After Yuan and Fei Yuyanâs performance, the judges pondered before giving their verdict.
Elder Jing turned to look at Senior Zou and Song Lingâer. Since he was the least experienced out of the three, he wanted to let the experts go first so that his judgment isnât too far off, causing him to lose face.
However, neither Senior Zou nor Song Lingâer spoke even many moments later, causing Elder Jing to raise his eyebrows.
Then he turned to look at Yuan and Fei Yuyan. After clearing his throat, Elder Jing gave his verdict first for the first time.
"This is my first time hearing such unique music, and I must say, it was definitely a positive new experience overall. The synchronization between the two of you was also fantastic. However, compared to your previous performance, especially you, young man in the black mask, it was quite lacking and a disappointment if I am being honest. I had expected much more, but alas... Seven points from me."
"..."
The audience was silent throughout Elder Jingâs verdict, and nobody made any noises afterward, as they also felt that it was quite a fair assessment.
However, Senior Zou and Song Lingâer turned to look at Elder Jing with frowns on their faces.
âThis guy... He also couldnât fathom their performance?â Senior Zou was speechless, but he wasnât too shocked, since he also almost missed it.
Senior Zou then turned to look at Song Lingâer, who held a frown even deeper than his own on her beautiful face, causing him to swallow nervously.
"I... I will give you ten points." Senior Zou suddenly said, dumbfounding Elder Jing and the audience.
"What? Ten points? Are you sure about your verdict, Daoist Zou? I donât mean to doubt your judgment, but how could you give them a similar score to what you gave Ai Wan and Wei Kang who was clearly superior? I hope you arenât still affected by their previous performance..." Elder Jing couldnât help but question Senior Zouâs decision.
Senior Zou shook his head and said, "Iâll let Senior Song explain..."
They turned to look at Song Lingâer, who spoke in a calm yet cold voice a moment later, "If you cannot fathom why Daoist Zou gave them ten points instead of a disgraceful seven points, you do not qualify to be a judge in this competition. If not for my respect for the Heaven and Earth Palace, I would have you removed from your position as judge already."
After her cold remarks, shocking Elder Jing, Song Lingâer turned to look at Fei Yuyan and Yuan.
"Once again, you have exceeded my expectations. Ten... No, thirteen points from me." Song Lingâer said, her gaze directly on Yuanâs figure.
"W-What? Did Senior Fairy Song just say âthirteen pointsâ?"
"Unless we are all hearing thingsâ I think she did..."
"Is it even possible to give more than ten points? And why thirteen points?"
"Maybe itâs to make up for Elder Jingâs seven points, making it a total of 30 points..."
"Why would she do that, though? Even Senior Zou gave them ten points. I cannot fathom their reasons for doing so."
"Perhaps there was something about their performance that only those two noticed? After all, theyâre the judges."
The audience went into an uproar after hearing Senior Zou and Song Lingâerâs puzzling verdict.
After all, how could they give Yuanâs team a perfect score when Ai Wan and Wei Kang couldnât achieve that kind of score after playing God Descends from Heaven, a song thatâs objectively harder to play?
"You must be wondering why I gave you such a score." Song Lingâer suddenly said as she looked at Fei Yuyanâs direction who held a confused look on her face.
Upon hearing Song Lingâerâs words, Fei Yuyan nodded with a dazed look on her face. While she was pretty satisfied with their performance, she didnât think it was worthy of such a high score.
Song Lingâer then said, "Your performance overall was great, but it wasnât anything too amazing, and it would be worth at most 7 points if not for the other factors."
"The other factors...?" Fei Yuyan raised her eyebrows.
Song Lingâer nodded and said, "Your partnerâs performance."
âYuanâs performance?â
Song Lingâer continued, "Your partner displayed a shocking level of talent and skills by following your pace flawlessly, which earned the extra points. I normally wouldnât do something like this, but I know very well that he couldâve performed much better if he wasnât limited by you."
"If heâd played the zither at his own level without any restrictions, the performance wouldâve definitely turned out better. However, if heâd done that, you would not have been able to play together, simply because of the fact that the disparity between your abilities is just that vast, and this is not a solo competition, so he sacrificed his own performance in order to match yours."
"..."
Fei Yuyan was shocked speechless after learning the real reason behind their verdict, and she turned to look at Yuan with a pained expression on her face.
"Iâm sorry, Disciple Yuan... It seems like I will be a burden to you no matter what I do..." Fei Yuyan said to him a moment later with teary eyes.
"I..." Yuan didnât know what he should say in this situation since this is the first time heâs been put into such an awkward situation.
"You donât have to say anything to me. I know that I cannot compare to you, nor can I catch up to you, and thatâs not your fault. Although I may continue to be a burden until the end of this competition, letâs play to the best of our abilities, okay?" Fei Yuyan said to him after wiping her eyes and showing him a smile.
For more, visit lightnovelp/ub[.]/c/om
"..."
After a moment of silence, Yuan suddenly turned to look at Song Lingâer and said, "I have a suggestion, Senior Song."
"What is it?" Song Lingâer raised her eyebrows in a curious manner.
"As youâd said, I didnât perform at my best, and our performance was only above average, so we donât deserve such a high score no matter how you spin it. Therefore, allow meâ by myselfâ to play another song to make up for the points, or at least justify it somewhat." Yuan said, surprising her and everyone there.