Chapter 12

Translator: Lordbluefire

Ye Wan, who was standing at the side for a long time, dispersed the crowd when he heard Qing Chen’s question, allowing the two to converse in peace.

“As a reward for winning this endgame? Sure,” Li Shutong replied.

“Was it you who played the harmonica earlier?” Qing Chen asked.

Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao were visibly stunned. They had wondered about the type of question Qing Chen would use his win today to ask, but in the end, it was just about this tune?

The tune was really pleasant to the ears, and they did not circulate it, but surely it wasn’t to the extent that Qing Chen would waste such an important opportunity, right?

Li Shutong looked up, smiling. “It was me. Why? Was that your first time hearing this melody?”

Qing Chen thought for a moment before replying, “It was really nice.”

“Mm.” Li Shutong nodded and answered only after he saw that the crowd had dispersed. “Our organization’s founder composed the melody, and he wrote the lyrics too.”

This answer stumped Qing Chen for a long time. He was at a loss for words, wanting to reply. I guess that founder of yours may be an Earthling!

But this founder seemed pretty shameless to pass off the song as his own work.

Wait, how long was Li Shutong’s organization established? And also, when did this senior in transmigration travel here?

Qing Chen asked again. “Can you sing the song in full? I want to listen to it.”

Li Shutong replied, “I can do that, but the lyrics to this melody aren’t quite complete. Some of them have been lost in the long river of time.”

“That is fine. I just want to listen to it,” said Qing Chen. He wanted to verify if the lyrics of this song were the same as Earth’s.

At this moment, Li Shutong cradled the enormous cat into his arms and crooned, “Outside the long corridor, along the ancient road, the green grass seemed to connect with the sky. Under the gentle night breeze, swung the willows and resonated the melancholic melody from an old flute, whilst the descending sun illuminated mountains by the mountain. At the edge of the sky and the corner of the land, parting is at times frequent…”

Li Shutong laughed after singing it. “The lyrics, ‘parting is at times frequent’, were supplemented by later generations. It was said that it wasn’t like this originally, but no matter how they tried to fill it, it still fell short of meaning.”

After standing for a long time, Qing Chen suddenly spoke up, “How about changing it to ‘the friends in hearts have gone their separate ways’?”

“The friends in hearts have gone their separate ways?” Li Shutong was momentarily stunned.

He didn’t understand why, but he kept thinking that those were the only words that would match this song.

Bidding farewell, bidding farewell. People were like the afterglow of a setting sun, and friends were in a faraway place.

They drank to their heart’s content when they were young, and their lives were as strong as midsummer.

It wasn’t clear which farewell became the last, and they never saw each other again.

It was as if Li Shutong could see the orange-red sun setting below the horizon while sitting in the prison, and his good friend was waving to him from a faraway place.

After waving, they turned and left.

“Thank you,” replied Li Shutong. “You did a great job filling this line. It’s as though it was part of the original lyrics from the get-go.”

“You’re welcome.” Qing Chen brazenly accepted the compliment.

Li Shutong continued with a little yearning, “I’m truly in awe sometimes. That founder of ours was astonishingly talented, elegant with words. It was said that the songs he composed back then were as many as the hairs of an ox, and each of them was a classic handed down through generations. It’s just that we lost them at the end of the previous era, and only this one song remained.”

“Only one song? That’s truly too bad.” Qing Chen thought inwardly that Li Shutong immediately mentioned the previous era, which meant the senior transmigrator had probably traveled here a long, long time ago.

The era wasn’t just a measurement of time but also the beginning of a new civilization.

It seemed like the human beings here had been through the iteration of an era. It was just that Qing Chen didn’t know what had happened.

“There is another song that I only know the name of but not the melody. The seniors have searched many relics but could not find the music sheets.” Li Shutong shook his head.

Qing Chen hesitated for two seconds before asking tentatively, “What’s the name of the song?”

Li Shutong glanced at him and replied, “Canon.”

If Qing Chen had any doubts about this founder’s transmigration status before, then he was completely sure of it now.

Canon was a type of musical form and compositional technique. Many symphonic works comprised the “canon” technique, for example, Beethoven’s “The Symphony of Destiny (Symphony No. 5)” or Bach’s “Five Variations of Canon”.

If the other person truly copied the music from Earth, then the melody should refer to Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”.

Based on Li Shutong’s attitude toward that founder, Qing Chen wondered if he could exchange the canon music score for that extraordinarily outstanding path?

