novelblue
Chapter 167 - 167 167 On What Grounds
Chapter 167 - 167 167 On What Grounds
?Chapter 167: Chapter 167: On What Grounds? Chapter 167: Chapter 167: On What Grounds? Next up for the guqin performance, the guests and students present were all very expectant.
Ni Xinxuan saw Bo Xiangxiang pretending to be shy, but in reality, she was brimming with ambition and seemed quite confident.
Nevertheless, she believed in Luo Ning even more.
So she said with a smile, “Teacher Bao seems very confident, you must be sure you can pass, right?”
She knew how to give a backhanded compliment too.
Bo Xiangxiang always felt that Ni Xinxuan’s surface compliments were actually mockery.
But seeing the sincere smile on the other’s face, others would certainly believe it.
This woman was just like Luo Ning, annoying and difficult to deal with.
She responded with a laugh, “Teacher Ni is overpraising me, I’ll just do my best.”
That statement also showed she was indeed very confident.
The young girl asked the two of them, “Who would like to go first?”
Luo Ning looked at Bo Xiangxiang and said, “Teacher Bao, would you like to go first?”
When Bo Xiangxiang heard Luo Ning’s words, she felt that this woman might be trying to gauge her ability.
She didn’t decline, nodded with a smile, and said, “Okay, then I’ll give it a try first.”
She had intended to play first anyway; if she passed directly, no matter whether Luo Ning passed or not, the spotlight would be on her.
And if she passed, Luo Ning would certainly feel pressured.
The young girl gestured to Bo Xiangxiang.
“The guqin piece for the unified assessment here is ‘Mountain and Stream,’ please!”
‘Mountain and Stream’ is one of the top ten ancient melodies, a piece often played by everyone in normal practice.
It’s precisely because it’s so widely spread and many play it that it can better reflect a person’s guqin skills.
Therefore, since the establishment of Qin Qi Courtyard, the assessment piece has always been this one.
A glimmer of joy appeared in Bo Xiangxiang’s eyes; she was very familiar with ‘Mountain and Stream,’ having often practiced it during her school days.
The teacher who taught her the guqin specialty had even praised her for playing this piece with stability.
Thus, she sat down with great confidence, tested the tuning first, and then began to play.
It was clear from Bo Xiangxiang’s posture and technique that she was very skilled.
[Watching Bo Xiangxiang play the guqin, you can tell she’s professional.]
[I didn’t expect Bo Xiangxiang to be so talented, it sounds quite good.]
[As a professional listening, Bo Xiangxiang’s rendition of the piece is very steady and smooth, her rhythm control is very good, and her skill level is not low.]
[It seems, Bo Xiangxiang might indeed have an edge over Luo Ning.]
Luo Ning was also listening intently and had to admit that Bo Xiangxiang, as the main character, indeed had a good level of guqin playing.
But that was just it—the level was not bad, but there was almost no artistic conception in her playing, which was a flaw.
After Bo Xiangxiang finished playing, a woman in a cheongsam with a distinguished air but of advanced years came out, accompanied by an elderly man.
The young girl standing in the courtyard stepped forward to greet them, “Greetings to both Deans.”
Then she introduced them to everyone, saying that the woman in the cheongsam was Dean Wu, in charge of guqin at Qin Qi Courtyard, and the elderly man was Dean Wang, in charge of chess.
Seeing that both deans had come out, Bo Xiangxiang’s heart leaped with joy again.
She felt it must have been her guqin music that attracted them, and she was extremely confident in her skills.
She stood up with a smile and said, “Greetings to Deans Wu and Wang!”
Then, with a shy expression, she modestly said, “Dean Wu, I just played the fool in front of you.”
Ni Xinxuan wanted to roll her eyes at her shy expression, which was too fake.
If the location had been different, she would definitely have made a few sarcastic remarks.
