area51novel Page 120
Page 120
The two used different instruments, and their timbres were also different. In addition, Cen Qiong avoided the battle, so the tunes of the two did not interfere with each other.
However, the vast majority of people listened to Xue Yanxiang's erotic and unrestrained "Xi Er" in its entirety, compared to...
As a result, Cen Qiong's "Peach Blossom Sky" is at most remembered as something like "it seems like she finished playing it".
Lady Shehua, sitting in the front row below the stage, said, "Both of you have your own victories."
"But Xue Dajia's 'Yi Er' is like the bright moon in the sky, which is delightful to behold. Its tone is perfect and its melody is elegant. In contrast, Cen Cai Nu's 'Tao Tian' is like a flowing stream, but it is like a star in the sky. Although it has never been extinguished, it is out of tune in order to avoid the brilliance of the bright moon."
"In this competition, Master Xue has emerged victorious! Does anyone have any objections?"
Others chimed in, saying, "It seems so."
"As expected of Madam Shehua, although I also feel that Xue Dajia's side is better, I can't quite put my finger on why. The way she said it is as if it were my own opinion."
"So, Phoenix Dance Hall has lost two matches in a row?!"
"It's not a matter of how many matches they've lost. Now that both Master Feng and Talented Lady Cen have been defeated at Phoenix Dance Hall, who among them can take the stage?"
"What should we do? Are we really going to have to shut down?"
"There's nothing we can do about it; you have to accept the consequences of your bet."
"My child just started learning music from the Phoenix Dance Hall, will they refund the money?"
"The money is one thing, but if you really lose like this, it will be embarrassing to say that you are a female student from the Phoenix Dance Hall."
Cen Qiong pressed down on the strings, her back beaded with sweat, and sighed inwardly.
Xue Yanxiang's piano skills are indeed extraordinary. She has been able to hold on until now purely because of the calming and tranquilizing effect of the "Crystal Technique".
Judging solely by her musical skills, she might not be much worse than Xue Yanxiang. Musical skills are not like martial arts; the difference in skill level is not as significant as one might imagine.
However, it is obvious that Tao Zhi Yao Yao's "Tao Tian" is not as good as Feng Yue Wu Bian's "Yi Er".
A defeat is a defeat; arguing about it is pointless.
Cen Qiong looked at the person opposite her and said, "Master Xue's skill in playing the zither is indeed extraordinary. I concede defeat. I am deeply honored to have heard Master Xue's masterpiece today."
"I wonder if the three rounds that Master Xue mentioned earlier still count?"
Xue Yanxiang said proudly, "Of course. If there are any helpers in your Anjun City, just ask them. If I am defeated, I will leave the city immediately and never set foot in Anjun again."
She was determined to suppress the entire Anjun Qin Dao in one fell swoop, so naturally she had to make the other party submit to her.
Moreover, she already knew that among the qin players in An County, only Feng Nihong and Cen Qiong were considered to be of average skill, so where could they possibly find any more reinforcements?
Lady Shehua sat below the stage and said, "Although it is a three-round event, the people invited by Fengwu Pavilion should at least be from this county. If they are from An County, it doesn't count."
Cen Qiong said, "That's natural."
She appeared calm, but her heart was filled with anxiety. She wondered if she should try to buy more time for Young Master Fu.
Although Young Master Fu is exceptionally talented in playing the zither, can he really learn "Striking the Bell" in such a short time?
You must know that such celestial music is extremely difficult to master, and she and Feng Nihong were merely trying anything as a last resort.
In Anjun, there was simply no third qin player who had reached the intermediate level in qin skills. Xue Yanxiang knew this, which was why she said this number.
Even if Young Master Fu is truly a fairy descended from heaven or the reincarnation of Liezi, the time given to him is far too short.
Who is Xue Yanxiang?
Although Cen Qiong was a talented woman, she lacked experience in the martial arts world. How could her forced composure be concealed from her?
She smiled slightly and said, "I wonder who will be the third one to take the stage? Sister Cen, please don't keep me waiting too long."
The two young women behind her, one in green and one in pink, laughed and said, "I'm afraid these three are not as good as Cen, and they're just wasting all our time."
"If you're just stalling for time because you can't stand losing, that would be utterly laughable. Since Miss Cen is known as a talented woman, surely she's not such a ridiculous person?"
On their side of the stage, many female students who had come with them also joined in the laughter.
Others couldn't help but whisper among themselves: "Besides Master Feng and Talented Lady Cen, who else in our An County is skilled in playing the zither?"
"Are they sure to be found on the streets?"
"I don't know. Our An County doesn't seem to be a place where hidden talents reside. Could it be that Miss Cen is really just stalling for time?"
"If we're talking about novelists, then Southern Bird, the author of 'The Young Hero's Adventures,' seems to be from our An County. Many people want to find him and beat him up. But as for the art of playing the zither, I've never heard of any hidden masters."
"Sigh! We've come this far, what if there's no one to even take the stage for the third round..."
In the VIP section at the left rear, Fu Hai held the Luoxia Qin (a type of zither) and said, "It's my turn to go on stage."
Seeing her sister being ridiculed on stage, Cen Yao became anxious and quickly cheered her on, saying, "Please, I'm counting on you."
"If you can win, I'll stay with you tonight, I'll do anything you ask."
"Whether it's going shopping or visiting parks together, or doing anything else, as long as you win, I'll accompany you."
