"The Friendship of the Eight Worshipers in Ancient Times"

1. The Friendship of Friends - Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi

In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a famous musician in the Chu State. His name is Yu Boya. Yu Boya was very smart and talented since he was a child, and he also loved music. He became his teacher, Cheng Lian, a famous luthier at that time.

After studying for three years, Yu Boya improved his piano skills and became a famous local violinist. But Yu Boya often felt distressed because he could not reach a higher realm in art. After Yu Boya's teacher Liancheng knew what he was thinking, he said to him, I have taught you all my skills, and you have learned well. As for the sensitivity and understanding of music, I have not learned it well myself. My teacher Fang Zichun is a great master. He has superb piano skills and a unique sensibility for music. He now lives on an island in the East China Sea. I will take you to meet him and continue your studies with him. Do you like it? Yu Boya was overjoyed when he heard this and kept saying yes!

They prepared enough food and took a boat to the East China Sea. One day, the boat sailed to Penglai Mountain in the East China Sea. Chenglian said to Boya: "You wait at Penglai Mountain for a while. I will pick up the teacher and will be back soon." After saying that, Liancheng rowed away. After many days, Liancheng did not come back, and Boya was very sad. He looked up at the sea, which was turbulent. Looking back at the island, the mountains and forests were silent, with only birds chirping, as if they were singing sad songs. Boya couldn't help but feel emotional about the scene. He sighed up to the sky and played an impromptu tune. The song is full of sadness. From then on, Yu Boya's piano skills flourished. In fact, Teacher Cheng Lian asked Yu Boya to seek a feeling alone in nature.

Yu Boya was on an isolated island, spending all day with the sea and the birds in the woods. His feelings naturally changed, cultivating his soul, and truly realizing the essence of art. do. Later, Yu Boya became an outstanding luther player, but not many people could really understand his music.

Once, Yu Boya took a boat trip along the river. When the boat reached a high mountain, it suddenly started raining heavily. The boat stopped at the mountain to take shelter from the rain. Boya listened to the sound of pattering rain and watched the vivid scene of rain hitting the river, and he became very interested in playing the piano. Boya was enjoying playing when he suddenly felt a strange trembling on the strings. This was the telepathy of the luthier, indicating that someone was listening nearby. When Boya stepped out of the boat, he saw a woodcutter named Zhong Ziqi sitting by the woods on the shore.

Bo Ya invited Zi Qi to the boat, and they exchanged names. Bo Ya said, "Can I play a piece of music for you?" Zi Qi immediately said that he was all ears. Boya impromptu played the song "High Mountain", and Ziqi praised: "What a majestic mountain!" Boya played another song "Flowing Water" and Ziqi praised, "What a mighty river!" Boya admired him again. He was also excited and said to Ziqi: "Only you in this world understand my thoughts. You are really my soulmate!" So the two became sworn friends of life and death.

Bo Ya made an agreement with Zi Qi to visit him at his home after the tour. One day, Boya came to Ziqi's home to visit him as promised, but Ziqi had unfortunately passed away due to illness. When Boya heard this, he was distraught. He ran to Ziqi's tomb and played a piece of music full of nostalgia and sorrow for him. Then he stood up and smashed his precious harp in front of Ziqi's tomb. From then on, Boya was insulated from the piano and never played the piano again.

"The Friendship of Eight Worships in Ancient Times"

2. The Friend of Life and Death (The Friend of Cutting Off the Neck)--Yang Jiao Ai and Zuo Baitao

Two Ghosts Fighting Jing Ke

In the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of Chu Yuan respected Confucianism and Taoism and recruited talents. Many people in the world heard about it. There was a wise man named Zuo Botao in Jishi Mountain in Xiqiang. Both his parents died when he was young. Studying, he cultivated his talents to help the world, and learned the profession of peace and security for the people. At that time, Zuo Botao was almost fifty years old. Since there were few princes in China who practiced benevolent government and many relied on power and bullying, he never had the idea of ??becoming an official. Later, I heard that King Muren of the Chu Yuan Dynasty was seeking sages for his righteousness, so he took a bag of books, said goodbye to his neighbors and friends in the village, and rushed to the Chu Kingdom. He meandered to Yongdi. It was a severe winter, with rain and snow falling, and there were bursts of rain and snow. The wind was as sharp as thorns. After walking for a day, Zuo Botao's clothes were soaked. He reluctantly endured the cold and moved forward. He saw that the sky was getting dark. From a distance, he saw a thatched hut in the bamboo forest in the distance. When a little light came on, Botao was overjoyed, so he ran to the hut and knocked on the door to ask for shelter. A scholar, who was forty-four or five years old, knew Zuo Botao's purpose and welcomed him into the house. . Zuo Botao entered the house and looked up and down. He saw that the furniture in the room was simple and shabby. There were piles of books on a bed. Zuo Botao asked the man's name and found out that it was Yang Jiao'ai, who also died in childhood. My parents only loved reading in their lives and wanted to save the country and the people. The two of them became very speculative in their few words, saying that they "hate to meet each other too late", so they became sworn brothers and sisters with different surnames.

Zuo Botao saw that Yangjiaoai was talented and knowledgeable, so he persuaded him to go to Chu State to seek employment. Yangjiaoai also had this idea. One day when the weather was fine, the two of them took some dry food and headed for Chu State.

During the night at dawn, it was definitely not a day. Seeing that the dry food was about to be used up, and it was snowing heavily, Zuo Botao thought to himself, if this small amount of dry food can be used by one person, it can still reach the end of the day. Win the Chu Kingdom, otherwise both of us will starve to death. He himself knew that his knowledge was not as profound as that of Yang Jiao Ai, so he was willing to sacrifice himself to fulfill Yang Jiao Ai's fame. After thinking about it, he deliberately fell to the ground and asked Yang Jiaoai to move a big stone to sit on and rest. By the time Yang Jiaoai brought the big stone, Zuo Botao had already stripped naked and was lying naked on the snow, so cold that he could only breathe. The ram's horns howl in mourning. Zuo Botao asked him to put on his clothes, take away the dry food, and go quickly to seek fame. He died after saying so.

When Yang Jiao Ai arrived in Chu State, he was recommended to King Yuan by the superior doctor Pei Zhong. When King Yuan summoned Guan Jiao Ai, Yang Jiao Ai presented Chen Shi Ce. King Yuan was overjoyed and worshiped Yang Jiao Ai as the official and gave him a hundred gold coins. Two, a hundred bolts of silk and satin. Yangjiao abandoned his official position and went to look for Zuo Botao's body.

After Yang Jiaoai found Zuo Botao's body, he bathed Zuo Botao in fragrant soup and chose an auspicious place for burial. Yang Jiao Ai guards the tomb here.

Zuo Botao's tomb is not far from Jing Ke's. According to legend, Jing Ke failed to assassinate the King of Qin, so the spirits did not disperse after his death. When Zuo Botao was buried next to him, a dispute broke out between the ghosts and the ghosts. . One night: Yang Jiao Ai dreamed that Zuo Bo Tao came with wounds all over his body. After telling about Jing Ke's ferocity, Yang Jiao Ai woke up: He raised his sword and went to Zuo Bo Tao's grave and said: "Jing Ke is evil. My brother cannot defeat him alone. Let me help you." After that, he committed suicide. It was a night: violent storms, thunder and lightning, and faint sounds of shouting for death. Tianming: Jing Ke’s grave exploded.

After the King of Chu Yuan knew the news, he built a Zhongyi Temple for them and recorded the incident on a stele, which is still popular today.