Chapter 39: The Bridal Invitation!

Many people nearby looked on with envy at Tian Tian and Xu Daoyan, discussing, "The riddle session organized by the Stone Dragon Chamber of Commerce must have a very generous grand prize."

"Unfortunately, these two people came out of nowhere. Otherwise, if I had more time to think, I could have answered those questions."

"This man answering the questions is so handsome and wise, able to answer immediately. How can you compare to him?"

"This..."

"The last question: the character '非' (fei), guess a term from the game of Go," the man said.

"'非' (fei) means 'to stand two and split three.' In Go, it refers to surrounding territory with the help of a strong position," Tian Tian answered almost instantly. Xu Daoyan was dumbfounded. People from wealthy families are truly different; he couldn't even understand what was being said.

"Amazing! Amazing!" The man who posed the questions exclaimed, "All these questions were created by my young lady. She is very impressed by your knowledge, young sir. She has another question. If you can answer it, the grand prize will surely satisfy you."

"Please!" Tian Tian was very composed.

"The four occupations: scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant; the five tones: gong, shang, jiao, zhi, yu. The first four are occupations, the last five are tones. The word 'gong' is a homophone for 'artisan,' and 'shang' is repeated. Please provide a couplet," the man reminded.

"This is a rare couplet. It's too difficult to come up with a match!" One person, the Tang Scholar of Stone Dragon City, who was well-versed in knowledge, was immediately stunned by this rare couplet.

"Is it true that even Tang Scholar can't come up with a match? How can others do it?"

"It is indeed a rare couplet, but it's not that hard to match," Tian Tian said surprisingly.

Xu Daoyan was stunned, a simple soldier who couldn't read or write, he didn't understand anything and could only stand by as a companion.

"Oh? Then please give it a try, young sir!" Suddenly, a woman's voice came from behind the stage, clear and pleasant.

Tian Tian pulled Xu Daoyan aside and whispered, "Do you think I can come up with a match?"

"Maybe?" Xu Daoyan paused and said.

"Then if I can, will you buy me some candy beans?" Tian Tian asked.

"Sure."

"I want the whole bag."

"Alright!"

Tian Tian then looked at the man and said, "Cold, hot, warm, cool; the five virtues: warmth, kindness, respect, frugality, and modesty. The first four are sensations, the last five are virtues. The word 'warm' is repeated, and 'kind' and 'cool' are homophones. How about that?"

"Amazing! You came up with a match so quickly. It seems I am truly lacking in knowledge and feel ashamed..." The Tang Scholar, who was in his fifties, said with a sigh, turned around, and left, his back lonely and dejected. He had lived his whole life and was still inferior to a young person, which made him very ashamed.

A woman walked out, dressed in white, her long black hair reaching her waist. Her forehead was bright and clear, her eyes like stars, and her face veiled, exuding a mysterious beauty. Many people were stunned.

"My young lady is the daughter of the president of the Stone Dragon General Chamber of Commerce. This year, on the 15th of August, the Mid-Autumn Festival, she will be 16 years old. The grand prize today is an invitation to the Concubine Yan Pavilion in the Heavenly Stone Capital on the 15th of August. At that time, she will throw a silk ball, and whoever catches it can marry her!"

This statement caused a stir in the crowd.

The Stone Dragon General Chamber of Commerce, while not as rich as a country, could certainly rival a state, and it was even wealthier than the Youzhou region.

A state has 3,600 cities, with 600 cities governed by a prince. Stone Dragon City is one of the cities under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Stone Capital, and the president of the Stone Dragon Chamber of Commerce holds a very high position in the Heavenly Stone Capital.

"Haha, Brother Xu, you should thank me!" Tian Tian looked at Xu Daoyan, patted his shoulder, and laughed evilly, "I told you, you are well-versed and full of knowledge. These riddles and couplets are too simple for you. If you become the son-in-law of the president of the Stone Dragon Chamber of Commerce, don't forget me!"

"What's going on?" The man who posed the questions was puzzled.

Xu Daoyan was about to explain, but Tian Tian laughed and said, "It's like this. His name is Xu Daoyan, a Stone Dragon Guard in Stone Dragon City, both literate and martial. I am his sworn brother. We came out for a walk today and passed by here. He originally wanted to go back, but I, being a busybody, wanted to guess the riddles. But I have no talent, so I had to drag him along. All the answers were given by him."

"What? He is Xu Daoyan? The one who survived 2,000 strokes from Li Chaofeng and was selected by General Shi as the youngest Stone Dragon Guard candidate?" The man exclaimed, finding it hard to believe.

This incident was widely discussed, and every year during the recruitment, people would inquire about who became a Stone Dragon Guard.

This year was particularly special. Xu Daoyan was young, and his act of taking the punishment for 100 Fengqi Camp soldiers earned him much praise.

Of course, there was also a component of Shi Yun's deliberate promotion to give Li Chaofeng a taste of his own medicine and make him lose face. As a result, Xu Daoyan's name was well-known throughout Stone Dragon City, where the people were fierce and admired those with courage and responsibility.

