"Since we can use money, let's spend some, even if it's just a little."
Li Mo had absolutely no interest in vulgar, pretentious plagiarism of poetry.
"That's not just a little money, and spending it could be useful..."
Xie Xuan said dejectedly, "I was a guest at first, but later I pawned everything except my sword."
"..."
Li Mo had previously wondered how the young master of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Villa could have fallen so low as to become a servant.
The co-authors were completely drained.
"The fact that you can think that way means..."
"Nongying is indeed of noble and refined character; she is not the kind of vulgar woman who is fond of money."
"... Simps are really something else."
By this time, other guests had already begun bidding. The "one word" in "a word worth a thousand pieces of gold" had extremely high requirements; it had to be able to cause a stir in the literary circles of the Imperial Capital, otherwise how could one become famous?
Most of the literary figures who can write this kind of poetry don't have the money to sit here.
Prices have been rising steadily.
It started at 1,200 taels of gold and went all the way up to 5,000 taels.
It's absurd that 99.9% of the time, people stay overnight just to drink tea and chat.
"Five thousand taels of gold, plus a mutton-fat jade pendant!"
"You dare to show off with this broken jade pendant? I'll add a Western Regions cat's eye ring and a pair of Buddha-light jade bracelets!"
The wealthy patrons lavishly threw money around; some even removed their precious personal belongings and tossed them out. In an instant, gold rained down and treasures were treated like dirt.
Their faces were flushed, and they were panting heavily, all for the sake of winning a smile from the beauty.
Gold, jewels, and beautiful women.
Everything about Wind and Moon Cottage seemed to be impacting one's senses.
Hua Nongying sat on the stage, a sweet smile on her lips, but a hint of boredom in her eyes.
She had seen too many scenes like this before; her mind was now completely focused on the figure not far away.
He's really special.
The maid said that Li Mo had once wanted to book the entire venue with Profound Crystal, so his wealth was beyond doubt. But now he was sitting there calmly, his expression reflecting her own feelings.
They all felt somewhat helpless.
"My lady, wasn't he going to book the whole place? Why is he unmoved now?"
The maid asked in a low voice, looking puzzled.
"I guess he realized I wasn't interested in gold and silver anymore."
Hua Nongying slightly raised her chin.
She had to admit that her heart was beating faster than usual.
Hua Nongying was used to seeing high-ranking officials and nobles who would fall head over heels for her at first sight. She had never encountered someone like him who hadn't even glanced at her since he entered.
Cold Fairy... you really have good taste.
However, she felt that Ying Bing's surpassing her on the Hundred Flowers Ranking was also due to her being among the top three on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. After all, people always have a more romanticized view of heroic female warriors, and no matter how much she refused to sell herself, she was still a woman of the pleasure.
However, women of the pleasure quarters have their advantages.
The female knight-errant is no match for her in dealing with men.
The guy in the straw hat next to Li Mo looks kind of familiar.
"His name seems to be Xie... Xie Xuan."
Hua Nongying managed to recall his name.
The reason I remember him is because Xie Xuan is quite famous, and guests inevitably mention him occasionally.
Actually, she was somewhat interested in this second-in-command of the Hidden Dragon when they first met.
But Xie Xuan was too fond of her and instantly became her devoted follower, which was truly disappointing.
It's like hunting. You hear there's a fierce tiger in the mountains, so you make thorough preparations, hone your martial arts skills for a long time, and set up many traps.
As a result, the tiger, upon seeing you, crashed into a tree and died.
At this time.
She suddenly saw Li Mo nod helplessly and whisper something in Xie Xuan's ear.
Xie Xuan was overjoyed and stood up with great pride, shouting:
"Bring me pen and ink!"
"My wife?"
Hua Nongying immediately understood and nodded, saying, "Yes, send it over."
Therefore, he was not playing hard to get.
Or were they really there to help Xie Xuan?
What did the Divine Hammer Little Overlord just tell Xie Xuan?
At the table.
Xie Xuan picked up his brush and wrote, his strokes elegant and refined, as if those who practiced swordsmanship were all skilled in calligraphy.
He quickly wrote down the poem that Little Li had just whispered in his ear and handed it to the maid to take away.
"Brother Li, I am deeply grateful, but why only one sentence?"
Xie Xuan was curious about the complete poem after hearing that line.
"That's enough."
Li Mo covered his face and waved his hand.
He felt no pleasure in showing off in front of others; instead, he felt so embarrassed he wanted to dig his toes into the ground.
He wasn't exactly a refined person to begin with, and can this even be called poetry? This is plagiarism. Plagiarism is one thing, but using it to show off and be pretentious is another.
Suddenly, he felt the small hand in his palm being pulled away.
"What's wrong?"
Ice Block remained expressionless and smiled slightly:
"It's quite well-written that a single line of poetry can even include someone's name."
"!"
The maid took the Xuan paper and placed it on the table.
He wrote...
Hua Nongying's gaze had just landed on the paper when she suddenly paused.
"Dancing with my shadow, how unlike the mortal world!"
At this point, the winner of the "prize" round has been determined.
After spending a fortune, a wealthy merchant from the Imperial Capital revealed a victorious smile and turned to ask the beautiful woman to invite him into her chambers.
But Hua Nongying was sitting there in a daze, her eyes brimming with tears, and her face flushed.
She was still smiling, but compared to the courtesan, she seemed more like a young girl:
"A single word from you, Young Master Li, is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold; I would gladly spend the entire night talking with you."
"Haha, I knew it... huh?"
Xie Xuan had just jumped up when he realized something was wrong and choked on his own.
Everyone: "?"
On what grounds?
"A single word is worth a thousand pieces of gold" sounds nice, but what word can compare to real gold and silver?
Is it because they became famous at a young age?
The wealthy merchant who had just won the contest asked loudly:
"May I ask what masterpiece it is, more precious than a chest of my jewels?"
"I think... there's no need to read it aloud."
Little Li really couldn't hold back anymore; a feeling of social annihilation was spreading wildly in his heart...
The wealthy businessman looked at him with suspicion.
At this moment, at Hua Nongying's prompting, the maid brought the Xuan paper to the wealthy merchant's eyes.
Just one sentence?
He frowned as he glanced around, his expression gradually hardening, then turning somewhat dejected.
He cupped his hands in greeting to Li Mo, then sat down without saying a word.
"Then please stay, Young Master Li. I must take my leave."
Hua Nongying's pockets were slightly loose, revealing a glimpse of her shoulder; it was unclear whether this was intentional or accidental.
The implication was that the guest was being asked to leave.
The other guests then got up to leave.
"..."
Ice Block also stood up with a half-smile, his eyes saying:
"Then... I'll leave too?"
"Wait!"