He wasn’t sure, and he couldn’t even explain where he got the music score from.

He should wait awhile. Anyway, Qing Chen didn’t have the music score to canon memorized before either, so he should just wait until he returned and weigh it out carefully.

After the conversation, Qing Chen moved past the crowd and headed toward the reading zone. He needed to replenish his sleep at this moment. Even if he had to miss his meal, he needed to get some sleep first.

Only with a fit state of mind could he analyze the surrounding situation at any time.

However, just as he laid his head on the tabletop of the reading zone, Lu Guangyi followed him to the reading zone carefully.

Lu Guangyi wanted to talk to Qing Chen but was afraid others would see. Hence, he stayed outside the reading zone, tweaking his ears and scratching his cheeks anxiously.

Qing Chen lifted his head with a poker face and looked at him. “You don’t have to be that careful. Li Shutong is already aware of our relationship. But don’t worry, he doesn’t seem to mind. Also, go about your day first. Don’t disturb me.”

There was surveillance everywhere in No. 18 Prison Fort, and the newcomer’s initiation that the senior prisoners held was always hidden in the prison cells. That was why sleeping in the reading zone was the safest.

Qing Chen wanted to get some information out of Lu Guangyi and make clear about the Qing Clan’s plans.

However, seeing as his return was imminent, he didn’t want to cause any complications.

So, he would send Lu Guangyi away for now. He would reconsider what would be the better way to worm the information out after he returned.

Lu Guangyi didn’t leave. Instead, he muttered quietly at the side, “Boss, I’ve thought about it for a long time but still don’t know how I should address you. So, ‘boss’ still suits it best.

“I suppose you have heard Qing Yan mentioned me before. I have had an unfortunate life since I was a child. My father sold my kidney to the rich for money and replaced mine with a bionic one. See, if my parents didn’t love me, then who else would? Later, I was so happy when I heard from Qing Yan that you specifically named me to come in and trailblaze a path, and that you recognized my ability! Don’t worry, I, Lu Guangyi, will brave any danger for you without hesitation this time around. I could even die for you!

“But before I die, I still have regrets. You know I had little education, and I have always envied those cultured people…”

Qing Chen couldn’t take it anymore. “What is it you want to say?”

Lu Guangyi: “Could you teach me how to play chess?”

“Why do you want to learn how to play chess?” Qing Chen was shocked.

“Because it’s cool!” Lu Guangyi replied, “Boss, even a character like Li Shutong lost to you. How is that not cool?”

“Is there a lot of ‘face’ from just winning one or two games at chess?” Qing Chen shook his head.

“Of course. Even if we can’t beat him in combat, being able to beat him in chess is worth a lot of ‘face’!” Lu Guangyi said a matter-of-factly.

This stirred up something in Qing Chen. Listening to the meaning behind Lu Guangyi’s words, it seemed like Li Shutong’s combat prowess seemed pretty strong.

Lu Guangyi continued, “Boss, I really didn’t expect you to get acquainted and even get along well with Li Shutong after coming here. With his position in No. 18 Prison Fort, perhaps he might know where the item we are looking for (Anti-Harmony) is hidden. Also, if you can receive his inheritance, then maybe you will have a secure standing in this contention of Shadows.”

There was a lot of information in Lu Guangyi’s words and at long last, they allowed Qing Chen to understand his goal for coming in here… To find an item.

Also, he was involved in a round of contention.

However, Qing Chen didn’t know what Li Shutong’s inheritance was, only that it was very important.

Qing Chen thought about it and then replied, “Fine, I’ll teach you how to play chess. Now, can you get further away from me?”

“Alright, alright.” Lu Guangyi left in an instant for the entertainment zone.

…

At night, return countdown: 00:05:00

Qing Chen sat on his ice-cold bed and quietly watched the white countdown on his forearm.

The gears in the countdown moved slowly, and it was the last five minutes before the return.

Qing Chen wasn’t sure if he could come back here. The past two days were like a dream to him; he got to know a few people and also experienced a whole new world.

The extraordinary qualities of Lin Xiaoxiao and Li Shutong even made him look forward to this world.

It was like a whole new world that opened its doors for him.

Qing Chen thought about it and then used the end of his toothbrush to carve the sentence “I was here” with force on the wooden planks of the bed.

Then, he pinched a bruise on his arm, wanting to know what would happen if he returned to Earth with an injury.

Countdown.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

The world shattered once again, and the familiar darkness finally approached.

Return.