Story 10 - The Spy Who Rocked Too Hard (Part 13 🎸)
After I brought my two new students into my shared courtyard, I set up a soundproof formation — which was essentially a simplified obfuscation array. Next, I took the drum set out and gestured for Three Drops Silent Toxin to sit on its stool.
He glanced at each drum and cymbal with curiosity before taking his seat. He picked up a stick and tapped it on the metal rim.
"This... looks like it'll be difficult to use in a fight?"
I grinned. "This is a stationary-type drum set. It's a powerful series of spiritual tools that should be used during a sect war… or a badass rock concert. Anyway, this is the kind of instrument designed to stay in one place. Though you could place them on a movable platform in a war."
"Then are there more mobile kinds of sets?"
"Of course there are! But they require spiritual energy to control and maneuver."
"And I have no internal energy."
"Exactly…" I also hadn't made one of those sets yet. "Regardless, learning and mastering this type is something you need to do first."
He frowned. "It's just that, I think playing this in a fight could get me killed."
"Only if you haven't learned how and when to use it."
Next, I brought out the basic electric guitar I'd originally created to introduce rock to Little Spring. I handed it to Shadow Pantherwho gently took it and wrapped the strap around her shoulders like she'd seen me do.
Then she frowned down at the instrument.
"Since neither of you knows much about playing music, I'll start with the basics."
After studying in the scripture pavilion, I'd realized that the foundations of four arts and demonic music cultivation were very similar. It was like how the first step of most martial arts were simple punches and kicks. But I would still take the differences I'd discovered into consideration as I taught them.
"Do what I do." I brought out my own guitar and played a scale. Shadow Panther, being bright, followed me as I repeated it.
If she were a mundane human, she would take weeks to place her fingers correctly and use the right amount of pressure. Fortunately, she was a cultivator. One of the elements that cultivation improved was thinking speed and precision. For Shadow Panther — who was used to controlling complex, human-form puppets with finger-straining hand seals — mastering this wouldn't take her long.
"Now, as you play the scale, you're going to move your spiritual energy like this." I rested my hand on her back and guided her energy to move in the right pattern.
Once she finished playing the scale, her eyes grew wide. "When I did that, the sound changed!"
I clasped my hands behind my back. "I designed this instrument to become louder when you insert your spiritual energy."
She shook her head. "It was more than that!" The girl frowned. "It sounded... fuller, more real, like each note brushed against my soul."
I grinned. Apparently, our Shadow Panther had some hidden musical cultivation talent. "Well done! Feeling the notes with your soul is the first step. Once you play an emotional song, you'll really feel the effects on the soul."
"What about me?" Three Drops Silent Toxin asked. "I'm a body cultivator. I don't have internal energy like she does."
I gestured for Shadow Panther to keep practicing her scales, then I turned to Three Drops. I pulled out another stool and sat next to him. "You don't have internal energy... yet."
"You mean I'll have to cultivate internal energy?" He scowled and shook his head. "My body isn't built for it, but I am naturally resistant to toxins. That's why I went down the path of poison body cultivation."
"What you're thinking of as internal energy is the Qi cultivated by taking in the energy of the heavens and the earth. That energy gets cycling through your body, then stored in your dantian."
He frowned. "Yeah."
"But how do you think sword cultivators or demonic musicians power their amazing feats?"
"Don't they… use their internal Qi?"
Ah, this guy wasn't as bright as I thought he was. But that was fine. Not every student could be as insanely intelligent as Little Spring. "They practice their art until it gains the approval of the heavens. This grants them energy. Since it is stored within their bodies, it becomes a type of internal energy. Of course, if you study different disciplines, their energies may conflict with each other, so most masters would tell you to focus on one path."
"But not you?"
I grinned. My Dao was Unlimited. I could learn as many disciplines as I wanted to, in part, because of my constitution, but also because I was a genius. A very humble one, too.
"Do you think that as your senior, I can't see that your body isn't suitable for the energy of the heavens and the earth?"
He glanced up and to the left, in avoidance. Yeah, I could tell he thought I hadn't known him long enough to know about his body's limitations.
I flicked his glabella and his eyes widened. "You can still cultivate other disciplines. So, even if I can't find a way to fix your unbalanced poison body — though I absolutely will — your internal energy can increase through the Dao of Rock!"
Muahahaha!
With his eyebrows scrunched up, he looked skeptical. Well, whatever. He'd see it soon enough.
I tapped on a drum. "These are not mundane drums. They're made from precious metals and the cured and purified leather of local spiritual beasts. They also have expertly rendered enchantments that enhance their sound." Thankfully, I'd had Little Spring gather a bunch of materials for me before I left for the City Lord's palace. "You need a certain amount of strength to hit them. Which means that this set is perfect for a body cultivator like yourself."
I grabbed a pair of drumsticks and used my spiritual energy to move him and his stool back a few feet. His eyes bulged comically, and he clutched his seat in shock. He also let out a high-pitched squeak. I chose to ignore it so he could save face.
Very slowly, I showed him how to hit each tom-tom, drum and cymbal. When he asked about the bass drum pedal, I showed him how much force he'd need for it.
When I moved him into place, he expected it and only grabbed onto his seat with a white-knuckled grip.
"S-senior Linlin! I could move myself."
"Waste of time. Now, show me the basics."
He went through it once, but the sound was off on the tom-toms. The guy also struck the cymbals with too much strength.
Frowning, I touched his wrist and showed him the correct pressure and position of how to hit each part of the set. This wasn't completely unexpected. While the drum set seemed less complicated than a guitar at first, it wasn't. If a musical cultivator didn't have excellent control over all four of their limbs, they'd never excel at playing the drums. Three Drops Silent Toxin had that control — he just needed a little more hands-on guidance to get it exactly right.
Next, I showed him how to perform the rhythm scale on drums, then let them practice for a while.
Once it sounded like they had the fundamentals down, I clapped. "Good start, you two!" Then I narrowed my eyes at them. "But it's a little boring to just work on scales all the time. Why don't I teach you two a powerful but subtle song that can drive your enemies to insanity? One you can play together."
They perked up and looked at me.
"Though you have to be vigilant because it can drive yourself mad too."
They swallowed nervously.
"We'll be careful!" Three Drops promised.
"Please allow us to learn this demonic song," Shadow Panther said, a little too eagerly. I guessed she had some enemies she wanted to drive insane. Since the girl was so enthusiastic, I happily taught her the chords and English vocals. She wouldn't understand it, but that was for the best. Fortunately, her voice was pleasing to the ears.
Next, I had Three Drops Silent Toxin come in with some sweet beats to enhance the damage.
They kept playing the song. And playing. After about ten minutes, they started sweating.
"Senior… when does it stop?" Three Drops asked over the metal beat.
"Just keep going! You're doing great!"
The two straightened in determination and continued the repetitive music.
At the half-hour mark, Shadow Panther stopped. She looked like she was about to cry or strangle someone. Her voice had also become a bit hoarse.
"S-senior Linlin! I can't. No more!"
Three Drops didn't look any better. He set down his sticks and stared at his hands like he couldn't believe they existed. "I have endured pain and torment for my body cultivation, but nothing has been both physically and mentally painful as this."
Shadow Panther blinked up at me. "What... what is this horrifying song called? Who's the person who came up with such a malicious sound?"
Three Drops rubbed his ears. "I can still hear it... It's like it lives in my head now."
I nodded and wiped away a tear. Three Drops was right, good experiences should be shared. "It's called, 'This is the Song That Doesn't End'... in rock form. Originally created by a ram-type spiritual beast, named Lamb Chop. And this arrangement I taught you was created by me."
They looked at me with wide, horrified eyes.
"They must have been a fierce demonic musician with massive horns."
"Not really." I cleared my throat. "Anyway, singing the mundane version to your worst enemies might give them heart demons. Playing the spiritually enhanced song will cause them to lose their minds and foam at the mouth, though it will take some months. It is a slow and vicious song that they will never forget. In quiet moments, when they think they're perfectly fine, it will bubble up out of the recesses of their mind to torment them."
My mentees shared a look.
"You two are still in a real equivalent to Qi Condensation, so how about we take a break here?" I pointed to Three Drops. "Go eat something and stretch." Then I looked at Shadow Panther. "And why don't I finish teaching you about how to fix your puppet?"
"Yes, please!"
"Thank you, Senior Linlin!"
