"Let's compose a poem in honor of Mr. Shu Da's noble character," announced a student behind Mr. Shu Da.
The burly Shandong man was quite perplexed. He frowned and pondered for a long time, then lowered his head and recited in a deliberately profound tone, "Shu is big, Shu is big, bigger than a rat..."
*Pfft...* Mr. Shu spat out a mouthful of tea, clapped his hands, and said with a twitching mouth, "Wonderful, wonderful, next one."
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The next one to come up was Wu Shilang's fellow townsman, the young master of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency in Yangzhou. As usual, he was a rough man who couldn't read a single word.
But this scholar, holding a paper fan and dressed in a long blue robe, stood there with a stiff, lifeless air, truly a picture of effeminate elegance.
"Please compose a poem using the name of Shu University's uniform as your inspiration."
The young master of the镖局 (bodyguard agency) pondered for a while, then looked up with a melancholy expression. His eyes were fixed on a pair of sparrows on a roof beam not far away, seemingly engaged in the act of lovemaking. He looked every bit the naive and artistic young man, and calmly recited: "Clouds yearn for clothes, flowers yearn for beauty..."
Mr. Shu was secretly furious. His hand, which was holding the porcelain cup, trembled. He tried his best to remain calm and said, "Next."
One after another, the visiting martial arts heroes and heroines were mostly lacking in moral character, intelligence, and aesthetics; those who possessed martial arts skills usually couldn't compose poetry. Master Shu's veins bulged, and his expression only softened slightly when Fifty-Lang appeared.
"Just recite a couple of lines on the spot." He had a perfect impression of Igoro, so he had already decided on Igoro without even realizing it.
Ishiro, being semi-literate, felt quite annoyed seeing everyone looking at him so expectantly. After scratching his head for a long time, he recited in a daze, "From afar it looks like Sichuan University, up close it looks like a teacup; it turns out Sichuan University is holding a teacup..."
The air seemed frozen; no one in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Leng Wuqing stood behind Wushilang, his face filled with shame and frustration, almost banging his head against the table.
Mr. Shu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly jumped up excitedly, led the applause, and exclaimed, "What a wonderful poem! What a wonderful poem! It doesn't fall into the trap of formulaic writing. This, this," he hesitated for a long time, then firmly affirmed, "Very good! The imagery is lifelike, lively and vivid!"
Very good. (Typed by Orange Garden Maple Blossom Blood Moon)
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized that it was indeed a vivid and beautiful poem. The whole room burst into applause, which greatly excited Fifty-Roh.
"I hereby declare that Xiao Wushilang has won this contest."
No one raised any objections; everyone accepted their defeat wholeheartedly.
The competition, which seemed to be a foregone conclusion, saw a group of martial arts practitioners leave that very night to attend the martial arts tournament three days later.
"Imagine that once I get that jade pendant, I'll be able to suppress my poison," Wu Shilang said, relaxing as he leaned against the window railing and looked at Leng Wuqing, who was lost in thought under the moon. "That way, I can stay with Wushuang and make the most of every day."
Leng Wuqing turned his head, frowned, and asked, "If it weren't for him, what would you live for?"
Wu Shilang replied with a smile, "To fight for the rise of the martial arts world."
...Cold and ruthless silence—truly a lofty ambition. But having a goal in life is always a good thing.
The next day was the final test. Only three people were present: Duan Shuixian, who looked haggard, and the others were Wushilang and Leng Wuqing.
[Produced by the Orange Garden Hand-Typed Team. Welcome to visit ]
[Produced by the Orange Garden Hand-Typed Team. Welcome to visit ]
The contest is about painting.
Mr. Shu was very excited. He casually took off the jade pendant that he had been wearing for a long time and said, "I will paint this jade today." He then shook his head proudly and said, "This is the Pure Heart Spring Jade. There is only one in the world. It is the gift I plan to give to the new sect."
Wu Shilang immediately became very covetous. His eyes were fixed on the jade pendant. Seeing this, Duan Shuixian thought to herself in a twisted way: She ruined my hair, so I must ruin her fantasies about jade.
With that thought in mind, he immediately became determined and began to depict the subject with even greater care. He first sketched the shape and then added color, using all the painting skills he had accumulated over the past ten years, meticulously outlining the subject and completely immersing himself in it.
Ishiro tilted his head and thought for a long time before finally sketching. He started with a large, disc-shaped object with two holes in the middle. After finishing the drawing, he was very dissatisfied and took it upon himself to create some elaborate patterns on the jade pendant.
The scholar from Shu turned his head to look, overwhelmed with excitement and joy, exclaiming, "Amazing talent! Amazing talent!" He was incredibly excited. Unconsciously, he began to use his internal energy in his hands.
