King Qi's question made the expressions of the envoys of Great Xia, Great Wei, Great Chu, and even Great Tang darken.
With the four crown princes present, their statuses should be higher than Sun Mo's, right?
Even if that didn't work, there was still the Deputy and Master Envoy.
The configuration of these envoys was about the same as the Great Tang Empire. Other than the personal teacher of Great Xia's crown prince not coming, the teachers of the other crown princes were all here. Moreover, there were also relatives of the emperor like Li Xiu who were in charge of diplomacy. Therefore, no matter how one looked at it, Sun Mo wouldn't be the first to be greeted by King Qi.
Generally speaking, there were rules in the order of greetings in such diplomatic occasions.
It was either based on national strength or age!
"What is King Qi doing? Are you playing dirty tricks? "
Helian Beifang frowned.
Given how petty Han Cangshui was, upon hearing that he was ignored by King Qi, he would definitely hate his teacher to the core.
He couldn't afford to offend King Qi, so he could only vent his anger on his teacher.
"Given King Qi's past reputation, he probably disdains such methods and is purely appreciating Teacher, right?"
Qin Yaoguang analyzed.
As expected, after Sun Mo stood up and bowed, Qi King couldn't help but wave his hand. "Great Teacher Sun, please come over for a chat!"
He wanted Sun Mo to sit at the side.
"Your Majesty, the debate is about to begin. Should I stay in the spectator seats?"
Sun Mo tactfully rejected.
"Ah? Isn't the leader of the envoy group Master Teacher Han? "
The Qi King was implying that Sun Mo didn't have the authority to command. What was the point of him staying there?
"Master Teacher Han!"
Sun Mo admitted.
Prince Qi still wanted to say something but was interrupted by Jiang Yuzhen.
"Father, time's up. It's time for the competition!"
"Oh, then let's compete first!"
The Qi King didn't use any other tricks. He merely coveted Sun Mo's God Hands and wanted Sun Mo to give him a massage. After that, he would be able to enjoy a hundred beauties in a single night.
Even the Emperor couldn't fight against aging. If he couldn't get up, even if he had ten thousand beauties, what was the use?
Of course, taking the pill could save his dignity, but medicine was 30% poisonous. He couldn't just throw away his life for something like that on the bed, right?
Hence, after Qi King heard that Sun Mo's Ancient Dragon Capturing Hands was very powerful, he wanted to give it a try.
After the beating of the drums, King Qi began to make a speech before the battle.
The people in the envoy group didn't really listen. They were all surprised by Jiang Yuzhen's position in King Qi's heart.
Generally speaking, as princes and princesses, they would carefully curry favor with the emperor, deeply afraid that they would make their father unhappy and lose the emperor's favor.
However, this Princess Feiyan actually dared to stop King Qi in front of the crowd. Most terrifyingly, King Qi actually listened to her.
It seemed like the rumors were true. Jiang Yuzhen might really become the next King of Qi.
King Qi was not like those leaders of the modern world, who would speak for an hour or two without stopping, causing others to feel drowsy. After his brief opening speech, he went straight to the main topic, introducing the first match.
"The zither battle will be decided by the zither skills. There are two parts in total. The first part is the representative battle. The representatives from each diplomatic mission will fight individually and play a song. There is no limit to the number of songs. After that, the judges will give the scores!"
"The second part will be the duel between the princes. Each group of envoys will send at least five people to duel with the other groups of princes using an ensemble!"
This was a process that everyone was already familiar with. Therefore, there was no panic. After King Qi announced the drawing of lots, the various diplomatic missions sent their representatives onto the stage.
On the Tang Dynasty's side, Qi Lin went up to draw lots. She was Li Xiu's daughter.
The third draw was neither good nor bad.
Soon, Xia Taikang appeared on the stage with a guzheng on his back. He sat on the ground, placed the guzheng on his lap, and began to play.
Clang!
When Xia Taikang's index finger strummed the zither strings, the sound of a golden spear and iron horse instantly rumbled in everyone's ears. Many people were scared to the point of shivering. It was as if a cavalry regiment had suddenly broken through the thick fog in front of them in the early morning of the prairie and charged out.
Everywhere they went, people and horses were thrown off their feet and corpses were strewn everywhere!
Xia Taikang's style was like his person. He pressed forward with indomitable will and would rather die than retreat!
"This fellow is amazing!"
Qin Yaoguang was shocked.
Logically speaking, a burly and majestic fellow like Xia Taikang would spend all his time on cultivation and governing the country. She did not expect his zither skills to be so superb!
Many people subconsciously crossed their arms in front of their chests. Although they could not hear the intent of conquest in the song, they could feel it.
However, gradually, their panic and apprehension turned into surging blood. It was as if they had become a general, fighting in the north and south, galloping unhindered, and finally ruling over the world!
When the zither music suddenly ended, for some reason, everyone felt a sense of loss in their hearts.
Xia Taikang did not decline. He grabbed the guzheng with one hand and walked down the stage, appearing extremely domineering.
"Great Teacher Han, what do you think?"
Li Xiu asked. Her gaze involuntarily drifted to Li Xuan. This fellow's expression seemed to be apprehensive.
"Although he has very skilled zither skills, his personal will surpasses the music itself. This song seems to be expressing his personal ambitions. The intention is a little low."
Han Cangshui smiled. "Don't worry, he can win!"
At this moment, on the high platform, Music Saint Li Guinian gave his evaluation. It was no different from what Han Cangshui had said.
This Music Saint was famous for his love of music. He was ignorant of worldly wisdom and didn't know how to be flexible. Therefore, he was very fair as a judge.
Of course, for the sake of fairness, other than him, there were four other famous musicians in the Nine Provinces as judges.
"This Music Saint really dares to say such things. Isn't he afraid of offending Xia Taikang?"
Tantai Yutang teased.
Although Li Guinian was a Music Saint, this title was like the Art Saint. It was a title that could be obtained after one reached the extreme in a certain domain.
To put it bluntly, one only looked at one's skill and didn't look at one's character. Hence, the title of Music Saint wasn't very valuable.
For example, Sun Mo. If he was more shameless and relied on so many famous paintings, it wouldn't be impossible for him to proclaim himself as the Art Saint. After all, he had the advantage in numbers.
However, saints in the great teacher world were bestowed by the heavens. If one didn't reach a certain ideological realm, they wouldn't be able to cross that threshold.
This was how the old headmaster died. He became a vegetable.
"Xia Taikang's zither is a little interesting!"
Sun Mo's lips twitched.
"Teacher, did you discover anything?"
Qin Yaoguang instantly came over and asked in a low voice.
"Can one cheat in the Five Countries Mock Battle?"
Sun Mo didn't reply but asked Li Ziqi instead.
"As long as one isn't caught cheating, it wouldn't be considered cheating!"
Li Ziqi shrugged. "Xia Taikang's zither should be named Zither Seeking for a Female Phoenix. It's said that it's made from a parasol tree where a phoenix once resided. It's said that when this zither is played, it can automatically suppress everyone. Any zither notes would lose their luster before it."
"Ah? Relying on a famous zither? Isn't that considered cheating? "
Lu Zhiruo blinked, feeling that it was unfair.
"That's possible because this can also be considered a competition of national strength!" Li Ziqi explained. "Moreover, the zithers of the other diplomatic groups wouldn't be too bad."
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