***In the middle of my lesson on proper puppet creation, Little Spring entered the courtyard with a boy and a girl, who appeared to be around 8 or 9 years old. The two cultivators looked like they'd rolled around in the mud. Their hair stuck out in various directions as if pulled and cut.
I paused my lecture and had Shadow Panther take a much-needed break. She practically vibrated, like she had an unending compulsion to keep fixing them, but still sat in the lotus position to meditate.
I walked over to Little Spring. "Who are these two?"
He puffed up his chest and frowned at me. "Little Sister Linlin," he said in a gentle, chiding voice.
I gritted my teeth. Damn it. He just had to emphasize it."Older Brother Verdant Spring. I'm still getting used to this sect."
::You brat!::
He sent me an apologetic glance. ::I'm sorry, sister Lin! I don't want to but I have to play my part.::
"I think you should join my next class. We're reviewing a particularly insidious song that I think you'll benefit from learning on the flute."
"Ah." His eyes darted around the area as if he were trying to come up with some excuse, then they landed on the children he brought. He patted the shoulder of the boy. "This is Little Mongoose Claw, and this junior sister is Little Snake Fang. They're my mentees."
I grinned down at the kids. "I'm your Senior Linlin. Make sure to keep yourselves dirt-free while you're here."
With a gesture, I used a cleaning technique on them. They simultaneously winced, but their little faces glowed with vitality… or maybe they were a bit red from losing a layer of dead skin. Whatever.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior!" Mongoose Claw bowed, then he secretly kicked Snake Fang's leg. She stepped in front of him while stomping on his shoe in retaliation. Then she also thanked me.
These two were going to be a handful.
I grinned at Little Spring. "How did you manage to coer—vince them?"
"Well, they were fighting and ran into me while I was on my way back from dealing with those three inner sect disciples."
I nodded.
"To apologize for staining my clothes, I had them become my mentees." He grinned down at them and they smiled awkwardly. "Also, I may have... accidentally — beaten them and their spirit beasts up. It's hard to control my strength to lower levels since it increased too fast. Of course, I was willing to heal them... as long as they agreed to help me."
"Your pills were very effective, Senior Verdant Spring," the little girl said.
Ah. That sounded so easy. "So, how are you planning on teaching them?" Because I knew this brat barely knew anything about this sect's Beast Blood taming method.
Story 10 - The Spy Who Rocked Too Hard (Part 14 🎸)
"I'm going to have them teach me," Little Spring said with a proud grin.
I blinked.
::I noticed that I gain a deeper understanding of a topic when you ask me to teach it back to you in my own words.::
Ah! Right. The Explain it to Someone Else to Learn the Subject Better method of improving.
::Besides, I need to understand the cultivation method of beast tamers without revealing the techniques of the Indomitable Will Sect.::
::The one you haven't used yet because you don't have a spiritual beast?::
::I have Xiao Bai!::
::I adore him, but he's a mundane puppy.::
Sure, I had my suspicions... and the way he acted during the test earlier made my reader-brain scream that he wasn't a regular dog, but as someone who understood the scientific method, I just couldn't believe he was anything other than a normal puppy. Not until I had proof otherwise.
"It sounds like they'll need time to come up with a lesson plan. Why don't you leave them to that while I introduce you to the flute?"
"Alright. Let's do that." He gestured for his students to sit at a table under a gazebo. Then we walked toward the soundproof formation where I had been teaching my mentees.
Before we entered, Gold String Delicate Touch arrived with two older women. They still looked in their late teens thanks to beauty pills, but I could tell from their bone age that they weren't teens anymore. One sent me a nervous glance, while the other looked at me like I was her rival. They were probably desperate for help to improve... though, it was always possible they thought this was their chance to start a relationship with someone who was about to become an inner sect disciple. It wasn't uncommon since girls who attached themselves to stronger disciples were often gifted with some of their resources.
This world was beyond fucked up, and unorthodox sects were known for being more vicious to their weak disciples than orthodox sects, so I wouldn't judge their choices. Personally, it wasn't something I would ever do, but these girls weren't blessed with my opportunities and genius. Women here used what they could to survive and grow stronger. Thinking of them harshly for it was a shit thing to do. Of course, that didn't make them fucking saints, either.
Though this also made me wonder if that asshole earlier thought he could get away with treating me the way he did because he'd been used by and had used so many girls.
Yeah, I should have crushed a certain body part of his and forced him to switch to the Sunflower manual.
Ugh. Now that I thought about the outer sect disciples here, desperately doing everything they could to get ahead, I couldn't help compare them to Bloodsword's harem. Those bitches were all braindead, but they eventually became legendary masters in their fields. Or they were just insanely wealthy, psychopaths. But, the fact was, they could have chosen a man who was almost as powerful as that idiotic fucker, but who didn't come back with another wife every time he went out on an adventure. Frankly, their dedication to that donkey-brained ass was incomprehensible.
Gold String smiled at us and walked over. "Little Sister Linlin, Senior Verdant Spring. I'm glad you both found good mentees."
"Have you thought about learning the bass yet?" I grinned.
He shook his head. "I have no time to consider learning a new instrument right now."
"Well, you'll never be able to decide if you don't hear more rock. How about you listen to my student's performance after a week, and then make your choice?"
"Alright, but it's unlikely that one more performance will convince me." He may have said that, but his eyes didn't leave the shiny metal five-string.
I grinned. "If the songs they play don't connect with you at all, then just forget about it. I'll find someone else."
He nodded.
"Are your mentees demonic musicians?"
"Yes. After your concert earlier, I managed to talk some desperate disciples into ignoring their senior's wishes. But I'll have to send them some resources and protect them once I'm in the inner sect."
Goddamn it. I should have tried harder with those demonic musician brats. But, since I planned to leave anyway, I wouldn't be able to keep them safe. This was for the best.
"How did you find your mentees, little sister?"
"By looking outside of the demonic musicians for desperate kids willing to learn."
His eyes widened.
I shrugged. "Rock bands have often been started by the young, creative, and inexperienced. It is a path that can be started by anyone who enjoys good rock music. But it can only be mastered by true musical prodigies who can write their own songs."
He tilted his head in thought. "Those who practice the Dao of Rock compose their own music?"
Muahaha! Here was a way to hook him even more — tempting him with composition and creativity. "It may seem strange, but most bands come together to write their own songs. Even those who don't have much experience."
To me, it felt natural since I grew up in an era where bands almost always wrote their own albums, but in this world, only the elders dared to compose new music. Another reason those stuck-up assholes hated rock.
"But wouldn't it sound horrible and lead to unintended effects? What if they made a song, and it harmed those they were trying to heal?"
"That's why it's best to begin learning to compose while you're young and don't have a lot of energy to do harm. This way, when you've gained the strength to obliterate your listeners, you'll have had the experience of failure so you can avoid that outcome… mistakes can also lead to discovery and innovation."
He frowned. I could tell that he was on the cusp of a realization. But I wasn't sure how to get him to where he needed to be. "You've given me a lot to consider, sister Linlin."
Little Spring tugged on my sleeve.
"Right! It's time to teach you about the flute. Let's go, er, older brother!"
We said our goodbyes to Gold String and then entered the soundproofed area.
"Let's begin."
"Yes, Sister Lin!" He brought out the flute I'd made.
Faster than I taught Shadow Panther and Three Drops, I instructed Little Spring how to play it. We went over the various notes and finger movements that created certain sounds. I also had him practice the scale.
And just when I figured he'd forgotten about my earlier threat — er agreement — I grinned.
He took a step back.
I scowled. What? Did I look crazy or something? From just smiling?
"Now, I'm going to play you the song that I just finished teaching my mentees."
I brought out my guitar and played it for him, while he followed along on his flute.
He ran through it once by himself and stopped. "That… can't be all. There's more, right?"
I grinned. "It's very simple. But you need to move your spiritual energy like this to make it more effective."
I rested my hand on his back and guided his inner energy through the right pathways. Starting from his dantian, up to his heart, down his right arm, through his instrument, up his left arm, through his lungs, and back to his dantian all in time, to the music. Of course, it would change depending on what songs were played and sometimes even what chord was struck, but this wasn't a complex song.
"Now, play while doing that."
I stood behind him and crossed my arms while listening to the same repetitive song over and over again. Fortunately, I was already immune to its horrors.
