Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 123: Chapter 22: The Last Song

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The exhaust pipe spewed out fumes, and the bus had already gone far away. There was the sound of wheels rolling in the sky, a heavy rain was imminent.

Li Yan stood by the roadside, the sign above his head read “Victory Farm.”

Looking over, there was a large expanse of shaded avenues,

and at the foot of the mountain were scattered a great number of spruces and milky-white Western statues.

In the distance stood a fire lookout tower.

“Your opponent’s heritage is: Garuda.”

Garuda, also known as the Mysterious Songbird.

“Wisdom Garden’s Sound Meaning” says: “Garuda is also called the Mysterious Songbird. This bird originates from the snowy mountains, and can sing while still in its shell. Its sound is harmonious and elegant, tireless to the listener.

Mysterious Songbird?

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps inside when suddenly, there was a bustle of voices around him!

Li Yan’s senses were fully alert, he turned half a circle to the left and half to the right, taking in everything around him.

But there was no one to be seen.

Yet the sounds of whistles, cheers, and applause kept surging toward him relentlessly.

Li Yan moved his feet, leaning against a cloud pine.

A spacious stage seemed to grow right out of the ground under Li Yan’s very eyes,

with wires, speakers, military drums, basses, and microphones all set up. Red curtains were draped on both sides. A Dragon Flag was planted in the center of the stage.

Harmonicas and acoustic guitars floated in midair, playing on their own.

The intro was very familiar to Li Yan; it was “You Who Sat Next to Me,” a hit from the nineties.

These strange instruments felt as if they concealed Liang Ye’s Walkman…

“Esteemed Walker, please take note, you have entered the domain of Victory Farm (currently Victory Farm’s open-air commercial stage).”

“Within this domain, instrumental music will grant all Walkers a special status. Those with Yan Fu Heritage related to musical instruments can gain the ability to adjust their status through analysis.”

“The current added status is: all Walkers’ wound healing speed increased by one hundred percent.”

Mysterious Songbird?

Instrumental music added status?

Could it be a case of ‘the higher the skill, the taller the devil’s build’?

Li Yan gripped his Walkman tightly, a sense of foreboding in his heart.

There were slight footsteps approaching, and a man came from the opposite direction, wearing a red star military cap. Facing Li Yan, he flipped out a Crooked Leg Knife.

Seal Space, “Ten Cities.”

Li Yan let go of his concerns, the Ring Dragon longsword pointed straight at the man.

Eye contact confirmed.

Without a word wasted, both of them charged at each other!

The Crooked Leg Knife and Ring Dragon clashed, the two figures crossed past each other like a fleeting glimpse, both Li Yan’s hand and the man’s chest, burst open with a wound at the same time.

The Mysterious Songbird and Gu Huo Bird are both of the Feather Class heritage, and both evaluators from “Ten Cities,” their physical capabilities roughly equal, neither losing nor gaining the upper hand in this initial exchange.

“Due to the Mysterious Songbird heritage, your healing speed is only increased by 50%, while your opponent’s wound healing speed is 200%”

The man’s chest wound had stopped bleeding, Li Yan spat a glob of phlegm onto the ground. The man across from him charged again.

“Liang Ye!”

Li Yan called out.

Pressing the plus key to the max, Liang Ye started to sing loudly:

I search for you day and night

You are so beautiful

What exactly sculpted your flesh and blood?

Hunter Band, “That’s Not Me”

As expected, the added status of Wanshou Hall became a series of “???”, and all the magical instruments on the stage stopped.

But before Li Yan could catch his breath, Yan Fu’s prompt sank his heart again.

“Instrumental music switch! The current instrumental music added status is: all Walkers’ defense reduced by one hundred percent. Due to the Mysterious Songbird heritage, your defense is reduced by two hundred percent, while your opponent’s defense is reduced by fifty percent.”

Li Yan wanted to stop Liang Ye, but if Liang Ye didn’t sing, the instruments at Wanshou Hall would begin.

“Liang Ye, switch to another song.”

Li Yan dodged the blade that whistled past his ear, his lower leg kicked the military-cap man away, and he also received a kick to the chest.

