Chapter 2: The First Snow (Part 4)

  "It's just a trivial skill, not worthy of such high praise!" Gao Shi smiled and shook his head lightly. "I often do this for fun in my spare time, but what I'm relying on now is just a familiar hand. If I were to exchange the sword for a zither, I wouldn't be able to bring out its inner charm!"

  He said, raising his wine cup and turning to the crowd, "Can Gao drink this cup of wine?!"

  "Bravo! Bravo!" Everyone applauded together, cheering loudly for Gao Shi's "qin skills".

  The atmosphere in the field became more and more intense, even Zhang Zhou's calm personality was stirred up. Looking around, seeing that no one was preparing to take over Gao Shi's wine order, he put down his wine cup and smiled, asking: "Ming Yun, may I borrow a set of pen and ink?"

  "If Tan Hualuang can write a few words on the wall, Lin Fenglou will be grateful from top to bottom!" Wang Xun nodded and smiled, instructing his assistant to fetch pen and ink.

  In a moment, the pen and ink arrived. Zhang Xun selected a large wolf hair brush from among them, dipped it in the inkstone, walked up to the wall with big strides, raised his wrist, took a deep breath, and wrote down the four characters "Wind Rises Cloud Moves". Each character was two feet square, all of which were meticulous Han Li script.

  At this time, the most popular among scholars and ink guests was cursive script, which took its free and unbound state. However, there were also many famous families in the folk who excelled at clerical script. The character "Zhang Xun" is quite elegant and open-minded, with unpredictable changes, probably not inferior to Zhang Xu, the saint of cursive script. But what's valuable about it is its dignified and solemn style, from a distance, a strong and upright spirit bursts out.

  "Good!" Everyone present was a connoisseur, and as soon as they saw the characters written by Zhang Zhou, they immediately applauded. Zhang Zhou smiled and bowed to everyone, then said in a low voice: "Thanks to Master Gao's sword song just now, I was able to drink this cup of wine. When I heard it, I suddenly felt something in my heart, and my hands couldn't help but move!"

  "Don't attribute the success to me." Gao Shi smiled and shook his head, "That majestic aura is in your heart, my song just happened to resonate with it. I cultivate my vast and harmonious energy, great and unyielding, nourishing it straightforwardly without harm, then it fills the space between heaven and earth. The ancients were not deceiving me!"

  The sound fell, and the four seats were again filled with applause. Half of it was for Zhang Zhou's words, and half of it was for Gao Shi's commentary. Lei Wanchun had not gotten a drink in two rounds, and his throat was already parched. He glanced at the calligraphy on the wall several times, and suddenly had an epiphany. Haha laughed loudly, stood up straight, walked quickly to Gao Shi's side, borrowed the treasured sword from him, and then came to the wall where Zhang Zhou had written earlier. With a sudden movement, he flipped his body in mid-air, and while flipping, he used the sword to carve out four large characters "Tiger Roar Dragon Hum" on the wall, higher than Zhang Zhou's original four characters, and slightly to the left. In the last moment, his body was already close to the ground, but with a burst of strength from his other arm, his nine-foot-tall body floated up like a falling leaf, slowly standing upright and landing steadily.

  Everyone was so stunned that they even forgot to applaud. Some held their wine cups, others grasped their chopsticks, mouths slightly agape, eyes fixed unblinking. It wasn't until after a while that someone finally let out a long "ah" and clapped vigorously.

  These four words, however, are in a cursive script. The skill displayed in calligraphy is fundamentally incomparable to the four words Zhang Zong wrote earlier. But no one dares to underestimate Leiyuanchun's move. To know that, with one stroke and one fall, it takes only three or two breaths, even using the cursive script method, the four words together have more than twenty strokes. Writing down these four words is equivalent to stabbing out more than twenty swords in three or two breaths, such martial arts, such quick wit, I'm afraid that looking at the entire Tang Dynasty, you can't find a second person.

  "Can we drink now?" Lei Wanchun was nervous and flustered, bowing in all directions amidst the applause.

  "Alright, alright. Brother Lei should change to a bigger bowl!" Qin Guo Mo smiled and responded. He turned his head and ordered the waiter to bring the largest wine bowl for Lei Wan Chun, slowly pouring a bowl and presenting it to him with both hands.

  "Finally got to drink it!" Lei Wanchun didn't hesitate, picked up the wine cup and gulped it down. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with his hand, turned back to look at his own calligraphy, couldn't help but shake his head slightly, and smiled saying: "Compared to Tanhuarang's calligraphy, mine is like a spider crawling. However, this atmosphere, is quite matching!"