When he started to slow down, I said, "Keep playing."
His eyes began to water, but he briefly bit his lip, then moved his fingers across the metal flute.
"Don't worry. As long as your ears aren't bleeding, you're doing great."
::Sister Lin. Are you punishing me for calling you little sister?::
"No. Now keep playing. This is great for training your mental fortitude."
A few minutes later, Three Drops entered the soundproofed area. As soon as he heard the song, he paled and dropped to his knees.
"No! I just forced myself to forget this song. Why won't it stop?"
"Muahahaha! Because it doesn't end."
"Noooooooo!" He fell onto his side, then rolled onto his back.
I rested my hand against Little Spring's. "You can stop. My poor mentee has already had enough mental fortitude training for today and any more will drive him insane."
We both walked up to Three Drops, who stared up at the sky, eyes seemingly soulless.
"Are you okay?" Little Spring asked.
"I may be a poison body cultivator, but, Senior Lin. That song is poison for the mind and soul. It's not something I can fight at my realm."
"I did warn you. It is a double-edged sword. But you can defeat it."
His eyes filled with hope.
"You just have to get a different song stuck in your head. Let them battle it out."
He scrambled to his knees. "Senior Linlin! Please teach me more songs, so I can forget this one."
"Stand up."
He stood.
::That is one way to get your students to want to learn from you.::
::Quiet. I didn't do this on purpose. If I did, I'd be an evil genius instead of just a genius.::
Little Mongoose and Snake rose from their table and waved Little Spring over.
"My mentees look like they're ready to teach me. Thank you for the lesson, Sister Linlin."
Shadow Panther entered the soundproofed area, eyes sparkling.
"I guess you guys are ready?"
"Yes, Senior Linlin!" They said together.
"Right now would be a good time for a montage!" I played a classic song that went something like, 'Dun! Dun dun dun! Dun dun duuuuuun!' After a few more chords, I sang, "Something-something eye, something tiger!"
Ah, I regretted not memorizing those lyrics.
The two just stared at me until I stopped playing.
"Whatever. Just pick up your instruments and learn!"
***Three Drops finished playing a set of the song I'd been teaching them. Then he jumped into the air, landing with his feet on his stool and his hands raised in excitement. "I did it! I… I have a strand of internal Qi!"
"In this case, the correct term is music Qi, but sure."
He stared at me in amazement. "How do I cultivate with it? Do I… bring it around my meridians while meditating or something?"
Good enthusiasm! "While you can do that, it's best to cultivate by playing music and improving your craft. The better you play and the more inspired your rock, the easier it will be for you to gain more strands and remove the impurities in your body."
"There is no way it's that easy."
"It is."
He peeked at me suspiciously.
Fuck. If it wasn't me, I'd laugh at the orthodox disciple who had to teach a budding demonic musician how to cultivate.
***While Three Drops rocked out on drums, Shadow Panther played a song on the bass that I created myself. She also sang the lyrics. Frankly, it sounded perfect.
It was loosely influenced by Green Day's Holiday. I had chosen it for them because it could help clear their mind of illusions. Something that could save their asses if they ever ran into an illusion formation.
They nodded to each other, then played the song once more with Shadow Panther on the guitar. I couldn't find any flaws in her energy or the movements of her fingers.
When she finished, she spun around and squeed. "I did it!"
"Well done."
She turned to me, eyes sparkling. "You said that you'd help me use my puppets once I could perform this song perfectly."
I sighed. "I did say that, didn't I?"
I tapped my finger. "Alright, get out Kang Jia. If you can perform with her and your own body simultaneously, then you can try adding another puppet."
Overly excited, she brought out the puppet we'd worked on together. She'd even put her in elegant blue robes and crafted her doll-like face to look near lifelike. Shadow Panther was a very talented artist who loved her craft.
"Okay, let me see you use her to play the guitar."
Kang Jia, the puppet, stiffly bent over like she had strings connected to her. Well, she technically did. They were, however, spiritual in nature and invisible. Then she carefully picked up the guitar and raised her upper body up in a jerking motion.
Shadow Panther's practically vibrated with her excitement.
Ah, I had my work cut out for me. "I think you need to focus on adjusting your puppet's movements."
"What's wrong with it?"
I clasped my hands behind my back like the master I was and cocked a brow.
She still looked confused, so I motioned for Three Drops to come over.
I placed a bass on the floor. "Pick this up," I said to him.
He nodded and picked it up very naturally and smoothly. I gestured to him with both hands without saying a word.
"Oh… I guess I do need to work on that." She thought for a second and had her puppet place the guitar back down. "Can you show me that one more time, brother Three Drops Silent Toxin?"
He blushed. "Sure."
Ah, what good students — helping each other out. Maybe I'd give them four hours to sleep tonight.
Story 10 - The Spy Who Rocked Too Hard (Part 15 🎸)
I crossed my arms and glared down at my mentee. "Three Drops Silent Toxin."
He winced. "I know! The beat was off."
"It's good that you figured that out. While playing rock and having fun is important, there are times when you could be put in a life and death situation where the beat of your drums can save or doom your sect."
He scowled. "But demonic music isn't used much in sect wars… right?" His eyes grew wide. "Is this really that serious?"
I picked up a drumstick and started playing the beginning drum beats from My Chemical Romance's Welcome to the Black Parade. "In a sect war, what do you think music cultivators do?"
He shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it much."
I pointed one drumstick at Shadow Panther before returning to my drumming. "What do you think?"
"I heard that they mostly heal those who need it."
"That is a responsibility of theirs." I finished with a cymbal crash, then tossed my sticks into my ring. "When sects go to war, they form various heavenly battle formations. While a majority of music cultivators stay back to focus on healing the soul, some of them help in the actual war. They'll often come together to play the same song in a massive formation to strike their enemy's souls. Or they'll hit them with sound attacks that rip through armor almost as well as sword Qi. It is a very effective form of attack and can even permanently deafen their enemy in some cases.
"For rock, we take battle formations to a higher level, incorporating the music itself into the formation."
This was actually a technique I developed myself. Fortunately, the sect had been peaceful, so we didn't use them in an actual war. Then again, if they had been and the Four Arts Elders had seen how useful it was, maybe the Dao of Rock wouldn't have ended up how it did.
"Always keep in mind, your band is your battle formation. If you don't move with your formation, if you don't play in time with your band — you, and your fellow disciples, could die."
They looked at each other, then nodded.
"We understand, Senior Linlin!"
I grinned, lifted my finger in the air, and spun it around. "One more time. Tribute to Kashmir. Go!"
***"Are you trying to injure yourself?"
With one finger, I stopped Kang Jia, the puppet, from playing the bass and glared at Shadow Panther.
She winced and Kang Jia drooped like her strings had been loosened. "But, Senior Linlin, my second instrument won't be effective if I can't run my spiritual energy in the right pattern!"
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Do you think your puppet is created to run spiritual energy through it how you are attempting to?"
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
"Look, the current pathways are built around the best way to control a puppet. If you try to brute force different pathways to use the bass properly, you're going to injure yourself and Kang Jia."
She paled.
"First, focus on getting each step right, instead of being a whole band now."
After clutching her guitar tighter, she nodded.
"Besides, you shouldn't worry about your puppet's spiritual energy flow until you've mastered the songs with your own body."
"But I will be able to insert Qi into my instrument through my puppet correctly later?"
"You'll have to add the different pathways to her."
She stared off into the distance with a near-obsessive expression on her face. "Can... can you teach me?"
Ah, what have I gotten myself into? This girl was definitely more of a puppet Otaku than a rock fan. "Tell you what, if you decide to keep following the Dao of Rock after this week is up, I'll eventually teach you how to construct your puppet's musical Qi pathways."
"Thank you, Senior Linlin!"
"Don't thank me just yet. Play it again."
***I sighed. "I've been teaching you for six days already. While you seem to understand the variations of Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Holiday fine, but you two aren't understanding Tribute to Kashmir, at all."
The two looked at each other and Three Drops spoke up. "Isn't it a powerful song that slows the listener's movements?"
Shadow Panther stepped forward. "And if it's played by a strong enough band, the listener might even become delusional and think they're running through a desert."
"It's more than that. While the effects are important, if you don't understand the intent behind the song, you'll never be able to play it at a peak performance, which is required for you to continue down the Dao of Rock."
Three Drops aggressively ran his fingers through his hair. "Senior Linlin, can't you just tell us what it is?"
