Chapter 34

In the midst of the continuous Dragon Palace, with its winding terraces and corridors, a light blue sky and water were interspersed, and the autumn breeze blew gently, forming a cool and refreshing atmosphere, making the hall even more pleasant.

The scholars all sat steadily, concentrating on their compositions. In a blink, half an hour had passed, and the scholars in the hall were now confident, gradually putting down their pens.

The Dragon Lord's eyes were deep, scanning the hall, and upon seeing the wisps of white vapor rising from the desks, which gathered the essence of literary works, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

Ye Qing, in a corner of the grand hall, wrote each word with deep thought, his mind undistracted.

Then, the Dragon Lord announced, "Those who have finished writing, please submit your scrolls and be granted new seats."

Following the order, the dragon maidens moved through the hall, carefully collecting the poetry scrolls from the desks and presenting them to the Dragon Lord.

Though not explicitly stated, it was a form of urging. Some scholars who were still writing began to sweat, with some even turning red-faced. Some of the scholars who had completed their works shook their heads and secretly laughed at their lack of composure.

In the originally spacious and quiet hall, the sound of human voices gradually rose.

Ye Qing completed one more word and paused.

The dragon maiden, having finished observing the other scholars, leaned forward to look at the paper, which read only one sentence: "East of the plum stone, to observe peace!"

She was momentarily shocked, just one sentence!

She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and thought for a moment before softly asking, "Hey... scholar, you didn't do this on purpose, did you?"

It was rare for her to change her address, her voice soft and slightly urgent.

She could feel the special attention from nearby "maids," especially from a beautiful lady beside a scholar named Xu Fan, who was smiling at her, making her inwardly annoyed.

"If this person messes up and becomes a laughingstock, I will lose face before my father, and the sisters will surely mock me after the banquet."

"How did I end up choosing him?"

As she thought, the person on the seat didn't even look up and said, "Yes, I did it on purpose!"

As he spoke, Ye Qing feigned a frown and deep thought, his pen feeling heavy. He was no longer "undistracted," but the tone of his voice made him seem even more peculiar.

The dragon maiden's eyes flashed, her teeth grinding in shame and anger. Her hand, hidden in her sleeve, clutched a pearl, and she had the impulse to drag this hateful scholar to the lake and beat him up.

But in this solemn setting, she could only take another deep breath and softly plead, "Please write faster, or I'll be laughed to death by my sisters... Can I admit defeat?"

"No... I am concentrating on my composition, don't disturb me!" Ye Qing secretly smiled, glancing around the hall, seeing that many had already submitted their scrolls. He then wrote another word on the paper— "water"!

The dragon maiden's hand trembled in her sleeve, wishing she could crush him with a pearl. "Forget it, I won't care anymore, if I get mocked, so be it... I'll see how I deal with you!"

Though she tried to calm herself, seeing Ye Qing's "serious and focused" appearance, her anger flared up again.

Gradually, more scholars submitted their scrolls. The maidens moved like butterflies, and the scholars adjusted their demeanor, maintaining their composure regardless of their performance, sipping wine, and sizing up the others, planning how to interact and showcase their best sides.

"Everyone has written well... Oh, are you all finished?" the Dragon Lord's voice echoed from the hall.

The dragon maiden, who had been gritting her teeth, was startled. She quickly looked at the scroll, seeing large blank spaces with only three sentences: "East of the plum stone, to observe peace, the water is calm."

Seeing Ye Qing's "undistracted" state, she was so angry that she laughed, and could only report, "Your Majesty, one guest has not finished!"

"Oh..." The Dragon Lord thought it was someone stuck in writing, which was not unusual, and smiled, looking towards the corner, but was surprised, "Why is it him?"

At this moment, all eyes were on Ye Qing. Composing poetry required time, and all the scholars present were quick-witted, so writing so slowly was rare. They all thought, "It's not just slow thinking, but perhaps a fraud, which would be a real disappointment."

However, some couldn't hold back, feeling their own work was not good and feeling uncomfortable, and blurted out, "Isn't he just a fraud?"

When these words were spoken, everyone turned to look, and the person regretted it, knowing he had embarrassed himself in front of everyone, almost covering his face with his sleeve.

But Ye Qing slowly wrote another word, saying calmly, "Isn't the pen of a famous scholar heavier than iron?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall was in an uproar.

One scholar said, "What kind of famous scholar are you? To make such grandiose claims!"

"This is going too far," another person found it a good target for attack!

"Arrogant!"

"An uncarved piece of wood..."

However, more scholars remained composed, just sneering at Ye Qing, waiting to see the joke.

Is the Dragon Palace banquet easy to handle?

If you gather literary talent, you must be prepared for every flaw in your poetry to be magnified.

The Dragon Lord leaned forward, smiling, but as the host, he just smiled and continued to wait.

Some scholars chattered for a while, seeing that Ye Qing ignored them and the Dragon Lord made no comment, they gradually calmed down, maintaining their composure.

The grand hall was brightly lit, with the Dragon Lord at the top and beautiful ladies by his side.