He slammed his fist on the table, smashing the jade pendant on the tabletop into pieces, which scattered like powder and could not be gathered together.
Isoro immediately flew into a rage, pointing at the jade pendant and shouting, "My jade pendant..."
Of course, the jade pendant can only absorb poison when it is intact; once it is shattered into pieces, it has no effect. Wu Shilang had been longing for this life-extending jade pendant, but after it was struck by Master Shu, it turned to ashes. Deeply hurt, he lost all interest in dealing with Master Shu and angrily turned and ran out of the hall.
The master from Shu was quite surprised and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Young man, I've accepted you as my disciple, don't run away!"
The more he shouted, the faster Goruro ran, and soon he disappeared from sight.
Duan Shuixian felt neglected and was very indignant. She stood up abruptly, pointed at her own painting, and said, "In what way do I not compare to her? Why did you choose her and abandon me?"
He didn't want to be a disciple, but he simply couldn't swallow his defeat.
Mr. Shu was very annoyed. He turned to look at Duan Shuixian's painting, waved his sleeve and said angrily, "Look at you, your painting has no creativity at all. Of course it's a failure."
After speaking, he turned and left, leaving Duan Shuixian standing there, completely devastated.
It turns out that realism is no longer popular these days; creative styles are all the rage.
Now that he no longer had the jade pendant, Wu Shilang was unwilling to stay at the First Gate for even a moment longer, and set off that very night to head towards the foot of Zijin Mountain.
“Fifty-year-old sister-in-law, we can travel around the mountains and rivers first, and then go to the foot of Zijin Mountain,” Leng Wuqing suggested with a smile, her eyes flickering with hesitation.
"No, I want to go to the foot of Zijin Mountain and wait for Wushuang's arrival." Wushilang sighed. "My life is not right either. I want to spend the rest of my days seeing Wushuang more. In my final days, I want to go home and be with my father."
She became more and more dejected as she spoke. Seeing Leng Wuqing pursing his lips and remaining silent, she laughed dryly a few times and said loudly, "There are so many miracles in the world, I guess they won't miss one more. Don't look like the sky is falling."
Leng Wuqing's eyes flashed, and he awkwardly dodged her falling hand, laughing, "I've never been worried. As the saying goes, good people don't last long, but evil people last a hundred years."
The two looked at each other and smiled, a warm feeling of kinship rising from the bottom of their hearts.
At the foot of Zijin Mountain, various factions and sects have marked out their territories. Those who arrived early have already begun vying for votes and are fighting for the title of martial arts leader.
"Please vote for the Huashan Sect. Huashan, the people's support."
"Wudang, Wudang, truly responsible!"
Dressed in neat and ornate Taoist robes, each holding a long sword, they raised their arms and shouted with great passion, trying to overwhelm the Huashan Sect's campaign for votes.
The Wudang sect leader, dressed in a Taoist robe woven with gold thread, stared fiercely at the Huashan sect leader, who was dressed in fine silks and satins.
"Leng Yueji, Leng Yueji, the number one fighting cock in the Demonic Sect!" The even more energetic voice cut between the two factions, which angered everyone.
Leng Wuqing's lips twitched, and he muttered to himself, "Could it be that the Demonic Sect is now involved in the selection of martial arts masters in the Central Plains?"
Sure enough, the demonic cultivators waving the banner of the Cold Moon Cult were recruiting members with spittle flying everywhere.
"If you join our Cold Moon Cult now, you can enjoy the benefits of a family trip. Not only can you pass through Shennongjia for free, but you can also wear our uniform."
Her mother grabbed Wu Shilang and Leng Wuqing, excitedly pulling out a uniform and waving it around proudly. The uniform was made of black gauze, embroidered with two hens spreading their wings. The hem of the robe was haphazard and untrimmed, hanging down like rags, giving it a very artistic feel.
Leng Wuqing glanced at it again and said, "I don't like black fabric."
Immediately, someone returned indignantly: "Do you expect us to get you a white one? The economy is so bad right now, how are we going to recruit members if we don't buy Dazzleco?"
In his anger, he even revealed the inside story.
Wu Shilang stood beside Leng Wuqing, dumbfounded. The martial world was indeed rich and colorful.
"A little over fifty..."
Ah? That voice sounds so familiar. Isoro turned around, searching for the source of the voice in the vast sea of people.
"Fifty, I am here."
Before long, the young master Luo Jinfeng, who was being carried high by the servants, was seen wearing a light purple robe with orchids adorning the hem. He had a silver crown on his head, a face as white as jade, and an air of refined elegance in every gesture.
