Chapter 49

He Yong was stunned. He never thought that the one to take the initiative would be the Wenzhangyuan. This isn't right. How is it different from what the brothers told me? Wasn't it supposed to be that as long as I made the request, I could force Yue Heng to sing and embarrass himself? Why would a civil official speak up for him? The brothers never mentioned this kind of situation!

County Magistrate Qi also sensed something was off. The top student was his protégé, and he was a genius favored by Attendant Cui and Inspector Su. If he didn't protect him now, when would he?

County Magistrate Qi said coldly, "He Yong, there are distinguished guests here today. I'll give you one more chance. If you just want to perform sword dancing for entertainment, you can do it anytime. But don't involve the students. Do you understand?"

True to his nickname, He Yong's brain was large but had a small capacity. He didn't catch the County Magistrate's meaning and foolishly turned around, shouting, "Young Master Yue, do you dare to sing for me?"

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence, with only a few coughs breaking the quiet. Even the musicians stopped playing, afraid to make a sound.

Yue Heng was also dumbfounded. "Is this guy an idiot? The County Magistrate clearly gave you a way out, yet you still push me. You're directly forcing me into a corner. How am I supposed to respond?"

The civil and military officials all looked at He Yong in shock, thinking he was a stubborn kid who wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal. He didn't listen to anyone's advice and even dared to challenge Yue Heng. This was a direct confrontation with the civil officials and the students!

"Brother Yue, don't agree to it. 'The Song of Gaixia' is a timeless masterpiece that can't be surpassed. You mustn't accept the challenge!"

"You are the top student, representing the face of all the new students. If you accept the challenge, it will be hard to back down later!"

"He Yong is definitely being misled by some villain. Brother Yue, ignore him and let the adults handle it!"

A group of fellow students were trying to persuade Yue Heng. This matter was no longer just about him; it was about the collective face of the literati.

Just as County Magistrate Qi was about to scold He Yong, Inspector Su held his hand. Wenzhangyuan was also held back by Attendant Cui. The four of them exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions, and decided to hold back for now.

This was a good opportunity to test Yue Heng's adaptability, which would greatly exercise his mental fortitude and literary spirit. It might even force him to break through his limits!

Seeing that the civil officials were ignoring him, the military officials were indifferent, and He Yong was provoking him, with everyone's eyes on him, Yue Heng sighed, knowing he couldn't avoid this.

"He Bighead, oh, sorry, He Yong, I am a literatus. Reciting poetry and composing lyrics are not difficult for me, but I am not skilled in the art of performance. 'Who Says Women Are Inferior to Men' was just a playful attempt. Later, it will be Master Su who performs, not me. My voice isn't good, so can't I just quietly be a handsome man who only writes lyrics?"

Ha ha ha...

People laughed at Yue Heng's self-praise. If he was a handsome man, wouldn't all men in the world be as handsome as Pan An?

Moreover, 'Who Says Women Are Inferior to Men' is a basic battle song. If this was just a playful attempt, what would happen if he took it seriously? Would he become a national treasure song that everyone sings?

Yue Heng continued with a smile, "Now it's the warriors' turn to perform. We literati are still to come. I'll also present poetry and battle songs for the spring exam later. I haven't eaten all day, preparing for these. How can I have the energy to sing for Young Master He? Can I please eat first?"

Boom...

Everyone burst into laughter. Yue Heng's refusal was a literatus-style rejection, not too harsh, and based on self-deprecating humor. Both reasons were reasonable, not embarrassing He Yong or making others look down on Yue Heng.

But if He Yong were easily persuaded, he wouldn't be called He Bighead. He stiffened his neck and said, "Since I can't persuade you, I'll sing myself. You, an untalented person, are not being straightforward. Who cares!"

With that, he began to sing and dance with his sword, and he was indeed performing as the Wu God Xiang Yu of Western Chu!

"Force can move mountains, and my spirit covers the world,

But the times are against me, and my steed will not advance.

If my steed will not advance, what can I do?

Oh, Yu, what can I do with you?"

He Yong danced in front of the officials' seats, his sword creating a series of light screens. He used his martial soul skill, which was strength-based. A single sword could produce a fierce whistling sound, showing his immense strength!

Now, this was hard to back down from!

The warriors looked down on the literati, enjoying themselves, while the literati lost face. This was like a scholar meeting a soldier, a unreasonable person who even belittled the top student as untalented. Wasn't this a slap in the face to all literati?

In the Zhongyuan world, the status of warriors was much higher than that of literati. Although He Yong's actions were considered rash by a few military officials, he still received cheers and support from all the low-ranking warrior students.

