Insufficient balance

  Fu Zuo Yi retreated and sat down, and Fu Ying walked forward beside him. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were like a clear pool of water, and her features were elegant and refined. A faint aura of intelligence emanated from her eyebrows, and although she had never spoken in front of so many people before, her demeanor became composed after a brief moment of shyness, befitting her upbringing in a noble family.

  Fu Yingning calmed down and said with a gentle voice, "Please have both sides choose one young master as their representative. I will then give out the questions." Her voice was melodious and pleasant to hear.

  Yu Jie asked, "Who's going to compete in the first round?" But his eyes drifted towards Yi Han, whose piano skills he had witnessed before.

  "That goes without saying, this is of course Mu Sen's show, I have absolute confidence in Mu Sen's musical skills."

  Yu Jie turned to Yi Han and said: "Brother Yi, what do you think?"

  Yi Han said calmly: "Brother Ma is so confident, but I don't know what Brother Lin has in mind."

  Lin Mu Sen lightly smiled and said: "These days, when it comes to poetry, the spotlight has always been stolen by Ming Xiu and Yu Jie. As for zither skills, that's my forte, no one can surpass me. Who among you dares to compete with me? I won't give anyone a chance."

  "Alright, let Musen go first in this first round", Yu Jie said calmly, but his tone wasn't very confident.

  Hua Xiang said this side, Yun Gu Tian patted Zhang Ziwu's shoulder and said: "Ziwen, it's up to you, we absolutely can't lose, we want a five-game winning streak".

  Zhang Ziwen's face was cold and proud, saying: "I will make him have nightmares whenever he thinks of the word 'qin' in the future".

  Zhang Ziwu stepped forward, clasped his fists and bowed to the famous scholars in the pavilion: "I am Zhang Ziwu of Huaxiu Poetry Society". Lin Musen also stepped forward and said: "Fengya Song, Lin Musen". The scene erupted in thunderous applause.

  Fu Xianglin waved his hand, and six servants emerged from the crowd, carrying a zither, a long table, and a cushion. They divided into two groups, each facing Lin Mu Sen. Zhang Ziwen walked over, arranged the zither, put down the cushion, and the two men sat down separately.

  Fu Xing said, "These two qins were made from the same piece of wood and crafted by the same master. Would you like to test them?" Zhang Ziwu and Lin Musen simultaneously replied, "No need." The level of music is not in the instrument, but in the person playing it. How could they not understand this? Why would they bother with such a thing, inviting ridicule from everyone?

  Fu Ying sat down, and only then did everyone notice that in front of Fu Ying was also a guqin and a cushion.

  "Listen, both of you," Fu Xiang said, her jade-like hands lightly plucking the silver strings. The melodious sound of the guqin floated around the ears of everyone present, entrancing them and making them feel as if they were in a trance. All eyes were fixed on her, and the atmosphere was quiet and still. Although there were people who understood music theory among the crowd, no one had ever heard such a beautiful piece before. When the song came to an end, everyone felt like it wasn't enough and wished they could hear it again.

  Fu Ying finished playing a song and stood up to bow to the audience, saying: "Can the two young masters tell what song this is?"

  Lin Mu Sen calmly said: "Sounds somewhat familiar, but I've never heard it before, don't know if it's something you composed."

  Fu Xiangning smiled but didn't answer, her eyes shifting towards Zhang Ziwu.

  Zhang Ziwen bowed his head and thought for a moment before saying: "It feels like 'Guangling San' but it doesn't feel like it."

  Everyone listened, and suddenly the pot exploded, discussing in unison. How could this be "Guangling San"? The tune of "Guangling San" is heroic and majestic, with a grand momentum, while the piece played by Fu Yinglun just now was smooth and elegant, gentle and delicate, how could it be?

  Fu Xiangning smiled slightly and said, "It's indeed 'Guangling San', but it was modified by a young lady to change the melody, so it sounds different when you listen to it."

  The crowd in the field was shocked after hearing it, and they couldn't believe that someone could make "Guangling San" sound so beautiful. The woman's skill in playing the guqin is incredibly high.

  Fu Xiangning said: "Please ask the two young masters to play the tune that the little girl just played, and whoever finishes playing wins."

  Zhang Ziwen was shocked after hearing this, he had originally thought that being able to answer that the piece was "Guangling San" would be enough for him to win, but unexpectedly, the test question was actually to play out the tune that Fu Xiangling had just played. How difficult it was, he knew in his heart, not only did one have to be proficient in music, but also remember every single note that Fu Xiangling had played earlier.

  Lin Mu Sen couldn't play it either, but he believed that his opponent also couldn't play it, so he wasn't very worried.

  In the distance, on a pavilion above, a beautiful woman and a green-clad maid servant. The beautiful woman said faintly: "This woman's attainments in qin skills are not bad."

  The maid in green asked: "Miss, how are you compared to her?"

  The beautiful woman smiled lightly, "It's just a small trick, if this woman puts more thought into the soul of the zither, she won't just have today's accomplishments."

  Below the stage, Lin Mu Sen plucked a tune, and when it was finished, everyone only felt that it sounded good, but everyone could tell that this was a genuine "Guangling San", while Fu Xiangling's melody couldn't be made out. Nevertheless, such beautiful music still caused the crowd to erupt in cheers and applause for Lin Mu Sen.

  It was Zhang Ziwen's turn, and his expression looked a bit serious. The sound of the guqin rose, and the melody was similar to Fu Xiangling's, but it was much more awkward, and the sound was not very smooth. As he played on, Zhang Ziwen suddenly stopped, and everyone else was puzzled. Only Zhang Ziwen had a bitter smile in his heart, not because he didn't want to continue playing, but because the next note was simply unplayable. Among the five notes of Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, and Yu, there was no such note, so how could he play it?

