Monarch of the Dark Nights Chapter 1

MOTDN—Chapter 001

The Broken String in The Spring

“I bet today that beggar is definitely there waiting for you!"

It was noon and the work hour break had just come. Feng Ling put her nurse hat into her newly bought red bag as she intentionally glanced at her boudoir friend Qing Yi who was also packing up to get off work.

“Eh? He's a street musician, please don't speak badly about him. Let alone that he sings to make a living. So there's no way he's there only to wait for me!"

Qing Yi's expression changed even though she knew perfectly well, that her best friend—Feng Ling was only joking.

“Shall we go to Real Kungfu Restaurant? Crossing the Bridge Noodle or KFC?" Seeing that Qing Yi's complexion slightly turned crimson, Feng Ling changed the topic as they walked out of the hospital side by side.

Graceful Heart Hospital was a small private hospital. There was a side street tunnel 200 meters to the east of the hospital's entrance. The downtown area could be reached by pa.s.sing through the tunnel across the street. Schoolgirls especially liked "Crossing the Bridge Noodle", "Real Kungfu Restaurant", and "Kentucky Fried Chicken", even though there were also other restaurants in the vicinity. The hospital itself didn't provide a room and meal, so the both of them had always been eating fast food for their meals.

“You pick! Anything is fine with me!” Qing Yi answered absentmindedly!

The moment they exited the tunnel's exit, a familiar melody danced through the air from outside. Her mind was affected by the song as she subconsciously opened her wallet.

“Every time we get here and he plays, you seem to subconsciously enjoy it. I really can't figure out whether you're flooding with compa.s.sion or you've taken a liking to his face. But, so to say, he is crippled. He might have a handsome face, but what good is it if you can't eat?!" Seeing Qing Yi flipped out her wallet, it was totally inconceivable to Feng Ling

“This is the last time!”

Qing Yi muttered. She didn't respond to Feng Ling as though she only spoke to herself!

Ever since the man appeared near the tunnel five days ago, playing his guitar and singing, a particular inexplicable feeling was drilled inside her heart.

She was not a medical student and was graduated from the Central Conservatory of Musical Arts, and a highly talented student at that. Even though she had yet to engage in any professional work related to her talent, but it still was her previous background.

She was once signed to partic.i.p.ate in Mangguo TV's “Popular Pop Song Compet.i.tion” last year. But because she opposed some unknown unwritten rules, she was eliminated in the preliminary second round by the program's organizer.

The "Street Musician" who was singing in the tunnel at this time, was the person who got the highest popular vote last year for Pop Song original singer, Yun Tu. He was also her senior at school. whom she once admired.

Unfortunately, Yun Tu failed to win the compet.i.tion and to become a star, because the moment he rushed toward the compet.i.tion final, the police found narcotics in his apartment. He was sentenced to prison, and only half a year later did he come out from prison with his left leg having been wasted by someone. Being crippled and only walking with one leg, he was driven out, and dumped on the streets.

“If the day will come, that I have no place to stay, please keep me here to stay, for the spring will come…”

In the long and narrow side street, Yun Tu played his broken wooden guitar as he sang w.a.n.g Feng's "In the Spring" with a slightly hoa.r.s.e voice. But he sang the song in an entirely different tone and nuances. The original song was full of vigorous and inspirational feelings, as the tone he sang brought a kind of sadness, dispirited, and desolate feeling…

“Wow! The song is filled with emotion and feeling. The insight, mood, tune, pitch, and voice are d.a.m.n good!"

“The only thing remaining in the song is a firm will. It's not the same with the inspirational nuances the original has. But this is definitely at another kind of alt.i.tude!”

“But it's a pity that he's crippled!”

“What is wrong with being crippled? It's quite easy for a disabled person with good voice like his to rise to the top in China. If this guy cleans himself up, he will look very handsome. I bet he would be very popular if he were to partic.i.p.ate in the Singing Compet.i.tion."

The onlookers discussed amongst themselves whilst listening to the music. As for the disheveled hair and beard—beggar-like Yun Tu, n.o.body had recognized him, that he was the one who won the popular vote in last year's Pop Song Compet.i.tion.

Although the crowd did not recognize that Yun Tu was a professional singer, they were attracted and enchanted by the emotional mood and nuances brought by his voice. From time to time, yuan coins were tossed by the onlookers into a small card box in front of Yun Tu.

But the singer himself was unperturbed and neither did he enjoy the salute nor the cheering the audience gave him. Yun Tu's eyes were empty and desolate, as though he was immersed in another realm of his music and song. He had long been absorbed to this other world of his.