"Haha, that's right!" Tian Tian patted Xu Daoyan's shoulder and laughed.

"Then, here is the invitation, young sir!" The man handed the invitation to Xu Daoyan.

Xu Daoyan had no choice but to accept it, feeling helpless. The white-clad woman glanced at Xu Daoyan and then at Tian Tian, said nothing, and left.

The riddle session ended, and people started to disperse.

Xu Daoyan and Tian Tian walked down the street. She smiled at Xu Daoyan and said, "Give it to me."

Xu Daoyan handed the invitation to Tian Tian and said, "I knew you rich people would be afraid of a bad reputation and would have me take your place."

"Who wants this invitation? I want candy beans!" Tian Tian glared at Xu Daoyan.

"Stop pretending, there's no one around now!" Xu Daoyan said disdainfully.

"I want candy beans! Keep the invitation. I'm already betrothed, and if my father finds out about this, he'll break my legs," Tian Tian said seriously.

Xu Daoyan was speechless, looking at the invitation in his hand, which was made of platinum, richly decorated, and the cost of making it alone was considerable.

Tian Tian kept staring at him, and he had no choice but to give her a bag of candy beans.

As they approached the General's Mansion, a ten-year-old boy ran up to Xu Daoyan and said, "Big brother, someone asked me to give you this box. They said it's a gift for the Lantern Festival."

Xu Daoyan was stunned, took the box, and the boy left.

Looking at the box in his arms, Xu Daoyan was about to open it when Tian Tian suddenly said, "Wait, put it on the ground."

Xu Daoyan didn't understand but did as he was told.

The two of them stepped back ten paces. Tian Tian flicked a pebble, and the box lid opened with a bang!

A black cloud of poisonous smoke spewed out of the box. If Xu Daoyan had opened it, he would have died instantly.

"Deathly Poisonous Smoke, this is a poison from the Heavenly Ghost Sect. You need to be careful. Someone is watching you. They wouldn't dare to act in Stone Dragon City, so they used this method. If you fall for it, you'll die in vain, and there will be no way to trace it," Tian Tian said seriously.

"How did you know there was poisonous smoke inside?" Xu Daoyan drew a sharp breath, breaking out in a cold sweat. He looked at Tian Tian, puzzled.

"Secret. Let's go, we shouldn't stay here long," Tian Tian said mysteriously, and the two of them entered the General's Mansion.

In the shadows, a voice said, "Lord Envoy, the person with Xu Daoyan is not simple. That day, he just played the flute, and I was covered in ice, with snow falling from the sky."

"Oh? Could it be 'Snow White'? Such a famous piece is not easy to master. It's unlikely, but we'll see. There are many opportunities to kill him." The Heavenly Ghost Sect envoy laughed coldly. This was just an appetizer.

Inside the General's Mansion.

Tian Tian and Xu Daoyan returned to the palace.

She threw a book at Xu Daoyan and said, "Starting today, I'll teach you to read and write. You have daily assignments, and you're not allowed to practice until you finish them."

Xu Daoyan took the book, which was titled "Three-Character Classic," and was a bit stunned. He could recognize some simple characters: "What's the point?"

"As the saying goes, 'In the midst of war, a letter from home is worth a thousand pieces of gold.' Have you sent a letter to your mother since you left? Do you want to be a soldier and have someone else write your letters for you?" Tian Tian's words were sharp and to the point, leaving him speechless.

"Alright, you win!" Xu Daoyan thought about it and agreed.

"Even if you were my bodyguard, being illiterate would only embarrass me. So pay attention," Tian Tian made Xu Daoyan sit down, stood beside him, and opened the "Three-Character Classic."

"I'll only teach you once, so pay attention!"

Xu Daoyan nodded, feeling helpless. Was being a bodyguard for Meng Changjun's son so many rules?

"Man at birth, nature is good, nature is similar, habits differ..."

Tian Tian explained the learning method succinctly, and Xu Daoyan quickly caught on, as cultivators have excellent memory and learning abilities.

Even so, it took Xu Daoyan an hour to learn.

Then he started practicing with Zhang Chao, Qin Han, Bai Shi, and others.

Xu Daoyan was puzzled. Since he was attacked, Tian Tian had not left the General's Mansion, not even the gate.

During this period, she also taught Xu Daoyan the "Thousand Character Classic," "Hundred Family Names," "Disciple's Rules," "Analects of Confucius," and more.

It was then that Xu Daoyan realized which surnames were from great families, such as Fu, Yan, Huang, Xia, Kong, Meng, Sun, Mo, and even his own surname, Xu.

For nearly three months, Xu Daoyan, besides practicing, spent his time reading. He didn't know the purpose, but he knew it was beneficial to learn more.

In addition, Tian Tian made Xu Daoyan read the "Tao Te Ching." Many things were not clear to Xu Daoyan, but she said, "Just memorize it, and you'll understand later." Reluctantly, he memorized the entire "Tao Te Ching."

Furthermore, he read the "Analects of Confucius" and the "Book of Songs," which he was not very interested in, but he found the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," "Search for the Supernatural," and "Strange Tales" fascinating.

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