The Walkman’s speaker hesitated for a moment, then Liang Ye began to sing again:

This journey, the road is long, he carries his hometown accent, hanging on his guitar.

One word, the heavens and earth vast, supporting a song, passing through a village~

Dark rod, “Wandering Singer”

“`

“Instrument switch! The current instrument bonus: all Esteemed Walkers’ movement speed increased by 50% due to the Mysterious Songbird…”

“Switch!”

Liang Ye was also in a rush, with the blaring sound of horns coming from his portable music player:

Who doesn’t want both fame and fortune? Who would choose to be poor and despised?

So, since not everyone can be remembered for eternity, some would rather leave a stink that lasts forever!

Slap Band, “Artistic Men Must Be Strong”.

“Instrument switch!… Because of the Mysterious Songbird…”

“Switch!”

Li Yan shouted loudly.

Just a wooden guitar strummed in the portable music player:

I look to the north, playing the guitar and singing old songs

No one sees me, my heart is filled with sorrow

Wild Child, “Looking to the North”.

“Instrument switch… because of the Mysterious Songbird…”

“Damn it!”

…

“Achoo!”

Ren Ni sneezed and tightened the suit he was wearing. He started fiddling with the game controller in his hands again.

Watching as rain looked about to pour from the sky, he sat on a step, under the dark green eaves of a roof.

A flash of lightning ripped through the clouds.

…

The Ring Dragon danced and swirled intensely, his sword movements heavy like the tides of Qiantang River.

Li Yan forced the man in the red star military hat to retreat; the two of them leaped apart, creating distance, their bodies bearing several shallow and deep wounds.

“Don’t waste your energy.”

The man removed his hat.

“Although I don’t know where you got that strange thing in your pocket from, you’re unlucky to have encountered me.”

He wiped the blood off the Crooked Leg Knife, his bronze face staring at Li Yan.

“In reality, I’m a college professor at the Beijing Music Conservatory, majoring in popular music history.”

A palm-sized bird with a white face and colorful feathers landed on his shoulder.

“Folk, rock, jazz, soul, blues, hip-hop, soul, symphony orchestras, any music genre you can name, I have almost studied them all. Usually, to fully utilize the Mysterious Songbird’s power, I need to wear headphones, but today…”

The man gripped the knife handle tightly and crouched down.

“This is my home court.”

Li Yan planted the black Dragon Flag into the ground and chewed on a green date, mumbling indistinctly.

“Liang Ye, take a break, don’t bother, let’s just rush him to death.”

“Wait a minute.”

Liang Ye struggled to extricate himself from his portable music player, the man glanced over casually. Seeing that the threat level of that person in A Fleeting Glimpse was white, he paid him no more attention.

Liang Ye walked briskly onto the open-air stage, took the microphone in one hand, and gave the man a strange smirk: “You say you know a bit of every song, huh?”

“Maybe even more than a bit.”

Colleagues belittle each other, especially when a street performer meets an academic, both of their tones were aggressive.

“Then try this.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Oh?”

The man looked up sharply and charged towards Liang Ye on the stage. The Crooked Leg Knife aimed straight at Liang Ye’s neck, not intending to give him a chance to speak.

To understand is one thing, but to stand there foolishly watching your opponent’s moves is simply stupid.

The platinum tiger head Devouring Blade pushed forward, cutting off the man’s route at the waist.

The man put all his strength into his waist, twisting his body to avoid the spear’s point, kicked off the stage, and charged towards Li Yan.

The song playing on the stage right then was Lao Lang’s “Lover’s Plight”, Li Yan’s burst power and nerve response speed were slightly improved, but the man’s burst power was probably more than double that of Li Yan’s, and since both were good at quick attacks, if not for Li Yan’s weapon advantage, he would likely be suppressed in an instant.

Liang Ye cleared his throat and strummed his guitar.

The man claimed to be a music professor, and indeed, his ears were sharp.

With just a prelude from Liang Ye, he already had a plan in mind.

“Rock, right? Blues? Reggae? Or is it heavy metal? Punk? Funk?”

Liang Ye smiled coldly and unhurriedly: “Two, men, turn!”