Chapter 220
The jade pillow is cool to dispel the summer heat, the green mat and gauze kitchen, the precious moon is hazy and sleepy.
"Young Master Wang, the young master has taken the medicine and fallen asleep. Can I ask you to wait for a moment and let the young master sleep a little longer? He won't sleep for long." The maid requested cautiously, her tone humble.
Wang Yang smiled and put the folding fan on the desk: "Okay, I'm not in a hurry."
The maid said happily: "Many thanks, young master! Does the young master still drink red wine today?"
"Yes, the red wine here is good. Eh? You were the one who fanned me last time."
The maid's face flushed, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum: "The young master still remembers."
Wang Yang said warmly: "Of course I remember, you fanned very well, and you are also very good to your young master."
The blush on the maid's face deepened. Seeing Wang Yang staring at her, she lowered her head in a panic and muttered: "The young master is too kind..."
Wang Yang's gaze still fell on the maid, with a faint smile in his eyes: "It's not too kind, it's that you did well. When you fanned last time, the strength was appropriate, and now you are so considerate of your young master, it's really thoughtful."
The maid was dizzy and shyly said: "Slave... slave is just doing her duty."
Wang Yang leaned forward slightly, closer to the maid, his voice softening by another point: "Just doing your duty can be done so well, which shows your attentiveness. Is your young master not feeling well?"
Seeing Wang Yang suddenly lean closer, the maid's heart beat faster, her mind went blank, and for a moment she didn't know what to say, just nodded in a trance.
"Did you bring the medicine from the Marquis Mansion?"
The maid nodded again, her face so red it was about to drip blood.
Wang Yang's lips moved imperceptibly.
In fact, Wang Yang had already confirmed the true identity of this so-called "young master" after listening to Xiao Pang's words, but he had always put stability first, and he had to "do great things" in a while. So seeing that the main character hadn't arrived and there were only him and the maid in the hall, he took the opportunity to set a trap.
Maid sister, I'm also doing this to survive, I'm sorry!
Wang Yang got the confirmation and didn't stop, continuing to chat with the maid for a few words. Just as he was about to ask the maid's name, the maid who brought him fruit walked in. Seeing this scene, she coughed slightly.
The maid came to her senses, hurriedly took a step back: "Young master, slave... slave will... go prepare tea and snacks for you." After speaking, she hurriedly bowed and fled.
Wang Yang looked at the fruit plate and saw bayberries, so he picked one and ate it. His mouth was sour and sweet, and he couldn't help but think of the scene when his mother soaked bayberries with baking soda, salt, and starch. I don't know if the bayberry he is eating now has been washed like this.
The Song people said: "After parting, there are thousands of hatreds, and the letters don't send two or three lines. I miss you frequently at the end of spring in Jiangnan, because I want to taste bayberries with you." Letters are impossible, as for bayberries...
Mom, you've been eating bayberries lately, right?
Wang Yang was thinking, when he suddenly felt a wind sweep to the back of his neck, as if something was approaching quickly.
This feeling was the second time.
He looked back and saw a petite girl with two silver hairpins in her hair, standing like a wooden man, twisting her head to look to the side.
This is Xiao Deng's maid?
When did she come in? Why was there no sound at all?
Wang Yang retracted his gaze in confusion and continued to eat bayberries.
Xinyi's eyes flashed with brilliance, and she pointed her finger at the back of Wang Yang's neck!
She stopped at a distance of a thin piece of paper and quickly withdrew her hand!
Wang Yang noticed the abnormality again and immediately looked back, seeing the girl looking up at the sky.
Wang Yang:.......
He knew the girl was playing tricks, deliberately cleared his throat, and said to the girl: "Did you see a mosquito?"
Xinyi looked at Wang Yang, blankly: "Where is the mosquito?"
"There is, a big mosquito, flying around behind me."
Xinyi looked around and asked suspiciously: "Really? My eyesight is so good, why didn't I see it?"
This... seems not very smart...
Wang Yang stopped talking and turned to eat fruit.
Xinyi muttered: "What's the matter, it's not hard to kill at all..."
"What?" Wang Yang looked back.
"Ah?" Xinyi looked confused and puzzled.
Wang Yang was speechless, just about to turn around, Xinyi suddenly said: "Is that song 'Willing to be mandarin ducks and not envy immortals' written by you?"
"The music wasn't written by me, but the lyrics..."
"The lyrics are wrong." Xinyi said decisively.
Wang Yang: ???