Dean Wu appeared to be around fifty years old, but was actually over seventy. With plenty of experience, she immediately saw through Bo Xiangxiang’s so-called modesty.
“Your guqin skills are fairly decent,” she said candidly.
Just as Bo Xiangxiang was getting excited inside, eagerly waiting for more praise, Ni Xinxuan asked a question.
“Dean Wu, do you mean that our group’s Teacher Bao has passed?”
Bo Xiangxiang didn’t think she would fail, so she looked up at Dean Wu with great anticipation.
Everyone listened and felt that Bo Xiangxiang played quite well, and believed she would undoubtedly pass.
Just as everyone thought the result was no suspense, to everyone’s surprise, Dean Wu suddenly changed her tone.
“This Teacher Bao’s guqin playing skills are decent, but there’s still a gap from our Qin Qi Courtyard’s entry requirements, so I’m sorry, she has not passed.”
Bo Xiangxiang’s face changed in an instant—she hadn’t expected such a response at all.
Instead of the expected praise, there was rejection—how was this possible?
She couldn’t help but ask, “Dean Wu, could you give me a reason?”
Dean Wu could see her dissatisfaction and responded truthfully, “Your technical skills, stability, and rhythm when playing are all fine, but you lack soul, that is, artistic conception.”
“Many who have learned guqin can play ‘Mountain and Stream,’ and not a few lack neither skill nor stability, with levels above the standard.”
“However, if judged by a higher standard, it would be unqualified because it lacks artistic conception.”
“And you are too preoccupied with technique, which made it feel flat from beginning to end.”
“Listening to you play this piece, I did not feel the imagery of a babbling brook and the majestic mountains complementing each other.”
She had high aspirations and love for the art of guqin, thus she usually disliked those who intentionally show off so-called guqin skills.
And now Bo Xiangxiang had precisely hit a nerve, which made her critique quite blunt.
Bo Xiangxiang: “…” This old woman actually said her playing was flat and lacked artistic conception—what a joke.
She hadn’t heard anyone play ‘Mountain and Stream’ with the so-called artistic conception this old woman talked about.
Feeling stifled, she was indignant.
She wanted to question and reject such a result, but reason pulled back her impulse.
This was a live broadcast; if the audience saw it, she would certainly be criticized.
So, she took a deep breath, seemingly struck, her voice low and her eyes red as she said, “Thank you for the critique, Dean Wu.”
It was merely an expression of thanks, not an acceptance of the verdict.
Then she turned to look at Luo Ning, and with a meaningful tone, said, “I’ve finished playing; now it’s up to Teacher Luo.”
“The hope of us being able to get in rests on you.”
Out of the camera’s view, she subtly threw a challenging glance at Luo Ning.
She refused to believe that if she couldn’t pass, Luo Ning could.
Luo Ning saw right through Bo Xiangxiang’s thoughts, smiled, and nodded, “Then let me give it a try.”
She greeted the two deans politely and then went to take her seat.
After testing a few notes, she quickly plucked the strings and then immersed herself in a certain state.
To her, playing the guqin was about enjoyment, not showing off.
Therefore, as soon as the strings vibrated, she entered into a very relaxed and indulgent state.
As the notes fluctuated, everyone except Bo Xiangxiang gradually got pulled into the music, as if seeing the trickle of a stream, the grandeur of a river flowing eastward, the tinkle of a mountain spring.
Not until Luo Ning had finished did everyone come back to their senses, then each of them was surprised.
They had been drawn in.
Dean Wu’s face revealed a rare smile of delight, “Played beautifully, not only is your technique excellent, but you’ve also fully conveyed the artistic conception of ‘Mountain and Stream’!”
“The Qin Qi Courtyard welcomes you for a visit and exchange,” meaning Luo Ning’s playing had passed.
Upon hearing this, Bo Xiangxiang’s complexion changed again.
She didn’t think Luo Ning was much better than herself, yet the old woman gave such high praise and even passed her—why?