Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 15 Sentiments as Poetic
Seeing that Azi was in high spirits, Jiang Mingzhe felt troubled.

Using copied poems to please others always feels like using stolen money to treat people to a meal.

Moreover, this isn't some other world; the chances of a widely circulated work like "Guan Ju" being exposed are far too high.

But to be honest—

Jiang Mingzhe glanced at Azi. This girl had grown up in the Xingxiu Sect's environment since childhood, and probably rarely had the opportunity to show such heartfelt laughter.

Should I watch that smile fade away in disappointment?
Before Jiang Mingzhe could make a decision, Zhuifengzi chuckled mischievously, "Little Azi, you don't understand, do you? What poet explains their own masterpiece? Let your senior brother explain it to you!"

Azi turned to look at him, thinking to herself that this third senior brother had gone to great lengths to please their master, and indeed knew quite a lot.

Azi knows a secret that few people know: Zhui Fengzi's love for cooking is not because he is greedy, but because he wants to attract Ding Chunqiu to come over for a treat from time to time!
One night three years ago, on a whim, she decided to put some laxatives in the next day's breakfast to make things lively. She inadvertently discovered the sneaky Zhui Fengzi.

She assumed that her third senior brother was also there to test the medicine, so she secretly followed him and witnessed Zhui Fengzi throwing a highly poisonous spider onto the sleeping chef.

The chef was a Shandong cuisine chef specially hired by Ding Chunqiu. Zhui Fengzi would pester him whenever he had free time, jokingly trying to learn his skills.

However, Azi did not make a fuss about this. After all, currying favor with Ding Chunqiu was a compulsory course for all disciples. Not to mention those who had joined the sect, even those who had not joined were racking their brains to come up with ideas. Whatever methods Zhuifengzi used was his own ability. Azi didn't care and just pretended that she hadn't seen it.

The third senior brother's methods of winning people over were not limited to food.

Ding Chunqiu had a penchant for affectation, which could be discerned from the Daoist names he gave to his disciples.

Therefore, Zhuifengzi asked someone to buy him a lot of books. He also spoke slowly and leisurely, which immediately made him appear more cultured compared to the other disciples who had a rougher style.

So when Zhui Fengzi said that it was inconvenient for the poet to personally explain his work, A Zi believed him and quickly flattered Zhui Fengzi, saying, "Third Senior Brother is incredibly talented. Apart from the poet himself, I think you understand it the most."

He thought to himself: Zhui Fengzi can understand poetry, so he is a genius of six dou; Master can also recite many poems, so he is a genius of seven dou; and Da Sheng Jiang can write poetry himself, so he is a genius of one hundred dou.

I first heard the phrase "a person of great talent" from Ding Chunqiu. In her mind, the more "dou" (a unit of measurement in Chinese astrology) one had, the more impressive one was.

Zhui Fengzi has read "Guan Ju"!
Jiang Mingzhe immediately realized this when he saw him volunteer to explain to Azi.

Looking over, Zhui Fengzi coughed lightly, winked discreetly at Jiang Mingzhe, and said, "Little Azi, our junior brother's poem is brilliant!"

Huh? What does this guy mean?
Zhui Fengzi clearly had no intention of revealing the truth; instead, he helped Jiang Mingzhe confirm the author's identity.

Then Zhui Fengzi said, "The osprey is a water bird. On a small island in the river, two water birds call out to each other, making a 'guan guan' sound, which is the sound of birdsong. You already understand 'graceful lady,' which refers to you, Little Azi. As for 'a gentleman's pursuit,' it doesn't mean that Junior Brother loves playing Cuju (an ancient Chinese football game). The meaning of 'pursuit' here is..."

The three fat men grinned maliciously, extending two thumbs and hooking them together: "Seeing that even the water birds are in pairs, this gentleman, haha, haha, he's reminded himself that he doesn't have a wife yet!"

Ah Zi gasped, her face turning even redder, her mind racing with thoughts—wasn't this exactly how her junior brother met her? He climbed out of the water. Hmm, there were many small islands in that big lake, and lots of birds too. She wondered which island's waterbirds he had spotted… Hmm, he saw two little birds cuddling affectionately, and then he remembered how lonely he was. Then he looked up…

You saw me!

Azi suddenly remembered the scene when they first met. She was jealous that Jiang Mingzhe had pleased Ding Chunqiu, so she glared at him fiercely, but Jiang Mingzhe winked and smiled at her.

