Wen Bin's name carried considerable weight. Meng Tianchang was only somewhat famous in the East Sea Demon Domain, while Wen Bin's reputation had spread across the four seas.
Even Xu Yi's crowd of female fans fell silent.
"Brother Wen speaks with great reason. I came to the East Sea this time precisely to meet Brother Xu. I've read all of Brother Xu's works. Forgive my bluntness, but while those works are indeed masterpieces, the structure woven through their prose could not possibly have come from one person. Everyone knows that a writer's style may vary—perhaps graceful, perhaps bold, perhaps fresh, perhaps elegant—but the fabric of their writing does not change. It's like the way a person speaks: he wouldn't call himself 'this old man' one moment and 'I' the next. That remains consistent."
The speaker had sword-straight brows and bright, starry eyes. He was a handsome older man. He cupped his hands toward Xu Yi. "I am Fan Xingyun of the West Sea. I ask Brother Xu to enlighten me."
"Please enlighten us, Brother Xu!"
"Is your fame truly deserved, or are you deceiving the world and stealing another's reputation? Why not settle it with a contest?"
"Surely Brother Xu isn't afraid?"
"..."
The scholars present all joined in, making a clamor.
Now even Xu Yi's many female-demon fans fell completely silent.
Once again, every gaze in the hall converged on Xu Yi.
Xu Yi smiled faintly. "There's no need to enlighten anyone. I have neither the time nor the inclination. Think what you like, believe what you like. I can't spend every day rushing about explaining myself just because one person has doubts and another has questions. Today is our lord's spring banquet. Enjoy the singing and dancing, everyone. Pay me no mind. If you'll excuse me."
With that,