Douluo Continent: Getting Stronger After Heartbreak

Chapter 25 Rongrong Wants to Learn to Play the Flute

The next day.

When Tang Yuehua came to class again, she brought a brand new court dance, which combined the characteristics of ballroom dance and dance from this world, forming its own style.

"You will have a month to practice court ballroom dancing, and the best group will be the lead dancers for the first performance of your graduation show."

Tang Yuehua's words inspired everyone to practice dancing frantically, because it was a graduation performance of court etiquette, which would be attended by the emperor, nobles, and even high-ranking members of major sects.

If you perform well, you will benefit immensely.

Unfortunately, a month later, the lead dancer position did not go to Qin Jian and Ning Rongrong, but to Xue Qinghe and Xue Ke.

"Qin Jian, actually, you two danced the best, but the lead dancer position isn't just about how well you dance, it's also about the overall effect..."

Tang Yuehua said, "You all danced the best, but from a distance, Xue Qinghe and Xue Ke's dances were the most graceful. Xue Qinghe is taller than Xue Ke, which makes her dance more agile and varied."

As soon as she spoke, Qin Jian understood what she meant.

Indeed, Qin Jian, who is the same age as Ning Rongrong, has not yet started to grow taller, so the two appear to be the same height, which makes their ballroom dancing less effective.

"Qin Jian, Qin Jian! Xue Qinghe and Xue Ke have become the lead dancers, what should we do?"

Ning Rongrong was getting anxious; she didn't want to lose because of this.

Qin Jian shook his head and said, "That was just the opening dance. The most important part is the solo performances that follow."

"But that's the first impression. If they stand out too much, we'll be under a lot of pressure later on," Ning Rongrong said.

"That's true..."

Qin Jian rubbed his chin and said, "Don't worry, I'll find a way to make the two of us the center of attention."

Ning Rongrong nodded and said, "Qin Jian, we must be number one."

"What? You can't wait to change how you address me?" Qin Jian said with a smile.

Ning Rongrong tugged at his left hand and pouted, "No, that's not it! I just don't want to give you up, even if it's just talk!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Jian's eyes narrowed with laughter...

"Alright, the lead dancer position is decided..."

In class, after announcing the event, Tang Yuehua said, "For the next five months, you can freely choose the form of your final performance, whether it's singing, dancing, or playing an instrument. I will provide guidance to you."

"The winner of this graduation performance will become my official student."

Her last sentence easily ignited the enthusiasm of all the students.

Given her status and position, becoming her student would be an extremely honorable thing.

As a distinguished guest of countless nobles and even royalty, Tang Yuehua naturally possesses an aura of prestige, and as her formal student, one would also receive equal attention.

"Qin Jian, Qin Jian, what are we going to perform?"

Ning Rongrong leaned closer again, her face full of curiosity: "You said last time that we should prepare properly, are you ready now?"

"Yes, it's ready."

Qin Jian smiled and said, "We'll perform an ensemble piece. Ideally, it would be a qin and xiao duet, but unfortunately, I can't play the xiao..."

"Rongrong likes playing the flute. Can Rongrong learn to play the flute?" Ning Rongrong suddenly asked excitedly.

Qin Jian shook his head and said gently, "Rongrong, you like playing the xiao (vertical flute), we can learn it later, but you can't learn this kind of wind instrument well in just five months. You can learn to play it quickly."

"Then what should I study?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Qin Jian smiled and said, "Guzheng."

"Guzheng?"

Ning Rongrong was a little surprised: "I've never heard of this kind of instrument before..."

"This is a simplified version of the guqin. The seven-stringed guqin is too difficult for you, so I expanded it to twenty-one strings, which makes it much simpler."

Qin Jian explained, "Moreover, the guzheng has an excellent sound quality, making it very suitable as accompaniment for our song."

"And you, Qin Jian, what instrument do you use?" Ning Rongrong asked.

"Gu Xun."

Qin Jian then mentioned another musical instrument that she had never heard of before.

"You know so much..." Ning Rongrong's eyes were shining.

Qin Jian smiled and said, "I only know a little about the guzheng. You'll still need Teacher Tang Yuehua to teach you. The xun was my hobby before. Its sound has an ancient flavor and is also an excellent accompaniment."

"So what kind of music are we going to play?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Qin Jian looked at her and said, "I believe you can do a great job with this song, because it tells the story of Zhang Xiaofan..."

"Wow!"

Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise, "Qin Jian, you're amazing!"

She naturally attributed the credit for composing the music to Qin Jian.

"Alright, alright, I'll go pick up the custom-made guzheng and xun next. Then I'll ask Teacher Tang Yuehua to teach me. After all, I only know how to play them. To achieve the best results, I still need a teacher's guidance," Qin Jian said with a smile.

So, when the two of them brought the guzheng and xun to class the next day, they unsurprisingly attracted Tang Yuehua's attention again.

"These are all very ingenious designs, Qin Jian. The zither and xun you brought have very distinctive tones."

Tang Yuehua gave them special guidance in a corner: "However, if you want to combine these two instruments perfectly, you need to compose the music well."

"Qin Jian, your melody is quite good, but it's a pity you can't compose music. Let's leave it to the teacher."

Perhaps it was because Qin Jian repeatedly surprised her that she developed a good impression of him, and she was even willing to compose music for the two of them.

"Big brother, did you hear that? Teacher Yue is going to compose music for Qin Jian and the others herself! What should we do?" Xue Ke asked worriedly from the other side.

Xue Qinghe waved his hand and said, "Xiao Ke, don't worry. This time, our graduation performance has been customized by professional teachers. From the instruments and music to the layout and backup dancers, everything is top-notch."

"These things are extremely simple for our royal family to do, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School doesn't know how to do them, so even with Teacher Yue's help, it's fine for them," he said confidently.

Xue Ke breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. I don't want to lose to Ning Rongrong!"

Xue Qinghe nodded, glanced at Qin Jian and the others, and a smile appeared on his lips.

She wasn't worried about this kind of court performance at all; her only concern was Ning Rongrong's feelings for Qin Jian, and her inexplicably deepening affection for him...

And so, with everyone fully engaged in their studies and preparations, five months passed quickly.

Apart from Xue Qinghe and Qin Jian's group, every other group had also prepared diligently for a long time and were full of confidence as they awaited the final assessment.

Of course, Qin Jian didn't care about any of this. He and Ning Rongrong were just immersed in their daily practice, and their feelings for each other deepened day by day.

The only thing that bothered him was that, at some point, the Enchanting Sword stopped working on Xue Qinghe.

Could it be that using too much will cause resistance...?

Perhaps this is normal; after all, it was only the first soul skill, how could it infinitely increase favorability? That would be defying the heavens...

(End of this chapter)