Chapter 88

"Please listen to the question: Among the following lines of poetry, which one has nothing to do with Go?"

A: "An appointment unkept past midnight, idly tapping chess pieces as they drop petals of lamp flame."

B: "On the board, idle battles rage; men judge right and wrong as they please."

C: "Spring wind again greens the southern riverbank; when will the bright moon shine on my return?"

This question was practically a free point—even if Qin Yun didn't understand poetry, just by looking at the characters he could instantly grasp it—A and B both mention chess pieces and boards; if the answer wasn't C, then there'd be something wrong with the world.

Xia Xiaoxing clearly understood too; she signaled to Qin Yun, her eyes plainly saying: This kill's yours, go ahead and pick it up.

Qin Yun got the hint immediately: "C!"

"Correct answer! Congratulations—you only need to answer one more question to advance smoothly. Listen carefully:"

"Which ancient figure is the origin of the legend of the 'Rotting Axe Man'?"

Xia Xiaoxing smiled, lifting one corner of her mouth, and whispered to Qin Yun: "We already mentioned this person's name during the poetry contest earlier—do you remember?"

Qin Yun thought for a moment, hesitated briefly: "Wang Zhi?"

Xia Xiaoxing gave a light nod: "That's him."

Thanks to Wang Zhi, Qin Yun immediately answered "Wang Zhi," instantly drawing murmurs of approval from the crowd; thus, they had answered three correctly in a row and had advanced smoothly—but they still needed to answer the next two questions.

The host looked at Qin Yun with a deeply meaningful gaze, as if saying: Brother, you've got serious skills.

"Please listen to the question: In Meng Jiao's 'Rotting Axe Stone,' what is the line following 'One day in the immortal realm, a thousand years of human toil'?"

Hearing this, the accessory Qin Yun's eyes lit up instantly; he blurted out: "The two boards are still incomplete, all things have become empty."

The host was surprised: "Huh? This prop actually knows something?"

Xia Xiaoxing excitedly nudged Qin Yun's arm: "Big Brother Qin, you're amazing!"

Qin Yun smiled calmly: "I don't know much poetry, but this one really stuck in my memory."

Qin Yun wasn't good at poetry; the only lines he could blurt out from memory were probably "The farmer toils at noon under the sun"—as for most other poems, unless he saw them written out, he couldn't even recall the characters.

The fifth question didn't stump Xia Xiaoxing either; the two advanced to the semifinals with a perfect five-for-five score, temporarily ranking first.

Soon, after the second round, only thirteen of the original twenty-four teams remained; the semifinals still had a third round, and casualties had been heavy.

"The third round, 'Pearls Strung Together,' requires linking characters into poetry. There will be two rounds; each round gives a set of key characters, and you must form one or two lines of poetry fitting the theme within the time limit. Let's now invite the team currently in first place to take the stage."

As the competition progressed, the audience seats of the Tianyuan Dao Hall filled with more and more people, mostly nearby residents.

The host suddenly wore a gossiping grin: "Before we pose the question, may I ask you two—are you a couple?"

Qin Yun's forehead instantly darkened with black lines; why was this host meddling in such nonsense? Didn't he see how many young men nearby had their eyes lighting up?

Xia Xiaoxing's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't answer the host's question; instead, she said: "Host, please give us the question."

The audience burst into collective sighs.

The host laughed heartily: "Young Lady Xia, Mr. Qin, listen carefully: the first round's five characters are: Ke, Shan, Qi, Yu, Xian. Form one or two lines of poetry using these five keywords. Three-minute countdown begins."

Qin Yun obediently played the role of a struggling student; Xia Xiaoxing thought briefly, then quickly had her answer. She smiled at Qin Yun first, then said: "Ke Shan idly playing Go, chess words accompanied by clear wind."

The crowd erupted in astonishment, followed by cheers.

Though most couldn't judge poetic meter or structure, understanding the meaning was the clearest indicator.

