Yu Hai was a little upset about losing, but when he thought that the winner was his benefactor, he quickly felt better.
As for Yu Manqi, he suffered the biggest blow. He came here to compete with Chu Qiao. In the first round of the qualifying competition, he received "Spring Appreciation Silver Coins" which were not as good as Zheng Qing's, but he did not think that he had "lost" to Zheng Qing.
He had originally planned to completely crush Zheng Qing in the finals, but in the end, it was her who trampled his arrogant attitude underfoot and ground it into the ground... He would never let her get away with this...
Absolutely not!
With his head bowed, Yu Manqi looked dejected and disheartened, but his eyes were filled with malice and red, revealing a vicious scheme.
Gongshu Jiru looked at Miku, his gaze exerting a tangible pressure that instantly snapped Miku out of his daze. He immediately resumed the procedure, summoning the warrior monks to ring the Xinde Ancient Bell, thereby announcing to everyone—
"The outstanding craftsman of this year's Jichun Craftsmen's Guild has been determined, and it is Zheng Qing, a craftsman from Ye Kingdom."
Thump~
Thump~
Thump~
The three long strikes resounded throughout the entire mountain peak and spread far and wide, even reaching the merchants, monks, and their entourage waiting in Wujue Temple, as well as the craftsmen who remained after the elimination process.
"Listen, it rang, it rang three times, and the best of this year has been decided."
Who will win the championship?
"I bet it's Yu Manqi from the Southern Chen Kingdom. Although his character is criticized, his skills and knowledge of craftsmanship are among the best in our generation."
“I don’t think so. I think it should be Yu Hai from the Kingdom of Kucha. You haven’t seen his ‘Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’. Hundreds of birds are made of wood, each about the size of a palm. You can’t see any mechanism, but they can perch on branches and flap their wings. It’s really amazing.”
They chattered amongst themselves about who would win, but no one mentioned A Qing, the craftsman from Ye.
They believed that while the "Panlong Chariot" was indeed outstanding and even a type of craft that could be passed down, the credit did not belong solely to Zheng Qing.
After all, among the top ten finalists, only Zheng Qing and her Ye Kingdom participated as a team. Although she was the main player, her first place in the final round was somewhat questionable.
Merchants prioritize profit, and compared to their decorative items and skill-based woodcrafts, the "Dragon Carriage" is far more worthy of their investment and promotion, whether from the perspective of development, sales, or the breadth of its audience.
From this perspective, the final is a pure knowledge-based competition, an individual event that eliminates all external factors and tests only individual ability.
In this respect, those craftsmen who already have a reputation have an advantage.
On the Ye Kingdom side, Fu Rong, Wei Yao, and the others waited quietly indoors. They naturally heard the three long chimes of the bronze bell and were startled. Not knowing why, they asked the monk.
Upon learning the reason for the three long chimes, I was deeply astonished.
"...Will she be the winner?"
Outside, Shi Hetong and Mu Gaoyi, anxious about the final results, looked towards the direction of the Thousand Trees Palace. The mountain peaks, shrouded in white clouds, soared into the clouds, like the arrogant pinnacle of heaven and earth.
Ah Qing, he's right there.
When the three long chimes rang, they learned that someone had won the championship—
Mu Gaoyi clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and kept muttering, "Aqing, please, don't let us down..."
"What do you mean by disappointment? Aqing has already done right by leading us this far, so don't..." Shi Hetong didn't know what to say to Mu Gaoyi for a moment.
Mu Gaoyi opened his eyes, reflected for only a second, and then said with a wry smile, "Yes, I know, but He Tong, do you think I'm crazy? I actually think that A Qing has the ability to win over Qiaochu."
Shi Hetong's eyes widened for a moment, and after a long while, he squatted down, buried his face in his hands, and wailed, "When you say that, I feel like I'm going crazy too. I have similar thoughts to you. Could it be that we really treat Aqing as a god? We expect her to grant all our wishes?"
——
Thousand Trees Hall
"Congratulations, Zheng Qing."
The fourteen master craftsmen above all shook their sleeves, clasped their arms in front of them, and offered Zheng Quchi the most basic congratulatory greetings.
Upon learning that he had won the top prize, Zheng Quchi's expression was neither one of surprise nor disbelief, but rather a rather complex one.
Thank you.
She returned the courtesy.
None of the people present could understand what she was thinking at that moment.
In reality, Zheng Quchi was caught in a dilemma.
She accidentally won the title of "Outstanding Craftsman of Jichun" and even defeated Master Li's enemy disciple, infuriating everyone... This should have been a good thing, but Fu Rong said that the competition owed her the entry award, which she could only receive after losing the final.
But he didn't tell her that if she got really into it and won the championship, there would still be a gold reward for the loser.
Or perhaps, as Gongshu Jiruo said, if the most skilled craftsman could obtain a promise from the Gongshu family, he could make a request of them…
This requirement also specifies many limitations, which is why she has high expectations for it.
She wondered if the top members of the "Jichun Craftsmen's Guild" didn't have money, could she use this to exchange for enough money from the Gongshu family to build a car factory? Would that be in accordance with the rules?
While she was lost in thought, the defeated craftsman, though disappointed, thought that being able to participate in the competition and meet such a remarkable person as "Zheng Qing" was quite an adventure.
Life is full of unexpected encounters, so we should seize this rare opportunity. Feeling a little embarrassed, he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Zheng Qing, I... I'm very curious about how the craftsmen of Ye Kingdom did it. Could you explain your answers to us?"
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