Chapter 42

The two consecutive poems were not written by Feng Jueyu on a whim; he had a clear purpose.

This time, the literary gathering by the lake allowed him to meet Mu Qianjun, and Feng Jueyu seemed to sense that this person had a rich and intriguing story.

At the same time, although Mu Qianjun did not reveal his background or origin, he also did not ask about Feng Jueyu's past. As the saying goes, "A hero's origin should not be questioned." From this, Feng Jueyu felt that Mu Qianjun was no ordinary person.

As they interacted more, Feng Jueyu found that Mu Qianjun was straightforward and honest, treating people with sincerity and without any pretense. Although he was handsome and dashing, he exuded a sense of heroism, as if he had the iron-blooded spirit of a soldier.

More importantly, Feng Jueyu knew that Mu Qianjun was a powerful warrior. This could be sensed from the blood aura he emitted, which was the result of years of battle, far surpassing that of an ordinary soldier.

In his life, Feng Jueyu admired two types of people:

One was the incorruptible and upright officials who lived a life of integrity.

The other was the iron-blooded soldiers who were willing to die for their country.

Mu Qianjun exuded the same aura as the latter, which made Feng Jueyu want to befriend him...

Following this, he wrote a poem titled "Spring Joy at the Gathering of Talents in the South" to express his desire for friendship, treating Mu Qianjun as a friend...

Then, to confirm his suspicions about Mu Qianjun's identity, he deliberately wrote "Liangzhou Ci," a timeless and heroic poem, to see Mu Qianjun's reaction.

"Under the night's moon, the grape wine is served; the lute urges us to drink before the battle. If we fall drunk on the battlefield, do not mock us, for few return from ancient wars."

This poem vividly depicted the scene of soldiers drinking heartily and getting drunk before battle. Suddenly, the lute urged them to set out, and the soldiers, holding their cups of strong wine, showed no fear. Even if they fell drunk or dead on the battlefield, they asked not to be mocked, for few returned from ancient wars.

This poem deeply touched people like Mu Qianjun, who faced the possibility of death on the battlefield, where life was not in their own hands. Soldiers often longed for their hometowns, but few could return as they wished.

The poem fully expressed the hardships of the soldiers, filled with passion and the spirit of heroic sacrifice. How could Mu Qianjun not be moved?

Not just Mu Qianjun, but even Xiao Bi and Xiao Lian were moved to tears, deeply touched...

Therefore, Mu Qianjun spoke these words, considering Feng Jueyu a lifelong friend and a soulmate.

It should be known that drinking from a bowl to boost morale is a sign of heroism among soldiers. By treating Feng Jueyu this way, Mu Qianjun was considering him a brother in life and death.

Feng Jueyu was not easily moved, but after his experience of crossing over, his mindset had fundamentally changed. If he could become brothers with someone like Mu Qianjun, it would not be in vain to come to this world.

"Alright, let's drink until we are thoroughly drunk today," Feng Jueyu said, feeling spirited. He drank from his cup and switched to a large bowl, then said to Xiao Bi, "Girls, receive the poem..."

He drank in one gulp, and his poetic inspiration surged. One by one, timeless masterpieces flowed from his hands...

...

As night approached and the moon hung high, the moon disk was centered over Xilin Lake, and long strings of lanterns illuminated the lake, making it as bright as daylight.

On the square along the lake, dragon and lion dance troupes were already out, making a loud noise with drums and cymbals. Firecrackers were set off from house to house, exploding in the dark sky, creating a spectacle of fireworks...

The entire Tian Nan Empire seemed to be in a state of celebration, not much different from the New Year's festivities, especially on Xilin Lake, where boats of all sizes moved slowly, and the lake was filled with lotus lanterns carrying people's wishes.

It was already late at night, but the noise on the lake showed no signs of stopping. Instead, the toasting and drinking between Feng Jueyu and Mu Qianjun pushed the poetry gathering to its climax.

In the afternoon, casks of strong wine were delivered to boat 138, and Feng Jueyu and Mu Qianjun drank heartily. The more they drank, the more poems Feng Jueyu wrote, and the timeless masterpieces became the focus of attention for all the talented people at the gathering...

"The road ahead is long and arduous, but I will seek the truth high and low..."

"The world is corrupt, but I remain pure; all are drunk, but I remain sober..."

"Strong wine cannot wash away the tears of concern for the country; the salvation of the times must rely on outstanding talents..."

"There will be a time when the wind will carry us over the waves, and we will hoist our sails to cross the sea..."

"Since ancient times, who has not died? Let my loyal heart shine in history..."

"Unafraid of being shattered, I will leave my integrity in this world..."

Each of these poems was a masterpiece, a peak of poetic art. Feng Jueyu had lost count of how many he had written. He only knew that whenever the wine ran out, he would write a poem and throw it out, and Xiao Bi and Xiao Lian would bring more wine to the cabin for them to enjoy.

At first, Xiao Bi and Xiao Lian did not believe that one person could have such extraordinary talent. They secretly flipped through "A Thousand Poems" from beginning to end and compared it with the most popular poetry collections of the current era. The result left the two women almost speechless.

Feng Jueyu had written dozens of poems, and not a single one matched any existing poem.

In other words, had he created all these poems alone on Xilin Lake?

Heaven, such talent! Even the Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion, Zhang Changling, could not match him...

On the lake, the chants did not stop, and the boat 138 was spreading its golden words everywhere. In just one afternoon, these poems had gathered into a new collection, spreading far and wide.

