Chapter 388: What Kind of Daydream Are You Having?

Lin Sicheng stared at the ancient score to decipher it, muttering to himself.

But the voice was very low; it was impossible to hear clearly what he was muttering.

This time was a bit long, nearly half an hour, and Lin Sicheng picked up a charcoal pencil and began to write with a "swish, swish, swish" sound.

Cheng Nianjia stretched her neck to take a look:

1. Slanted Trailing Hem/Heart Talisman Hand: Settle Qi and drop hips → twist waist to store power → turn sideways and extend arms → fingertips extend → focus spirit and fix gaze.

2. Kui Star Gazing at the Dipper: Starting posture and settling Qi → Tang-style leg lift → arch back and extend torso → spread arms to fix pose → power flows to fingertips...

3. Shyly Exploring Spring: Point foot diagonally forward → twist and tilt to shape → hand against cheek → tilt chin and sniff fragrance...

The speed was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, he had written three or four lines.

The group of people was collectively stunned for a moment: What is this, a newly translated dance posture?

Just by looking at the arrows, one could tell that what followed the entries were the breakdown movements for each set of dance postures.

After looking at it again to confirm she hadn't misread it, Cheng Nianjia turned her head back abruptly, staring at the ghost-drawn talismans on the whiteboard.

Her eyes revealed disbelief, incredulity, and uncertainty: How long has it even been?

Stunned for a good while, she leaned over to Liu Hao's side, her voice extremely low: "Editor-in-Chief, is this... translated correctly?"

Liu Hao didn't make a sound: How would I know?

If identifying them individually, she could recognize at most one-tenth of the score symbols on the whiteboard.

If asked to combine them and translate what dance posture or, even more so, what movement this line represented, she couldn't translate even one percent. Comparing the two, Lin Sicheng's speed was no longer just fast; it was terrifying.

At first glance, one entry represented only one set of dance postures, but each set was composed of at least four to five breakdown movements, which were exactly those marked by Lin Sicheng with arrows.

And every breakdown movement necessarily contained changes in direction and angle for the lower limbs, torso, upper limbs, head, and neck.

Therefore, when transitioning from the previous dance posture to the next, the changes in body posture and limbs were not a simple 1+1=2, but 4*4*4*4. If Liu Hao were to choreograph, just for the breakdown movements and transition changes of one set of dance postures, she would need at least one or two days, or three to five days at most. If she were to connect these four sets of dance postures, it would take at least half a month from beginning to end.

And how long did Lin Sicheng take? Fifteen minutes?

In astonishment, she looked at Li Jingting; the professor was staring at the score symbols on the whiteboard, his brows tightly furrowed.

Suddenly, he reached out and pointed: "Little Lin, this symbol, just this turning mark: ┌, what does this mean? Is it 'twist'?" Lin Sicheng took a look: "More or less, it can also be called 'send', but not the 'send' of sending hands, but sending the waist, sending the hips..." "And this?" Li Jingting pointed to the side again, "What about this 'again'?"

"This is 'beckon', as in beckoning with the hand!"

"Then what do these four 'ones' of varying lengths in front represent?"

"They represent direction: the longest one points to the eyebrows, the second one points to the lips, the third one points to the jaw, the fourth one points to the brain..." Combining the context, Li Jingting suddenly understood. What did the 'seven' after 'again' mean? Tremble, or shake, which is shaking hands in classical dance.

Added to the four 'ones' of varying lengths at the very front, this set of movements should be the 'Parting Clouds and Gazing at the Moon' posture from the Tang Dynasty Soft Waist Dance.

That is, the palms are placed flat, the five fingers tremble slightly, and they pass in sequence in front of the eyes, lips, jaw, and chest.

But the problem was, Li Jingting didn't remember: in which literature had this 'again', this 'seven', and these four 'ones' been annotated, or even recorded?

After recalling for a long time and failing to remember, he sighed: "Little Lin, is there any textual research?"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "Not domestically for the time being!"

What does that mean?

Does it mean there is some abroad?

"There is indeed!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "The Joseon *Yue Xue Gui Fan* (a classic of Joseon national music, written around the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty), Volume 6 of the Elegant Music section and Volume 7 of the Tang Music section, both have records of these symbols. Also, the Japanese *Sanbō Yōroku* has them too!"

Li Jingting was stunned for a moment, looked at the two Japanese classics on the table, and subconsciously recalled the conversation he had with Lin Sicheng the day before: "Little Lin, have you never studied dance choreography?"

"I have indeed not received systematic training, but when researching the history of ancient music and dance, I have learned a bit..."

"You have never been in contact with this profession?"

"Yes, Professor Li, but I understand some ancient Yan Music, drama, and martial arts, and I have studied relevant literature and classics, both domestic and foreign;..."

