Chapter 190: The Third Prince of the Great Yan Empire coughs up blood, this song is toxic!
“So, the lyrics are already prepared?” The Empress’ eyes lit up as she urged, “Sing quickly!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan once again sat back in front of the piano.
With the anticipation of the crowd, he played the melody of “Laughing at the Vast Sea” on the qin while singing.
“Laughing at the vast sea, the tidal waves on both sides surge,”
“Floating and sinking with the waves, only remembering the present,”
“The heavens laugh, the worldly tides are in chaos,”
“Who will triumph, only the heavens know,”
…
As the singing began, everyone felt a powerful and heroic atmosphere enveloping them. Their scalps tingled, their bodies trembled, and even their souls were stirred, as if evoking their hidden ambitions and aspirations. A sense of pride brewed in their chests, uncontainable until released.
However, everyone held back.
After all, they were currently engaged in a literary battle, with both the Empress and the civil and military officials watching. They had to maintain decorum and follow the rules.
But they underestimated the charm of this song.
As Lin Beifan sang with passion, the majestic aura surged like waves, sweeping over them wildly, washing away their worries. The pride within their chests not only didn’t diminish, but instead accumulated strength.
And at the moment when it all poured out uncontrollably, they couldn’t hold themselves back any longer!
It came!
The perfect timing had finally arrived!
As Lin Beifan laughed maniacally, “La~~ la~~”
First, the generals couldn’t help but join in, singing loudly.
“La~~ la~~”
Then, the civil officials, no longer reserved, also joined in the singing.
“La~~ la~~”
Lastly, the entire crowd sang together.
Meanwhile, outside the venue, the common people couldn’t hold back any longer either. As they heard the lyrics and melody, they started singing along with enthusiasm.
Until the end, when Lin Beifan stretched out the last note, everyone sang together!
Inside and outside the venue, their voices melded into one!
“La~~”
“La~~”
It felt as if they possessed the aura to conquer the heavens and earth!
Listening to the singular voice of the entire crowd, the Empress felt deeply moved, tears welling up in her eyes.
When has the Great Wu Empire ever been so inspiring?
When have they ever joined forces like this?
If the monarch and the officials, the military and the civilians, the ministers and the subjects all stand united, how could the Great Wu Empire not flourish?
They, the Great Wu Empire, how could they decline any further?
The Empress couldn’t help but focus her gaze on the young man singing in the center of the stage.
It was him, the one who brought hope to the Great Wu Empire!
We, we will have hope!
After finishing one round of the song, Lin Beifan continued to sing.
Because the melody was simple and the lyrics catchy, everyone knew the song after hearing it once. They followed Lin Beifan’s lead, howling along with him, wave after wave, their voices overpowering his.
Suddenly, Lin Beifan felt like he was performing in a concert, except they didn’t pay him.
Meanwhile, the representatives of the opposing side, surrounded by the sound of the song, felt restless, uncomfortable, and uneasy…
They also wanted to sing along, they had that same fiery feeling in their hearts, wanting to howl it out!
But is it appropriate to start singing now?
After all, it was the opponent’s song!
If they sang along, wouldn’t it only strengthen the other side’s momentum?
So, they had no choice but to suppress it fiercely.
However, a divine song is a divine song, and finally, someone couldn’t hold back anymore: “The kingdom laughs, the misty rain is distant…”
The Third Prince turned his head to the left, his face dark, and shouted, “Stop singing, shut up!”
“But, Your Highness, I can’t control…”
“Shut up and hold it in! Sing when we get back!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
At this moment, to the right of the Third Prince, a loud voice rang out, “The gentle breeze laughs, causing loneliness…”
The Third Prince’s face was filled with black lines as he turned his head, “Shut up!”
“But, Your Highness, I…”
“One more word, and severe punishment will be carried out!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Just then, behind the Third Prince, the crowd sang, “La la la~~”
The Third Prince, Yan Xinghe, cursed, “Damn it!”
This song is toxic!
All good things must come to an end. The wonderful song finally ended, leaving everyone wanting more.
If they didn’t have a competition to continue, everyone would’ve run outside and howled a few more times.
The Empress clapped and laughed, “A great melody! Great lyrics! The perfect combination of melody and lyrics! Even I couldn’t help but sing along! Lin Beifan, this song of yours will surely become a classic, leaving behind a lasting legacy!”
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s appreciation!” Lin Beifan smiled.
“Sir Lin, if you possess such skill in playing the qin, why didn’t you mention it earlier?” There was a hint of reproach in the Empress’ voice.
If you had shown this skill earlier, everyone wouldn’t have worried.
“Your Majesty, the reason I didn’t mention it is because I believed that this skill in playing the qin was not worth mentioning!”
“Such skill in playing the qin, not worth mentioning?” Everyone was dumbfounded.
Lin Beifan modestly said, “Yes, even if I play the qin well, it is just a minor skill that is useless for the country and the people. So I didn’t put much thought into it! If it weren’t for the competition today, I would have forgotten about this skill! Compared to my other talents, it really is not worth mentioning!”
Everyone was speechless. Are you being modest?
Clearly, he was finding ways to show off!
But upon careful consideration, they realized that the other side was right!
The other party was a super talented individual who could effortlessly compose timeless poems and lyrics. He excelled in the political arena, rising to great heights, with his expertise lying in poetry and governance.
Playing the qin really wasn’t comparable!
They hadn’t even seen him play before!
Talent can be capricious like that!
At this moment, the Empress’s gaze drifted towards Ding Shaojie and she smiled, “Ding Shaojie, who do you think will win this round?”
Ding Shaojie clasped his hands and the corners of his mouth turned bitter, “Naturally… Lin Beifan will win!”
