The frowning elder’s heart skipped a beat at Zhao Shi’s gaze. He looked at Fang Ming with suspicion, wondering if this young man was some peerless prodigy.
Impossible, impossible! The frowning elder couldn't accept this possibility. If it were true, wouldn’t he have to eat this piece of Xuan paper in public? Eating paper was a small matter, losing face was the big one.
How would he ever stand in the literary circle again?
With this thought, the frowning elder strode to Fang Ming’s side. Looking at the poem and lyrics Fang Ming had written, he couldn't help but read them aloud: "Chai Tou Feng: Looking at Jade Cup on Qingming. Plucking rare stars, peach blossoms wither after the gentle breeze. Laughing at the mortal world, chanting of a celestial being. Past events are silent, scattered in the blink of an eye. Gone, gone, gone!
Shaving solitary shadows, a gaunt, light cheek, wishing to paint a dragon’s eye with a cold soul. Time ages, the heart is young. Today is distant, waking to see the red dust. Fate, fate, fate!"
As Fang Ming wrote the last character, the frowning elder finished reading the lyrics.
The frowning elder’s expression darkened, and he stood rooted to the spot, silent.
After a long while, he slowly said, "I was blind and did not recognize your greatness. You win." Then, he grabbed the Xuan paper on the table and was about to stuff it into his mouth. Although he was narrow-minded, he was also a man of his word. He lost, and that was that.
"Wait!" Fang Ming quickly grabbed his arm.
"What do you mean by this?" the frowning elder asked, furrowing his brows impatiently. "I, Ji, am not a man who goes back on his word. I do as I say."
He thought Fang Ming was going to make things difficult for him again, and his tone was very impolite.
"Haha, you can't eat this paper." Fang Ming chuckled, giving the frowning elder a meaningful smile. "This is my entry for the competition. If you eat it, won't I be disqualified?"
"You..." The frowning elder looked at Fang Ming's eyes with uncertainty, guessing something.
Zhao Shi, who was by his side, understood immediately and stepped forward with a smile, "That's right, Brother Ji. This is the young brother's entry. How can it be so easily torn up? How about this, everyone has experienced the young brother's skill. Why not directly send him to the finals?"
This... The judges looked at each other and nodded. Even the frowning elder did not object. Fang Ming was giving him a way out, and it would seem ungracious to make a fuss.
"Alright! In that case, we unanimously approve and send young brother Fang Ming directly to the finals the day after tomorrow!" Zhao Shi finalized the decision. Fang Ming smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this. His goal was achieved, and exceeded!
He had only intended to pass the first round steadily, but unexpectedly, he was directly sent to the finals by these judges. It was a pleasant surprise!
"Young brother, what do you think?" Zhao Shi turned to Fang Ming and asked.
"Haha, thank you very much for the judges' favor." Fang Ming cupped his hands in a bow and thanked them.
A few minutes later, Fang Ming walked out of the room. Xiao Nian followed behind him with admiration, surprised that Fang Ming had so easily bypassed the fiercely competitive preliminary round and entered the finals.
"Let's go, we'll go back first and come back for the finals the day after tomorrow morning," Fang Ming said to Xiao Nian behind him and strode towards the wooden bridge leading ashore.
The other contestants on the field saw someone leave with a beaming face and were confused. The results of the first round had not yet been announced, so why did this person leave? Had they forfeited?
The two guards at the wooden bridge had already received the news. Seeing Fang Ming actually come out, they were also surprised. This was the first person in many years to be unanimously approved by the judges in the first round and sent directly to the finals!
How good was this person's literary foundation?
"Farewell, young master Fang," the two guards said politely.
"You're too kind." Fang Ming cupped his hands, disembarked, and stood on the shore. Niannian and the others watching the competition immediately saw Fang Ming come down.
"Fang Ming, you're back!" Niannian ran to Fang Ming with a smile and hugged his arm.
"Brother Fang, why did you come down so quickly? Were you eliminated?" Gu Cheng asked incredulously. He had thought Fang Ming was very capable.
Young Master Liu had the same thought. After all, Fang Ming had only been up there for about twenty minutes in total. According to the normal competition process, the results of the first round hadn't even been announced yet, so how could Fang Ming come down?
"Don't talk nonsense, Fang Ming is super powerful, how could he be eliminated!" Niannian was the first to stand up indignantly when she heard Gu Cheng's words, and said fiercely.
Gu Cheng didn't dare to provoke this big shot and immediately fell silent.
"Don't worry, I wasn't eliminated," Fang Ming said with a smile. "Not only was I not eliminated, but I was directly sent to the finals the day after tomorrow! I don't need to participate in the competition for the next two days."
"What?" Gu Cheng looked stunned, and even Young Master Liu showed a look of surprise. As the host of the Yunxian Poetry Gathering for many years, he knew how difficult those great scholars were to deal with. Ordinary works did not catch their eye.
