Fox Demon Golden Pearl

The Nine Talents of Quzhou raised their heads simultaneously, their faces pale, and even Mr. Lei was drenched in sweat...

He had received instructions from the Capital Noble to coordinate with all of Zhang Xiu's actions.

The Courtesan Leaves the Tower had been utterly twisted beyond recognition by Lin Jialiang's exquisite poem.

A single poetry gathering had enabled Lin Su's meteoric rise, Seven-Colored Fame, and the Sage Directly Bestows Literary Root.

And on their side, total defeat!

Defeat to the extreme!

Zhang Xiu's literary altar was shattered—once the literary altar breaks, it means his entire life's path of literature is blocked!

This is the greatest punishment for a scholar, truly worse than death!

If an ordinary person had broken it, there might still be a way to Devise a Solution—at worst, seek out a cultivation sect or the Demon Race High-Rank to obtain a Miraculous Medicine and Spirit Pill, reforge the literary root, and rebuild the literary altar. But Zhang Xiu's was broken by a Sage—who would dare to restore it for him? Who could restore it for him?

"What? Little brother is merely stating a fact—everything is the Sage Master's judgment. Do you have objections?"

"You..." Zhang Xiu spat a mouthful of blood a long distance, his Face full of agitation, wishing he could devour him, But Ultimately dared not say anything more.

The rest of the crowd Looked at Lin Su's smiling face and suddenly felt a chill.

Zhang Xiu was considered an outstanding figure among the younger generation. In the sudden turn of events, he had accurately seized on this kid's loophole, used the "Treasonous Poem" as a pretext, and pushed him to the brink—earning the admiration of his companions.

At that time, everyone in the tavern had a premonition: the Lin family was finished.

But this kid had turned the tide against the wind, ultimately transforming Zhang Xiu's accusation into the thing the Sages most abhorred—"Sever the Root of the Literary Path"—reaping a pile of benefits for himself while using the Sage's hand to utterly destroy Zhang Xiu.

This kid was too terrifying!

Now he was showing them a smile, looking amiable and kind—but was this still Dig Pits? The moment they Jumped Out, they would end up the same as Zhang Xiu!

Leave!

The front row cleared out in an instant.

The Zither-Holding Woman also stood up, slowly walking toward Lin Su. Lin Su suddenly felt that all the chaotic noise around him vanished in an instant, as if he were inside an Immortal Hall, with nothing left Between Heaven and Earth but him and that beauty.

The beauty raised her hand, removed one of her earrings, and tossed it to Lin Su, Accompanied by a line of Endless poetic sentiment:

"I gift you One Golden Pearl, to accompany me through life's rise and fall!"

Good, good—Lin Su reached out to catch the earring...

Suddenly, a thunderous roar exploded in his ear: "Hah! Demon..."

With a Boom, the illusion before Lin Su vanished, the tavern reappeared. A tall, mighty figure stood before him. The Zither-Holding Woman was gone, leaving only a zither spinning on the corridor floor, slowly toppling over.

"Mr. Bao Shan!"

The Shopkeeper of Haining Tower bowed deeply.

The entire crowd also called out, "Mr. Bao Shan."

Lin Su stared at the sturdy back, somewhat puzzled. Was this really a scholar? Not a butcher? This build, this Aura, this beard that wrapped from front to back—it would be a shame if he didn't become a butcher.

Mr. Bao Shan slowly turned around.

Lin Su saw his face: thick brows, large eyes, a gnarled beard. From his appearance, he really matched the butcher's temperament—but he was wearing a scholar's robe...

"Young Man, do you know you almost fell prey to a Fox Demon just now?"

A Fox Demon?

Lin Su's eyes went wide.

"Look!" Mr. Bao Shan raised his hand, palm holding a golden pearl. On the pearl, a Fox Phantom was Gradually Dissipated.

The tavern Shopkeeper was shocked: "The Zither-Holding Woman was a Fox Demon? How shameful—This Old Man failed to notice..."

The Young Man who hadn't yet left the tavern were also greatly shaken. The beautiful girl who had sat before them, the zither-playing enchantress who had quietly stirred their young hearts—she was actually a demon?

Lin Su frowned: "Why target me? I didn't provoke her."

"She was interested in your talent, planning to share a spring night with you and drain your essence."

What? A spring night?

Lin Su: "Would I die?"

"No, you'd be utterly exhausted..."

Damn!

Who isn't tired after a spring night?

That kind of tiredness is something every man likes and is willing to endure, isn't it?

Such a good thing coming my way, and you old man jumps out sideways and messes it all up—that's going too far.

