Chapter Thirty-Four: The Seven Disciples of Taiji

Looking at the band on stage, the first thing Yan Xu felt was that there were simply too many people—a seven-member band was a rare sight in the world of rock music. But as soon as their music started, especially when one of the long-haired men shouted, “Crimson Storm Lips, Ah Pat!” Yan Xu’s eyes lit up. The music and lyrics that followed made him want to rush forward to the stage right then and there.

It was actually them. Yan Xu’s gaze remained fixed on the seven figures on stage. He had not expected that the band Luk Koon Ting had brought him to see would be them—the Seven Sons of Taichi. Perhaps their fame was not prominent on the mainland, but in Hong Kong’s rock scene, theirs was a resounding name.

Taichi Band was one of Hong Kong’s legendary groups, with members including the Lei brothers—Lei You Yiu and Lei You Fai—Sheng Daan Wah, Tang Kin Man, Chu Hon Pok, Lau Hin Dak, and Tong Yi Chung. They once won the inaugural Carlsberg Pop Music Festival with “Crimson Storm Lips,” which launched their career in the music industry.

Although Yan Xu was not a fan, and would not have recognized them even if they stood before him, he knew all seven names. As a rock fan, he was quite familiar with many of their songs—“All Humanity Sings,” “Let Me Stay,” “Why Everything,” as well as the just-played “Crimson Storm Lips” and “Red Sports Car”—all classics. So, when “Crimson Storm Lips” began, Yan Xu immediately thought of Taichi Band.

The first solo concert after the formation of Taichi Band was a great success. The excitement and passion inside the bar lasted until their performance ended and, as the crowd gradually filtered out, it was already midnight.

Though the audience had left, the Seven Sons of Taichi still had work to do. They had to rein in their excitement and tidy up their instruments.

“Snake, Ah Pat, Ah Yiu.” Luk Koon Ting brought Yan Xu to the stage and greeted several of the group.

“LoLo, what brings you here?” A man with a slightly prominent nose put down his guitar, jumped off the stage, and clapped Luk Koon Ting on the shoulder.

“You haven’t shown up in ages—we thought you’d gone missing!” Another man ran over, his nose also prominent, though his face was less gaunt than the first.

“You’re one to talk! You didn’t even invite me to your concert. Luckily, I caught wind of it,” Luk Koon Ting said with a laugh, feigning a complaint. The other five, seeing him, also came over and exchanged greetings.

“If we’d wanted to invite you, we wouldn’t have known where to find you. Even your old village house was empty—we thought you’d become a hermit,” said a man with glasses.

“I’ve moved to a new place and started a small studio, mostly working on film scores. I hardly come out these days,” Luk Koon Ting replied.

“How’s that going? Being your own boss must be nice,” the glasses-wearing man asked.

“I quit. I’ve taken a new job—here’s my new card.” Luk Koon Ting pulled out freshly printed business cards and handed them around.

“General Manager and Music Director, Dragon Tribe Records Company?” Several of them read the impressive title aloud in unison.

“Dragon Tribe Records? Never heard of it,” the man with glasses said.

“It’s a newly established label. Let me introduce you—this is Yan Xu, the owner of Dragon Tribe Records,” Luk Koon Ting said. After the pleasantries, he turned to Yan Xu, “Ah Xu, let me introduce them. This is Taichi Band. Though the group is newly formed, each of them has been in many bands before, and those were all well-known in the rock scene.”

Pointing to the man with the guitar, he continued, “This is Ah Yiu, Lei You Yiu, the band leader. And this one, who looks quite like him, is his younger brother Lei You Fai—you can call him Ah Pat.

“This is Snake, Sheng Daan Wah; this is Big Mouth, Tang Kin Man; this is Lau Hin Dak; this is Fatty, Tong Yi Chung, or Curry, as you like; and this is Piggy, Chu Hon Pok.” He introduced the bespectacled man, the long-haired man, and the others in turn. “There’s also one more—though not a formal member, he’s practically the eighth—Yin Kui, their lyricist.”

Yan Xu shook hands with each in turn, marking their acquaintance. Having met so many celebrities by now, he no longer felt the thrill of the early days.

“You look familiar—have we met somewhere?” Piggy peered at Yan Xu as they shook hands.

“I’m not just a record label owner; I’m a director as well.” Yan Xu had been on the cover of gossip magazines often enough lately that it was no surprise someone might recognize him.

“I remember now! You played Lin Guoyu in ‘Butcher of the Rainy Night,’” Ah Pat suddenly exclaimed.

“Yes, yes, that’s you! No wonder you looked so familiar. You made that film too—the box office hit over ten million! I went to see it with Ah Pat. Your acting was really good,” Piggy said, his eyes lighting up like a fan meeting his idol. “Aren’t you working on a new film now? When does it premiere? We’ll definitely go watch.”

“Thanks for the praise. The new film is nearly finished—should be out early next month or by January,” Yan Xu replied, surprised to find fans among the Seven Sons of Taichi.

“We’re here today because we want you to join Dragon Tribe Records. Ah Xu believes in your future,” Luk Koon Ting finally got to the point.

“You want to sign us?” The Seven Sons stared at Luk Koon Ting and Yan Xu in astonishment. Rock music was far from mainstream in Hong Kong, hardly embraced by the public. In the past, their releases were mostly compilations, and even those were rare, especially from small record companies.

Of course, as a band, they all dreamed of releasing an album of their own, to perform their music on a bigger stage. Most rock bands in Hong Kong were striving for exactly this. The Seven Sons had all played in countless bands before, but never had such an opportunity—they each had their own jobs, making music out of faith and persistence alone. For a company to suddenly offer them a contract was almost too good to believe—happiness arriving so unexpectedly.

“Though our company is newly formed and not yet well known in the industry, every company has to start somewhere. We’ve raised one million in capital—not much compared to the big labels, but to be honest, already more than many small companies. I believe we have a promising future. If you join us, we’ll produce an album for you and get it out to the market in a short time,” Yan Xu said quickly, seeing their silence.

“And before we launch your album, you’ll also be performing the ending theme for my new film. If you agree, I’ll give you the song later.” Yan Xu had been mulling over what to use as his film’s end theme, and seeing Taichi Band tonight, his mind was made up at once.