The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 208

Talented men compose poems and drink wine, beautiful women play the zither and paint, skilled people compete in martial arts and wield spears, while others cheer loudly on the sidelines—a truly prosperous scene.

However, most of these people were elderly, women, or children, and they were dressed simply and plainly, not in particularly bright or fashionable clothes.

Normally, they were all in the fields, and Xu Tian rarely realized how capable they were.

As soon as everyone saw him arrive, they immediately raised their glasses to him.

"We have to thank Grand Tutor Xu for all these days. If it weren't for Grand Tutor Xu's tireless efforts in going to the fields and imparting knowledge to us, we probably wouldn't be able to fill our stomachs now."

"You flatter me," Xu Tian said with a smile. "Don't forget, I'm not the only one who contributed. You all worked in the fields and farmed the land, and the border troops also helped a lot."

At this moment, a drunk man shouted, "Thank you all, thank you!"

After saying this, he boldly recited a poem: "Let's drink, don't stop! Raise your cup to invite the bright moon... What should the next line be...?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Tian was stunned for a moment, then immediately looked over and saw a man dressed in white, his robes fluttering, with a high nose bridge, who looked like a promising young man.

Could this be the poet Li Bai?!

At this moment, the man turned his head and asked while drinking, "What... what's the next line? You, Grand Tutor Xu, can you give me the matching line?"

Xu Tian replied naturally, "Raising a cup to invite the bright moon, we become three with my shadow."

After saying that, he raised his cup and toasted him with a glass of wine.

Upon hearing this, the man paused, then muttered the same phrase repeatedly.

After a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had just thought of something: "Good, good! With my shadow, there are three of us!"

"May I ask my name?" Xu Tian asked at this moment.

"My name is Li Bai, and my courtesy name is Taibai!"

Xu Tianxin thought to himself: "That's really true."

He never expected that his trip to Ningcheng would lead him to meet Li Bai, a representative poet of the romantic school in history!

He barely managed to suppress his inner joy.

The others were all taken aback when they heard the man say that he was Li Bai.

Now that Li Bai is somewhat famous, they naturally know about this poet.

Upon hearing this, those who attempted to match his poems either lacked romance or grandeur; in short, their literary talent was far inferior to Li Bai's.

Even Li Bai, when drunk, couldn't match the poems he wrote to himself when he woke up.

Xu Tian answered the question with ease, which was truly impressive.

"Come on, let's exchange a few more lines," Li Bai said at this moment. "Then, let's say, 'Kill one man in ten steps!'"

"I will travel a thousand miles without leaving a trace," Xu Tian replied without changing his expression.

"Autumn leaves fall."

"The moon is cold, and the cuckoo is sad."

"Good, haha..." Li Bai laughed, "All good! As expected of Grand Tutor Xu!"

"You flatter me, you're absolutely right," Xu Tian said with a smile.

Li Bai then stood up unsteadily, "Why do you say that I am right?"

"Because even if I am wrong, you can still come up with such a famous line of poetry."

"A timeless quote? You overestimate me!"

Although he said that, he couldn't help but smile.

Just then, a round of applause broke out.

Everyone turned to look and saw a slender figure slowly approaching from behind the red gauze curtain.