Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 137 Decryption
"The sound of the chime reverberates through the woods, amidst the misty clouds and the lone wild goose. In the desolate and hazy place, heaven and earth exist in a state of nothingness."

Her hair was piled high in a cloud-like bun, her clothes fluttered in the wind, and her pure white shawl was as light as smoke and swayed like a vine; her tall figure and exquisite face made her stand out even among a crowd of flowers.

Her voice was clear and melodious, her dance graceful and elegant, her features bright and captivating. Against the backdrop of purple smoke and white mist, she truly seemed like a fairy descending on the wind.

Her singing style, posture, expressions, and temperament are all intoxicating.

Behind them, the melodious sounds of flutes and pipes accompanied the dance music.

Even Tian Jun and Lan Suting, who were women, were so amazed that they held their breath and stared intently.

"The mountain spirit plays a cold flute, the water breeze tinkles like pearls. I pity your icy beauty, I can only wait to see you under the moon."

The graceful figures of the women from Mount Tai swayed and floated, as if they were walking on thin air. With their light and agile skills, they danced on the crisscrossing silk threads, creating an atmosphere that made them seem like celestial maidens from a fairy palace, graceful and otherworldly.

They exuded a delicate, subtle fragrance that drifted with the smoke and reached the noses of the viewers, making them completely forget themselves.

Lan Suting had noticed earlier that Zhuoying had become much thinner than last year, and her face was somewhat pale. Only then did she realize that in order to perform this Celestial Dance, she had controlled her diet for several months in advance, and her increasingly slender figure made her dance in the hazy air even more ethereal and otherworldly.

This dance was created by Zhuo Ying at Zhu Wen's suggestion, combining the Dunhuang flying apsaras dance popular in the Tang Dynasty with Taoist dances from Mount Tai. It combines the enchanting and captivating nature of Dunhuang dance and music with the ethereal and otherworldly spirit of Taoism.

As Zhu Wen listened to the lyrics, he felt a sense of loss, and countless scenes from the past flashed before his eyes.

The song sung by Zhuo Ying was "Wu Meiniang," composed by Emperor Chen Shubao of the Chen Dynasty. However, the one who wrote the lyrics was the girl Zhu Wen could never forget for the rest of his life.

"The Dance of the Enchantress" is a famous Yuefu (musical ballad) piece, a typical example of Southern Dynasties' erotic music. The nickname of Empress Wu Zetian of this dynasty, "Meiniang," was taken from this piece.

The original poem was extremely erotic, but after being rewritten by Xingxiang, the artistic conception became lofty and refined, exquisitely beautiful, and possessed a celestial quality. Its style surpasses the original poem by several levels.

He somewhat regretted lending the poem to Zhuoying, as it should have been a unique memory between him and Xingxiang.

He watched as Xingxiang, with her small hand holding a delicate chicken-claw brush, wrote breathtakingly beautiful verses on the rice paper.

Fortunately, Lan Suting was unaware of Xingxiang's existence, and Tian Jun was an idiot who couldn't guess who wrote the poem.

"It seems as if light clouds veil the moon, drifting like swirling snow in a flowing wind. From afar, it shines like the rising sun in the morning glow; up close, it glows like a lotus emerging from clear water."

Long after the music ended, Lan Suting finally came to her senses and said earnestly, "Sister Zhuoying's demeanor today is truly comparable only to the Goddess of the Luo River in Cao Zhi's writings."

Zhu Wen supported Lan Suting's relationship with Zhuoying because Zhuoying's feelings weren't entirely one-sided. Zhuoying's appearance and temperament were quite attractive to Lan Suting; upon first seeing Zhuoying, Lan Suting exclaimed that such a stunning beauty would make any woman's heart flutter.

But in Zhu Wen's mind, if there really was a goddess of the Luo River, she would only be the one who awakens fragrance.

Tian Jun was also amazed, finding it hard to believe that such beauty existed in the world.

"This woman should take Zhizhen away quickly," Tian Jun whispered in Zhu Wen's ear. "That way, no one will be able to take you away from her for a while."

Zhu Wen turned his face away and felt a strong smell of alcohol on his face.

It tastes like shochu.

Just now, a maid was distributing strong liquor, saying that this brew would make you drunk with just one sip, and in a hazy, dreamlike state, you would be able to enjoy the elegant dances and music of immortals, and see flowers through the mist, which was the most alluring thing.

This was, of course, a scheme devised by Zhu Wen and Zhuoying beforehand.

Unexpectedly, Tian Jun also secretly took a pot and drank it all.

She becomes especially clingy when she's drunk.

Before anyone noticed, Zhu Wen grabbed Tian Jun and lifted her up. Tian Jun was overjoyed when she realized she had been stuffed into Lan Suting's arms.

"Give me a hug for your sister Jun," Zhu Wen whispered.

Tian Jun was still somewhat sober and didn't act out, which was already a good thing.

Lan Suting responded obediently, trying her best to hold Tian Jun's knees and neck. Tian Jun was much taller and more voluptuous than her, making it a bit difficult for Lan Suting to hug her.

Tian Jun wanted to sneak a kiss on Zhu Wen's face, but then she found herself thrown onto Lan Suting's lap, and she almost fainted from anger.

She often pressed Lan Suting's face against her chest, but being thrown to him by her lover was a different story.

Just as Tian Jun was about to shout, Zhu Wen precisely pressed her mouth shut.

