Li Fanming continued, "The second minor nuisance is the Qing Officials in Xiang Prefecture, along with the merchants and commoners under their control. If they make a move, Void Sage Fang has nothing to fear, but Governor-General Fang does. Since he's an official, he has to abide by the rules of officialdom much of the time, and making trouble for an official couldn't be easier. Of course, in my view, these are all minor nuisances, not enough to damage Fang Yun's literary reputation."
Prefect Yao smiled. "Well said. Very perceptive, and you haven't let other people's words sway you. At least so far, I don't believe anyone can cause Void Sage Fang serious trouble either. But do you think his victory at this Yueyang Tower Literary Gathering is assured?"
Li Fanming shook his head helplessly. "I haven't mentioned the Zong Family or the Western Sea Dragon Palace. Those two are genuine, major threats. So far, apart from Elder Zong Ganyu saying he will grace Yueyang Tower with his presence, neither has made any statement. The more they hold back, the stronger their final strike will be."
"What do you think Void Sage Fang's chances of winning are?" Prefect Yao asked.
The others from the Qi Kingdom grew even more curious.
Li Fanming sighed softly, then fell silent for several breaths before saying, "Fifty percent."
Prefect Yao nodded gently. Sighs rippled through the Qi Kingdom scholars. Although they all wanted Yellow Crane Tower to retain its grip on the title of the world's foremost tower, they did not want to see Fang Yun lose to the Zong Family or the Western Sea Dragon Palace either.
Big Rabbit chewed and chewed, then stopped, holding the carrot greens limply with a bowed head, utterly dejected.
The wave carried everyone ashore. Once they had