Chapter 221 Storytelling
He Mu glanced at Meng Qi and said sullenly, "Mr. Su, do you think I am not sad enough? And you don't understand even if you see it."
As he spoke, he stretched out his right hand from behind his back and picked up the wooden sword on the ground. He frowned slightly, and was extremely puzzled as to why he always lost to the fifth senior brother today. He was so upset that he couldn't get rid of it.
"The first time, I used a move of "Thousand Sails in the Sea", and the fifth senior brother responded with "Lone Sail in the Distant Shadow". When I changed to "Blue Sea and Blue Sky", he followed with "Bright Moon on the Sea" and hit the back of my hand. He didn't change his moves so well before..." He Mu danced with the sword and described today's duel.
He didn't value Meng Qi's opinion, but just expressed his inner grievances, reviewed the battle, found out the problems, and strived to win tomorrow, so as not to disappoint the master of the hall.
Meng Qi rolled up the "Heavenly Questions" into a tube and tapped his palm gently. When He Mu finished practicing, he laughed and said, "I heard that the "Martial Arts Competition" is coming soon. It's normal for your fifth brother to ask an expert for guidance. You can't always look at him with old eyes." "Yes!" He Mu suddenly realized, "Fifth Brother's father is a merchant and has a lot of money. He must have asked an expert for guidance!" As he spoke, he lowered his head and looked depressed. His parents worked hard every day and could only afford to support him to practice martial arts in the martial arts hall. They had no extra money. What could he ask for guidance from an expert? And if it weren't for the low tuition fee charged by the owner of the He Hall, he would not have this opportunity at all! Therefore, he was very grateful to the owner of the He Hall. He didn't want to disappoint him. He also wanted to stand out as soon as possible, to be self-reliant, and not let his parents always work so hard. This martial arts competition is an opportunity, but he can't see any hope! Meng Qi said with a teasing smile: "You can ask me for advice. I am a master, really a master!"
He Mu looked up at Meng Qi listlessly, only to see that he was wearing a wide robe with big sleeves, and he was gentle and refined, with a feeling of being well-read and elegant. He smiled bitterly and said: "Mr. Su, don't tease me."
In daily life, Mr. Su rarely goes out. He is a rare scholar who can resist impetuousness. He does things slowly and leisurely. Although he is idle, he is extremely hardworking. If you ask him about writing problems, he is always humble, with a bright smile, easy-going and interesting. He also likes food and often walks through the streets and alleys. His life always reminds him of the poem "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains".
But what he encountered was not academic difficulties, but martial arts. Mr. Su didn't look old. Even if there are six arts in Confucianism, he is at most just getting started.
"You can try "Thousand Sails on the Sea" followed by "Bright Moon on the Sea." Meng Qi said with a smile.
He Mu was even more helpless: "Mr. Su, how can we connect this?"
Sure enough, he was a nerd with no martial arts foundation. "Thousands of Sails in the Sea" is a move that shakes up and down while swinging forward horizontally to generate sail shadows, but "Bright Moon on the Sea" strikes down from a high place, how can we connect this?
"What can't be connected? When you swing horizontally, the last sail that is derived can be higher and bigger, covering the sky and the sun, so the moon breaks through the sail shadow and shines into the sea." Meng Qi used a literary way to describe the connection between the two moves.
"Higher and bigger... covering the sky and the sun... the moon breaks through the sail shadow..." He Mu didn't read much, so it was a bit difficult to understand, but Meng Qi's description was very vivid. He finally grasped the key point. The wooden sword was swung out, and thousands of sails competed. The sail shadows became bigger and bigger, gradually covering the blue sky, and then the moon rose in the middle of the sky, clear and cold, and the brilliance fell.
"This, this can really be connected... But, but how can "Thousands of Sails in the Sea" be changed like this? Master He will slap the palm of his hand..." Master He required his disciples to follow the standard in every move, without any mistakes, so He Mu couldn't accept it for a while.
Meng Qi smiled and said, "Why can't it be connected? From the perspective of the story, this is completely reasonable."
