Chapter 84 The infinite sound of nature is reflected in the sky and echoed on the earth; this is the law of rhythm. ...
Zhou Yaren was still recovering from his old injuries, and he pushed his Wind Control Technique to the limit of what his ailing body could endure. His strength was gradually being depleted, and he knew very well that he couldn't hold on for much longer: "How do I break this?"
Li Liuyun has not yet figured out how to break the formation.
Zhou Yaren, of course, couldn't just sit idly by and wait for the other side to come up with a solution. She turned her flute, the sounds of the eight winds resumed, and the musical energy instantly spread across the Jingguan...
Since this place is a battlefield, it concerns the life and death of the nation. In those days, there must have been blind divination masters who were skilled in sound divination accompanying the army. Whether they won or lost, the blind divination masters would leave traces here, using the sound of the wind to convey their messages. Merits and defeats were all carried by the wind in the "Book of Heaven and Earth." This is a "historical record" unique to the blind, not recorded in writing but passed down by the wind and heard by ear. Therefore, it is a work that combines Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.
Then, as the wind whispered "Heaven responds to the scene" while holding a flute, the Jingguan suddenly drew back the curtain of history, revealing an ancient battlefield shrouded in dark clouds, with silver-armored soldiers pressing in, the battle line stretching for miles, and tens of thousands of soldiers in formation that were awe-inspiring to behold.
The Taihang Dao disciples present were born in a peaceful era. Including Li Liuyun, they had lived in the Taihang Mountains since childhood, focusing on cultivating the Dao. They had never traveled to the border regions where trouble occasionally broke out, so they had never truly witnessed the ravages of war.
As Zhou Yaren uttered the phrase "the earth responds with a sound," the originally mournful and chaotic sounds suddenly changed, and the sounds of drums and horns on the battlefield suddenly intertwined and resounded, spreading out from the "musical pipe" in Zhou Yaren's hand, almost deafeningly loud.
The five tones originate from Yin and Yang, and are divided into twelve musical pitches. Heaven responds with shadows, and earth responds with sounds; these are the musical pitches.
For the blind monk, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Twelve Musical Pitches contain endless sounds throughout the ages.
The moment the mournful notes rang out from the Jingguan (a mound of fallen soldiers), he knew that this melody was the sound of a nation in ruins and chaos.
Zhou Yaren's research on the "establishment of images" and his use of musical instruments to discern sounds revealed the ancient battlefield within the Twelve Killing Formations.
All the teenagers present stared in disbelief and excitement at the "elephant" that appeared on the ancient battlefield, feeling completely immersed in the scene.
Lin Mutou was stunned by the grand spectacle: "What... what is this..."
Li Liuyun had never had the chance to witness the blind monk's "elephant-standing" performance. He froze on the spot, and it took him a long time to recover before answering Lin Mu's question: "In the pre-Qin period, before the advent of writing, those legends and myths were passed down orally by the blind monk through the sound of wind."
Lin Mu didn't understand: "What does Feng mean?" How did it lead to the pre-Qin period?
Lian Zhao did have ears, but he didn't understand: "What message does Feng Yin send?"
"In a well-governed era, the qi of heaven and earth combine to generate wind, and the pitch of the wind becomes sound. In the system of the blind man's ability to hear the wind, music is born from sound, sound is born from pitch, pitch is born from wind, and wind is the origin of sound." Li Liuyun rarely returned to the palace and did not know much about the blind man. He only mentioned it occasionally when he was answering questions about the wind. "It is said that the blind man can imitate the eight winds and combine the sounds of yin and yang and the five elements to 'establish images and convey messages' in the wind."
"What do you mean?" Lian Zhao was shocked. "Did all of these things actually happen?"
Li Liuyun said, "The Three Sovereigns had no written language and used knotted ropes to govern. It was only after the Five Emperors that written records appeared. We always say that without writing there is no history because all the events are unverifiable and are simply attributed to myths and legends. But that is not the case. For many events, the blind patriarchs have already entrusted history to the way of heaven and earth, so that future generations can listen to the wind and verify it. This is also one of the functions of listening to the wind and knowing."
