Many of the Jing Officials on the city wall looked at Nie Changju with displeasure. Fang Yun, by contrast, remained composed, a smile on his face.
Fang Shouye, who knew Fang Yun extremely well, stared at him without saying a word for a long while.
Beside him, Chen Xibi asked quietly, "Old Fang, what do you think Void Sage Fang means by this? Why does his response feel so weak to me, so unlike the way he's acted lately? He even killed the head of the Lei Family, so why would he swallow his anger over this?"
Fang Shouye rubbed his chin. Only after quite some time did he say, "Hard to tell. It's a little like the Grand Duke sitting steady on his fishing platform, letting the willing take the bait. Just wait until the fifteenth day of the eighth month. Perhaps this year's Mid-Autumn Literary Gathering will become a grand occasion on par with the one held in Kong City that year."
"Could there be another Transmitted Under Heaven poem like 'When Will the Bright Moon Appear'?"
"Who can say for certain? Perhaps it'll go a step further and shock the Sages."
Everyone gradually took their seats. Dong Wencong swept a displeased gaze over Nie Changju and the others, then smiled. "The most important moment of the New Office Literary Gathering has finally arrived. Now, let us invite Void Sage Fang to compose a poem atop Lu Su's Military Review Tower and bring this gathering to a close. Whatever Void Sage Fang writes next, I shall read it aloud with Tongue Blossoms Thunder, carrying it throughout the city."
Everyone looked toward Fang Yun. The city wall fell utterly silent, save for the sound of Fang Yun grinding ink.
Before long, Fang Yun raised his brush and wrote at