From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

That's the Demon Mother!

To "reform" someone, a collar alone is not enough; one must gradually shatter their pride as the ruler of a demon kingdom and their arrogance as a god before they can be reformed.

Upon hearing this, Kong Yuru did not stand on ceremony and ordered the dancers in the orchestra to investigate the ghost mother.

Because of the necklace around her neck and Jiang Liu's watchful eye, the Ghost Mother dared not speak out in anger and could only let the Kong family's dancers grope her all over.

Upon learning the truth and confirming that the Ghost Mother had indeed not used her powers and was a true crystal body with four arms, Kong Yuru had nothing to say.

There were no further objections.

The performance was given by Kong Jiaxian.

Yan Keqin, as the conductor, was like a marshal arranging troops, ordering the sixty-four members of the orchestra to take their positions one by one.

Boom!

clang!

The chime bells resound, the chime stones echo, their golden and jade-like sounds reverberating in all directions. The zither and sheng intertwine, their eight tones blending together, their elegant verses resonating in the heart.

As the gods first appear, their steps are round and graceful, their bodies bent and legs slow, following the rhythm of the music. Ritual and music blend harmoniously, harmonizing the universe; the sounds of metal and jade depict the interplay of yin and yang.

Confucian music primarily features chime bells and chime stones. The chime bells' loud sound is masculine, while the chime stones' gentle sound is feminine. There are also eight types of music, namely metal, stone, earth, wood, leather, silk, gourd, and bamboo. When these eight materials are gathered together, even if one does not understand them, one can still feel a sense of unity with the principles of heaven and earth.

Lu Jin listened intently, then frowned and sighed, "While it certainly has some charm, to say it captures the vastness of heaven and earth..."

Could this be embellishment by writers and poets?

Zhang Zhiwei did not answer, but twitched his ears, frowned, and after a long while sighed, "It has the appearance but no substance."

If it's not as you guessed, then it's because the Confucian musicians weren't skilled enough to evoke the sounds of heaven and earth.

Perhaps, truly magnificent ritual music requires cultivating talent before it can be performed?

"The sounds of ritual music could not possibly appear in Confucianism."

Lu Jin gave the definition.

After all, he had learned about the methods of cultivating talent. Although they were widely circulated and could be learned by everyone, one had to read books, travel, and think to possess one's own unique path.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a hundred schools of thought contended.

During the Ming, Qing and Republican eras, there were few new ideas.

What solution?

Was it due to the literary inquisition?

Is it because of BGSG?

All of them.

Ultimately, however, ideas are determined by the land.

Literary inquisitions cannot imprison people's thoughts, but the earth can!

Indeed.

Compared to the island nations of the world, China is vast and boundless, and throughout history, all those with insight have had lofty thoughts.

But ultimately, it is only limited to the land of China.

There may be many factors involved, such as transportation, military, and politics, but if we don't look at the issue from a broader perspective, then—

Science and technology can continue to develop because they are based on the principles of reality at the physical level.

However, the concept of "Dao" (the Way) has become saturated after thousands of years of development.

Take, for example, the principle of self-discipline.

If we don't step outside of China, even if Confucius were to be resurrected or a sage were to descend to earth, he absolutely could not come up with this earth-shattering and inspiring idea!

Therefore.

In a time when we are unable to come up with new ideas, it is indeed enlightening for modern people to learn from the ways pioneered by the ancients. However, it is also difficult to find the way that is in harmony with oneself among the myriad paths.

Compared to the paths of cultivating Qi and refining the mind pioneered by Taoism and Buddhism, these paths merely pave a way for future generations.

The cultivation of Confucian talent requires finding one's own unique "Dao" in the first step. Otherwise, even if one reads thousands of books and practices Qi for a lifetime, and can speak eloquently and write poems, or lead troops into battle, one will not be able to cultivate a single strand of talent!

However, if one already has the Way in one's heart and cultivates according to the method of cultivating talent, even if one is dull-witted, lacks worldly wisdom, cannot compose poems or write articles, and cannot even recognize many characters, one can still cultivate talent.

However, most people have to read and write before they can find their own path. As a result, later scholars did not understand the fundamentals and mistakenly believed that reading was the only way to cultivate talent.

The talent lies not in books, but in virtue!

# Chapter 1067 The Former Empress Danced for the People

Observing the music of Confucianism, Jiang Liu also had some thoughts. He could perceive that the rhythm of the music seemed to resonate with the rhythm of the wind and clouds in the world. However, because the performer's skill was not up to par, it was difficult to show.

Moreover, according to Jiang Liu's deduction using the power of the Heavenly Emperor, he was surprised to find that the melody was almost identical to the form of the Six-Syllable Mantra.

It's not that the two have the same content, but the underlying sound wave rhythm is essentially the same wavelength.

Therefore, to unleash the true power of its melodies, one must also rely on the power of the mind!

Confucianism...

The power of the mind...

[The Master is truly extraordinary!]

It's a pity that your descendants are so disappointing; they just keep guarding the wealth you left behind, but they don't know how to truly put it into practice!

