As the sky gradually darkened, the three radiant stars descended, allowing the starry sky to reveal its original form.
Xu Xiaoyou noticed that after the news reported on that explosion, Tang Xin’s mood had been somewhat low. She sat by the window, staring blankly at the night scene.
"What's wrong?"
"Mr. Diesel... he was my mentor at the academy. He used to look out for me quite a bit. Whenever I had academic questions, I would go to him..." Tang Xin said.
Her words were tinged with sadness.
However, Xu Xiaoyou heard a different implication; that Mr. Diesel was also a member of the Winter family.
"I’ve heard many people mention the Ascetic Sect. What kind of organization is it exactly?"
Xu Xiaoyou thought of that man.
She felt a sense of lament in her heart. A man who appeared well-dressed, gentle, and polite was actually a complete lunatic.
He had modified himself into a human bomb, spoke of some kind of art, and then staged a public self-detonation on the street.
And such individuals were lurking within society, perhaps even being someone you brushed shoulders with.
"Do you know about the various schools of art?" Tang Xin asked.
"For example, the romanticism school, the impressionism school, the symbolism school, the folk school, and so on. It’s not important; you don’t need to take notes."
"Understood, Teacher Tang," Xu Xiaoyou nodded.
Tang Xin smiled helplessly, the oppression in her heart easing significantly. She continued:
"Schools are derived from different artistic styles, tendencies, and creative methods. Take the Ascetic Sect, for instance; initially, people’s perception of it was as a performance and body art movement."
"It can be understood as some artists using behavior and the human body as their creative direction to convey concepts to the outside world."
"For example, pushing a block of ice half the height of a person and wandering in a warm room until the ice completely melts. That is the performance art piece 'Futility'."
"Or painting and tattooing on the body, drawing a door over the chest, corresponding to the direction of the heart. That is the body art piece 'Freedom'."
"They are both very meaningful and wonderful works, right?" Tang Xin blinked.
Xu Xiaoyou nodded in agreement.
"This kind of creation was initially intended to express beauty and deep meaning, but as people’s mental states changed, the flavor gradually shifted," Tang Xin continued.
"People began to pursue more frantic and irrational ways of expression. First, someone lay in a bathtub, cutting themselves until they were covered in wounds and taking some kind of anticoagulant drug until the blood filled the entire tub, finally dying from blood loss. They created a work named 'Withered'."
"Wait, why did it suddenly take such a bizarre turn?" Xu Xiaoyou was stunned.
"The result was that more and more people began to emulate this method of artistic creation. For instance, disemboweling oneself and hanging from a rotating electric fan, or modifying oneself into a human gramophone... A few years ago, reports of similar cases appeared from time to time."
Xu Xiaoyou was greatly shocked.
Her impression of the Star of Art changed instantly. She had thought it was a romantic sanctuary, but looking at it now, it was arguably even worse than the Corrupt Hive City.
Artists sure are different.
She shouldn't have held too many beautiful fantasies about this world.
"They call it the Ascetic Sect."
"Later, the academy completely banned any artistic creation of this type; all performance art and body art were forbidden."
"The Ascetic Sect vanished for a while, but just a few years ago, it suddenly returned to the public eye."
"However, by that time, it had already developed into a terrorist organization. No one knows exactly how large its scale is."
"The members have private contacts, and from time to time, they transmit their philosophy to society by creating suffering."
"Perhaps someone familiar around you is one of its members; you never know."
"There are so many ways to express art. Why use this one? Doesn't it hurt?" Xu Xiaoyou completely failed to understand.
Tang Xin’s expression was complex.
"Initially, they were just pursuing novelty, wanting to grab the public's attention."
"On a beach, the ground is covered in sand. While jewels are certainly conspicuous, a piece of glass with razor-sharp edges is also very eye-catching."
Xu Xiaoyou suddenly understood.
"Perhaps in this process, they truly became possessed and fell into this pathological pursuit."
