The prelude began.
As if parting the clouds to reveal the sun, a wave of wuxia spirit instantly swept over the audience.
Gong Juren, wearing an in-ear microphone and dressed in white, slowly walked to the center of the stage and sat down at the wine table.
"Waiter, bring the wine!"
This opening line, delivered with a youthful voice, paired with the heroic prelude.
It directly unfurled a scroll of the Jianghu before the audience's eyes.
"A wandering knight, renowned afar,
Now discussed in the Jianghu,
More foes than friends, with few allies,
Rarely meeting an equal.
Rain pours down, wind surges like a tide,
A single move unleashes a tempest.
Before the stance is finished, three laughs are heard,
All are intoxicated..."
The Jianghu is composed of grudges and affections.
Wielding a sword across the land, seeking swift revenge and joy, is how Chinese people have always perceived wuxia.
And the verses of this song directly painted a vivid picture of the Jianghu.
The great hero, a childhood dream for many.
Fame spread across the land, clad in fine clothes, with a couple of close friends roaming the Jianghu with swords, drawing their blades to help those in need without seeking reward, laughing three times and departing with a flick of their sleeves.
That sense of chivalry, inspiring immense resonance!
"The wind blows fiercely, a sudden glance back, the moon blankets a thousand mountains,
The heavens and earth are vast, spirits soar, singing all the way to Chang'an,
Lantern lights flicker, the wine is warm, the hall is filled with revelry,
As everyone drinks heartily, they scatter with a wave of their sleeves, amidst swirling clouds..."
As he sang to this point.
Gong Juren rose from his stool.
The hem of his long gown swept in an exceptionally free-spirited arc.
As he stood proudly, people seemed to see a youth, brimming with spirit, galloping across the heavens and earth, alone with his sword, fearless, that youthful vigor instantly amplified.
No need for pretense, this is the true nature of youth.
At this moment.
The live audience gradually came back to their senses.
From the instant the prelude began, the overwhelming sense of youth in this song left them gasping in awe.
As expected of Ting Yu, he had captured this core essence with absolute perfection.
At the same time.
A bin and his group walked through the backstage corridor, their faces full of mischievous smiles.
"Should we go see what that defiant brat's expression is like right now?" Lao Gao grinned at the others.
"Of course, if we don't, we'd be doing an injustice to my brother-in-law's song!" A bin, also a young man, couldn't possibly miss such a moment.
"Haha, let's go together!"
"To hear this song in front of Bai Yanlang, just thinking about it is thrilling!"
"Hurry, before he finishes singing!"
"Hahaha, a slap in the face, oh, what a beautiful thing this slap in the face is."
A group of people headed towards Bai Yanlang's lounge in a mighty procession.
Their shoulders linked, their retreating figures were just like the line from the song about a couple of friends wielding swords in the Jianghu.
"In this youthful Jianghu, we favor traversing the world,
Settling grudges with quick swords and swift horses in our prime.
The mortal world hasn't been overcome, no major worries, just the thrill of life and death,
Discussing the Way in drunkenness, plucking flowers when sober..."
When it reached the chorus.
It was like a drop of water breaking the tranquility of a lake, then raising a monstrous wave.
This chorus perfectly displayed that chuunibyo coolness, that swagger, that showmanship!
It resonated with many in the audience.
For "internet addicts," chuunibyo was never a derogatory term.
Wuxia has two distinct spirits: one is the pursuit of joy and revenge, traveling through the nine provinces; the other is patriotism and justice.
This song, however, focused on the pursuit of joy and revenge, not patriotism or justice.
For throughout history, there have been many great heroes who served their country. The greatest heroes served the nation and its people, representing the ultimate spirit of chivalry.
But the overall tone of this song was youthful spirit and the pursuit of joy and revenge. If you tried to conflate it with concepts of good versus evil and patriotism, the burden would be too heavy.
Good versus evil and patriotism belong to the great heroes who have matured; they are not the youths adventurously exploring the Jianghu.
Being free of burdens and only seeking the thrill of life and death is how the vast majority perceive exhilaration.
The barrage of comments filling the screen was enough to express the audience's current excitement!
"I really wish I could go back to ancient times, one person, one sword, one Jianghu!"
"Ahhhh!! Discussing the Way in drunkenness, plucking flowers when sober, this line gave me goosebumps!"
"This is exactly my wuxia dream, I must play this game!"
