Chapter 27: 1 Song of Clear Sound
Chapter 27 A Clear Song
The sound of the flute is continuous, floating in the wind like spider silk, sometimes clear and melodious, sometimes low.
There are not many changes in tune between the two, leaving behind only the quiet,
It's like the bright moon shining on the bamboo forest, and like the gentle breeze blowing on the hills.
In the midst of the world, a song purifies the mind.
Under the cleansing of the flute, his distracting thoughts gradually calmed down, and Zhang Yu let go of the sword in his hand...
When he woke up, the sound of the flute seemed to still be surrounding his mind.
He got off the bed and looked around.
The room was simply furnished without many utensils. Outside the window was a bamboo forest surrounding it, as if it was in the mountains. He smelled the fragrance of herbs and there seemed to be the sound of flowing water in the distance, not sure if it was a waterfall or a mountain stream.
This is truly a wonderful place.
Zhang Yu finally felt truly at peace. Since coming to this world half a year ago, he had been running for his life, practicing martial arts, killing people, and trying hard to fit in, but he always seemed like a passerby. Subconsciously, he believed that he was not a person of this world, but now he had a rare sense of reality.
"You're awake." Qu Feiyan came in skipping and jumping. Seeing Zhang Yu standing beside the bed, she turned her head and shouted in surprise.
"Grandpa, Zhang Yu is awake."
A man walked in from the outer room. He was about fifty years old, wearing a linen robe, a deer antler hairpin in his hair, a warm smile on his face, and a flute in his hand. He looked like a hermit living in the mountains seeking immortals and Taoism, or a Confucian scholar well-read in poetry and books.
Zhang Yu guessed this person's identity by looking at his attire and hearing Qu Feiyan calling him "Grandpa".
The world is complicated. No matter the so-called righteous path or the evil path, it is a mess of good and bad. It is usually difficult to judge a person as good or bad, especially for those in high positions.
But if we must identify a good person in the Sun and Moon Sect, it should be the person in front of us.
"I am Zhang Yu, your subordinate, and I am here to meet the Right Envoy Qu, to thank you for saving my life."
Qu Yang helped him up and said with a smile, "No need to be polite. Feiyan said that you are her friend, so you are my guest. Your condition is very complicated. You can stay in this Zhuyan Courtyard for a few days and recover slowly."
They sat down at the table and drank tea opposite each other.
Qu Feiyan was chased by Du Xiaochai and fed herbal soup, and ran out of the house.
Qu Yang smiled dotingly, turned his head and looked at the somewhat reserved young man, and asked curiously: "When I first saw you, you were confused and slashing with your sword. It seemed that you were infatuated with your practice, but that is not the case. I checked your pulse and found that your tendons and veins were unobstructed, your internal energy was full, and everything was in order."
Zhang Yu glanced at the green jade ring on his hand and said, "To be honest with you, Right Envoy Qu, I had so many distracting thoughts in my mind at that time that I couldn't stop them. I went crazy and I still feel scared when I think about it now."
Qu Yang smiled and said, "That's right. I determined that it would be useless to use my inner strength to comb your hair, so I tried to use the flute sound of the "Pure Heart and Universal Good Mantra" to soothe it, and it really worked. It seems that saving your life is God's will, and you should not die."
Zhang Yu asked quickly, "Senior, can this 'Pure Heart and Universal Good Mantra' cure my symptoms?"
Qu Yang sighed and said, "Distractions are rampant, and it is better to clear them than to block them. You are young and hot-tempered, and you like fighting. Being in the Divine Religion, bloody fights are inevitable. In this way, the resentment accumulates, and it may not erupt for a while, but after a long time, it may turn into madness. The way of music can cultivate your body and mind, and even if it cannot completely eliminate your distractions, it should be able to alleviate them to some extent."
Zhang Yu stood up and bowed, saying, "I have long heard that Qu Youshi is an excellent master of both the zither and the flute. I am so bold as to ask you to teach me the art of music."
Qu Yang stroked his long beard, pondered for a moment, looked at Zhang Yu and said with a smile: "I can teach you the "Song of Purifying the Heart and Universal Goodness", but Sakyamuni said that the Dharma cannot be passed on lightly. I need you to bring something in exchange."
Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment, then took off the green jade ring and handed it over: "This is the most valuable item I have. If you like it, just take it."
Qu Yang didn't even take a second look at it, and shook his head, saying, "Gold and jade are no different from wood and stone to me."
Zhang Yu was surprised and said, "In addition to the green jade ring, I also have a black sword and a small bag of gold and silver. Senior, I am sure you will not look down on me. I wonder what you want. Please tell me clearly."
Qu Yang stared at him with an ambiguous smile on his face.
Zhang Yu thought to himself that something was not right. In The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, the relationship between Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan School was quite controversial. Could it be that this old man really had a preference for Long Yang.
"I want you to... write down the story of the little carp and give it to Feiyan."
Zhang Yu suddenly felt ashamed, thinking that he had really judged others by his own standards.
"I have made a promise to Feiyan, and I will keep it even if you don't tell me."
Qu Yang smiled and nodded: "That's good, if Feiyan is happy, I will be happy too."
....................................
