The Long Journey to Immortality

After the argument ended, Feng Qian sighed before speaking again, "Let's begin."

Han Lu calmly took out the ancient zither that the high priest had given her from her storage bag.

A magical artifact, used in this situation only as a regular musical instrument.

After setting up the guqin using her instrument-controlling skills, Han Lu didn't give any prior notice and began playing her best piece in front of everyone, following the melody and rhythm she had memorized.

As the saying goes, "High Mountains and Flowing Water" finds a kindred spirit.

Han Lu believes that playing a meaningful and challenging guqin piece like "High Mountains and Flowing Water" is quite appropriate for an occasion like a guqin competition.

Chapter 987 High Mountains and Flowing Water

Because of its popularity, "High Mountains and Flowing Water" has always been a piece that Han Lu often practices when she is practicing her piano skills.

This piece of music was one that she was quite familiar with.

The latter half, the flowing chapter, is the part that Han Lu excels at the most.

This is not only because Han Lu prefers the second half and practices it more, but also because she is able to understand the essence of the "Flowing Water" chapter through her life experiences.

This section makes full use of finger techniques such as "harmonics, rolling, brushing, stroking, purring, rising, and falling" to depict the various dynamics of flowing water and express the sentiment that one's aspirations are aligned with the flow of water and that the wise find joy in it.

The first half of the "High Mountain" piece, perhaps because Han Lu hadn't lived long enough, couldn't fully capture the mood of "seeing the peak of the high mountain, shrouded in clouds and mist, drifting aimlessly," and was simply a performance.

However, it is precisely because of this that Han Lu's performance of this piece on the guqin has a "suppression before elevation" effect.

Sitting on the stage, Han Lu played for no more than five breaths before the three judges had already given their initial evaluation of her performance.

Feng Qian was familiar with Han Lu and had heard Han Lu play "High Mountains and Flowing Water" before. He naturally knew that Han Lu was better at the second half, so he gave her a positive review based on his preconceived notions and with a sense of anticipation.

Feng Qian had a good first impression, while Xiu Luo, who saw Han Lu as her biggest rival and apprentice, naturally had a bad impression.

"What is this being played?"

"The various techniques were used crudely, without any emotional investment."

"This is not a mountain, it's just a pile of rocks."

……

Xiu Luo didn't hesitate to use vulgar language to exaggerate her evaluation of Han Lu's performance in her mind, trying her best to find excuses for giving Han Lu a low score later.

Han Bingyan was the neutral party among the three, so her evaluation of Han Lu was naturally the most impartial.

"From a technical standpoint, it's quite good, far superior to many of the previous contestants. However, that alone won't get you a high score," Han Bingyan gave an expected value. "If I were to give you a maximum of 83 points for playing the first piece in this state, I would probably only give you 83 points."

The evaluation is fair, but it also leaves room for interpretation.

Soon, "High Mountains" ended, and it was time for "Flowing Water".

The flow of music in the air changed, and the environment, which originally seemed to be filled with earth-attribute spiritual energy, instantly transformed into a water-attribute one.

Han Lu musically depicts the changing nature of the mountain stream as it flows downhill, sometimes rushing and sometimes slowing down.

Even Xiu Luo's eyes lit up upon hearing the lively music.

His first reaction was approval, but after regaining his composure, he still inwardly resentfully commented, "Nothing special."

Feng Qian smiled, tapping his hands on the chair to keep time. He made no sound, yet tried to participate in the music in his own way.

Compared to Feng Qian, Han Bingyan's reaction was much calmer.

Her expression changed slightly, and she mentally added a few points to Han Lu's score, but that was all.

After all, this is only the beginning.

Han Bingyan, whose musical skills are the highest among the three judges, is not so easily swayed by a piece of music that she could also perform.

However, as Han Lu maintained such a high level of performance for a long time, Han Bingyan's heart began to waver.

She began to cast admiring glances at this outstanding junior.

"So far, Han Lu is the best performing contestant." After making this judgment in her mind, Han Bingyan began to recall the highest score she had given before, intending to score Han Lu based on that.

Soon, as the water flowed into the rivers and seas, the song "High Mountains and Flowing Water" came to an end.

After her fingers left the strings and she waited until the timing was right, Han Lu gently pressed down with her forearm, ending the performance of the first piece.

When it came time to score, Feng Qian took the initiative and spoke first, asking, "Fellow Daoist Xiu Luo, what score do you think Han Lu should get for her first piece?"

Xiu Luo opened his mouth, about to speak, but suddenly realized that Feng Qian had set a small trap for him.

He shut his mouth again, pretending to be conflicted. After figuring out the details, he spoke again and commented, "High Mountains and Flowing Water, the piece is well chosen, but the 'mountain' part doesn't sound very good. However, considering that the 'flowing water' part was played quite well, I'll give it a reluctant 83."

Avoiding the important issues, Xiu Luo didn't dare to openly engage in shady dealings.

The score was a bit low, but given his comments, the other two judges couldn't really criticize it.

Upon hearing this, Feng Qian snorted coldly but did not retaliate.

No evaluation was given, only a score: "ninety-five".

Clearly, this phoenix did not take Xiu Luo's previous sarcasm to heart at all, and acted entirely according to its own nature, without any regard for the possible gossip.