At the time, Li Jingting felt that this kid was quite funny: knowing nothing, a pure layman, and you dare to come to the Central Song and Dance Troupe to crash Lan Laotaitai's stage?

In his view, all that talk about researching ancient dance and music history, understanding Han Tang Banquet Music, Yuan and Ming drama, etc., was all useless.

Because this was not just restoring lost ancient scores, but also required deductive and pioneering creation; it was not historical research that followed rules and steps.

The key was that he was ridiculously young, still even in school. So, even if you know it, can you be better than those historians and famous Experts? But the facts slapped him hard twice: Come, look at these ghost-drawn talismans on the whiteboard, and look at these shoes above; does this count as deep understanding? Even if he hasn't eaten pork, he has at least seen pigs run. Li Jingting would absolutely guarantee: even if given to historians and famous Experts, they could translate at most half of these symbols.

Because after research and authoritative annotation by the historical community, the ancient score symbols that have been confirmed are not even half of what is on these few pages of ancient scores.

Let alone mastering them, knowing one and understanding ten, and creating anew.

As for why Lin Sicheng could do what historical Experts could not, Li Jingting no longer had the energy to investigate further.

Because compared to that, what he found most difficult to understand was Lin Sicheng's grasp of classical dance and music: "thoroughly mastered" and "freely flowing" were not enough to describe it; it was reaching the pinnacle, picking it up with ease.

A ready-made example was right before his eyes: if it were him, even if he knew what those ghost-drawn talismans meant, it would be impossible for him to deduce the complete dance posture in such a short time through step diagrams that were so brief they made one scratch their head.

For just these four sets of movements, he would need at least one or two weeks, or one or two months at most.

Therefore, whenever he thought of what Lin Sicheng said earlier about not having learned much of so-called modern classical dance, Li Jingting wanted to sneer.

If he hadn't learned it, how did he perform those movements, and even perform them more standardly than the two pillars of the Central Song and Dance Troupe? Was he possessed by a dance god?

In astonishment, Lin Sicheng began to flip through materials again, and the group of people suddenly came back to their senses: Is he going to storyboard?

Cheng Nianjia signaled, and the two actors understood in a second and began to warm up.

After nearly another half hour, Lin Sicheng tapped the table: "Two teachers, get ready!"

"Third posture: Kui Star Gazing at the Dipper. The structure of this dance posture is relatively simple; the focus is on the center of gravity transition and spatial opening and closing between this and the second posture, 'Shooting the Goose and Supporting the Cheek'."

"You two, watch the movements..."

Lin Sicheng raised his hand and lifted his leg, half-turned his body, and then extended his arms and tilted his fingers.

The two actors followed suit.

The actors' movements were not very standard, and Lin Sicheng turned to adjust them. Not knowing what he thought of, Li Jingting made a "Heh" sound.

The sound wasn't loud, but the few people beside him could hear it. Liu Hao and Cheng Nianjia subconsciously turned their heads, as if asking him: Professor Li, what are you laughing at? Li Jingting twitched the corners of his mouth and pointed toward the mirror wall: "Editor-in-Chief Liu, touch your conscience and tell me, does he look like someone who hasn't studied dance?" The two women were stunned for a moment, their lips trembling.

No need to touch their consciences; they had eyes: Lin Sicheng had not only studied it, but had reached the level of perfection, being able to draw inferences about other cases from one instance. To borrow a phrase from martial arts: having no moves is better than having moves.

Just like now: every time he raised a hand, lifted a foot, or twisted his waist, it was a standard movement, standard to the point of being impeccable, with nothing left to change.

If one were a novice, it would be impossible for the various parts of the body to be so supple and so coordinated.

After thinking for a long time, Liu Hao frowned: "The problem is, he studies Cultural Relics, he hasn't even graduated yet, and Northwest University doesn't even have a dance department?" Surely he couldn't be relying on self-study?

Naturally, the three of them recalled that statement from Jing Zeyang: Cousin Lin has super-high comprehension; no matter what it is, he basically understands it after one look. Intuition is impossible, and the logic doesn't hold up either: one only hears that different trades are like different mountains, and that each profession has its own experts, but one never hears that one can be an expert in every trade? Amidst their astonishment, Lin Sicheng finalized the draft and began composing the image again.

Looking at the actors resting on the side, then looking at the lady figure gradually taking shape on the paper, Jing Zeyang was thoughtful: "Cousin Lin, you can perform the movements very standardly yourself, and you don't need to draw based on a person, so why must you use storyboards?"

Lin Sicheng did not stop his brush: "Body shape, proportions!"

Jing Zeyang pondered for a moment and suddenly realized: there is a fundamental difference in the body structure between men and women. Just the difference between having a chest and not having one makes the stage effect displayed worlds apart...

