Chapter Fifty-Nine: Subtlety

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  "Three steps!"

  Everyone's heart skipped a beat, their heads stretched out, their eyes wide with excitement, staring straight at the foot that Wei Xiao was about to land on.

  Wu Fangyuan looked at Wei Zao and was about to stop, but his left hand behind his back couldn't help but tremble.

  Chu Han rubbed his hands together, his eyes fixed intently on Wei Qiao, his expression extremely excited.

  Whether on the stage or under the stage, whether facing south or north, everything fell silent at this moment. Everyone looked up at the high platform, staring at Wei Zhao's third step that had already landed!

  "Heh heh, got it." Wei Qiao said with a chuckle amidst the silence.

  The crowd instinctively let out a sigh of relief, but immediately tensed up again, their eyes wide open and staring at Wei Qiao.

  Got it?

  The crowd gasped again, their eyes wide with wonder as they stared at Wei Zhao. With his ability to compose a poem that rhymed in three different ways just by blinking an eye, what other astonishing things could he do?

  Chu Han's eyes lit up, and he hastily walked to the table, spread out the rice paper, with an excited face. Although he was born into a merchant family, he was a true Confucian disciple, thirsting for knowledge, and revered those with profound learning. And Wei Zhao, in his eyes, was precisely this kind of person.

  The performance in front of Wei Zhao, coupled with the rumors of Yin Kong Master, made him secretly regard Wei Zhao as his target to catch up.

  Everyone's face was stern and excited as they stared at Wei Zhao. The old man in the luxurious clothes sat up suddenly, his eyes fixed intently on the high platform.

  Wei Zhao glanced at the excited expressions of the crowd, smiled slightly, and under everyone's fervent gaze, walked to the table, picked up the brush, paused for a moment, and looked at Wu Fangyuan and Chu Han who had gathered around him.

  It became even quieter, with everyone holding their breath and staring intently at Wei Zhao, as if they wished they had eyes that could see for a thousand miles and ears that could hear the wind, so they could engrave every move of Wei Zhao's into their hearts.

  Dong, dong, dong

  Everyone can only hear their own heartbeat, chest undulating, with a feeling of difficulty breathing.

  Yin Kong's master, rhyming, even the always calm 'Ning girl' also turned her head in unison, staring motionlessly at the stage.

  It's moving!

  Almost everyone in their hearts shouted a sentence at the same time, and Wei Xiao's plump pen tip fell extremely slowly onto the pure white rice paper.

  One horizontal stroke, one vertical stroke, one left-falling stroke, one right-falling stroke...

  Everyone's eyes were fixed on Wei Zhao's pen, their hearts racing with anticipation. They felt their breathing quicken, their hands tremble, and their gaze follow the brush as it moved across the paper, while their minds frantically wondered what Wei Zhao was writing.

  Chu Han stood beside Wei Qiao, not daring to breathe heavily, afraid of affecting Wei Qiao's thoughts. Wu Fangyuan's pretentious and profound movements were also stiffened there, with his head lowered, his eyes fixed on the tip of Wei Qiao's pen.

  Zhao Yuankui's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze flickering. He was dressed impeccably, calm and composed, but his feet under the table shifted back and forth restlessly.

  Everyone stared at Wei Zhao's brush, which flashed like lightning. Every time he stopped to dip ink, everyone would take a deep breath and then hold their breath again, staring excitedly at Wei Zhao's brush dancing with the dragon-like strokes, his expression calm and composed.

  Before long, Wei Xiao suddenly picked up his pen amidst a collective gasp from the crowd and let out a deep breath.

  Everyone stopped when they saw him, their expressions relaxed, and they panted heavily with different looks on their faces, their chests heaving up and down, still looking tense.

  "What a great move!" Amidst the crowd's silent anticipation, Wu Fangyuan suddenly slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed loudly.

  As soon as these words fell, everyone was shocked and immediately shouted loudly.

  "What did Wei Xiao write?"

  "Right, what did he write..."

  "He's been writing for so long, aren't you tired of reading yet......"

  The people below seemed very dissatisfied and rushed to shout at Wu Fangyuan. Anyway, there were many people and they didn't fear that Wu Fangyuan would make things difficult for them afterwards.

  Wu Fangyuan's old face turned red, and he was also nervous just now, only following Wei Zao's pen, and didn't even see what Wei Zao wrote.

  Chu Han looked at Wei Xiao's dozens of big characters sweeping down the road, and couldn't help but also call out in a low voice, his expression quite agitated.

