Lin Feng rubbed his throbbing chest (that was the aftereffect of resetting the 150-draw guaranteed pity) while staring deadly at the music score in his hand.
Just now, the moment the [Sage of Lyrics · Zhuang Nu Experience Card] expired, that magical realization of inspiration gushing like a spring and literary thoughts flowing like a urine avalanche instantly disappeared without a trace.
The current him, looking at those exquisite word choices and sentence structures on the paper, was like looking at a Heavenly Book.
"System, can't you leave a little 'aftertaste'?" Lin Feng shouted desperately in his mind, "At any rate, let me remember that kind of creation logic just now, let me comprehend the Dao of lyric composition myself!"
[Ding! Host, being a human cannot be too greedy. This system aims to cultivate an all-around superstar, not a cheating master.]
[If the Host strongly requests to retain the residual realization, the system can make an exception to open "Overdraft Mode," and to promote fairness and justice, the price is the lucky draw's guaranteed pity starts jumping to 300 draws.]
"...Pretend I didn't say it." Lin Feng decisively shut his mouth.
He lowered his head, re-examining this work born under the possession of the "Sage of Lyrics."
This song's style was very peculiar. It possessed a kind of avant-garde sense that jumped out of mainstream aesthetics, yet the melody was surprisingly brainwashing, belonging to that kind of wonderful existence where even people listening for the first time could hum two sentences along during the chorus part.
Using Lin Feng's words: This thing was like a high-level freak, shared by the refined and the vulgar to the extreme.
What made Lin Feng feel most stunned were the lyrics. The full page was all idioms and allusions, yet they were disassembled and reorganized, forming a kind of modern folk style carrying a satirical flavor.
Song Name: Carving the Boat
"Drawing a cake to satisfy hunger, swallowing three thousand weak waters,
Who is carving the boat to seek the sword, waiting for the big waves to return east?
The compassion of guarding a tree stump waiting for a rabbit, is merely the hypocrisy of a Nanke dream,
The absolute of pointing at a deer and calling it a horse, exchanges for the embarrassment of buying the box and returning the pearl."
"Blind men touching an elephant, touching the back of this world,
Covering ears to steal a bell, unable to hear the humbleness of all living things.
You are the exhaustion of the Guizhou donkey's skills, I am the sin of breaking cauldrons and sinking boats,
Inside that mirror flower and water moon, clinking cups with a shadow."
Although Lin Feng had no literary attainments, he could have a premonition that if these lyrics were sent to the internet, they would absolutely become the favorite background music of those short video bloggers, or become "God-level meme lyrics" madly spread by netizens.
"At least at the 'Gear' Livehouse, this song can absolutely hold down that group of music critics." Lin Feng satisfactorily put away the music score.
He was just preparing to send a WeChat to Ren Yichen, but the mobile phone screen lit up first.
[Runaway Magical Girl] (Xu Zhixia's WeChat name): "Heard your band is seeking songs recently? (Side-eye smile image)"
Lin Feng's eyelid jumped, and he slowly typed out a: "?"
[Runaway Magical Girl]: "Humph humph, I, your Senior Sister, happen to have a stock at the bottom of the trunk, originally prepared to keep for myself to release a single. But for the sake of you practicing the 'Dying Whale Breathing Method' with me every day, this Senior Sister will show great mercy, not bearing to watch a fellow Junior Brother lose face on stage."
[Runaway Magical Girl]: "Tonight at ten, see you at the school rehearsal room. Bring your guitar, Senior Sister will personally discipline you."
Lin Feng looked at the mobile phone screen, falling into deep thought.
He actually didn't want to go at all.
This Xu Zhixia, ever since catching him practicing the Vocal Dao that night, the whole person became strange. Well, she was already strange, just that it was more intense lately.
She seemed to have fallen into a kind of chuunibyou fantasy of "we are peerless experts hiding our strength," even self-titling as "Senior Sister," all day long having a look of wanting to take Lin Feng to fly.
More importantly, he already had a shockingly high-quality "Carving the Boat" in his hand.
"But..." Lin Feng touched his chin.
This kind of "Genius Guitar Girl" Xu Zhixia who rates herself very high, what would the song from the bottom of the trunk she takes out look like?
Was it curiosity toward an opponent? Or some kind of intuition of a system mission?
Lin Feng silently sighed, replying: "Will arrive on time."
Half an hour later, Jiangcheng University Art Building rehearsal room.
Lin Feng pushed open the door, only to see Xu Zhixia currently sitting on a speaker, holding a stack of thick staff scores in her hand; under the dim light, her side profile actually revealed a trace of rare... seriousness.
"Came?" Xu Zhixia turned her head, the corner of her mouth raising a complacent arc, shaking the paper in her hand, "This is this Senior Sister's work of spilling heart and shedding blood, ordinary people can't beg for it even if they try. How is it, ready to accept the baptism from a genius?"
Lin Feng walked over expressionlessly, conveniently looking at the system panel.
[Xu Zhixia Favorability: 24 -> 26 (Senior Sister's Majesty)]
Lin Feng: "..."
