Leng Wuqing's lips twitched, and his expression indeed hardened. He refused to look back and quickened his pace, his white robe swaying gracefully with each step.
"To think, such a refined person is hidden here," Duan Shuixian put away the bronze mirror, his fighting spirit rekindled. He clenched his fist and muttered to himself, "I must surpass him in refinement." He stared at Leng Wuqing's direction for a long time, stroking his chin, and then muttered to himself in confusion, "Have I seen this person before? Such a refined person, how could I not remember him? Why does he seem so familiar?"
He frowned in thought, patting his robe and tidying his hair. As usual, he walked at the back to stand out from the crowd.
When he encountered a maid carrying a food box, he didn't forget to lift his robe, tiptoe around, and sure enough, he saw the maid blush and drop the food box.
Hearing the sound, Ichiro, who was walking ahead of him, turned around slightly and saw Duan Shuixian, who was twirling around and flirting, and immediately fell silent.
Leng Wuqing turned around as well, and happened to see Duan Shuixian glancing at him seductively, her eyes filled with surging emotions. He couldn't help but shiver and said angrily, "I'll gouge out his eyes sooner or later." As he was angry, he plucked a large rosebud and crushed it to pieces.
Seeing Leng Wuqing approaching from afar, Duan Shuixian was quite pleased, feeling as if she had encountered a formidable rival. With a smile in her heart, she gracefully strolled a couple of steps, picked a rose, and recited a poem to Wushilang and Leng Wuqing in the distance: "Last night, the crabapple blossoms were first touched by rain, their delicate petals seeming to whisper secrets. At dawn, a beautiful woman rises from her boudoir, plucks a rose, and admires it before the mirror."
He originally intended to recite a poem himself, but time was short and he couldn't come up with any elegant words, so he simply picked up Tang Bohu's "Jealous of Flowers" from back then and indulged in some refined elegance.
Folding it up to compare her makeup in the mirror?!
Leng Wuqing threw down the rose stem in his hand and immediately went berserk, drawing his pair of mandarin duck knives with a clang, ready to meet the attack.
Duan Shuixian blinked and saw Leng Wuqing's angry face, holding the Mandarin Duck Swords. Unconsciously, she raised the rose in her hand to her face, her eyes sparkling, and then recited, "Asking my love: Is the flower more beautiful than my face..." Compared to him, she truly looked incredibly shy. (Typed by Juyuan Bubble Fish)
His lingering, tender "my love" made Leng Wuqing feel nauseous for a moment. A gust of wind blew, and Leng Wuqing froze completely, his lips twitching, unable to maintain his composed smile any longer.
"Why didn't you chop it down?" On the way to his residence, Isoro couldn't help but ask.
Leng Wuqing was furious and embarrassed. He turned around and sneered, "Because if a murder happens here, what am I supposed to use to suppress your poison?" He endured it so much that he almost had a stomachache. If it weren't for this idiotic woman in front of him, he would have already thrown a knife and taken down that flirtatious man who was throwing flirtatious glances.
"Oh!" Iroha obediently shut his mouth, not daring to provoke the furious Leng Wuqing any further.
"The first test tomorrow is the zither. You don't have much skill, so I've arranged for a skilled zither player from the palace to take your place."
Isoro nodded and said, "Then can I rest?"
Leng Wuqing gritted his teeth and smiled, saying, "No, you need to understand the entire development of the event."
Isoro could only nod.
In the evening, Leng Wuqing ordered someone to summon a skilled musician, a dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man. Upon seeing Leng Wuqing, he didn't dare to raise his head and instead prostrated himself on the ground.
"Young Palace Master..." His voice trembled, sounding indescribably pitiful.
"Get up," Leng Wuqing said lazily, half-reclined in the armchair, looking at him with a smile. "Tomorrow, you will take Wushilang's place in the violin-playing competition. If you lose, don't come to see me again."
Upon hearing this, the man who had just stood up immediately knelt down again, raising his hands in tears and pleading, "Young Palace Master, please grant me a quick death! Didn't you make me cut off my finger a few days ago?"
"Huh? This is outrageous! How dare you cut off your finger at such a crucial moment!" Leng Wuqing stared wide-eyed, quite surprised: "Really? I've been cultivating my character and practicing compassion these past few days. How could I cut off your finger?" He laughed angrily, saying in a sinister tone, "Besides, I never cut small things; I only cut large items."
Upon hearing this, the man in black on the ground immediately rolled his eyes back, couldn't catch his breath, and fainted.
