Story 10 - The Spy Who Rocked Too Hard (15 🎸)
I crossed my arms and glared down at my ntee. Three Drops Silent Toxin.
He winced. I know! The beat was off.
Its good that you figured that out. While playing rock and having fun is important, there are tis 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 isnt 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 Romances Welco to the Black Parade. In a sect war, what do you think music cultivators do?
He shrugged. I havent 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, so of them help in the actual war. Theyll often co together to play the sa song in a massive formation to strike their enemys souls. Or theyll 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 so 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 didnt 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 wouldnt have ended up how it did.
Always keep in mind, your band is your battle formation. If you dont move with your formation, if you dont play in ti 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 ti. 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 instrunt wont be effective if I cant 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, youre 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 shouldnt worry about your puppets spiritual energy flow until youve mastered the songs with your own body.
But I will be able to insert Qi into my instrunt through my puppet correctly later?
Youll 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 ?
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, Ill eventually teach you how to construct your puppets musical Qi pathways.
Thank you, Senior Linlin!
Dont thank just yet. Play it again.
I sighed. Ive 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 arent understanding Tribute to Kashmir, at all.
The two looked at each other and Three Drops spoke up. Isnt it a powerful song that slows the listeners movents?
Shadow Panther stepped forward. And if its played by a strong enough band, the listener might even beco delusional and think theyre running through a desert.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringent.
Its more than that. While the effects are important, if you dont understand the intent behind the song, youll 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, cant you just tell us what it is?
I frowned. The idea was to get them to think for themselves, but I suppose it wouldnt hurt to explain things, considering our ti constraints. Its a song written by Bright Blinding lody as a tribute to Led Zeppelins 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 isnt spiritual in nature, though rock definitely transcends the mundane, even without Qi. While I cant do it justice without a full band, Ill 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 ti I played that last note, they stared at with blank faces. This wasnt the sa reaction Bright Blinding lody 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 didnt understand a single word you said.
It didnt 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 lodys 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 sothing like
I played the beginning chords three tis, 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 Tools version of You Lied. But I hadnt fully morized 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 dont you two go out of the courtyard and take a break?
Senior Linlin?
Youre actually letting us go outside?
By now, youve already decided whether youll beco 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 instrunts into their storage bags and left the courtyard.
It had been a hell of a week. Since Little Spring was such a good student, Id 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 couldnt apply it to alchemy. Which was fucking frustrating. My junior martial brother was a rare exception. It might be sothing 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 didnt turn around.
Reviews
All reviews (0)