Anyone with even a little culture could grasp the meaning of Xia Xiaoxing's verse.

The host turned his gaze to the several older people seated at the right table; after receiving their approval, he announced loudly.

"Did you compose this yourself?" Qin Yun whispered.

Xia Xiaoxing nodded: "It's nothing special—given so many characters, coming up with something isn't surprising."

Qin Yun: "..."

"Listen to the second round's five characters: Qi, Song, Shi, Xian, Jing. Three-minute countdown. Answer."

This time Xia Xiaoxing didn't even pause; she answered directly: "Chess falls amid pine wind, idly watching clouds upon the stone."

Undoubtedly, this answer was also accepted; Qin Yun and Xia Xiaoxing advanced smoothly to the finals. But the system didn't immediately pop up a task reward—clearly, the task was only completed once they actually entered the finals.

The finals would be held in the afternoon, also consisting of three rounds, but far more difficult than the semifinals.

The two walked out of the Tianyuan Dao Hall; Xia Xiaoxing wore a smug expression.

"Big Brother Qin, am I impressive?"

"Extremely impressive. This struggling student is trembling beside you."

Xia Xiaoxing burst out laughing: "These are all trivial matters—it's just about knowledge reserves, nothing innovative."

"Easy for you, but to me it's like listening to celestial scripture." Qin Yun genuinely believed Xia Xiaoxing's talent in this area was exceptional; in this era, few people still bothered to invest time in Chinese poetry culture, especially someone with Xia Xiaoxing's obvious wealth.

Xia Xiaoxing felt slightly embarrassed by the praise: "Let's go to Food Paradise—there's delicious food there. My treat."

After finishing lunch, the two strolled nearby to digest, then returned to the Tianyuan Dao Hall when time was right.

Xia Xiaoxing glanced at the other teams and whispered: "Big Brother Qin, according to the rules, the finals use a point system—total points from all three rounds decide the champion, so don't worry about losing points in the second round."

"What's the second round?"

"Game of Chess and Poetic Guessing—it's like charades, but both of us must act out verses based on poetry."

Qin Yun understood Xia Xiaoxing's meaning; he nodded: "Relax—I might get lucky and draw one I know."

When time came, the host took the stage, delivered a brief opening, then invited Qin Yun and Xia Xiaoxing up.

"The first round of the finals is 'Poetry Hidden in Characters': you'll be given a keyword and a reference, and must identify the complete poem and its author. Young Lady Xia, Mr. Qin—any questions?"

Both shook their heads.

The host immediately gave the first character: the character 'Ke.' He added: "Hint: the Tang poet Liu Yuxi used the 'Rotting Axe' legend to lament the passage of time. Three-minute countdown begins."

Liu Yuxi—Qin Yun's impression of Liu Yuxi was "Ode to a Humble Abode"; in school he'd memorized that text, now he only remembered "A mountain need not be high, if there's a immortal, it gains fame."

Oh, and besides that, he remembered "Bashan Chu water, desolate land," and that stupid meme about responsibility—everything else he'd need to see written to confirm whether he knew it.

But for Xia Xiaoxing, this posed no difficulty; her vast poetry reservoir required only a quick mental search to find the answer.

"I chant old verses, hearing flutes' mournful tune; returned home, I seem like the man with the rotten axe—Liu Yuxi's 'In Response to Bai Juyi's Poem at Our First Meeting in Yangzhou'"

"Correct answer!"

The venue erupted in cheers; after the morning's competition, many had been won over by Xia Xiaoxing, especially since she was so beautiful, which earned her even more favor.

"Please listen to the second question: The keyword is the character 'chess,' from a poem by the Song dynasty poet Lu You, depicting chess as a companion to idle seclusion, subtly implying withdrawal from the world. Three minutes countdown begins."

As soon as the host finished speaking, the venue fell silent; all eyes turned to Xia Xiaoxing. As for Qin Yun beside her, he was merely an accessory—did he even deserve a second glance?