Unfortunately, the relics are hard to find. Since the Warring States period, when the feudal lords fought for supremacy, the rites and music collapsed, and the music education system disintegrated. The blind musicians who were responsible for reciting and setting rules were scattered among the people, or became actors who indulged in sensual pleasures for the powerful and wealthy. Their behavior was disorderly and their voices were licentious. Thus, blind musicians could no longer talk about the past.
Few in later generations could hear the laws of music and understand the ancients. With the loss of the blind masters who controlled the six musical scales and harmonized Yin and Yang, those legends without written records, passed down through generations, became myths that were neither true nor false. However, they did not know that in ancient times, the blind masters had already recorded these things by listening to the wind and creating musical scales, and only true scholars who inherited the legacy of the sages could "hear the past and understand the present" from them.
"That's why people often say, 'I am not a blind historian, how can I know the ways of Heaven?'" Li Liuyun pointed to the battlefield ahead and said calmly, "Listening to the wind and gathering whispers is called hearing the Way, which is what people often mistakenly believe to be spiritual communication. Naturally, it refers to real events that have actually happened."
People are foolish; how could this be some kind of spiritual communication?!
For example, the "Ancient Music" chapter of the "Lüshi Chunqiu" states: Emperor Zhuanxu was born from Ruoshui and lived in Kongsang. He then ascended to the throne. When the heavens were in harmony and the winds were blowing, the sound was like a gentle breeze, a mournful murmur, and a clanging melody. Emperor Zhuanxu loved this sound, so he ordered flying dragons to imitate the sounds of the eight winds, naming it "Chengyun" (Accompanying Clouds), to be used in sacrifices to the Supreme God.
They created music using the sounds of nature, in harmony with the heavens and earth, to worship God.
In the pre-Qin period, the country was governed by rites and music, and music was not used for entertainment and leisure.
Therefore, for the blind monk, there is an endless "word" within Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Twelve Musical Pitches.
Lian Zhao and his disciples of the Taihang Dao sect finally understood the profound meaning at this moment, and they unconsciously got goosebumps: "So this is what it means for a sage who communicates with heaven and earth to understand the divine through his ears and know the truth through sound."
"Otherwise what?" Li Liuyun looked at his fellow disciples in confusion. Did they not even know this before blindly worshipping him?
Several young men from the Taihang Mountains, who were used to believing everything they heard, were completely impressed by Li Liuyun's explanation and admired the "standing elephant" on the field for his ability to read the wind.
Then, thousands of troops gathered beneath the city gate, their banners fluttering like clouds in the north wind. Suddenly, a whisper was heard: "In the seventeenth year of Tianyuan, Liu Changyu, the Prince of Jing'an of the Later Liang Dynasty, led a large army on a four-pronged northern expedition, besieging Puzhou. The prefect, Lu Heng, held the city to the death and resisted the enemy."
"Tianyuan era name," Li Liuyun vaguely remembered, "should be the end of the Qi Dynasty."
Lin Mu didn't quite understand: "The end of the Qi Dynasty?"
Li Liuyun, being born into the royal family, naturally knew about the dynasties throughout history: "In times of war and chaos, uprisings and rebellions are everywhere."
Zhou Yaren's voice was low and slow: "The change of dynasties is bound to be accompanied by a bloody storm. At the end of Qi, there were internal and external troubles, and more than sixty years of war and killings."
Warlords carved up the land, each with their own armies and territories, and large and small regimes were established one after another. Some relied on their strength to bully the weak, while others formed factions to suppress dissent. War broke out everywhere, and they devoured each other one after another.
Division, chaos, and utter turmoil ensued, plunging the world into utter disarray.
The Battle of Puzhou was just one corner of the chaotic world. Arrows were fired in unison with the thunderous sound of war drums. The sound of arrows whistling was incessant. Thousands of arrows rained down from the sky, like stars with long tails falling rapidly, and the killing intent was overwhelming!
The teenagers from Taihang Road held their breath, completely stunned by the murderous scene. Their hearts were in their throats as a death and injury was about to occur—no, it was a replay of what had already happened and become history.
"What are you all standing there for?!"
