"When I came here for the first time, I was shocked by the beauty of this place, just like you."
Chen Pipi stood beside Ning Que without anyone noticing.
Ning Que turned to look at him and asked, "Is it more beautiful than the place where you used to live?"
Chen Pipi looked at him and wondered if he had guessed his origin. After a moment of silence, he said, "Solemn, solemn, or sacred, in fact, they are not beautiful."
He smiled and continued, "Welcome to the real Academy."
Ning Que replied with a smile, "It seems that you are my tour guide today."
Chen Pipi had never heard of the word tour guide, but he could guess what it meant. He smiled and led him to the cliff platform. They walked through the green fields and meadows, stepped on the slightly wet ridges, and walked on a wooden bridge. Then they came to the lake as calm as a mirror.
The white water birds in the lake sometimes floated and sometimes sank, hunting for small fish in the water. Whether they succeeded or failed, they proudly raised their heads, swallowed the fish, or shook off the water drops on their feathers. The footsteps on the wooden bridge attracted the attention of the water birds, but they were obviously not afraid of people. Instead, they seemed to be curious and very intelligent.
There was a pavilion in the middle of the wooden bridge, and it was very quiet among the lake and water. A woman in a light yellow spring dress of the Academy was concentrating on embroidery in the pavilion.
Chen Pipi led Ning Que to the woman and bowed respectfully, "Seventh Sister."
The woman in light yellow raised her head and glanced at Ning Que beside him. She said with a smile, "Show Youngest Brother around."
Ning Que bowed with hands folded in front and said respectfully, "Seventh Sister."
Seventh Sister glanced at Chen Pipi with a faint smile and suddenly said, "From now on, you can be lazy."
Chen Pipi smiled awkwardly.
Ning Que did not understand and looked at the two blankly.
Seventh Sister did not say anything and continued to embroider.
After walking out of the pavilion and crossing the lake to the shore along the wooden bridge, Chen Pipi looked back and introduced to Ning Que, "Seventh Sister is Mu You, an expert in tactical arrays. The fog you passed through when you went up the mountain was set up by the predecessors of the Academy. Now she is responsible for the maintenance of the tactical array. As for embroidery … Seventh Sister encountered a bottleneck two years ago, and neither Eldest Brother nor Second Brother could find a good way. Finally, the Headmaster decided to let her embroider. She has been embroidering for two years, and I don't know if she has passed the bottleneck."
Ning Que was still shocked in his heart, but he kept calm on the surface. This was the first time he entered the Second floor of the Academy, and he had no idea about many things. For example, what was the relationship between embroidery and tactical arrays? But because he had no idea at all, he knew that even if he asked, it would be useless, so he remained silent.
Chen Pipi led him past the extremely tall ancient tree and walked to the dense forest in the west. Listening to the melodious sound of zither and flute, he said, "The one who plays the flute is Ninth Brother Beigong Weiyang, and the one who plays the zither is Tenth Brother Ximen Buhuo. They come from the southernmost island and are proficient in Temperament. As for what method they are cultivating, I'm afraid that even they themselves don't know."
Ning Que asked in surprise, "What do you mean? How can a cultivator not know his own method of cultivation? "
Chen Pipi shook his head and explained, "The Headmaster never assigns them homework, but just lets them play these useless things freely. I have been listening to them play for many years in the Academy, and I have never seen them do anything else."
The sound of zither and flute in the spring forest suddenly stopped, and then there was a rustling sound. Two men walked out of the forest. The two men were handsome and calm, wearing the white Academy spring clothes, which had obviously been modified. The sleeves and hem of the robe were very wide, and when the spring wind blew, they looked like immortals. They did not look like students, but more like sage-like hermits.
Ninth Brother, who was holding the flute, looked at Chen Pipi and said angrily, "What do you mean by 'even I myself don't know'?"
Chen Pipi said with a smile, "Then tell me, what on earth have you been cultivating in the Academy for so many years?"
Ninth Brother picked up the flute and hit Chen Pipi's head hard without hesitation.
Chen Pipi covered his head and shouted angrily, "Ninth Brother, how can you hit me when you can't win an argument? What happened to your elegant demeanor? "
The man who had been silent beside holding the zither suddenly said, "Good hit."
Chen Pipi looked at the man and said, "Tenth Brother, you have never been such a person."
Tenth Brother Ximen Buhuo smiled and gently held the zither in his hands in front of him. His fingertips slightly trembled and plucked out a broken sound. He looked at Ning Que and said, "Youngest Brother, Senior Brother Beigong and I are cultivating the Great Way of Music. A layman like Pipi who only knows how to fight with the Qi of Heaven and Earth can never understand the beauty of music. I hope you are not such a layman."
Ninth Brother Beigong Weiyang put the flute in his waist and looked at Ning Que with great interest and said, "Youngest Brother, when I saw you climbing the mountain that day, you were quite free and easy. Master Yan Se also said that you have the potential of a Divine Talisman Master, and I heard that you are a famous calligrapher in Chang 'an recently. In this case, you must have some attainments in art. You and I should have a good competition in the future."
Ning Que hurriedly bowed respectfully, but he thought bitterly in his heart that he did not know anything about music. As for whether it was vulgar or not … Being able to perceive the Qi of Heaven and Earth should of course be used to improve one's state and then learn fighting skills. These two Senior Brothers actually put all their cultivation and lives into music. It was elegant, but it was a waste of God's gift.
