Chapter 78

As Headmaster Hu left with a strange expression, over six hundred people sat dumbfounded in the teaching hall. No instructor was there to explain the poetry and classics, and no one was maintaining order. Most of them turned their gaze toward Yue Heng.

"Brother Yue, what exactly happened just now?" A tall, handsome scholar with almond-shaped eyes and a flirtatious demeanor walked over, fanning himself even in the cold winter. He exuded a fragrance, and his appearance was as flamboyant as it could be.

Could he just say that casually?

Yue Heng pretended not to hear, his consciousness entering the divine palace to see what he had gained from the resonance.

The scholar with the fan, seeing that Yue Heng was ignoring him, felt angry and couldn't help but sneer, "It seems that writing three essays on encouragement is no big deal for Brother Yue. You just did it casually, right?"

There were too many people in this world who didn't know when to back off, and even more who had an inflated sense of self-importance.

Clearly, this flirtatious, elegant scholar was one of them. He called Yue Heng "Brother Yue" as if they were very close, though it was unclear where this familiarity came from.

Moreover, he was prying into personal matters. How could Yue Heng possibly answer?

Being interrupted in his thoughts was annoying. He wanted to retort, "Didn't you see that the instructor deliberately blocked the view, clearly not wanting you to know what happened?"

"Brother, I don't seem to know you, do we know each other well?" Yue Heng asked.

The scholar with the almond-shaped eyes flicked open his fan and smiled, "I am Xi Mushi, from Lixian County, a formal member of the Hanshan Society. I love making friends with talented and eloquent people like Brother Yue."

"Long admired, long admired!" Yue Heng replied perfunctorily, not even bothering to look at him again.

Xi Mushi was taken aback. How could this person be so odd, so impervious to persuasion?

He slightly turned his face, and several people behind him understood, moving forward together.

"Brother Yue is the top student from Hongxian County, of course, writing three essays is a piece of cake for him. Brother Xi, you can't even catch up with him!"

"Exactly, he's the top student! Our Lixian County is a small place with a hundred-year tradition, and the Hanshan Society, which ranks third in the county, is even more obscure. It's normal for him to ignore us!"

"Ah, we, the authors of these fine works, should just go back. Don't stick our hot faces to his cold buttocks. We don't have the qualifications to exchange articles with him. When the top student from Hongxian County writes, it resonates!"

These few people clearly stood on Xi Mushi's side, speaking sarcastically and trying to pressure Yue Heng.

Ji Cong walked over. He was probably the only familiar face in the hall who was supporting Yue Heng. The others from Hongxian County were now hiding in the crowd, afraid to speak up.

"The Hanshan Society is at least a hundred-year-old literary society, with the aim of making friends through literature and improving together. You are all new students this year, not even core members of the Hanshan Society. When did it become a tool for intimidating new students?"

Ji Cong sneered, standing in front of Yue Heng and looking coldly at Xi Mushi, "I'll compare my literary skills with you. Yue Heng is the top student from Hongxian County, and I am the second. If you can't even beat me, you have no right to demand to see his work."

Yue Heng was slightly moved. The Ji family had always treated him well, trying to win him over. Although he had refused several times, the Ji brothers still consistently favored him, taking the initiative to help him with his writing and now standing up for him. It was clear that the people from noble families were extremely shrewd.

However, since his rebirth, he was skeptical of everything. He didn't want to fall into a trap unknowingly. He preferred to have everything under his control.

Yue Heng stopped Ji Cong and stepped forward, "Thank you, Brother Ji, for your help, but this is a small matter. If you people from the Hanshan Society want to compare literary skills, let's do it. I wrote seven or eight poems yesterday. I'll take one out now. If your literary talent surpasses mine, I'll admit defeat."

"Ha, a literary competition should be straightforward like this. Let's compare literary talent! You are the top student from Hongxian County, and I am the top student from Lixian County. If you lose, don't act like you're the best in the world. In the future, when you see people from the Hanshan Society, just bow and walk away!"

"I have no problem with that. I accept the bet! But if you lose, can you make the people from the Hanshan Society bow and walk away when they see me?"

"..."

Xi Mushi hesitated. Yue Heng could represent himself, but he couldn't represent the entire Hanshan Society. He was just a new student!

Yue Heng sneered, took out a pen, unfolded a board, dipped it in ink, and without further ado, began to write.

"Strike the stone to make a spark,

Without striking, there is no smoke.

Man learns by doing,

Without learning, it is not natural.

All things must be done by oneself,

Others' success does not make one wise.

Youth must be used early,

How can one remain young forever!"

He signed it as "Encouragement to Study No. 4" and put away the brush, silently thanking the great poet Meng Jiao.

"Excellent, 'Youth must be used early, how can one remain young forever!' This line is as profound as 'If one does not strive in youth, one will regret in old age.' It seems Brother Yue has truly grasped the essence of 'The Long Song'!" Ji Cong praised, particularly fond of this line.

