Chapter 149: Mission Accomplished

"Xiao Xiao!"

As the final note faded like a horse neighing at the finish line, the grand finale of "Horse Race" came to an end, and Yang Qing concluded his performance.

For a split second, the concert hall seemed as though a pause button had been pressed, plunging into absolute silence.

It was not until Yang Qing stood up, bowed, and expressed his gratitude that everyone in the audience snapped back to reality. Then, as if on cue, they all rose to their feet as one, and thunderous applause erupted like rolling waves!

"Brilliant! Big Brother is amazing! Brother Hao, Sister Qin, did you see that? My big brother is just so incredible!"

In the seating area, little Qiu'er could no longer contain herself. Bouncing up and down on her tiptoes, she pointed her small finger at Yang Qing on the stage and cried out.

Her flushed little face was as radiant as the morning sun, and her heart was brimming with boundless pride and glory.

That was her brother—her most beloved brother, the one who cherished her the most—and all these people were excitedly shouting and cheering, applading her brother with all their might.

"I saw it, Brother Hao saw it. What an unbelievable performance!" Qin Hao exclaimed, equally excited. "I declare him the greatest young erhu prodigy!"

"What kind of nonsense are you babbling about?" Qin Xue glared at him, then smiled proudly. "Qing is simply the best!"

"Oh my God!"

At that moment, Marchetti spoke up, his face filled with utter shock:

"Yang, you completely blew my mind. It's just unbelievable! Is this what Huaxia's erhu sounds like? Good heavens, I simply cannot believe it can produce music that is so soul-stirring! It's so magnificent, so breathtaking!" (Simultaneous translation)

"Thank you, thank you for your praise and appreciation," Yang Qing replied very modestly. "There are many more traditional instruments in Huaxia. I believe that once you learn more about them, you will surely grow to love them as well, and fall in love with Huaxia, a country full of charm!"

Marchetti: "Good!"

Following Marchetti, Master Willow Cotton from the empire upon which the sun never sets also applauded enthusiastically:

"Yang, I adore this piece. It gives me such a wonderful sense of freedom. May I learn it from you? Oh, and the erhu instrument in your hands as well!" (Simultaneous translation)

"Thank you," Yang Qing smiled. "It is my absolute honor!"

After that, one master elder after another applauded and voiced their praise for Yang Qing, and their words were nothing short of endless adulation.

As for Master Kitahara from the dwarf nation, he had already been completely forgotten by everyone.

He certainly wanted to voice some criticisms and point out Yang Qing's mistakes, but try as he might, he couldn't find a single flaw. Furthermore, the other masters didn't give him any opportunity to speak.

Once the commentary concluded, the audience took their seats. Yang Qing bowed once more in gratitude on the stage, and then withdrew behind the scenes.

As he departed, the audience's emotions gradually settled down, but the very next second, astonishment washed over every single face all over again.

"Holy shit! He... he's back again!"

"God Qing, you're still the absolute king!"

"Damn! Suona! Is he going to send someone off to the netherworld with the suona?!"

The hall boiled over with excitement once more.

Yes, Yang Qing had stepped onto the stage for the second time, holding a suona adorned with a bright red silk ribbon.

"I would like to present the suona piece 'A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' for your appreciation."

Yang Qing bowed. As his voice fell, the suona suddenly blared.

In an instant, the entire concert hall was transformed into a paradise of a hundred birds.

Birds chirped in a chorus, vividly imitating the calls of canaries, cuckoos, and golden pheasants...

There were even the sounds of a hen laying an egg and a baby crying, vividly portraying the vitality of nature and presenting the audience with a scene full of life and flourishing vigor.

Just like the passing of night and the rising of the morning sun, it was filled with joyous hope.

On the stage, Yang Qing held his head high, spirited and vigorous. The red ribbon on the suona fluttered with his movements, looking festive and joyous.

At last, the suona notes ceased. With the end of the piece, the applause thundered once more, and laudatory comments echoed through the hall once again.

Yang Qing smiled and bowed in gratitude. Truly, these foreign elders held nothing back when praising people; they threw every glowing adjective they knew right at you.