  Angular and distinct, strong and powerful, spacious and expansive, elegant and square. At a glance, you can tell it's a good character. What's even more remarkable is that this font, as a whole, is something he has never seen before, which means that Wei Zhao pioneered a new font all by himself!

  The people below saw Chu Han and Wu Fangyuan staring at Wei Qiao's words, with a look of appreciation and savoring the taste, and couldn't help but become noisy again.

  "Come on, what did Wei Xiao write?!"

  "Yes, you always look at the words, what is written..."

  "What's wrong with you guys, wanting to scare me to death? Speak up quickly..."

  Wu Fangyuan and Chu Han were startled by the surging crowd below, and they quickly looked down, their brows furrowing as they took in the scene. Their faces changed from calm to solemn to grave to knotted, flashing through several expressions in an instant.

  The people below suddenly fell silent when they saw the two, then immediately became anxious again, shouting loudly and furiously, with discontented voices echoing throughout the entire venue, and some even incited others.

  However, Chu Han and Wu Fangyuan seemed to have fallen into a demonic trance, lowering their heads, furrowing their brows, and knotting their faces, staring intently at the rice paper, motionless.

  The people below are entangled and ignored by those above, the northerners are suffering, and those above must react now.

  Zhao Yuankui reluctantly sent away the person who came, with a slow walk and an expression that read "I am selfless and ruthless". His dissatisfied eyes swept over Wu Fangyuan, then furrowed his brow to look at Chu Han, who was also frowning, before lowering his head to gaze at the rice paper.

  At this sight, he was also stunned, and saw that on the rice paper, with powerful brushstrokes, were written dozens of characters in a strong, upright, and elegant style:

  "Cypress trees lean, their shadows dancing on the cloudy peaks. The clear water flows with the moon, accompanied by pine and stone. The wind blows, and rain falls, exciting the dragon to float among the clouds. Heavy rocks overlap, layer upon layer of mountains, with clouds hanging down like a curtain. Flowers bloom, red and fragrant, in the courtyard, where auspicious snowflakes gently fall, and the misty peaks caress the shadows, sparse woods, and green bamboo."

  Without punctuation, without pause, Zhao Yuankui recited it in one breath, his pale face flushing red. But immediately he swallowed hard, a strange light flashing in his eyes, staring fixedly at the rice paper.

  It's also motionless now.

  He stopped shouting and yelling, but was stunned instead.

  "What did Wei Zhao write? It's as if he saw a ghost, whoever reads it will be stunned..."

  "Yes, Zhao Hanlin is the chief of the Hanlin Academy, and Wu Fangyuan is a compiler. Their talents are not to be mentioned for now, even Chu Han is a top-notch talent, how could three people look at each other and become motionless like they're under a spell..."

  "What on earth did Wei Xiao write that got all three of them trapped in it, this is really going to drive me crazy..."

  They whispered to each other, staring intently at the stage, some furrowing their brows, others sweating profusely, drenched from head to toe.

  "It should be read like this: The green cypress's slender shadow moves the cloudy peak, the peak's curve is clear water and moon accompanies the pine. The pine stands upright on the horizontal stone, the bamboo leans against the wind, the wind and rain excite the dragon to float amidst the heavy clouds, the heavy rocks overlap the mountain peaks with clouds hanging low. Low-lying flowers are red and the mist is thick and overflowing... Overflowing chrysanthemum fragrance fills the auspicious snow peak, the snow peak's misty shadow is sparse and the forest is green..." Chu Han furrowed his brow, suddenly opening his mouth to speak.

  "No, it should be read like this: The green forest is sparse and its shadow is on the misty peak. The snow on the peak is auspicious and the fragrant chrysanthemum is full. The fragrance of the flowers is overflowing and the red flowers are lying on the winding path. The winding path is surrounded by clouds and the layered rocks are heavy. The heavy clouds float with the dragon and bring rain and wind. The wind blows sideways through the bamboo and the stone stands upright like a pine tree. The pine trees accompany the moon and the clear water winds around the peak. The peak's cloud moves and the shadow of the thin cypress is green."

  What made everyone's jaw drop and eyes widen was that Chu Han Wu Fangyuan had just finished speaking, and Zhao Yuankui, who had always been expressionless and seemed to have a certain opinion about Wei Xiao, muttered to himself: "None of them are correct, it should be read like this: Green cypress slender shadow, shadow moves cloud peak. Peak curved clear water, clear moon accompanies pine. Pine stands stone horizontal, horizontal bamboo leans wind. Wind rain excites dragon, dragon floats cloud heavy. Heavy rock overlaps ridge, ridge cloud hangs path. Path lies flower red, red clouds drift full. Full chrysanthemum fragrant court, court auspicious snow ridge. Ridge clouds touch shadow, shadow sparse forest green."

