The news that Wang Jiaqian, the seductive beauty of the academy, was going to compete with a student on the guqin, somehow spread throughout the academy.
And when they learned that the competing student was Qin Sheng, the freshman who had beaten the student union president Song Qilin during the freshmen assembly, everyone became even more interested.
Even Wu Yuefeng, who was busy promoting himself and holding fan events, became nervous.
He frowned and complained privately to his team, "I knew it. This kid couldn't compete with me, so he's playing tricks."
His team members disdained, "What waves can he make? His voting rank is almost at the bottom. Right now, he's last among all candidates."
Wu Yuefeng said coldly, "Don't let your guard down. I've always felt that this Qin Sheng is my biggest opponent! His advantage is that he has nothing to lose."
Wu Yuefeng looked down on classmate Qin.
But he also felt that Qin Yexuan was a scoundrel and could not be dealt with by normal means.
"Wang Jiaqian is the most popular beautiful teacher in the academy. She's been dressing so provocatively lately. Who knows if she's Qin Sheng's lover!"
Wu Yuefeng started to fantasize, "I'm most afraid of this kind of dirty vote-grabbing behavior. Let's go and see."
The large lecture hall was once again filled with people.
Wang Jiaqian borrowed the best guqin from the school's music room.
When she appeared with the guqin, the whole audience started to applaud.
This was because the students from the second and third years had seen Wang Jiaqian perform at the school's joint celebration party and were well aware of her skills and full of anticipation.
Wang Jiaqian immediately gained more confidence, smiling as she displayed the guqin in her hands.
Qin Yexuan glanced at it and said, "Oh, it's a seven-stringed zither."
Wang Jiaqian gave him a glare, "Do you think there are other kinds of guqin?"
"Well, when I first learned the zither, it had two strings, called Yin and Yang. It was made from thunder-struck wood from Qixia Mountain. Although it had only two strings, it could produce myriad variations. The zither's sound could change with different spiritual powers. Between Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, and Yu, nine sounds traversed, making heaven and earth weep..."
With a snort, Wang Jiaqian was speechless, "I've never heard of a guqin with only two strings."
"It's not your fault. The oldest surviving zither tablature is probably the 'Youlan' from the Jin Dynasty. What I learned is the music of ancient times."
Wang Jiaqian was a little overwhelmed. She sat down in front of the podium, arranged the seven-stringed zither, and gently strummed it.
It was truly like high mountains and flowing water, smooth and clear.
The audience applauded again.
Qin Yexuan, however, was immediately greatly disappointed.
The sound of the guqin most disliked this kind of smoothness.
In the past, even the most clumsy musician would not have plucked the strings back and forth like this, producing such dry and lifeless sounds.
He shook his head, no longer holding out hope for Wang Jiaqian's skill.
Wang Jiaqian, however, was full of energy and played a piece of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" with all her might.
The scene was enthusiastic, and the zither music was completely drowned out by the cheers and applause.
One could only hear the seemingly smooth but meaningless plucking sounds.
Finally, Wang Jiaqian placed her hands on the strings and looked at Qin Yexuan with pride, "How about it? Let me tell you, the teacher is still the teacher, and you are just a student. Are you convinced now?"
Qin Yexuan shrugged, "The zither's sound scattered, and your fingering was inaccurate. Let's not even talk about whether it sounded good or not. This piece 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' was composed by Yu Boya in remembrance of Zhong Ziqi. It consists of nine movements, depicting towering mountains and secluded streams. You deliberately chose the technically most difficult final movement to showcase your skills. Unfortunately, that movement was originally filled with sorrow and longing for a lost confidant, and you played it with such cheerfulness..."
Wang Jiaqian's face turned red. She was about to retort.
From outside the classroom, an old man stroked his beard and walked in, marveling, "Well said, this student speaks well. Wang Jiaqian, your performance was truly terrible. If you want to be cheerful, why don't you play 'Ode to Joy'? 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' is a piece for kindred spirits, and it should be played with a plainness that holds a faint sense of longing and sadness."
The scene erupted in a commotion.
"It's Liu Taibai, the guqin master from Chaoge!"
"Old Mr. Liu is not only a guqin master, but also a prominent figure on par with Song Shixiong..."
Wang Jiaqian was also stunned.
Her teacher had been Liu Taibai's grand-disciple, so in a sense, this man was her grand-master.
"Old Liu, am I, am I really that bad?" Wang Jiaqian was on the verge of tears.
Liu Taibai smiled, "You're not bad. This student speaks well, but he might not play better than you..."
As he was speaking, a zither sound suddenly echoed throughout the venue.
It carried a certain heart-stirring resonance, and then suddenly another sound, like a woman's sigh.
Liu Taibai trembled all over, "This is Sima Xiangru's 'Phoenix Seeking its Mate'! The original ancient melody, the part that has long been lost."
The guqin is divided into four schools: Guangling, Jiuxiao, Shu-hua, and the long-lost Xiangru school.
At this moment, Qin Yexuan was using ancient techniques, playing the timeless masterpiece "Phoenix Seeking its Mate" using only five strings!
The opening of this zither piece was deep and melancholic, while the middle section was played with clear harmonics, bright and open-minded, admiring the beautiful and wealthy Zhuo Wenjun from the perspective of the great talent Sima Xiangru a thousand years ago.
Then the zither music suddenly changed, turning into melancholy, and an even deeper longing.
It turned out that Qin Yexuan had infused his longing for his deceased wife into the zither music.
He had become emotional while playing this piece, using his own spiritual power. How could ordinary people endure such infectiousness?
As the last note slowly faded, everyone present was in tears.
They were immersed in this thousand-year-old zither music, lost in their own worlds.
When everyone came back to their senses, Qin Yexuan was long gone.
Liu Taibai was dumbfounded. He stumbled and sat on the ground, then suddenly burst into tears, "Such beautiful zither music! I was fortunate enough to hear it. Damn it, I won't play the zither anymore. I'm not worthy, and no one else is worthy of playing the zither anymore!"
The guqin Wang Jiaqian had borrowed was donated by Liu Taibai. He suddenly jumped up, grabbed the guqin, and rushed out, "Master, that student? I can only call you Master. Please, Master, stay..."
Wang Jiaqian's emotions recovered the slowest. Various feelings surged in her heart, and she couldn't stop her tears.
She reached out, touched her soaked chest, and was horrified, "I, I lost! But, I lost wholeheartedly and with conviction. It's just, just who is this Qin classmate? How did he play that piece just now?"