"So, the story?" He Mu looked at Meng Qi in amazement. What does swordsmanship have to do with the story?
Meng Qi looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he smiled mischievously and said, "In my opinion, swordsmanship and stories are essentially the same. You see, Thousands of Sails on the Sea tells a story about the vast sea and the heavy sails. If the sails get bigger and bigger, they can naturally connect to the blue sky and the bright moon, without being bound by the original story structure."
"How can this be the same?" He Mu had never heard of this theory and couldn't accept it.
Meng Qi put his hands behind his back and said with a half-smile: "When you compete with others with swordsmanship, isn't it just telling the other party a story? There is a beginning, a process, changes, traps, twists, climaxes, and an ending!" "People who tell stories with swordsmanship can be divided into two categories. One type tries to prevent the other party from guessing the subsequent plot, because from the perspective of the story, this will lose its appeal, and from the perspective of the swordsmanship competition, it means failure. The other type deliberately tells a nearly true story to make the opponent completely believe it, and then reverses it at the key point, shocking everyone. The climax ends, this is deception, this is a trap, it is an important skill in storytelling, and it is also an important idea for swordsmanship. "Well, in fact, there is another kind of person who does not set traps. Everyone can guess the subsequent plot, but the opponent can only follow his swordsmanship, and it is difficult to jump out and get rid of it. This is the realm of swordsmanship." Looking at He Mu's confused and surprised expression, Meng Qi said: "So, I think the storytelling skills can be used in swordsmanship competitions." "Mr. Su, don't be so whimsical..." He Mu came back to his senses after a long time and said weakly.
Meng Qi smiled and said, "Why not give it a try? Tomorrow I will tell your fifth senior brother a story about the bright moon behind the thousands of sails in the sea, a story that is different from the normal development, a story that makes people unable to guess the subsequent changes." After that, he left He Mu and walked back to his own yard leisurely. He Mu stood there in a daze, and after a long time, he swung the wooden sword, but it was a story of thousands of sails competing, the sails covering the sky, and the bright moon shining high. Although he felt that Mr. Su's sword story theory was unreasonable, he had practiced sword for several years and still had some judgment ability about the changes in moves. The next day. After the practice, He Mu walked out and bowed to a young man in black clothes and said, "Fifth senior brother, please continue to teach me today." The brothers and sisters next to him laughed secretly. He Daizi was really persistent. He lost so many times yesterday, but he dared to challenge today. He Ye, the owner of the He Pavilion, nodded slightly. His resilience was commendable, but he also had to remind him to be self-aware, so as not to get hurt in the future. The fifth senior brother pursed his lips, raised the wooden sword and said: "He Mu, if you lose again, don't bother me, I still have to ask the senior brothers for advice." He Mu nodded slightly, saluted, and swung the long sword horizontally, and the sea was covered with thousands of sails. The fifth senior brother did not hesitate to use the move of the lonely sail in the distance, and stabbed the long sword from top to bottom, avoiding the thousands of sails. The "lone sail" gradually became smaller, almost disappeared between the sea and the sky, and landed on He Mu's lower abdomen. He Mu's thousands of sails rose and fell, quickly covering the sky and the sun. When it reached a high place, the long sword slashed down, and the moon broke the sail shadow, just before the fifth senior brother hit his lower abdomen and slashed his shoulder. Snap! The fifth senior brother felt a pain in his shoulder, and the wooden sword broke free and fell in front of He Mu. "You, how can you use the thousands of sails in the sea like this?" The fifth senior brother pointed at He Mu and said, with a look of indignation and unacceptability. Qu Tianhe opened her big eyes. How could the fifth senior brother, who won the senior brother He and almost cried yesterday, lose in one move? The expressions of the martial arts disciples around him varied, some were surprised, some were puzzled, some were gloating, some were frowning. Did the fifth senior brother lose so quickly? Can Cang Hai Qian Fan be used like this?
Win, win, really win... He Mu had no reaction to the accusation of the fifth senior brother. Such thoughts echoed in his mind. As expected, the fifth senior brother heard a different story, which made him unable to guess the development and difficult to deal with... What Mr. Su said seemed to make sense...