“Gazing at the moment of the brilliant spring; and still it feels like those warm days' feeling…”

As the chorus came, his body suddenly shivered as his left hand pressed the wrong chord on the broken wooden guitar. His right hand's thumb pulled the smallest treble wire with too much force as the steel wire snapped, and ended the song abruptly!

It was a sudden and unexpected accident for Yun Tu. His body stood frozen in shivers as inconceivable expressions flashed and filled his previously decadent eyes!

'How the h.e.l.l am I still alive?!'

'Where the f.u.c.k is the sea of blood and mountain of corpses from the battle? Didn't I get slashed and killed by that Infernal Demon Commander?'

'How and why have I appeared here?'

'What the f.u.c.k is going on?'

Countless questions like a tsunami suddenly bursted out and swept inside Yun Tu's mind. And not to even one of them did he get an answer.

“Holy motherf.u.c.ker, he got so much money by playing such a broken guitar? He didn't even f.u.c.king ask permission from us and dares to sing on our turf?! Follow me! I'll f.u.c.k him up!!!"

Led by a youth with a wolf's head tattoo on his arm and bleached 'blonde hair', a group of street gangsters with various hair colors such as 'red hair', 'yellow hair', and 'punk-styled hair' swarmed over from the tunnel's mouth as though they were demons that were rushing toward Yun Tu.

The surrounding onlookers who were listening to Yun Tu's songs were workers who were on lunch break. They could feel that the situation was not right and immediately scattered and left. A few bold audience members stood by at the distant at the ends of the tunnel to see the commotion.

A “clang” sound was heard as an iron pipe smashed Yun Tu's forehead while he was still in a daze!

His skin was torn as bright red blood gushed down to his cheek. And Yun Tu abruptly sobered up from his deep confusion. However, he was as though a silly wooden statue which was standing motionlessly as he didn't fight back, and neither did he even move. The iron pipe smashed his body again unceasingly.

“Hahaha, you're f.u.c.king docile aren't you? Brothers, take the money and leave!"

Seeing that Yun Tu didn't dare to fight back even after being hit ten times, the 'Blonde Haired' thug seemed satisfied. He motioned his gangs to not hit and personally hit Yun Tu as his leg kicked the small carton in front of him.

The coins scattered and paper money danced in the air in the next split seconds…

'What the h.e.l.l? Isn't this place the side street tunnel in the Hongda business district?'

'Did I just transmigrate before the apocalypse?'

He looked at the paper money that danced in the air. He knew this scene. And this familiarity made his body trembled violently as tides of memories gushed out all of a sudden!

'This is not f.u.c.king right!'

'Weren't these f.u.c.king thugs the ones who smashed my guitar the last day before the apocalypse?'

Whilst looking at a few thugs who were picking up large nominal money from the ground wantonly, he also looked at the guitar in his embrace. Yun Tu keenly discovered that there were slight differences with his past life.

When he was still hesitating, the Blonde Haired leader who had walked near the tunnel mouth suddenly turned his head and ordered his gang, "Go and smash his guitar!"

Hearing the Blonde Haired's order, three young street bullies swarmed over with their iron pipes toward Yun Tu again.

'It's f.u.c.king true!"

'The details might be slightly different, but the story is exactly the same!'

Yun Tu smiled. With the blood flowing from his face, his smiling expression gave off a strange and queer feeling!

He had confirmed that he had been transmigrated to his past self. It was because he fought back these thugs in his previous life, so they hit him first and smashed his guitar before they s.n.a.t.c.hed his money. But, since this time he accidentally didn't give any resistance, it was only natural that their actions now were somewhat different with his previous life.

Yun Fist, Rule #1: 'n.o.body has the rights to hit my head!'

A fist had no will, but a man did! Yun Tu quickly put his guitar in his embrace to the right side as he dodged to the side and avoided the first iron pipe attack that was about to hit his head. His left hand quickly sent a hook punch lightning fast at the the Yellow Haired's temple, causing him to faint and get downed to the ground in an instant.

Upon seeing the previously frozen-blockhead Yun Tu now daring to fight back, the Red Haired and the Punk Haired who were following closely, rushed at the same time and used their iron pipes to smash Yun Tu's face.

Yun Fist, Rule #2: 'Do not stupidly open your throat!'

He forcefully slanted in an oblique angle to the side and sharply raised his body as he pushed back the guitar on his right side to the back. Then, Yun Tu's both hands slanted upwards and tilted the force from the bullies' striking iron pipes. He then faked his move to step forward, as both of his hands pushed and pulled back lightning fast. His palms changed and transformed into crane fists and double hit the two bullies' jaw and throat at the same time.

