Silent Crown

Chapter 112 Dark Musician

In the darkness, the youth gripped his cane, manipulating the dark melody with his eyes closed. He was in a place where it was impossible to be disturbed, and he could focus entirely on manipulating the aether. He could feel the music notes flowing with his mind, jumping out of the instrument strings, falling into the omnipresent sea of aether. The notes echoed and the ripple spread in all directions. It was his first time experiencing this sweet feeling.

Before, precise manipulation had been close to impossible, but now, with the help of Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, it was easy as pie. Maybe this was the ‘feeling’ that Charles always spoke of. The dark music was a link, connecting man with aether. Ye Qingxuan was entirely submerged in this amazing experience. Jiu Xiao Huan Pei was now fully awake, an extension of his right hand.

For a millennium, this zither had resonated with his ancestors, becoming one with the Ye lineage. Now, it became Ye Qingxuan’s cane, helping him run down the road to becoming a musician.

Just as his consciousness expanded with the aether, the melody suddenly stopped. "Bai Xi? Old Phil?" His eyes flew open in shock. "Why are you here?!"

--

In the crowd, Bai Xi watched everything in bewilderment.

Sam went crazy under everyone’s gaze. He screamed at the empty darkness and stumbled back, scared out of his wits.

Chills went down everyone’s spines. Outside the illuminated area, the darkness surged. The dark melody was like the tragic song of a demon in hell, calling for death.

"It’s Anta, it’s brother Anta!" A thug with a bow in his hands looked around, his eyes filled with fear. "He’s back! He’s back for revenge!"

Sandro gaped at his boss’ hysterical reaction. He moved to stop him, but as soon as he touched his shoulder, the Pyramid King screamed.

He spun around and aimed the bow at Sandro’s head. "Go die!" The Pyramid King’s eyes were blood red. "Die!"

Sandro froze, "Boss, I…"

Crack! His head exploded and he fell.

Amidst the spray of blood, the Pyramid King stood atop of the corpse, bellowing with laughter. With his face covered in blood, he continued kicking the body. "Dead, he’s dead! Haha, Anta, you died again! You died again. If I can kill you once, I can kill you again!" Stepping on Sandro’s corpse, he shot arrow after arrow. The hysterical laughter did not fade until Sandro became a porcupine.

Finally, his reason won against his fear. He woke from his daze and touched the blood on his face, not knowing what had just happened. "Sandro? Sandro?!" The Pyramid King called his underling’s name, not knowing that he had just shot his most trusted man’s head open.

Everyone stared at him in horror, stepping back as if watching a lunatic.

In the silence, the Pyramid King seemed to understand. He screamed, "Get the f*ck out of here!" He stared at the crowd with dead and dark eyes, trying to see which face hid the demon. He continued screaming, "Get out of here! I’m going to kill you, you son of a b*tch!"

"D-dark musician!" someone in the crowd yelped. "Run, that guy is a dark musician!" Dark musician! In an instant, everyone was suddenly "enlightened," having realized the true nature of the monster, and the fear came soon after.

Yes, only a creature like a dark musician could manipulate such an eerie melody, play with a man’s mind so easily, and turn someone into a lunatic. All dark musicians were either wanted by secret authorities for exploring forbidden areas, or joined Satan, aiding in natural catastrophes. No matter what, dark musicians were synonymous with fear and monsters. No matter what, they had so much blood on their hands! Just like the Rain Artist who had given his hometown to Satan without hesitation, these things were monsters unable to be measured by morals or common knowledge. An indescribable panic radiated from everyone with the murmurs and whispers.

--

"Dark musician?" Ye Qingxuan’s expression changed in the darkness, "Am I really like that?" He was troubled. All he had done was make a plan. First, he had learned of the Pyramid King’s past from multiple people, getting the information he needed. Then by attacking Kruger, he was able to make the Pyramid King angry. Then he guided the man to discover the tombstone he had prepared, instilling fear. Finally, Sandro uttered the name "Anta" in panic, successfully touching on the deepest fear in the Pyramid King’s heart. Thus, the Pyramid King was submerged in his nightmare since the beginning. Black Friday had just been the bait. It weakened his guard, leading him to hallucinate on his own until he lost all control. The process was just much more successful than Ye Qingxuan had anticipated.