"Senior Brothers, I don't know anything about the Way of Music," he hurriedly replied.
Ninth Brother Beigong Weiyang did not take it seriously. He waved his sleeves and said, "Music and calligraphy are beautiful things in Heaven and Earth. The word 'art' stresses on understanding by analogy. You didn't have a chance in the past, but now you have met me and your Tenth Brother. How can you know nothing about it?"
Seeing their enthusiasm, Ning Que was too embarrassed to refuse. So he promised that in the future when he was free from studying in the Academy, he would respectfully ask these two Senior Brothers for advice on the Way of Music. Even if he could not learn anything, it would be good to be an audience.
Hearing this, the two Senior Brothers showed joy on their faces and praised together, "You are indeed not a layman like Pipi."
…
…
On the way to the house on the cliff plateau under the big tree, Chen Pipi glanced at Ning Que and asked seriously, "Do you really like to listen to the sound of flute and zither?
Ning Que glanced at him and said, "Not at all … You don't have to look at me like this. This is my first day in the Second floor of the Academy. How can I refuse two Senior Brothers who are so enthusiastic?"
Chen Pipi said bitterly, "You idiot, of course you should firmly refuse this kind of thing."
Ning Que did not understand and asked, "If Senior Brothers want to play flute for me in the future, I can just avoid it. What's the problem?"
"These years, no Senior Brother or Senior Sister is willing to quietly listen to their performance. They can only face each other and play flute and zither every day. One is happy, the other is sad. They flatter each other and are already bored to the extreme. What they lack is an audience. Since you have promised them, you can wait to be dragged to the Back Mountain every day to be an audience."
Ning Que asked confusedly, "Are you two Senior Brothers very poor in the Way of Music?"
"If you two Senior Brothers were in the world, you would definitely be the first-class Rhythmic Masters."
Chen Pipi said with a straight face. Soon after, his eyebrows drooped down bitterly as he continued, "But no matter how amazing a musician is, if you listen to the same song over and over again for a thousand times, you will know the pain within."
Would he get tired of eating a thousand bowls of hot and sour noodle slices? Would Sangsang get tired of eating a thousand bowls of cabbage heads in vinegar? Would he get tired of taking Sangsang to the Building of Pines and Cranes to eat a thousand bowls of noodles in a row? Of course he would get tired of listening to the same song for a thousand times in a row, and it would be very painful.
Ning Que asked with a trembling voice, "There are countless people in the world who love Rhythmic Master. I think you two Senior Brothers won't let me listen to it alone."
"There are many people in the world who love Rhythmic Master, but in your opinion, there are very few people who are qualified to listen to their music. Those who can enter the Back Mountain of the Academy and become their classmates have all passed the test of the Headmaster of the Academy. Of course they are qualified, but others are not."
After a long silence, Ning Que said resolutely, "I will avoid it."
"I used to avoid it." Chen Pipi looked at him sympathetically and sighed, "The Back Mountain of the Academy is not small, but it is still possible to find someone."
When Ning Que was about to say something, he suddenly found that the flowering tree beside the stone path was shaking. A person whose face could not be seen clearly suddenly rushed out, which startled him. When he looked closely, he found that it was a young Senior Brother whom he met on the top of the mountain that day. But today, this Senior Brother's hair and clothes were all covered with all kinds of flower petals, which looked very funny and a little scary.
Chen Pipi pulled him to his side and introduced him very seriously, "This is Eleventh Brother, Wang Chi."
Ning Que hurriedly tidied up his clothes and bowed deeply, "Greetings, Eleventh Brother."
Eleventh Brother stared at him and did not return the bow. Instead, he picked up a petal on his shoulder and asked blankly, "Let me ask you, if there is nothing outside your heart and nothing outside your heart, but before the Headmaster of the Academy entered the Back Mountain, this flower has bloomed and withered in the mountain for thousands of years. What does it have to do with our hearts? If no one enters the Back Mountain, if no one sees this flower, this flower does not exist? "
Ning Que was speechless. After a long silence, he turned his head and looked at Chen Pipi innocently.
Chen Pipi's gaze was even more innocent than his, which meant that if Ning Que could not answer clearly, it would not be good for him to leave.
Eleventh Brother Wang Chi looked at him tenderly and waited for a long time without an answer. But he did not show any displeasure on his face. He explained himself gently, "In my opinion, before you and I see this flower, the flower and our hearts are silent. When you and I come to see this flower, the flower appears and blooms in our hearts. Whether this flower exists or not depends on the moment when it appears."
Ning Que slightly opened his mouth, still speechless and looked very innocent.
Chen Pipi felt a little guilty because of this guy's innocent look. He coughed twice and said, "Eleventh Brother, it is the first day that Youngest Brother entered the Back Mountain. I have to take him to meet other Senior Brothers. Can we talk about the flower's heart later?"
Wang Chi looked at Ning Que warmly and said, "Youngest Brother, if you have spare time in the future, can you help me to think about it?"
Ning Que heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly agreed. Then he followed Chen Pipi and ran away from the flowering trees towards the houses under the ancient trees on the cliff plateau. He did not notice the sympathetic look on Chen Pipi's face.
…
…
(I haven't recovered yet. I feel like vomiting while writing. It seems that I lack pressure … Well, I can put more pressure on myself. I will guarantee 6,000 words tomorrow.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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