  Zhang Ziwen stood up and bowed to Fu Yinglin, saying: "Miss Fu is a genius, I'm really unable to finish playing the piece."

  Fu Ying's eyes sparkled, and she smiled: "Young Master Zhang doesn't have to be modest. You've already surpassed me in many ways by playing so well. Congratulations on your victory."

  Many people rushed to replace Lin Mu Sen, but the sound of this qin still sounds better than Lin Mu Sen's.

  The woods and trees were as gray as ashes, but when Zhang Ziwu played the zither at that moment, he knew he was going to lose, so he retreated back, his expression gloomy, without saying a word. Yu Jie didn't know how to comfort him.

  Yi Han walked over and patted Lin Mu Sen's shoulder, saying: "Brother Lin, don't be discouraged. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Zhang Zi Wen's qin skills are exceptional, perhaps even surpassing Fu Ying Qiu's. You losing to him isn't unjust."

  Lin Mu said with a sigh: "That's true, but I've let everyone down."

  "What's there to be afraid of? We still have four games left. We haven't lost yet."

  "Alas, it's all because of me, losing the elegant reputation of Feng Ya Song."

  Alas, it's hard to save face now. Thinking of this, he smiled and said: "Wanting to regain face is not difficult, I'll take you to find face right away."

  Several people were astonished and did not know what Yihuan meant by these words.

  Yi Han Lang's voice rang out in the field, "I'm itching to play, how about I play a piece to help everyone get excited?" The people in the field heard that there was going to be music and cheered loudly, shouting: "Play one!"

  Yi Han beckoned to those few servants who were about to take back the zither, saying: "Gentlemen, bring it over here."

  The scene erupted in cheers, and Fu Xiangning saw that someone else was coming to play the zither. She was also a music lover, so she naturally agreed. Turning her head to look at Fu Zuoyi, seeing Fu Zuoyi slightly nodding, she said loudly: "Then I'll trouble you, sir, to play a piece for us to dispel our boredom."

  Yi Han arranged the guqin, stretched his hands, shook his head, and moved around a bit. These actions looked extremely strange to others. When playing the guqin, one emphasizes spirit, quietness, and elegance. Yi Han's movements seemed like those of a coarse butcher selling pork at a market stall.

  Yi Hanleng sneered and said, "You ignorant people are not even worthy of me using my true abilities."

  He intended to play the tune of that woman, only then could he help Lin brother save face. Yi Han's fingers lightly plucked, and the elegant piano sound gradually rang out. Everyone who heard it came out, this tune was just played by Fu Yingqin, compared to Zhang Ziwu more fluent and more skilled, not a bit worse than Fu Yingqin.

  Suddenly, a distant piano sound floated over, and what was astonishing was that this piano sound seemed to be accompanying Yi Han. The melody was similar, yet different from the style of music Yi Han played. It was as if these two different melodies were harmonizing together, sounding incredibly beautiful.

  As soon as the sound of the qin was heard, Yi Han's entire demeanor suddenly changed, becoming a different person. His spirit was like the moon shining on a cold river, his quietness was like a pine tree growing in an empty valley, and his elegance was such that it made one forget about worldly things.

  The sound of the two people's zithers is like a tree and its roots, inseparable and intertwined. Like a boat and water, you float and I drift, our emotions entwined and inseparable, yet independent of each other. The zither sound is like a delicate woman's body, wherever she goes, she clings tightly to him, with tender affection.

  The music ended, and the crowd was stunned. It felt as if they had experienced a love that transcended life and death after listening to this piece. The room fell silent, eerily quiet. Fu Xiangling stood there, frozen like a wooden statue. For the first time in her life, she was shaken by the sound of the piano. Her emotions surged, and only two words could describe what she felt: "utterly stunned". She thought that perhaps for the rest of her life, she would never hear such a beautiful, heavenly melody again. A sense of desolation filled her heart, and tears fell suddenly.

  Zhang Ziwu sighed, "Sitting in a well and looking at the sky, I don't know who the other zither player is, but any one of them is a hundred times better than me. What's even more amazing is that the two of them played without seeing each other, yet they were so in tune with each other. This melody, I won't be able to hear it again in this life."

  Yun Gu Tian saw Yi Han and exclaimed: "How is it him?"

  Zhang Ziwu said: "Yun brother knows them both, you must introduce me properly".

  Yún Gū Tiān Dào said: "I only know that his name is Yì Hán, this person's talent is unfathomable, in this game we have won but also lost."

  Yi Han didn't expect that there would be a mysterious person to play together with him, and the coordination was seamless. It's hard to find someone who understands music, and his own feelings have been completely led by the other party. The three states of divinity, quietness, and elegance were born from the heart, and this kind of sincere expression of inner emotions is a wonderful state that can be encountered but not sought after. Not only can it move oneself, but also others.

  The girl burst into tears and said: "I like him so much, I want to marry him".

  Girl Yilihua said with a smile: "You've moved me so much, I originally supported Huaxiang Poetry Society anyway, Fengya Song, I love you".

  At once, tens of thousands of girls shouted: "Feng Ya Song, I love you!" Even those self-proclaimed geniuses joined in the shouting.

  Yu Jie tightly grasped Yi Han's hand, extremely excited, and Yi Han's one song actually made countless young girls and talented youths go crazy.

  In the distance, on a pavilion above, that green-clad maid, Li Huai, with tears in her eyes, exclaimed: "Miss, did you hear? He cried for the first time when he heard the zither, actually, he's not as bad as people say."

  Only the beautiful woman murmured: "You play the zither, I'll dance".