At this moment, Xu Xiaoyou noticed an acquaintance had returned. The figure of the little old man appeared outside the door.
"What were you doing while you were out?"
Da Finney looked as if he had been grabbed and beaten; his face was black and blue. He clutched his swollen face, looking as if he were in immense pain.
His already stooped figure appeared even more desolate as he walked with a limp.
Xu Xiaoyou opened the door and brought him inside.
"It hurts like hell. They hit so hard. Fortunately, I ran back, hiss—"
Da Finney supported his waist with one hand. As soon as he entered, he began to complain with sighs. He found a chair to sit on, and when he looked up, he happened to see Tang Xin in the corner.
His eyes dazed for a moment, and he suddenly fell silent.
"Where did this little girl come from?"
"A friend. She has nowhere else to go, so she’ll be staying here for a few days."
"She’s your friend?" Da Finney’s expression was strange.
"Yeah," Xu Xiaoyou said, puzzled. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Go help me get some ointment. It’s killing me. It’s on the cabinet of the second shelf on the left."
"I'll go."
Tang Xin agreed on Xu Xiaoyou's behalf and quickly walked to the shelf. After opening the cabinet and taking out several tubes of pain-relieving ointment, she walked over to Da Finney.
Da Finney subconsciously reached out to take the ointment from the girl’s hand, but for a moment, he couldn't pull it away. He looked up and found Tang Xin staring at him.
She happened to have her back to the blonde girl.
A cold wind suddenly entered the room, making the lit candle flame flicker unsteadily.
Tang Xin made a shushing gesture.
Da Finney’s expression changed several times before he finally let out a long sigh and said nothing.
After taking the ointment, the little old man didn’t linger any longer and walked out of the security booth.
"You still haven't answered me about what you were doing," Xu Xiaoyou asked.
"Nothing, I just tripped outside."
"If anyone comes later to ask about me, say I was never here."
"Fine," Xu Xiaoyou agreed.
Shortly after the little old man left, the room was quiet, and the atmosphere was a bit subtle.
"That—" "I—"
The two girls spoke at the same time.
"You go first," Xu Xiaoyou shrugged.
"Actually, I don’t know what to say. You speak," Tang Xin looked away.
"I plan to have you participate in the auditions half a month from now," Xu Xiaoyou said while flipping through the Curtain.
"The Starry Art Competition?"
"Uh-huh. If you can win the finals, you'll naturally make a name for yourself, right?"
"Winner?" Tang Xin was stunned.
"Yeah, become the winner and finally step onto the academy's stage under the spotlight of everyone."
"I’ve looked into it. This competition has many categories: painting, sculpture, singing, and so on. Rankings are calculated based on the total points from different categories. The person with the highest total points can enter the hall."
"I took a general look at past situations. Basically, the winners all become universal superstars, like that Marilynn."
"In terms of training artists, I’m a professional," Xu Xiaoyou said calmly. "I will definitely make you the winner."
"I can see your search engine history from here," Tang Xin said expressionlessly.
[How to train an artist?]
Xu Xiaoyou gave a dry cough and silently checked the privacy protection for the Curtain. "That's not important. The point is that you need to have confidence and trust me."
Tang Xin had no desire to argue with Xu Xiaoyou and raised her hand to stop her.
"It’s not as simple as you think. Putting aside those naturally gifted individuals and the artists from big companies..."
"This competition even has requirements just to enter the auditions."
"People without any prominent works need a certain number of followers to sign up."
"At least a thousand..."
"Don't worry. If I push you through using the company's quota, five hundred will be enough," Xu Xiaoyou said.
"Gaining five hundred followers in half a month isn't easy either, is it?" Tang Xin blinked.
"Every Curtain account is bound to an individual. Buying followers will definitely be found out and blacklisted. Don't get any crooked ideas."
"You don't need to worry about that."
Xu Xiaoyou gave a mysterious smile.
"I’m going to hold a concert for you in three days."
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