I frowned. The idea was to get them to think for themselves, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to explain things, considering our time constraints. "It's a song written by Bright Blinding Melody as a tribute to Led Zeppelin's Kashmir. Her intent was to make listeners feel in the soul the heat, loneliness, mystery and beauty of the desert spoken of in the song."
Shadow Panther bit her lip. "Maybe it would help if we heard the original?"
Hmmm. They had a point. "Alright. But the original isn't spiritual in nature, though rock definitely transcends the mundane, even without Qi. While I can't do it justice without a full band, I'll give you a good experience."
I picked up my acoustic guitar and sang the song in its original English. Though Stairway was known better, Kashmir was quintessential Led Zeppelin.
By the time I played that last note, they stared at me with blank faces. This wasn't the same reaction Bright Blinding Melody had when she first heard it. That girl had looked like the world had opened up to her.
"Ah, Senior Linlin. While the song was beautiful... I didn't understand a single word you said."
It didn't seem like either of them were all that impressed. Goddamn it.
I scowled at Three Drops. "Was that all you got out of it?"
They winced.
I sighed. "'Tribute to Kashmir' was Bright Blinding Melody's pinnacle work. She also had another song that she wrote herself. It was so hauntingly beautiful that it caused 8 heavenly immortal cranes to dance. It goes something like…"
I played the beginning chords three times, then I moved onto the chorus. My hands stilled.
Shit.
How could I have forgotten how that ballad went? It had been so lovely, too. Almost reminiscent of Tool's version of You Lied. But I hadn't fully memorized it in my past life. Now it was gone.
"Ah, Senior Linlin… Maybe you could write down the lyrics of the original for us in a way we can understand?" Shadow Panther said.
I cleared my throat and brought out a couple of jade slips. "Fine. Though things always get lost in translation." I placed the gems on my temples and recorded the translation of the lyrics. After I tossed them to Shadow Panther and Three Drops, I turned around and clasped my hands behind my back. "Why don't you two go out of the courtyard and take a break?"
"Senior Linlin?"
"You're actually letting us go outside?"
"By now, you've already decided whether you'll become my students after tomorrow, so go and relax. Maybe once you rest, you can think about the song with an open mind."
Besides, I needed a break as well.
The two gathered their belongings and instruments into their storage bags and left the courtyard.
It had been a hell of a week. Since Little Spring was such a good student, I'd almost forgotten just how hard it was to teach people about rock. Actually, teaching logical alchemy was even harder, but it had a similar attempt-to-break-a-stone-with-an-egg feeling. Even when I taught young kids about science, most of them couldn't apply it to alchemy. Which was fucking frustrating. My junior martial brother was a rare exception. It might be something about this world that made knowledge learned from my past-past life difficult to comprehend. Possibly, the fact that this universe was unrealistic and based on myths and legends. Or, more likely, it was because the whole thing was created by that dickhead harem author.
"Senior Lin?" Little Spring must have entered the soundproof area, but I didn't turn around.
"Is there something wrong?"
Haaaa. "Not exactly. I just remembered a student I had."
"Were they a good student?"
"No." I grinned and looked up at the cumulus clouds. "She was the best. At least during my past life."
His footsteps came closer.
"Actually, back then, I started the Dao of Rock without thinking much about it. I was having trouble comprehending my Unlimited Dao, and I had some time to kill, so I picked up Four Arts Cultivation so I could play and listen to the songs from my past-past life at their peak. I coerced some kids into playing my favorite music on new instruments in exchange for an instrument of their choice. But there was one particular girl who was overly enthusiastic about the genre, Bright Blinding Melody.
"She was the first student who thought to take the songs I taught, enhance them, and turn them into spiritual music. Honestly, it was mostly through her efforts that the Dao of Rock became popular among her peers. She was a huge influence on the others. She went on to compose many badass metal ballads."
"You must have been very proud of her, Senior Lin."
"I was... But she hasn't been born yet. And with how extreme I've changed things, there's very little chance any of my students will ever exist in this timeline."
That was the price I paid for changing the world.
Of course, I would do it again if it meant saving the millions of lives I had.
"The only thing I have left of those adorable brats is their music." And I fucking regretted not memorizing every single note of every song they created.
I clasped my hands tighter.
If I had to be truthful..."In my past life, in my anger, I allowed rock to die to focus on ascending."
There were so many things I could have done. I could have left the sect and started a new one just for rock. Maybe if I'd talked to the elders or bribed them, I could have convinced them of its worth before I left for my closed-door cultivation. There were so many things I should have done differently.
"It's only now, years later and an alternate timeline away, that I regret not fighting harder." I cleared my throat. "The reason their beautiful music was forgotten was because I didn't make sure it was never lost. So, in this life, I'll spread their songs so far that no one can kill rock and roll!"
My vision blurred a bit. "How annoying. The air is too dusty today."
There was a long pause before the kid said, "Absolutely. That can happen when you train outside. Here." He handed me a handkerchief.
We stayed there silently for a while until Little Spring tugged on my sleeve. "Sister Lin. I won't let rock die either. I promise."
I held out my fist for a fist bump and received one. I wiped my face with the cloth, cleared my throat, and turned to him. "Now, if you're going to help me keep Rock alive, you need to learn about one of the most important hand seals in the Dao of Rock."
He nodded seriously.
"Put your hand high above your head, palm forward."
He did so, looking very determined.
"Now fold your middle and ring fingers down… good! Hold them with your thumb."
Once he'd shown me the perfect example of the 'sign of the horns,' he looked confused.
"Do I move spiritual energy into it?"
"No."
"Then… what is this supposed to do?"
I grinned. "It makes you look cool and lets others know you're a follower of the Dao of Rock."
Story 10 - The Spy Who Rocked Too Hard (Part 16 🎸)
I taught Little Spring, a song inspired by Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams, on both guitar and flute. Three Winds Elegant Notes and Bright Blinding Melody, had produced it. They'd been so proud when they discovered the effects it had on the soul. I could still remember their large grins as they played it to me for the first time.
The reason I taught it was because cultivators fucking loved this song.
How could they not when the lyrics were about a highly relatable topic — walking down a path alone while wishing for a companion?
When played at a high enough realm, it had the power to force listeners into an emotionally healing mindset where they acknowledged their loneliness and disconnection — then realized that many others felt the same, lessening the feeling.
I was confident that if anything could convince Gold String to join my band; it was that song.
After a half hour of instruction, Little Spring played the last chord perfectly. He looked at me expectantly.
"Excellent!"
He grinned. "It's all thanks to your teachings, Sister Lin."
Like hell it was. Fuck. This kid learned things so fast that I wanted to cry. I'd spent nearly two days teaching this song to my mentees! After dealing with normal prodigies like them, I almost forgot what it was like handling my martial brother's goddamn heavenly talent.
I was glad those two weren't here. They might have erroneously believed they had no capability and quit.
Actually, this made me remember that poor ex-apprentice chef, Tangerine Flower. It was no wonder she turned to the demonic path if she was trying to keep up with this level of talent. Fortunately, Garlic saved her in time. Last I heard, she decided that, if she couldn't become an immortal chef, she'd learn spiritual horticulture and beast taming so she could nurture the perfect ingredients.
I smoothed Little Spring's green hair. "While we're spying on this sect, pretend to learn things slower."
He frowned. "How slow?"
"Slow enough that you don't give your teacher a heart attack."
He scowled while looking confused.
Hmmm. "Then, however long you take to figure something out, increase that time by ten." I was pretty sure that was slow enough.
"Doesn't that seem like too much?"
I shrugged. Frankly, we'd both lived near prodigies all our lives. It was hard to guess how long the average cultivator took to learn something.
"I'll just watch the other students and match their speed."
Oh! Brilliant! I knew I could count on this brat. And I was fairly positive this wouldn't backfire on us.
***
A while after Little Spring left, I began preparing for the last thing I'd teach my mentees during this hell week — a song inspired by Free Bird. Of course, they would have to master Tribute to Kashmir first.
As I played the last epic guitar solo again, the ground shook. I turned to see dust clouds rise high into the sky.
That… wasn't a good sign.
I used Impossible Leap to exit the soundproof area to the familiar sound of a stampede.
My courtyard gate burst open. Over a dozen giant lizard-type spiritual beasts charged toward me. From their energy, I could tell that they were mid-stage 2 beasts — the equivalent of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Oh, fuck."