Fine, as long as you are happy. I also want to see, besides brain supplements, what real skill you have.
Xu Zhixia sat on the speaker, her slender long legs dangling back and forth. Seeing that Lin Feng took no action for a long time, she raised her eyebrows in dissatisfaction: "What? Seeing your Master, you even save on the most basic apprenticeship ceremony and kowtow? I have taken out the treasure from the bottom of my trunk."
Lin Feng's facial paralysis face, which hadn't changed in ten thousand years, twitched slightly, and a trace of absurdity revealed itself in his eyes.
"...When did I become your disciple?"
Xu Zhixia sighed with a composed and unruffled air, putting on the posture of a sect leader from a prestigious orthodox school: "Tsk, stubborn, truly stubborn. Never mind, this venerable one has a broad heart and chest, and will not haggle with an unlearned and incompetent concubine-born disciple like you. Take it, study it well, don't lose my face at 'Gear'."
After speaking, she chicly slapped that stack of staff scores into Lin Feng's arms.
Lin Feng lowered his head to look. Inside his eyes, which were originally like an ancient well without waves, a trace of intense ripples finally surged up.
Directly above the music score, three large characters were written upright and square:
"The Chinese Cabbage"
Lyrics/Composition: Xu Zhixia.
Lin Feng: "..."
At this moment, Lu Mingxuan's hollow face that only knew how to say "hungry" flashed through his brain.
He raised his head to look at Xu Zhixia, who had a reserved expression and was waiting for praise: "This name... does it have some deep meaning? For example, some kind of postmodern metaphor? Or a silent accusation against material life?"
Xu Zhixia elegantly fiddled with a strand of hair, her tone cool and clear: "No, it's just that after rehearsal that day I went to the supermarket, and happened to see cabbages on sale. I felt that kind of life form, which is wrapped layer by layer and only reveals its core at the very end, fits my artistic pursuit very well. And it is also a critique on money-facing capitalism."
Lin Feng fell into a long silence.
Sure enough, there is only a fine line between a genius and a madman, and between Xu Zhixia and Lu Mingxuan, there might only be the distance of a cabbage.
"Thanks, I'm leaving." Lin Feng didn't waste a single extra word, turned around holding the music score, and walked away.
"Hey? You're leaving just like that? Won't you play a segment face-to-face so I can guide you?" Xu Zhixia shouted behind him.
Lin Feng did not turn back, only waving his hand, his pace accelerating. If he stayed any longer, he feared his own Guitar Dao would be led astray by this cabbage.
Walking on the empty playground, Lin Feng called out to the system in his mind.
"System, help me scan these two songs. Although I know you are a pit, your aesthetics should still be online."
[Ding! Detected two song drafts, currently proceeding with level assessment...]
[Work One: "The Chinese Cabbage" (Author: Xu Zhixia)]
[Level Assessment: D-Rank (Mediocre Work).]
[System Evaluation: Melody is passable, lyrics are extremely erratic. Belongs to the garbage rewards probabilistically produced in "Plastic Grade Treasure Chests". Although there is a certain technical threshold, it is difficult to generate resonance in the mainstream music scene.]
Lin Feng nodded; sure enough, Xu Zhixia's brain circuit is not something an ordinary person can connect with.
"Then what about Work Two? The one I just wrote using the 'Sage of Lyrics Card'."
[Work Two: "Carving the Boat" (Author: Lin Feng)]
[Level Assessment: C-Rank (Boutique Work).]
[System Evaluation: Since the Host's current level is relatively low, even with the blessing of items, it can only exert a C-Rank standard. However, this song possesses extremely high attainments in the "Dao of Posturing," and can greatly elevate the psychological resonance of that group of pseudo-literary youth and 'posturers' offstage.]
[If it appears in a lottery draw, it belongs to the rare drop rate within "Plastic Grade Treasure Chests," and there is even a probability it appears in "Bronze Grade Treasure Chests".]
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes: "Wait, System. You just said this song can be drawn from a treasure chest? Doesn't that mean you could have just given me songs directly? Since you can pack songs into treasure chests, why did you have to say those high-sounding words about 'prohibiting plagiarism of parallel worlds' just now?"
He was making a small calculation in his heart: If he could open S-Rank songs directly from treasure chests, then why the hell was he still practicing the instrument?
[Ding! Host please pay attention to logic. The rewards distributed by this system are all "probability products" triggered by the Host's behavior under this worldview.]
[Simply put, this song was born in this world only because the Host used an item. If the Host did not use it, it would never appear. This system only uses "Treasure Chest Level" to quantify its quality for the convenience of the illogical Host's understanding.]
[Opportunism is strictly prohibited, plagiarism is prohibited, and the Host is prohibited from generating unrealistic hallucinations.]
Lin Feng curled his lips.
"To put it plainly, you just want me to continue bitterly grinding tasks and pulling for the guaranteed pity, right?"
The system once again fell into a state of playing dead.
Lin Feng looked at the two completely different music scores in his hand, and a decision had already formed in his heart.
"The song for next week's performance, I've got it done."