If Yunyin heard what Assistant Minister Ying thought, he would definitely agree.
Having had philosophy since high school, he knew best how much of a nonsensical and somehow also extremely important discipline it was.
This combination of important yet nonsense created an appearance of incessant talk and complex situations difficult for outsiders to partake.
Gleaning something and understanding a part of it is the direct way to misunderstanding, as this is a discipline where one has to understand the grand picture and every nook and cranny to truly be able to understand a philosopher's meaning.
Yet in these nooks and crannies, there were countless and many interpretations left for the reader to guess.
Looking at the increasingly furrowing brows of the minister, Yunyin stopped right when it was about to form a frown, mentally noting it took 23 seconds to get there. In the future, he could use this information for his own good – a patience of at least 20 seconds, a patience expressed from a man six stages above him, truly generous.
"Father," Yueling walked over when she saw the one-sided conversation halting, glancing over to Yunyin's painting in his hand, then returning to look at her father, "did you come to see my dragon dance?" she asked with a smile, like a daughter asking her father for praise.
"Of course I did! My most beloved daughter, your Water Dragon Dance is fierce and elegant, a show of strength and artistic style, a true masterpiece!"
Yueling grinned from ear to ear, nearly jumping forward, but only holding herself at the last moment, turning to Yunyin and also asking him, "Official Jie, what did you think of my dance?"
"Miss Ying's dance…" Yunyin started, feeling a strong gaze – ignoring its origin, he continued "It has the fierceness of tigers and the beauty of butterflies. Miss Ying, are you per chance a scholar? In your steps, I see an inherent adherence to a certain rhythm – not a musical rhythm but more like a poetic one."
Silence fell on the practice ground, instantly creating an awkward atmosphere, yet Yunyin still ignored it and commented with a bright smile, "This poem is truly good! It's just that it's a bit too restrictive, not fitting the image of a dragon, the king of the sea!"
"Ah?" Yueling was surprised, "Unbefitting of a dragon? But it's… hmm? Now that you say it, I indeed feel that it might be too restrictive!"
Yueling waited no longer and jumped right back to the field – repeating the exact same dance, and finally falling into the same position again.
This time she didn't fall into the locked stance.
No, her feet took the stance for just a moment, before she jumped into the sky, her legs reaching forward, landing on the ground for just a moment before leaping once more, the whip in her hand swirling around her, her claw no longer hidden but attacking left and right, landing on the ground and using it to twirl, pushing her up and attacking again!
The image of a roaring dragon transformed into the form of a dragon at war, attacking and dodging, going from escape to engage, a true sight to behold.
A mystical power gathered in front of Yunyin, a mystical power he was all too familiar with.
Yueling's eyes brightened as a great poem manifested above her dance –
Leaping out of the east, the Dragon King dominates the sea!
Flying to the west, he commands the sun to follow his will!
Roaming in the north, all mountains freeze, the earth becoming home to water.
Landing in the south, even the lushest of forests bring forth a crimson lake –
Dragon Leap! Dragon Flight! Dragon Roam! Dragon Land!
The words faded once more, Yunyin gaining an understanding of this martial arts style.
Truly… wondrous. Combining martial arts with scholarly arts, such a special way of movement, he was quite shocked.
If he could, would like to try it out.
"Official Jie is truly talented in many matters. A single glance allowed him to spot my daughter's secret, yet every scholar that has passed here didn't even deign to watch her dragon dance."
"Assistant Minister Ying, please don't blame me for my rashness." Yunyin cupped his hands in apology, yet even this seemed casual in Ying Fuliang's eyes.
Yueling came forward, cupping her hands and bowing to Yunyin, "Thank you, Scholar Jie, for aiding me in my comprehension!"
"Scholars are actually a bit similar to martial artists," Yunyin commented while calmly accepting the bow, "we need to exchange ideas with each other to refine our own arts. Confiding in the courtyard is not how a scholar understands the world."
He shook his head but didn't comment any further, as her situation was too complex to be solved with a few words.
"Alright, Ling'er, Official Jie and I still have a few things to discuss. Why don't you go rest a bit?" Fuliang said after seeing that the matter was mostly over.
"Yes father," Yueling said slightly absentmindedly, once again cupping her hands before leaving.
Yunyin followed behind the Assistant Minister, his casualness not disappearing but rather taking on a slightly more serious attitude. Even casual people could be serious, and even serious people could be casual…
He followed Ying Fuliang back to the pavilion, on the way already handing over the painting to his attendant.
Heiluan was busy rolling the painting into a scroll and carefully putting it into a case he always carried.
Seeing the serious attitude of Yunyin, Ying Fuliang was satisfied and sat down, speaking while gesturing Yunyin to sit down, "Official Jie is vastly different from when he's in court."
Yunyin nodded, not refuting but telling a story instead, "My father was always very serious when he entered the Yamen, telling us that in the yamen, he was first the magistrate and second their father. Back in the courtyard, he said he was first their father and then the magistrate.
Later when I grew up, I realised that different places required different attitudes, but that one also shouldn't jumble their priorities – balance was the only true way of achieving the best of all worlds."