Music Festival

Si Ming frowned and said, "This madman hasn't been tried?"

The laws of Su State do not offer any special treatment to the mentally ill. At most, they will consider the mental state of the person at the time and sentence them for manslaughter rather than intentional homicide. There is usually also a "Foundation -abolition" penalty to prevent the mentally ill person from harming others again.

"Abolishing Foundation" is a unique punishment in this world. In terms of severity, it is second only to the death penalty and life imprisonment. Without Foundation, a person's lifespan is shortened, which is equivalent to reducing one's life in a sense. Moreover, without Internal Cultivation, one cannot do anything and is equivalent to a useless person in modern society. Therefore, no one in Su State has ever tried to pretend to be mentally ill to reduce their punishment. They would rather serve a few more years in prison than have their Foundation destroyed.

"The mentally ill man's family found him a good lawyer, and the final verdict was that Ji Xun's father had provoked him, causing him to attack someone and accidentally kill them. Therefore, the mentally ill man was only sentenced to two years in prison. Ji Xun and his mother did not accept this result and appealed again, but unfortunately the court upheld the original verdict."

"Without the help of the Mohist Knight Guard?"

"No one knows the truth of what happened back then. Mohist Knight Guard only helps those who have grievances. If the truth is as the court judged, then their help to Ji Xun and his mother is not upholding justice, but creating a miscarriage of justice. The family of the madman is indeed rich and powerful, and even knows a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, but being rich and powerful does not mean they are lying. However, from the perspective of Ji Xun and his mother, they will never accept this verdict, so they protested repeatedly and frequently asked reporters to publish articles in the newspaper, which annoyed the family of the madman to no end."

Although the family of the madman dared not directly punish Ji Xun and his mother, they used business tactics to set a trap, bankrupting the Ji Xun family's small company and saddled them with heavy debts. Then public opinion reversed, and all the newspapers accused Ji Xun's mother of being a fraud, clinging to the case only for money. Soon after, Ji Xun's mother committed suicide, and he himself quickly disappeared without a trace. When he reappeared, he was a master of Internal Cultivation Level Ten, and ruthlessly slaughtered the entire madman's family, not even sparing the two children who were still in elementary school.

After hearing this, Si Ming was at a loss for words. Should he lament that Ji Xun had finally avenged his great enemy, or criticize him for being obsessed to the point of madness? The truth of what happened back then was unknown, making it impossible to make a fair judgment on Ji Xun's methods of revenge. In the end, he could only say, "His crime was unforgivable, but his actions were understandable."

Murong Qing continued, "Up to this point, his actions could still be considered in the spirit of ancient chivalry. They might not be entirely righteous, but at least he acted with integrity and sought revenge. However, after he was wanted, he was constantly pursued by the Mohist Knight Guard. He was repeatedly blocked and forced into battle, and unable to find any hope of escaping, he suffered a mental breakdown and became insane. He didn't hesitate to use innocent people as sacrifices, killing a family with a similar background to his enemy and leaving a blood-written threat that if the Mohist Knight Guard dared to pursue him again, he would continue killing."

Si Ming, "The Mohist Knight Guard cannot be threatened by him."

The Mohist School Grandmaster was willing to kill even his own son to uphold justice. Even if his descendants cannot bring themselves to kill their own family for the greater good, they will not abandon their mission or allow the murderer to go unpunished because of threats. Otherwise, other fugitives would follow suit, and the law would become a joke.

Murong Qing nodded and said, "The Mohist Knight Guard did not stop and continued their pursuit, so Ji Xun killed many more innocent people. This man is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also quite intelligent, and he is also proficient in disguise, which is why he has been able to escape from the Mohist Knight Guard time and time again. It is said that some people are already planning to ask Spirit Transformation expert to take action."

"Linked Mountains City is very large. If the other party is hiding well, finding them would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Where could this person be hiding?"

A sudden thought struck Si Ming. He looked down at the music festival ticket in his hand and suddenly understood what Yuezheng Yao was trying to tell him.

Chapter 431 Music Festival

The Grape Music Festival was a music event that Si Ming had never heard of before, with a pitifully small influence. However, with the support of Su State's two billion people, it still attracted a large number of music lovers. Judging from the crowd at the scene, it certainly lived up to the description of a music extravaganza.

"This thing is actually the second largest music festival in the Su State. Our country's entertainment industry is really lacking."

Looking at the description on the advertisement, Si Ming couldn't help but complain.

Yu Shuying asked, "Do you know the name of the largest music festival in Su State?"

"... Sorry, I don't know either."

Yu Shuying chuckled, "You can see the characteristics of the people of Su State just by looking at you. Everyone only remembers cultivation, their minds are filled with all sorts of utilitarian thoughts, and they don't care about music at all. It would be a miracle if music could develop. In the end, the entertainment industry is supported by the market. If no one is willing to invest money in the market, of course the entertainment industry cannot develop. Some people have done statistics and found that among all countries, Su State has the smallest proportion of the national economy in terms of entertainment industry, even less than Nation of Valor, which is obsessed with fighting, and Li State, which is in turmoil and constantly at war."

"Well, I guess I'm an exception; I can't represent all citizens."

Si Ming didn't want to take the blame. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in entertainment, but as an Earthling from the information age who had experienced the entertainment boom of multimedia development, he really looked down on the backward entertainment level of Su State.

