person could reach the Rhythm level after five or six years. The outstanding students would at least be at the edge Deva sensing and would become formal musicians soon.
Not to mention, there were a dozen of them who already had the qualifications to officially become a musician. For those guys, defeating the juniors was easy as pie.
Regardless of the others, the weirdos from the History department meant nothing to these people. If they did not seize this chance to squeeze out few credits, it would be against their morals.
“Don’t be impatient. We’re still talking about our strategy.” Ye Qingxuan squeezed out a smile.
The referee looked down at his pocket watch. “I’ll give you five minutes.”
“It’s okay. We’re not in a hurry. You can talk as slowly as you wish, Concertmaster Ye. How about ten minutes? Is that enough?” James, the captain of the Modifications team, waved his hand with uncharacteristic generosity. Meeting the eyes of his teammates, they burst into laughter.
“Twenty minutes is okay too.” Someone on the team whistled.
No matter how one looked at things, this round was their stage. Even if they gave Ye Qingxuan ten more minutes, would he be able to make ten more people appear like magic? So, the people of Charles’ team turned green. Bai Xi stuck her middle finger up at the other side defiantly.
“What should we do?” Charles whispered.
“Nothing. They’re ready to destroy us, so what else can we do?” Ye Qingxuan gritted his teeth. “Do as planned! I don’t believe that they’ll be more shameless than us…”
Soon, under the referee’s arrangement, the two teams stood on the dividing line at the center of the field. Before the game began, they shook hands with each other. Looking at the team twice as large as Ye Qingxuan’s and their eager members, the supporters in the audience began to lose their faith.
But soon, the enemies were stunned. “Wait, who is that?”
Bench Guy with a concrete brick on his head looked at the sky like nothing was happening. He whistled innocently as if not aware of how strange he looked. In an instant, everyone looked at him and he abruptly stiffened. “Uh…”
“This is our new member, his nickname is little Zhuzi. You can just call him Dunzi.” Ye Qingxuan waved to Bench Guy with an emotionless face. “Dunzi, stop spacing out and come to say hi.”
Bench Guy seemed to glare at Ye Qingxuan, but soon, he sighed helplessly. “Hello everyone. I’m little Zhuzi.”
What the hell? Little Zhuzi? James did not believe him at all. He frowned and stared at him, “Are you from the History department? Why haven’t we seen you before? Isn’t your costume a bit suspicious?”
“It’s because he’s ugly. He doesn’t want to scare you,“Ye Qingxuan lied shamelessly and squinted at them. “Moreover, he just has to be from our school, right? Would you like to check the student ID? You care about this too much. People who don’t know better might think you’re from the executive office.”
“You…”
195 Friendship Firs
“You…” James’s voice died off and he scoffed, no longer willing to argue over this topic with Ye Qingxuan. But he quickly felt that there was something else wrong! “Wait, wh
at is this?”
The gold dog sitting on the ground scoffed and rolled its eyes, not wanting to bother with him.
“Oh, that.” Ye Qingxuan picked his nose with his pinkie finger and stated, “That’s our goalie. Let me introduce you to him. His name is Old Phil, and he is an irreplaceable member of the History department…”
James stared, dumbfounded. “It—it’s clearly a dog!”
“So what?” Bai Xi rolled her eyes. “Even dogs are better than you all…what are you scared of?”
“Referee, objection!” James twisted his head toward the referee. The referee was also confused and subconsciously looked behind him to the top of the stands. He quickly received the sign and his expression became strange.
Eyeing Ye Qingxuan, he coughed and said, “Objection ineffective. Special circumstances call for special treatment. James, stop wasting time and shake their hand to start.”
James practically thought that he heard incorrectly. Special circumstances call for special treatment? But that was clearly a dog! But he quickly forced down his shock and depression, and gloomily stretched his hand toward Ye Qingxuan. “I hope to learn from you.”
“And I, you.” Ye Qingxuan shook his hand and swung it forcefully. His smile was full of enthusiasm.
Seeing his cheerful smile, James felt anger coming from everywhere. Clenching his jaw, he grit out, “Rest assured that friendship comes first and the game comes second. We won’t go for the kill. At most, you’ll just lose horribly.”
“Oh, really? Then thank you so much.” Ye Qingxuan gave a fake laugh too. “We’re really not very confident, so please have mercy on us.”
“Of course, of course.” James moved his facial muscles into a smile and grasped Ye Qingxuan’s hand, shaking it.
Clunk. Something fell from Ye Qingxuan’s sleeves and landed on the ground with a crisp sound. Under the sun, everyone was stunned. It was a heavy iron wrench and it shone blindingly with silver light.
“This…” James was frozen.
Ye Qingxuan calmly picked up the wrench and stuffed it back into his sleeve. “As you can see, we’re a team that loves mechanics, so it’s normal for us to have wrenches in our pockets.” He fluttered his lashes innocently, as if he was really telling the truth.
Clunk! There was another sound behind him.
A hammer fell from under Bai Xi’s skirt. Its reflection shone with cold light, making James’s expression change dramatically. His lips quivered, but he could not say anything.
“As you can see, we’re also skilled at woodworking,” Ye Qingxuan explained seriously. “That’s why it’s also normal to have a hammer in our pockets. Bai Xi, quickly put it away. Aren’t you scared of the seniors laughing at us?” He pretended to scold Bai Xi and then pushed a smile back onto his face as he gazed at James. “Please don’t mind us. That was just a small episode.”
Ye Qingxuan patted his bulging chest that was filled with who-knew-what and promised with a serious face, “Believe me, this game will be very fun!”
For some reason, James’s team felt an eerie chill go down their spines.
-
“Both sides get ready!” The referee stood at the midline of the field and gazed at the players on either side of him. He gently placed the customized soccer ball down at his feet and carefully retreated.