Although his leg was now crippled and his body in a complete mess, but after the apocalypse came, he had been through countless slaughters and near-death experiences. His heart and conviction had been tempered rock-solid, and comparing his fighting skill to these street thugs was as though comparing the heaven and earth.

Two strike movements and 3 street thugs were downed. It was his full victory, causing the rest of the street thugs to lose their fighting spirit and strength in an instant. The wolf head-tattooed gang leader and the rest who were rushing and were about 10 steps away from Yun Tu, abruptly stopped. A brilliant beam flashed from Yun Tu's eyes, as though a shooting star, sending a cold and sinister feeling, causing them to form cold sweat on their backs.

“f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d! You're really something, aren't you? You just wait to get f.u.c.ked up later!"

Having said those vicious words, the thugs' leader propped up a few of his gangs and ran away, leaving his downed underlings behind.

Yun Tu only looked at those street thugs from behind and did not chase them out further. The things that had happened in the past should be left in the past. And he was just transmigrated back, and surely not because he had to teach those small fries a lesson.

'What happens next?'

Cold beam flashed in Yun Tu's eyes as he recalled his memories again!

The past life's scene reappearing again!

In the past life after he got injured by those street thugs, 2 beautiful nurses pa.s.sed by this place!

One of them was a belle with broth-like beautiful eyes and seemed to be called as Qing Yi. Each time she pa.s.sed by here, she had always thrown 20 yuan to his cartoon box. The other one was a rounded face and slightly chubby girl. But he didn't remember her name. However, he recalled that her voice was very loud when she spoke, a tomboy-like girl. They had always been together all the time, and judging from the same nurse uniform they were wearing, they seemed to be colleagues.

Recalling up to there, Yun Tu opened his eyes and fixated his eyes toward the tunnel's mouth at the opposite side. Really, just like in his memory, those 2 girls in their white nurse attire were stood still in fright. They were obviously standing there and saw the whole fighting scene between him and those street thugs.

The most pleasant comments he had heard while singing in the tunnel was that he was called a 'Street Musician', and the most unpleasant one was that he was a beggar. Yun Tu was perfectly clear that getting even 10 yuan were very difficult under normal circ.u.mstances, so he really appreciated the 20 yuan he got from that Qing Yi schoolgirl. And this grace, it really carved deeply in Yun Tu's heart.

After he had recalled back his memories and calmed himself down, he felt that the blood from his forehead flowed down into his eyes. He closed his eyes, lifted his cold hand and wiped off the wound on his forehead with his denim jacket's sleeve. The rough texture of the jacket's fabric made it quite painful, and it was a lie if he said otherwise. But he had long been immune to this degree of pain after experiencing countless killings.

“You're really silly, since you can fight, why didn't you fight back before?"

A pack of tissues was suddenly forced to his hand. Yun Tu stared blankly for a moment as the beautiful eyes–Qing Yi covered her face and then ran away.

“Go quickly to the Graceful Heart Hospital at the other side of the street. There should be a doctor on duty at noon, dress up your wound."

The round face nurse immediately pa.s.sed through from his side whilst staring at him fiercely with an expression that Yun Tu couldn't fathom.

'What was that expression for?'

Yun Tu didn't know for what, who and why that glared was intended for!

This situation at present and the scene in his past life surely had some discrepancies, but the core point was the same, that was, Qing Yi was crying!

'But why would she cry for him?' He didn't understand it his past life, and now, after he had just transmigrated to his past self, he still didn't understand the reason.

Yun Tu did not know that this Qing Yi was his junior schoolgirl from his school. But since he was a senior and also had a beautiful girlfriend back then, he didn't pay any attention to other junior schoolgirls. Even if he did meet her on campus occasionally, he didn't remember Qing Yi.

Moreover, he also did not know that Qing Yi also partic.i.p.ated in Mangguo TV's Pop Song Compet.i.tion last year. They were not registered in the same area, and she also had already been eliminated during the preliminary second round. Since Qing Yi didn't show up in the TV show, he didn't know about her.

He only knew Qing Yi's name since she usually came to listen to his singing a few days ago, and only heard her name from her girl friend who called her at that time.

Along with the wiping whilst smelling the fragrance from the tissue, he continued to carefully wipe the bloodstains off his face. Yun Tu recalled his memories again as he looked at the time and date on his cell phone. His mind rotated quickly. In his past life, after having dressed up his wound in the Graceful Heart Hospital, he got back through this tunnel. And, he met again with Qing Yi and her girl friend after they finished their lunch in this tunnel also.

'And then?'

'Then…'

Yun Tu's rock-solid heart gently trembled!