Hal walked into the capital of Chu with curiosity and excitement.

Following the guidance of the expedition, the first thing Hal did after entering the city was to find a money bank and exchange the gold he brought for money and copper coins common to the Chu State. According to the bank's listing price that day, Hal could exchange the gold nuggets for ten coins, and one coin for twenty-five copper coins.

In order to be both portable and easy to use, Hal exchanged half of the gold nuggets for money and half for copper coins.

Hal also had an unexpected gain in Qianzhuang, when he used a copper coin to buy a map drawn on parchment, which marked the names and relative distances of several large and small cities in Chu and the locations of several other kingdoms outside Chu State. Perhaps the bank's customers are mainly tourists, so the boss is in the business of selling maps.

With money to spend locally, Hal began his expedition to the Earth world.

It's autumn and the trees lining the streets are lined with colorful fruits. The streets of the castle are bustling with people and cars. Hal was now more interested in the various carriages and rickshaws passing in front of him than in his own speed, and he first observed the street scene with great interest, secretly taking many images, and then looked for a worthy target along the street.

After walking for a while, Hal faintly heard a beating sound in the cacophony of the streets. Hal listened for a while, and his heart was excited: it's music!

Music is the essence of human civilization, and it is one of the focuses of Howl's investigation in the earth world, not to mention that Hal himself is an obsessive lover of classical music. He immediately followed the sound to the source of the music, and after walking for a while, he saw a circle of people gathered around a cross street, and the sound of music came from the circle.

Hal politely slowly pushed through the crowd and entered the circle, only to see five middle-aged men dressed in distinct costumes from those of the Chu people working together to create this rhythmic sound.

Two of them hit a row of instruments hanging from a wooden frame with a mallet, one struck a musical instrument covered with some kind of leather with a stick, and the other two blew a tubular instrument with their mouths.

Although there were many onlookers, Hal saw at a glance that there were only a few copper coins in a clay plate placed on the ground to collect money.

Not long after Hal walked to the front row, the song was finished. Without hesitation, Hal was the first to throw a copper coin into the money plate. He was so quick to give money, not only because he felt that the musicians deserved to be paid, but also because he already felt that the copper coins he was carrying were too heavy, and throwing a few out would be good for himself and others.

To Hal's surprise, the five musicians bowed to him in unison.

The musicians took a two-minute break and then played another piece of tune in a different tune. Although the onlookers began to leave the venue one after another, the musicians continued to play very seriously.

Hal noticed that the faces of the five musicians were all black and red, apparently exposed to too much sunlight. Their clothes were also a bit shabby, and standing in the front row, you could see five large cloth packages piled up on the ground, which contained quilts and clothes, which further indicated that the five musicians were not locals.

This time the tune Hal heard from beginning to end, a beat and rhythm he had never heard before. He was amazed at how harmoniously the five musicians could play with these primitive instruments.

When the song was finished, Hal put two copper coins on his plate as encouragement. This time, the musicians not only thanked him, but also noticed Howl, a listener with a focused and generous expression. So when the next piece was played, the musicians' eyes looked at Hal from time to time, and Hal smiled and praised them.

The musicians were more energetic and played a beautiful rhythm seamlessly, unconcerned that the twilight was falling and the number of onlookers was decreasing, as if it would be glorious for the young guest to stay and listen to them.

After the song was played, Hal was the only one left in the audience, and Hal put three more copper coins on the plate and asked, "Excuse me, musician, you are not locals, are you?" ”

A musician who appeared to be the foreman replied respectfully: "Mr. looks like he is also a guest from afar, yes, we are Pakistani from the west." ”

"Pakistanis?" As he spoke, Hal took out the parchment from his pocket, unfolded it and glanced at it, and there were two big characters written "Pakistan" outside the western border of Chu State.

"I saw it, Pakistan is not far from Chu." Hal said, putting away the map.

The musicians looked at each other, and one of the musicians asked with a puzzled face, "Haven't you heard of us before?" ”

Hal hesitated for a moment and said honestly, "No!" Then he changed the subject and said, "Do you play music on the street for fun or do you make a living out of it?" ”

The five musicians all laughed, and the foreman laughed: "Both!" My brothers and I love music and are determined to travel the world to spread the music we compose. However, my husband also saw that we did not earn much money, so we had to eat and clothe every day, and we often slept on the streets at night. ”

Hal was moved in his heart, wasn't the behavior of these Ba musicians in front of him the driving force for the human world to move from barbarism to civilization? Although they live in poverty, their words and deeds are civilized and polite, which fully demonstrates their inner noble character.

Hal immediately decided to take the opportunity to interview these five venerable musicians, so he said sincerely: "I would like to ask you how to make music, it is dinner time, if the musicians have nothing else to do, I invite you to a hotel for dinner, and if you don't have a place to stay tonight, we can find a hotel together, and I will pay for the accommodation." ”

The musicians were packing up their instruments, and when they heard Hal's words, all five musicians stopped their movements and looked at Hal in surprise, and the expressions on the faces of the five changed from surprise to joy when they saw Hal look serious.