After drawing them in a few strokes, Lin Sicheng guided the fourth posture, then the fifth, the sixth... By around noon, he had already drawn nine dance postures. Cheek Support, Shooting Goose with Cheek Support, Slanting Trailing Skirt, Kui Star Gazing at the Dipper, Shy Tanchun, Parting Clouds to Behold the Moon, Wind Swaying Lotus, Kui Star Embracing the Moon, and Plucking the Laurel in the Toad Palace. Each name was more pleasant than the last, and each set of dance postures was more graceful than the last.

Looking at the nine compiled dance figure drawings, the group did not know what to say.

They never knew that translating scores could be done this quickly?

And they never thought that dance postures freshly translated from ancient scores could be used directly for choreography?

Just like these nine drawings before their eyes.

They were all experts; whether it was Li Jingting, Cheng Nianjia, and Liu Hao, or even the two choreographers, they were completely confident: with these nine dance figure drawings as the core, they could expand them into a modern-style classical dance.

And the quality would absolutely not be poor; if the music were handled a bit better, winning an award was not out of the question.

At this point, Li Jingting had completely abandoned the idea of "guiding" Lin Sicheng: with this level of skill, where would he still need his guidance?

But to be honest, if he were to let him go now, he would truly feel a bit reluctant.

It wasn't that he absolutely had to guide him, nor was it that he absolutely had to have his name attached to it; as a well-known scholar in the industry, Li Jingting also cared about his reputation. There was only one reason: this was the "Liu Yao," which had been lost for thousands of years!!

Even if it were only translated to a level that was barely passable, with not too many errors or loopholes, it would absolutely be enough to shake the industry three times over.

If it were translated to a point where even he couldn't find fault, what kind of sensation would that cause?

Li Jingting was incredibly curious: to what extent could Lin Sicheng ultimately translate this legendary lost score?

If it were adapted and moved to the screen, what kind of artistic effect could it achieve?

The key was that this was still a pure novice who had not received any systematic teaching and had a completely blank professional background.

Staying here was equivalent to witnessing a miracle; let alone not needing to pay him, Li Jingting would be willing to pay out of his own pocket.

But he couldn't bring himself to say it: whenever he remembered that line he used to mock Lin Sicheng, "every minute is money," he felt ashamed.

One look and he knew what he was thinking, but Lin Sicheng did not care much. And on the contrary: he not only understood, he even agreed. This is academic research, not hosting a dinner party. Only those with professional competence, moral integrity, and the ability to uphold their bottom line are true Experts.

Put yourself in his shoes: if a pure novice with no appraisal experience and no academic achievements came to question him, saying his appraisal method was wrong, or that his research direction had problems, Lin Sicheng would definitely act more directly than Li Jingting.

Either chase the person away, or give them a cold look and let them figure it out themselves.

Not to mention anything else, Professor Li had been reminding him openly and secretly that there was no need to spend this wasted money, and Lin Sicheng was still very grateful.

Furthermore, he had invited Li Jingting over in the first place to serve as a witness. If Li Jingting left, he would have to pull strings to invite someone else again. With this thought, the group sat in the elevator, and Lin Sicheng was straightforward: "Professor Li, I will still need your guidance later on!"

Li Jingting was stunned for a moment and blinked his eyes: "Little Lin, you aren't joking, are you?"

Lin Sicheng sighed: "Professor Li, my living expenses for a month at university are only five hundred yuan!"

Inviting you here costs five hundred an hour. Who would be so bored as to joke with money?

If it were anyone else, Li Jingting would have definitely flicked his sleeves and left: do you think five hundred yuan is a lot?

You surnamed Lin, you are insulting people.

But since it was Lin Sicheng, even knowing that what he said was flattery, it really sounded quite pleasant: Professor Li, you are definitely more professional than me and worth this price. Li Jingting did not act coy: "Guidance is out of the question, so there is no need to talk about a guidance fee; I can just come over to take a look every day!"

"Of course, you are most welcome!"

Hearing the conversation between the two, the eyes of the two students in the corner flickered, and their minds became active again.

No matter how little they understood, they knew the gold content of those nine dance figure drawings: a thousand-year-old masterpiece, the first draft of "Liu Yao."

If they participated in the restoration throughout the whole process, even if they were just models, just acting as frames for the dance postures, their names would inevitably enter the list of creators.

The key was that Lin Sicheng drew them so realistically, as if he had pasted a photo on it?

If those drawings ended up in textbooks, what kind of influence would that generate?

Subconsciously, four eyes drifted to the face of Yu Saijing, and sour water welled up in their hearts as they regretted it.

If they had just been a little more obedient at the time and hadn't caused trouble, those nine drawings would have been of them?

But it didn't seem too late now: the teacher would still come, and they could still be brought along...

The two students kept exchanging glances, while Jing Zeyang watched coldly from the sidelines, sneering inwardly: do you think this is playing house, where you can join if you want and quit if you don't?

What kind of beautiful dream are you having?