Upon hearing this high score, the remaining contestants in the rest area each had their own thoughts.

Some people felt the score was appropriate, while others felt that Feng Qian was favoring his relatives.

Regardless of opinions, no one thought Han Lu's performance was unremarkable.

The last judge to give a score was Han Bingyan.

In her mind, a score of 90 would be just right for Han Lu's performance.

However, she also noticed Xiu Luo's deliberate low score and decided to go against this mood-ruining person.

"I also give it 95 points. Han Lu's performance of the flowing chapter was about the same level as mine. I can't do better than her."

Han Bingyan is the most prestigious of the three judges in the "Hundred Birds Music Circle".

With her words and rating, all the criticisms of Feng Qian vanished.

"Han Lu, first piece, score..." The phoenix, responsible for calculating scores and announcing the program, announced loudly, "Ninety-one points."

This score is the second highest score ever recorded in the competition.

However, this does not mean that Han Lu is ranked second. She still has two more songs to improve her score.

After doing a mental calculation, Han Lu thought to herself, "The highest scorer in the competition before only got 261 points."

"If I can get more than 85 points in both of the next two pieces, then I will be ranked first."

After rising to bow and express her gratitude, Han Lu straightened the piano in front of her and began performing the second piece.

There are quite a few techniques to discuss when participating in this kind of competition.

Han Lu's choice to play "High Mountains and Flowing Water" as the first piece was somewhat opportunistic.

If playing such a famous piece happens to suit the judges' tastes, it's easy to get a high score.

For her second piece, however, she took another unconventional path.

To achieve a surprising result, find those little-known pieces so that the judges have nothing to compare and evaluate, and then rely on your own performance to win over the judges and earn a high score.

This so-called "strange" road was a song that Han Lu learned from the high priest of the Western Regions.

It's called "The Phoenix Returns Home".

[Author's Note] I suddenly realized I forgot to post today.

Chapter 988 Ancient Qin Music from the Western Regions

"Phoenix Returns Home" is a piece that Han Lu learned from the high priest of the Western Regions.

This piece is an ancient melody. According to the high priest of the Western Regions, it was composed by the Holy King in ancient times.

Back when the Western Regions had just gained independence, the Holy King, in order to establish a cultural tradition in the Western Regions that differed from that of the Central Plains and to ensure the Western Regions' true independence, mobilized many cultivators proficient in various miscellaneous studies to engage in cultural creation.

Create mythological stories belonging to the Western Regions.

To establish cultural traditions and customs belonging to the Western Regions.

Among these, a series of fabricated Western Region music was the most important part of the Holy King's internal propaganda.

After all, literacy rates were low back then, making it difficult for written messages to spread widely.

Music, a wonderful thing that can be appreciated by anyone with an ear, is easily made a key component of a propaganda machine.

As its name suggests, "The Phoenix Returns Home" tells a story about the phoenix.

In the myth created by the Holy King of the Western Regions, the Prison Phoenix among the Nine Phoenixes has an additional responsibility of guiding the souls of the dead.

The phoenix in the story of the guqin piece "The Phoenix Returns Home" is this prison phoenix.

In the story, after a great battle, the women and children in the tribe wait for news of the fate of their husbands and sons who were fighting on the front lines. In the end, all they receive is the Prison Phoenix that guides the souls of the dead back to their homeland and news of a Pyrrhic victory in the war.

This piece of music is a mixture of joy and sorrow, expressing complex emotions.

Tragically, loved ones died on the battlefield.

Fortunately, the war was won, and the souls of the dead returned to their homeland, instead of being lost in a foreign land and left to wander aimlessly in the afterlife.

The music combines movement and stillness, sometimes depicting the fierce battle on the front lines, and sometimes portraying the outward calm and inner anxiety of women and children in the hometown. Finally, accompanied by a melodious piece of music, a black phoenix spreading its wings in the air brings the whole story to a close.

Back when Han Lu was exchanging musical skills with the high priest in the Western Regions, she was captivated by the emotions expressed in this piece.

When she learned that a phoenix appeared in the story depicted in this piece, she became even more interested in it.

The high priest was very generous and took the initiative to teach Han Lu this piece, hoping that she could perform it more often and become a disseminator of the "ancient culture" of the Western Regions.

Although Han Lu knew that the High Priest's actions were "ill-intentioned," she simply pursued art when learning and practicing "Phoenix Returns Home."

It was thanks to this somewhat unconventional yet interesting story that Han Lu was able to perform such a beautiful piece of music, one that almost no one outside the Western Regions had ever heard, at an event like the Hundred Birds Gathering.

Han Lu had just plucked the strings and produced only ten notes when Xiu Luo, sitting on the judges' panel, recalled this piece of music that he had once heard from the High Priest of the Western Regions.

“Sure enough, Han Lu has a close relationship with the High Priest,” Xiu Luo then noticed the guqin that Han Lu was playing. “Looking at the patterns on it, it’s full of Western Region style. It probably came from the High Priest. Maybe it’s the one I’ve got my eye on.”

Thinking of this, Xiu Luo felt a pang of jealousy.

When he first met the high priest, he wanted to get his hands on an ancient zither from the Western Regions, but he was unsuccessful.

Looking at the goods in Han Lu's hands, Xiu Luo could guess without even thinking that Han Lu had gotten them for free.