The entire hall was filled with cheers for He Yong. He was extremely pleased, dancing with enthusiasm. He used the flower pots and construction tools on the floor to kick and leap, flying to the second floor, specifically choosing the direction of the literati seats, heading straight for Yue Heng, who was leaning on the railing.

The sword flashed in front of Yue Heng, almost injuring him. He instinctively stepped back, seeing He Yong's mocking expression in mid-air.

Bang!

"Rebellion! Arrogance to the extreme!"

Wenzhangyuan slammed the table and stood up, not looking at He Yong but at He Junbei, and said coldly, "He Junbei, your nephew is aggressive and bullying my students, insulting my top student. I will report you to the Ministry of Civil Affairs for contempt!"

He Junbei, feeling great, wasn't afraid of Wenzhangyuan.

He also stood up and sneered, "Minister Wen, go ahead and report to your Ministry of Civil Affairs. Is the Ministry of Military Affairs just for show? Warriors should be like this, moving forward without hesitation. Hesitation is the weakness of literati! If you can't do it, you can only complain to your superiors. Is Minister Wen a child?"

"You are arrogant!"

The tension was high, and it seemed the military and civil officials were about to have a falling out. Attendant Cui stepped in, "Since there is still a dispute, should I, an outsider, step back?"

Everyone then realized that Attendant Cui and Inspector Su, the literary inspectors of Qi Prefecture, were still present. They had to give them face, so both sides reluctantly sat down again.

On the second floor, the literati students were almost driven mad with anger.

"Shame! Great shame! Warriors actually provoke us to our faces. I... I... I'll spit in his face!"

"Ah! What can we, the students, do even if we are angry? We can't fight warriors until we reach the fifth level of literary master. We can only write declarations of war!"

"I hate this victory banquet. It's said that every year, the literati are suppressed the most, even less respected than craftsmen. The literati are in decline, the literati are fading!"

These people only sighed and complained, blaming fate and the strength of the warriors, offering no good suggestions. Yue Heng felt disdain in his heart.

Although the chance of He Yong really injuring him was small, the meaning was clear to everyone. It was a provocation. People say, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated." He Yong was definitely incited by someone to target him.

"Brother Yue, do you have any ideas?" Ji Cong walked up behind Yue Heng and smiled at him.

Yue Heng noticed that Ji Cong wasn't wearing a scholar's robe or a short jacket today but was dressed like a young swordsman, with a tight-fitting outfit and a sword, looking handsome and dashing. He asked curiously, "Do you know martial arts?"

Ji Cong smiled, "A little!"

A thought flashed through Yue Heng's mind, "Can you dance with a sword?"

Ji Cong said, "My performance today is sword dancing, but the poem is my own creation..."

"Ha ha! If you can dance with a sword, that's enough. Don't sing your own song. I'll sing, and you dance!"

Yue Heng excitedly put his arm around Ji Cong's shoulder and said without hesitation, "Today, the top and second students of the literati will perform together. Let them see how the literati can turn the tide! If the tiger doesn't show its might, they'll think we're sick cats. Brother Ji, listen to me. Come, let's discuss this... Oh, wait a moment, watch me establish my authority!"

Downstairs, 'The Song of Gaixia' had finished. He Yong's sword dancing was impressive, and he received applause from the officials.

Yue Heng leaned on the railing of the second floor, watching with interest. Just as He Yong finished his performance and took a deep breath, he saw He Yong proudly drink the wine personally awarded by Attendant Cui.

He Yong put down the wine cup, turned around, and the two made eye contact. Yue Heng saw disdain in his eyes.

So he lazily asked, "He Bighead, cough, Young Master He, is this your best martial skill? It's nothing special!"

Yue Heng actually took the initiative to provoke him!

The enthusiasm of the warriors was dampened by Yue Heng's words, and they angrily shouted.

"What did you say? Nothing special?"

"Is the Wu God something you weak scholars can mock?"

"Calling you weak scholars is too kind. You don't even dare to sing. What right do you have to speak?"

"The top student only dares to argue with words. You are the one who is nothing special!"

The noise downstairs couldn't be ignored, and the literati students on the second floor leaned out, joining in the verbal battle.

Yue Heng raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop, and said, "He Bighead... oh, I always say it wrong. See the young master next to me? This year's second student. Is he a genuine literatus? If I say he dances with a sword better than you, who is the one who is 'nothing special'?"

Ji Cong's expression changed slightly when he was mentioned, but he didn't stop Yue Heng, showing his confidence.

He Yong downstairs was不服气 (unconvinced): "If you can, then come on! I want to see how literati can dance with a sword!"

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