God of Music
Two girls, each clutching their own notebooks, got out of bed, their eyes wide as they stared at her and walked towards her step by step.
A-Qiu began to realize that the atmosphere was a bit strange; the way they looked at her was as if she weren't alive.
She was usually bold, but she panicked and asked, "What are you trying to do?" She had only gone over to see Xiao Chang'an off; could she possibly turn into a ghost?
They were only a few steps away from her when Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu suddenly rushed over to her, hugged her tightly, and burst into tears.
"I'm so glad you're back!"
Zhang Exu's face was covered in tears as she waved the notebook in her hand.
"The people whose names were recorded here never came back."
Suddenly, A-Qiu understood.
Over the years, they have grown from children to adults, and gradually, they are no longer completely ignorant.
A Qiu patted Zhang E'xu's back reassuringly and said, "I'll be fine." After thinking for a moment, he added, "I won't let any of you get hurt either."
She turned to Cui Luzhu: "Sister Luzhu, could you please invite my wife Sun and Instructor Xue over? I have something to say to them."
The dance troupe's dormitory was brightly lit, the room gleaming.
A-Qiu sketched a large shape on the ground with a charcoal pencil.
Then, I drew the same shape next to it.
Cui Luzhu pondered for a moment and said, "This is a big wheel."
Zhang Exu agreed, saying, "Then this one over there is a small wheel."
Sun's wife asked in confusion, "Ah Qiu, are you trying to build a car? Then the wheels can't be one big and one small."
A-Qiu chuckled, tossed aside his charcoal pencil, scratched his head, and said, "Looks like I really can't draw. I'll just dictate it."
She pointed to what looked like a large wheel and said, "This is indeed a vehicle, but it's a waterwheel."
He then pointed to what looked like small wheels and said, "This is also a vehicle, but it's a spinning wheel."
Xue Hongbi asked, puzzled, "So, why did you put a spinning wheel and a waterwheel on the stage of 'White Silk'?"
She had clearly not slept all night and looked extremely tired, but she mustered her energy to listen to A Qiu's idea.
Ah Qiu said quietly, "Both of these things are related to women's agricultural labor and the social life depicted in 'White Silk.' But most importantly, I hope that in the final scene, the two instructors will use these two tools to serve as the central viewpoint on stage."
Her gaze swept lightly over the crowd: "Dance performances have never required dancers who have grown old. But a dancer is never just one person. From the 'White Silk' of the past to us now; from courtesans who entered the palace as young girls to instructors whose hair is turning white; from common women who used to draw water by cart, spin yarn and weave cloth to empresses who once ruled the world, this performance is related to everyone."
"It is the past era, and it is also the present era. It will become an eternal imprint and haven in the spiritual world of everyone who has participated, witnessed, or heard about it in the past and future."
Xue Hongbi and Sun Neiren exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with profound shock.
Throughout history, the stage has always been reserved for young and vibrant geisha. With decades of experience in the palace, they have never had a middle-aged dancer take the stage.
But Xue Hongbi had another feeling.
What came to mind was Huang Chaoan's words: "Is it you two old and faded teachers who are performing 'The White Silk'? Without you, can 'The White Silk' not be performed?"
If A-Qiu's idea comes true, then the two of them stepping out from behind the scenes to the forefront will be irreplaceable.
The former dynasty's "White Silk" dance was led by a renowned performer, representing the last glory of the Great Huan Dynasty.
Besides her and Sun Ci, who else could bear such a profound sense of history?
Lady Sun said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, then I'll have to ask someone else to come out."
Xue Hongbi asked in surprise, "Who is it?"
She and Sun Neiren had studied dance together since childhood, but she had no idea who else she knew outside the dance troupe.
Sun's wife said, "I only know that this person is a senior of the previous generation of the dance troupe. I met her twice, once when I was young and once when I was young, at the Tangli West Garden, and she corrected my posture and steps. She also promised me that I could ask her if I needed anything. However, over the years, I have never asked her for anything."
"However, now that the rules of the dance club need to be changed, I need to ask this senior if it is feasible."
Tonight, the moon is bright and the stars are few in the West Garden of Tangli, beneath which a line of soft lights stretches out.
These are the candles held by the geisha.
Led by Sun's wife, they followed the winding stone path, sheltered by towering ancient trees, towards a dilapidated courtyard overgrown with weeds.
Holding the candle in her hands, Xue Hongbi was still somewhat worried and said, "Sun Ci, there has always been a curfew in Tangli Garden. It's probably not appropriate for us to break the curfew together like this."
Without turning her head, Sun Neiren said, "Do you know where the curfew prohibiting nighttime travel in the Yuefu Tangli Garden comes from?"
Xue Hongbi said, "I know! When we were young, the previous generation of musicians warned us that there were ghostly performers in Tangli Garden. Therefore, we should not go out alone after dark."
Sun's wife said, "However, when we were young, we never saw any ghosts or performers, did we?"
Xue Hongbi nodded and said, "That's right. Back then, Tangli was a place of nightly revelry, with people strolling around by candlelight, and playing music and singing everywhere. Even His Majesty the Emperor often drank and made merry all night long. This area was always brightly lit, so how could there be any ghosts or ghosts around?"
