Chapter 56 Shocking Bibi Dong, Gradually Taking It to Heart.
In front of an ancient building, countless people dressed in scholar's robes gathered, praising each other.
"The manager of Yunyang Tower is really going all out!"
"That's right... that's a top-grade red jade glass hairpin, worth at least tens of thousands of gold soul coins!"
"They actually used this as a prize?"
"Stop talking, let's hurry in and see what's going on..."
Soon, many young talents with a scholarly air went inside.
Jiang Nian listened to their conversation and understood what was happening.
It turned out that Yunyang Tower was celebrating its 30th anniversary and had specially invited scholars from all over the world to compose poems.
Whoever won first place could take away this priceless hairpin.
Good heavens... this business is really lucrative...
There must be some soul masters inside, otherwise, some greedy guy would probably find some excuse to steal it.
"Teacher, shall we go in and join the fun?"
"I'll definitely win that hairpin for you."
Bibi Dong, seeing his eager expression, ultimately didn't discourage him: "Okay."
After entering Yunyang Tower, Jiang Nian was also surprised to find that the place was even larger than his own residence.
However, this was normal for a merchant.
Upon entering, he discovered that he actually had to pay.
Not much, just one gold soul coin.
Even an ordinary person could grit their teeth and still manage to join the fun.
After paying without hesitation, Jiang Nian looked at the densely packed crowd inside the tower and followed Bibi Dong to find a corner to sit down.
Tea and desserts were free.
Before long, a robust middle-aged man walked onto the platform and surveyed the crowd below.
After clearing his throat, he said, "First of all, welcome, guests, to our Yunyang Tower."
"Secondly, the purpose of this poetry gathering is not only to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Yunyang Tower's opening, but also for my little daughter."
"She usually loves poetry and songs, so today's event came about."
Everyone listened with great interest, and many praised him as a good father.
Jiang Nian, on the other hand, munched on his rice, his little mouth never stopping for a moment.
Bibi Dong couldn't stand it anymore and slapped him on the forehead: "Why doesn't your little mouth stop?"
"Teacher, I'm growing..."
Her words trailed off, and after a moment of silence, she said lightly, "I'll take you to eat in a bit, just bear with it for now."
Jiang Nian nodded; he was indeed hungry.
At this age, he needed to grow, and not filling his stomach would affect his cultivation.
He leaned back and focused his gaze on the manager of Yunyang Tower on the high platform.
"Alright, enough of the nonsense, the theme of our poetry gathering today is—beauty!"
Countless scholars immediately lowered their heads in thought.
This wasn't difficult; every talented scholar had probably written poems about beautiful women.
Of course, whether it will be broadcast or not is unknown.
"Phew~ Beauty... I've never seen one like this in my entire life..."
"I heard the new Pope is a great beauty, why don't you write a poem based on His Holiness's appearance?"
"Are you trying to kill yourself? If it's decent, fine, but if it's really vulgar, you'll be chopped into pieces as soon as you step out the door..."
Jiang Nian's ears perked up, and he suddenly looked at Bibi Dong.
Indeed, there was a beautiful woman right beside him, someone he could use as inspiration.
But, his mind was already full of all sorts of things!
Bibi Dong noticed Jiang Nian's gaze, reached out her jade hand and grabbed his ear, saying with a half-smile, "Little Nian, you're not going to write a poem for me, are you?"
"Teacher, let go first..." Jiang Nian raised his eyebrows in pain.
Once his ears were safe, he rubbed them with his little hands and murmured matter-of-factly, "Teacher is the most beautiful woman in the world, who else would I write about but you..."
"Seeing Teacher, my inspiration flows like the Yellow River!"
Although Bibi Dong didn't know what the Yellow River was, the little guy's words were quite reasonable.
She lazily crossed her legs, and the corners of her mouth, hidden beneath her veil, were once again upturned.
"Alright, if you don't do well, don't blame Teacher for scolding you."
"Mmm!"
Jiang Nian paused for a moment.
Damn! He'd gotten carried away.
Forgive me, forgive me...
He silently tapped the wooden fish in his heart, waiting for the moment the king would descend from the sky.
Soon, someone confidently stood up, and the onlookers all fell silent.
Following his lead, more and more children and scholars began to show off their talents.
In this world, Soul Masters were still a small minority; most ordinary people still chose to study and take the imperial examinations.
The poems they composed were quite good.
A man around thirty years old stood up and confidently recited his own lines of poetry.
"The morning mirror reflects my long, dark eyebrows; the window frames bamboo shadows that brush against my clothes."
"A gentle smile, like a soft spring breeze; half-fallen peach blossoms fill the painted hall."
A moment later, thunderous applause erupted throughout the building, and the great poet An Hao, beaming, exchanged compliments with the crowd.
"Brother An, what a fine poem! You have a good chance of winning first place."
"Ah, you flatter me."
Soon, another man stood up, causing many to gasp.
"Isn't that Ji Boduan? A level seventeen Soul Master! I heard his Martial Soul is a book; I didn't expect someone like him to be here?"
"Tsk tsk tsk~ A Martial Soul of a book is very rare…"
Ji Boduan stood up and looked at Manager Song on the platform.
"Everyone, I'll make a fool of myself."
"The moonlight, like water, soaks my silk skirt; I stroll slowly before the pavilion, carrying the fragrance of dew."
"Jade fingers lightly pluck the paulownia wood zither; clear sounds linger, filling the sky with clouds." As Ji Boduan finished speaking, everyone gasped.
Jiang Nian listened from the corner, offering no sarcastic remarks. After all, he wasn't a poetry scholar and didn't know whether the poems were good or bad.
He only knew that what he remembered must be good.
As time passed, many people tried to step forward and show off their skills.
Behind the platform, a woman wearing a blue veil grew increasingly disappointed.
Although some poems were decent, they didn't meet her standards.
"Miss, I think Ji Boduan's is quite good."
"It's alright, but it's far from what I expected."
The little maid nodded blankly, continuing to peek at the group of talented men and beautiful women below.
"Hey? A handsome young man has stood up... Wow~ Miss, come and take a look, maybe he's your ideal man."
Song Wei shook her head, not wanting to speak.
She was a Soul Master; what did it matter how handsome an ordinary person was?
She still preferred poetry and songs.
A moment later, the girl suddenly opened her eyes, startled by the voice beside her.
"Clouds yearn for her garments, flowers for her face; spring breezes caress the balustrade, heavy with dew."
"If not seen atop Jade Mountain, she will be met beneath the moon on the Jade Terrace."
Jiang Nian recited slowly, drawing all eyes to her, even Bibi Dong was shocked.
This kid, is he really writing this for himself...?
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(End of Chapter)