Chapter 12

Yewan, who stood by the side, dispersed the onlookers, allowing the two to converse in peace.

"It's a reward for winning the game just now? Fine," Lishutong replied.

"Was the harmonica melody you played just now?" Qingchen asked.

Yewan and Lin Xiaoxiao were clearly taken aback. They thought Qingchen would ask something important, but he was just asking about the melody?

The melody was beautiful and had never been circulated outside, but it didn't seem worth wasting such an important opportunity over.

Lishutong smiled and said, "Yes, it was me. What's wrong? Is this the first time you've heard this melody?"

Qingchen thought for a moment and said, "It's very beautiful."

"Um," Lishutong nodded after the crowd dispersed, "It was composed by the founder of our organization, and he also wrote the lyrics."

Qingchen was stunned for a long time, unable to speak. He really wanted to say: I bet your founder is from Earth!

Moreover, this founder seems a bit shameless, passing off a song as his own work.

Wait, how long has Lishutong's organization been around? When did that predecessor travel through time?

Qingchen asked again, "Can you sing it for me in full? I want to listen."

Lishutong said, "Sure, but the lyrics aren't very complete. Over the long years, some things have been lost in the river of time."

"That's fine, I just want to listen," Qingchen said. He wanted to confirm if the lyrics were the same as on Earth.

Lishutong picked up the big cat on the table and softly sang, "Beyond the long pavilion, by the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky. The evening breeze stirs the willows, the flute's melody fades, the sunset beyond the mountains. At the edge of the sky, at the corner of the earth, parting is often frequent..."

After finishing, Lishutong smiled and said, "The line 'parting is often frequent' was added later. It's said that it wasn't like that originally, but no matter how it was added, it always seemed to lack something."

Qingchen stood there for a long time and then suddenly said, "What if it was 'old friends are half forgotten'?"

"Old friends are half forgotten?" Lishutong was taken aback.

For some reason, he felt that only these five words matched the song.

Farewell, farewell, people are like the sunset's afterglow, friends are far away at the edge of the world.

In our youth, we drank and laughed, life was as intense as midsummer.

But one farewell might be the last, and we might never meet again.

Lishutong seemed to see an orange-red sun setting on the horizon from his prison cell, and a friend waving goodbye from afar.

After waving, he turned and left.

"Thank you," Lishutong said, "This line is really good, it feels like it should have been the original lyrics."

"You're welcome," Qingchen accepted the compliment with a thick face.

Lishutong said with a hint of longing, "Sometimes I'm really amazed by our founder. He was a genius. It's said that he composed countless songs and lyrics, each a classic, but most were lost at the end of the last era, leaving only this one song."

"Only one left? That's a shame," Qingchen thought. Lishutong directly mentioned the last era, so the predecessor must have traveled through time a very long time ago.

An era is not a unit of time but the beginning of a new civilization.

It seems that the humans here have experienced the iteration of an era, but it's unclear what happened.

"There's another one whose name is known, but the melody is unknown. The predecessors searched many ruins but couldn't find the score," Lishutong shook his head.

Qingchen hesitated for two seconds and then asked, "What's the name of that song?"

Lishutong looked at him and said, "Canon."

If Qingchen had any doubts about the founder's identity as a time traveler, this confirmed it.

However, "Canon" is a musical form and technique, used in many symphonic works, such as Beethoven's "Symphony of Fate" and Bach's "Five Canon Variations."

If the melody was copied from Earth, it would likely be Pachelbel's "Canon in D Major."

Qingchen thought that if he gave Lishutong the score of "Canon," it might earn him the path to transcendence.

He wasn't sure, and he couldn't explain where he got the score.

He decided to wait. Qingchen hadn't memorized the score of "Canon" yet, so he would consider it after returning.

The conversation ended, and Qingchen went straight to the reading area through the crowd. He desperately needed to sleep, even skipping meals to get some rest.

Only with a full spirit could he analyze the situation around him.

However, just as he lay down on the table in the reading area, Lu Guangyi cautiously followed.

Lu Guangyi wanted to talk to Qingchen but was afraid of being seen, so he was anxious outside the reading area.

Qingchen looked up at him expressionlessly, "No need to be so careful. Lishutong already knows our relationship. Don't worry, he doesn't seem to mind. Also, go about your business and don't disturb me."

Prison 18 is full of surveillance, and even the welcome ceremony for new inmates has to be held in the cells, so sleeping in the reading area was safe.

Qingchen actually wanted to get information from Lu Guangyi to understand the Qing family's plans.

But with the return imminent, he didn't want to complicate things.

So he dismissed Lu Guangyi and planned to consider how to get information after returning.

However, Lu Guangyi didn't leave and whispered, "Boss, I thought for a long time and decided to call you 'Boss' because it sounds the most natural."

"I guess you've heard about me from Qingyan. I've had a tough life since childhood. My father sold my kidneys to a rich man and got me a synthetic replacement. If even my parents don't care about me, who will? Later, I heard from Qingyan that you specifically requested me to come in and said you saw potential in me. I was so happy! Rest assured, I, Lu Guangyi, will do anything for you, even die for you!"

"But I have one regret before I die. You know, I didn't get much education, but I've always envied educated people..."

Qingchen finally couldn't hold back, "What do you want to say?"

Lu Guangyi: "Can you teach me how to play chess?"

"Why do you want to learn chess?" Qingchen was taken aback.

"Because it's cool!" Lu Guangyi said, "Boss, even someone like Lishutong can be defeated by you. Isn't that cool?"

"Is winning a few games really that impressive?" Qingchen shook his head.

"Of course! I can't beat him physically, but winning a chess game against him would be very impressive!" Lu Guangyi said matter-of-factly.

This touched Qingchen. From Lu Guangyi's words, it seemed Lishutong was very strong.

Lu Guangyi continued, "I never thought you would get along so well with Lishutong after coming in. With his status in Prison 18, he might know where the thing we're looking for is. And if you can inherit his legacy, the Shadow Struggle will be much more secure."

This sentence contained a lot of information and finally made Qingchen understand his goal here—find something.

Moreover, he was involved in a competition.

However, Qingchen still didn't know what Lishutong's legacy was, only that it was very important.

Qingchen thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll teach you chess. Can you stay a bit further away from me?"

"Sure, sure," Lu Guangyi ran to the entertainment area.

...

Night, countdown 00:05:00.

Qingchen sat on the cold bed, quietly watching the white countdown on his arm.

The gears in the countdown slowly turned, leaving only five minutes until the return.

He wasn't sure if he would come back here. The two days felt like a dream, meeting a few people and experiencing a different world.

Lin Xiaoxiao and Lishutong's uniqueness finally made him look forward to this world.

It was as if a new world had opened its doors to him.

Qingchen thought for a moment and then used the end of a toothbrush to carve the words "been here" into the wooden bed.

Then he pinched his arm to leave a bruise, wanting to see if the injury would return with him to Earth.

Countdown.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

The world shattered again, and the familiar darkness arrived.

Return.

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