The sound of a well-governed world
With her hands changing shapes, her feet stepping, and her body swaying, A Qiu forgot her own existence amidst a series of dance moves, and only the dance of a living being soaring in the sky remained.
Amidst the graceful, ethereal dance, A Qiu gradually felt a profound emotional immersion.
It is the heartbreak and longing for love that cannot be obtained, which is depicted a thousand times in the heart.
The woman's clothes and every step she took were depicted with an intense and overwhelming sense of sorrow.
There was once a longing as deep as the sea, though it was within reach but unattainable.
Not all love stories in this world have a happy ending.
Disappointments are perhaps the most real and normal state of things in this world.
But whether things went as planned or not, I was once moved by that person, once waited patiently for their gaze, once was startled by their every glance or response, and couldn't bear the sight of their parting glance. In my dreams, I see myself leaning alone against a high building, my shadow fading into the distance.
These are all true.
To onlookers, at this moment, A Qiu, facing the still white-clad woman in the painting, lowered her eyes and closed her eyes, her hand gestures like picking flowers, spreading wings, flapping wings, and crescent moons, instantly changing into dozens of dance poses.
And the feet followed suit, taking steps, leaping, and landing, like flowing wind and swirling snow, light clouds obscuring the moon, their movements endless and winding.
Her expression was originally deep and quiet, as if she had entered an endless cycle of emptiness.
But gradually, an emotion arose and spread through her dance.
This was the scene that Gu Yi saw when he entered the main hall.
A-Qiu was dancing alone in front of the painting, as if she had entered a state of profound meditation.
Her face and figure were enveloped in a radiance like the moon shining softly, forming various dance poses in the void.
Her expression was focused, yet tinged with a strange sadness, as if she were intently listening to the faint sound of a bell from another time and space.
Upon seeing her expression, Gu Yi immediately knew something was wrong.
At this moment, A Qiu's condition seemed to be passively drawn into some kind of meditative state.
Regardless of what state of meditation others set for us, what we always need is to maintain a sliver of clarity in self-awareness and reflection, rather than being driven mad and confused by external influences.
Zhongli Wuyan, who had followed Gu Yi, laughed and said, "This girl is a natural talent for dance. She can get into character so easily and perform the 'White Silk' dance so vividly. It seems that the Music Bureau has a worthy successor."
Gu Yi said in a deep voice, "She has been affected by someone else's mental forbidden technique. If we don't find a way to get her out soon, she will suffer a qi deviation!"
Zhongli Wuyan carefully examined the portrait of the woman dancing behind the white veil, her eyes shining with a strange light as she said, "Someone actually managed to condense their spirit into brushstrokes using forbidden mental techniques to depict the white-clad woman's dance in this painting. I've lived for seventy years, and this is truly something I've never heard of or seen before."
He added, "This person must not only be a grandmaster of mystical arts, but also be proficient in music and dance to devise this method to record dance movements. But I can't figure out who such a person is, no matter how hard I try."
Gu Yi glanced at the painting and sighed, "This person may not necessarily be proficient in forbidden mental arts. He was simply deeply moved when he put pen to paper, and had a profound understanding of the White Silk Dance. Each stroke naturally embodied his thoughts and ideas. But to be able to do this unintentionally, this person is a grandmaster in both mental strength and musical and dance skills. It's just that his temperament was flawed, leading later generations astray."
As he spoke, he noticed that A Qiu's expression and demeanor changed again. Her face displayed two completely different expressions.
The left half is one of profound peace and tranquility, utterly still and perfectly clear.
The right side of his face was filled with grief, and tears were streaming down his face.
Gu Yi didn't have time to say anything more, and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you to protect me, senior!" He looked around and saw a zither hanging on the wall. It was mottled, with most of the lacquer peeling off and three or four strings broken. But he didn't care about that. With a flick of his sleeve, he took it in his hand.
Zhongli Wuyan also knew that the situation was urgent. Seeing that the zither was broken, she said, "Let me look around and see if there are any other musical instruments we can use!"
Gu Yi sat cross-legged, concentrating his mind and activating the Heart-to-Heart Flower. At the same time, he tuned the strings and pressed the notes, his fingers flying across the strings. With a "dong," an extremely clear and melodious sound of the zither rang out and spread throughout the hall.
A Qiu seemed slightly shaken, revealing a puzzled expression, and her dance moves gradually slowed down.
At this moment, Gu Yi felt the overwhelming sorrow and grief in A Qiu's heart.
Across mountains and seas, whether in the desert sands or the misty rain of Jiangnan, he was always alone.
Gu Yi had no time to ponder who was thinking and feeling these thoughts, and he began to play a piece of music on the zither.
The melodious music filled the hall, as warm and gentle as the afternoon sun, as resonant and powerful as a grand bell, enough to dispel the darkness in people's hearts.
Ah Qiu frowned deeply, as if she disliked the music disrupting the rhythm of her dance.
She billowed her long sleeves and stepped to the left, following the rhythm of the dance she had imagined.
With a sharp "snap," the music stopped abruptly. It turned out that one of Gu Yi's strings had snapped due to the force of her footwork.
This zither has been hanging in Qiwu Palace for decades. It was originally a fine zither, but it is indeed very old, and the silk strings have long since decayed, so it cannot withstand such a battle.
The guqin originally had seven strings, but four of them had broken long ago. Now, one of them was broken off by A Qiu, leaving only two strings.
But Gu Yi remained calm in the face of danger and played the zither again, this time playing "Nine Shao".
