Chapter Twenty-Two: A Loyal Listener

Chen Ye retraced his steps back to the narrow alleyways of Xining, maintaining the casual gait of a wanderer while scrolling through his blood-red phone screen. Occasionally, he glanced up, using his peripheral vision to stay alert for any sudden changes around him.

“My weirdness level has just hit two thousand points.”

“I’ve finally broken into the top fifty on the leaderboard, now ranked forty-seventh.”

“My personal funds have been completely spent; I’m penniless…”

“There’s still no game cleared yet.”

Chen Ye took stock of his current status with a slight nod of satisfaction. Of course, despite the weirdness value surpassing two thousand, his “Wanderer’s Boots” had not upgraded from a four-meter stride to five meters per step. This indicated that the higher the weirdness value climbed, the steeper the bottleneck, and a certain threshold needed to be crossed for further improvement.

However, since breaking the two-thousand mark, Chen Ye found his control over the suona—a Chinese double-reed horn—had noticeably improved. Now, with minimal effort, he could play the suona, effectively reducing his own energy expenditure while enhancing his mastery.

Yet, one thing remained unchanged: the suona’s tone was still unbearably grating—worse than the screech of a sharpening knife. Chen Ye couldn’t help but wonder if the suona was truly a musical instrument or some kind of sonic assault weapon.

After some practice, the once tone-deaf Chen Ye, who had struggled to distinguish pitch, was surprised to find he could now effortlessly identify corresponding notes. He developed a certain understanding of scales and could play in the original key with far better intonation and more precise rhythm.

“The apprentice’s progress is genuinely impressive. With diligent practice, real results follow,” Chen Ye thought, astonished. Since childhood, he had considered himself musically hopeless. Yet after just one day’s effort, his improvement was so striking he felt confident enough to rival some prodigious childhood geniuses.

Of course, the harshness of the suona’s sound was still an issue.

Familiar with the route, Chen Ye took about ten minutes to return from Xijiang to the narrow alleys of Xining, reaching the old man’s usual resting spot—the erhu player.

At that moment, a melodious erhu tune floated through the air, sweet and captivating. Chen Ye found himself entranced. Though the erhu’s sound was hardly superior to the suona’s—both somewhat unruly instruments—how was the old man able to play so beautifully? It sounded more like a violin than an erhu.

Turning the corner, Chen Ye was about to ask the old man how he managed such a refined performance when his gaze landed on three ‘Gluttonous Weirdos’ sitting nearby, and his expression suddenly stiffened.

The three sat quietly not far off, acting as devoted listeners. The “Chainsaw Brother” turned his head, fixing his gaze on Chen Ye for three seconds before suddenly leaping to his feet, the chainsaw on his face revving with anticipation.

Just then, the erhu old man smiled warmly and said, “Don’t get so worked up. That’s my apprentice. Sit down and enjoy the music.”

Chainsaw Brother seemed to understand the old man’s words, despite lacking eyes or facial features—just a chainsaw where his face should be. His frozen stance and the revving chainsaw that couldn’t quite spring into action betrayed his astonishment.

“Hello,” Chen Ye greeted Chainsaw Brother politely, then plopped down beside the erhu old man, idly fiddling with his suona.

At the sight of the suona, Chainsaw Brother visibly shuddered, his heels pressing back instinctively as if to pounce. But after glancing at the erhu old man, he refrained, stepping back slightly with tentative, delicate steps like a shy young girl on tiptoe.

The erhu old man halted his playing, smiling as he said, “You should show off a little yourself.”

“Me?” Chen Ye almost thought it was a joke. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

The old man’s mouth twitched as if silenced for a moment before replying, “You have to keep improving. A great musician needs feedback from an audience, not toiling away alone. Just blow your suona.”

The three Gluttonous Weirdos visibly trembled, as if poised to flee. Yet, catching the old man’s smiling gaze, they dared not move and remained rooted in place.

“I’ll try to play better,” Chen Ye said, feeling a twinge of pity for the unfortunate trio. He sighed quietly but the suona in his hands showed no mercy.

A piercing, shrill blast echoed once again through the narrow lanes of Xining.

The Gluttonous Weirdos trembled, instinctively ready to strike, but the erhu old man’s warm smile kept their hands resting quietly on their knees.

Fortunately, Chen Ye’s suona skills had improved since the beginning. Though the tone was still unpleasant, at least he played in tune. Within Chainsaw Brother’s unique language system, it no longer sounded like a drunken brawl but rather a reasoned, polite—if sharp—rebuke.

[Weirdness +100!]

[Weirdness +100!]

Chen Ye noticed that with an audience, his weirdness value increased faster. He began to grasp the old man’s meaning: music flourishes with listener feedback, not in isolated practice.

Yet, seeing the three Gluttonous Weirdos frozen in place brought a faint smile to Chen Ye’s lips.

He slowly rose and began hopping side to side, circling Chainsaw Brother in a full 360-degree loop, creating a surround sound effect for them.

The erhu old man opened his mouth, hesitating to speak, feeling perhaps this apprentice was too exceptional. He had thought himself shameless enough from life on the streets, but this pupil had surpassed even his own expectations—a true diamond in the rough.

Finally, the suona’s sharp, soaring note concluded the performance. The three Gluttonous Weirdos looked relieved and eager to leave.

“Wait… performance fee…” the erhu old man suddenly called out coldly from behind.

The trio froze, reluctantly pulling a coin from their pockets and handing it over.

At that moment, Chen Ye’s personal funds rose from “0 copper coins” to “3 copper coins.”

Holding the extra coins, Chen Ye showed an unusual blush of embarrassment. For a fleeting second, he felt these three coins should have been going the other way.

…

P.S.: There will be an extra chapter released after midnight tonight. Please keep following.