What was ant to co, has co!
Bai Mo sits on the bed, surrounded by a group of fox apprentices, watching as the next program is ready...
It is, the Fox Mountain Choir!
Over a hundred fox apprentices, arranged in a neat formation, with heads held high and chests out, bellies protruding, tails wagging, looking forward at the Conductor's Baton!
At the forefront of the formation, it's Black Claw, with head high and chest out, belly protruding, tail wagging, holding a slender branch as the Conductor's Baton, raised high!
Swish!
The Conductor's Baton gently swings down.
The choir's singing begins accordingly!
"Ying~"
Swish!
The Conductor's Baton lifts and falls, drawing wavy lines in the air.
The choir's singing changes accordingly!
"Ying ying ao~"
The Conductor's Baton dances non-stop in the air, and the choir's singing becos continuous.
"Ying ying ao~
"Ying ying ao~
"Ying ying ying ying ao~"
...
Bai Mo sits on the bed, putting on a "pleasant" expression, looking quite emotionally intelligent.
In fact, this choir, although it now has a Conductor's Baton, still does not solve the basic issue... every fox sings poorly, and the whole group is out of sync.
Now, his ears have been enhanced, becoming more sensitive and able to pick out the awkwardness and disharmony in the song.
Other fox apprentices in the audience also raised their heads and squinted their eyes, pretending to have a "pleasant" expression, feigning intoxication. After all, this is a celebration, and foxes are very cunning, all are emotionally intelligent and will give their peers face!
Listening and listening, Bai Mo grins.
He hears the song, finds it neither pleasant nor addictive...
"...At least it proves that the addiction chanism of the Ear-Enlightening Soup has been completely broken by ."
The choir's song doesn't last long anyway, so Bai Mo calmly sits and listens attentively. No matter what, it's the apprentices' effort, and even if it's just to make them happy, he must listen carefully to the end.
"Ying ying ao~
"Ao ao ying~
"Ao ao ying ying ying~"
The sound of the foxes' singing echoes in the hall, even overpowering the howling wind outside.
But gradually, Bai Mo feels that sothing's amiss.
His ears catch intermittent strange lodies within the foxes' singing.
So lodies convey desolation and antiquity, as if from thousands of years ago, from a distant past.
So lodies exude courage and heroism, as if sung by the weak to muster their courage.
So lodies impart terror and intimidation, as if the singer uses skill to attempt to stir fear within the soul of a powerful enemy!
So lodies contain regret and self-mockery, as if the defeated are licking their wounds, their tongue making strange sounds, suppressed to avoid being overheard by outsiders!
Bai Mo furrows his brow.
"What's going on?
"Am I over-imagining?
"Or has my Spiritual Sense been triggered?"
Bai Mo furrows his brow, perks up his ears, and continues listening intently.
But all around the hall, both choir and audience, every fox apprentice has sohow started to sing along. They seem to be lost in a dream, drunk with nostalgia, reminiscing about the past, humming disordered songs.
Yet the chaotic singing weaves together, as if they truly are a choir, with high, middle, and low ranges, accompanied by orchestral and percussive sounds!
This song seems to reside within their mories.
No single fox rembers the full song, yet each rembers bits and pieces.
In parts they recall, they raise their voices, leading their peers.
In parts they forget, they lower their voices, following their peers.
So, almost like sleepwalking, they sing the song hidden deep in their mory... or rather, lodged within their bloodline!
After what seems like ages, the song concludes.
Fox Mountain Hall suddenly plunges into silence.
All the foxes, so silent, so fearful, others shed tears profusely.
Black Claw clutches the Conductor's Baton, looks at its fox paw, pats its mouth, feeling as if it were dreaming. What was that song? It suddenly rembered it, as if it always knew. But it doesn't like that song; it prefers joyful tunes, that song is too sorrowful.
Bai Taiyang cries uncontrollably, buries its head in the ntor's embrace, wanting not to sob but unable to stop the tears.
Bai Mo furrows his brow, strokes Bai Taiyang's head, gently inquiring.
"What's wrong?
"Why are you all crying?
"If sothing's up, talk to your ntor."
The fox apprentices glance at each other, shaking their heads. In truth, they don't know what happened either.
Bai Mo ponders for a mont.
"Wait right here!
"For the next program, your ntor will perform for you."
Bai Mo climbs out of bed, his actions causing his earlobes to throb, tugging the wound...
"Hiss...
"Damn, it hurts!"
He grins, under the apprentices' watchful eyes, heads to the edge of the dormitory hall, opens the Alchemy Furnace, adds so corn kernels, leftovers of ice cream, pearl milk tea, and ice grape soda, all poured in.
Then with a single wave of his hand, the palm ignites with Pill Fire, pressing it against the Alchemy Furnace wall.
"ntor will concoct sothing nice for you!"
Watching the Pill Fire blaze, this eclectic Alchemy Furnace begins to tremble, emitting a "boom boom boom boom" sound!
The apprentices are all drawn in, fixated on the Alchemy Furnace, instinctively gathering around.
"Ying ying ying, ao ao ao?"
...What delicious thing is the ntor making?
"Ao ao ying ying?"
...Can't sll any fragrance!
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