The music ended.

The onlookers applauded.

Can't understand.

But I was deeply shocked.

Zhang Enpu commented: "It was truly extraordinary, a refreshing experience, as if one were in harmony with nature!"

“We don’t understand the art of music, so let’s not make any comments,” Ru Song reminded Zhang Enpu, silencing his smile. Then he said to Wang Baoling, “Baoling, it’s your turn to go on stage.”

"Watch me!"

Wang Baoling was also familiar with the Yangko dance. She gave Jiang Liu, Gao Huan, Miss Liu, and Li Yang a high-five to encourage herself, then left her seat, jumped into the center of the field, put one hand on her hip, and with a slightly flippant expression, shouted to the sixty-five people: "Bring out the joy of past harvest years! Jump up!"

"okay!"

The eight Yangko dance teams gathered together, forming eight concentric circles, with elderly men and women on the outside, young and middle-aged women in the middle, and teenagers on the inside.

Under Jiang Liu's watchful gaze, the ghost mother could only force a cheerful smile as she leaped into the center, her four arms holding colorful ribbons, her clothes fluttering in the wind, just like a real peacock.

The gong strikes! The drums resound!

Red ribbons dance in the Yangko troupe!

But we see:

Red ribbons flutter, drumbeats urge on, cross-steps lead us back to the colorful clouds. Fan shadows dance like butterflies fluttering among flowers, waists sway gracefully in the moonlight. A thousand years of farming have transformed into the rhythm of dance, half a verse of local dialect enters our dreams. Do not say that spring has faded in the twilight years, for where the Yangko dance begins, the morning sun shines brightly.

Then I saw the old man holding a fan, moving like a dragon and snake; the old woman dancing gracefully; the young man swaying his hips with heroic spirit; the women twisting their waists like the spring tide; and the boys and girls laughing and joking, their red handkerchiefs spinning into flowers, each flower blooming like the red sun!

Sound and dance are integrated, bringing joy to the people.

The audience outside the venue may not understand the "Cloud Gate" song, knowing what it is but not why it is, but everyone from high-ranking officials to ordinary people can appreciate this Yangko dance and experience the charm it conveys!

The hard work of farming! The joy of harvest!

The charm of the Yangko dance is all in that graceful twist!

Looking at the very center, the Ghost Mother is a newcomer, and she is indeed a charming woman. She has a slender waist, light hands and feet, and her four arms move and her skirt sways. It is likely that when she was the king and ancestor of the Demon Kingdom, she often danced to entertain herself.

Because of her crystal body, even without using any special abilities, her movements, relying solely on the free flow of her qi and blood within her body, produced melodies that resonated with the sounds of heaven and earth, causing clear and transparent flowers to appear in the air.

It's not magic!

It's not supernatural power!

Although the Ghost Mother was initially unwilling to perform in front of everyone, after she started dancing, she unconsciously caught a glimpse of Jiang Liu's deep eyes and felt a chill in her heart. However, she also genuinely fell in love with this Yangko dance. Her heart moved at will, and because the Qi and blood in her body circulated autonomously and flowed throughout her body, a rhythm naturally spread far and wide, resonating with matter, energy, time, and space, spontaneously causing the music to take shape.

Seeing this extraordinary sight of flowers falling in profusion, the onlookers felt even more joyful, but a strange thought also arose in their minds—

The appearance of the demon mother is too similar to that of the bodhisattvas in temples!

But this "Bodhisattva" is no longer made into a clay sculpture in a temple; instead, she has come to the human world to dance, and even been seen by these ordinary mortals...

It's a bit absurd.

But it also feels like it's perfectly natural.

It was because he had burned countless incense sticks and kowtowed countless times at the temple back then, yet his wish had not come true.

Now, seeing a "Bodhisattva" descend to earth to dance, I was suddenly enlightened!

It is:

In the past, the emperor ruled the country, and the people's wealth fueled his desires.

Now, entering the secular world, I gracefully dance for the people.

Kong Yuru and Yan Keqin, however, were more focused on the musical flowers. Trembling with disbelief, they exclaimed, "Impossible! The sounds of gold and jade, the harmony of heaven and earth, the falling flowers, require talent to create music and to harmonize with the laws of heaven and earth to achieve. How could she possibly do it?!"

But the facts are right before our eyes: the ghost mother did not use any magic or supernatural powers, but simply sang and danced, and the flow of her blood and qi resonated with the rhythm of heaven and earth.

This is truly the sound of gold and jade!

After the Yangko dance ended, the audience outside the venue began to vote.

The basket on the left, representing Wang Baoling, was filled with soybeans.

On elegance.

Yangle is certainly not comparable to "Yunmen Dajuan", but it is not vulgar music or dance either.

On mobilizing emotions.

The feeling that "Yunmen Grand Scroll" gave the people was still the same as before - they were greatly shocked, but they couldn't understand it very well; while Yangge was different. The joy was overflowing, and it made many onlookers sway their waists and their blood and energy also became active.

On the program's effectiveness.