Suddenly a sharp shout rang out, startling everyone who was immersed in the "ancient battlefield." The Taihang Dao disciples were all wide-eyed and shocked.
Because the arrows in the "Standing Image" formation, falling like stars, pierce through the past and present, they have already formed the killing intent in the Twelve Killing Formations. Those who have been swallowed by the Jingguan are now live targets, about to be pierced into hedgehogs by the chaotic arrows.
The Taihang Mountain youths, who thought themselves bystanders, were actually already caught up in it. By the time they tried to react, it was too late. They all stiffened like corpses, ready to die.
Good heavens! We almost got riddled with arrows before, and we still haven't learned our lesson and are still so careless?!
Countless arrows were already upon him, and just as the sharp arrowheads were about to pierce his flesh and bone, they were suddenly frozen by a spreading frost.
Then, a somewhat familiar, chilling female voice said, "Are you all blockheads? Coming to a place like this to stand there dumbfounded, are you looking for death?!"
Arrows rained down around them, but the arrows aimed at the boys melted in the frost, allowing them to escape death once again.
The utterly astonished Taihang Dao youths finally saw the white figure weaving through the sky full of star arrows, and for a moment they were all too stunned to know who it was.
That eerie aura was definitely not human.
But who does he look so familiar?
"She...she...she..." Lin Mu had a vivid memory of that voice and tone.
Li Liuyun recognized the other party at a glance. He drew his sword and swept away several volleys of arrows flying towards him: "It's that Taiyin torturer."
Li Liuyun was not surprised at all. Tingfengzhi told them to hand this person over to him for proper handling, and Taihang only withdrew the Ghost Yamen's Execution Cauldron Formation at the last moment, allowing the two of them to leave Beiqu. Therefore, the person who appeared here with Tingfengzhi could not be anyone else but her.
At this moment, the young men of Taihang Road finally reacted and drew their swords to deflect the arrows and protect themselves.
"Yes," Lin Mu blurted out, "it's that evil spirit."
The evil spirit gently pinched the fletching of an arrow that had nearly pierced the throat of a tree, and said in a disdainful tone, "What, isn't it time for filial sons and grandsons to carry my soul banner now? So disrespectful."
"You—" Lin Mu was furious and was about to retort, but he fell silent when he saw the frost on the arrow in the other person's hand dissipate.
This evil spirit saved him twice in an instant!
Why is this evil spirit so kind?
"Hmm, why did the Taihang Road send a few greenhorns to their deaths?" Bai Yuan swept his wide sleeves, and the frost and snow he stirred up scattered countless arrows.
Lin Mu shivered from the cold air, and upon hearing her words, he was immediately both angry and anxious: "Who are you calling a brat? I'm fifteen years old!"
Bai Yuan chuckled: "Indeed, it's just a fledgling that has just left the nest."
The fledgling bird, feeling looked down upon, blushed with anger, but the other party had already vanished like a blur, trailing arrows, leaving only a chilling gust of wind to extinguish the boy's temper. Lin Mu turned his head indignantly, about to say something, but only saw Li Liuyun not far away, so he changed the subject: "Her injuries have healed."
Li Liuyun was overwhelmed with work at the moment, and after helping Lin Mu cut off another wave of arrows, he managed to hum in response.
"Wait, who is this?" Lian Zhao's shoulder was grazed by a sharp arrow, and he already had several cuts of varying depths on his body. However, in his dodging and weaving, he suddenly bumped into a stranger and almost killed him, mistaking him for an evil spirit.
Zhou Yaren glanced sideways: "This person is a villager who mistakenly entered through the gate. I would be grateful if you could look after him."
The Jingguan (a mound of stones) devoured and killed all living things that stepped into the gate. Liang Youyi was no exception. Although he had some martial arts skills, he could not resist the killing intent in the formation. He was constantly running for his life and hiding under the barrage of arrows. He was in a very sorry state. Of course, he was able to survive until now without any danger thanks to the care of Zhou Yaren and Bai Yuan.
"How could villagers get involved!" This was no joke. Although Lian Zhao was preoccupied with his own problems, he immediately took Liang Youyi under his protection.
