Liu Yuxian clenched her fist beneath her wide sleeves, but her face remained calm and composed with a smile. "I wonder which piece Miss Su intends to play?"

However, it was this greeting that instantly raised Su Hua's suspicions from one point to eight.

Throughout the afternoon, every time Liu Yuxian looked at him, she was glaring at him with anger; she had never smiled like this before.

She would never affectionately call her Miss Su!

Something unusual must be going on.

Su Hua lowered her head, looked at the strings on her fingertips, then raised her eyes and stared intently at Liu Yuxian, smiling as she said, "Serve the country with utmost loyalty."

At the same time, the fingers covering the strings suddenly exerted force.

"Zheng—"

The strings vibrated violently, and then, with a crash, all three strings broke.

The young masters and ladies, seeing this scene, were so shocked that they even forgot to eat their Concubine's Smile wine.

Those who had just come into contact with the instrument were particularly wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

They had just thought the zither was quite nice and were planning to inquire about its maker after the banquet, but now—

The string broke with just a light touch from a frail woman; this zither is far too poor quality.

Qin Yucheng's eyes darkened.

Before he could speak, Su Hua looked over with a smile, "I wonder if Yu Cheng and Ying Xian still have a zither at the manor?"

"Yes!" Qin Yingxian nodded and immediately waved to the maid beside him, "Liu Dan, go and get my Cai Feng Ming Qi."

The moment the string snapped, Liu Yuxian lowered her head like a quail. Now, hearing the colorful phoenix sing, she was startled.

The "Colorful Phoenix Sings in Qi" is hailed as the first famous zither of Yu the Great.

Every lover of the zither desires to own the Colorful Phoenix Mingqi, but its price is the highest in Dayu. She doesn't know the exact amount, only that it's in the tens of thousands of taels.

Moreover, this 10,000 taels was not silver... but gold.

She had always dreamed of playing a tune on the Cai Feng Ming Qi zither before she died, but little did she know that the zither had already been bought by Qin Yingxian!

And now, they're actually giving it directly to Su Hua.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look at Wei Jianjia with resentment. If it weren't for Wei Jianjia's despicable idea, would Su Hua have been able to use such a fine zither as Cai Feng Ming Qi?

And then there's that little vixen Su Hua. Whether it was good luck or something else, she managed to break her zither string before the duel even started, rendering Wei Jianjia's plan completely useless.

Moreover, she had never heard of Su Hua's so-called loyalty to the country. If Su Hua really had some skill in playing the zither, and with the support of Cai Feng Ming Qi, could she still win?

At this moment, Wei Jianjia's palms were wet with blood again and again, and she could no longer feel any pain.

She now hates not only Su Hua, but also Qin Yucheng, and even Qin Yingxian...

Liu Dan, accompanied by two strong maids, strode over. "Miss, Young Master, this servant has taken Cai Feng."

Qin Yucheng personally inspected the zither and waved his hand only after confirming that there were no problems.

"Help Miss Su change into this."

The "Colorful Phoenix Sings in Qi" is a seven-stringed zither from the Sunset Glow. It is entirely painted in vermilion, with extremely fine ice crack patterns reflected on the back of the zither.

Su Hua gently raised her hand and tested the sound of the zither.

The music is melodious and clear, not muddy; it is truly a fine instrument!

When Liu Yuxian saw Cai Fengmingqi move in, she reluctantly nodded to Su Hua and then began to play the zither.

This musical duel is not just about musical skills, but also about seizing the initiative. Su Hua is too unpredictable, so she must seize the initiative.

"A Zen-like tranquility amidst clouds and water, what a beautiful piece!"

Seeing this, Su Hua was not impatient at all. Instead, she gently closed her eyes and waited until Liu Yuxian's zither music was about a third of the way through before she began to play.

"When the smoke of war rises, one looks northward across the land."

Dragon banners unfurled, horses neighed, and sword energy gleamed like frost.

My heart is like the vast Yellow River, boundless and untamed; in these twenty years of turmoil, who can stand against me…

She was an ordinary person, except when it came to war for her country.

If the second performance of "The Other Shore Flower and the General's Picture" was merely to win Zaozhuang and the headpiece, then at this moment, she truly loved this piece of music.

All songs about love and affection pale in comparison to this song of unwavering loyalty to one's country.

The girl's clear, cool voice, paired with the deep, resonant sound of the piano, seemed like an odd combination, yet it suddenly silenced the entire audience.

Zhou Sheng and his group of young masters and ladies closed their eyes tightly as the clash between red and black struck once again.

However, the red and black on the red spider lily of Suhua are static, they are the result, they are death.

What they are seeing now, following the sound of the zither, is dynamic, a process, and a vitality.

The dead soldiers seemed to be playing backwards, wielding their spears and drawing their bows, using their own flesh to forge a wall of iron, exchanging the gradual loss of their lives for a tiny sliver of hope.

One falls, but another will come.

One team falls, but another team will come.

If one battalion falls, another will follow.

Driven by rage and rage, he aimed his longsword at the enemy.

Countless loyal souls of our brothers are buried in foreign lands, yet they would gladly die a hundred times to serve their country.

I could only sigh with regret, speechless, my eyes brimming with tears of blood.

Liu Yuxian placed her hands on the strings, but the strings seemed to be pressed down, and no matter how hard she struggled, they were heavy and out of her control.

With a sudden burst of force, she finally plucked the strings.

But with that movement, the string snapped.

"Sizzle—"

The serene and tranquil mind, as light as flowing water, cannot withstand the unwavering loyalty to the country, written in blood and tears.

Even the zither began to succumb to the allure of its music.

Only when the last note of the zither fell to the ground and the colorful phoenix hummed in the sky did everyone seem to awaken from their dream.

This time, however, it wasn't a quiet sob, but a sob that was uncontrollable, with tears welling up in her eyes and righteous indignation filling her heart.

"Waaah... Sister Su played so well! I've never heard such a beautiful piece of music before!" Qin Yingxian leaned on Qin Yucheng's shoulder, her bright eyes already red and swollen from crying, wiping tears and snot all over Qin Yucheng.

The latter stood there blankly, forgetting to think.

Through blurred vision, it seemed as if only one person and one zither remained in the world.

The pageboy stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the girl sitting in front of the colorful phoenix. After a long while, he finally moved his lips and asked, "Where is this tune from? Has the headmaster heard it before?"

"How could I have heard of that?" Ouyang Shan stroked his goatee, tears falling onto it. He accidentally pulled out a clump of hair, but he couldn't care less about the pain at that moment.

He just blew his nose and made a gurgling sound, "This song must have been written by Miss Su. If she weren't so young, I would gladly give her my position as the headmaster!"

The man paused abruptly as he finished speaking.

It doesn't matter that Su Hua is young now; she will grow up eventually.

He could easily reserve her now. With her painting and zither skills, Su Hua was far superior to those old men at the academy. She was definitely an excellent candidate for the next dean.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate that the Wei family had used the favor he owed them years ago; otherwise, how would he have discovered this hidden gem?

Wei Jianjia stood there, her face ashen. It was all over. Everything was over.

In the round of four to three, Su Hua, who should have fought at least three matches, finished in just one match because Zhou Sheng and Qin Yingxian, who were left behind, directly conceded defeat.

With her string broken, Liu Yuxian was depressed and suffered consecutive defeats in her competitions with Qin Yingxian and Zhou Sheng, finishing outside the top three.