This is something I'm already very familiar with.

“Sister Jun, you’re still dressed as a man. If others see you, they’ll think you’re going to have homosexual relations…” Lan Suting whispered in Tian Jun’s ear.

It's not difficult to recognize a woman dressed as a man, but most people won't pay attention.

Tian Jun realized the seriousness of the problem, her already flushed face turning even redder. "Want to hear how those things were made?"

The two women were immediately intrigued; they had been curious about this for a long time.

Zhu Wen revealed a hint of pride: "The purplish-blue flames and the water that instantly turns to ice both use the same thing—saltpeter."

Lan Suting's delicate eyebrows twitched slightly as she tried her best to search her memory. She suddenly remembered that there was indeed a relevant record in Tao Hongjing's "Collected Annotations on Materia Medica" from the Southern Dynasties.

"Someone once obtained a substance whose color and texture were very similar to that of molten metal. It was soft and light, like snow that was not cold. When burned, it produced purple-blue smoke, but turned to ash and continued to boil, just like molten metal. It was said to be the true molten metal." Lan Suting had an excellent memory. Even things he was not interested in, he could memorize after reading them carefully. After thinking about them, he could recite them word for word.

Even Zhu Wen himself didn't possess such a photographic memory.

Zhu Wen gave an approving look: "Both saltpeter and real saltpeter can be used to make gunpowder, but when saltpeter is placed in a flame, the flame is still yellow and red, while when real saltpeter is burned, the flame color turns bluish-purple."

Seeing the approval in Zhu Wen's eyes, Lan Suting couldn't help but feel a heartfelt joy.

"If you burn white phosphorus, you can get an indigo color, which is what the will-o'-the-wisps in the cemetery are made of. But white phosphorus is poisonous, and will-o'-the-wisps don't fit the atmosphere of today."

Lan Suting said softly, "So, the water turns into ice because saltpeter is dissolved in the water, which absorbs heat?"

With just a little guidance from Zhu Wen, she learned to apply what she learned to other situations and figured out the truth, leaving Zhu Wen amazed at how much progress this little girl had made.

"That's right. When you grind saltpeter into fine powder and put it into water, it dissolves extremely quickly. This method is used to make ice in the middle of summer, and it has only been discovered in recent years. I wouldn't have known about it if my master hadn't mentioned it."

At this point, Lan Suting understood the meaning behind the misty atmosphere. She clearly noticed that the air was much more humid than before the music and dance began.

When she and Zhu Wen visited Mount Tai last time, they accidentally entered a tunnel beneath the Baiyun Temple and dug their way into a nearby underground river that was steaming hot. The hot springs near the Baiyun Temple were formed by the outflow of this underground river.

"So, the Rehe River is filled with water vapor. If we dig a tunnel to the area beneath the Moon Palace and use bellows to blow the water vapor out as mist, it can spread over the singing stage?"

Lan Suting blinked and asked.

The bellows, also called the leather bellows, is used to blow air during iron smelting.

“That’s right,” Zhu Wen said. “If Ruojun stops acting crazy when she’s drunk, you can put her down.”

Tian Jun glared at Zhu Wen angrily.

Once you understand the mystery, it's really just that simple.

Such ingenuity is truly admirable.

But considering it was Zhu Wen's scheme, Lan Suting and Tian Jun weren't surprised.

Both "Flame General" Zhen Ranyu and "Snow General" Qi Kerang were defeated by Zhu Wen's wisdom and courage, proving that he was a peerless strategist no less capable than the four generals.

The entire hall was still filled with astonishment and whispers, so much so that no one paid attention to Zhu Wen and the two women's hushed conversation.

The breathtaking music and dance, combined with the ethereal atmosphere, left the guests with a lingering, unforgettable experience, immersing them in the lingering charm.

Although the Xihe School has not yet entered the fray, the outcome of this incense gathering seems to have already been decided.

The boatwomen of the Xihe School were originally scheduled to perform during the day tomorrow. They had won three times since twenty years ago, relying solely on the "floating wine cups on a winding stream".

The boatwomen of the West River usually practice their dances on wooden planks, braving the wind and waves on the Yellow River. When they actually perform, they stroll leisurely through the clear mountain streams, stepping on lacquered trays shaped like lotus leaves.

The guests lined up along the stream, and the boatwomen, holding wine cups, swayed down the lotus leaves. When they reached a lucky person, they would stop the boat by spinning and feed them the wine.

If a female disciple of Xihe finds a young man she finds particularly attractive, she might even kiss him directly with wine in her mouth.

This program perfectly combines the sensuality of high society with the elegance of "floating wine cups on winding streams," no wonder it has won the top prize for three consecutive years.

But how can the "floating wine cups on the winding stream" compare to the celestial dance that graces our eyes today?
"Hey, what are you all talking about?"

A soft, melodious, and deeply moving voice suddenly rang out. The voice was not loud, but everyone in the hall could hear it clearly.

Then came a captivating laugh: "Do you all think the outcome is already decided, and that we from Xihe don't need to go on stage anymore?"

Before she arrived, her laughter could be heard. Listeners felt that her voice was so delicate and sweet that they were already captivated without even hearing what song she was singing.

Zhu Wen and Lan Suting looked at each other, their eyes filled with solemnity.

Just by listening to her voice, you could tell that this woman was far more formidable than Zhuoying.

When did the Xihe School produce such a powerful figure?

(End of this chapter)