Sanpangzi was still explaining in his gibberish: "The meaning of the last few sentences is clearer now. The water plants in the water are scattered here and there, swaying back and forth with the current, just like the unpredictable heart of that graceful lady. This gentleman thinks of her whether he's asleep or awake, he wants to be with her, hehehe!"

You hehehe, you grandpa, you hehe!
Jiang Mingzhe had been holding back for a long time, but Sanpangzi's lewd laugh broke his defenses. He rolled his eyes and was about to reveal the truth.

A girl as young as A Zi would still be in junior high school in modern times. Even if Jiang Mingzhe were mercenary, pragmatic, and opportunistic, he was by no means a person without principles or who would stop at nothing.

Girls' feelings are always poetry.

Jiang Mingzhe couldn't bear to use such innocent poetic sentiment, nor did he deign to. "Little Azi!"

Jiang Mingzhe didn't call her "senior sister," which was a subconscious reflex and also reflected the attitude of an adult towards a young girl.

"You...you shouldn't speak yet!"

Suddenly, Azi cried out, glancing at Jiang Mingzhe with a mixture of shyness and nervousness before averting her gaze as if electrocuted.

The girl's eyes sparkled with an indescribable allure.

Azi didn't dare to look at Jiang Mingzhe. Her fair fingers unconsciously rubbed the hem of her clothes, and she stammered, "I think Third Senior Brother doesn't understand either. What he said is wrong. 'A gentleman likes ball' means he likes Cuju (ancient Chinese football). 'Waking up and sleeping with ball' means he wants to play it both morning and night!"

After saying that, he nodded and said, "Yes, that's exactly what I mean!"

Jiang Mingzhe smiled.

He immediately nodded: "Senior sister is so smart. Third senior brother's interpretation is indeed not what I, the poet, intended."

I have no choice but to temporarily become a plagiarist from another world.

Azi glanced at him, her eyes filled with a complex mix of relief and disappointment.

"Right, right, Third Senior Brother doesn't know anything!" Azi quickly recovered, passing the blame to Third Fatty, and said with a grin, "Then next time I go to the market, I'll definitely buy you a ball!"

Zhui Fengzi didn't care that A Zi said his explanation was wrong. He shook his head and said, "It's a pity that these Tibetans don't know anything about Cuju. I think that even if you go to the town or the county, you probably won't be able to buy it, let alone go to the market."

Azi was immediately enraged and said angrily, "If I can't buy it, I'll find a fat human head, cut it off, and give it to my junior brother to kick around like a football!"

Zhui Fengzi shrank back, feigning fear: "Junior brother, did you see that? Your senior sister is not someone to be trifled with! Never mind, never mind, your senior brother will make you a dragon and two phoenixes!"

There was a wooden cage by the fishpond. Brother Zhuifeng went over, opened the cage door, reached in and rummaged around for a while, and pulled out two strange-looking birds. They looked like pigeons magnified several times, with red beaks and white cheeks. A black stripe ran from their eyes to their necks, and from the front, they looked like black chicken hearts. Most of their bodies were blue-gray, and their wings were black and light blue.

Upon seeing it, Azi immediately cheered, "Oh my, it's a quack chicken!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the two birds started cawing loudly.

Zhui Fengzi said smugly to Jiang Mingzhe, "Have you ever eaten this? This is a giant stone chicken. It runs very fast and can even fly when it gets impatient. It's not easy to catch, but it tastes the most delicious."

Jiang Mingzhe knew about the stone chicken. It was actually a frog, scientifically known as the stone frog. It got its name because its call sounded like a chicken. It was dark in color and was a highly sought-after delicacy in the Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong regions.

Another type is wild birds, which should be the kind that the third brother caught. The largest subspecies is called the Giant Stone Chicken.

With a flick of his thumb, Zhui Fengzi snapped the head off the giant stone chicken, then lifted the pheasant by the neck: "Please sit wherever you like. If you want tea, boil your own water. I'll go to the kitchen and cook some dishes and come right back."

Upon hearing this, Azi immediately said, "I'll go pluck your fur!"

After saying that, he winked at Jiang Mingzhe and followed Zhui Fengzi to the kitchen with a grin.

Jiang Mingzhe immediately realized that Ah Zi's plucking of the feathers was just a pretense; she really wanted to see Zhui Fengzi cook with her own eyes!

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing how utterly hostile the relationships were among the Xingxiu Sect disciples. Ah Zi and Zhui Fengzi clearly had some connection, yet they still refused to let their guard down. He knew he would have to be extra careful around these people in the future.

(End of this chapter)