Fu Hai was startled.
Qin shoved the zither into her arms, turned, and ran away: "Then I'm leaving!"
Chapter 213: Win and get money, lose and get people?
Cen Yao grabbed him: "What do you mean?"
Fu Hai turned around: "Don't scare me. I came here because of that hundred taels... no, because of the close relationship between our Dragon Claw Sect and Phoenix Dance Hall."
"Aside from playing a piece on stage, I don't do any other services."
Cen Yao exclaimed, "I mean, if you can win, I'll accompany you unconditionally..."
Fu Hai said, "Now that I've covered the downsides, what about the upsides?"
"you you……"
Cen Yao was so angry that she jumped up and down, and the arrogance she had finally managed to suppress surged up again.
If it weren't for the fact that he really needed to go on stage, I would have loved to kick him away with a double kick.
She took a deep breath, her chest heaving, and suppressed her anger: "Please, for the sake of that hundred taels... for the sake of the past friendship between your Dragon Claw Sect and our Phoenix Dance Pavilion, please help us."
Fu Hai said, "That's right! We were originally just friends. Don't think that just because you've been given a hundred taels, you can make other demands."
"Am I the kind of person who would sell my body for money? No amount of money would do that!"
Cen Yao was so angry she wanted to hit him... Why is it that when I'm with you, it's like you're the one who's at a disadvantage?
She shoved the violin back into the bastard's arms, clenched her fists, and, trying to hold back her anger, said, "If you win, I'll... I'll..."
Fu Hai held the Luoxia Qin (a type of zither) and watched her warily.
Cen Yao said, "I'll give you an extra sixty taels privately. Don't think it's too little. It's something I've saved up over the years."
Fu Hai immediately beamed: "It's a deal."
My fighting spirit, which had plummeted after the recent setback, has suddenly returned.
"You only get it if you win!" Cen Yao glared at him fiercely, gritting her teeth. "If you don't win, not only will you not get it, but you'll also have to come with me to the park later."
Fu Hai struggled a bit.
However, I felt that although accompanying her to the park required compensation for emotional distress, betting sixty taels was still barely fair.
He reluctantly said, "Okay! If you win, you can't cheat. If you lose... I'll play along with you..." Fine, I'll just put some pressure on myself.
Seeing his extremely strained appearance, Cen Yao felt like crying.
If I win, I'll give you my secret stash of money; if I lose, I'll give you myself. What are you so unhappy about?
So angry!
Fu Hai was not the kind of person who would take money and then do a perfunctory job. Since he had accepted the "favor" of one hundred taels of silver from Fengwu Pavilion, he was naturally going to do his best.
Now, with this bet added on, if he loses, he'll have to suffer emotional distress by accompanying this girl, further increasing the pressure.
He held the Luoxia Qin upright, supporting it with one hand behind his back, and used the Flying Star Steps technique to fly out, laughing loudly, "Miss Qiong, I'm a step late, I've kept you waiting."
At this moment, the women on the field were still gossiping. Seeing that Cen Qiong had been defeated but remained on the field, and no new musicians had come up on stage, they couldn't help but feel a commotion.
The sudden sound of a boy's voice immediately silenced everyone, and they all turned to look.
Fu Hai possesses the strength of the eighth realm, and his Flying Star Steps are also of superior quality.
He held the violin behind his back with one hand, then leaped forward with great energy, instantly becoming the focus of the entire audience.
Cen Qiong breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Fu Hailuo gracefully land in a corner of the stage.
The situation was so awkward that she didn't know how to continue if he didn't go on stage soon.
Cen Qiong stood up and said, "This young master Fu is our third musician to take the stage."
At this moment, no one on the field had any interest in Fengwu Hall, a school that trained young ladies from prestigious families in music, dance, literature, and art. Why was the third person to appear a man?
As the saying goes, "a desperate person will try anything," and there's a saying in the martial arts world about seeking help. With Xue Yanxiang suddenly appearing and the Phoenix Dance Hall being forced into this situation, it's not unreasonable for them to ask for help.
But why is the person taking the stage a young man even younger than Miss Cen?
The people in the audience whispered among themselves, "Who is this boy?"
"I do not know."
“Cen Qiong is only 29 years old and already has such talent, she is already known as a talented woman. This young man is even younger than her. If he really has the strength to compete with Xue Da Xue, he can’t possibly be unknown in the art of the zither, right?”
"But I don't recall ever hearing of a talented man in this county who could surpass Miss Cen?"
None of the ladies and daughters of these prominent families in the county recognized this young man who had suddenly appeared.
Since they were originally from this county, they naturally didn't need to stay at an inn outside the city, so they had virtually no chance of running into Fu Hai.
Besides, if they really bumped into each other, how many people of their status would remember the innkeeper of the inn where they were temporarily staying?
At the Phoenix Dance Pavilion, there were a few female students who knew Fu Hai's background, mainly because Fu Hai had been brought here once by the sisters Cen Qiong and Cen Yao.
But at this point, they were too embarrassed to say that the newly appointed musician was actually an innkeeper.
This was such a mood killer that everyone fell silent.
Before coming here, Xue Yanxiang had already found out that there was no young talent in Anjun who could surpass Cen Qiong in the art of playing the zither.
If I had to say, there is indeed a rather mysterious new novelist I should pay attention to, but right now I don't even know if he's fat or thin, old or young, and he has nothing to do with the art of playing the zither.