Qingyue Tower: Xie Yu, a hundred flowers, invites the nameless gentleman of boat 138...

Yanyu Tower: Han Yan, five casks of fine wine, invites the nameless gentleman of boat 138...

Fenyu Pavilion: Yun Mei, a painting, invites the nameless gentleman of boat 138...

Baiwei Tower: A hundred flavors, a feast...

...

What was even more shocking was that at any moment, the organizers of the Xilin Lake event, from various brothels and taverns, were inviting the talented person on boat 138 to be their guest.

However, boat 138 seemed to be a mystery on the lake. No one had seen its true appearance, let alone the nameless gentleman with extraordinary talent.

In a small pavilion in the mountains, a cool breeze blew, but Wang Chongde and the other elders did not notice. They had been staring at the lake since the afternoon, trying to find boat 138, but to no avail. The elders were getting increasingly anxious...

"Great talent, great talent! How can such a person remain unknown? Why can't we find him?"

Wang Chongde stood by the pavilion, his fists clenched, and said, "Minister Zhang is already aware of this and has ordered us to find this person. But boat 138 has not claimed the purple orchid, and the sail number is down. With so many boats on the lake, how can we find it?"

"Through these talented people," an elder said anxiously. "We can't believe we can't find them. Can they hide under the lake?"

Wang Chongde shook his head and said, "If they don't want to reveal their identity, the boat moves quickly, and the maids on the boat have been bought off. They won't talk, and no matter how we shout, they won't respond. Even if we mobilize everyone, we might not find them."

The elders understood. Although there were many boats at the literary gathering, Xilin Lake was even larger, and all the boats looked similar.

Especially at night, with poor visibility, it was extremely difficult to find a specific boat without a sail number.

Now, they regretted not sending someone to look before the sun set.

"Really can't find him?" The elders were at a loss.

Wang Chongde sighed. Boat 138 had not written a poem for an hour, making it even harder to find them. If they found a secluded spot, they would be helpless.

Feng Jueyu's boat should have already surpassed the 500 purple orchids, but later, to avoid being disturbed while drinking with Mu Qianjun, he only accepted less than 200 and had Xiao Bi and Xiao Lian stop collecting flowers.

At this moment, the cabin of boat 138 was filled with wine casks and jars. Feng Jueyu and Mu Qianjun, red-faced and flushed, were still drinking heartily, completely oblivious to the events outside.

"Brother, come, let's have another bowl," Mu Qianjun said, raising his bowl and drinking it in one gulp.

Feng Jueyu was not to be outdone. Although his drinking capacity was not as good as Mu Qianjun's, drinking was about the mood. With such a good mood today, it was hard to get drunk.

Moreover, the alcohol on Taixuan Continent was much weaker than the strong liquor from his previous life.

And since practicing the Life and Death Unchanging Divine Technique, Feng Jueyu's meridians had greatly improved, increasing his alcohol tolerance.

Although they looked drunk, they were actually still sober.

The more sober they were, the more Feng Jueyu was convinced that Mu Qianjun's cultivation was not low. He had the Life and Death Qi to help dissipate the alcohol, but Mu Qianjun had a truly remarkable drinking capacity.

After finishing the last cask of wine, Feng Jueyu was about to open another one when Mu Qianjun stopped him.

His drunken eyes suddenly brightened, revealing a fierce fighting spirit. "Brother, shall we stop here?"

"Is Brother Mu drunk?" Feng Jueyu asked, puzzled.

Mu Qianjun chuckled and said, "A few dozen casks of wine can't bring me down. Brother, you underestimate me. But I do have something to do today. The moon is already high, and the time has come. I must leave now."

"Brother Mu is leaving?" Feng Jueyu sat up straight, looking at him seriously.

Earlier, Mu Qianjun had refused to leave the boat even without wine, and Feng Jueyu had sensed something. Now, hearing that Mu Qianjun was leaving, he was even more convinced that he had important matters.

"That's right," Mu Qianjun said. "To be honest, tonight, an opponent will come to Tian Nan, behind the Lianlang and Wupan mountains, to duel me one-on-one. The time has come."

"A duel?" Feng Jueyu's eyes lit up. A martial duel was more interesting than reciting poetry. He couldn't sit still. "Brother Mu, if you trust me, can you take me with you? I want to see the person who can challenge a hero like you. How strong are they?"

"Aren't you afraid?" Mu Qianjun raised an eyebrow, his expression filled with approval.

"Afraid?" Feng Jueyu finished his last drink and said, "You underestimate me. In my dictionary, there is no word for 'fear.'"

"Brave!" Mu Qianjun slapped the table and said, "Alright, let's go. You've had your moment today, and tonight, you'll see my skills."

"Great, Brother Mu, let's go." Feng Jueyu stood up, ready to leave.

Mu Qianjun held him back, the drunkenness in his eyes gone. "Brother, before we leave, can you write a poem for me? Anything, as a token of our meeting."

"One last poem? Of course, no problem..."

Feng Jueyu picked up the brush without hesitation, and the ink flowed onto the paper, writing Li Bai's "The Knight-Errant."

"Ode to the Knight-Errant?" Mu Qianjun's eyes widened, and his body trembled. "Great, great 'The Knight-Errant.' Brother, thank you..."

"Let's go..."

Before midnight, the two figures disappeared from the boat, leaving only a poem on the messy table...

To the readers:

PS: Chapter 5. If you like it, please follow. Off to work.