Chapter 14: 014. A Foreign Bodhisattva_1
The next day, eight o'clock.
Lu Ban once again arrived at Jiangcheng City Library. In the eyes of the young librarian, Lu Ban must have appeared as a studious and promising youth.
He was carrying a backpack stocked with books to pass the time, a power bank, self-heating rice meals, water, snacks, beverages, a flashlight, and first aid supplies.
This time, Lu Ban had come looking for newspapers over twenty years old.
Back then, the internet was not well developed, and many things left no footprint online. However, officially published newspapers were always kept in copies at the city library, accessible to anyone who applied to look through them.
After nearly an hour, Lu Ban could only find scattered pieces of news about the Jiangcheng Grand Theater.
These included statements about transfers and related reports, coverage of the fire, and news on previously staged plays that had been well-received.
Lu Ban was not the kind of detective who could solve cases by merely sitting in an armchair; these clues were just old news to him.
He only noted that in the reports related to Jiangcheng Grand Theater, the name of a pianist called Du Danping was frequently mentioned.
In 1997, one edition of the Jiangcheng Evening News even featured a column about him.
[...Du Danping was born into a musical family, immersed in music from a young age, showcasing exceptional musical talent by the time he was twelve, when he had already appeared on the national stage and received awards...]
[...Du Danping's composing style was versatile, proficient in both traditional Chinese and European classical music, and he composed at a very fast pace. It is said that he could produce ten pieces in one night, all of which were adopted. According to an interview, Du said that tunes often came to him, and he merely recorded them. He was truly a genius...]
[...On the evening of the 19th, Du Danping held this year's first solo concert at the Jiangcheng Grand Theater, which was a resounding success. Audience members, including city leaders from Jiangcheng, highly praised Du's performance...]
[...According to our front-line journalist, the body of the pianist Du Danping, who unfortunately perished in the fire at Jiangcheng Grand Theater, was buried yesterday, with many from all walks of society in attendance to mourn...]
"Who is playing... Could it be this person?"
In the development typical of detective novels, this rapidly famous pianist who had perished in a fire seemed highly suspect.
Lu Ban quietly noted the photo of Du Danping and some key information from the newspapers, photocopied the architectural plans of the grand theater, and as he was about to leave, was struck by inspiration and found a video of Du Danping's performances from that time.
The video quality from the '90s was not great, but on the vast stage, under the spotlight, a young man in a suit sat at the piano. As the theater quieted down, his fingertips began to dance across the black and white keys.
Initially, Lu Ban had considered whether the musical genius Mr. Du Danping might be a time traveler, but that thought dispersed as soon as he heard the piano.
The music was unlike anything Lu Ban had ever heard before, light, brisk, with a melodic warbling reminiscent of a nightingale's song, difficult to believe it was produced by such a cumbersome piano. Even Lu Ban, who was completely ignorant of music, could feel joy and merriment in the composition.
As the music swiftly moved into the second movement, the deeper tones caused the listeners' emotions to plummet abruptly, akin to the ferocious blizzards of deep winter, striking at the core of everyone's hearts—a stark contrast to the preceding joy, as if children who had grown up carefree were stepping into adulthood and facing the setbacks of society and maturity.
Afterward, although the piece remained profound, the sharp edges had gone, giving way to a more accommodating and grand movement. It was solemn and steady, like the blossoming of plum flowers after enduring hardship.
In the end, as chords intertwined, the magnificent music abruptly ceased at its most thrilling point, fixing the memory of that climax in the minds of the audience.
A very nice composition and performance.
Lu Ban appraised.
He thought for a moment, turned part of the music into Speech Bullets, and downloaded a digital version to his phone. He checked other interviews and videos of Du Danping before leaving the library and heading towards the old site of the Jiangcheng Grand Theater.
On the subway, Lu Ban took out "The Golden Bough," but his attention wasn't fully on this anthropological work. The text detailing how ancient humans forged their beliefs twisted into the explanations of the System.
Lu Ban accessed Silent Department Store; he was preparing to purchase some items for the night's task.
What he wanted most were items that could ward off evil spirits and suppress the unclean.
"Then again, what kind of ghost am I dealing with in this task?"
Lu Ban pondered.
Some ghosts, like zombies and the undead, essentially killed using physical means, so modern weaponry could be used to reduce them to ash.
Other ghosts, like Sadako and Kayako, were spectral beings, likely solvable with esoteric methods like psychic powers.
Some ghosts simply defy reasoning—you have no idea where they come from, and the moment you lay eyes on them, you're dead. These purely idealistic beings can only be confronted with a believing heart.
Lu Ban first browsed the [Faith] category of products, wondering if there was anything that could counter those unreasonable, strange entities.
First glance, he spotted a divine idol of excellent quality.
The base of the idol was a black square stone, atop which sat a creature, cumbersome in form. Its greenish stone skin was marred with pustules and wounds, and from its belly gaped a vast mouth lined with sharp teeth. The creature's face was unrecognizable, its features distorted as if kneaded like putty.
Just looking at the model of this divine idol, Lu Ban felt a chill crawl up his spine.
[Benevolent Heavenly Father Statue]
[Excellent]
[Exquisitely Carved Divine Idol]
[Make an offering, wait for a response]
[Then pray you're lucky enough]
["In the wasteland, faith can determine everything"]
[Price: 666 Silence Points]
"...This is a divine idol?"
After reading the description, Lu Ban felt that this divine idol, costing 666 Silence Points, was definitely a trap.
Who knew which god you'd connect with after worshiping it.
Of course, from this perspective, Lu Ban truly believed it could dispel evil—anything more horrifying than a ghost could obliterate all strangeness!
"Foreign divinities are still unreliable."
Lu Ban continued flipping through, finding a more Eastern-oriented item.
It was an ancient-looking book, bound with thread, resembling the secret martial arts manuals from wuxia novels. Its cover, however, bore only bizarrely twisted foreign characters that no one could decipher.
[Crane Cry Manuscripts]
[Excellent]
[A notebook documenting forbidden knowledge]
[Works by Taoist Crane Cry have always been sought-after collectibles among the wealthy of the Abandoned Capital]
[Immortality, power, wealth—people attempt to find their worldly desires within]
[Yet madness is the only outcome for the vast majority]
["He who knows, does not seek people; in truth, it drives people away"]
[Price: 700 Silence Points]
"...It seems like the Chinese-style ones aren't great either."
Lu Ban thought that such enigmatic products were likely to be very deceptive.
He kept searching and finally, in the [Secret Treasure] category, found something that seemed quite nice.
It was a suona.
*
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