Although he didn’t want to admit it, the fact was right in front of his eyes. Everyone heard and witnessed it; the other side’s qin skills were not inferior to his, even surpassing him by a few points.
Moreover, the other side played an original and highly classic qin piece, earning extra points.
So, Lin Beifan won!
“Good!” The Empress nodded in satisfaction. “Yan Empire’s Third Prince, Ding Shaojie has admitted defeat. Send the next contender!”
The Third Prince, Yan Xinghe, stood up and his mouth also turned bitter, “Your Majesty, it’s not necessary. We, the Yan Empire, admit defeat in this round!”
Ding Shaojie was already the one with the best qin skills among them. If even he lost, what was the point of sending someone else?
Moreover, in order to surpass Lin Beifan, they would not only need to possess qin skills at the same pinnacle, but they would also have to play an original classic qin piece that is no less superior than “Laughing at the Vast Sea”. Otherwise, it would still be a loss!
Creating a classic qin piece is not that easy!
Therefore, the outcome was already determined, there was no need to continue embarrassing themselves.
As they thought about it, they felt a bit uncomfortable.
They had come here full of confidence, thinking they would triumph, but they lost in the first round, with their pride wounded.
It felt like a big slap to their faces, burning hot and painful!
However, this was just the beginning.
There were still many more rounds to come, they just needed to win them back!
They had so many talented individuals, they refused to believe they couldn’t win it back!
Thinking of this, the Third Prince’s confidence surged once again.
“Good! Since Yan Empire has admitted defeat, there is no need to continue comparing qin skills!” The Empress, Long Xin, said joyfully. “I solemnly announce: in the literary battle, the first round of qin goes to Great Wu!”
The civil and military officials were uplifted!
The good news quickly spread outside the venue!
“Good news! In the first round of the literary battle, Lin Beifan, representing Great Wu, played an original qin piece, ‘Laughing at the Vast Sea’ and defeated the Yan Empire representatives, winning the first round of the literary battle!”
The people were also uplifted.
“We won the first round of the literary battle!”
“The song he played earlier is called ‘Laughing at the Vast Sea’ and was performed by Lin Beifan!”
“I knew it! Whoever has such talent, it’s no surprise that it’s Lin Beifan!”
“We, Great Wu, have taken the lead! Haha!”
…
The second round of the literary battle quickly began.
In the martial arts arena, the host announced loudly.
“The second round of the literary battle—chess!”
“Please send a chess player from each side to play a game. The winner stays, the loser steps down! The competition continues until one side’s five chess players are completely defeated. The side left in the arena will be the final winner!”
Among the Yan Empire representatives.
“Tang Yong, among all of us, you have the best chess skills, and your emotions are stable, unaffected by external interference! So, you will be the first to play in this round and secure our opening victory!” The Third Prince appointed.
“Yes, Your Highness!” Tang Yong clasped his hands, walked out with his head held high.
On the Da Wu side, the representative sent was unexpectedly…
The Chief of the National Academy, Lin Beifan!
The Yan Empire side was stunned, and Tang Yong asked, “Lin Beifan, are you also going to be the first to play in this second round?”
Lin Beifan smiled playfully, “Yes! It’s been a long time since I played chess, and I couldn’t resist going first. I ask everyone for their understanding and tolerance!”
“It is my honor to play against Lin Beifan!” Tang Yong’s eyes sparkled with a hint of determination. Previously, their opponents had achieved a complete victory in the qin competition, suppressing the arrogance of Yan Empire. Tang Yong was determined to win it back.
“Lin Beifan, please!” he said.
“Tang Yong, please!” Lin Beifan replied with a smile.
A massive chessboard was set up in the martial arts arena, showcasing the skills of the two players. Outside the arena, another giant chessboard was displayed.
“The second round of the literary battle—chess, begins now!”
“For the first round, it’s the First Scholar of Yan, Tang Yong, against the First Scholar of Great Wu and Principal of the Imperial Academy, Lin Beifan!”
“Tang Yong plays the black pieces, while Lin Beifan plays the white pieces!”
The people were excited.
“It’s a showdown between the First Scholars of both countries!”
“This chess game is so interesting, I can’t wait to see it!”
“No need to say more, the Principal will definitely win!”
At this moment, Lin Beifan and Tang Yong had already each taken their positions with the black and white pieces, beginning their match. There was an hourglass next to them to keep track of time. They must make their moves before the sand runs out; otherwise, it would be considered a loss.
Representing Yan Empire, Tang Yong had a serious expression, furrowing his brow as he pondered each move carefully. He nearly ran out of time with each move, playing at a slow pace, but his style was steady and cautious.
Compared to him, Lin Beifan appeared relaxed. Almost immediately after Tang Yong made a move, Lin Beifan confidently placed his piece without any hesitation.
After several moves, Tang Yong was puzzled. “Lin Beifan, aren’t you watching the board?”
“I am,” Lin Beifan nodded.
“If you’re watching, why are you playing so fast?”
“Because I know every move you make,” replied Lin Beifan.
“How…how do you know?”
“Do you know about Alpha?” Lin Beifan raised an eyebrow.
Tang Yong furrowed his brow. “What is Alpha…?”
“Not knowing is the key!” Lin Beifan smirked mysteriously. In the future, the game of Chess had already been thoroughly studied. Among them, the artificial intelligence known as Alpha was the culmination of the Chess rules. Almost no one could beat Alpha. Although Lin Beifan wasn’t an artificial intelligence like Alpha, he had enjoyed playing Chess in his past life and had become extremely skilled at it. Combined with his integration of multiple character templates, his brain development was comparable to that of a computer. Thus, he was like an ancient version of Alpha!
“Tang Yong, focus on your game. Soon, you’ll know… what Alpha is!”