Sadly, this was not the first time this happened to me. As I ran, I pulled out my flying sword tool, then jumped on top of it before zipping away. The lizards, still on the ground, followed me.
What the fuck did I miss?!
From my right, a high-stage 2 eagle beast flew at me. It swooped down, spreading its massive talons to pierce my skin.
Motherfucker.
I swung my guitar while enhancing my muscles with Qi. My attack struck just right, deflecting the eagle's talons. I must have used too much strength since I heard a loud crunch as its hollow bones broke. It cried out in pain. It briefly spiraled out of control, before finally catching itself and flying off. One of its eyes glared at me before it vanished into a cloud.
Yeah, it definitely wasn't done yet. But it would not pursue revenge any time soon with its legs broken like that.
One of the lizard beasts used its spiritual energy to jump toward me with its large tooth-filled mouth open. I flew to the left, avoiding its bite that might have broken my cheaply made sword.
Shit. With how massive they were, I didn't think they could jump this high. My fault for underestimating them. Then again, my knowledge of spiritual beasts was often lacking since I'd been avoiding them for centuries.
I played a chord, sending seven slashes of Qi at the lizards. The cheaply made outer sect buildings hadn't stopped them. They continued to barrel through courtyards, leaving a line of destruction that followed my curving path.
Several disciples jumped out of the way and cursed at me and the scaled, rhino-like beasts.
Fuck... the sect wasn't going to make me pay for this, right? If they tried to, then I'd direct them to whoever had these bastards come after me.
I led them down the main road. The various disciples hurriedly ran into the few buildings protected by higher realmed cultivators.
Actually, if I thought about this another way, these beasts might be an excellent training opportunity.
I sent Shadow Panther and Three Drops Silent Toxin a telepathic message. ::Get outside and start playing Tribute to Kashmir as loud as you can. I'll show you two how to use it in a fight.::
I estimated where their locations would be and started flying in that direction while avoiding buildings.
Of course, that was when the damn eagle swooped down on me again. Somehow it had managed to heal its legs in a short time because the sharp talons spread wide to attack me. Since I didn't have time for its bullshit, I flew down faster than gravity, twisted, and pulled up, completely bypassing the giant bird.
It sent out a loud screech as it missed.
I flipped off the eagle, only to see it vibrate with anger. Muahahaha!
This wasn't the first time I'd been attacked by bird-type spiritual beasts.
It flew up into the clouds.
Once I reached a location between my two mentees, I turned the volume up on my battle guitar to the max.
::Hit it!::Â I sent them.
Three Drops started with the cymbals, then both Shadow Panther and I came in with the guitar. Our sound echoed through the outer sect, overwhelming and impossible to avoid.
Three Drops's beat could almost force a heart to keep going.
Shadow Panther's playing had an energy to it that was missing previously. While she'd been gone, she had obviously studied the lyrics I'd given her and had a breakthrough.
By the time I started singing the lyrics to 'Tribute to Kashmir,' the lizards caught up. I directed them down roads, guiding them in a simple pattern that helped form a minor battle formation between me and my students. This formation amplified our spiritual music's strength. When the lizards' gazes stopped focusing on me, I knew I'd caught them up in the illusion. They believed they were traveling down the desert to seek enlightenment. As long as we kept playing, they'd keep running through the pattern.
But this was only the first step, one which prevented them from destroying more of the outer sect. Now I needed to pick them off one by one without the others noticing.
Of course, that was when a Golden Core Cultivator with shimmery white scales around his eyes flew over on a fan spiritual tool. "Just how long do you think you can keep this up?"
Who the fuck was this?
Since I had to keep singing for the song to work on these mid-rank 2 spirit beasts, I split my mind in two. One part kept playing, while the other focused on my telepathic technique. ::And who are you, Senior?::
"Are you joking?! Didn't you hear anything I yelled at you before I sent my beasts to fight you?"
This fucker! I was in a goddamn soundproof area. How could I have heard him? ::Do I look like I'm joking? Of course, I didn't!::
He closed his eyes. "I am Flood Dragon's White Scale. And you, Fairy Linlin, made my son, Hard Iron Roar, lose face!"
::Wait, that's all? That is an issue between members of my younger generation. It has nothing to do with you.::
His cheeks turned red, causing his scales to become more visible. "He refuses to speak to anyone because of you!"
Oh, great. This asshole was the perfect example of the unreasonable fathers that showed up in Xianxia.
::That was a week ago! If you were that angry at me, what took you so long?::
His face contorted into several confusing but obviously frustrated expressions.
He used all his spiritual energy to pressure me. Since he was only in the middle stage of Golden Core, I only coughed up a half mouthful of blood during a pause in my vocals.
I smirked at the fucker. ::You have to do better than that if you want to kill me.::
I glanced at Shadow Panther. ::Take over the vocals for me.::
::Senior Linlin! I'm not sure I can do it.::
::You can! You've been doing amazing so far. Show me what you learned!::
For a brief, beautiful moment, our voices and guitars blended together, then I stopped singing.
"Now, senior. How about we take this to the sparring area? That way, no one can blame me when I kill you."
He laughed. "You? I'm a realm above you! I've been cultivating using the sects methods for over a hundred years. But you're a mere rogue cultivator. Know your place!"
He pressured me again, and I spat out another small mouthful of blood. This was going to be a difficult fight. But I wouldn't back down to that prick's father. There was such a thing as punching up, and he was just in my range to do so.
Before I could start playing a different song that would blend together with Tribute to Kashmir, Pearlescent Rose showed up flying on beautiful fans along with several other Golden Core demonic musicians.
She glared at Flood Dragon's White Scale. "You dare go after my new musician?!"
He scoffed. "She insulted my son. Does she think she can get away with that?"
Rose crossed her arms. "As far as I'm aware, your son insulted her first."
I knew that she would be keeping an eye on me, but her intervention here was beyond my expectations.
"So what?" He said. "Little Hard Iron Roar was born into this sect. Why should I let some outsider humiliate him?"
"She's no longer an outsider."
He scoffed. "She has only been here a week. The girl is still in her probationary period."
Rose gestured to the spiritual beasts that were charging along while listening to 'Tribute to Kashmir.' "Do you know who's doing that?"
He looked down at them, then glanced at me, to see that I wasn't playing anymore. He scanned the area where my students were rocking out and his eyes grew wide.
"No..."
She smirked. "That's right, in under a week, our peak's newest disciple took two cultivators that were struggling on their paths, realized their strength lay in demonic music and taught them so well that they're able to keep a song going to coerce beasts in a higher realm than them. If this isn't worthy of our Irrepressible Beast Blood Sect, then I don't know what is."
"No!" He quickly created several hand seals that sent ten Golden Core level attacks at me that appeared as illusory flood dragons.
I flew backwards and to the left. The illusory flood dragons followed me. Expected of an attack at this realm. I played a discordant chord and sent twenty thick blades of sword Qi to counter them. Since I knew this wouldn't cut it, I delivered two dozen more. They canceled out all but one of the attacks. Finally, with the side of my guitar, I blocked the last illusory flood dragon. The force of it sent me soaring away. I crossed my arms and adjusted my hands into a flying sword-controlling seal to steady myself.
Muahahaha! "Got anything else, Senior?"
"Junior Linlin. Don't provoke him," Pearlescent Rose chided, then she smiled. "That's my job."
Between his red face and the vein bulging on his forehead, I had a feeling he was about to explode with rage. "Then do I have to fight you to kill this little rogue bitch?"
Rose brought out a zither, and the other disciples wielded their own instruments. "I think you'll have to fight all of us."
"I'm not scared of some weak demonic musicians."
Pearlescent Rose briefly glanced at me then turned to him with a raised brow. "If you're teaching him nonsense like that, I can understand why your son was beaten up."
He scowled, then whistled. Three identical eagles flew down from the clouds. One had a pair of broken legs.
Oh! No wonder it seemed like the beast had magically healed. Of course, I would have seen that if I'd bothered to check the clouds with my divine sense.
The man tsked at the lizards that were too caught up in the mental illusion.
She sent me a telepathic transmission. ::Watch closely. You are about to see why they call our techniques demonic.::
Frankly, I was curious. I'd only heard vague rumors about this before.