Even worse, he was standing there smugly, waiting for Lin Su to thank him.

Lin Su looked this way and that, cursed the damned feudal etiquette in his heart, and bowed to Mr. Bao Shan: "Thank you, sir, for your timely aid..."

"Confucius said, thanking with empty words is an insult to a man." Mr. Bao Shan said with a grin. "Third Young Master Lin, an empty thank you like that won't do!"

If this were the Lin Su of Modern Society, he might have jumped three feet high: You old bastard, have you no shame? You ruined my rare Peach Blossom Luck, and now you want me to pay you? I'd be holding back from fighting you!

But being stuck in this old society, he still had to maintain respect for his elder: "What do you want?"

"Poetry!"

The few people who had already reached the entrance of the tavern also stopped in their tracks at the same time.

Mr. Bao Shan was a Literary Heart Master! At the same time, he was a great poet known throughout the world for his poetry, with a free and unrestrained personality. For someone like him, the poetry of ordinary people was beneath his notice. Asking someone else for a poem was simply unheard of.

Mr. Bao Shan said, "You used the sword as your poem, leaving behind a Seven-Colored Poem. If you used wine as your poem, what kind of masterpiece could you produce?"

With a boom, the entire tavern erupted in excitement...

Would Third Young Master Lin write another poem?

If he wrote another masterpiece, it would be the greatest event in the literary world today. To witness the birth of a poem that would be passed down through the ages—what a fortune that would be!

That was the excitement of the scholars.

The tavern's shopkeeper was even more excited. Wine was the most prominent calling card of any tavern, wasn't it? If a famous poem about wine were born in this establishment, wouldn't Haining Tower become renowned across the world?

He had to say, the man who ran a tavern had the sharpest nose. He reached out, grabbed someone beside him, and immediately, quickly, had the best wine brought over...

In an instant, eight serving girls each carried a bowl of wine, filing in one by one, forming a large circle around Lin Su.

Lin Su's face changed color: "What do you mean by this?"

In the modern Miao borderlands, there was a custom of drinking blocking wine at weddings. Could it be that this bad habit had crossed through time and space to this world? If he didn't drink, he wouldn't be allowed to leave? If they wanted him to drink all this wine, he'd have to be carried out horizontally...

The shopkeeper laughed and said, "Third Young Master's poetic talent is unmatched. Haining Tower wishes to add another fine tale for the young master. These wines are to inspire you..."

"Come on, what can this sour plum drink of yours inspire?"

The shopkeeper's face twitched violently...

"Alright, alright, I'll write one, okay? Just don't force me to drink..."

Everyone's faces twitched...

The shopkeeper was overjoyed inside, but his face turned into a bitter gourd...

A beautiful woman stepped forward first, placing the precious ink and paper before Lin Su...

Lin Su picked up his brush, tilted his head to look at Mr. Bao Shan: "Before I start writing, I have a question for you, Mr. Bao Shan. You just said... Confucius said, thanking someone with empty words is like insulting them. Which classic does that come from? Why do I always feel it's a bit off? It seems completely out of place with the Sacred Word Classics."

Yes, yes, the scholars all felt the same deep down...

Mr. Bao Shan said, "It's out of place with the Sacred Word Classics, and that's exactly right. It was said by a friend of mine, a merchant named Li Jinzi!"

Everyone's faces twitched...

Because his name was Li Jinzi, even his fart was considered a Confucius saying...

Lin Su was completely speechless. Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore. I'll write the poem!

His brush fell!

"Grape wine in jade cups, under the night's glow..."

As the first sentence came out, three beams of white light!

Everyone's breath was held at the same time. Heaven above, a miracle had come again...

"Urged by the battle drum to drink, the horses neigh..."

Silver light dazzled the eyes. Within the silver light, the war drums of "battle" sounded, iron cavalry faintly visible. In the quiet and beautiful night, a great change was about to occur...

"Don't laugh if I lie drunk on the battlefield, How many have ever returned from war?"

Seven-colored rosy clouds suddenly covered the entire tavern. Outside, on the river tide, it seemed as if fierce slaughter could be heard, bold and tragic, yet with a thread of wine fragrance piercing through...

Lin Su's brush suddenly went empty. The newly formed poem fell into Mr. Bao Shan's hands. He grabbed the poem draft with his left hand, traced a large character "boat" in the air with his right, which turned into a vessel, landed on the river, and broke through the waves as he left, leaving behind a sentence: "This is your thanks to me. I'll take it, haha..."