After a moment's thought, Xia Xiaoxing recited confidently: "Lu You's 'Autumn Rain Growing Cool, Thinking of Xingyuan': 'Occasionally free from official duties, guests resting, we discuss military strategy and play two games of chess.'"

"Correct answer!"

Just as Qin Yun was about to praise her, the system's alert sounded.

【Check-in task completed. Random reward obtained. Erhu skill +1】

【Erhu Skill LV1: Strings respond to the heart, sound connects all phenomena; one bow sets the tone, revealing true mastery】

The first thing to bloom in his mind was musical theory; only after the vast knowledge of music was imprinted did the techniques of the erhu surge forth.

All erhu techniques—vibrato, glissando, tremolo bowing, plucking, spiccato—became second nature; pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and phrasing were all precisely controlled. Whether performing the lyrical melodies of traditional masterpieces or the dramatic shifts of modern compositions, every note was perfectly in tune, every emotion flawlessly conveyed.

In short, after absorbing the erhu skill, he had now become an erhu master, exactly as the skill description stated: strings respond to the heart, sound connects all phenomena, one bow sets the tone, revealing true mastery.

Moreover, the system made musical theory the foundation for mastering the erhu skill; thus, even if he never gained another instrument's skill in the future, he could easily learn them on his own.

"Awesome!"

Qin Yun sighed in admiration.

"Hehe, basic move, no big deal." Xia Xiaoxing took Qin Yun's muttering as praise directed at her.

"..."

The competition continued; during the "Chess and Poem Guessing" round, both of them were completely lost—Xia Xiaoxing's gestures confused him, and his gestures confused her; they scored zero in this round.

Fortunately, in the final "Flying Flower Order in the Chess Realm," Qin Yun didn't interfere; Xia Xiaoxing swept the field alone, rising to the top through her solid foundation in poetry.

After a simple award ceremony, Qin Yun and Xia Xiaoxing slipped away quietly.

Thus, Qin Yun's affairs in Quzhou were now concluded.

"By the way, Xia Xiaoxing, where in Quzhou can I buy an erhu?"

On the way back, Qin Yun, adhering to the principle of not wasting skills, planned to get an instrument for his car—so he could play anywhere he went.

A tune that breaks the heart—where in the world could one find a kindred spirit? Absolutely thrilling!

Xia Xiaoxing thought for a moment: "I'll have to ask Miss Li. I don't come to Quzhou often."

"Alright!"

The two returned to the hotel; Zhong Li was free.

"Erhu?" Zhong Li blinked, curious. "Qin Ye, you play the erhu?"

"A little, just a little—barely any!" Qin Yun replied modestly.

Zhong Li paused, then asked: "Do you have preferences for the erhu strings, steel or silk?"

Steel strings are the modern standard; silk strings were used before the modern era and are now niche, but carry richer tonal character.

Each type has its own qualities, depending on the player's musical style and personal aesthetic.

"If there's a good one available, I'd like one of each."

Zhong Li nodded: "Leave it to me. I'll have someone deliver them tonight."

"Thank you."

Zhong Li smiled: "It's nothing."

After dinner that night, two erhus were delivered to the room. With his instrument repair skill and erhu skill, Qin Yun instantly recognized them as masterworks: the steel-string erhu was made of old rosewood, the silk-string erhu of small-leaf rosewood, and the craftsmanship was exceptional.

"Miss Zhong, how much for these two erhus? Let me transfer you on WeChat."

Zhong Li waved it off: "Money? Don't mention money—that's being distant. Friends help each other; maybe someday I'll need your help too."

Hearing this, Qin Yun hesitated slightly, then accepted.

Elsewhere, the Zhong family.

Grandmaster Zhong had just sat down when he was told two of his collectibles were missing; he flew into a rage, his beard trembling and eyes blazing.

"That damned girl! She's going to kill me! Those were custom-made by masters—how could she just take them and give them away..."