Chapter 14: Reminiscences of the Suona

Chen Ye exhaled deeply and rubbed his aching temples as he exited the [Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon] trading interface.

He couldn't believe someone had actually tried to trade "natural/original" body fluids... it was truly an eye-opening experience.

In less than a minute, hundreds of trade listings had flooded the board, almost all of them filled with utter junk. He simply couldn't fathom the mindset of these players, thinking they could exchange a pile of trash for something of value. What were they even hoping to gain?

In that single minute, Chen Ye felt as though he had wandered through the world’s largest zoo, witnessing an incredible display of biological diversity. His Blood-Colored Phone kept chiming incessantly, a relentless, grating noise. He was seconds away from deleting the trade request entirely.

Fiddling with the phone, he discovered to his delight that he could mute the notifications. Once the trade alerts were silenced, the world finally became peaceful again.

"Forget it," he muttered. "In these early stages, these poor newbies are even worse off than a wanderer like me! Expecting to trade for a trait related to 'cooking ability' is a pipe dream. I'll just have to leave it to fate."

Players capable of obtaining trait-based items likely didn't have to worry about basic survival necessities—or at the very least, they had mastered a reliable way to acquire resources. The rarity of such items in the early game went without saying. Any player with a shred of resolve wouldn't trade away a hard-won trait item for a mere survival resource, not unless they were on the brink of starvation. At the very least, they would expect to trade it for another trait item of equal value. Trading it for a single meal? That would be a massive loss.

Chen Ye closed the Blood-Colored Phone, shook his head, and tucked it back into his pocket, preparing to return to the spot where the old man playing the erhu was stationed.

Just then, the sky abruptly darkened.

He looked up. Night had begun to shroud the earth; the night of the Strange Era had arrived.

Activating his Eye of Fortune, he saw dark, surging currents undulating across the sky in several directions. Even the ordinary streets he had walked through earlier were gradually being veiled in a faint, blood-colored mist.

"When night falls, this world truly comes alive," Chen Ye whispered to himself.

The original inhabitants of this world were primarily active at night. During the day, only a handful of "Stranges" would venture out, and even then, their mobility was significantly hampered.

By now, the players throughout Linjiang City were facing their first real trial.

Chen Ye didn't intend to take any unnecessary risks; he quickened his pace to return to the old man. That was the safest area he could find at the moment. As he walked, he kept a sharp eye out for any other Stranges. He was especially wary of the three short-tempered "Gluttony Stranges." Although they didn't appear to possess high intelligence, they were, after all, original inhabitants. Who knew if one might pop out from somewhere and deliver a silent blow or a backstab?

Fortunately, the journey remained relatively safe. Aside from the many abandoned handcarts that made the narrow, crowded road difficult to navigate, he didn't encounter any other original inhabitants.

Chen Ye didn't play his suona; he didn't want to attract any unknown entities during such a sensitive time.

He followed the original path back. The lanes of Xining Alley were complex, a labyrinth of interconnected roads where one could easily get lost. Chen Ye rarely went out and hadn't visited Xining Alley much, but he possessed a sharp memory and a strong sense of direction. He retraced his steps with ease.

The old man with the erhu had returned to his original spot. He had placed a bucket of water beside him with a ladle floating on the surface, and a few copper coins had been added to the iron bowl in front of him.

As Chen Ye approached, the old man seemed to hear his footsteps, looked up, and smiled. "How was the practice?"

"Barely passable, I suppose," Chen Ye sighed, handing the paper bag to the old man. "Care for one?"

"Oh? Good progress! You actually had an audience listen through an entire piece?" The old man sounded surprised, but he didn't decline, taking a golden, crispy chestnut from the bag and popping it into his mouth.

This was the reward earned from trading the suona.

The old man's playful, cynical expression faded, and he sighed, as if reminded of the past. "You got these chestnuts from the old woman, didn't you?"

"Yes..." Chen Ye felt a jolt of realization; it seemed the old man and the chestnut-selling woman were acquainted. "Do you know her?"

"Of course," the old man nodded. "That suona, actually, it belonged to her."

"Ah?" Chen Ye was stunned. He never expected the suona the old man had given him to be connected to the chestnut-selling woman.

The old man chuckled. "Of course, it wasn't really hers. It was her son's."

"And then?"

"Her son was an artist, had no money for food, and starved to death. He didn't even leave a corpse behind, just this suona."

"..."

Chen Ye was speechless. It seemed that throughout history, those who pursued art were destined for a life of poverty. It reminded him of authors who always complained to their readers about starving to death in their novels.

"Then how did you get your hands on the suona?" Chen Ye asked. Since it was the only thing the woman's son had left behind, she shouldn't have given it away so easily.

The old man thought for a moment. "At the time, the old woman was devastated. She hadn't eaten in days, curled up on the side of the road, clutching the suona to her chest, mumbling incoherently about how she 'didn't want to live anymore' and 'wanted to be buried with her only son'..."

"She was rambling on; I suppose she wasn't in her right mind then."

"Sigh, I felt sorry for her, and I happened to have bought a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts. So, I gave her one."

"Later, she survived. She seemed to have started the chestnut business, and then she gave the suona to me."

"I suppose she saw that I was an erhu player and assumed I could play the suona too."

"But an old man like me, where would I find the breath for that..."

"So, the suona just sat here collecting dust. I have to say, it really is quite difficult to play!"

Only then did Chen Ye realize that the suona was inherently difficult to sound. Trait items were influenced by their former owners. The old woman's son must have lived a miserable life; the trait item that manifested from his body carried his pain and destitution. Even if one could barely produce a sound, it would be as ear-piercing and mournful as a ghost's wail.

No wonder it was so hard to play... It wasn't his lack of skill; it was the suona itself!

The old man laughed. "I didn't expect a lad like you to have such talent. Even I couldn't get a sound out of it after trying several ways, and yet you managed to play an entire piece. The younger generation is truly formidable!"

"Play it for me again?"

"Alright." Chen Ye nodded. He needed to practice anyway, and the old man seemed mysterious—his strength likely surpassed that of the chestnut-selling woman. If he stayed by the old man's side, he could significantly reduce the danger... at the very least, he wouldn't have to fear that the sound of the suona would attract other entities.

Chen Ye began to play "Tangled" once more.

As that sharp, grinding sound rose and fell with the melody, devoid of any musical beauty and sounding more like an execution by dismemberment, the old man’s expression stiffened. He clutched his chest, a look of agony on his face.

He suddenly regretted having such a loose tongue.