"Old scoundrel! That belongs to the tavern, leave it behind!" A roar suddenly came from the top of the tavern. With a whoosh, a figure stepped on air and chased after, landing on the roof of Mr. Bao Shan's boat. A sword light slashed straight at Bao Shan.

Wow! Lin Su's eyes lit up. Who was this? A sword immortal?

Mr. Bao Shan raised his hand, and a large character "seal" suddenly appeared in the air. The seal was dense and thick, like a giant net. The sword light was ground away within the net, but the net was also ground away by the sword light. The visions of their fight vanished at the same time, and Bao Shan and another old man stood face to face on the river surface.

"Ding Hai, have you no shame? This is clearly the young man's thanks to me. How dare you try to take it?" Bao Shan said.

"This was clearly written about the wine of this tavern."

"Ridiculous! If a poem is written about a tavern's wine, the poem belongs to the tavern. Then if he wrote a poem about your daughter, would your daughter belong to him?"

"Fine!"

What? Bao Shan was shocked.

Lin Su's eyes went wide. Two old scoundrels, you'd better keep your word!

The topic shifted. Ding Hai said, "Bao Shan, this poem is named after wine. It naturally belongs to the tavern. You have no use for it. You just love drinking, you don't sell wine. How about a deal? Give me the poem, and I'll provide you with top-grade wine for ten years, free of charge!"

Top-grade wine for ten years, free of charge?

Wasn't that hitting the vital point of a wine lover's life?

"On the other hand! If you don't give me this face today, I'll have all the taverns under my banner refuse to sell you wine. Throughout the entire Quzhou, you won't be able to buy a single drop of wine..." Ding Hai added a vicious threat.

Everyone was stunned.

Bao Shan, a renowned scholar of the world.

Ding Hai, a titan of commerce and a cultivator of high standing, actually arguing over a poem to such a degree.

Bao Shan shook his head like a rattle-drum: "Ding Hai, I won't mince words with you—I will never yield this poem! But... but perhaps we can discuss another approach..."

What approach?

Lin Su didn't know what the two said, but when the old men returned side by side from the river, their eyes gleaming as they fixed on him, he grew wary. What were these two old codgers up to?

Why did I get the feeling they were scheming against me?

"Third Young Master, look at this mess..." Ding Hai rubbed his hands together lightly before him. "Brother Bao Shan and I have been friends for twenty years. To fall out over a poem of yours—you're a man of pure character, surely you wouldn't want to see such a scene, would you?"

Lin Su blinked. "Actually... how should I put it? I'd quite like to see that scene." That was the truth. One was a scholar, the other a cultivator—two masters clashing. How spectacular would that be? You couldn't even see it in movies or TV shows.

Damn! Why wasn't this kid following the script?

Ding Hai choked...

Bao Shan spoke up: "Enough, let me say it. Third Young Master, the way of wine is best suited for chanting. Writing one poem is writing, writing two is also writing. Since Boss Ding has asked, just write one for him! It doesn't need to be too good—just passable will do."

Lin Su rolled his eyes at him. I knew it—you two old codgers had a secret talk, and nothing good came of it. Sure enough, they'd aligned their sights on him!

"Mr. Bao Shan, you are a senior of the scholarly path. You should know that poetic inspiration needs brewing. Three pieces in one day—that's truly forcing the issue..."

Right, right, right!

Bao Shan nodded.

Everyone on the periphery nodded too.

They were terrified of Lin Su. If he really pulled off three masterpieces in a single day, it would be devastating, making scholars across the world doubt their own existence.

Thankfully, even this freak finally had a moment where his poetic talent ran dry.

But Ding Hai caught the business opportunity: "I'm not asking Third Young Master to write it right now. Just agree to it—ten days or half a month is fine."

Lin Su hesitated.

Ding Hai pressed on: "Third Young Master, if you have any conditions, speak them plainly!"

Conditions? Hah, that's what I was waiting for!

Lin Su's gaze lifted, fixing on the precious ink and paper he'd just used...

Ding Hai, a thoroughly transparent man, immediately spoke: "One stick of Sage Incense, two top-grade Precious Brushes, ten sheets of Precious Paper—given to Third Young Master Lin!"

A figure flashed inside the tavern, and a beautiful woman appeared, holding a tray in both hands. On the tray were exactly one stick of Sage Incense, two Precious Brushes, and ten sheets of Precious Paper.

The scholars on the periphery all had golden light in their eyes.

This tray of items was all treasures in the eyes of scholars—things you couldn't even buy. Given for free!

Comparing people really drove one mad. In that instant, the ruined Lin family seemed to return to its moment of glory...