"Where are the lyrics wrong?" Wang Yang asked.
Xinyi pointed out seriously: "Borrowing to ask for flute playing towards purple smoke, where is there purple smoke in the world? Smoke is white!"
Purple smoke is a common term for Taoist alchemy and cultivation. "Liexian Zhuan" says: "The alchemy fire wings shine, purple smoke forms a canopy." "Dongxuan Lingbao Yujingshan Buxu Jing" says: "Ten flowers and immortals gather, purple smoke forms a palace." Li Bai sought alchemy and Taoism, so he also liked to use purple smoke as a word, and then there were sentences like "Sunlight shines on the incense burner and produces purple smoke", "Red stars mess with purple smoke", "Evening returns to the purple smoke of Mount Song". On one hand, smoke can indeed appear purple, and on the other hand, it also uses Taoist allusions.
Therefore, Li He said: "Emperor Wu loves immortals, burning gold gets purple smoke." Speaking of immortals and alchemy (burning gold means alchemy, taking it can become an immortal), the word meaning of purple smoke is more obvious than Li Bai's sentence.
Therefore, "Borrowing to ask for flute playing towards purple smoke" is an allusion to Xiao Shi playing the flute and becoming an immortal, echoing the last sentence "Willing to be mandarin ducks and not envy immortals", meaning that as long as you can be with your sweetheart, even if you don't fly up to become an immortal like Xiao Shi and Nong Yu, you are willing.
Wang Yang didn't explain to Xinyi, but nodded: "The girl is indeed insightful."
Xinyi was very proud: "That's natural!"
Then, as if to comfort Wang Yang, she added: "Although the lyrics are wrong, the music and dance are both good."
"Is there still a dance?"
This poem was first used with music by the Wang mansion's musicians. Later, Zong Ce heard this poem and chatted with Wang Yang for half a day, from the Han Dynasty's "Seventy-two mandarin ducks, lined up in rows" to Pan Yue's "Like those swimming river fish, eyes meeting on the road", and after returning, his inspiration exploded, composing a song at night and sending it to Wang Yang. Once spread, it quickly surpassed the old music and became the exclusive music for "Willing to be mandarin ducks and not envy immortals".
So no matter if it was new or old music, Wang Yang had heard it, but he hadn't seen the dance choreographed for the music.
"Yes!" Xinyi answered.
"Can you dance?" Wang Yang asked.
Xinyi's tone carried a bit of pride: "That's natural!"
Wang Yang became interested: "Show me."
Xinyi turned her head away: "I won't dance for you!"
Wang Yang smiled: "Afraid of dancing badly and being laughed at by me?"
Xinyi puffed up her little face: "Who's afraid! I dance the best!"
Wang Yang didn't believe it: "You're lying..."
"Who's lying! I'll let you see—" Xinyi stopped halfway, alert: "Trying to trick me into dancing? I'm not that stupid!"
Wang Yang smiled: "Indeed not that stupid."
Xinyi felt satisfied with "seeing through" Wang Yang's "trick" and decided to tell her young master about the process of her outsmarting Wang Yang and defeating him in a while.
After imagining it, she suddenly asked Wang Yang: "How many guards do you have?"
"Let me count." Wang Yang picked up his fan, patted his palm, his expression thoughtful, muttering, as if calculating, and then said: "Less than a hundred."
Xinyi was shocked: "So many!"
Wang Yang waved his hand: "Not many."
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Xinyi showed a suspicious expression.
"Less than a hundred, it's absolutely true, your young master also knows."
So powerful... no wonder the young master said he was not easy to kill. With so many guards, he is indeed not easy to kill.
"How are their skills?" Xinyi asked again.
Wang Yang waved his fan: "Average, but none of them know 'Arcane Finger'."
Xinyi was puzzled: "What is Arcane Finger?"
"Arcane Finger is an extremely powerful martial art. After being poked by Arcane Finger, you can't dance within a stick of incense, otherwise you will soon become numb and fixed, and it will take half an hour to recover freely."
Xinyi was greatly surprised: "How can there be such a martial art! You're talking nonsense!!"
Swish!
Wang Yang's fan suddenly closed, his face solemn:
"Arcane Finger was created by the great martial arts master of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Young Master Nan! Young Master Nan once used this finger to sweep away evil and deter the small! Under one finger, heroes are bound, who dares to act rashly?