Cui Luzhu then chimed in from behind, "It seems that those ghost performers are afraid of crowds. We've been hearing about and seeing them often since we were little."
Xue Hongbi asked in surprise, "Is that really true?"
Zhang E replied solemnly, "Of course. We've even seen it with our own eyes. Green Pearl, you tell us."
Cui Luzhu thought for a moment and said, "The most recent time was more than half a year ago. Huang Le came to the dance department at night to transfer a dancer away. At that time, Huang Le was waiting under the water corridor, and we watched the dancer come out from afar."
Zhang E'xu, who was always rigid, shuddered and said, "Huang Le was only focused on this side and didn't notice, but we could see clearly from afar that a woman's head was floating on the water beneath his feet."
Cui Luzhu said, "The woman's face was deathly pale, her black hair was wet and disheveled, and she had a blood-red mouth painted on her."
Zhang Exu said, "The three of us were terrified and dared not take another step forward. Huang Le was impatiently urging us on when he saw that we were unwilling to go over."
Cui Luzhu said, "Then, the female ghost in the water suddenly crawled out most of her body and grabbed his feet, dragging him down."
Zhang Exu said, "Fortunately, Huang Lezheng was strong, and with that pull, he couldn't be dragged in. He ran away in a panic."
Cui Luzhu said with lingering fear, "The three of us were so scared that we ran back as fast as we could. We wanted to report this to Lady Sun, but she wasn't there at the time. We forgot about it the next day."
Zhang Exu said, "It's not that we forgot. We didn't forget the next day and wanted to talk to Lady Sun about it. But Lady Sun seemed to have had a fever for a few days and didn't come to class for us. Once she recovered, we forgot."
Xue Hongbi was horrified and grabbed Sun's sleeve, saying, "When I was little, I always thought these were just stories our ancestors told us to scare us. I never imagined they were true."
She said tremblingly, "With so many of us, the ghosts should be afraid of us and won't show up, right?"
Sun's wife turned around, gave her a complicated look, and said, "You'll understand when you meet that senior."
This is a dilapidated Taoist temple.
If it weren't for Sun's wife bringing them here, A Qiu would never have imagined that a small Taoist temple would be hidden among the ancient cypress trees in the vast Tangli Garden.
The main hall's plaque bears the inscription "God of Music," yet it is merely a tiny, narrow hall.
Lady Sun only brought Xue Hongbi, A Qiu, Zhang Exu, and Cui Luzhu into the hall, and it immediately felt crowded. The rest of the dancers held candles and waited in the courtyard.
Sun Neiren said softly, "This is where we enshrine Kuilong, the god of music whom our music bureau has revered for generations."
A-Qiu had heard this story before, though he was still a student of his teacher. Emperor Shun appointed Kui to oversee music, and Kui established the six pitch pipes, harmonized the five tones, and coordinated the eight musical notes to bring order to the world. Confucius later praised him, saying that one person as virtuous and capable as Kui was enough.
Therefore, Kui is the first Grand Master of Music in recorded history, and he was regarded as a deity by musicians.
Two tattered yellow curtains parted to the sides, behind which stood a bronze mythical beast about three feet tall. It resembled a dragon but had no horns, with one leg crouching in front and its tail coiled behind. Its shape was simple and dignified, clearly indicating its great age, but its thick, shiny luster suggested that it had been frequently polished.
Lady Sun must be a frequent visitor here. She calmly took three sticks of incense from the altar, lit them, and inserted them into the earthen stove. Then, she solemnly picked up two red candles, lit them, and placed them on the candlesticks. Finally, she bowed three times.
Xue Hongbi, A Qiu, and everyone else in the courtyard followed suit. For them, this was the first time they had ever paid homage to their sect's founder.
Xue Hongbi whispered, "Sun Ci, the senior you're going to pay your respects to isn't this Lord Kui, is he? I don't think he'd object to us two old teachers performing on stage. Why bother with all this trouble?"
Sun's wife said calmly, "That senior once said that as long as I come here at night and light the candles and incense together, she will come to see me within about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. In the past, when I wanted to be alone for a while, I would usually just come here to light a few incense sticks. Now that so many of us have come with candles, we must have already alerted the senior. She should arrive in a short while."
Upon hearing this, A Qiu secretly pondered: This Kui Long Temple is so remote, and judging from its appearance, it's usually neglected. Yet this senior was able to arrive within half an incense stick's time after seeing just a single candlelight here. Therefore, her residence must not be far from here.
Night had fallen deep in the Tangli area, and all was quiet except for the rustling of the wind through the treetops. Everyone in the Kuilong Palace and the dancers in the courtyard held candles and waited silently, their flickering flames dancing in the wind.
Sun's wife said softly, "Not everyone in the Music Bureau has the opportunity to visit this Temple of the Music God in their lifetime. In the past, only those chosen as 'Guardians' would come here to pay homage to the gods."
Xue Hongbi suddenly understood something, and she whispered, "This is why you didn't want to be the head dancer and steal the limelight back then. You didn't want to leave the dance troupe and the music bureau, and it wasn't just because of Shi Changqing."
She bit her lip. "Because you took on the mission of protecting the dance club, you will never leave here."
Since arriving here, Mrs. Sun has shown a sense of relief and detachment. She said softly, "That happened after that. At that time, I suddenly understood some things."
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