Right now, Lin Wuming was panicking a little.
Sure, he had already decided to participate in the Wanyin Music Festival, but he hadnโt forgotten the conditions of his quest:
“Handle family matters discreetly. The more low-key, the better the reward.โ
While the festival didnโt directly involve family affairs, it was still being held in Luoshui City, so if possible, he really wanted to keep a low profile.
His plan was simple: show up at a not-too-early, not-too-late time, slip in quietly with the crowd, win the championship, and then slip away just as quietly.
โThat was what last nightโs Lin Wuming had in mind.
But when he stepped out this morning at what he thought was the perfect time, he quickly realized something was very wrong.
A day begins at the midnight hour (zi-shi), so the ่พฐๆถ chรฉn-shรญ (7amโ9am), especially ่พฐๆถๅๅป (around 8:45am), should be when people were just starting to gather, right?
He estimated that he left the house a little before 8:00am, which shouldโve been perfect timing for the crowd to be arriving.
So why…?
โU-um, Senior Brother…โ
Behind him, He Yingying, whoโd been holding back her words and repeatedly interrupted, finally got the chance to speak.
โItโs already close to… the sixth quarter of chรฉn-shรญ.โ
โ……โ
Lin Wuming looked around at the full venue.
He couldnโt even argue with that.
โHissss…!โ
Heโd left half the empireโs musical elitesโthe bigshots of the southeastern ten citiesโwaiting for half an hour?
And the worst part: theyโd waited just for him?
Something was definitely off here.
Besides, he was pretty sure he hadnโt calculated the time wrong…
โIsnโt โzi-shiโ the start of a new day?โ
He muttered, confused.
โ……โ
Although she couldnโt see, He Yingying still turned toward her senior brother with her mouth slightly agape, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
โSenior Brother, in ancient timekeeping, the day starts at halfway through zi-shi. So the โfirst quarterโ of the day technically begins around… 11:30 p.m.โ
Lin Wuming stood there stunned.
So… it was his lack of basic historical knowledge?
Zi-shi actually starts at 11 p.m.?!
โAh, crap…โ
โPfftโ!โ
He Yingying, imagining her always-serious senior brother looking so stunned and clueless, finally couldnโt hold in her laughter.
Usually so stern and composed, how could he make such a basic mistake?
Still… kind of adorable.
She didnโt stop smiling until he knocked her lightly on the head, causing her to hide behind her hand, giggling sneakily.
Lin Wuming awkwardly coughed, feeling the weight of every single gaze on him.
Low profile?
That was out the window.
The entire venue had just waited for him for half an hour.
His โpresence levelโ just maxed out in an instant…
What he couldnโt figure out was, why was the festival delayed just because he was late?
If the event had started and he showed up late, people wouldโve gossiped for a bit, but thatโd be the end of it.
But now?
He had delayed the entire Wanyin Festival, giving the elderly storytellers and aunties in teahouses premium gossip material for weeks.
After being polished up by a few storytellers, this tale was bound to become some wild, exaggerated legend…
As Lin Wuming stood there dazed, both the city lord Luo Haonian and Wanle Palace elder Zhong Xiao were inwardly breathing a massive sigh of relief.
Thank the heavens, this ‘little ancestor’ finally arrived!
โAhem ahem…โ
On the high platform, City Lord Luo cleared his throat and said….
โWould the… recently arrived contestant… please enter the stage? The competition is about to begin.โ
He stumbled on the words, never once daring to actually say โlate.โ
After all the work Wanle Palace had put into this event for this kid, who knew what kind of terrifying backers he had within the sect?
Luo Haonian might be the city lord, but he couldnโt afford to offend a rich young master from Wanle Palace.
So yesโcourteous tone it is.
It was far too late to stay low-key.
Lin Wuming could only brace himself and walk across the field under countless stares, sitting in the only vacant seat among the contestants.
He Yingying could feel all the attention too.
She lowered her head and hunched her shoulders.
This was the Empire, after all.
She was the Ninth Princess.
If anyone recognized her…
Sheโd die of embarrassment!
โThen… I now declare the Wanyin Music Festival officially open!โ
Once Lin Wuming was seated, the city lord finally announced the beginning of the competition.
***
The festival was divided into several rounds:
First, the open audition.
All participants would perform the same song together in a group performance.
The sheet music was supplied by Wanle Palace, and it was extremely difficult.
Contestants had to sight-read and perform on the spot, testing their skill and musical foundation.
Those unable to keep up would be quickly eliminated.
Among those who made it through, judges would evaluate:
- Rhythm accuracy
- Note precision
- Interpretation and emotional resonance
Those who showed deeper understanding of the music could express its emotions more profoundly and elevate the performance to another level.
Such nuances were easily spotted by elite musicians.
Anyone who felt outclassed could withdraw voluntarily, or the judges would select the top 8, who would face off in 4 head-to-head duels.
Winners from those matches would proceed to the finals, where they could perform any piece of their choosing to determine the champion.
Only after the contest would the real festivities beginโpeople would mingle, socialize, and form connections through music.
***
As for Lin Wuming?
He knew none of this.
Heโd been too busy shopping with his junior sister yesterday and didnโt care to ask.
His senior sister once claimed, โMy zither skills are unrivaled under heaven.โ
Although he always thought she was exaggerating, he had to admitโhe had never seen anyone whose musical skill surpassed hers.
In fact, he hadnโt even met someone who could match his own.
So, Lin Wuming was very confident about this competition.
Those three mid-grade spirit stones?
He was going to win them.
Since the start had already been delayed, the first round was launched immediately after the announcement.
Each contestant received a copy of the music scoreโan extremely complex piece.
Upon seeing the dense notations, many hobbyists and casual players broke into cold sweats.
There was no time to prepareโcontestants were only given one read-through before they had to perform.
โAh crap…โ
While others were laser-focused on their music sheets, adjusting instruments and getting in the zone, Lin Wuming just stared at the sheet in front of him, blinking in confusion.
Because heโd seen it before.
Not just seen itโhe was intimately familiar with it.
This was the same piece his senior sister had taught him when passing down her zither skills…
He knew it by heart.
Translator: โLittle ancestorโ (Chinese: ๅฐ็ฅๅฎ) is a colloquial expression in Chinese. It’s not a literal ancestor, but rather a sarcastic or affectionate nickname used for someone who causes a lot of trouble, stress, or anxietyโoften someone important or hard to manage.