Fang Ming was sent directly to the finals in the first round by them. What did Fang Ming do?
"You didn't threaten them, did you?" Young Master Liu blinked and asked in a low voice.
"Nonsense! How could I, Fang Ming, do such a thing? I truly convinced them with my literary talent!" Fang Ming said proudly, never expecting that his poetry and lyrics would be recognized by these ancient people. Hahaha! He was showing off.
"Yes, Fang Ming is super powerful!" Niannian echoed. Hearing Niannian's words, Fang Ming smiled and patted her. It was still Niannian who was good.
"Quick, quick, let me hear what you wrote that made the five great scholars unanimously approve." Young Master Liu was impatient. He was also very fond of poetry and lyrics, and naturally wanted to know what earth-shattering work Fang Ming had written. Even Gu Cheng strained his ears to listen.
Fang Ming glanced around. "Let's talk about it when we get back. Let's talk about it when we get back."
This place was too crowded and not suitable for revealing his work. If some wicked person were to copy it, he would be in trouble again.
"Then let's go quickly, let's go back quickly."
Young Master Liu came to his senses. This was indeed not a place to chat, so he quickly pulled Fang Ming towards the courtyard, eager to know the content.
"Hey, hey, slow down." Fang Ming was pulled along, stumbling. The few of them walked back to the courtyard noisily.
As soon as they returned to the courtyard, Young Master Liu pulled Fang Ming and began to ask questions. Fang Ming recounted the whole incident without any embellishment, but to the others, it still sounded like a tall tale.
"Tell us the two poems and lyrics you wrote," Young Master Liu urged.
"I'll write them down for you, it'll look better," Fang Ming said, then turned to Xiao Nian. "Do you have paper and brushes? Get me some."
"Yes, young master, I'll get them for you," Xiao Nian turned and went back into the room, bringing out a set of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Fang Ming took the items and wrote down his two competition entries. Young Master Liu quickly took them and read them.
As he read, he exclaimed, "Wonderful! How did you think of comparing moonlight to thin gauze? And this line, 'Wind comes and goes, all are country guests,' truly carves sorrow into every word and character."
"This 'Chai Tou Feng' is even more marvelous, not inferior to the ancients!"
Young Master Liu kept exclaiming, completely immersed in the scenes of the two poems and lyrics. Gu Cheng glanced at them curiously and was also moved by the artistic conception of these two pieces.
"Brother Fang's entry into the finals is well-deserved!" Gu Cheng sighed. "If it were me, I would also agree to send Brother Fang directly to the finals."
Such poetic and lyrical ability could easily defeat ordinary contestants. Instead of letting Fang Ming run roughshod for two days, it was better to put Fang Ming in the finals to compete with the masters.
Fang Ming was very pleased to hear their affirmation. Compared to being recognized by outsiders, being recognized by his own people was true accomplishment.
After appreciating Fang Ming's works, they discussed the plan to find the painter for a while longer. Xiao Nian stood by the side and listened quietly, silently memorizing their plan in her heart.
An hour later, Xiao Nian returned to the room and blew that whistle again. A small beetle landed in her palm.
"Fang Ming plans to find the painter at the Yunxian Poetry Gathering and then join forces with the painter to defeat the clan leader. They plan to use the various competition entries to lure the painter out. And these are Fang Ming's competition entries today."
The small beetle buzzed away, unaware that a pair of eyes in the dark were quietly watching here, observing Xiao Nian's every move.
In Fang Ming's room, Fang Ming and Xiao Nian were sitting at a table drinking tea when a figure with a green face suddenly appeared.
"How was it?" Niannian asked coldly. When they were all together earlier, she had felt that Xiao Nian was acting strangely, so she had sent Qingmian to keep an eye on her.
"It's exactly as Niannian said, that Xiao Nian has a problem." Qingmian told them what he had seen and heard. Fang Ming frowned. He never imagined that Xiao Nian would have defected to the Liu family. https:/
"Why did she defect to the Liu family?" Fang Ming couldn't understand. What the Liu family could give her, he could also give, and even much more, except for money. No matter how much he stole, he couldn't be as rich as the Liu family.
But he could absolutely guarantee that Xiao Nian would live a life without worry. Cooperating with the Liu family was no different from seeking a tiger for its skin.
"Does she show any signs of being infected by resentment?" Fang Ming asked Niannian. She was the most powerful among them, and she would definitely be able to sense any abnormalities.
"No, she's still human." Niannian nodded with certainty. Xiao Nian had not been infected by resentment; she was still human.
But, "I found that Gu Cheng has a problem," Niannian continued, making Fang Ming suspicious.
"What do you mean?"
"There is a very hidden trace of resentment within him," Niannian said with a solemn expression. If they hadn't been together every day, she might not have even noticed this trace of resentment.