The foreman respectfully said to Hal: "My brothers and I are extremely grateful for the invitation of Mr. However, the money given by the gentleman is enough for us to enjoy a good meal, and if the gentleman wants to listen to the music stories we are waiting for, he just needs to find a restaurant with us to listen to the meal while eating. As for tonight's accommodation, don't worry about me, sir, it doesn't look like it will rain tonight, I'll just find a vacant lot under the eaves on the side of the street. Sir, I all have quilts and sleep on the ground so that we won't get cold. ”

Hal said in a firm tone, "Listen to me, five musicians!" That money is what I should have paid for enjoying the music of the musicians just now, and now I have to pay the corresponding tuition fees for the musicians to learn music for the teachers, so please put away the instruments and follow me. ”

The streets and alleys in the capital of Chu are full of restaurants, and at night, the guests of each restaurant are full of wine and meat.

Hal walked into a hotel with five musicians with bags and instruments in hand, and saw that the lobby was crowded and noisy and could not be interviewed, so Hal asked the store for a private room.

A young waiter led six unusual diners into the private room and closed the door, and the room fell silent.

As soon as the diners were seated, the waiter beckoned to order.

The foreman said to Hal: "Sir, the wine and food of these restaurants are not cheap, Mr. just order some spicy home-cooked food, I can't do without spicy taste all year round." ”

Hal laughed, "Well, I want to try the spicy taste too." Then he turned to the waiter and said, "Please bring us six plates of spicy food, and ask for your restaurant's signature dish." ”

The waiter looked at Hal and laughed: "Okay, our restaurant's spicy beef is the best in the city!" However, if the little guest is eating spicy for the first time, he can't compete with these five Ba people's big brothers, who doesn't know that the Ba people's ability to eat spicy is the first in the world! Since the little guests invite a few Ba people to dine, then there is a pot of Ba Xiang Qing Bar, this wine is produced in Ba Guo Ba Township, with spicy beef is unparalleled in the world. ”

The foreman of the musician immediately said to Hal: "Sir, the wine is free, the sake of Baxiang is not expensive in my country of Baxiang, but the price is scary when you get here."

The waiter hurriedly said: "The price of our restaurant is much fairer than outside, and a pot of Baxiang sake is only twelve copper coins, and the amount is enough for the six of you to drink it happily." ”

Hal smiled: "Twelve copper coins are really not much, come to a pot of Baxiang sake!" ”

After a while, large plates of spicy stir-fried beef, a large pot of wine and wine glasses and tableware were placed on the square wooden table in the private room.

The maître d'hom poured wine into Hal's glass, and then the five musicians watched with anticipation as Hal tasted the first sip of the Baxiang sake, which they were proud of.

Hal picked up the wine glass and took a sip in his mouth and savored it, in Russtar, although Hal is not a heavy drinker, he has tasted many kinds of wine, but none of them have this unusual taste, when he holds it in his mouth, it feels very bitter, but when he swallows it, the feeling in his mouth suddenly becomes a thick and long sweetness.

"How do you feel, sir?" The musician foreman asked with a smile.

"Excellent! Wine! I'll start with a glass to the five musicians. I have a very limited amount of alcohol, so I can only drink it slowly after one glass. Ask the musicians to drink heartily, this pot is not enough for another pot. Hal said, standing up and raising his glass.

The five musicians cheered in unison, and they stood up and bowed to Hal in unison, then picked up their glasses and drained them.

Afterwards, the five musicians sat down and watched with wide eyes as Hal tasted his first sip of spicy beef.

Hal had eaten spicy beef at Russtar, but the plate of spicy beef in front of him smelled very different from everything he remembered.

Hal forked a piece of beef with a copper fork and put it in his mouth to taste, the spicy taste was very special, the moment he swallowed his stomach, Hal felt discomfort in his throat, he hurriedly picked up the wine glass and drank a large sip of wine, his throat suddenly felt comfortable, and the feeling in his mouth became wonderful.

"How, sir?" The musicians asked in unison.

"It tastes good!" Hal laughed.

The musicians high-fived and cheered, and then each picked up a copper fork and ate the beef.

After a few glasses of wine, the musicians' weather-beaten faces glowed red in the light, and their interest in conversation grew.

The five take turns telling their stories to Hal, and it turns out that the five did not grow up in the same village and town, but formed a band to travel around the world because of their love of music. They told Hal in detail about the music, bronze and dance of the Ba people, and their aspirations for a music school in the future.

After talking about the music, the musicians talked to Hal about the stories of the gods, priests and ghosts that had been passed down from ancient times in Pakistan.

"There is a sacred mountain called Wushan in our country, and there is a temple on the top of the mountain, in which lives Dafang Shi and his disciples. Legend has it that Dafang Shi came from the divine realm, and he not only had the divine power of thunder and lightning when he called for wind and rain, but also could accurately predict the future fate of a person. The foreman said to Hal in a tone of great adoration.

Hal just smiled and didn't show the look of surprise that the musicians expected, because Hal knew that no matter what the musicians said about the great generosity, it was impossible for him to really have the ability to call the wind and rain, and this was just a religious worship of the unknown world by the humans of the underdeveloped planet. However, from the stories told by the musicians, Hal learned that the Ba people worshipped the gods, feared the alchemists, and feared ghosts.

The six men talked with great interest until the waiter came and urged them to say that they were the last guests at the table, and the six finished their dinner.

Hal asked the waiter about the accommodation, and luckily the restaurant was upstairs and there were two empty rooms, one large and one small, so Hal insisted that the five musicians live in the large room.