  There is a sequence to understanding the Tao, but no hierarchy among scholars. Chu Han did not care who was right and immediately retorted: "No, it should be read like this: The green forest casts sparse shadows, shadows caressing the misty peaks. Peaks with snow bring auspiciousness to the court, the court is filled with fragrant chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums overflowing with red, red flowers lying on the path. Path under the hanging clouds and peaks, peaks piled up with heavy rocks. Heavy clouds float with dragons, dragons stirring up wind and rain. Wind blowing sideways through bamboo, bamboo horizontal on the stone, stone standing upright with pines. Pines accompanying the clear moon, clear water winding around the peaks. Peaks with clouds moving shadows, shadows thinning out the green cypress."

  Looking at the rice paper, Wu Fangyuan shook his head and frowned, saying "No, no, it should be read like this: The green cypress is slender, the cloud moves its shadow. The peak winds around the water, accompanying the clear moon. The pine stands upright on the rock, the bamboo lies horizontally. The wind and rain stir up, the cloud floats like a dragon. The heavy rocks overlap, the cloud hangs from the ridge. The path lies amidst the flowers, the misty clouds are red. The fragrance of the chrysanthemum fills the air, the auspicious snow falls in the courtyard. The mountain mist touches, the forest is sparse and shadowy.

  His eyes were fixed intently on the rice paper, his gaze flashing as he said in a low voice, "No! It should be like this: The green forest is sparse, and the misty rain wets the shadow. The mountain snow is auspicious, and the chrysanthemum fragrance fills the courtyard. The clouds are full of color, and the sleeping flowers are red. The valley hangs with cloud, and the rocks overlap the peaks. The heavy clouds float, and the dragon rises in the rain. The wind blows against the bamboo, and the steep rock is horizontal. The pine accompanies the moon, and the winding water is clear. The peak clouds move, and the cypress casts a thin shadow.

  Some people are as dull as a wooden chicken, with strange eyes, while others scratch their ears and cheeks, impatiently.

  The three people above stared at the rice paper, not blushing but also arguing with each other, one by one refuting and debating. What was originally a critique of Wei Zhao's writing had turned into a debate among the three about poetry, and even the author Wei Zhao was squeezed out and completely excluded from the circle of the three.

  Three men discussed endlessly, making the people below more anxious and impatient. The scholars were already shouting loudly, but were completely ignored by the three men on stage, which not only annoyed them but also piqued their curiosity to the highest point. Some people couldn't help but rush towards the north, wanting to climb up. The guards immediately blocked with their spears, but could not hold back the crowd.

  A scholar rushed onto the high platform in full view of everyone, ran to the table of several people, grabbed a declaration paper, and without even taking a close look, loudly read it out to the crowd below. He finished reading in one breath, and before he could catch his breath or turn around, he took off running.

  The people below all furrowed their brows as soon as they heard it. The sentence was too long, and the person reciting it didn't know how to pause, simply reading out the words without any rhythm or meter. The scholars below listened in a daze, not understanding half of what he was saying, completely unaware of what he was reciting.

  But what made him even more stunned was that the three people on stage were completely unaffected and continued to argue.

  "That's not right, it should be recited like this: The green cypress's slender shadow sways, the cloudy peak's winding waters are clear. The moon accompanies the pine and stone, the stone lies across the bamboo in the wind, the rain stirs up the dragon and clouds, the clouds are heavy with layered peaks. The clouds hang low over the flowers, the flowers are red with a misty veil. The chrysanthemum's fragrance is like auspicious snow, the snow-covered peak is touched by the rosy glow of dawn. The sparse forest's green cypress is slender, its shadow sways in the cloudy peaks." Chu Han furrowed his brow and wiped away the sweat on his forehead.

  Wu Fangyuan immediately puffed out his chest and glared, saying "Nonsense! It should be like this: The green forest is sparse and its shadows are stroked by the misty peaks. The red flowers are scattered on the winding path. The layered rocks are shrouded in clouds, and the dragon-shaped peaks float amidst the clouds. The wind and rain accompany the bamboo, which leans against the towering pines. The moon accompanies the clear water, which winds its way through the mountains, casting moving shadows. The thin cypress trees stand tall in the sparse forest, their shadows stroking the misty peaks."

