Maxwell Fa's Enlightenment in the Monastery Chapter 5

Ethan Shen did not rush to play, but tried out the sound first and familiarized himself with the guqin.

Alexander Gao was also in no hurry. He wanted to listen to Mr. Shen playing the piano not on a whim but was deliberately testing him.

Many things in this world can be faked, but the skills you have learned cannot be faked. Music, chess, calligraphy and painting all require time to practice, just like practicing martial arts. Only through persistent hard practice can you develop real skills.

Inside the temple, as the strings of the zither were plucked, lingering sounds lingered. After trying the strings one by one, Ethan Shen played the zither in silence until the last lingering sound of the strings disappeared, then he started to play the zither.

When a tune he had never heard before sounded, Alexander Gao concentrated his attention almost from the moment Ethan Shen started playing the piano, not daring to miss a single word. Moreover, the piano sound, which was extremely vast and full of longing, made ripples in the lake of his heart, which slowly piled up into overlapping waves and finally turned into huge waves, making him uneasy.

After playing the song "Pointing to the Moon with the Left Hand" completely, Ethan Shen's eyes turned slightly red. After a thousand years, he would never see his parents and family again. The most painful thing in the world is "a son wants to support his parents but they are no longer around". Ethan Shen only hated himself for not being filial to his parents in the past, but was more willful.

Alexander Gao sighed deeply. He thought of his deceased father and the woman he had loved in his youth. This piano piece he had never heard before touched his heart more than any performance by a great opera star he had ever heard in the opera world.

"Gao finally understood what it meant to be lingering in the beams for three days and not knowing the taste of meat for three months."

"I don't know what this song of Shen Lang's is called. I have never heard of it before."

Looking at Ethan Shen with red eyes, Alexander Gao had completely forgotten what his aide said in Qiuci City before he left. Even though this Mr. Shen had an unknown origin, he still wanted to bring him back to Qiuci City.

"I wrote this poem out of emotion, and I haven't given it a title yet. I'm afraid that Governor Gao will laugh at me."

Ethan Shen thought for a while and replied that if he directly said the title of the song, he would not be able to explain what "Left Hand Pointing to the Moon" meant. It would be better to say it this way to avoid Alexander Gao's questioning.

"I didn't expect Shen Lang to be so talented. I admire him."

Alexander Gao said solemnly that all the countries in Anxi were good at dance and music, especially in Qiuci City, there were many people who were good at playing musical instruments, but there were very few who could compose such a soul-stirring piece of music, and there were few even in Chang'an City.

Thinking of the saint who was the best at music, Alexander Gao wanted to send Mr. Shen to Chang'an to please the saint. Fortunately, this thought was fleeting and he still wanted to take Mr. Shen as his sidekick.

"You are overpraising me, Mr. Gao."

Ethan Shen knew that his piano playing skills were only average, but he was able to impress Alexander Gao by taking advantage of the piece.

While the two were talking, many of the guards outside the temple who could hear the sound of the piano were moved by inexplicable emotions, and several tall and strong men were in tears and choked with sobs.

Alexander Gao did not let Ethan Shen play the zither again. Instead, he stood up and left the temple, and said to the guards who had gathered outside at some point, "Shen Lang will be my judge from now on. What do you think?"

The guards all cheered. The position of the judge in the army could be big or small. Alexander Gao was the deputy governor of Anxi and the garrison commander of two towns. It was a matter of one word for him to recommend someone to be the judge. All he had to do was go to Qiuci City to complete the paperwork, and Ethan Shen would be Alexander Gao's man.

Ethan Shen had made up a story in case Alexander Gao asked him questions, but he did not expect that he would become a judge under Alexander Gao so easily, which took him by surprise.

"Shen Lang, I will not stay long in Khotan this time. After I have finished explaining everything in Xicheng, you and I will set off to return to Qiuci."

"Since you have been favored by the Protector-General, I will respectfully obey your orders."

Faced with Alexander Gao's invitation, Ethan Shen naturally would not refuse. Only under Alexander Gao's command could he fill the vacancy in his status.

"Ryan Wang, from now on your team will be Shen Lang's guards."

Alexander Gao thought highly of Ethan Shen. He had no shortage of warriors under his command, but there were almost no talents like Ethan Shen. Even Feng Er, whom he valued the most, was far inferior to him in terms of appearance and demeanor.

