12, Regression
Ye Wan, who was standing by, dispersed the onlookers upon hearing this, allowing the two to talk in peace.
"As a reward for just winning that game? That's fine," Uncle Li Dong replied.
"Was it you who played the harmonica just now?" Qing Chen asked.
Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao were noticeably taken aback; they thought Qing Chen would use winning the chess game as an opportunity to inquire about something significant, yet it turned out to be just about the song?
The song was pleasant to hear and had not been circulated outside, but it didn't seem worth wasting such an important opportunity over.
Uncle Li Dong, with a smile brimming in his eyes, looked up and said, "It was me. Why, is it the first time you've heard this melody?"
Qing Chen thought for a moment and responded, "It's very nice."
"Hmm," Uncle Li Dong, seeing that the crowd had dispersed, nodded and answered, "It was composed by the founder of our organization, and he also wrote the lyrics."
Qing Chen was stunned for a long time and couldn't speak. He really wanted to say: I guess your founder might be from Earth!
And it seems that this founder was somewhat shameless, passing off a carried-over song as his own work.
Wait, how long has Uncle Li Dong's organization been established, and when exactly did that transmigrating predecessor transmigrate?
Qing Chen then asked, "Can you sing it for me in its entirety? I want to listen."
Uncle Li Dong said, "Sure, but the lyrics for this piece aren't too complete. Over the long passage of time, some things inevitably get lost in that long river."
"It's okay, I just want to listen," Qing Chen said. He wanted to confirm whether the song's lyrics were the same as on Earth.
Uncle Li Dong took the big cat from the table into his arms and sang softly, "Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, fragrant grass reaches the sky, evening breeze brushes the willow, flute notes are fading, sunset beyond the mountain peaks. At the edge of the sky, at the corner of the earth, separations are often many..."
After finishing his song, Uncle Li Dong laughed and said, "The phrase 'separations are often many' was added later. It is said that it wasn't like this originally, but no matter how it's revised, it seems to lack a certain meaning."
Qing Chen stood for a long time before suddenly suggesting, "How about replacing it with 'half of my dear friends have scattered?'"
"Half of my dear friends have scattered?" Uncle Li Dong was briefly stunned.
For some reason, he felt that only these five words were truly fitting for this song.
Farewell, farewell, people are like the afterglow of the setting sun, dear friends are far horizons.
Once young, laughing heartily while drinking freely, life as intense as high summer.
But it's unknown which farewell could be the last, never to meet again.
Uncle Li Dong seemed to be sitting in this prison, watching the orange-red sun fall into the horizon, while a friend was waving to him from afar.
After waving, he turned and walked away.
"Thank you," Uncle Li Dong said. "That's a good addition; it's as if it were the original lyrics of the song."
"You're welcome," Qing Chen said, unabashedly accepting the praise.
Uncle Li Dong said with some yearning, "Sometimes I'm truly amazed. Our founder was an extraordinary genius. Back then, his songs and lyrics were as numerous as hairs on an ox, each one a classic that should have lasted through ages, but they were all lost at the end of the last era, leaving only this one song."
"Only one song left? That really is a pity," Qing Chen thought to himself, as Uncle Li Dong outright mentioned the last era, perhaps that transmigrating predecessor had come over a very, very long time ago.
An era is not a unit of time, but the beginning of a new civilization.
It seemed that the humans here had gone through the transition of an era, but it was unclear what had happened.
"There's another one of which only the name is known, but the melody is completely unknown. Our predecessors searched many ruins but couldn't find the score," Uncle Li Dong said, shaking his head.
Qing Chen hesitated for two seconds, then tentatively asked, "What is the name of that song?"
Uncle Li Dong glanced at him and said, "Canon."
If before Qing Chen was skeptical about the identity of this founder as a transmigrator, now he was completely certain.
However, Canon is actually a musical genre and technique; the Canon technique is used in many symphonic works, such as Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" and Bach's "Canon Variations."
But if it was directly carried over from Earth, the melody would likely be Pachelbel's "Canon in D."
Qing Chen wondered if by giving the score of Canon to Uncle Li Dong, whose regard for the founder was so high, whether he might earn a path beyond the ordinary.
