414 Thankfully (1/2)
Ye Qingxuan fell asleep without realizing. When he woke up, he discovered from the tiny window that the sun was setting. It was already dusk. He had an hour of fresh air at this time every day.
Under the setting sun, groups of prisoners sat in the yard within the high walls. They played cards, talked, drank tea, or wrote poetry about fallen leaves. It was a weird feeling to see them discuss poetry and tea. It felt like some aristocratic club.
Ye Qingxuan felt more and more unsettled. It was like a few burly and hairy bandits sitting in a pink room and giving their dolls a tea party. Their smiles were gentle and happiness seeped from their knife scars.
Above the high tower, an organ sounded. This was not a score to chase away aether. It was just pure music. The elegant hymn echoed through the prison. The ethereal and holy melody filled one's ears, making one feel the beauty and value of life.
”What the hell is this?” he murmured, frowning.
”You don't know?” An old guy sleeping on a wheelchair nearby opened his eyes and could not help but mock, ”This is the score the Sacred City prepared to cleanse our sinful souls. They play it occasionally, hoping that we'll realize the beauty of life and power of justice…something like that. You'll get used to it.”
Stunned, Ye Qingxuan asked, ”You can't communicate with aether here. Is the music score actually useful?”
The old man's smile grew mysterious. ”You're still too young. Even if you're talented, you still haven't been interacting with music theory for long. You still have not experienced some things.” He said lightly, ”If you live a few more decades, you'll understand that even without aether, music is still powerful… It deserves for one's soul to drown in it. Merely listening can stir your soul.”
Ye Qingxuan's heart trembled. A memory flashed past his eyes. ”Music notes…are language?”
Hearing this, the old man's eyes were faintly shocked. He nodded. ”You can say that.”
-
So-called music notes were just a transcription of the world's sounds. By observing the world, they transcribed the mysterious sounds into music notes and created miracles. All civilization began with the birth of language. The ancestor of the Asgardian people sacrificed himself to the Tree of Life, receiving the first runes of Asgard.
The Sumerians said a wise man stole language from the god of fire. He brought light to humans but the consequence was that he fell to Hell after death…
Music notes were a language. This was what Abraham had said in the first class. He thought that music notes were the language of aether. This was the foundation of the interpretation method. At that time, Ye Qingxuan could not comprehend the words but now, he had some understanding.
”Seems like you kind of understand?” The strange old man's eyes were mysterious. ”Even without aether, some melodies are enough to influence someone's emotions and personality. If you add some special seasoning and bait, it's not hard to purify one's soul at all. In this environment, even the most horrible sinner will change…even if the original self is completely wiped clean.”
He paused and gave an evil smile, ”Welcome to the soul transformation site of the Sacred City, kid. You'll get used to it quickly. Without much time, you'll be able to join them and talk about art and the beauty of life.”
There was no change or fear in Ye Qingxuan's expression. He just looked at the old man and asked, ”Then how long have you been here? Thirty years? Or forty?”
The man's smile faltered slightly. Ye Qingxuan had grasped the core of the problem. ”Fifty-six years. It'll be fifty-seven next month,” he replied honestly. ”You want to know why it doesn't work on me? I can tell you but you might not be able to do it.”
Ye Qingxuan shrugged. ”Tell me. Maybe it'll work.”
”It's simple. If you enjoy food, you can be won over by the taste. But if you know that what you're enjoying is made out of rotten meat with mad cow disease and sewer water, you won't like it anymore.” The old man coughed and cackled at the same time. He continued, ”If you look past the sacred jacket and see what's underneath, you might not like that person's flashy jacket anymore.”
Ye Qingxuan frowned; his expression was blank.
The man pointed at the source of the music. ”What do you think of the musician?”
After pondering, Ye Qingxuan answered, ”His foundation and fingering are pretty good. He should be from the Trinity College and inherit classicism. His grasp is good and his technique is just right.”
”That's it? You're too shallow.” The elder seemed to be smiling. ”Music has a spirit but where does it come from?”
Ye Qingxuan said without thinking, ”The composer and performer.”
”Yes.” The old guy laughed. ”A man can hide the spirit but the music theory can't. It knows what you're thinking and doing. It can also reveal things that even you don't know… I became a dark musician after realizing this.”
As if reminiscing on his thirst for power when he was young, his eyes brightened a little. ”Kid, you cannot lie to your own heart or force your music to lie. That is why people will go crazy and die when the symphony of predestination fails. It contains the spirit of your music…it is the crystallization of your soul, the truest part of you. So…” The elder pointed at his ears. ”If you listen, you will be able to see its true nature. Do you want to know what that guy is thinking of now?”
Ye Qingxuan nodded. Sneering, the elder rolled his wheelchair.
”Follow me.”
-
The elder took him to the corner of the yard. Under the tree's shade, a few ancient men who looked old enough to be in coffins already sat around a stone table. They either played cards or just talked. Ye Qingxuan was worried that they would get a stroke if they became the slightest bit excited.
”This is Tom and that's George. You can call them Old Tom or Old George. The bald guy reading the porn magazine is a pervert. Ignore him… Basically, everyone here can't even pay for their sins with death so you don't have to pity them. These are the only stupid ones who can last this long without repenting. Do you want me to introduce them in detail?”
”No.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head and found a place to sit. ”Deer-head Tom Kline, bone collector George Valina, and that guy who shaved his head…is he the legendary psychotic killer of the Sacred City, Mr. Mollien?
”I learned about all of your stories from the Church's reward list. I didn't know that all of you are still imprisoned here and am quite surprised. But I apologize for not recognizing you. You seem to have problems with your legs.”
”It's alright. I am just an unknown man of no importance. Just call me Old Cripple.” He clearly did not want to talk about the past and just chuckled. ”I didn't think that someone would still remember the wanted list from decades ago. How shocking.”
With that, he looked at the others. ”I was discussing the special concert the Sacred City holds for us with this young man with a bright future. Does anyone have thoughts?”
”Thoughts?” Old George glanced at him with a strange expression. ”What are you planning now?”
”Just thoughts.” Old Cripple looked excited. ”No problem with talking about it.”
Old George shook his head. ”I didn't listen closely but I know that the musician has changed… It should be a man, pretty young, probably around twenty years old.”
Ye Qingxuan was stunned. ”What else?” he asked.
”Let me listen…” Deer-head Old Tom was interested as well. After listening for a bit, he smirked. ”Huh, he has concerns, haha. He's not paying attention. I don't know what he's thinking of but it seems like he's just killing time.”
”That goes without saying.” Old George snorted. ”The Sacred City doesn't pay much. Coming to this place for that money, you can't even buy a house in ten years. I wouldn't like it either. If you have a bright future, you should go make more money.”
Mollien, who had been quiet the entire time, raised his head and said lightly, ”I think it's because of his lower body.”
”Bet?” Old Tom rubbed his hands. ”Loser has to say 'daddy' ten times.”
”Sure.” Mollien smiled confidently.
Not even after two measures, Tom's expression grew ugly. ”F*ck, how come youngsters nowadays only think about sex?” He spat on the ground. ”That guy's probably thinking about some wh*re.”
”I'm betting ten more calls of 'daddy'.” Mollien's smile was creepy as he raised a finger. ”He's gay.”
With that, everyone fell silent. No one wanted to bet with him again.