Now he is about to take over as the deputy governor of Anxi and will have to deal with the four towns as well as the protectorates of Beiting and Hexi. It would be a bit difficult for Feng Er to deal with people, but this Mr. Shen is very suitable.

Alexander Gao came quickly and left quickly, and the team of guards he left behind were the ones who rescued Ethan Shen that day.

"Thank you for saving my life. When we get to Qiuci, I will treat you all to a drink."

In the courtyard of the monastery, Ethan Shen bowed and thanked Ryan Wang's team of soldiers, which immediately moved the soldiers. They heard from the governor that Ethan Shen was from a famous family and was a fourth-rank cavalry captain. What's more, this young man looked like a god and played the piano very well. How could they, the rough men, compare with him?

"My dear, you can't do that. If this gets out, it will be embarrassing for us."

Ryan Wang hurriedly supported Ethan Shen, and wanted to lift up this seemingly fair and frail young man, but he never expected that this young man did not move at all. He tried hard with both hands but could not lift him up. Finally, he could not help but say in the suspicious eyes of his subordinates around him, "Young man, you are so strong."

"I have also practiced martial arts for several years. Although I am not as good as you, I am not a weak scholar who can't even tie a chicken."

Ethan Shen said happily, and then invited these guards into the abode to talk. He now had the title of a child of a noble family, but only he knew his own affairs well. Before Alexander Gao came back, he wanted to know more useful information.

"My dear, you are now the judge, and we are waiting..."

"Although the governor has promised me the position of judge, I still have no written permission, so I am still a commoner. You have saved my life, do you think I am an ungrateful person?"

When it comes to eloquence, how could a simple warrior like Ryan Wang beat Ethan Shen? The guards were also very curious about this Mr. Shen, so they all started to make a fuss. In the end, more than 20 people entered the abode. However, except for Ryan Wang and a few old soldiers who sat next to Ethan Shen, the rest of them were still standing.

"We are the master's guards, so why should we all sit down?"

This time Ryan Wang persisted to the end. These guards were the elite troops raised by the general. They would only be sent out to fight tough battles or to protect the general when the situation was most critical. They had to use their bodies to block swords and guns. But as long as there were still people alive in the team, they would not let anyone hurt the general.

Ethan Shen did not force it. The people of the Tang Dynasty at that time had their own values. What he had to do was to adapt to the local customs rather than being eccentric.

At first, Ryan Wang and the guards were a little reserved, but when Ethan Shen kept bringing up the topic and asking them about past battles and life experiences, these soldiers who had never had many opportunities to brag about their achievements became excited and talked about their heroic deeds in front of Mr. Shen, who was handsome and eloquent.

Of the twenty-three guards, except for seven who were from the Anxi Army, the other sixteen were from various regions of the Tang Dynasty. Ethan Shen was very happy to listen to them talk about the customs and habits of their hometowns, and he listened with great interest.

"My dear, the governor said you are from Jiangnan. Can you tell us what Jiangnan is like?"

There were no southerners among the guards. Seeing that Ethan Shen was easy-going, a few young guards boldly asked questions. Although Ryan Wang and the old soldiers did not say anything, their faces were full of curiosity.

"Jiangnan, that's a great place..."

Although Ethan Shen didn't know how beautiful the Jiangnan area of   the Tang Dynasty was at that time, the guards were still fascinated by his stories of small bridges, flowing water, small boats, and girls picking lotus.

"If I have the chance, I will definitely go to Qiantang River to see the great tide that you described as more powerful than a mighty army."

"If you, a landlubber, go to watch the tide, you might get swept away by the tide and lose your life."

The guards became noisy and insulted each other, which made Ethan Shen feel a long-lost sense of familiarity. Liam, who was also pouring water in the room, also liked this atmosphere. He liked to listen to the stories of the old soldiers telling about their wars with the Tibetans the most.

"His name is Liam, he has returned to secular life, he is not a young monk, but a follower of someone."

Seeing that the guards liked Liam very much, Ethan Shen told them Liam's story, which made them all jump up and down, "Don't worry, sir, we will teach him a good skill. Those Tibetan thieves, the Tang Dynasty will send troops to destroy them sooner or later."

The Four Towns of Anxi were originally established to prevent Tubo from interfering in the Western Regions and the countries in Central Asia. The hatred between the Anxi Army and the Tubo Army was as deep as the sea, and there were wars every few years. It was said that there were many war orphans like Liam in Anxi.