With Master Wenzhu's appearance, the Musical Arts Conference officially began.
Since it was a Musical Arts Conference, some senior figures in the field of musical arts were inevitably going to say a few words. The first to speak was the highly respected Master Wenzhu, hailed as the leading authority in musical arts in the Qingyang region. This old gentleman was clearly the type who had spent his entire life contemplating musical arts—not only was he erudite, but his attainments were also profound. His speech and demeanor carried a sense of solemnity, as well as a kind of obsession and reverence for musical arts.
After several senior musical arts figures finished speaking, some young musicians began to take the stage to perform. Just as Ouyang Ye had mentioned earlier, this Musical Arts Conference was a rare opportunity for young musicians. Receiving guidance from these seniors would be of great help to both their musical arts attainments and their reputation.
As one young musician after another finished their performances, Ouyang Ye also began to prepare. She had long since taken out her beloved guqin from her storage bag and walked to the front of the stage to wait quietly. Before leaving, she didn't forget to instruct Gu Qingfeng that if Yun Hong and Ye Hui came over, he should absolutely not pay them any mind.
Soon, it was Ouyang Ye's turn to perform.
When the little girl stepped onto the stage, enthusiastic applause rang out in the hall. Clearly, many people in the audience seemed to be looking forward to her performance. Even Master Wenzhu couldn't help but nod with a smile when he saw the little girl take the stage.
Gu Qingfeng sat alone in the corner, sipping wine and eating spirit fruits.
"This girl really is playing my tune..." Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle wryly as the guqin music began. He vaguely remembered this piece was called 'Laughing at the Mortal World'.
In the world, any piece that could be called profound was by no means ordinary.
Because every piece, when created, carried the spiritual will of its creator. What was played were profound melodies, but what was performed were ethereal legends; what was composed was a moving cycle of reincarnation.
Every piece composed a legend, a cycle of reincarnation, but all of this was expressed through musical arts. It entered the ears, stirred spiritual resonance, made one feel as if their soul had left their body, dreaming back through the ages, immersing them in the scene, experiencing a kind of illusory brilliance.
This was precisely why many people became obsessed with musical arts.
Because musical arts could temporarily make people forget the troubles of the world, immersing them in a world fabricated by musical arts where they could comprehend myriad things alongside the profound music. A piece that was profoundly profound and wonderfully wonderful could not only stir spiritual resonance but also purify the soul, and even allow one to gain insights into the Dao.
This was no exaggeration. Gu Qingfeng had once personally witnessed a demoness listen to an old monk play the Buddhist Great Compassion Mantra, and then...
...then she attained Buddhahood on the spot.
To say that the little girl Ouyang Ye's performance of this 'Laughing at the Mortal World' was quite good—though she hadn't played out its artistic conception, she had still displayed the various profound mysteries within the piece. For one so young to have such attainments in the field of musical arts was also rare.
When the piece ended, it won a full house of applause.
Master Wenzhu even stood up to praise her: "It has been several months since we last met. I never imagined Miss Ouyang's attainments in musical arts have grown even more profound. This 'Laughing at the Mortal World' contains sixty-two different fingering techniques, ninety-eight profound melodies, and its spiritual arts number over two hundred. For Miss Ouyang to perfectly connect the various spiritual arts is truly rare, truly rare..." After being praised by Master Wenzhu, Ouyang Ye was very pleased and quickly bowed in thanks.
"As everyone knows, the Monarch's tunes are considered profound among profound tunes, wonderful among wonderful tunes, hailed as 'one tune, one legend; one tune, one cycle of reincarnation; one tune, a thousand layers of wonder; one tune, ten thousand layers of wonder.'"
Master Wenzhu stroked his white beard and solemnly continued: "However, precisely because the Monarch's tunes are too profound, they leave us only able to look up in admiration. Yet just now, Miss Ouyang was able to play this 'Laughing at the Mortal World' with eighty percent of its profound mystery. This is already rare and commendable. The younger generation is to be feared, truly to be feared...
I believe Miss Ouyang's future path in musical arts will shine even brighter..." As Master Wenzhu's words fell, applause once again rang out in the hall.
