Chapter 145: Dreams Carried Away by the Wind

Zuo Yongsi was utterly in despair!

At this moment, he fully understood the feeling that the masked contestant Superhuman had experienced back in the round of thirty to ten.

He completely lacked the courage to continue fighting!

It was the fear and helplessness one felt when facing the king of the forest.

Although he still possessed quite a few works he considered his trump cards, compared to Liao Yuan's piece with its finger-shattering speed, he knew there was no reason left to keep fighting.

"What is the title of this piece?"

Amidst thunderous applause and the gaze of everyone present, the host Zhang Hai asked excitedly.

"The Second Fantasy of War," Liao Yuan replied.

"Just as I thought!"

Zhang Hai smiled. "The piece incorporates many chord progressions extremely similar to those in The Fantasy of War. Most importantly, both pieces are equally magnificent!"

The previous piece, The Fantasy of War, had now become the signature piece of the Emperor and Four Kings Tournament. Almost every spectator of the tournament had heard this piano piece. Not only that, a growing number of people joined the audience ranks specifically because of this piano piece, among whom were quite a few international-level piano masters.

While this Second Fantasy clearly inherited the melody of the previous piano piece, compared to the original's grand, majestic, and tragic splendor, The Second Fantasy embodied the joy of post-disaster reconstruction after the trials of war.

The audience throughout the entire stadium burst into a collective cheer.

Soon, under Zhang Hai's hosting, a new round of voting began.

"In the second round, 1,712 to 281. Congratulations to Uncle A for winning again, securing the match point first."

There was not the slightest surprise in the result. Everyone applauded vigorously, their faces filled with excitement.

After today, yet another masterpiece was added to Uncle A's repertoire!

Madman A-Zuo's hands were already beginning to tremble slightly. He lowered his head, looked at his own hands, his eyes filled with doubt.

Was my choice of the piano right or wrong?

Both of us built up our strength over time, so why did Uncle A's eruption make people feel so hopeless?

The applause ringing in his ears felt as though it were mocking him.

Zuo Yongsi stepped onto the stage once more, and under the gaze of the crowd, slowly took his seat on the piano bench.

He looked at the eighty-eight black and white keys before him, his gaze full of bewilderment.

Yet, an instant later, he spread his hands wide.

Upon touching the keys, Zuo Yongsi's entire spirit and vitality underwent a complete renewal, as if he were reborn through fire.

He passionately played out one grand image after another.

At times they resembled ten thousand galloping horses, at times a duel between divine bulls, and even a phoenix spreading its wings to soar, scattering feathers across the sky!

Those images burst forth with dazzling lights in his mind, imbuing his entire person with a mysterious aura as he played.

The mysterious piano melody leaped beside their ears, and the audience held their breath.

"Zuo Yongsi... is amazing!"

"Hong Kong's most talented pianist. His existence has injected immense vitality into the otherwise aging Hong Kong Opera House."

"He certainly has real skills!"

"Seriously, with a performance level like this, getting only a little over two hundred votes in the previous round is truly going a bit too far, haha!"

"A-Zuo is not bad at all. At least he still has the courage to face Uncle A! During the last match, the masked contestant didn't even have the courage to fight; the moment he heard his opponent was Uncle A, he fled in panic."

"Uncle A's works are getting more and more incredible. He is simply a contemporary piano genius."

"Even compared to pianists in the classical piano world, Uncle A is not the least bit inferior."

"Sigh, a piano prince cast down to the mortal world."

"Pfft! Off topic! Now is A-Zuo's performance time!"

Zuo Yongsi did not let external distractions weigh on his mind at all.

At this moment, he poured all his thoughts entirely into his performance. Aside from the music, there were no other sounds before him.

His college professor had often taught him the principle of the unity of person and piano—which meant dedicating oneself wholly to the performance, treating the piano as a part of one's own body, and wielding it effortlessly like an arm guiding a finger.

Zuo Yongsi had never reached such a realm, because that state required long-term training to form and relied almost entirely on muscle memory. However, Zuo Yongsi was not a piano-playing machine; he could not completely sacrifice his whole self to the piano. Thus, despite his earnestness, he still feared playing a wrong note.

Yet now, trapped in a desperate situation, having cast aside all his shackles and restraints, Zuo Yongsi gradually experienced a sense of freedom that transcended worldly things.

What am I playing?

That is not important.

What matters is that I am happy.

I can see winding streams, green fields in the jungle, and lightning and thunder in the sky.

I can see massive oil paintings descending from the heavens, the beasts and livestock within them running vibrantly, biting and fighting fiercely.

I can also see sunset clouds and mist reflecting one another, and on the boundless sea, the sun lifting the curtain of clouds, parting the veil of rosy dawn, draped in colorful garments, rising slowly at the edge of the sky like a drifting palace lantern.

A relaxed and contented smile appeared on Zuo Yongsi's face.

This piece, Secret Realm, was his debut masterpiece after graduation. In 2014, it had won the first prize at the Hong Kong New Youth Piano Competition.

Now, seven years later, he still enjoyed a small reputation in the industry, with one classic anime theme song after another flowing from his hands.

Yet, whenever the night grew deep and quiet, and whenever he sat alone before the piano, the first piece he would inadvertently begin to play was always this Secret Realm.

For Zuo Yongsi, Secret Realm was the beginning of his rebirth.

Now, it was also the conclusion of his rebirth.

After today, he would accept the invitation of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to serve as a teaching assistant in the Department of Music, cultivating the brilliant minds of the future for the motherland.

As for his dreams, let them drift away with the wind!

"His piano notes are filled with uninhibited detachment."

Watching Zuo Yongsi with his eyes tightly closed and his hands flowing smoothly across the keys, Xu Ling'er spoke with a face full of deep emotion, "Another great pianist has been played into autism by you."

Beneath his mask, Liao Yuan wore a bitter smile.

"Uncle A's advancement is secure. Congratulations, congratulations! I wonder if we'll be able to meet in the grand finals."

Yang Jie teased, "I really hope I have the chance to be utterly crushed by Uncle A!"

"Give me a break. Your opponent is none other than the Piano Sage, Di Jiaci! It's not that I look down on you, but if you can win even a single game against Di Jiaci, I'll cover your meal expenses for an entire week!" Zheng Lan said with a smile.

Yang Jie let out a wail, "Shut up, you fatty!"

Liao Yuan asked, "Di Jiaci? Is he very strong?"

"Strong? That's an understatement. He was originally a benchmark figure in the classical piano world. Back in the day, he was a genius youth on par with Lin Weiyin, possessing formidable strength. At that time, he was even more powerful than Gao Feiliu."

Shi Ruoxiang sighed. "It's just that his flaws are also quite obvious—he's a hopeless romantic."

"Hopeless romantic? He's just a stallion through and through."

Zheng Lan said with disdain, "In high school, he got some girl pregnant, became infamous, and got kicked out of the classical piano circle. Now he's just lingering on in our pop music circle. It's really strange how the officials allowed such a person to participate, and even let him make it into the top ten."