121: Chapter 105: Suo Lun Forces a Marriage!
(3 more) 121: Chapter 105: Suo Lun Forces a Marriage!
(3 more) Note: Delivering the third release today; nearly twelve thousand words have been updated.
I beg for monthly votes and automatic subscriptions.
Although no one in the audience voiced their opinions, they internally made their evaluations in an instant.
Suo Lun completely outperformed Zhi You.
They even regretted that their ears hadn’t been empty but had first heard the song played by Zhi You, which sullied the purity of their spirits.
At this moment, the one filled with the most regret was Gui Xingfu.
He regretted his praise, “Such music should only exist in heaven; how often could it be heard on earth?”
If Suo Lun’s piece hadn’t existed, then his excessive praise for Zhi You would have been relatively harmless.
But after the truly divine music of Suo Lun began, it made his previous evaluation of Zhi You’s performance seem vulgar and sycophantic.
The wonderfully exquisite notes continued to drift through the air.
Everyone present had completely cleared their minds of all thoughts, letting the beautiful notes guide them as they dragged their souls aloft, swaying and swinging.
Gui Qinshao was included in this, as she once again closed her beautiful eyes, discarding all prejudice and hostility, to revel in Suo Lun’s performance.
It was as if her spirit too had been pulled outside the window by the notes, floating up into the sky to bask in the Moonlight, then drifting to the distant Nu River to experience its surging tides, and finally flowing with the tides of the Nu River into the vast ocean.
It was so, so magnificent.
In the audience, only the Princely Heir Zhi You’s face went completely pale!
Despite the absence of any judges, but…
after hearing fewer than ten notes, he knew deep down that he had been crushed, that he had thoroughly lost.
Moreover, Suo Lun had branded him with the reputation of showing off flashy tricks and vulgarity, which, for an artist, was almost a fatal blow, even though Suo Lun was completely right.
At that moment, Zhi You finally understood why Grand Mage Byron had always been lukewarm towards him.
Despite often performing better than Zhi Ning, he rarely received praise from Master Byron.
Moreover, when Grand Mage Byron was dispatched to Zhi Du, Zhi You had made a lengthy journey to visit him right away, but was met with a very cold reception and was sent away in less than a quarter of an hour.
Additionally, he had written many letters to Grand Mage Byron over the past couple of years, mostly about artistic insights and asking for guidance on his new pieces.
However, these letters vanished as if into the sea, with no response whatsoever.
What Grand Mage Byron disliked the most was exactly Zhi You’s flashy and vulgar style; he believed that trying to grab attention and draw eyes in such a manner was too impatient for quick success.
Perhaps one could become a skilled musician, but never a great artist.
But a piece like Suo Lun’s, the moment it was played, immediately touched the strings of one’s heart, causing one to tremble and resonate with it.
This was precisely what Grand Mage Byron admired and esteemed the most: for music to arise in your heart, not just by your ears.
Time seemed very long, yet also very fleeting.
A few minutes later, Suo Lun’s performance came to an end.
Just like the previous classic songs, even though the playing had stopped, it was as if countless notes, like sprites, were still floating in the air, unwilling to fall to the ground for a long time.
The spirits of everyone present were also still suspended mid-air, unable to settle down for a long time.
It was only after the notes in their hearts had completely quieted that a deep silence remained in the venue, and people looked at each other in the eye.
Because they didn’t know whether to applaud or not.
Just now, after Zhi You finished playing, they had responded with thunderous applause.
But now, Suo Lun’s performance was simply not in the same realm; the two pieces were worlds apart.
To applaud Suo Lun’s performance now seemed like a desecration, as if this applause would become incredibly cheap.
And those young noblewomen who had just supported the Princely Heir Zhi You and personally attacked Suo Lun, had now completely changed their stance.
Even though they couldn’t articulate what made Suo Lun’s performance so exquisite, they could feel, deep in their instincts, that Suo Lun was on an entirely higher level.
This was Suo Lun’s tactic: to use his strength against the opponent’s weakness.
If you compare emotions with me, then I will compete with you in skill.
If you vie with me in skill, I will outdo you in class.
A thousand-year-old classic song that ruthlessly obliterates your vulgar creation into oblivion.
“Count Suo Lun, did you compose this piece?” Zhi You asked.
Suo Lun replied, “Have you heard it before?”
Zhi You shook his head; of course, he hadn’t heard it.
Suo Lun did not answer.
If you have not heard it, and no one else has, then it must be my work.
Eventually, it was Gui Xingfu that broke the silence, saying, “Now, I finally understand how you managed to astonish everyone at the Royal City Academy.”
Following that, a noble girl asked, “Young Master Suo Lun, what piece did you play back in the Royal City?”
“Destiny,” Suo Lun replied.
“Could you play it once more for us?” the noble girl asked.
“We really, really want to hear it.”
Of course, Suo Lun would not agree.
He said with a smile tinged with a hint of fatigue, “I’m sorry, but all my energy and spirit have been exhausted in the piece I just played.”
“Oh, that’s such a pity,” the noble girl said.
“You are the most outstanding musician I have ever encountered.”
Please, you were just a fan of the Princely Heir Zhi You, spouting nothing but criticism about Suo Lun.
Isn’t it bad to switch sides so quickly?