On the ancient battlefield, arrows rained down like a storm, and countless soldiers died from their wounds. Lian Zhao was caught in the chaos and had the illusion that he himself was also on the battlefield.
Countless soldiers around him were shot dead by a hail of arrows, their blood gushing out. Lian Zhao subconsciously looked at himself, mistakenly thinking that the blood had splashed on him, but there was nothing on his white Taoist robe.
As the war drums thundered, a massive ramming hammer covered in iron plates struck the heavy city gate with tremendous force, the sound of the impact deafening.
Ladders were erected beneath the city walls, and fearless soldiers climbed them one after another.
Rows of catapults were set up on the city walls, equipped with mechanisms that fired stones as projectiles. Large and small stones were mixed with arrows and fired simultaneously, causing the attacking soldiers to suffer head injuries and pierce their chests. Wave after wave of climbers fell to their deaths from the towering ladders. Then, boiling oil was poured down, splattering the heads and bodies of the soldiers on the ladders. Their screams were deafening. Then, a fire was set on more than ten ladders, burning all the people on them to death.
The young man from Taihang Road, also caught in a deadly trap, suddenly changed color as he stared at the cannonballs being thrown down from the sky.
The power of the cannonball could kill several rampaging bulls.
"Who can withstand this?" someone cried out in despair. "Liu Yun, what do we do?"
Li Liuyun kicked away a stone that was about to hit Zhou Yaren, his legs aching and numb: "Tingfengzhi..."
The shouts of battle were deafening. Zhou Yaren, enduring the throbbing in her veins, gripped the flute in her hand and took a half step back: "Does Your Highness have any recollection of the Battle of Puzhou?"
"I don't remember much about it. Historical records only mention it briefly, just mentioning the fall of Puzhou."
"Is that so?" The history books state that Puzhou fell, but countless soldiers were killed or wounded, and the city gates were filled with countless dead and injured. "And then?"
Li Liuyun's breathing was somewhat unsteady. He raised his sword and deflected a large wave of arrows and cannonballs. Although he could not be said to have a photographic memory, he had read through historical records from all dynasties: "That's all."
There is not even a record of the corpses being sealed and a mound of corpses erected during this battle.
If it weren't for the blind monk leaving behind traces and conveying messages, this would simply be a brief mention of the fall of Puzhou, a record of the victory for the Prince of Jing'an.
Zhou Yaren turned around and saw a sinister face under the battle flag. For some reason, he seemed to recognize this person at a glance among thousands of troops—Prince Jing'an, Liu Changyu.
With eyes full of rage, Liu Changyu gave the order, and war drums and horns sounded in unison. On the ancient battlefield, which was shrouded in gloom, clusters of dazzling flames immediately lit up and were placed on the bowstrings of the soldiers.
Clusters of rockets were launched into the sky by bowstrings, passing through the city walls and scattering in various places.
The city of Puzhou was filled with screams of alarm. Soldiers and civilians hid everywhere. Countless rockets set fire to the firewood piles and houses. Soldiers and civilians had no time to put out the fires and died in the chaos of their panicked escape.
In a short while, flames lit up the sky and thick smoke billowed from the city of Puzhou.
After rounds of life-or-death battles, the heavy city gates were smashed by battering rams, and the defending soldiers swarmed out to fight their way out!
At the same time, the situation within the Twelve Killing Formations of Jingguan suddenly changed. The ghostly blue flames reflected the skeletal aura, which condensed into thousands of soldiers. These were the corpses imprisoned in the evil abyss, the undead of the Wu army, who were holding on to "Puzhou" until their deaths, raising their weapons and charging towards this group of "uninvited guests".
The young people from Taihang Road were already exhausted. What if they didn't end up being killed by arrows and rocks, but instead died of exhaustion in the pile of dung?
"Senior Brother Liuyun!" Lin Mu cried out, "Quickly, think of a solution!"
"I'm thinking about it." Li Liuyun's calm tone finally revealed a hint of urgency.
"Hurry, hurry! I've been fighting for half an hour, and they've come out!"
"Don't rush me."
"I can't take it anymore, I'm exhausted."
"Come over here."
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