"He Mu, did you think of it yourself?" He asked without showing any joy.
He Mu was going to answer honestly, but he changed his mind subconsciously when he opened his mouth: "Master, I thought of it by chance."
"It's good to be able to use swordsmanship flexibly, but you are still in the basic stage. It is more important to master the swordsmanship solidly." He Mu said impartially, walked to the side with his hands behind his back, and whispered to himself inaudibly, "The Thousand Sails on the Sea can also be connected to the Moon on the Sea in this way..."
Fifth Senior Brother thought about the process and said unconvincedly: "He Mu, let's compete again!"
He Mu's heart skipped a beat and he was uneasy. He only had this story. If he competed again, everyone would know the development and ending of the story.
Wait a minute! Everyone knows it, so I can change the development and ending of the story. They all thought that I would follow "The Thousand Sails on the Sea" with "The Moon on the Sea", so I can do the opposite and tell another unexpected story!
Well, how should I respond... He Mu imagined himself as Mr. Su, not bound by the original rules of the moves, and quickly made a plan, answering with implicit expectation: "Okay, Fifth Brother, please teach me."
This time, Fifth Brother took the lead, and after two or three moves, He Mu found an opportunity and used "Thousand Sails in the Sea".
Fifth Brother sneered in his heart, without "Lone Sail in the Distant Shadow", he directly used "Blue Sea and Blue Sky", and the sword shadow covered the moon.
The long sword floated up and down to derive the sail shadow. When it was high, it covered the sky and the sun, and could catch the bright moon on the sea, but when it was low, the sail shadow was almost gone.
So, He Mu changed his moves when the sail shadow was almost gone, and lifted it from the bottom to the top, "Lone Peak Tide Rising"!
Snap.
Fifth Brother covered his chest and abdomen, and the wooden sword slipped out of his hand again, and he said breathlessly: "You, you, how can you do this!"
He Mu was extremely happy and suppressed his smile: "Fifth Brother, thank you."
I can tell stories now!
After that, the fifth senior brother stopped pestering him, fearing that he would lose face if he lost again. He Mu was concentrating on the competition, his mind full of stories. He won several times and lost several times.
"He Mu, I plan to let you participate in the martial arts competition after the new year." Master He had been watching silently. Seeing that He Mu seemed to have a lot of ideas overnight, he planned to let him take one of the six places in Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall, and then compete with real masters of the same age to hone his character and swordsmanship.
As for the results, he did not put his hopes on He Mu. Only the top three disciples took on this important task, and the other three mainly used it to hone their skills.
He Mu was surprised, happy, and uneasy: "Me? Master, can I do it?"
"You'll know after you try." Master He smiled.
Once you participate in the martial arts competition, it is easy to be noticed by a sect or aristocratic family. At the very least, you can find a job as a housekeeper... He Mu left the martial arts hall with great expectations and worries, and somehow walked to Meng Qi's door.
"Mr. Su, Mr. Su's 'swordsmanship story' is not without reason... Is he, is he really a master?" He Mu still didn't quite believe it and thought it was just a coincidence. Well, Mr. Su rarely practiced martial arts and was less constrained by various swordsmanship rules, so he could jump out of the original "house" and make his ideas more flexible. "Maybe I can talk to him more. Storytelling and swordsmanship really have something in common... He is not good at swordsmanship, but he is quite good at telling stories!"
After knocking on the courtyard door, He Mu heard the lazy voice of "Come in". He pushed the door open and saw Mr. Su wearing a cloak, sitting under the plum tree, warming wine with a red stove, holding a book and reciting softly:
"... In the beginning of ancient times, who preached it?"
"When the upper and lower parts were not yet formed, how could we examine it?"
...
Such scenes and characters made He Mu hold his breath and concentrate, and then he saw Mr. Su pointing to the seat next to him, so he walked over lightly and sat down quietly.
"Yin and Yang are three combined, what is the origin and what is the transformation?"
After reading this sentence, Meng Qi turned his head to look at He Mu, "Do you know what it means?"