Gu Qingfeng drank three cups of wine in succession and said, "Everything back then began with Gu Tianlang's piece 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain'. So today, I shall also play 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain' on his behalf to settle this matter once and for all."
The surrounding crowd murmured amongst themselves, all feeling that Gu Qingfeng was putting on an act and pretending.
Beside him, Ouyang Ye was already on the verge of tears. Faced with Gu Qingfeng's utterly composed demeanor as he toasted Old Master Ku Mu, her heart was utterly shattered.
Besides being shattered, she also felt a deep sense of admiration.
She admired how this fellow could remain so calm and collected at a time like this, impersonating Young Lord Chiyan without batting an eye.
She also admired how brilliantly he was acting, performing as if he truly were the Monarch's successor, Young Lord Chiyan.
Damn it!
No one even knows if the real Young Lord Chiyan is truly the Monarch's successor, and yet you, a fake, dare to play this game?
Lao Jiu! Lao Jiu!
What exactly are you trying to do?!
Ouyang Ye screamed inwardly. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something.
What did he mean by 'everything began with Gu Tianlang's piece 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain''? And what did he mean by 'I shall also play 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain' on the Monarch's behalf to settle this matter'?
Could it be... this fellow actually intends to play 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain'?
When she saw Gu Qingfeng place Xiao Jin'er's guqin before him, Ouyang Ye immediately sent a frantic mental message: Have you gone mad?!
Do you even understand Musical Arts?
How dare you play?
This is the Monarch's famously renowned piece! Everyone here is a top talent in the world of Musical Arts, yet even they can only play it with a hundred layers of Profound Mystery at most! Are you insane?!
Playing 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain' in front of them will expose your identity!
Hey!
Lao Jiu!
Lao Jiu!
No matter how Ouyang Ye screamed mentally, Gu Qingfeng acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. He plucked the strings from top to bottom with a backhand motion, and the sound of the guqin immediately filled the air.
His hands moved over the instrument, playing at a slow pace. His technique was very ordinary, not particularly skilled—in fact, it was quite plain. His movements were messy, as if he were unpracticed.
As the saying goes, an expert reveals their skill with the first move!
The moment Gu Qingfeng's hands touched the guqin, those proficient in Musical Arts in the crowd began shaking their heads.
They felt his technique was far too mediocre. Forget comparing him to Musical Arts masters like Old Master Ku Mu, or even to Musical Arts prodigies like Wei Chaoqun, Wuhen, or Li Qianhua—he wasn't even as good as an average practitioner of Musical Arts.
Moreover, the melody he played was utterly commonplace, lacking not only Profound Mystery but even basic charm. It seemed even the tune itself was somewhat off.
"Such an utterly ordinary technique, not even at a beginner's level, and he dares claim to be the Monarch's successor?"
"He dares call himself Young Lord Chiyan, the one with peerless Musical Arts?"
"How laughable!"
"Truly laughable!"
"Sigh! It seems this person is most likely a fake!"
"Indeed! Such a common technique isn't even as good as mine. How could he possibly be Young Lord Chiyan? The tune doesn't even seem right, does it?"
Listening to the crowd's discussions, Ouyang Ye lowered her head, unable to bear watching, and felt utterly ashamed. She desperately wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
She knew it—this time, they were completely finished!
"Ye Ye!"
Suddenly, a secret mental message came through. Ouyang Ye was startled and looked around. Amidst the crowd, she spotted the figures of Han Dong and Qian Shan.
"Sister Han Dong, why did you only come now..."
"It's over! We're finished this time..."
"Lao Jiu's identity has been exposed!"
Ouyang Ye responded while running over to them.
Not far away, Qing Xi watched Gu Qingfeng playing and also shook her head, feeling his technique was far too mediocre. A sense of disappointment welled up within her.
To be honest.
Ever since hearing about Young Lord Chiyan's deeds, she had been looking forward to meeting him. Whether it was his effortless performance of 'Drunken Chant of the Azure Sea' or his modified version of 'Whispers of the Little Blue Flower', both had filled her with admiration.
What a pity!
What a pity this person clearly wasn't very proficient in Musical Arts.
Given that, how could he possibly be Young Lord Chiyan, the one with peerless Musical Arts?
Though disappointed, Qing Xi's heart was also somewhat glad.
Because this way, Old Master Ku Mu's hopes would be dashed. He would realize this fellow was a fraud and wouldn't be deceived again.
Qing Xi felt there was no need to watch any further, nor any need to listen further. Watching and listening held no meaning now.
Many shared this sentiment. Those Musical Arts masters all shook their heads and sighed deeply, appearing greatly disappointed.
Only Old Master Ku Mu was currently frowning, his gaze deeply fixed on Gu Qingfeng's hands as they moved over the guqin. The expression on his face wasn't one of disappointment or loss, but rather one of astonishment and doubt. Beyond that doubt, there was also a flicker of excitement.
He could also see that Gu Qingfeng's technique was very ordinary, with nothing remarkable about it. But that wasn't what astonished him. What truly astonished him was the tune.
Back when the Crimson Sky Monarch composed 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain', he had been the first listener. He was also the only person in the world who possessed the original score of 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain'. It was no exaggeration to say that no one in this world understood this piece better than he did.
He knew full well that while many in this world might be able to play the melody of 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain', to this day, almost no one could play the tune of this piece perfectly—himself included.
The reason was simple.
Back then, the Crimson Sky Monarch had never systematically studied Musical Arts. Therefore, within the pieces he composed, the tunes were all wildly imaginative. Some of the musical notes were even things he just made up himself. Apart from the Monarch himself, no one else in the world knew how to play those tunes composed of such chaotic, haphazard notes. Because of this, he had been researching with other Musical Arts masters, even consulting many reincarnated great powers. Even they said the tunes and notes within 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain' were too strange, and they didn't know how to play them.
Precisely because of this, to this day, no one could reproduce the overwhelming, earth-shattering momentum of 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain', nor its world-destroying artistic conception. Even the Profound Mystery manifested only as startling thunderclaps; no one had ever succeeded in summoning the true Crimson Thunder.
But now, listening to this person before him play 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain'...
Though the technique was ordinary, that tune instantly made him feel as if he had been transported back over four hundred years. It was both familiar and unfamiliar. Excited, he couldn't help but murmur, "This... this is the tune..."
"This is... this is the true 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain'! This is the true tune of 'Crimson Sky's Wind, Clouds, and Thunder Stir'!!"
No one had expected the old master to utter such bewildering words.
What did he mean, 'this is the true 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain''?
And what did he mean by 'the true tune of 'Crimson Sky's Wind, Clouds, and Thunder Stir''?
Everyone knew 'Crimson Sky's Wind, Clouds, and Thunder Stir' was the original name of 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain'. Why would the old master say such a thing?
With such an ordinary technique and an inaccurate tune, how could this be the true 'Wind Rises Over Daqing Mountain'?
No one understood. Everyone felt utterly bewildered.
And just at that moment—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of thunderous roars exploded, shaking the entire Five-Color Gardens violently.