Many others saw the full poem and began to comment.

"The first four lines use two contrasts to deeply illustrate the vastly different outcomes of action and inaction, with a strong impact!"

"All things must be done by oneself, others' success does not make one wise, this is so profound! The records in the books mention two descendants of the Wen Sheng families, one from the Tao family and one from the Fang family. Because their ancestors became sages and wrote books, these descendants believed they had the blood of sages and no one in the world understood their ancestors better. As a result, they missed many key promotion points and were still only fourth-level scholars by the age of fifty, far from the glory of their ancestors!"

"Indeed, learning cannot be faked, and youth is short. We young people should take this as a warning, remember it in our hearts, and always remind ourselves. This is also the meaning of Brother Yue's 'Encouragement to Study'!"

"Hey, this poem is titled 'Encouragement to Study No. 4.' Could it be that there are three other great works before this?"

Many people noticed the title and realized that Yue Heng's claim of writing seven or eight poems was not exaggerated. This was already the fourth one!

Xi Mushi's face turned red, and the others around him didn't know how to respond. The articles they had prepared were far from this level. In their own estimation, they might not even reach half the quality of Yue Heng's poem. What was the point of comparing?

Writing four poems on encouragement should be enough, right? Yue Heng thought it was over and put the pen and ink back into his Qiankun bag, waiting for their response.

But after a struggle, Xi Mushi still didn't want to give up. He gritted his teeth and said, "This can only be considered 'cherishing time,' not 'encouragement to study.' Therefore, your poem does not meet the rules of the literary competition and is invalid!"

"Bullshit, bullshit! It stinks!"

"People from the Hanshan Society, are you done yet? Can't you admit defeat and play fair?"

"Heaven, the seniors and locals from the Hanshan Society once begged me to join. Fortunately, I didn't agree, otherwise I would have been tainted by these untrustworthy people. What a disgrace to my life!"

"Xi Mushi, you're nitpicking! If you can't admit defeat, don't start a literary competition. Do you think the Fuxi stars can't see what you're doing?"

"Mr. Yue's poem is so good, what's the difference between 'encouragement to study' and 'cherishing time'?"

This caused a collective outrage. Many people forgot Yue Heng's reputation as a "vicious student" and spoke up in his defense.

The people from the Hanshan Society were in a difficult position, their faces alternating between red and white, and they could only stubbornly stick to the rules of the literary competition.

Ji Cong was about to challenge them, but Yue Heng raised his arm to stop him.

"Still not convinced? I have a few more poems prepared! I'll write you to death today!"

Yue Heng said nothing, once again taking out the brush from his Qiankun bag and writing "Encouragement to Study No. 5" on the paper board.

Sigh...

Everyone drew in a sharp breath, looking at Yue Heng as if he were a monster.

Is this person really a new student like us?

Does he have endless inspiration, writing poems at will?

Yesterday, we all listened to Xunzi's "Encouragement to Study," and he was snoring. After one night, did he really have so many insights?

There were too many unreasonable things about Yue Heng. No one could understand his thoughts, and Xi Mushi and the others were speechless, nervously watching Yue Heng's pen.

"Learning comes from diligence,

A thousand volumes of books by the firefly window.

Three winters are enough,

Who laughs at the empty belly?"

The poem "Diligence in Study" by Wang Zhu of the Song Dynasty appeared on the paper, but Yue Heng hesitated to put the final period, as he suddenly thought of an important issue.

These four lines, taken separately, are from Wang Zhu's "Diligence in Study," but he remembered seeing the same lines in another long poem called "The Prodigy Poem."

Yesterday, when Instructor Du assigned the task of writing an encouragement essay, the first line that came to his mind was "All things are inferior, only reading is supreme." When he chatted with Lei Fat, he mentioned "Generals and ministers are not born, men should strive to be strong." Both lines are from "The Prodigy Poem," which was not written by Wang Zhu alone but was formed over multiple dynasties by various scholars.

Putting the pen down now would mean the poem was set, and the Fuxi stars would shine, making it unchangeable.

As for "The Prodigy Poem," Yue Heng thought for a long time and sighed inwardly, deciding to keep it deep in his heart. He wouldn't take it out unless absolutely necessary.

The final circle was completed, and "Encouragement to Study No. 5" glowed brightly, blinding all the students. No one had ever seen such intense light.

But the phenomenon quickly faded, like a meteor in the night, disappearing before anyone could react.

"What happened?"

"What exactly happened?"

"Heaven, could it be... could it be... a resonant poem?"

"Impossible, did anyone resonate? No one did!"

Only Yue Heng vaguely knew why. He had excerpted from "The Prodigy Poem," and it was already impressive that it glowed. To truly resonate, he might need to write the entire poem.

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