Of course, foreign languages only had a handful of complimentary words recycled over and over again—how could they compare to the richness of the Huaxia language? Forget about compliments; you could curse someone all day long without ever repeating a single insult!

Once the words of praise wrapped up, Yang Qing bowed once more to show his appreciation and stepped off the stage. The very second he exited the spotlight, the corners of his mouth split open into an irrepressible smile.

The system upgrade mission was complete!

"Ding! Spread the charm of Huaxia traditional instruments and bring glory to the country. Congratulations to the host for winning the praise and recognition of international instrumental masters more than ten times, exceeding the system upgrade mission requirements!"

"Excess reward: 150 Achievement Points! One Reality Simulation Experience Card! System upgraded to LV2, self-service purchase interface unlocked!"

"It's finally here!"

Yang Qing murmured excitedly in his heart: "With 150 achievement points, I should be able to get a lot of mileage out of them."

"And this reality simulation experience card—counting this rewarded one, I now have nine. Just collect one more and I'll be able to experience it. I wonder what kind of effect it will have!"

Yang Qing had previously drawn six experience cards through two draws, and for this exchange meeting, he had even used up his remaining five achievement points for another draw.

Originally, he had prayed to draw another traditional instrument piece to ensure absolute foolproof success.

However, the system didn't grant his wish this time around, giving him two experience cards, one point of comprehension, one point of charm, and a piano piece instead.

"Hehe... Not bad!"

Yang Qing chuckled inwardly with quiet satisfaction. Just as he was about to check out the upgraded system's self-service purchase interface, someone interrupted him.

"Yang... Master Yang!"

A handsome, spirited young man rushed up to Yang Qing as he exited the stage, saying with great excitement, "Master Yang, those little bonsai-landers from the dwarf nation are taking the stage!"

Yang Qing: "..."

At that moment, he had a strange feeling: compared to his performances of two masterpieces, these Huaxia youngsters seemed far more interested in him roasting the musicians from the dwarf nation!

Shaking his head with a gentle smile, Yang Qing cast aside the thought of checking the system for the moment and said, "Then I'll head back to my seat and properly enjoy the traditional music of the dwarf nation."

"Yes, yes, yes! Master Yang, please this way, I'll lead you!"

The energetic young man quickly guided Yang Qing back to the side door beneath the stage.

"Master Yang, go get 'em! Wipe that little bonsai-lander's face right in the dirt!"

Yang Qing smiled upon hearing this, nodded, and said, "I'll do my best."

On the stage, the person currently performing was none other than Kimura, the little bonsai-lander from the dwarf nation who had previously clashed with Yang Qing.

When Yang Qing had left the stage, Kimura seized the opportunity, stepping up almost seamlessly to begin performing on his nation's traditional instrument, the shamisen.

During his performance, he deliberately glanced back toward Yang Qing's seat in the audience. Seeing that it was completely empty, he finally felt relieved enough to play.

Of course, he wasn't scared—those little bonsai-landers from the dwarf nation would never admit to being scared! It was just that this Huaxia youngster was a bit too demonic!

The tone of the shamisen was clear and pure. Evolved from the performances of geishas, it carried a lingering undertone of melancholy and sorrow, unconsciously evoking images of tragic love beneath cherry blossoms.

Kimura's performance at that moment was also quite flawless. But right at that instant, as he played and turned his head slightly following the melody, his mind instantly went completely blank.

That man... he was back!

The instantaneous blankness in his mind and Yang Qing's mocking, half-smiling expression made him feel as though he were suddenly plunging into darkness, and the pluck of his plectrum with his right hand instantly went awry.

The melody was jumbled, the artistic conception shattered.

Seeing this chaos, Yang Qing's smile grew even broader, while the other masters frowned deeply. Even if they weren't familiar with the dwarf nation's shamisen, just hearing this momentary discord was enough to knock the dwarf nation completely out of the running.

Master Kitahara from the dwarf nation cursed angrily in his heart, casting a vicious glare toward Yang Qing, but Yang Qing simply ignored him.

No matter how ferocious a beast was, it was still just a beast—it couldn't stir up any waves.