Chapter 70: Seventieth Day of Living Like a Salted Fish

Goudan didn’t take the bait, so Lu Yuan let the topic drop. There wasn’t much more to say anyway.

Closing the tablet, he rolled over onto his back and nuzzled into the pillow, finding a comfortable position.

“They should be contacting the Geshu family to head back soon, right?” he asked.

“They’re preparing now. It should happen within the next day or two,” Goudan replied, a flicker of worry crossing his eyes.

Lu Yuan gave him a strange look. “What are you worried about?”

“They did just plot against Geshu Ming, after all,” Goudan said. “I’m worried Geshu Ming will see through what they’ve done.”

“Geshu Ming definitely knows already,” Lu Yuan said dismissively. “She’s already cooperating with Nan Yingzhe, so what are you all afraid of?”

“…” The problem was that what Siming and the others had done had absolutely nothing to do with Nan Yingzhe.

Goudan grumbled inwardly but naturally didn’t dare say it aloud.

At this moment, the drawbacks of keeping Lu Yuan in the dark were gradually becoming apparent.

It interfered with Lu Yuan’s judgment.

In the past, Lu Yuan had always been the most calm and clear-headed one, sometimes even giving off an illusion of omniscience. Every time they encountered a problem, coming to Lu Yuan would invariably yield a solution.

But this time, they had to solve the problem themselves.

Perhaps this was a good thing.

After all, they couldn’t rely on Lu Yuan for everything forever. They had to grow up eventually.

However, regarding the current situation, they were truly worried and confused, even a bit at a loss.

To put it simply, compared to Lu Yuan, who would certainly have considered all subsequent possibilities and solutions before making any decision, the trio out in the field clearly lacked that ability.

They could only come up with a rough plan and take it one step at a time.

Once the situation differed from what they had imagined, they couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

For instance, right now, something very unexpected had happened. They had thought Ying Xun would quickly deduce that they were the ones who leaked the news of the Emperor’s serious illness and question them… yet Ying Xun acted as if nothing had happened and he’d discovered nothing, casually asking them when they planned to return to the Geshu family.

This was indeed what they had hoped for…

It was just that they couldn’t quite figure out what Ying Xun was thinking.

But now, Lu Yuan would not be providing the answer.

Goudan sighed inwardly.

Ever since discovering that Lu Yuan had a “bug” state, he felt a slight, constant impulse to trigger that state again so Lu Yuan could explain things more clearly.

Yet he was truly worried it would hurt Lu Yuan. After all, Lu Yuan’s condition after exiting the bug state had looked quite poor. Even though he recovered quickly… who knew if it was just a surface-level recovery.

At this moment, Goudan began to faintly understand why Geshu Ming had returned to the Capital Star shortly after triggering the bug state.

He also felt like staying far away from Lu Yuan right now.

He was terrified of accidentally mentioning something he shouldn’t.

After a moment’s thought, Goudan gave a perfunctory reply, “It’s just a bit unsettling. After all, it directly caused Geshu Ming’s previous efforts to go to waste.”

Lu Yuan nodded.

In this moment, he seemed to have suddenly lost his usual sharp intuition.

Perhaps this was a protection mechanism. This was something Goudan had gradually noticed recently. Regarding things that might trigger a bug if looked into too deeply, Lu Yuan would often subconsciously avoid thinking about them.

After spacing out for a while, Lu Yuan suddenly said, “But if that’s the case, Siming will have to wait a while before he can free up his hands to handle the band’s business.”

“He didn’t plan on handling it recently anyway,” Goudan replied. “There’s no rush. Siming doesn’t intend for the band to become famous right now; their current songs probably don’t have that kind of power yet.

“Siming’s plan is to wait another year or two. Once he’s established a foothold in the Empire, he’ll set up a shell entertainment company. The signed employees will be us from the Desolate Planet, and the band will release music as his artists.

“When that time comes, promoting the band will be perfectly legitimate.”

Lu Yuan nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”

–

However, no one expected that just after the wave of public opinion regarding the Emperor had subsided, someone would dig out the “Desolation” band’s songs from among countless tracks and promote them entirely for free.