December 7th.
The first snow fell in Blackwood Cliff.
There is a ten-mile bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain on the west side. The snow weighs down the branches, but the bamboo joints remain unchanged, they just need to bend temporarily.
The young man jumped two meters high and sat on it. The green bamboo swayed slightly, and large pieces of snow fell from the bamboo crown, but the bamboo body did not bend down. The two seemed to have reached a certain balance.
But the weight of an adult man is two or three times heavier than the snow that just fell.
It can be seen that this person has great skills in light body skills.
He took out the purple flute, placed it to his lips, and pressed his fingers on the air holes.
The sound of the flute is clear and melodious, like a breeze blowing through the thousands of slanting trees and rippling in the snowy valley.
"You made three mistakes, and your breathing was too rapid. After ten days of practice, it's already pretty good to have reached this level. I was originally worried about whether you could memorize the music score completely, but now it seems that you are talented in music."
A man walked through the forest, carrying a bamboo basket filled with fresh wild vegetables. He was wearing a thin linen shirt, but his innate state was immune to wind and snow, and he was immune to all diseases.
Qu Yang is the right-hand man, and he is at the early stage of Xiantian martial arts. If he were in the martial arts world, he would be a powerful leader-level figure who is feared by everyone.
But in the Sun and Moon Sect, it does not match his identity as the fourth person.
This is because he is good at managing educational affairs and running businesses.
In the early days of Dongfang Bubai's reign, Xiang Wentian was promoted in name only but demoted in reality. Qu Yang was appointed as the right envoy to be in charge of religious affairs, rewarding merits and punishing faults, and managing religious property.
Dongfang Bubai led the twelve gangs to attack everywhere, and he ensured that food, medicine, weapons, and clothing were not lacking. The two sides had a honeymoon period.
Later, when Dongfang Bubai's position was consolidated, he began to support Yang Lianting, replacing the old with the new, and Qu Yangshou's power was gradually eroded.
He had long lost interest in the world of martial arts and was content to live a free and easy life, so he simply took the initiative to move down from Heimu Cliff, built this small courtyard in the bamboo smoky mountains, and lived a semi-secluded life.
The song is over.
The young man put away his flute, jumped down from the bamboo pole, and took Qu Yang's backpack.
"Master Qu, I always feel that playing the Pure Heart and Universal Goodness Mantra on the flute seems to have something unfinished."
Zhang Yu hesitated. After all, in front of a music master like Qu Yang, saying such things would be a bit like showing off one's skills in front of an expert.
Qu Yang was very happy when he heard him ask this.
"You can say this, which shows that you are a very talented person."
"I found the 'Pure Heart and Universal Good Mantra' in an ancient book. It was originally supposed to be played with the sound of a zither, which would be more clear and melodious, and more able to cleanse people's hearts."
"But the guqin is difficult to learn. You have no idea about the principles of gong and shang. It's a big taboo for beginners to try too hard."
"Secondly, you are lucky. In the fall, I went to the south to meet a good friend. He is also a master of music. He bet with me that he could play the "Pure Heart and Universal Good Mantra" on the flute. He studied it for a long time and I taught him how to roughly compose it."
Zhang Yu knew who this southern music master Qu Yang was talking about. He smiled and asked, "Who won the bet between Master Qu and this southern music master?"
Qu Yang smiled and said, "Let's call him the winner. His music emphasizes meaning. Although it may not be perfect, it is already a miracle that he has reached such a level. If there is a chance, I would really like to introduce you to him."
The two of them talked and returned to the courtyard.
Qu Feiyan went down the mountain to play as usual.
The little girl's life was full of activities every day, such as buying candied haws, listening to books, visiting friends, and collecting stories. Anyway, Wang Changfeng and Du Xiaochai, a Qi Hai realm warrior and a Po Jia Jing warrior, were always on guard, which was enough to deal with ordinary thieves.
Zhang Yu took out three volumes of books copied in small characters with charcoal.
Qu Yang looked at the cover, which had six big characters "The Adventures of Little Carp" written on it. He opened the first page and saw a table of contents and corresponding page numbers, which showed that the author had put a lot of effort into it. He nodded.
"The story is fantastic and seems like a strange novel, but it actually has a profound meaning. No wonder Feiyan likes it so much."
"This leprous snake deceived the world and stole the name to occupy the position of the real dragon, but in the end it is nothing but a dream and a bubble."
"The three-legged golden toad was too obsessed with appearance and had limited wisdom, so it was easy for others to take advantage of it. Fortunately, it was able to repent."
Zhang Yu saw that his words seemed to have deep meaning, but he didn't say more.
Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Master Qu, I have been nagging you for ten days. I am already feeling uneasy. I think it is time to say goodbye."
Qu Yang put away the three volumes of The Adventures of Little Carp and said with a smile, "That's right. Tomorrow is Tong Baixiong's 60th birthday. As a disciple of the Wind and Thunder Hall, it's time for you to go back. If you feel tired in the future and want to find a place to relax for a while, you can always come back to this small courtyard."
Zhang Yu bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Master Qu, for saving me and teaching me. Zhang Yu will definitely repay you for this kindness."
(End of this chapter)