In this era, when a singer releases a new song, they need to advertise on TV and radio to generate buzz, and then release records and tapes. It's incredibly troublesome. This is a privilege only big stars enjoy. Even if second- or third-tier stars release a new song, very few people know about it. Under such circumstances, even if they create a classic hit, it may not become popular.

Unlike the internet age, where a celebrity can attract a lot of attention and news reposts with a Weibo post, and fans can download and listen to songs with a click of the mouse, a song with real substance can easily become a hit.

Compared to those tired tropes, martial arts, something he'd never encountered before, was far more likely to pique his interest. Watching himself grow stronger little by little—wasn't that more fulfilling than wasting time on entertainment?

Yu Shuying said, "It's precisely because you can't represent everyone that so many people come to the concert. Speaking of which, this Grape Music Festival has only emerged in the last two years. Before, the number of guests willing to attend was less than a quarter of what it is now, and the ticket revenue was so low that the organizers had to beg investors for money."

"The last two years? Could it be the effect of Yuezheng Yao? I see, it's the celebrity effect. No wonder my master went to great lengths to relocate the Yuezheng Lineage to China. To make an industry popular, you have to at least shift the public's attention first."

Yuezheng Yao's role is similar to that of Liu Xiang. Before Liu Xiang's meteoric rise, how many people in China paid attention to hurdles? Even those who paid attention to track and field were very few.

It's not that the Su State lacks people who love music, nor that it lacks talented musicians, but it just can't become popular. I don't know how the people in this country think, or if they are too influenced by the Mohist School philosophy of "anti-music".

When Yuezheng Yao arrived in Su State with her dazzling titles such as "musical Aristocratic Clan", "first singer" and "music queen", she attracted a lot of attention. Words related to the music industry frequently appeared in newspapers, giving the music industry a thriving sign. From this perspective, Yuezheng Yao has undoubtedly made a contribution similar to "saving the Chinese music scene".

"You actually have time to come to the music festival today? Don't you have any gang matters to attend to?"

"The Azure Flood Dragon Gang is the investor in this year's Grape Music Festival; of course, the nominal investor is Azure Dragon Entertainment Co., Ltd.."

"You're going to enter the entertainment industry?"

"Why not?" Yu Shuying retorted. "I've said it before, there's no future in the underworld. Only those who are half-legal and half-legal have a chance. I'm optimistic about the future development of the entertainment industry in Su State, so of course we need to secure our territory early and gain an advantage. Moreover, as far as I know, the entertainment industry in Su State already has underworld influence. Many artists have complained to the media about being coerced and threatened by underworld bosses. That's where the Azure Flood Dragon Gang's advantage comes in. We are a gang ourselves, with a strong enough background to protect our artists."

Si Ming cautioned, "Going around in circles like this, a person's energy is limited. Be careful not to neglect either side with this approach."

"It doesn't matter. The Azure Flood Dragon Gang is just a tool for me, not a career. Even if it's destroyed, it's not a big deal. The most important thing in making games is for myself to have fun."

The two walked and talked. Hongdou and Liu Qingqing did not participate in this operation because it conflicted with their classes. Murong Qing took a different patrol route, which was more efficient. Yu Shuying joined the operation midway.

They didn't seem to care much about the wanted criminal. In fact, this was already the third day of the Grape Music Festival. The first two days, everyone went out but came up empty-handed. In the end, it was all just Si Ming's guess. He couldn't be sure whether Yuezheng Yao giving him the ticket was an implication. He should have brought Yu Shuying along to verify it.

If the last wanted criminal didn't show up, could he still question Yuezheng Yao?

If the other party simply says they didn't mean it that way, that the two events were just a coincidence, and that the other person is overthinking it, what can Si Ming do? Can he beat them up and warn them not to mess with him?

The two arrived at the stage on the east side and found a singer dressed in a somewhat flamboyant, "punk" style standing on the stage, singing. His voice was deafening, like a demon possessed, and he was dancing as he sang. Si Ming felt like his ears were about to be deafened, and he couldn't hear the lyrics at all. However, a group of fans below the stage cheered loudly and kept twisting their bodies like they were on drugs. Judging from this scene, the singer was obviously not an unknown person. Even if he was not a debut star, he should be an amateur singer with a considerable reputation in a small circle.

"I'm getting old, and I completely can't understand what young people like. I guess that's the generation gap."

Si Ming covered his ears in discomfort and decided to move away.

"The generation gap is between that group of people and the general public. A group of weaklings who think they are different from others gather together, using noise to hypnotize themselves, believing that they are the only pure ones in a corrupt world. In reality, they are nothing more than a pile of social garbage thrown in a dark corner. Because they are too smelly and dirty, no one wants to clean them up and keeps their distance. So they are smug and take other people's disgust as fear, shouting, 'Who dares to step on me?' Of course, no one wants to step on a pile of shit."

Yu Shuying showed no mercy, criticizing the group of people as utterly worthless.

"There's no need to go to such lengths. Since some people like it, it proves it has its merits... I think so."

Just then, the singer reached the climax of his performance, tilting his head back and letting out a series of broken, ghostly howls, causing Si Ming to retreat once again.

"No entertainment company would sign someone like that. From a business perspective, releasing records for him would only result in a loss; the audience is too narrow. So, just leave him alone. In three to five years, reality will teach him a lesson and make him realize he's not cut out for this. After all, people are materialistic; they can't survive on spiritual enjoyment alone. The only regret is that there are too many fools like this. When one falls, another will take his place."

"Who told you these things? I mean the business part."