Ma Qingtian pushed up his glasses and said solemnly, "Chen Zhao, we know there are plenty of things like this happening in literary circles these days—fathers writing for their sons to help them make a name for themselves. Your father helped write this Exhortation to Learning, didn't he? We'd like to meet the original author and make his acquaintance."
Chen Zhao thought, You want to meet the author of Exhortation to Learning? Xunzi? He's been dead so long there's nothing left but bones buried in the ground!
Chen Zhao smiled and explained, "I really did write Exhortation to Learning..."
The three old men still didn't believe him.
Mu Tianque angrily took off his glasses, furrowed his brows, and snapped, "I know plenty of scholars well versed in classical Chinese. They all say Exhortation to Learning is the work of a master. How could a child like you have written it? It's no shame for a young man to lack talent. What matters most is having good character. Where's your honesty?"
Ma Qingtian was angry too. "In name, Deng Tiejun invited us to this meal, but in reality, Mr. Mu and I are paying out of pocket. We wanted to meet fellow lovers of literature, and we invited a master capable of writing a fine work like Exhortation to Learning! What are you doing here, causing a scene? Please leave!"
The smile vanished from Chen Zhao's face, and his expression turned grim.
Those three old men looked like old-fashioned scholars. At their age, were they really going to judge him by appearances?
They wouldn't even verify his claim before kicking him out?
They were the ones who'd invited him to dinner, and he'd barely warmed his seat before they were trying to throw him out.
What kind of nonsense was this?
They called him over, then dismissed him at will. It was downright insulting!
Deng Zixin suddenly slammed her hand on the table with such force that the ceramic plate in front of her jumped with a clatter!
"What's wrong with you three old men? Are you trying to disrespect me?" Deng Zixin was furious. "You asked me to bring Chen Zhao, so I brought him—and now you're kicking him out! Are you looking for a fight? Want to throw down? Think you three old fossils can take me?"
Chen Zhao was stunned. He'd known Deng Zixin had a fiery temper, but he hadn't realized she was this fierce! This was amazing—almost a little too amazing!
The three old men immediately wilted, looking flustered. It was clear they were afraid of Deng Zixin. They were like timid fathers and uncles faced with a ferocious daughter.
"Zixin, don't get angry yet. Your two uncles have their reasons. I've read Exhortation to Learning, and it really is the work of a master. It couldn't possibly have been written by a young man..." Deng Tiejun tried to smooth things over. "But since young Mr. Chen is here, he can stay for dinner. We just want to meet the true author of Exhortation to Learning."
"How could it be impossible? Chen Zhao wrote that essay! If you don't believe him, test him!" Deng Zixin frowned and shouted angrily. "But once you're done, you have to apologize to him!"
Chen Zhao felt a warm glow in his heart. His landlady, Deng Zixin, was really good to him, fiercely standing up for him. She could be hot-tempered and arrogant, but she had a good heart. She was a kind girl.
Suddenly, the System Ring on his hand gave him a jolt, and several lines of prompts appeared.
[Triggered scenario quest: Earn the approval of three learned scholars] [Quest details: Write an essay on the spot and amaze everyone with your brilliance! Show those three old fools what a genius is, what it means to be badass, and how heroes have always risen from the young! Show them how the waves of the Yangtze River push the waves before them!] [Quest reward: Advanced Chinese Painting Skill Experience Book ×3]
After reading the system quest, Chen Zhao was briefly stunned.
Write an essay on the spot?
He wasn't any good at writing essays! What was he supposed to do?
He could force something out, though. He'd memorized plenty of classical works, and any one of them would be a classic. If it had been passed down through the ages, surely it could hold its own.
As for the quest reward, shouldn't it extend his High IQ Experience Period? Why was it an "Advanced Chinese Painting Skill Experience Book"? What even was that?
As Chen Zhao was pondering this, Mu Tianque's voice suddenly jolted him back to his senses.
"Chen Zhao, you say you wrote Exhortation to Learning. Then would you write another essay on the spot for us to appreciate?" Mu Tianque squinted at Chen Zhao, glaring at him with clear displeasure.
Ma Qingtian nodded too, watching Chen Zhao with a false smile. "Show us what you can do. It doesn't have to be on the same level as Exhortation to Learning. Just write something decent."
The two old men thought Chen Zhao would back down in the face of a challenge. After all, there was no way a child could write a good essay. If he tried to do it on the spot, he'd give himself away.
But to their utter surprise, Chen Zhao nodded. "Sure. I'll do my best."
Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian exchanged a glance, each seeing surprise and mockery in the other's eyes.
What a brave young man!
Since you're not afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of everyone, we'll play along to the end!
Let's see what you'll say when you can't write anything—or when you produce a terrible essay and try to explain it away!
Mu Tianque called out, "Waiter, could you bring us some paper and a pen? An ordinary sheet of paper and a fountain pen will do!"
The waiter waiting at the door quickly left to fetch them.
Deng Zixin gave Chen Zhao a deep, worried look, as if silently asking, Can you handle this, kid?
Chen Zhao smiled faintly and replied with his eyes, My writing will scare them senseless!
Before long, the waiter returned with the paper and pen and laid them in front of Chen Zhao. The paper was a large sheet, similar to A4, and the pen was a gold-plated Parker fountain pen.
"Are you gentlemen going to give me a topic, or should I write about whatever I like?" Chen Zhao asked, looking up.
The three old men looked at each other, then turned back to him.
"Write whatever you like. Any topic is fine," Deng Tiejun said. After all, Chen Zhao was a junior, and assigning him a topic might seem too harsh. Letting him write freely would still reveal his literary skill and ability.
Chen Zhao nodded and uncapped the fountain pen. If he could choose his own subject, that made things easy. There were so many great essays from his previous life—he could pick any one and write it down.
"I just noticed that the room next door is called Yueyang Hall. As it happens, I visited Yueyang Tower a while ago. I was inspired by the scenery and wrote an essay. I'll write it down now for you gentlemen, though it may not be very good," Chen Zhao said.
Then, without bothering to look at the three old men's reactions, he put pen to paper!
"I have seen the magnificent scenery of Baling, all centered on Dongting Lake. It connects to distant mountains and swallows the Yangtze River. Its waters stretch vast and mighty, without end in sight; the morning light and evening shadows bring a thousand changes. This is the grand view of Yueyang Tower, already described in full by those who came before. Yet to the north it reaches as far as Wu Gorge, and to the south it extends to Xiaoxiang. Exiled officials and wandering poets often gather here. Might their feelings differ depending on what they see?"
Chen Zhao wrote at lightning speed, hardly pausing to think. Lines of classical prose flowed from his pen!
"When the rain pours without cease, the skies stay dark for months, fierce winds howl, and the turbid waves surge into the sky..."
"Then, when spring is warm and the scenery bright, the waves lie still, and the sky and water merge into a single expanse of blue..."
Before long, he had finished the entire essay. Chen Zhao blew on the tip of his pen, like a gunslinger coolly blowing on the barrel of his gun after firing.
Before you continue