The musicians began to play very strange and discordant music. But what was the most interesting was how their energy moved while they performed. An illusion of eight massive beasts formed behind them.
White Scale gestured to the musicians. "Bite their hands off, so they'll never touch a zither or pipa again!"
"No, you don't," I said. I played the first note of 'The Song That Doesn't End (Rock Version)' while aiming several blades of Sword Qi at the birds. They dodged to the side, but I still clipped their wings.
Before they could drop, they used blasts of air to keep themselves aloft.
The illusory beasts charged past the musicians and attacked the eagles and White Scale with teeth and claws.
The man threw out a scale-shaped spiritual tool which produced a massive shield. The clawing and bites from the illusions quickly narrowed it down until one slash from a tiger broke it apart. Another blow from a wolf sent White Scale flying two hundred feet until he slammed against the courtyards of the outer sect and flew through several buildings.
That... was insane! Music cultivators were not supposed to do that! How the fuck had this unorthodox sect discovered how to make complex physical illusions from music before the Immortal Bone Creation realm? How? Holy fucking shit!
Pearlescent Rose tossed me a golden sect token. "Go pack up your things while we take care of this mess, then come with us to the inner sect."
"Yes, Senior Pearlescent Rose!" Amazing. Even a thousand-year-old monster like me could see new things.
Story 10 - The Spy Who Rocked Too Hard (Part 17 🎸)
I finished packing away all my formation flags that survived the stampede. Sadly, my simple protective formations hadn't done shit to save me from those beasts. That just meant that I'd have to use stronger arrays in the future. Of course, that would require better equipment which I'd have to make later.
My two little mentees ran into the wrecked courtyard and then up to me.
"Senior Linlin!" Shadow Panther said. "I can't believe we actually kept those beasts in a mental illusion!"
Three Drops awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I had no idea music could be so strong."
This fucker. "How many times have I told you not to underestimate the Dao of Rock?"
He winced. "At least seven."
"Then I shouldn't have to repeat myself anymore."
The two shared a look and then they both bowed. "We know you're moving to the inner sect, but we hope to remain your students."
"We want to keep learning about rock!"
These two... It was about damn time! "If you're willing to become my official students, then I'll keep teaching you both for as long as I can." I clasped my hands behind my back like the master I was. "From today, you're both my adorable students."
I pulled out two jade slips and dumped the next several months' worth of lessons on them.
"You can use these to self-study. I'm going to be very busy for a while." I had an evil scroll to find and poison arts to learn. There was also the band of Foundation Establishment equivalent musicians I needed to gather so I could heal poor Ghosty. His condition hadn't improved at all. Frankly, I was getting worried and I owed him a cure. For karma. And… because the ghost saved my ass.
While I was at it, I should look for ingredients to make him a new body soon. If I remembered correctly, there were a few high-quality ingredients that were cheap in this part of the world.
Before, when I had first told Ghosty I would create a new body to house his soul, I had only been planning on making him a decent but inexpensive one. But he'd proven himself. It wouldn't be fair to skimp on the ingredients. Or take a long time to find them. In fact, I planned to make him the best new body I could.
I tossed the jade slips to my new students. They quickly reviewed the information I'd given them.
"Senior Linlin. Is it okay for us to have this?" Shadow Panther asked nervously.
"It's fine."
Three Drops clutched the jade tightly. "We promise to never show this to anyone else."
I scowled. "Who said you had to do that? Hell, make copies. Spread it around. Teach more people about the Dao of Rock! But only those who love the music. If you don't love it, you're not going to enjoy playing it. Connecting with the songs you're playing is an important part of mastering rock."
They both nodded and Shadow Panther smiled. "We could tell that after we learned more about the reasoning behind the song, we could play it at a higher level."
"Of course!"
"Ah, one thing," Three Drops said. "You mentioned that you could help me fix my Poison Body Cultivation issue."
"I'm still working on it. I need access to the information in the inner sect to help you, though."
"Even if you can't solve it. I'm glad I found another way to cultivate."
It was always fun to see new students show enthusiasm for their chosen path.
***
I said goodbye to my students and told them that I'd check on their progress in a week right before Gold String Delicate Touch zipped over on his brush spiritual tool.
"Sister Linlin! Are you alright?" His brow was furrowed, and he seemed genuinely worried.
"I'm obviously fine."
I once again brought out a bass. This one was new. I'd made it during one of the few hour-long breaks I gave my students. "Did you see?"
"I saw. I wanted to help but that Golden Core expert came out and..."
I couldn't resist teasing him. "You saw how badass I am and now you want to join my band to learn about the Dao of Rock?"
His mouth opened. "How did you know?"
What? I got it right? Holy shit! I thought for sure he'd keep playing hard to get.
I grinned evilly. "Because I'm a genius. You won't regret studying the Dao of Rock."
"I hope not." He paused. "Actually, I wanted to learn from you earlier, but I can't risk picking up something that doesn't make me stronger. My… family was wiped out not too long ago. I need strength to defend myself. Your fight just then..."
"Showed you how strong my Dao of Rock is?"
"Yes. And, I'm fascinated by the new genre and instruments."
"What about writing your own rock songs?"
"That was... also very tempting." The tips of his ears turned red.
"Good. Because you'll get the chance to create your own songs with me and your fellow band members once I recruit them."
I handed him the bass and a jade slip I'd been preparing for whoever I could coerce into becoming my bassist. Well, I was hoping it would be him, but I might have needed to choose someone else.
He put the instrument in his storage bag and placed the jade slip to his temple. After a brief moment, his eyes widened, then they darted to me.
"Sister Linlin, from what I've seen and heard your students talk about — you know formations, forging, alchemy, and demonic music. After taking in a fraction of this information... Just, who are you?"
I scowled. "I'm an International Woman of Mystery. Now, hurry up and join me in the inner sect so we can play together."
He nodded very seriously. "It won't be too much longer. Maybe another week."
"Good."
His mentees ran into our courtyard. They paused when they saw us.
He frowned at the two girls. "I'm going to take a note from Sister Linlin and increase your training time."
They paled. "Yes, Senior!"
I had a feeling he regretted taking them as his temporary students and was about to put them through hell.
Right before he and his mentees left, Little Spring arrived. They nodded to each other as they passed. Then the kid ran up to me. "Sister Linlin!"
I crossed my arms and glared at the brat and his little dog, too. "It sure took you a long time to get here."
His cheeks turned red. "Actually, I thought my mentees had improved enough to get me into the inner sect, so I had them tested. We were deep in a nearby forest with a senior beast blood contractor. I didn't know you were in trouble until I saw the damage done to the outer sect."
Ah! That asshole White Scale must have waited until Little Spring was gone before sending those beasts after me. That mother fucker assumed the kid was stronger than me just because I was a music cultivator. Idiot. Even though it would have been a difficult fight, I still wanted to kick that guy's ass.
"It's a good thing that we're both going to the inner sect at the same time."
He nodded, then frowned. "Though, I think they'll give us separate immortal caves… and we'll be sent to different peaks."
::That doesn't matter. If we split up, we can cover more ground. Those mountains are massive but there has to be a clue about the Scroll of 10,000 Evil Souls somewhere.::
::I'll look for it whenever I can. I won't let you down.::
::I know you won't.::Â He was the universe's protagonist, after all.
"Bork!" Xiao Bai's fluffy pointed ears folded back as he became alert. He stared toward the broken courtyard entrance.
A gray tracker mouse ran around the corner and darted up to the top of our battered wall.
Xiao Bai started barking at the mouse as if he wanted to eat it while the fluffy rodent-type beast quivered in fear.
A high-pitched 'mosquito voice' sounded from the open gate. "Little Sharp Nose. Is this where Junior Verdant Spring is?"
A sickeningly adorable teenage girl with mouse ears stepped into our ruined courtyard. Exaggerated surprise appeared on her small face that was the same shade as mutton fat jade — just like every goddamn Xianxia harem author describes every fucking harem girl.
I'd definitely seen her before. It was hard to remember her because she mostly stayed on the beast tamer's mountain, but this girl had been one of Bloodsword's braindead wives. In fact, she was also the one who died during her tribulation. That donkey-brained idiot spent several decades finding supplies to resurrect her, and — if his wives could be believed — he even traveled to the underworld to bring back part of her soul.
The reason she failed her tribulation was all because of her past as an unorthodox cultivator with a broken cultivation method. While the method was incredibly powerful, it affected her growth potential, making her take too long to reach Nascent Soul and increasing her tribulation's difficulty.
