Chapter 175: Could You Give Me Your Thoughts?

"Squat, big zombie, squat, big zombie, squat."
"Squat again, big zombie, squat, light a lamp in the dark alley."
"Squat again, big zombie, squat, drill into the radish hole."
"Squat again, big zombie, squat, chant a spell, hum."

Finally, Su Chen concluded this freestyle with a lyric that left everyone a bit baffled.

This song was none of other than Jay Chou's "Compendium of Materia Medica" from his previous life.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" is a track released by Jay Chou in his 2006 album *Still Fantasy*, with music composed by Jay Chou and lyrics written by Vincent Fang.

Taking the ancient medical text *Compendium of Materia Medica* as its theme, the song uses unique melodies and delicate language to demonstrate Jay Chou's creative talent and his profound understanding of traditional culture.

First of all, the arrangement of the song blends Chinese and Western cultures, showcasing Jay Chou's versatility and crossover appeal.

The music begins with traditional Chinese national instruments in the background, creating a classic yet solemn atmosphere, which is then followed by a foundation of rock and popular music, brimming with vitality and a modern fashion sense.

Such a multi-form combination endows the entire song with a special infectious power and tension.

Secondly, Vincent Fang utilizes the medicinal terms from the *Compendium of Materia Medica*, extending the efficacy and treatments of herbs into symbols for expressing emotions.

The song presents a unique artistic conception, full of poetic imagery and philosophical meaning, capable of awakening people's reflections on their motherland as well as Chinese and Western cultures.

At the same time, Jay Chou also displays his characteristic and highly infectious vocal and performance abilities.

With his unique husky and profound voice, he freely poured out the emotions contained within the song.

In addition, some rap segments were incorporated into this track, fully demonstrating Jay Chou's diversified musical talent and his mastery over pop music techniques.

Overall, "Compendium of Materia Medica" is a masterpiece that integrates the classic with the contemporary.

With his innovative musical arrangement and precise singing style, Jay Chou perfectly fused ancient herbal knowledge with contemporary sentiment, displaying his unique artistic charm and humanistic implication.

This piece fully demonstrates Jay Chou's talent as a musician and his concern for traditional culture, making it a classic work welcomed and appreciated by a vast audience.

And the reason why Su Chen chose such a piece naturally had his own logic.

In his previous life, many people did not understand what this song truly meant, nor did they grasp its underlying significance.

Some people even wondered what kind of connection there could be between the *Compendium of Materia Medica*, Li Shizhen, and modern society.

Are you kidding me?!

In fact, the *Compendium of Materia Medica* was merely a metaphor—a book meant to cure spiritual illnesses!

It expressed indignation at the current phenomenon of the spiritual awakening of the Chinese people having vanished, and called upon people to cherish tradition, reminding them that the moon abroad is no rounder than the moon of China.

This piece was telling the story of one's own country, expressing indignation at the fading of one's nation, and showing utter disdain for Western society!

The "zombies" in this song actually serve as a metaphor for the Chinese people who have forgotten their ancestors, forgotten their nation, and forgotten their country!

They are nothing more than worshippers of money, obsessed with fancy cars, women, and foreign trends!

Take someone like Cai Xukun as an example; there were simply far too many of them!

In 1552, which was the 31st year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen began compiling the *Compendium of Materia Medica*. After revising the manuscript three times, he spent 26 years finally completing all 52 volumes of the work.

The *Compendium of Materia Medica* recorded 1,892 types of medicinal materials and 1,109 prescriptions.

This was a true *Materia Medica* in the truest sense and a treasured gem in the field of traditional Chinese medicine in China.

The purpose behind Su Chen choosing "Compendium of Materia Medica" to deal with someone like Cai Xukun was self-evident.

First, traditional Chinese medicine, as an ancient culture, can be said to be a heritage passed down among the Chinese people, with a long and profound history.

Second, Chinese civilization has gone through thousands of years of development and has stood at the pinnacle of the earth multiple times. What Chinese people should take the most pride in is their own nation, yet in the face of foreign cultures, the national pride of the Chinese people had grown dim.

As a transmigrator, Su Chen certainly did not want to see such a thing happen. He could not change the events of his past life, but now that he had come to this world, if he still had the power to change things and failed to do so, wouldn't his life have been in vain?!

Su Chen was willing to act as a role model, using his songs and his voice to inject a powerful force into his motherland and let it regain its vitality!

This medicine-like pill was akin to a deafening piece of music, shocking everyone's soul!

Su Chen was willing to use his own strength alone to guard Chinese traditions, and with his solitary might, to confront the doubts of Cai Xukun and others!

"Compendium of Materia Medica" was also Su Chen's brilliant interpretation of the Chinese song, blending the rich national characteristics contained within the text with American hip-hop music.

Such a combination was extremely clever, and the attitude was very clear!

First, Su Chen demonstrated his open-mindedness toward foreign cultures from across the ocean, which is the exact magnanimity and tolerance a nation with a long history ought to possess.

However, it also reminded us that while embracing foreign things, we must not forget our native tongue.

Second, fighting fire with fire and giving someone a taste of their own medicine is the best approach—this is the essence of Chinese culture.

Learn advanced techniques from foreign nations in order to conquer them!

It was meant to let Cai Xukun and his peers know that China is inclusive of everything and embraces all things!

In fact, when Su Chen read those lines in "Compendium of Materia Medica" in his previous life, he truly admired Vincent Fang's lyric-writing ability.

How brilliant was it for Vincent Fang to turn the names of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs into lyrics!

Vincent Fang's words were like a free-spirited messenger, accurately conveying the emotions and themes he wanted to express to everyone.

And this track "Compendium of Materia Medica" was composed by Michael Lin, a renowned master of rhythm.

However, this time, Su Chen adopted an improvisational approach and did not use a pre-recorded score.

Yet in reality, the music of "Compendium of Materia Medica" is extraordinarily wonderful; Michael Lin utilized many instruments of different styles to perfectly merge the music with the rhythm.

The musical movement composed by Michael Lin was filled with a strong sense of rhythm, making everyone present's heart race.

Additionally, "Compendium of Materia Medica" was also the song Jay Chou performed when he made his third appearance on the Spring Festival Gala in 2009.

The most interesting part was that the chorus of this song shared a very similar melody with another folk song, "Spicy Girl."

Therefore, during that year's Spring Festival Gala, Jay Chou simply combined these two songs together, resulting in a performance with a powerful contrast.

And this time, the sense of shock delivered to the audience when Su Chen performed "Compendium of Materia Medica" for the first time on *Tomorrow's Star* was by no means inferior to that occasion!

Seeing the audience sweating profusely as they danced along with him, and looking at the bewildered expressions of the judges and mentors, Su Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Gazing at the flushed and virtually furious Cai Xukun, Su Chen spoke into the microphone, "Teacher Cai Xukun, may I ask what your thoughts are on my 'Compendium of Materia Medica'? Could you perhaps offer some guidance?"