Zhang Hao could only give in. He couldn't beat Mifeng. The guy had been controlling him from the very beginning, so fighting back was out of the question. Now, the two of them were deeply bound together.
Sitting down at the piano, Zhang Hao had no idea what to do. He reached out and pressed a key, producing a clear note. After randomly pressing a few more keys, he gave a wry smile. "I don't know how to play..."
Before he could finish speaking, a passage of music theory and a massive amount of knowledge surged into his soul. Clutching his head, he howled. This was a forced download! Under normal circumstances, Mifeng wouldn't do this, but Zhang Hao had undergone two soul transitions and was already far stronger than an ordinary person. He could now withstand this level of knowledge being infused into his soul.
This so-called soul infusion didn't actually put anything into him. Rather, when a soul combined with an intelligent program, knowledge could be imparted for the soul to absorb. Music was the best thing to start with.
Mifeng had chosen this because music was an important way to strengthen the soul. The saying that music could cultivate one's character meant that music could influence the soul. Since Zhang Hao refused to choose anything, Mifeng had no choice but to force him to study music.
Try playing it!
Zhang Hao looked troubled. "Try playing? I can play the cotton gin, but I can't play the piano!" This was his last shred of defiance.
You wimp. You think I can't handle you?
Suddenly, Zhang Hao's whole body became immobile. It wasn't that he couldn't move; his mind simply couldn't direct his body. That was the effect of the nanomachines. They took over control of his entire body. Zhang Hao could see, but he couldn't control himself. He tried to speak, but couldn't even open his mouth. In that moment, it was like a nightmare.
Then his body began to move, and Zhang Hao knew full well that it wasn't his choice.
He watched as the camera equipment shifted and the recording devices switched on. Then, to his horror, his hands began playing the piano on their own, and even a faint smile appeared on his face.
A line of text appeared across his retina.
Ballade pour Adeline!
A piano piece! Zhang Hao occasionally listened to pop songs, but rarely to piano music. As the notes began to ring out, he was surprised to find them beautiful. Even though it was a popular piano piece, he was hearing it for the first time, and it was truly lovely. Most importantly, he felt a hint of emotion stirring in his soul. Slowly, he became immersed in the music.
When the piece ended, he regained control of his body.
But Zhang Hao kept his eyes closed, savoring the music. Enjoying music with his soul really could strengthen it. Music could soothe the soul, stir it up, or fill it with excitement.
I'll learn!
Zhang Hao opened his eyes. Since it had benefits, of course he would learn. A stronger soul would be immensely beneficial to him.
With Mifeng's methods, teaching Zhang Hao music was easy. The knowledge was already there, and playing was no trouble either. While others needed endless practice, Zhang Hao only needed to go through a piece once to play it note-perfectly.
After ten or so days, Zhang Hao was already playing the piano quite well. The only thing he lacked was soul. His posture and accuracy were both impressive, but his playing had no feeling. To an amateur, he sounded amazing; to a connoisseur, his music left them unmoved.
As he learned to play, Zhang Hao came to understand his shortcomings. He began trying to weave the emotions he felt when listening to music into his own playing.
After repeated attempts, the emotions in his soul began to seep into the music.
Zhang Hao discovered that once he put the feelings in his soul into a piece, even he couldn't resist them. If he poured sadness into the music, he would find himself in tears. If he infused it with joy, a genuine smile would spread across his face. If he put anger into it, his whole body would tremble... His every emotion came through with overwhelming intensity.
That day, after exercising, Zhang Hao went to the piano again. He had recently gained a little insight into playing, so he kept returning to practice. After playing many other people's pieces, he had mostly stopped playing their music and instead searched for insights from his own soul, letting the melodies come naturally.
Zhang Hao wasn't composing piano music. He was using the piano's notes to express what his soul had come to understand.
After many attempts, Zhang Hao did come up with a piece. It wasn't composed so much as created, but he was still dissatisfied. He felt it lacked strength and couldn't fully express what his soul wanted to convey. As he played, he couldn't help beginning to hum. There were no lyrics, only a melody that followed the tune.
Then Zhang Hao discovered, to his delight, that this melody was the way to bring his soul's power to bear. Paired with the piano, it expressed everything perfectly. The melody conveyed his longing for his late parents: his fond memories, his reluctance to let go, his sorrow, and his final grief. Then came comfort, acceptance, and peace. By the time he finished, Zhang Hao realized that tears were streaming down his face.
Zhang Hao didn't know that Mifeng had recorded all of it. When the piece ended, he couldn't go on. It felt as if all the strength had drained from his body. He sat there for about two minutes before getting up and leaving.
At last, he had touched the soul. Zhang Hao returned to his room and collapsed into bed. His soul had been shaken and needed sleep to settle.
The piano piece and Zhang Hao's own humming had brought his soul and body into complete harmony. He needed to sleep so his mind and body could recover and rid themselves of any lingering risks. From then on, Zhang Hao's soul and body would be in no further danger.
A video of someone playing the piano quietly began circulating online. Everyone who saw it was deeply moved.
The famous pianist Haisikun posted a message on Weibo.
Does anyone in the industry know the young man in this video? If so, please message me!
He attached a video to the post.
In this world, Haisikun was a top-tier pianist. Most of his followers were fellow musicians and piano enthusiasts, with industry professionals making up the bulk of them. He had over a hundred thousand followers.
Professional musicians were different from ordinary people. They were more sensitive to music and more easily felt the spirit a performer conveyed. The young man in this video had truly played and hummed in a way that shook people to their core.
No one knew who had written the piano piece, or what the young man in the video was humming. But the piano and voice he conveyed could easily shake the soul. Countless people replied to the post, but no one knew who the pianist was.
"Teacher Hai, I want to know who this young man is too. That was so moving."
"After listening, I don't know why, but I started crying!"
"Am I the only one who noticed that the young man in the video... is incredibly handsome? I want to lick the screen!"
"That guy must be rich. A Steinway grand piano—there's no way a broke guy could afford one!"
"Why was it so sad? In the end, it actually healed me!"
"Strange. I never listen to piano music, but just a few notes had me glued to the spot. Who is this young man? He's amazing!"
Countless replies, countless exclamations.
Of course, Mifeng had orchestrated all of it. He wanted to put Zhang Hao in the spotlight and draw more attention to him. The most devious part was that he didn't tell Zhang Hao. It wasn't as if Zhang Hao paid attention to this sort of thing anyway.
Mifeng would put together more videos in the future and gradually post them online.
Zhang Hao knew nothing about any of it. When he woke up, he felt incredibly comfortable—better than ever.
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