When Ye Qingxuan first hatched the plan, he had thought it would be difficult, but had never expected for the whole thing to be so…natural? It seemed logical, as if fear was supposed to be pulled out like that. It was so easy. How many sins must one commit for their heart to be filled with so much poison? A poisonous snake would kill itself in the end. Forgotten dark pasts would remain in one’s heart, trapped in the body like a ghost haunting the soul. One day, they would have to face their sins and pay for it all.

Ye Qingxuan had no pity. They should have known that this day would come; the day they started down their evil path!

--

"Come out! Out!" The Pyramid King was still yelling hysterically under the torchlight. "You’re here…I know you’re here!" He pulled something out, his eyes becoming cruel, "I’m going to count to three. If you still don’t come out, then you’ll be sorry." The object in his hands shone coldly under the moon. It was a mirror. But a menacing face was carved on the back of the mirror. It was covered with scales, and the hair was made of writhing snakes. The lively forked tongues moved—the Mirror of Medusa!

In the crowd, Bai Xi recognized the item and her heart skipped a beat. It was alchemy equipment from the School of Summoning. The Summoning musician could release the demon sealed in the mirror through "Song of the Exiled." After the seal was broken, the reflection of Medusa would be summoned. This was rare equipment that could be used without any musical skills. The only requirement was to fulfill Medusa’s thirst for blood.

Medusa was also known as the "spirit of vengeance." The moment she was summoned, she would exact revenge on anyone who had hurt the summoner. Even if it was just a melody to awaken the darkness inside his heart. It was not the worst in terms of destruction. This reflection of Medusa could only attack with its snake hair, and was not much for a third level musician, but it was infamous for its resilience. It was extremely difficult to win against it. If one made eye contact with it, they were sure to suffer the Stone Curse. This infamous curse would turn a man into stone, and they could not be turned back. Only a few music scores could protect against the curse, and most musicians were terrified of it, not to mention Ye Qingxuan, who had been a student up until a few days ago.

--

Bai Xi furrowed her brows, trying to think of a solution, but before she could think of anything, a desolate melody spread from the ancient mirror. Desolation filled the melody, resounding under the moon. It was the melody carved into the mirror—Song of the Exiled!

Reflecting the moonlight, a shadow flew from the mirror. It dove into the corpse on the ground, eating its fill. In an instant, the corpse turned to blood. Medusa’s reflection appeared slowly. Her snake hair danced. The venom on her teeth dripped onto the ground, sizzling.

"Go," Sam growled, "find the musician."

The summoned demon gazed around, studying each face before her. Her vertical pupils were filled with cruelty. She sniffed each breath in the air. Sensing the ripple of aether until she finally found a trace.

In the darkness, Ye Qingxuan could feel the coldness closing in. The Jiu Xiao Huan Pei vibrated in his hands, warning him of approaching danger. He focused, preparing to fight back.

Beside the Pyramid King, Medusa’s red eyes brightened and she hissed. Using a beastly sense of smell and her sense of aether, she found the direction of the enemy. The snakes danced crazily. The glow of the Stone Curse lit up.

"There’s no way this time," Bai Xi sighed in the crowd. "Cousin, you’re really going to get me killed this time…" she murmured. "I just came for the show. Why do I have to do this for you? And for a pretty girl like me, shouldn’t everything be solved by using my beauty?"

Murmuring something, Bai Xi stepped forward, out of the crowd. Under the dancing flames and everyone’s eyes, she took off her mask. Bai Xi revealed her delicate face.

Sam spun around. Seeing her, confusion flashed through his eyes.

"Oh, good evening, my friend." The girl raised an arm. The silver bracelet around her wrist tinkled like a chime. Every movement created a crisp sound. Ding "Who are you?" Sam roared, raising the bow in his hand.

"I’m a messenger of justice, just passing by," Bai Xi stated, raising both hands. She had put on black gloves at some point. Fingers clasped, drum beats echoed faintly in the air. Faced with the bow aimed at her, the girl raised her arms obediently.

"Don’t kill me, I surrender…" She paused, grinning, "Just kidding!" And so thunder boomed!

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