This applause was partly in agreement with Master Wenzhu, and partly in praise of Ouyang Ye.
Those seated in the hall were all musicians proficient in musical arts. They well understood that the Monarch's tunes were incomparably profound. Just like this 'Laughing at the Mortal World', many musical arts experts with deep attainments might not be able to play out even a fraction of its profound mystery. Yet Ouyang Ye, despite her attainments not being high, was able to play this piece with eighty percent of its profound mystery. This couldn't help but make people envy her talent.
Ye Hui's jealousy and hatred toward Ouyang Ye was largely due to this musical arts talent.
At this moment, watching Ouyang Ye standing on stage being praised, Ye Hui's eyes were filled with hatred. She said disdainfully, "Hmph! Her musical arts attainments aren't that high at all. She's just relying on knowing how to play two of the Monarch's tunes, that's why she's so smug and forgets herself!"
Ye Hui's eyes were full of hatred, the kind that went deep into the bones.
She believed her own musical arts attainments were higher than Ouyang Ye's, and she knew more pieces. Yet whether in terms of fame or value, she was inferior to Ouyang Ye.
The reason was simple: Ouyang Ye knew how to play two of the Monarch's tunes, and could even play out their profound mystery. That was her capital.
Almost every musician in this world knew that the Monarch's tunes were the most popular. As long as you could play out their profound mystery, your value would be high.
However, not everyone could play the Monarch's tunes with profound mystery.
Many senior musical arts figures present couldn't do it, let alone Ye Hui. Even though she had been practicing for many years, to this day she still couldn't play even the simplest of the Monarch's tunes with profound mystery—not even one percent.
She couldn't do it, and Yun Hong couldn't either, even though he was an outstanding figure among young musicians in the Qingyang region.
If anyone could play the Monarch's tunes with profound mystery, then the Monarch's tunes wouldn't be hailed as profound among profound tunes, wonderful among wonderful tunes, 'one tune, one legend; one tune, one cycle of reincarnation; one tune, a thousand layers of wonder; one tune, ten thousand layers of wonder.'
Similarly, Ye Hui hated Ouyang Ye, and Yun Hong did too. Perhaps part of it was due to his previous pursuit being rejected, but more than that, he was also very displeased that despite having fame and being a leading figure among the younger generation in musical arts attainments, his value was equal to Ouyang Ye's.
Taking a deep breath, Yun Hong secretly glanced at Gu Qingfeng sitting in the corner, a sinister, cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Hui Hui, just wait and see. This time I'll definitely make Ouyang Ye lose all face!"
Ye Hui nodded in acknowledgment. Watching Ouyang Ye step down from the stage, a flash of triumphant smile appeared in her eyes. "Hmph!
Let's see if she can still smile so happily later!"
Having received everyone's praise and being publicly commended by Master Wenzhu, Ouyang Ye was truly overjoyed. After stepping down from the stage holding her guqin, she returned to the corner, happily laughing, "Hey, hey, how was my performance just now?"
"Passable..." Gu Qingfeng held his wine cup, taking occasional bites of food. But his words 'passable' sounded to Ouyang Ye like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. The little girl glared at him, displeased. "What do you mean 'passable'?
It was very passable, okay?
No! It wasn't passable at all—it was very good, okay?"
"Girl, don't play this piece anymore in the future. It really doesn't suit you. To be precise, you should play fewer of Gu Tianlang's tunes from now on. What's a little girl like you doing always playing his tunes? His tunes are either great joy or great sorrow, either mocking all living beings or raging against the Dao—they're all too extreme...
Playing them too much will affect your worldview."
"Tch, if you don't understand, then don't talk nonsense. This is what a real man is like, okay?"
Whenever Lord Chixiao was mentioned, Ouyang Ye's pretty face would show endless admiration. She said, "Haven't you heard the saying?
'If he is the phoenix, I am the fenghuang; if marrying, marry Lord Chixiao'..."
"I..." Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a bitter smile, about to speak when Ouyang Ye immediately put on a stern face, pretending to be angry. "I'm warning you, the Monarch is the peerless hero in my heart, my male god. If you dare speak ill of him, I won't let you off!"
"Forget it..."