  The two of them finished speaking and habitually waited for the third person to speak, but after a long time, no one continued to speak. The two of them were taken aback, looked up and gazed at Zhao Yuankui.

  Zhao Yuankui furrowed his brow, his pale face slightly flushed, and he was shocked beyond words! The three of them had each said one sentence, making a total of eight, and he had just thought of two more, which made ten! What's more, he didn't know how many more there were that he hadn't thought of!

  A short 49 words, yet so many ways of reading it. Although I don't want to admit it, the fact is that Wei Zhao's talent cannot be denied!

  Compared with Chu Han's inverted tail poem, Wei Qiao's 49 words are unknown how much higher!

  Chu Han also came back to his senses at this time, with cold sweat dripping from his head, looking at Wei Xiao's throat moving up and down, dry mouth and tongue, eyes showing a hint of fear and trembling! If he thought the two were still on the same level earlier, now he had to look up to Wei Xiao!

  Wu Fangyuan's eyes flashed with hesitation, and his gaze locked onto Wei Zao, as if he couldn't wait to rush over and force him to become his master!

  The crowd below quickly pieced together Wei Zhao's 49 words, and the debate on stage was immediately repeated offstage.

  "It should be like this..."

  "No, it should be like this..."

  "Wrong, wrong, like this..."

  When Wei Zhao's words reached the northern border, the debate was just as fierce.

  An old man in Chinese attire held a piece of Xuan paper with ink still wet, his eyes slightly condensed, after a long while, he handed it to Qin Yun behind him. Immediately, he raised his head and looked towards the high platform, his gaze distant, profound, cold and stern. He said lightly, "Tomorrow you go see Old Man Wu and tell him that the matter with Zhou Tai is settled."

  Qin Yun's face changed slightly, his eyes narrowed, and he hastily responded with a "yes". His heart was racing non-stop, he vaguely felt that the old man's decision seemed to be related to Wei Zhao on stage.

  Master Yin smiled and looked at Yi Yun who was frowning and thinking hard, another chess piece fell.

  Pressing her cherry lips together, she remained silent for a long time.

  "Ning" looked at Yiyun with a clear and cold face, saying softly: "His poem won't be that easy for you to figure out."

  Yi Yun and Yin Kong were both stunned for a moment, then turned their heads to look at "Ning Young Lady", exchanging a glance, with almost the same strange color flashing in their eyes.

  Today she spoke out twice for unrelated matters?

  "Hurry up, hurry up......" Xiangqiang listened to the chaotic debate in the field, her small face flushed, looking at the high platform where several people were still arguing, urging Fu Yang hastily.

  Fu Jiong was even more excited, trembling with both hands as he folded the rice paper, heavily "hmm"ed and rushed to run north.

  Zhao Yuankui looked at the two people who were still arguing, looking at Wei Zhao who was smiling calmly with a faint smile, and his eyes flashed with cold light. Ignoring the puzzled eyes of the crowd, he walked back, sat down, and fell into deep thought alone.

  As Zhao Yuankui's face sank in contemplation, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, both Wu Fangyuan and Chu Han, as well as the crowd below still engaged in heated debate, fell silent, all eyes fixed on Zhao Yuankui. Everyone knew that the true decision regarding the ownership of the Void State lay within Zhao Yuankui's thoughts.

  Chu Han's inverted tail palindrome poem was the first of its kind, opening up a new frontier for poetry; Wei Xiao's forty-nine words took it to an even more profound and mysterious realm!

  Wei Zhao combined Zhou Shaoyang's poem into a single poem, thoroughly defeating him and knocking this man from the five states off the stage. Now it is even more so with 49 words of repeated reversals, elevating the poetry to a place they had never touched before!

  Chu Han's inverted tail poem, although also pioneering a poetic precedent, is still inferior to Wei Zhao at first glance.

  They all looked up at the high platform with burning eyes, and more of them were looking at Wei Zhao, who had already been regarded as a false champion!

  But slightly calmer people immediately turned pale, looking at Zhao Yuankui with suspicious eyes. In theory, relying on Zhao Yuankui's identity and talent, one can see the high and low at a glance, and can completely announce that Wei Zao has won the championship!

  But he is hesitating! He is wavering!

  In other words, he does not recognize Wei Zhao!

  The crowd was excited beyond measure, unable to calm down, but the people from the north furrowed their brows one after another, casting strange glances at Zhao Yuankui who was still hesitating on the high platform. Even the old man in magnificent attire slightly furrowed his brow with a subtle change in his eyes.