Standing behind him, Isoro couldn't help but roll his eyes and reminded him, "He's the one whose soup you spilled on him that day..."
Leng Wuqing suddenly realized something, turned around, stared at Wu Shilang, and said angrily, "As expected, nothing good ever comes from getting involved with you."
This was clearly a case of him taking his anger out on others. Goruro remained silent, then spread his hands and said, "So what now?"
Leng Wuqing was even more furious. He slammed his hand on the table and sneered, "Do you expect me to personally play a tune for you?" He actually frowned and seriously considered it for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I can only whistle and play the erhu. I'm afraid I can't help you."
Isoro was both amused and exasperated, and replied, "I'll do it myself. When I was little, I learned some very classical pieces."
Leng Wuqing was overjoyed and nodded in praise, "As expected of the talented and handsome Wushilang, not bad, not bad."
Wu Shilang flattered him, saying, "You are also handsome and dashing, skilled in both literature and martial arts."
The two looked at each other and fell silent. After a long while, Leng Wuqing said quietly, "As expected, our Leng family is full of elites and outstanding talents."
Isoro nodded, and said seriously, "As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Heartless Uncle, this is fate..."
The believers standing at the door, waiting for orders, were completely silent.
The first competition was held in a bamboo forest.
A long, continuous corridor stretched out into the air, with a protruding, unobstructed section upon which sat a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument). All competitors had to sit on this exposed wooden board without using their internal energy to play the instrument. (Typed by Orange Garden Bubble Fish)
The two from Lu were the first to go up.
The platform was built way too high, and the protruding wooden planks were too thin. When the two burly men sat on it, the wood trembled and shook.
Before the music even started, someone burst into tears and yelled, "I quit..."
His voice, already rough and filled with fear, carried far and wide, making the audience uneasy. Many people immediately withdrew from the competition.
Isoro sat listlessly on the grass in front of the bamboo grove, cross-legged, listening to the trembling piano music that occasionally drifted from the stage. The sun's rays made him drowsy.
"What ancient piece are you going to play?" Leng Wuqing leaned over and asked quietly.
Isoro said seriously, "It is a very profound piece of music."
Leng Wuqing asked again, "What's the name of the song?"
"The Eighteen Touches"
[Produced by the Orange Garden Hand-Typed Team. Welcome to visit ]
[Produced by the Orange Garden Hand-Typed Team. Welcome to visit ]
After a long silence, Leng Wuqing slowly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, carefully tore it into a ball, and crumpled it in his palm.
"What are you doing?" Igoro asked curiously.
With a serious expression, Leng Wuqing replied, "A way to save my life."
Now it was Isoro's turn to remain silent.
People came and went, and eventually, going on stage to play the piano became a matter of pushing and shoving, because the protruding wooden board already had a shallow wrinkle.
The strange thing is, the famous Orchid Fragrance Gentleman of the martial arts world is actually a fat man weighing over 200 pounds. When he sat down, that piece of wood bounced back and forth, turning a perfectly good piece of "Phoenix Seeking its Mate" into a flying and leaping tune.
"Number 250, Duan Shuixian." The student who called out the number was already exhausted.
Whenever a young master is afraid of heights and falls from a great height, he panics and forgets to use his lightness skill, and he will inevitably fly over to catch him. Over time, this exhausts his energy.
Young Master Duan was unusually dressed today, wearing a simple blue robe with no other decorations except for the two white jade swords at his waist.
Seeing Leng Wuqing looking at him coldly, he was overjoyed. Standing on the protruding wooden plank, he flirted with what he considered to be unparalleled handsomeness, tossed his hair and robes, and lightly spun around before landing.
Before his fingertips even touched the strings, he heard his students shout, "Foul! Disqualified!"
... (Typed by hand by Orange Garden Maple Blossom Blood Moon)
Duan Shuixian remained silent, suddenly recalling that she had just spun 360 degrees in the air, seemingly using a little internal force, and felt even more desolate.
He slumped down from the platform, and as he passed Leng Wuqing, he glared at him with a look of annoyance, and said in a deep voice, "Don't envy my charm. No matter how well I hide my beauty, someone will still see it. There are some people who are not suited to being low-key."
Leng Wuqing gritted his teeth and lowered his eyes, his fingernails gathering a full amount of yellow poison, ready to be unleashed.
Seeing this, Wu Shilang sighed and waved her hand, saying, "Young Master Duan, your clothes have a big hole in them." What she said wasn't wrong; when Duan Shuixian leaped down, he spun around in the air several times in an effort to achieve perfection. Although he had a chronic fear of heights, he gritted his teeth and endured it in front of everyone.
