This immortal was clearly ordinary, yet he was unusually confident.

"Insanity!"

Feeling so slighted, the members of the Rising Sun Mission roared in righteous indignation.

"Oh? Are you the only ones allowed to act this way? Then who is the one being arrogant?" Zheng Zhuang said calmly.

"you……"

"Since Mr. Zheng is so confident, I am willing to help you achieve your goal. Please, sir!"

Some members of the Rising Sun delegation wanted to object, but seeing that Yang Minghan had agreed, they refrained from speaking further.

Liu Mengchen chuckled inwardly. This lecherous fellow actually had a knack for roasting people; it was really satisfying.

Zheng Zhuang nodded modestly and walked towards the pavilion in the middle of the lake without hesitation.

After deciding on the topic, Zheng Zhuang searched his mind and was already confident of success.

The pavilion in the middle of the lake wasn't large, but it was decorated quite elegantly. Zheng Zhuang slowly picked up his pen, pretended to ponder for a while, and then copied the entire poem down in one go.

The idea of ​​using "Jade Flute" as the theme was originally proposed by Yang Minghan, so he was prepared in advance. After Zheng Zhuang finished writing, he stopped pretending and went straight to the pavilion.

Yang Minghan casually picked up a brush and was about to put his thoughts on paper. He didn't take Zheng Zhuang's words to heart. If he didn't even put pen to paper, wouldn't he be admitting his inferiority?

He didn't actually intend to be so arrogant three days ago; he just suddenly had an inspiration and did it that way.

In his opinion, this Mr. Zheng was indeed a bit too arrogant. Good poetry is not something that can be obtained casually. While knowledge is important, it also requires opportunity.

Driven by curiosity, Yang Minghan turned his attention to Zheng Zhuang's poem, but once he saw it, he couldn't bring himself to write anything.

It reads:

"Whose jade flute softly plays, its notes drifting on the spring breeze throughout the cool city? Tonight, the melody of 'Willow Branch' evokes thoughts of home; who can remain unmoved by longing for their lost garden?"

This poem, "Hearing the Flute on a Spring Night in Luoyang," was written by the poet Li Bai. Even if it is not his masterpiece, it is still outstanding in its description of the sound of the flute.

He heard that the Peach Blossom Immortal had played a tune the day before, and everyone who heard it was completely immersed in it and deeply moved.

Cangzhou originally had ten kingdoms, some of which have long been destroyed and merged into Cangyue and Xuri, but how could that longing for their country be so easily erased?

He didn't know what tune the Peach Blossom Immortal was playing, but it must have been similar in spirit to the one described in the poem.

After a long while, Yang Minghan sighed dejectedly and slowly put down his pen. His poetry was indeed inferior!

When the members of the Rising Sun Mission first saw Yang Minghan pick up his pen to write, they couldn't help but smile at each other. However, they were surprised to find that Yang Minghan was staring blankly at Zheng Zhuang's poem.

They had witnessed Yang Minghan's high spirits just three days ago, and they couldn't imagine what kind of poem Zheng Zhuang had written that would make him lose the will to write.

The delegation agreed to the rules Liu Mengchen mentioned not because they intended to play any tricks, but because they believed in Yang Minghan's abilities.

Yang Minghan stepped out of the pavilion in the middle of the lake, cupped his hands in greeting to Zheng Zhuang, and said, "You have won this round, sir! But I will do my best in the next two rounds!"

Zheng Zhuang simply smiled and nodded, then sat down at the seat prepared for him and rested for a while.

A literary debate is actually a complicated process. Under normal circumstances, unless there is a very obvious difference, it is impossible to reach a conclusion in a short period of time.

In the current situation, the outcome is obvious, but we also need to let everyone know what happened in order to convince them.

Meng Chang naturally wouldn't let such an opportunity pass by. Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, he stepped forward and picked up Zheng Zhuang's poem.

Meng Chang quickly scanned the poem and then said to Liu Mengchen, "Quickly copy this poem out and share it with everyone."

He then loudly proclaimed to the shore:

"The winner of the first round, Zheng Zhuang from the Cangyue Kingdom!"

A lively discussion immediately broke out on the shore:

"Who is Zheng Zhuang? I've never heard of him before."

"Who cares who he is? As long as I, Cang Yue, win, that's all that matters."

"That's right, that's right!"

"I wonder what kind of wonderful poem you have composed?"

Just then, the scroll that Liu Mengchen had copied was passed over, and everyone finally learned the contents of the poem.

The people distributing the ball ran and shouted, "Yang Minghan of the Rising Sun Kingdom has forfeited! Mr. Zheng wins the first round!"

This was, of course, at Meng Chang's behest. Last time, the entire academy was helpless against Yang Minghan, so now that they had a chance to get revenge, they naturally wanted to make a big fuss about it.

Although everyone had expected it, they were still taken aback when they heard the news, and then they all involuntarily turned their attention to the poem on the scroll.

"What a beautiful poem!"

"This poem... uh, it's really good!"

"Chen Dameng, you can't even read a few words, how can you tell good from bad?"

"How the hell do you know I can't understand it! Look, these characters are written quite well!"

"..."

In the following time, some talented students commented on and analyzed the entire poem.

Among them, the "Four Gentlemen of the Academy" who lost to Yang Minghan that day were particularly enthusiastic, sparing no effort in praising him.

"You just won by luck, what's there to brag about!" Master Li snorted coldly, unconvinced.

Yang Minghan remained silent, pondering how to respond to the second round. If he couldn't win the second round, he would have almost lost the entire literary contest. Even if he won the third round, it would only save face.

It was almost noon, and the weather was getting hot. Although the onlookers were still excited, it seemed that the fight could not be over in a short time, so the two sides agreed to continue the fight in the evening.

Looking at the composed Zheng Zhuang, Yang Minghan secretly breathed a sigh of relief; having more time to prepare was always a good thing.

Zheng Zhuang didn't care. Chen Chui had promised him that the woman in the painting, the Cangyue Empress, would come, but he had been searching in secret and had not seen any trace of the Empress.

He thought to himself, "That makes sense. It's too easy to be recognized in broad daylight. They'll probably be there at night."

As the onlookers gradually dispersed and the Rising Sun delegation departed, Zheng Zhuang lazily stood up.

Meng Chang laughed heartily and said, "Mr. Zheng is indeed a sage; we have finally vented our anger!"

Liu Mengchen nodded repeatedly and smiled sweetly, saying, "Sir, your poetic talent is unparalleled. I admire you greatly!"

"You're not so young..." Zheng Zhuang was about to tease her a bit when he saw Qin Qianqian skipping over, so he quickly changed his words, "Ahem, it's just routine."

"Young master, you are amazing! Everyone says you are the reincarnation of the Poet Immortal!" The little girl ran to Zheng Zhuang's side and said with a face full of joy.

who said it?

I'm not! Don't talk nonsense!

I merely copied one of his poems!

"Who is this young lady?" Liu Mengchen asked with some surprise.

As a seasoned cross-dresser, she immediately recognized Qin Qianqian as a woman.

"I am the young master's maid, named Qin Qianqian. And who are you?"

Before Zheng Zhuang could speak, the little girl introduced herself and then looked at Liu Mengchen warily.

That vixen is quite good at hiding it! But how could she escape my discerning eyes? She must have some improper thoughts about you, young master!

Liu Mengchen narrowed her eyes slightly. This little girl is something else!

Their eyes met, and a spark seemed to fly between them...