For a moment, the words exchanged were polite on the surface but full of hidden arrows. The dozen or so scholars with light blue invitations were all outstanding, either for their literary talent, insight, or presence, often leaving others speechless or feeling inferior.

In just a short time, each stood out, forming local advantages. They glanced at each other, knowing they were strong opponents, and tacitly avoided conflict, only engaging in light conversation with those around them, steering the conversation to their advantage, and quietly waiting for the other to make a mistake.

Not everyone ignored Ye Qing, seeing him still writing with a serious and contemplative look, they were speechless.

"Trying to attract attention! Not worth worrying about!" After several observations, everyone sneered, but to be prepared, and to urge him, the literary atmosphere gradually gathered, forming pressure.

"Pointed by a thousand, it will end without cause." The hostile atmosphere gathered, and the standing dragon maiden frowned, looking at these scholars.

Among them, one scholar occasionally glanced over, and at this moment, was even using a spell to guide the literary atmosphere, forming a spiritual pressure.

Soon, sweat appeared on Ye Qing's forehead, but his gaze was firm, holding the pen without moving, pretending not to notice.

"Hmph, truly courting death, just the literary atmosphere is bad enough, does he really think the Lord doesn't know?" The dragon maiden glared at this scholar, then looked at Ye Qing, feeling a strange softness in her heart, and secretly cast a shielding spell with the pearl in her sleeve.

The pearl in her hand heated up, and an invisible film rose, isolating the pressure.

Ye Qing felt the pressure lessen, glancing at the dragon maiden, feeling a bit moved, but pretended not to notice, silently writing, forming his own small domain in the hall.

The dragon maiden watched the paper, whispering, "The water is calm, the mountains stand tall... Finally, another sentence, it has some flavor now."

The Dragon Lord's preference for scholars was well-known, and his children were cultivated in literary appreciation, making them susceptible to the literary atmosphere.

The dragon maiden's eyes sparkled, gradually regaining her composure, thinking, "To write such a sentence, he must be extraordinary!"

She smiled, speaking softly, "Scholar, if you can't write fast, just take your time. The Lord has no concept of time, but try to finish quickly to avoid being attacked... unless you're writing a masterpiece... do you understand?"

"Thank you, Dragon Lady, for your good intentions... and your private report!" Ye Qing nodded solemnly, deciding to speed up, but not to overdo it.

"You, I just had a bit of goodwill, what private report?" The dragon maiden blushed, considering the solemn setting, but couldn't react, her voice getting lower.

Ye Qing smiled, looking around the hall, his mind clear—no one was dumber than the other, all trying to guide the situation to their advantage, showcasing their strengths and suppressing the others' weaknesses, limited by their abilities and luck, some succeeded, some failed.

"Like you... I am doing exactly that!" A smile flickered across his face, then disappeared.

Only the dragon maiden noticed, her heart stirred, looking at Ye Qing carefully, "Are you smiling?"

"You're mistaken."

"Am I mistaken?" The dragon maiden glared at Ye Qing, "What are you looking at! Write faster!"

"I am composing!" Ye Qing secretly smiled, at this moment, the sound of bells and drums echoed, the wine cups clinked, poetry was exchanged, and the guests and hosts were all happy...

Beneath the calm sea, various cold and warm currents clashed, and gradually, a pattern was forming in a corner.

On the light blue throne, the Dragon Lord's face was hidden behind a pearl curtain, smiling, as if watching the Tranquil Lake.

Suddenly, he frowned, staring at the corner of the hall for a moment, then glanced at the dragon maiden leaning over to peek at Ye Qing's poem, and couldn't help but laugh, "This restless little girl, well..."

He pointed, and ripples spread through the hall, permeating the scrolls on the desks, causing them to emit wisps of white vapor, making the hall even more solemn.

This was the use of the Dragon Palace's spiritual domain, making everything clear!

"Before they are revealed, the literary atmosphere is just a reflection of their own spirit, either pure white or crimson, not necessarily indicating the true level of their poetry, there's more to it..."

The dragon maiden was startled, glanced casually, then refocused, softly urging, "Trees grow thick, grass is lush, the autumn wind... the autumn wind is desolate? Rustling? Sighing? What is it, write faster."

"Don't interrupt my thoughts, and according to the rules, you should stand behind me, look at your sisters, how composed they are!" Ye Qing frowned, deep in thought.

"Oh..." The dragon maiden reluctantly stepped back, after a moment, she leaned forward again, "The autumn wind sighs... sighs, I should have listened to my sisters' advice."

She looked around proudly, but noticed the strange gazes of nearby sisters, realizing something, blushing and stepping back, her eyes fixed on the poem: "East of the plum stone, to observe peace. The water is calm, the mountains stand tall. Trees grow thick, grass is lush. The autumn wind sighs, the flood..."

As the new "flood" character was written, the air rippled, subtly merging into the poem, the pure white vapor increasing.

She took advantage of Ye Qing's attention, pressing the pearl in her sleeve, secretly casting a spell, and saw the same effect.

"How is this possible?" The dragon maiden was incredulous, her heart stirred, looking outside the hall, "The spiritual domain of the Dragon Palace resonates slightly, this poem may have the aura of a dragon?"

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