  "It's not just a match, it's a perfect fit!" Xian Can lightly clapped his hands and stood up, saying, "After reading the two of your writings, I have an idea too!", he said, taking the precious sword from Lei Wanchun's hand, strumming and reciting:

  "Han general leads the army to conquer the west,

  Quickly reporting back to the imperial court.

  The Emperor opens the Lin Pavilion in advance,

  Who can count the merits of the second general?

  The government army marches out of Loulan,

  Camping by the Moon Cave, cold and desolate.

  The sea of horses freezes at dawn,

  The banners are blown away on Mount Congling.

  The sound of horns and drums echoes,

  Returning with a victorious army, unheard of in history.

  A heroic general shakes the border moon,

  A great general's dragon flag sweeps across the ocean clouds.

  As sunset approaches, the drumbeats resound,

  Thousands of prisoners emerge from the Xiongnu city.

  Washing away the bloodstains on the Fish Sea shore,

  The horses are fed on Dragon Hill, under the moonlight.

  The Xiongnu army sees the Han camp in the distance,

  A valley full of mountains, filled with wailing cries.

  Ten thousand arrows and swords kill in one night,

  By dawn, the city is flooded with blood.

  Last night's rain soaks the flags, not yet dry,

  The nomadic smoke and white grass shine coldly in the sunlight.

  Yesterday, the general fought from dawn till morning,

  The Xiongnu army only saw empty saddles."

  It didn't have the slightest bit of softness and beauty as the first half of the song that Gao Zhan had just played, but it brought out the bold and stirring flavor of the second half of the song to the fullest extent.

  The crowd cheered loudly and offered toasts to Cen Shen. Cen Shen raised his cup, smiled and drank it dry. Next were Qin Guomo and Qin Guiyuan, two brothers who came from a good family background and excelled in both literature and martial arts. They composed two short poems on the spot, which also won the crowd's admiration. However, their literary style and artistic conception were slightly inferior to Cen Shen's poem.

  It was Wang Quan's turn, and he knew he couldn't show off his literary skills in front of Li Bai, Gao Shi, Cui Que, and Cen Shen. So he played to his strengths and ordered the waiter to bring new wine cups, each filled with different heights of wine. He picked up an ivory chopstick and lightly played a tune on the cups, "Shengping Yue". Ding-dong-da-dong, the notes flowed like jade, not a single one missed. It was indeed a divine skill!

  As the music came to an end, applause filled the room. Bai Qi knew that Wang Xun was not good at these elegant things, so while everyone was still immersed in the sound of Wang Quan's music, she quietly proposed to Wang Xun: "I'd like to sing a song for everyone, can you accompany me on the zither?"

  "Can't find it!" Seeing Bai Wei being so considerate of him, Wang Xuan was very satisfied and nodded his head, responding in a low voice.

  Yaoqin was brought by Bai Weizi herself and had been placed beside her. As the noise of the crowd subsided, she smiled and handed it over to Wang Xun. Seeing the two young men and women being affectionate, everyone knew that Wang Xun was suspected of cheating, but they smiled and tacitly agreed. After a while, the sound of the piano started, and Wang Xun played a piece of "Breaking Array Music" in line with the generous tone of the banquet just now. This song, Bai Weizi sang almost every day, and all the tunes were already familiar to her. She stood up and accompanied the singing in a soft voice: "Autumn comes, four sides are full of wind and sand, people outside the pass temporarily bid farewell to their homes, thousands of miles away from home, time is early or late to the end of the sky..." As the tune turned urgent, the singing voice gradually changed from gentle to passionate, "Han soldiers set out in golden armor, shining with bright light, iron clothes..."

  The Poem of Breaking the Array is a grand song of the Tang Dynasty, originally not suitable for one person to sing alone. But when Bai Hua sings it, she can make the heavy sound light, taking care of every detail and performing her own feelings in the tone. After finishing the song, the residual sound lingers. Outside the golden armor and iron horse, a few gentle and soft sounds are born out of thin air. It makes people seem to see a young couple holding swords and walking together on the horizon. The elderly in the audience recall their youthful years, smiling and savoring the taste, while the three young talents, Qin Shi brothers and Wang Quan, gradually become infatuated with Bai Hua's singing.