Later generations have poems praising: 'Young Master's Arcane Technique, strange moves shake the nine abysses! Spiritual rhinoceros connects to wonderful points, internal strength hides deep and soft. Touching the body like cold light, capturing the soul like cold smoke. Heaven and earth hide the meaning of the finger, looking up at the blue sky for eternity!'
The so-called arc is curved; the deep is deep. Arcane finger, the curved path leads to the deep, and the strength penetrates deep. The finger strength reaches, like wind passing through the forest, like the moon shining on the water, formless and traceless, capturing people's souls! Those who are hit fall into the clouds and mist, unable to control themselves. If they dance forcibly, their blood and energy will stagnate, their limbs will be stiff, and it will be difficult to solve for a while.
I am the thirty-third generation successor of the Bluffing Finger! Other things can be joked about, but this kind of martial arts masterpiece, would I use it to talk nonsense?"
Xinyi listened with her little mouth open, her eyes round. Originally, she would never believe that there was such a strange martial art in the world! But Wang Yang spoke too logically and smoothly, so she couldn't help but believe it. Because in her eyes, it is absolutely impossible for anyone in the world to make up such a long piece of stuff in the blink of an eye.
Plus there is a poem as evidence, so she had to believe it!
Young Master Nan? Never heard of him, he looks so powerful! I'll ask the young master later, maybe she has read about it in a book.
Xinyi was stunned for a long time, and couldn't help asking: "Does this Arcane Finger hurt when poked?"
"It doesn't hurt at all."
"Then poke me and try."
Wang Yang hesitated: "This is not good."
"Oh, I took the initiative to let you poke, what's not good?! I'm so curious, I want to see it!"
Wang Yang thought for a while, and then said reluctantly: "Okay, but to avoid hurting your vitality, I will only use thirty percent of my strength, just let the girl feel it."
Xinyi nodded solemnly: "Trouble you."
"You come over."
Xinyi leaned over.
"Closer."
Xinyi rubbed forward.
"Closer."
Xinyi moved forward another half step.
Wang Yang bent his fingers: "Lean your head over."
Xinyi bent down, looking a bit scared. Wang Yang held back his laughter, moved his palms into the wind, sent his fingers like a dragon, and made a few movements of practicing internal energy, then poked Xinyi's forehead hard.
Well, it poked red.
Xinyi rubbed her forehead while retreating, blankly: "There's no reaction."
Wang Yang said calmly: "First, I used thirty percent of my strength, the reaction won't be so fast. Second, you have to dance first."
"Oh right... then what dance should I dance?"
Wang Yang pondered: "It's best to be a dance learned in the last few months."
Xinyi was full of question marks: "Why do you have to learn a new one?"
Wang Yang acted like a master: "Don't you know that if you can renew yourself one day, you can renew yourself day by day, and renew yourself day by day?"
Xinyi shook her head.
"Simply put, the newly learned dance movements are not yet pure, and the blood and energy are easier to be affected. If you dance those dances that you have long been familiar with, the body is already used to it, and the effect of the Arcane Finger is difficult to manifest. It's mainly because I don't want to hurt your vitality, so I only used thirty percent of my strength, otherwise it would be the same whether you dance new or old."
Xinyi thought for a while and said: "Then I'll dance 'Willing to be mandarin ducks and not envy immortals', can I sing while dancing? Otherwise there is no rhythm."
Wang Yang said seriously: "Singing and dancing three times, the meaning will naturally appear. Start."
Xinyi hummed the song in her mouth, her hands lifted gently, her fingertips like orchids. Her arms retracted and expanded, like clouds rolling; her legs and feet advanced and retreated, like flowing water winding.
The dance steps rose and fell with the singing, and the clouds and flowing water gradually merged together.
In the clouds is the lightly rippling water, and in the water is the crushed clouds.
Clouds and water are one, the river and sky are one color, just like the moon rising over the vast sea, the waves flowing on the star screen; just like the flat Dongting Lake, the wood leaves falling on the autumn beach.
The skirt hem scattered into butterfly shadows, and the slender waist shook into willow silk feelings.
Wang Yang drank wine and watched the dance, his smile light.
And when Xiao Baoyue arrived, she saw a scene that made her dumbfounded and unbelievable:
Her personal close guard, the leader of the martial maids, Xinyi, was dancing for Wang Yang!!!
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Note: "History of the Southern Dynasties · Biography of Prince Zhongwu of Shixing": "People sang: 'Prince Shixing, father of the people, rushes to people's urgency, like water and fire, when will he come to nurse me again.' Jing dialect calls father 'die', so it says so."
End of Chapter