Actually, if I remembered correctly, even that bitch Violet couldn't completely cure the side effects.
The girl gasped. "Little Sharp Nose! Are you okay, sweetheart?" She quickly grabbed the tracker mouse and clutched it to her chest. It squeaked cutely as if to complain. She nodded at it as if she could understand what it was saying. "It must have been hard on you." Then it disappeared inside her tamed beast spatial tool.
"I'm Verdant Spring," the kid said while picking up Xiao Bai.
"Greetings, Junior! I'm Little Teasing Mouse." Her lips curved up into an adorable smile. She didn't look over thirteen. "I'm so happy to meet you!"
"You too."
She bent down to look at Xiao Bai. "Is he your tamed beast? He is a majestic wolf puppy, isn't he?"
"Xiao Bai is a dog-type."
She tilted her head causing her mouse ears to wobble. "Is he?! That's so amazing! I just want to pet him, and squeeze him, and cuddle him, and pinch his fluffy cheeks. But you're not supposed to do that with beasts that aren't yours. But that adorable little face of his makes it soooo hard to resist!"
Little Spring held his puppy tighter and a little away from the girl.
Ugh. I'd forgotten that Little Teasing Mouse had been the typical cute-type harem member. The kind that was always in need of rescuing and never killed their own enemies because they were soft and adorable. Girls like these often used cuteness to get others to do their dirty work for them. There was a term for that… was it 'holy mother' or 'white lotus'? Whatever. Even if I couldn't remember, this girl's two-dimensional archetype was fucking annoying. I mean I'd never met a girl like this in real life who wasn't acting their ass off. They only existed in harem fantasy stories as some kind of perfect sweet girl to add to the protagonist's ever-growing harem.
I narrowed my eyes at her. Usually, I would be worried about one of Bloodsword's wives being around here, but it answered some questions. For example, it explained why there were so many people with strange hair colors and animal ears.
While I had met this wife of his in my past life, she lived on Beast Tamer's Peak — a place I avoided like the Demonic Vine Plague. Because I didn't meet her often, I never developed an overly negative perception of her. Well, aside from generally disliking her trope. Considering the settings the original author used when he created her, I was fairly certain I could trust her to not be some secret psychopath. Then again, some of the most well-known yanderes in fiction pretended to be sweet and kind until they blackened...
But she looked about as dumb as Xiao Bai. Sometimes, those braindead wives were really just braindead.
Little Teasing Mouse jumped up and down, then posed cutely with a finger to her cheek while talking about how amazing the Beast Blood sect was.
I barely stopped myself from cringing at the two-dimensionality of her personality. Only a dumbass harem author would create a character like this inside a ruthless Xianxia.
::Remember to contact me if you ever find yourself in an uncomfortable situation. While you may look older, you haven't suddenly aged up mentally.::
He sent me an exasperated glance before turning to face Little Teasing Mouse. ::I'll be fine. I have Xiao Bai for backup and the space if things get dangerous.::
Well, he wasn't wrong. In the end, the kid had to make his own choices. As his teacher and martial sister, I could only give him the tools to make good, educated decisions. And I had to trust in his plot armor.
I'd feel better about letting him leave if Ghosty were with him. But I wouldn't be able to cure him without going to the inner sect and recruiting a bunch of Foundation Establishment musicians first.
"Junior Verdant Spring. I'm going to show you all around your new home to get you introduced to the South Peak. That's where the puppeteers and beast tamers live. You're gonna love it! Oh! And I'll teach you all about the cool things we do as beast tamers."
::Hurry up and go. My ears hurt from hearing her voice.::
::Sister Lin! She's not that bad.::
::Listen up, kid — in life, there are some people who are perfectly fine as individuals but who you just can't stand to be around. For me, she's one of them.::
Little Spring pulled out his flying sword. "Senior, let's head to the inner sect now."
"Oh! What a good idea!" She briefly struggled to pull out a massive boat from her bag. "Let's go together on this!"
Once they were on their way, my ears could rest.
Finally, I could enter the inner sect!
Story 10 - The Spy Who Rocked Too Hard (Part 18 🎸 )
Pearlescent Rose gestured to the massive mountain covered in trees and expensive courtyards. "The large North Peak is where all the puppeteers and beast blood contractors live. It's also the area with the highest number of disciples. Our sect's master smiths are there, usually working on a puppet, but they sometimes make time for our instruments."
The blue-haired musician next to me grinned. "Most people in the sect go there at least once when they find a beast to be their fighting partner."
Rose nodded. "Of course, there are side effects. Both good and bad. Which I'm sure you noticed."
Blue Hair leaned forward as if telling an open secret. "There are some disciples who choose their tamed beast for aesthetic reasons."
"We don't talk about them," all the musicians chorused.
This was a lively group.
Pearlescent Rose gestured to the next mountain in the center of the range. A large column of smoke billowed out from one of the immortal caves. A disciple, who looked like a hamster at this distance, ran out and then bent over. Likely, they were coughing up whatever poisonous smoke from a concoction they'd bungled.
"That's Central Peak. It's where the poison masters and poison body cultivators live. If you need any pills or elixirs, then you'll find them there. And if you can't, you can always offer contribution points to get someone to concoct what you ask for."
"Though it might be cheaper to buy any healing pills in the city since those guys prefer to focus on their craft," Blue Hair said.
I was glad to get a more detailed view of the sect as we flew over it. Since I was a spy, knowing the lay of the land was important. I tried to memorize where everything was. I gestured towards the massive red and gold palace at the top of the peak. "I think you also mentioned that the Sect Leader lives there."
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Our leader is currently in closed-door cultivation. He'll break through to Immortal Ascension soon. Then he can take our Irrepressible Beast Blood Sect to the next level."
The other musicians standing in the immortal boat looked away as if minding their own business.
Considering that this sect had definitely been destroyed in my past life, I could assume their leader never left closed-door cultivation. Or if he did, a stronger opponent from the righteous sects eventually killed him. But that wasn't my problem. This place was doomed, so I should steal — or more accurately — rescue as many of their techniques as I could.
Rose used a hand seal and pointed two fingers toward a small peak covered in trees, caves, and courtyards. The boat started slowly descending. As we came closer, I noticed beautiful, secluded concert areas and lecture halls. Everything here was artfully crafted. Frankly, this was the most beautifully crafted of the peaks I'd seen so far in the sect. There were even classes out in the open where disciples painted... Even from this height, I could tell from the energy they produced that what they rendered was a combination of terrifying and beautiful. "And this is South Peak. We live here along with dread painters."
Blue Hair very seriously said, "You should stay away from their area if you don't want to end up stuck inside a horrific illusion."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, seniors."
***After the boat landed, and I said goodbye to the musicians who'd helped save me, Rose walked with me toward my newly assigned immortal cave.
I cleared my throat. "Senior, while I appreciate your guidance, you don't have to bring me all the way."
"I know."
Then she must have some other reason for coming this way. And judging from her serious expression, it must be something difficult to talk about. Especially since she was taking so damn—
"Little Linlin, does your Dao of Rock have any songs that would… inspire someone to not lose hope?"
"A few."
Actually, the song that melted faces was a good one for inspiring people to keep fighting. But I had a feeling that wasn't the kind of 'give up' she worried about. "It depends on their reasons. When I heal with rock, I play songs that suit the patient's situation and personality. If I know more, I can figure something out."
Rose didn't say anything else up until we reached my immortal cave. Whatever situation she needed help with, it must be delicate.
"Right! I forgot to mention that there are various lectures in the morning discussing demonic music."
"Will I be able to learn the method for creating real illusions?"
"That depends on how much you can absorb."
I grinned. "You'd be surprised." I was a genius, after all.
A short woman ran from out of my new neighbor's immortal cave, followed by a girl who was almost six feet tall.
The tall girl had navy hair and wore clothes that looked like they'd been slept in for days. She smiled sheepishly. "Let's just talk."
"I can't believe you want to talk after—" The short girl cut herself off when she saw us. Her eyes widened.
"But you seemed to enjoy the duet we played last night."
The short girl turned bright red, then yelled, "Don't talk to me. We're done!"
She bowed to Pearlescent Rose before flying off on a fan spiritual tool.
So, the tall one was my new neighbor. She bowed languidly. "Senior."