When the music of the Xiao Shao is played nine times, a phoenix appears. The music of the Nine Shao is elegant and magnificent, with the grandeur of a phoenix dancing in the heavens.
At this moment, although Gu Yi only had two strings, he remained calm and composed, playing with ease and grace, creating a harmonious atmosphere of birdsong and phoenix dance, which was pleasing to the ear and brought peace to the mind.
To everyone's surprise, Ah Qiu still frowned upon hearing this, revealing an extremely displeased expression.
With a slight flick of her sleeves, she lifted her left arm and pressed down her right, took a step to the right, and then spun around, twisting her body like a swallow in flight and kicking backwards like exploring the sea.
This movement was vigorous and powerful. Gu Yi was connected with her mind and spirit. He could no longer play "Nine Shao". With two "snap" sounds, both strings broke.
When A Qiu heard the music stop, she stood still, lost in thought, no longer dancing, but seemingly hoping for something.
Zhongli Wuyan emerged from behind the bookshelf with a wry smile, holding a mottled, crystal-clear Qiang flute that resembled topaz in its hand. She said, "This girl is quite stubborn. If she doesn't like something, she just doesn't like it. She even dares to dislike the one played by the young master."
The zither in Gu Yi's hand was destroyed, so he could only stand up and say with a wry smile, "She's been like this since she was little. It's really...sigh!"
He added, “This zither is not to my liking. If my ‘Ling Shu’ were here, it would be perfect. It’s a pity that it’s currently at Jinling Terrace.”
Zhongli Wuyan said, "The other musical instruments here are all in disrepair. Most of the stringed instruments have rotten strings, and the flutes and pipes I could find are cracked or worm-eaten. Only this Qiang flute is hidden in a jade box, isolated from the air, and has never been affected by insects or dampness. It looks like it can still be used."
Gu Yi took the Qiang flute in his hand, glanced at it, and said, "This Qiang flute is quite special. Most Qiang flutes are made of bone or bamboo, but this one is made of Xiangfei bamboo from the south. The fact that it has lasted for so many years without breaking shows that it has been carefully preserved."
He raised the Qiang flute to his lips, looking at A Qiu's thoughtful and waiting expression, and felt a stirring in his heart. He then played a long and melodious tune.
Perhaps because it is made of Xiangfei bamboo, its tone is more clear and melodious than that of the original Qiang flute.
Sure enough, upon hearing this sound, A Qiu stopped dancing and slowly withdrew her hands and feet, listening intently.
The flute's clear and melodious sound seemed to tell a story of a distant homeland, or a gentle and lingering melody of an unyielding heart.
As A-Qiu listened, he gradually closed his eyes, as if he had fallen asleep standing up, and his body slowly fell from the air.
Gu Yi blew out the last note, and as the lingering sound faded, he rose up to catch her in his arms.
Zhongli Wuyan praised, "The sound of a well-governed world is peaceful and joyful, reflecting the harmony of the government. The sound of the Junior Tutor is worthy of this praise."
Gu Yi, holding A Qiu in his arms, turned his head and said, "I'm going to take her to Jinlingtai now to use 'Ling Shu' to regulate her spirit. Senior, are you still coming?"
Zhongli Wuyan was taken aback, then gave an awkward chuckle and said, "Well, this old woman won't join in the fun."
Gu Yi said "Oh," and started walking away with A Qiu in his arms.
A Qiu fell asleep to the familiar melody of "Chang'an Wind." And the familiar, bittersweet fragrance emanating from Gu Yi undoubtedly intensified her dreams.
What she saw at that moment was the warm sunlight shining into a full study. Outside the gauze window, vines entwined the courtyard wall, the eaves tiles were green, and swallows occasionally flew across the blue sky, lingering and circling.
From time to time, the sounds of singing and laughter of young boys and girls could be heard from outside the courtyard, separated by just one wall.
The walls are lined with bookshelves, scrolls and books piled up like mountains and seas, and brocade pouches and famous zithers hang on the walls. By the window, a large table is decorated with inkstones, brush rests and inkstones, and the fragrance of ancient ink permeates the air.
A young girl dressed in a plain white brocade robe, with a moon-white silk skirt around her waist and bright moon earrings on her ears, sat calmly by the window, holding a green bamboo tube and a purple writing brush, as if she were writing something attentively.
From A-Qiu's perspective, she could only see her back, but even that back seemed extremely familiar and dear to her.
But A-Qiu didn't remember ever seeing such a girl before.
It certainly wasn't in Lanling Hall, and it probably wasn't before Lanling Hall either.
The young woman before him was poised and elegant, clearly a daughter of a prominent family.
The girl seemed to hear her movement and smiled, "You're awake." But she didn't turn around or stop writing.
A-Qiu rubbed his eyes, making sure she was talking to him, before replying, "Yes. What are you writing?"
On the one hand, a feeling of bewilderment and confusion arose in my mind.
Why was he sitting here, exchanging questions and answers with this girl, yet feeling extremely familiar with her without any awkwardness, as if it were only natural for him to be like this?
This exchange seemed to have occurred a thousand times in my imagination.
The girl tossed her pen aside, stretched, and laughed, "I was copying an ancient poem. Listen to it, and see if you like it?"
Without waiting for A-Qiu's reply, she casually recited: "Life is less than a hundred years, yet worries are as long as a thousand. The days are short and the nights are long, why not light a candle and wander?"
As A Qiu listened to the girl's melodious recitation, his heart stirred, but he asked, "Judging from your appearance, you are only sixteen or seventeen years old, not much older than me. Why do you like these kinds of poems that only old men can understand?"
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