He was uncertain, and even unable to explain where he would get the score from.
He'd better wait, as he didn't remember Canon's score for now and would weigh the matter after returning.
After the conversation, Qing Chen went straight through the crowd to the reading area. He desperately needed to catch some sleep, even if it meant skipping meals to rest first.
Only by staying fully alert could he analyze the situation around him at all times.
Yet just as he had barely lain on the table in the reading area, Lu Guangyi approached cautiously.
Lu Guangyi wanted to talk to Qing Chen but feared being seen, so he paced outside the reading area in distress.
Qing Chen looked up expressionlessly at him, "Don't be so careful; Uncle Li already knows about you and me. But don't worry, he doesn't seem to mind. Also, go do your own thing, don't disturb me."
Prison 18 was full of surveillance, and inmates had to hide in their cells to hold welcome ceremonies for new arrivals, so sleeping in the reading area was safe.
Qing Chen actually wanted to engage Lu Guangyi in conversation and figure out what the Qing's Family had planned.
But seeing that his return was imminent, he didn't want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.
So he sent Lu Guangyi away first, planning to consider how to get information from him after returning.
However, Lu Guangyi did not leave; instead, he muttered softly, "Boss, I've been thinking for the longest time and still don't know what to call you; 'boss' just rolls off the tongue best."
"I guess you've heard about me from Qing Yan; life hasn't been easy for me since I was young. My father even took my kidneys to exchange for money with rich people, replacing them with artificial ones. If my own parents don't care about me, who would? When I heard from Qing Yan that it was you who named me to scout ahead, because you saw something in my abilities, I was over the moon! Rest assured, I, Lu Guangyi, will go through fire and water for you, and would gladly die for you if it comes to that!"
"But before I die, there's one regret. You know I haven't had much education, but ever since I was a child, I've admired those with knowledge…"
Qing Chen finally couldn't help it, "What on earth are you trying to say?"
Lu Guangyi, "Could you teach me how to play chess?"
"Why do you want to learn chess?" Qing Chen was taken aback.
"Because it's cool!" Lu Guangyi exclaimed, "Boss, even someone like Uncle Li Dong would become a pawn defeated by your hand; isn't that cool?"
"Is winning a game or two at chess that prestigious?" Qing Chen shook his head.
"Of course, I can't beat him in a fight, but if I can win against him in a game of chess, that's also very prestigious!" asserted Lu Guangyi matter-of-factly.
This did touch Qing Chen for a moment; it seemed, from what Lu Guangyi implied, that Uncle Li Dong's combat power was quite formidable?
Lu Guangyi continued, "I really didn't expect that after you came here, you'd be able to get acquainted with Uncle Li Dong and get along with him so well. Given his status in Prison #18, maybe he even knows where the object we're looking for is hidden. And, should you inherit his legacy, the battle for the Shadow might just be in the bag."
This statement was laden with information, finally enlightening Qing Chen about his purpose here... to find an object.
And he was embroiled in a competition.
However, Qing Chen still didn't know what Uncle Li Dong's legacy was, only that it was extremely important.
Qing Chen thought about it and said, "Alright, I'll teach you chess. Can you step away from me now, please?"
"Sure, sure!" Lu Guangyi scampered off to the entertainment area immediately.
...
Nighttime, countdown 00:05:00.
Qing Chen sat on the cold bed, quietly watching the white countdown on his arm.
Inside the countdown, gears slowly turned, with only the last five minutes left until his return.
He wasn't sure if he would come back here again; two days felt like a dream to him, having met a few people and witnessed a different world.
The unique characteristics of Lin Xiaoxiao and Uncle Li Dong had made him anticipate this world.
It was as if a New World had opened its doors to him.
Qing Chen thought about it and then used the end of his toothbrush to carve the indentation of the words "Was Here" into the wooden bed planks with force.
Then he twisted a bruise onto his arm, wanting to see if returning to Earth with an injury would change anything.
Countdown.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
The world shattered once more, and familiar darkness finally arrived.
Returning.
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Thanks to student Huan Yu for becoming the Silver City Alliance of this book; the boss is magnificent, with fortune vast as the Eastern Sea and life as enduring as the Mount of South!