Rose sighed deeply. "Try to... be better, junior Azure Melodic River."
"You say that as if this was my fault."
Rose just looked at her.
Her cheeks turned red. "I'll do my best, Senior," she said in a tone that made me think she wasn't going to change at all. "Aren't you going to introduce me to the new disciple?"
"This is Musician Linlin. She is very powerful. Underestimate her at your own peril."
She grabbed her heart dramatically. "I would never."
I had a feeling she definitely would.
"Junior Linlin, Azure Melodic River is a very strong musician. But she's also a hedonist. If you hear any rumors about her, they're absolutely true—"
"Senior!" she whined. "You're making me lose face in front of Sister Linlin!"
Rose ignored her. "—Not that we care about those things here. Anyway, I still have a large mess I need to clean up with the outer sect and the North Peak, so I'll leave you here."
She pulled out her immortal boat and left.
"I'm not that bad," Melodic River said.
I shrugged. "Unless you'd be interested in joining my band and studying the Dao of Rock, I don't care what you do."
"Hmm? What's that?"
Well, Rose had said that she was a strong musician. And I needed people like that to help me wake up Ghosty. This was the perfect chance to get another band member!
I pulled out my guitar. "How about I show you?"
She looked towards where the short girl left, then smiled. "My plans for this week just flew away with the wind, so I'm free."
***After I finished a set of songs and a lecture similar to my first in the outer sect, I threw up the sign of the horns.
Azure Melodic River's eyes sparkled. "I can't believe music can sound like this!"
I threw my guitar back inside my ring. "So, would you be interested in learning how to play the guitar or drums?"
She shook her head. "From what you've said, those are not my style. I prefer for things to be a bit more... complicated."
"Oh! I know what you mean."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You want a sophisticated instrument that lets you show off. Rock has just the kind you'd love."
After hesitating, she asked, "And what would that be?"
"It's called a keyboard. Imagine an elegant instrument with keys you touch to produce a variety of notes and sounds. Your music can change drastically at your whim with a slight adjustment of your spiritual energy." Certain healing songs were more effective with a keyboard, so my band could use a skilled musician to play one.
She stepped closer. "Let me see it! If it seems fun and makes me look good, I'll join your band."
"I think you'll make the keyboard look fantastic."
When I saw her proud smile, I knew I had this girl hooked.
"But I have to put something together before it's ready to play." Basically, the whole thing.
She shrugged. "Just show it to me when it's finished. I'll, sadly, still be here. All alone. Waiting to sweep someone off their feet."
Sometimes demonic musicians could be… strange. But that was fine as long as they were reliable. Of course, if I was going to snag her as a band member, I'd have to pull off creating a simple keyboard when I was used to making a complex version — something harder than it sounded. Not to mention that I had to do it with whatever was available in this backwater sect.
Over the past week, I created a plan on how I could quickly forge a simplified variation. Unfortunately, a full version always took a month of effort. But with my new schematics in mind, I estimated that it would take only a day or two. Well, as long as I could find the right materials and had the brat's help.
There was only one place here where I could get my hands on the necessary components — Central Peak's Treasure Pavilion.
***Disciples crowded the pavilion, buying ingredients or selling natural treasures. Some of them still had stains on their robes from the mission they were just on where they found them.
I had to resist the urge to use my cleaning technique on everyone and everything. It was like an itch I had to resist scratching. The more I thought about it, the harder it was. But I had an indomitable will. I wouldn't let my need-for-clean affect me.
A poison master walked past me while carrying a dirty pill beast on his shoulder. It hissed at me. Fuck, this goddamned universe was testing me, wasn't it?
While cleaning techniques were not exactly rare, mine was very effective. That was because I understood how to scour something to the tiniest molecule. If I used it and a convention attendee — like that fucker Noxious Fangstrike — noticed, I would immediately be outed as myself. There was no fucking way I'd let that happen after getting this far.
I was surprised I hadn't unconsciously used it on Azure Melodic River earlier. But, even though her robes were askew, she had been spotless.
Once I made it up to the front desk, I faced a stern-faced old man waiting for my request.
"I need 88 of your lowest quality recording crystals, five bars of Echoing Aluminum, a small bag of Fiery Bronze dust, and a tael of Screaming Gold." Then I listed another ten materials.
The old man told me the contribution points for each item, then a sum for everything. It was a terribly large fucking number. Frankly, it sounded fake.
I coughed. "Are you sure that's right?"
"Maybe look for something more local?"
After a few back-and-forths on recommendations for the various cheaper local versions, I had a headache.
Once I lowered the number as far as I could without sacrificing too much quality, the final price was still far too high. Cringing, I sold the last of my generic, high-quality healing pills and Qi Restoring Dans. My supplies were depleted so much that I purchased local ingredients to make variations of each pill that was popular in this area.
When I reached for my supplies, the old man rested a hand on the pile. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Are you an alchemist?"
"I wouldn't purchase ingredients like this if I weren't."
"Well, you could always buy them and hire an alchemist." He shrugged. "Anyway. If you're an alchemist, you'll want to attend the free lectures. It will help you figure out which plants are local… to this side of the continent… this way you'll take less time when you come here."
Fuck. I hadn't even considered that my pill recipes would give me away since they had been popular prescriptions all over the world the last time I traveled across continents.
If this old man was sharp enough, he'd realize that these ingredients were the most common on my home continent, but I wasn't too worried. No one from here could afford to travel that far. Still, it didn't hurt to be more careful going forward.
"Thank you for the advice, senior." I bowed respectfully.
He nodded and then released my materials. "Being new to the sect and the area must be hard. Be sure to learn as much as you can."
I collected everything into my ring and grinned. "I wouldn't say it's difficult. Not for a genius like me."
The man rolled his eyes.
Whatever. I turned and then walked back into the crushing crowd.
I definitely wasn't unnerved by all the unclean people. And the increased paranoia after getting spotted as a foreigner also didn't affect me... not at all. I was just so busy trying not to touch anyone that I ended up taking the wrong door and entering the stairwell toward the treasure pavilion's next level. Which was fine. It wasn't like I had to exit this building filled with dirty people for my mental well-being.
It was quiet in the stairwell. I used my disguise technique to lower my presence and sat down on a nearby bench… like a badass.
Soft voices from up the stairs traveled down to me.
"… scroll."
After hearing that triggering word, I adjusted my hearing using the disguise technique to focus on the sound of that voice.
"Do you think we'll really go through with it?"
A second voice was nearby. "No. Absolutely not."
"That's what I thought... but it is tempting."
"Even if it's tempting, it will be a trap. We've all had uncomfortable run-ins with those unscrupulous evil cultivators."
"But we know the Scroll of 10,000 Evil Souls exists so..."
"Shhhhh!"
From there, they must have switched to a more private form of communication.
I narrowed my gaze on the door at the top… a place I couldn't enter without a pass.
Fuck.
I traveled all around the goddamn outer sect with no hint of the scroll and after spending a single day in the inner sect I accidentally overheard a conversation about it? This had to be a setup of some kind to lure any demonic cultist, right? Then again Little Spring's protagonist luck could have rubbed off on me.
But could I actually be that lucky?
Whatever. At least I could confirm that there were people within the sect that believed they had the scroll. That was more information than I had before.
The only shitty part was that I'd have to find a way to reach the second floor of the treasure pavilion without making anyone suspicious. I had a feeling I could get more information there.
Because of the distance, I had to send a secret sound transmission to Little Spring instead of using the telepathic technique. I quickly informed him of what I had discovered and where.
"I'm amazed you found even that much!"
"Ha! Of course, I found this much. It was bound to happen." Since I was relying on his luck. But luck was also part of a person's abilities in this dumbass world. "Who am I?"
"Sister Lin!"
"That's right."Â Muahahaha!
And I was someone who could walk through a sea of dirty disciples and not use my cleaning technique. I was a fucking badass!
"Little Teasing Mouse is dragging me all around the inner sect. It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would."
Poor kid. He left before I did, but he was still on his tour.
"Good luck. Make sure you learn whatever you can."
"Yes, Sister Lin!"
"I'm going to attend an alchemy lecture here and finally get a grasp on these poison arts. If you're able to escape from that girl, you should also observe it… before you try to buy a bunch of ingredients, only to get yourself outed as being a foreigner from a distant land."
"Uh… That sounds very specific."
"Just go to the lecture!"