The drumbeats seemed to strike her heart, growing louder and louder, and Cheng Lin's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Unconsciously, she became immersed in the music.
The camp was filled with loud singing, and even those who couldn't sing were excited! Qin Mu was equally excited, but fortunately, the jade seal once again emitted a warm aura, which calmed him down.
Once Qin Mu calmed down, he realized that as Cheng Lin struck the war drum, the sound waves rippled outwards in his consciousness like waves in water.
With a loud "bang!", the drumstick broke in two, the drumming stopped, and the singing soldiers also ceased. Cheng Lin swayed and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Hehe!" Ignoring the sweat dripping down her face, Cheng Lin let out the Cheng family's signature silly laugh.
"Cough cough!" Second Sister Cheng, why don't you take Third Sister down to rest for a bit?
Because of the sweat, Cheng Lin's body looked very graceful. Although the firelight was dim, Qin Mu could still see it clearly and quickly turned his head away.
Feeling a little guilty for seeing something he shouldn't have, especially with his girlfriend right there, Qin Mu stole a glance and met Princess Changning's satisfied smile. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was like walking down the street and seeing a scantily clad woman; he quickly turned away and was met with his wife's approving gaze. Qin Mu felt instantly at ease, even though he wanted to look a little longer.
The soldiers, still excited after being dismissed, gathered around the campfire again. Cheng Lin changed her clothes and came out as well, though she looked somewhat tired.
Despite her tired appearance, Cheng Lin was in high spirits. After taking a sip of water, she said with a smile, "Thank you so much, Huai Dao. Today you've helped me understand so much and cross a threshold, making some progress in my cultivation."
"Sister Cheng, you're too kind. It's all because you're quick to learn and have mastered so much!"
"No, no! It's mainly because your score is good, and with so many people singing along, that it can achieve such an effect. If it weren't for this coincidence, I wouldn't have been able to grasp the meaning of the score. That song, 'General's Command,' just now could boost morale by at least 20%. It's practically a war song," Cheng Lin said excitedly.
"War Song!" Cheng Huaimo exclaimed.
Traditional musical pieces are typically performed by a single person, with skill directly tied to the performer's ability. Therefore, collaborative performances were invented, involving multiple instruments working together, with one instrument as the main focus and others providing support to create a more powerful effect. Some pieces even incorporate song and dance. While this method has its limitations, it only requires the main performer to be strong; others, even those with lower cultivation levels, can still achieve significant results.
War music is among the fewest and most difficult types of music. War drums are special instruments that can boost morale; soldiers simply need to coordinate with the drumbeats. However, this method has limited effectiveness. One reason Li Shimin was invincible was that he had a force of soldiers skilled in war music. When the Qin King's Battle Song was played, morale increased by 30%.
Cheng Lin was excited because the general's order only required the war drum. The key was that with her current cultivation level, it could boost morale by 20%. One could imagine how strong the effect would be once her strength increased.
“That’s right, it’s a war song. And what you don’t know is that this war song has another advantage: as long as the soldiers know the matching song and sing it out loud, it can influence more people.” Cheng Lin nodded vigorously.
The difficulty with the King of Qin's "Breaking the Battle Formation Music" was that few people understood it, meaning it could only benefit a small group on a vast battlefield. Imagine, however, that without musical instruments, simply knowing how to sing could influence far more people—what a tremendous advantage that would be! Thinking of this, everyone became excited.
As the performer, and because she completed the score with Qin Mu, Cheng Lin was able to maximize the effectiveness of the General's Order. She will surely be highly valued by the court in the future, which explains why she thanked Qin Mu as soon as she came out.
"You've overlooked something. If we prepare more war drums, others won't need to understand the meaning of the music to amplify the sound further; that means there will be more people who can amplify it," Qin Mu reminded him.
This is also a way of using music, which is to have a group of people play the same piece together, so the power will be greater. However, there are also many limitations. First of all, you have to cooperate well. If you don't cooperate well, it will affect the effect and even make the original attack disappear.
Especially when playing different musical instruments, it is even more challenging. If not done well, it can backfire on the person in charge. Therefore, this method is rarely used to fight the enemy!
However, the General's Order is different. First, the instruments are simple, and second, the drumbeats are simple. Compared to playing wind and string instruments, striking them is undoubtedly much simpler, since this is not a drum set. In addition, with a large number of war drums, even if one person makes a mistake and they are scattered across the battlefield, it will only reduce the buffs of a few people and will not affect others.
"That's right! How come I didn't think of that? If more people cooperated, it could completely influence the entire battlefield," Cheng Lin said excitedly.