  The applause of the crowd had just ended, and in the field, only Cui Xie and Gong Sun's wife were left to offer their artistic talents. Not daring to let a woman take precedence over himself, Cui Xie smiled and improvised an ancient-style poem. Borrowing the tune of Yuefu, he filled it with new lyrics about the affection between young men and women. He vividly depicted the scene from earlier, causing Wang Xun and Bai Yuzhi to blush again with happiness.

  It was Madame Gongsun's turn, and she stood up with a smile. After adjusting her clothes, she said to Bai Xiangxiu: "I'll still play my old trade. I wonder if sister can replace me in playing the zither?"

  "Her sister's sword dance is astonishing and moving, but her younger sister's music may be too soft and delicate to match her sister's dance. Why not ask Master Gao?" Bai Hui thought for a moment and recommended him in a low voice.

  "Bring the zither!" Gao Shi was not polite, and ordered his assistant to borrow a jade zither from Bai Xie. He lightly tried out a few notes, then smiled and said: "Which tune shall I play, Master Gong Sun please choose!"

  "It doesn't matter, Master will play it as he wishes!" Gong Sun's wife held her sword in salute, her words betraying an unshakeable confidence.

  "Then let's have a poem in the style of Water Tune!" Gao Shi laughed as he strummed the strings, "It also suits the noble bearing of Master Gong Sun!"

  "Haofu Zi really knows how to choose!" Gong Sun's wife smiled and started a movement along with the sound of the guqin.

  The Water Tune is also a very grand and majestic suite, starting from the scene of the battlefield, all the way to the triumphant return after a hundred battles, where the soldiers reunite with their wives and children at home, raising cups in celebration. There are eleven sections in total, each with its own unique style. Sometimes it's bold and stirring, sometimes it's grand and majestic, sometimes it's gentle and elegant, and sometimes it's melancholic and subdued. It writes out all the emotions of both the men going to war and the women waiting at home, making it extremely difficult to perform.

  But the above complex situations are not difficult for Gao Shi. It's even more difficult to stump Madame Gongsun, who has been renowned in the capital for nearly twenty years. She is seen lightly moving her lotus steps, elegantly turning her body, and dancing slowly with the rhythm of the melody. She perfectly portrays the loneliness of the soldiers on the frontier and the longing of their loved ones back home.

  If we talk about age, Gong Sun's wife is more than twice as old as Bai Zhiyi. However, her figure remains as light and agile as if she had just reached adulthood. With a gentle and weak demeanor, the sharp blades in her hands appear even colder and more menacing. As the music changes, this originally gentle and weak figure gradually becomes stronger. It's as if a woman, after growing up, suddenly transforms from being a precious jewel in her parents' eyes to becoming the daughter-in-law of another family. From living a carefree life, she suddenly has to use all her strength to support a household. With a frail body, she bears the heavy burden of taking care of the family after her husband goes to war, leaving the audience in admiration and sympathy.

  Then the two armies clashed. The woman's soul flew to the front line with the moonlight, transformed into a sword light, and fought side by side with her husband. The enemy army came from all sides, like a tide. The sword light and the husband persisted in the tide-like enemy army, never leaving or abandoning each other. After a fierce battle, the husband was injured. The sword light flew back to their home in the Central Plains, although she was filled with worry about her husband, but put on a smiling face in front of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Turning around, two lines of clear tears fell under the moonlight.

  The husband, wounded in battle, had the sword light by his side once again. Like lightning in the sky, like a dragon soaring, he killed the barbarians until they retreated in disarray. The husband and the sword light charged forward with all their might, cutting through the enemy like a tidal wave, straight for the center of the enemy's formation and the single Khan. Countless wolf riders rushed to his side, shouting in alarm, but the husband let out a long whistle, and the precious sword transformed into a white rainbow, its icy aura so intense that no one dared to look directly at it.

  A loud "hmm" sound, the tune changed again. The conqueror built his achievements and returned to the country on horseback, with twelve honorary titles, to report his victory to the imperial court in the capital. The sword light slowly flew back, reunited with the beauty as one. In front of the mirror, she combed her hair, pulled out the premature white hairs, and waited silently...

  Eleven sets of music, each set presenting a different scene, every nuance contained within was perfectly expressed by Madame Gongsun. The sorrowful parts were heart-wrenching, while the bold and stirring parts made one's blood boil. By the time the eleven sets were finished, the wine in the cups had gone cold, as had the dishes on the low tables. The waiters standing by to attend to the guests had forgotten their duties, their eyes wide with wonder, their mouths agape, their spirits having long since flown away with Madame Gongsun's dance, they didn't know where they had drifted off to!