Nan Mu.

Nan Mu, the father of Nan Yingzhe, had always had a weak presence in the Empire. From a young age, he had displayed a gentle temperament completely different from Nan Hui’s. Coupled with the fact that Nan Xiao was born strong and was deeply favored by Nan Hui, Nan Mu had left the center of power early on.

The families Nan Xiao and Nan Mu built, as well as their subsequent paths in life, were worlds apart.

Nan Xiao’s gaze had always been fixed on the throne, and she chose a spouse who could provide the necessary leverage. Zhao Hongmiao, the head of the Zhao family – a powerhouse at the pinnacle of Imperial authority that could nearly rival the Geshu family – was her husband and her most steadfast ally.

Their entire family now resided on the Capital Star, never having stepped away from the Empire’s center of power.

Nan Mu, on the other hand, had pursued the arts since university, studying painting at the Capital University of the Arts. His wife, Xiao Lu, did not come from a noble background either; she hailed from a remote, minor planet.

Xiao Lu was one of the rare individuals from that world who had earned the qualification to study at a university on the Capital Star.

Possessing extraordinary musical talent, she also enrolled at the Capital University of the Arts. It was there that she and Nan Mu met and fell in love. By graduation, they were both the valedictorians of their respective colleges. Later, they both became leading figures in their fields.

Shortly after their marriage, they left the Capital Star. Using the search for artistic inspiration as their reason, they traveled from place to place. After Nan Yingzhe was born, they left the Empire entirely, visiting various nations and almost never returning.

They rarely posted updates on StarNet.

Even when they did, the vastness of the universe and the distance of their travels meant it took a long time for the people of the Empire to see the messages they sent.

However, their current location was not far from the Empire. Coupled with the significant upheaval at home, Nan Mu had sent a message of concern for his father, Nan Hui, just two days prior, which had garnered some attention.

The combination of these factors meant that when his latest update was posted two days ago and synchronized with the Empire’s StarNet, it was noticed immediately.

“For the past few days, since receiving the news of my father’s serious illness, I have been unable to eat or sleep. Although I am returning home as quickly as possible, the journey is long, and I fear it will still take some time.

Traveling abroad, unable to care for my father or even learn of his condition firsthand, I feel I have failed in my duties as a son and a prince, to the point of tossing and turning in bed.

Fortunately, Xiao Lu has recently been researching the resonance between music and mental power, as well as the healing functions of music regarding mental power diseases, with great success. Over the last two days, she has also looked up information on Alma Disease and selected several pieces of music that might be beneficial for this condition. I am posting them here in the hope that they may help improve my father’s health.

The paper regarding the treatment of mental power diseases through music has been accepted by the Union Medical Journal and should be published and transmitted back to the nation in a while.

Finally, I have attached the playlist provided by Xiao Lu. I ask the family to play these for my father as they see fit.

Additionally, I hope to recommend these songs to everyone. The style of these pieces is light and peaceful; even if you are not ill, you can use them to relax your emotions and calm your mind and body. In these troubled times, if you feel anxious, you might want to give them a listen.”

The update wasn’t long, but the content was quite unusual.

The healing effect of music on mental power was an ancient subject. From the moment the first batch of Awakeners appeared and people began to understand mental power, this research direction had existed.

However…

There had never been any real progress.

The influence of music on mental power had always remained in a state of metaphysical ambiguity. Some said it existed, others said it didn’t. Some claimed it was incredibly useful, insisting that those who listened to music recovered better; others argued it was merely a placebo, and any improvement in recovery speed was likely due to the music putting the patient in a better mood.

Under these circumstances, the message Nan Mu sent out was a bit strange.

The attached playlist was also very peculiar.

There seemed to be no pattern to it. There were old tunes from centuries ago, restored songs from the Mother Planet Era, and even recent pop music…

There was even a piece of very simple-sounding instrumental music that had only been released three days ago.

The title was also very strange.

It was called “Gong Liang¹“.

Translator’s Notes