Once the game started, this place would be a battleground. They were only students, but they were musicians after all. Those who still dared to stand in the center of a messy fight between dozens of musicians were either suicidal or had something wrong with their brain.
Now, the eyes of both sides were scanning for weak points in the other team. Some were already murmuring to themselves, preparing the syllables they would chant later. The three graduating students unabashedly pulled out their instruments.
After hesitating for a bit, Bench Guy pulled out an average-looking flute from his sleeve. It was clear that this was not his usual instrument. It looked like the cheap and mass-produced stuff made for students to get used to playing. With the heavy load of aether, it would be hard to last one game.
If not for the fact that they could play and communicate with the aether only after the game began, they would have started preparing now.
“Huh, they look unfriendly.” Charles whistled.
“Three!” The sound of the referee’s countdown traveled over.
At the back, Old Phil opened its mouth. Its sharp teeth reflected a cold glint under the sun, chilling one’s heart. It seemed as if it would charge over as soon as the countdown ended.
James’s blood ran cold. Had these History department b*stards really decided to squash a musician’s dignity and get into a fist fight right at the start? They were not even giving him time to play his music score…Weren’t they scared of breaking the game’s rules and getting a foul?
“They won’t dare…” He gritted his teeth and glared at Ye Qingxuan furiously. Ye Qingxuan, the offense, smiled at him.
“Two!”
Under everyone’s gazes, the youth on the field smiled innocently, but his hand reached for his chest naturally and grasped something. Was it a hammer? Or a bat? Or some weird Eastern weapon?!
“One!”
Ye Qingxuan moved his lips into a strange smile, slightly shaking up James’s teammates.
“He won’t dare.” Clenching his jaw, James turned to see his teammates’ slightly scared expressions. His own darkened. “He won’t dare!”
“Start!”
The second the countdown ended, chilling coldness lit inside Ye Qingxuan’s eyes. The menacing flash made one’s scalp numb. He charged forward with giant steps!
For a moment, James was stunned. Everyone waited guardedly and took a step back reflexively. They quickly began chanting runes and cast a iron wall-like protective effect around them. He was close! Close!
The hand Ye Qingxuan had reached into his bosom was suddenly taken out. He swung at James aggressively, as if he was going to throw something. This guy was seriously crazy!
James’s expression changed and his shoulder shook. He quickly reached his hands before him. After a few sparse syllables, an instantaneous rune was cast, creating a faintly visible wall before him.
But the thing in Ye Qingxuan’s hand did not fly out. Instead, he shook it before James like it was a prank.
A crude and simple ragged sweater sewn after being stuffed with cotton. It was…a doll?
Yes, it was a doll.
Just as everyone was stunned, Ye Qingxuan moved quickly and kicked the soccer ball at the center line. He had successfully stolen the ball and brushed past James with it. Was passing someone really that easy?
Yes, if he was not close to tripping as he kicked…All the spectators that had been anticipating an intense fight were dazed now. They had probably never seen someone kick a soccer ball so horribly.
He stumbled and limped like an old lady walking on the street with a shopping basket, and was ready to fall beside a carriage at any time and start scamming people. But despite how horrible the kick was, James just let him pass? He passed? Who could believe that?
There was a mass of boos!
The Modifications students all had quick tempers. Some people started yelling and insulting on the spot. All of the different dialects verbally battered James without repeating each other.
James was dazed too. He looked at what was in his hands. When Ye Qingxuan had brushed past, he had tossed the doll into James’s arms. “A gift for you!”
James’s face alternated between livid and white before turning an angry red. “Ye Qingxuan! You asked for it!” He spun around. A beam of light shot from his hands, going straight for Ye Qingxuan’s back. The instantaneous rune Combustion turned the air red-hot and flew out with raging heat.
The ripple of aether created by the hasty casting was as stark as a lighthouse in the darkness. Ye Qingxuan did not even have to use Bolero to decipher the aether, and feel the time and direction of his actions.
Compared to the par
liament’s criminals and dark musicians who loved bloodshed, the academy’s students were just so loveable!
Ye Qingxuan made a turn without even looking back. The fireball brushed past him and fell onto the ground, igniting a whole patch of grass. It scorched the soil instantly.
“Wah, you’re playing for real?” Ye Qingxuan shrieked and sped up.
He had already run to the backfield of Modifications and was pretty much in the middle of the crowd. But now, even the stupidest people would have realized that they had been played by the white-haired Eastern kid!
“Block him!” James yelled.
The graduating student in the defensive raised his palm and guided a string of piercing notes with his finger. No, those were not notes but a complete melody. He was already a musician and had implanted his music score into his instrument.
As he moved, a ray of green stuff shot forward from his finger. It swam in the air like a snake, heading straight toward Ye Qingxuan’s face. The faint green light illuminated the paleness of Ye Qingxuan’s face.
It was a direct strong acid arrow!
“Try dodging that!” The graduating student laughed arrogantly. He had stuffed his violin with music scores in the morning for the game. To have the advantage in this fast-paced battle, he had given up on destructive music scores and packed dozens of short syllables repeatedly. Other than speed and protection effects, the rest were all direct strong acid arrows! His viciousness was hair-rising.
Compared to the slower fireballs and nondestructive frost rays, these arrows had a natural corrosion effect and could shoot out acid. It was just too useful. Though the destruction was a little less than that of a fireball, it had an unnaturally large amount of related effects. Someone could force themselves to endure freezing ice or burning fire, but once acid fell on them, they would basically be out. Acid had sustained damage!
But the moment the acid arrow fell from the sky and was shooting down, a beam of yellow light abruptly landed on Ye Qingxuan’s head. It exploded, turning into a ball of dirt-yellow smoke. The acid dropped into it and sizzled, evaporating quickly and vanishing.