Seeing that Ishiro was looking over, she smiled slightly and called out, "Little Ishiro, you've come first."
Overwhelmed with excitement, he coughed lightly a few times, raising his fist. A faint blush immediately rose on his porcelain-like cheeks, making him even more handsome.
"Young Master Luo?" Wu Shilang leaned closer, frowning as he asked, "Why do you look so unwell?"
The thirteen riders beside Luo Shao immediately glared at him, making Wu Shilang panic for a moment: "Could it be the knife wound from last time?"
She was indeed delicate and frail, still looking like she hadn't fully recovered from her serious injury.
Luo Shao leaned lazily against the recliner that was being carried, not answering her. In fact, the wound on his back was extremely difficult to heal. This was not only because the cut was deep, but also because of the Miao poison applied to the knife.
"Fifty Sister-in-law, you always seem to have friends all over the world." Leng Wuqing approached with a smile, but his face was wary. Over the past few days, he had grown accustomed to this sudden warmth. No one had ever been as close to his heart as Wushilang, making him feel that he did have family after all.
He had always been lonely, and people in the palace looked at him with trepidation. His own father even regarded him as a medicinal ingredient. For a long time, he had a strong sense of insecurity in his subconscious.
Seeing Ishiro chatting and laughing with others, I immediately felt as if I had lost my only family member.
"Who are you?" Young Master Luo looked down at him with arrogance. "I don't remember having someone like you around me."
Leng Wuqing's eyes sharpened, and a smile appeared on his lips, becoming even brighter. He said, "It's easy. I have a deep connection with Fifty, which outsiders would naturally not know."
As he spoke, he raised his fingernails, and Goro pounced on him, pulling his outstretched fingernails back into a ball, and said with a smirk, "We're all family, don't fight amongst yourselves, don't fight amongst yourselves."
"Hmph," Leng Wuqing and Young Master Luo turned their heads away at the same time, their eyes flashing with disdain as they snorted coldly.
A family? Dream on!
Ultimately, inspired by Wu Shilang, Leng Wuqing and his group ended up staying at the same inn as Luo Dashao and his group.
"He lives in the south wing, so why must I live in the north wing?" Leng Wuqing, now settled, squinted and gritting her teeth as she laughed, "Am I just a soft persimmon to be squeezed by others?"
"You're not someone to be trifled with, I am." With tears streaming down his face, Wu Shilang said helplessly, "It's a blessing to occasionally care for someone who's injured."
"Hmph." He wasn't oblivious to Isoro's cautiousness. Suppressing his rage, he smiled slightly and said, "This palace master is rather bored right now, so..."
His smile caused the followers hidden in the shadows to immediately flee like birds and beasts, retreating within a hundred miles.
"Can you smile a little brighter from now on?" Igarashi rubbed his head, looking like he couldn't stand it anymore. Such a sunny and cheerful young man, but every time he smiles, it's either like he's having a fit or he's walking on a cold, gloomy path. It's such a waste of his good looks.
Leng Wuqing glanced at her disdainfully and put away his smile.
“Mushuang should be able to arrive by tomorrow.” Goruro’s eyes lit up as he looked out the window and said, “I need to dress up nicely to see him.”
She talked to herself, while the cold, aloof face behind her slowly darkened.
What should I do? Where can I transform her into this cold and aloof person? Or should I just tell her the terrible news directly?
"Do you think I look better in the purple dress, or the pink one?" She smiled expectantly, making Leng Wuqing swallow back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"It's best if you don't wear anything." He forced a smile, pretending to be teasing. "If I were Leng Wushuang, I would definitely hope for a naked beauty in my bed."
Enraged, Goruro threw the teacup in his hand. Caught off guard, Leng Wuqing was hit all over the head, and tea dripped down his forehead.
"I hate you." Igoro said shyly, then turned and ran away, leaving Leng Wuqing, whose face had turned green, alone and angry. "I hate you too!" He put his hand away, stuck out his tongue to lick the spilled tea, clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I hate you, Igoro."
Two days passed in this way, and on the day the martial arts tournament was to be held, Leng Wushuang did not appear. Instead, Duan Shuixian, dressed in red, was greeted.
With a golden crown and red robes, a face as smooth as jade, and eyes that sparkled with charm, she saw Wu Shilang and followed him with gritted teeth, laughing, "Sister Wu Shi, why didn't you wait for Brother Duan? You came all by yourself."
Completely ignored! The ruthless man standing next to Igarashi nearly sent him flying. His chilling aura quickly spread through the air.
Duan Shuixian was stunned for a moment, then looked over following the aura, and was overjoyed. She nodded and said, "Great, you really came. I was just worried that no one could compare to you."