"Haha! Huai Dao, you're amazing!" Cheng Huaimo grinned, already imagining how happy his old man would be when they got back. With this battle melody, the Cheng family essentially had a get-out-of-jail-free card; as long as they didn't rebel, they could practically do whatever they wanted.
Previously, his father could do whatever he wanted, which was earned through numerous bloody battles. Cheng Huaimo didn't enjoy that kind of treatment. In other words, once his father died, the Cheng family would have to live a life of humility. But with the General's Order, the Cheng family had another trump card, even if Cheng Lin got married.
The sheet music is the family heirloom. Even if outsiders can transcribe the music, they are not as good as the original creator. Because when this sheet music is mentioned in the future, everyone will know that it was created by Cheng Lin and Qin Mu in collaboration, even if Cheng Lin only assisted.
Original sheet music can enhance both effects. What Qin Mu presented today was just a simple record of the rhythm. They need to recreate the complete sheet music to make it an original sheet music.
In addition, there is the identity of the originator, which is a kind of recognition in the dark, and others cannot exert such a great effect.
"Huai Dao, I think we can also add the sound of horns. Horns are melodious and desolate, so we can insert them at the beginning and during the intermissions! This will definitely have a greater impact," Cheng Lin suggested with great enthusiasm.
"That's a good idea!" Qin Mu thought for a moment and clapped his hands in agreement.
“Alright, I’ll write down the score tonight, and you can see if it’s suitable.” Knowing that Qin Mu didn’t understand war drum scores, Cheng Lin took the initiative to help.
"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Third Sister Cheng!"
"Huai Dao, how about writing a piece of music for Second Sister too! Don't worry, I don't want a war song, just a regular piece will do." Cheng Ying kicked Yu Chi Baolin aside and said with a smile. She fully displayed the shamelessness characteristic of the Cheng family.
"I don't know anything about the zither! I've been working on the 'Azure Sea Tide' melody for my second sister, and it's not finished yet," Qin Mu said, scratching his head.
"It's alright, it's alright, other instruments are fine too, I know a little bit about them," Cheng Ying said, giving Yuchi Baolin a glare as she spoke.
“Yes! Brother, please help me out.” Yu Chi Baolin, struck by a sudden inspiration, quickly added.
"I just remembered a musical score, one that my sect never finished. According to records, once this score is completed, it will be unparalleled!" Qin Mu thought for a moment, then said with a bright look in his eyes.
He thought that since the General's Order was effective, why not try transcribing a few other scores? There was no loss, and he could learn more to make improvements.
Of course, when it comes to the difference between five-tone and seven-tone scales, his first thought is to simplify it. By simplification, he doesn't mean that the musical score is simple, but rather that the way it is used is simple.
"Really!" Cheng Ying asked in surprise. She had asked Qin Mu for it earlier, but out of habit in the Cheng family, she hadn't had much hope. She didn't expect Qin Mu to actually have it.
"Of course! How could I lie to you? It's just that I don't know if you know how to play this instrument," Qin Mu said confidently.
"What instrument? It's okay if you don't know how, I can learn, it's no problem for me," Cheng Lin asked hurriedly.
“Suona!” Qin Mu said solemnly.
"Suona?" Cheng Ying blinked blankly, wondering what kind of instrument it was.
"Indeed, according to our sect's records, among all musical instruments, the suona is the king!" Qin Mu nodded.
"This...it seems...it seems to have come from the Western Regions, right?" Cheng Lin asked somewhat uncertainly.
"I think so! I remember this is mostly used in folk music. I'll draw a diagram for you. Once you find it and learn it, I'll get the sheet music. As you know, I only know how to play the flute," Qin Mu said with a chuckle.
Cheng Lin nodded. She knew that although Qin Mu knew some sheet music, he didn't know how to play any instruments. In the end, he was clumsy and out of tune, just like General's Order. Although she didn't understand why Qin Mu could compose or rewrite sheet music even though he didn't know how to play any instruments, as the first performer, the approval he received from heaven and earth was absolutely right.
"Okay! I will definitely find the suona!" Cheng Yinghao said confidently.
"I'll help you find it!" Yu Chi Baolin said with a fawning smile. Looking at that sycophantic manner, he'd probably be completely under her thumb from now on.
"Big brother! I want one too!" Qin Yuling squatted down in front of Qin Mu and said, tugging at his sleeve.
"You're still young. When you're a little older, your big brother will teach you! For now, all you need to do is play!" Qin Mu stroked her hair and said with a doting smile.