Upon landing, in an attempt to project a dashing image, it spun around several times, its robe catching on a bamboo branch and creating a large gash.
Upon hearing this, Duan Shuixian immediately looked down and saw a huge hole. He quickly flew away, his mind preoccupied with the competition.
Of course, this is definitely not a competition between disciples, but a contest of elegance with the cold and ruthless Palace Master.
The last one to go up was Isoro. She was the only one who climbed up step by step without using any light-footed skills.
Behind the curtain, the professor from Shu University was very impressed and exclaimed, "Such a humble person, he is teachable."
It was extremely difficult for Goruro to climb up. After he sat down, he had to catch his breath for a long time before he weakly picked up the guqin.
The professor behind the curtain was moved once again. He pounded the table and sighed, "What a person of deep affection and true feelings! Look at her," he turned to another student and said, "she treats the guqin with such tenderness, as if it were a lover. She is truly a humble and affectionate person."
The students all fell silent, watching the Shu Da professor speak passionately and eloquently.
On the grass, sitting cross-legged were the contestants, including the solemn-looking Leng Wuqing.
Isoro took a few deep breaths, his mind blank, his hands stiff and claw-like, staring at the strings for a long time, still unable to figure out how to play the melody. After a while, his hands grew tired, so he simply gave up and started pounding the strings like a storm.
The blows, accompanied by clawing, produced a sharp, piercing sound. The cold-blooded man sitting on the grass immediately turned green with rage.
Behind the curtain, the professor from Shu University was completely absorbed in the music. He tapped the table with two fingers, swaying his head and exclaiming excitedly, "How unrestrained! This is the ancient charm that comes from the heart!"
The two disciples behind him fell even more silent. After a long while, they sighed in unison, "We are not talented enough. Even if we live for another hundred years, we probably will not be able to play such a profound and wild ancient melody." Then, all three of them fell into silence.
Isoro's final strike was earth-shattering, accompanied by howls and screams. He struck down with his bare hands, but the wooden plank beneath him snapped, and she fell through the air.
Overwhelmed with nervousness, she clung tightly to her guqin. As she plummeted downwards, she desperately sought solace.
The scholar from Shu University behind the curtain was deeply moved. He stood up excitedly, struck the table, and sighed, "Truly a fine instrument! Even in times of difficulty, he would rather put himself in danger than forget the guqin."
As soon as he said that, the students who had been recording the information immediately drew a big circle under Igarashi's name.
Standing on the grass was Leng Wuqing, his face green with anger. He held Wu Shilang in his arms, forced a smile from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Sister-in-law Wu Shilang's music is truly wonderful."
Goruro grinned foolishly, pretending to be stupid.
After a cup of tea, the student in charge announced the top three winners.
Fifty people were extremely dejected and sat on the grass, about to doze off.
"First place, Xiao... Wushilang." The student's voice was loud and drawn out, shocking everyone on the grass, who stared wide-eyed.
"Huh?" Leng Wuqing and Wu Shilang jumped up, exchanging complicated glances. After a long while, they said in unison, "Truly fair."
The victory in the first match greatly boosted the confidence of Wu Shilang and Leng Wuqing.
“The second game is chess,” Leng Wuqing said after a long silence, his hands behind his back. “I have always disdained such petty things, so I still cannot help you in this game.”
Gritting his teeth, Goruro bravely patted his chest and said, "I'll bet."
Hearing this, Leng Wuqing's confidence soared, and he said with a smile, "Alright, let's make a bet. This Palace Master's luck has always been excellent," he continued with a grin, "If it's bad, I'll smash all the temples, big and small, within a hundred miles..."
Now, he's even threatening the gods.
"Therefore, we, the Leng family, have always only won and never lost." Leng Wuqing clenched his fist, proudly declaring, brimming with pride.
Isoro nodded in agreement, looking as if he had a well-thought-out plan.
The chess competition was scheduled for the morning of the following day.
Everyone spontaneously let loose, their hair disheveled, their clothes wild, somewhat resembling the madness of Isoro playing the piano yesterday. Only Isoro himself was properly combing his hair and dressed in a neat white outfit.
After the students announced the competition rules, Young Master Duan strolled leisurely in from outside the courtyard. Today, he was dressed in a silver outfit with light gold trim, a light gold belt around his waist, and an eight-pronged pearl gold crown on his head. He was handsome and extraordinary, with a blend of gentleness and strength.
Seeing Wu Shilang, he smiled slightly and said, "Sister Wu Shilang, congratulations on winning first place yesterday."