"This is a disaster. I've wasted a whole month waiting, only for them to test Zither Skills."
Many faces turned deathly pale, and large beads of sweat formed on some of their foreheads.
Voicing their disappointment, they reluctantly stood up and walked out of the Hall of Talents.
In modern society, many people still studied calligraphy and painting, but very few also practiced Zither Skills.
Thus, in just a few minutes, the vast majority had left, leaving only about twenty people.
Among them were the three great talents of Ri Yue Xing.
Of course, Zhang Bin and Yang Yiyi didn't leave, but Yang Yiyi was very worried. She whispered into Zhang Bin's ear, "What should we do? I know how to play the zither, but I'm not good at it at all. I'll never pass."
"No worries. Just watch me astonish everyone and leave them in awe," Zhang Bin said confidently, then lowered his voice. "Afterward, I'll say you're my girlfriend so you can meet Master Lin with me. But from now on, you have to play the part."
"Mhm, I understand," Yang Yiyi replied, hardly believing Zhang Bin could achieve such a feat. Still, on the off chance he did, she was more than willing to pretend to be his girlfriend to meet Master Lin. After all, she couldn't let her trip to the Magic Capital be for nothing.
The three great talents overheard what Zhang Bin had just said, and scornful expressions appeared on their faces. Peng Yang added mockingly, "I didn't expect that on top of being a renowned talent of China, you're also the number one zither prodigy. My apologies."
"Him, a zither master? He looks more like a farmer to me," Guan Shanyue said with disdain.
"I think he's a martial artist. Look how muscular he is. I'm so scared! He's not going to beat us up, is he?" Wu Xingxing added with a strange laugh.
"Hahaha..."
Many who overheard couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Lin Youlan, the beautiful woman on the podium, naturally heard the comments of the three talents and the crowd's derisive laughter.
She frowned and asked, "Peng Yang, what's going on?"
"Miss Lin," Peng Yang began, embellishing his words as he pointed at Zhang Bin, "this young man claims he's a peerless talent and a top-tier zither master who is going to astonish us all. We are all deeply impressed."
Lin Youlan's gaze immediately fell on Zhang Bin, and her expression darkened.
She disliked Zhang Bin's rough appearance. How could this be a scholar? He's clearly a martial artist. Those developed muscles and hands as large as palm-leaf fans... it's quite alarming.
However, she had to secretly admit that Zhang Bin was very handsome, exuding a healthy, athletic charm. Such a man possessed the capital to mesmerize women.
No wonder he had such a sexy, alluring beauty with him, a sight that made her deeply uncomfortable.
Although Lin Youlan was a beauty, she was, more importantly, a woman of talent. Thus, she preferred men who were brimming with scholarly grace and was naturally repulsed by men like Zhang Bin, who seemed to be all looks and no refinement.
She said coldly, "Mister, this is the Hall of Talents at Lanting Villa, not a place for romantic dalliances. Please show some self-respect."
Looks of satisfaction appeared on the faces of the audience, especially the three talents, who felt as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
A faint blush crept onto Yang Yiyi's cheeks. She whispered, "Chen Junheng, what do we do? She really seems to dislike us. Is it true that beautiful women are natural rivals?"
"She's just jealous. Jealous that you're more beautiful than her, and jealous that you have a boyfriend as outstanding as me. That's why she's targeting us," Zhang Bin whispered in her ear.
However, his voice was a little too loud, and everyone heard him. They all looked astonished. Good heavens, what an incredibly thick-skinned young man! Could it be that his shamelessness was what allowed him to woo such a beautiful woman? If that was the case, perhaps they should try to be more shameless too. They might just win over the beauties they desired!
Lin Youlan, standing on the podium, also heard him. She was furious. Even with her good composure, she couldn't help but feel flames of anger flaring up inside her.
She said coldly, "Unless you are truly the greatest talent in the world... no, even if you were, you couldn't earn my admiration. Not unless you're a Master of Calligraphy and Painting like my grandfather. So, no, I have no reason to be envious of your girlfriend."
"Alas... must I make yet another beauty fall for me?" Zhang Bin's face took on a look of reluctance as he let out a long sigh.
Lin Youlan was so furious her delicate frame trembled uncontrollably.
The rest of the crowd was also seething with uncontrollable rage.
Especially the three talents, who all shot to their feet, pointing at Zhang Bin's nose as they cursed angrily.
"Kid, who do you think you are? How dare you insult Miss Lin?"
"Bastard, shut your mouth, or I'll let you have a taste of my fists!"
"Idiot, don't you know that in Miss Lin's eyes, you're nothing but a pile of stinking shit!"
The insults were vicious. Zhang Bin grew angry as well. "I only spared you because I see you as nothing more than a few piles of shit," he said coldly. "But you mistake my generosity and tolerance for weakness. Today, I'll teach you a lesson."
"Teach us a lesson? With your fists, I presume?"
"Oh, I'm so scared! His fists are as big as bowls. Give him a plank axe, and he'd be the Black Whirlwind Li Kui! Our writing brushes wouldn't stand a chance..."
"Idiot! Go on, pick up that stool and smash it over here!"
The three talents jeered one after another.
There was an unwritten rule here: troublemakers would be thrown out.
The security force at Lanting Villa was formidable; some of the bodyguards were even renowned masters in the martial world. They had no fear of troublemakers.
Therefore, they hoped Zhang Bin would resort to violence so the security guards would toss him out.
"How about a bet?" Zhang Bin said. "Let's bet that my Zither Skills are better than yours. Whoever loses has to get the hell out of here on their own."
Zhang Bin considered himself a humble gentleman, how could he possibly resort to violence? Well, that was a bit of a stretch. The truth was, he was worried he might accidentally cripple or kill them, which would interfere with his grand plans for making money. So, violence was absolutely out of the question. Still, he was thoroughly annoyed by these three who kept targeting him with their endless, grating chatter. That's why he came up with this plan to get rid of them.
"Hahaha... What an absolute idiot, challenging the three of us to a Zither Skills contest! Now we'll really show him how to suffer!" The three exchanged sly glances and accepted without a moment's hesitation.
The others instantly stared at Zhang Bin as if he were a fool, and Lin Youlan was no exception.
After all, they knew full well that the three talents' fame was not undeserved. They were masters among masters in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, each possessing earth-shattering Zither Skills.
In China, among youths of a similar age, one might find someone who could surpass them by a hair in calligraphy or painting. But in Zither Skills, the three of them were absolutely in the top three!
Zhang Bin, on the other hand, looked so young—twenty-one at most, a good seven or eight years younger than the three talents. Even if he'd been practicing the zither since he was in the womb, he would have only had twenty-one years of practice. That was six or seven years less than the prodigiously talented trio. It was an insurmountable gap.
Nevertheless, they were eager to see the three talents humiliate Zhang Bin so badly he'd have to crawl out in shame.
Never mind them; even Yang Yiyi's face was etched with worry. Going one against three was a huge disadvantage. She asked anxiously, "Are your Zither Skills really that good?"
"Well, to be honest with you," Zhang Bin said, dropping a bombshell, "I've never actually played the zither in my life."