Upon hearing that her older brother told her she could just play, Qin Yuling beamed with joy. This period had been the happiest time of her life. Apart from practicing martial arts in the morning and listening to stories at night (while dozing off), she had been playing wildly and had forgotten all about home.
Compared to the playful Qin Yuling, the two princesses were much more obedient. Every day, they not only followed the breathing exercises, but also read and practiced calligraphy without stopping, striving to enrich themselves.
They looked at Qin Yuling with envy, but they also knew their own status. They were not favored in the palace and had no one to play with, so they became sensible at a young age. They would not let go of any opportunity to learn more. After all, in the palace, besides reading and writing, there was etiquette, which required a lot of strict etiquette and made them very miserable.
Only after coming out did I realize what real skills are. Without learning real skills, when faced with problems, you can only squat in your tent and tremble.
"When righteousness reigns supreme, no evil can penetrate. This righteousness is not only a spiritual energy cultivated through practice, but also a mindset and a temperament. Cultivation begins with cultivating the mind; both Taoism and Confucianism emphasize this point, which is why Confucianism emphasizes setting one's goals first!" After saying this, Qin Mu let Qin Yuling lean against his lap and began his daily lesson. However, his teaching method was different from others. Other teachers taught students to see clearly and understand what they heard. But Qin Mu mostly had his students close their eyes and empty their minds to listen to the lesson.
After listening, those who didn't understand were finally given unified answers. The advantage of this method was that even Cheng Huaimo, who would sleep in class, remembered it clearly. As for whether he would think about it or try to understand it later, that was none of Qin Mu's business, since his main task was to teach the two princesses and his sister.
"What's the point of us martial arts practitioners listening to this?" Cheng Huaimo asked.
In his view, the biggest benefit of listening to lectures with a clear mind is that it's equivalent to taking a deep sleep for a while, and you wake up feeling refreshed.
"A righteous heart is fearless! Martial arts training is just as useful; it's a matter of willpower!" Qin Mu said with a smile. In his view, his teaching method was more like a form of psychological suggestion, including brainwashing soldiers.
The only difference is that brainwashing soldiers involves constantly indoctrinating and reminding them until it becomes an instinct. The downside of this approach is that it can stifle some of their own thoughts, because their minds have already been largely occupied by the indoctrinated ideas.
For Cheng Huaimo and his group, the suggestion was merely a trigger, bringing out their positive side. Once a seed takes root and sprouts, it doesn't need further nurturing to grow into a towering tree. The benefits are obvious: their inherent nature remains, but their moral compass changes, and their minds follow the direction of the suggestion.
With a "pop!" sound, as if a bubble had burst, milky white light gathered in the void and slowly fell down, landing on Qin Yuxin and the two princesses.
Apart from Qin Yuling, who was already asleep, everyone was stunned, including Qin Mu, the instigator. They never expected that suddenly, three people would step into the Confucian cultivation field at the same time, and they were three little girls.
It's somewhat understandable that Qin Yuxin is in her teens, but what's with these two nine-year-old princesses? Two little girls, stepping into Confucianism like this—how can other scholars bear this? What happened to the difficulty of Confucianism? What happened to the foundation of being well-versed in literature?
Thinking of the shock this matter would cause, Princess Changning covered her mouth, afraid of disturbing them. Cheng Huaimo's mouth was agape; Yuchi Baolin had almost broken his back; Xiangli Yanran was completely bewildered, shaking her head and looking left and right.
Only Qin Mu was secretly delighted. A long-held suspicion had finally been confirmed. He had always believed that anyone who could read and write could become a Confucian cultivator. A Confucian cultivator, after all, was still a cultivator, and like other cultivators, there should be many ways to enter the field. As for being well-versed in literature, that could be cultivated gradually.
Nowadays, most people can only enter the Confucian school after reaching adulthood. Furthermore, because books are controlled by aristocratic families and sects, how can ordinary people become well-versed in literature? This inherently limits many people. The key point is that while reading and writing are relatively easy, becoming well-versed in literature and able to write one's own poems and essays is extremely difficult. Especially since his younger sister also wanted to become a Confucian scholar, he had to diligently teach her.
One day, he had a flash of inspiration and suddenly thought, could he use the method of mental suggestion to make people's hearts upright and righteous, so that they would be in line with Confucianism and the attribute of righteous energy? Just like the Guigu school, which first supplements the five elements, once the five elements are complete, cultivation will naturally follow.
Although one's strength will definitely be low when entering the Confucian cultivation path in this way, once one steps into the threshold, future cultivation will be much easier. Moreover, the sooner one cultivates the righteous energy, the better it will be for both the mind and the body.
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