The bright moon, stars, and candlelight reflected various colors onto the calm lake surface, with the faint outlines of the gold-tailed fish unique to the Day and Night Lake.
Legend had it that the Day and Night Lake was formed from a tear of a certain fairy, and the fish had absorbed this fairy energy, which was why they grew gold tails.
However, in Wei Chang Tian’s view, even in the world of cultivation, this story was purely nonsense.
Tears were salty, and the Day and Night Lake was a freshwater lake, so it was impossible for it to be a fairy’s tear.
As for why the gold-tailed fish appeared?
It was obviously a biological mutation!
As a transmigrator, Wei Chang Tian still habitually used modern scientific thinking to explain natural phenomena, and in most cases, he could indeed explain them clearly.
However, some things were beyond the scope of scientists like Einstein or Darwin.
For example, the intangible yet tangible inner energy, the star-charting knife sheath with “space-folding technology”, the quantum-communication-like child-mother jade…
And, for instance, the current scene.
……
“Plop, plop!”
The originally calm lake water suddenly rippled, with over a dozen fish jumping high out of the water, their golden tails splashing droplets of water, as if celebrating something.
Meanwhile, on a small boat, the man who had just finished reciting the poem wore a triumphant smile.
“Golden carp leaping over the dragon’s gate! This poem has actually won the recognition of over ten golden carp!”
“Brother Zhang’s poetic talent is truly exceptional!”
“The phrase ‘Following the wild birds, killing the mulberry-picking people…’ is indeed excellent!”
“Look, even Su Sheng is nodding in approval!”
“…”
As the ten-plus golden carp leaped out of the water and then fell back in, the inside and outside of Riyue Lake suddenly erupted in a chorus of discussions, with everyone’s words filled with admiration and envy.
However, Wei Changtian was left staring blankly, unable to comprehend.
What’s going on here?
That poem by Mr. Zhang just now… got recognized by the carp?
Are you kidding me?
But looking at the timing of the carp’s jump and the direction of their tails, it seemed like it was really the case…
Unbelievable!
Wei Changtian’s mind was reeling as he recalled the poem from earlier.
“Thirty-six years of spring, autumn river, one fishing rod. Following the wild birds, killing the mulberry-picking people.”
Yeah, it sounded pretty good, but as for the meaning… he had no idea!
Good grief, his cultural cultivation was apparently not even as good as that of a few fish?!
Looking around at the enthusiastic discussion among the literati and the smiling nods from Su Sheng, Wei Changtian felt like an outsider who didn’t belong.
Was this poem really that good?
“Haha, to think that this kind of poem would be presented, and it even stirred up the golden carp to leap about?”
Suddenly, a young man in black robes slowly stood up, laughing loudly amidst the stunned gazes of the crowd:
“The poetry scene of Daming is really nothing impressive!”
……
……
A poetry gathering was essentially similar to a flower-viewing gathering, with some competitive elements to it.
Dragon-head Raising, Qixi, Mid-Autumn, Praying for Rain… all poetry gatherings, regardless of scale, would have a main theme, and to increase the difficulty, they would often set up some more detailed sub-themes.
The main theme of the Spring Dragon Poetry Gathering was naturally “spring,” and the sub-theme that the Mr. Zhang just drew was “sorrow.”
With “spring sorrow” as the theme, a poem was completed within the time it took to burn an incense stick.
“Thirty-six years of spring, autumn river, one fishing rod. Following the wild birds, killing the mulberry-picking people.”
Although Wei Changtian didn’t understand the meaning of this poem, since it could stir up the golden carp to leap about, it must be well-written, and even if it couldn’t win first place tonight, it should still be considered a good work.
However, someone suddenly spoke out to mock it, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.
“Who is this person? What does he want to do?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never seen him before, but I think he must have a grudge against Brother Zhang.”
“Why did he say that last sentence?”
“This…”
“…”
If the man in black robes had simply said that the poem was bad, everyone wouldn’t have been too surprised.
After all, it was normal for literati to have some conflicts, even grudges, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to mock their enemies in public gatherings.
But what did that sentence “The poetry scene of Daming is really nothing impressive” mean?
A simple sentence, yet it directly offended everyone present.
Apart from anger, the crowd also came to realize something else—
This black-robed person was not a citizen of Danning!
“……”
The evening wind rustled, stirring the thousands of flower lanterns on the lake’s surface.
“Whoa!”
A small boat suddenly rocked violently, and the Zhang-named man who had just been speaking glared at the black-robed person, taking a step forward to the boat’s head and shouting loudly:
“Who are you, exactly?!”
“You dare to come to our Danning poetry gathering and spout such nonsense, it’s truly laughable, like a clown jumping around!”
“My poetry may not be the best, but if you think it’s not good enough, then come up with something better!”
“Otherwise, don’t try to impress us here!”
Want to act cool?
You can, but you need to have the skills to back it up first!
If you don’t, then get out of here quickly!
This speech was delivered with righteous indignation, leaving many people secretly feeling refreshed.
However, the black-robed person didn’t seem to care, only glancing at the Zhang-named man before leaping into the lake’s central pavilion.
With an air of superiority, he surveyed the surrounding dozens of small boats, his gaze lingering on Su Wu for a few seconds before reciting:
“In the deep spring, there’s no place to settle, the willow bank is bright and clear.”
“Night rain before the lamp, tears fall, the sound of the drumbeat is heard till dawn.”
“……”
His tone was correct, his voice full of confidence.
And after he finished the last line……
“Whoa!”
Dozens of ripples appeared on the lake’s surface, followed by an equal number of golden fish jumping out, flapping their tails and sending silver pearls flying into the air.
“What?!”
The boats rocked violently, and the people surrounding the pavilion stood up in an instant.
Everyone stared at the man standing proudly in the pavilion, their eyes burning with an unnamable fire.
Although they didn’t want to admit it, this poem…… was indeed better.
But the better the poem, the more it slapped each of their faces.
Because the current situation was already clear.
This young black-robed man was here to crash the party.
And he was going to crash the entire Danning poetry scene!
How could they still tolerate this?!
Some people clenched their fists, some glared at Su Wu sitting steadily to the side, and some had already started cursing loudly.
“You brat! Don’t think you can just write one poem and look down on everyone! If you have the skills, then let’s have another round!”
“Hmph! Maybe this poem was written beforehand and just happened to match the topic!”
“You’re just a nameless nobody, don’t get too cocky!”
“……”
The lake and its shores were instantly filled with countless curses and insults, pouring towards the pavilion like a tidal wave.
And in the face of all this, the latter remained unmoved, a faint, ambiguous smile still hanging on the corner of his mouth.
Those who often quarreled knew that people who didn’t speak were the hardest to deal with, and the more you scolded them, the more you seemed to be getting flustered and angry.
After more than ten breaths, the curses from the crowd finally subsided.
“……”
The black-robed man shook his head lightly and spoke calmly:
“Da Li, Qu Xing Academy, Shen Ran.”
“I’ve come to seek guidance on poetry from the great poet, Da Ning.”
From noble mtl dot come
Shen Ran?
Everyone’s faces turned blank, unable to recall where this person came from in the Da Li literary circle.
Only Wei Changtian, who had been watching the commotion, revealed an astonished expression.
He wasn’t shocked because of the collective honor of the Da Ning people, but because……
【10: Da Li Dynasty, Qu Xing Academy outer court disciple, Shen Ran】