"Who would have thought, I came to watch a game and ended up hearing Ting Yu's new song."
"Haha, this ticket was truly worth the money today!"
"Xiao Gongju suits this song so well, and this song is exactly the scene of me walking through the Jianghu in my dreams."
"I have to say, Ting Yu writes about youthful spirit so wonderfully!"
"..."
Whether a wuxia song is good or not doesn't depend on the splendor of the lyrics or the heroism of the music, but on the sense of immersion.
When listening to this song, do you feel that sense of immersion and identification with the Jianghu?
And this song undeniably achieved that, especially the chorus, with its slightly self-deprecating yet incredibly resolute youthful spirit, which resonated with many young people.
After all, as an elder surnamed Liu once said, "If you're not full of spirit, can you still be called young?"
Being full of spirit is the most distinct label of youth, from ancient times to the present, without exception!
"...
Frost on the eaves, moonlight by the window, leave a lamp for me.
Crossing the Jiangnan, treading the Tian Shan, I never returned..."
The second verse.
Gong Juren held a long sword, singing and walking to the center of the stage.
Instantly, his long sword was drawn!
He was actually performing some sword techniques!
This moment of surprise.
Drew cheers and applause from the audience.
No one expected Gong Juren to possess such skill.
Although these sword movements were performed with an artistic flair, and the movements leaned towards the flamboyant, they were perfect for the stage.
Moreover, he sang while dancing with the sword, yet his breath remained steady without wavering.
"...
It is said that the youth of the Jianghu are unaware of the world's complexities,
Whether friend or foe, let us engage in a battle.
Waiting for someone, someday, to willingly join me, wipe the blood and discuss tea,
In dreams, still, the moon shines across the horizon..."
When the entire song was finished.
Accompanied by the exhilarating, joy-seeking background music.
Gong Juren executed a beautiful sword flourish, then sheathed his sword, bowed with his sword in hand, and offered a fist-and-palm salute to the audience below.
At this moment.
There was a moment of silence from the audience, followed by a tidal wave of applause.
Below the stage.
Su Yu quietly watched Gong Juren on stage, a look of gratification on his face.
He suddenly realized that every time he gave a song to Xiao Gong to sing, it brought him unexpected surprises.
It was like giving him a secret martial arts manual; without any explanation, he could understand the moves himself and present them perfectly.
Su Yu knew that this wasn't due to Xiao Gong's high comprehension, but his willingness to research diligently.
He always treated every song with seriousness, regardless of its genre; even the plaza dance hit from last time, he had worked hard to understand its core and absorb it, singing its essence.
His vocal ability might not have reached the level of the truly extraordinary yet, but his understanding and interpretation of songs, and the emotion he injected, could undoubtedly be compared to that of a vocal king.
Vocal skill, after all, could be honed.
At this point, the group next to him started arguing again.
"Now, who dares say Ting Yu is not as good as Li Feihong?"
"Come on, that brother over there, continue with what you were saying, is Ting Yu comparable to Li Feihong or not?"
These were people who had defended Ting Yu before. This song, "Ming Yue Tian Ya," had come out unexpectedly, but it was incredibly satisfying.
Someone had just said that Ting Yu was afraid of Li Feihong and wouldn't dare enter the gaming circle, and immediately a song appeared to refute that.
And those who had spoken before now had flushed faces, not knowing how to retort.
Seeing those people back down, they then noticed Su Yu nearby and immediately shifted their attention to him.
"Brother, didn't you just say Ting Yu doesn't have time to get involved in the gaming circle? Does that face-slap hurt?"
"Young man, don't casually speculate about the thoughts of a god; a mortal like you cannot comprehend them."
"You weren't belittling Ting Yu, so you must also be a fan of Ting Yu, right? All fans are family, we won't pick a fight with you, just offering a friendly reminder."
"As seniors, we want to impart some experience as Ting Yu fans; you just need to believe in Ting Yu and wait for him to slap faces, don't make wild guesses, otherwise, you'll end up with a face-slapped like this."
They all lectured Su Yu with earnest advice.
It had a rather earnest tone.
And Su Yu, hearing their words, was utterly bewildered.
What you're saying makes so much sense, I'm speechless!
Shocked, I've been slapped in the face by myself?
...
ps: "Ming Yue Tian Ya" Original Singer: Wu Yin JW, Lyrics: Wu Bi, Music: Chao Xi tide