Family Heirloom!

The crowd was still chattering without end.

"The court has yet to respond to the Double-A Honor Before the Sages. They may be waiting for the Literary Archway's approval before rewarding him all at once. But now that this poem has reached Nation-Quelling rank, it will certainly appear before the court tomorrow. By rights, composing a Nation-Quelling poem increases our national fortune, so at the very least he should be granted a noble title. Township Baron is far too low; he should at least be made a County Baron."

"This poem is extremely likely to be recommended by Li Grand Academician to the Sacred Way monthly. And Spring Dawn will certainly appear in next month's Sacred Way. Two poems appearing together—such a thing has not happened in a hundred years."

"However, I heard that among the three editors of Sacred Way, one is Qing Kingdom's youngest Grand Academician. Jing and Qing have been at odds for a long time. Might he make trouble from within?"

"Impossible, surely? Even if the three Grand Academicians are editors, a Great Scholar still has the final say. There should not be any problem."

"The problem is that Fang Yun also had a poem, Year's End, recommended."

"Three poems appearing together? Unprecedented. Who knows whether it will be a blessing or a curse? From what the county magistrate said, he did not want Fang Yun to become too famous too quickly and wanted him tempered for a few years. But now, there is no way to hide him."

"He is about to steal the limelight. It is completely different for a Licentiate to produce a Nation-Quelling poem than for a Great Scholar's poem to reach Nation-Quelling rank. Blessing or curse aside, being from the same hometown as him is my good fortune."

"Still, Fang Yun, do not grow arrogant. In the eyes of the sages, Classic Interpretation is the great path, Governance of the State Realm is the Middle Way, and poetry is merely a minor path."

"The wheel of fortune turns. Now that the Demon Barbarians are glaring like tigers at their prey, perhaps one can carve out a Half-Sage path with this minor path." Su Provincial Graduate subtly revealed his view of the current situation.

"That is true. With Fang Yun's tremendous talent, in a few decades, he may not be unable to step onto his own great path."

"Indeed."

Before long, County Magistrate Cai secretly took out the inkpad he carried with him. Then he asked someone else for the page containing the poem and placed it on the stone table.

"Fang Yun, come here. Your handwriting is more than ten times better than it was in the County Examination. The bones and structure of these characters are highly distinctive. I have never seen anything like them; they seem to possess the bearing of a School of Names. Come, tell us about it," County Magistrate Cai said.

Everyone had already finished reading it, so they voluntarily stepped aside and let Fang Yun walk to County Magistrate Cai's side.

Academy Director Wang stroked his beard and smiled. "A teachable child indeed. Though this handwriting is still somewhat immature, it is no worse than that of an ordinary Licentiate. It already carries the air of a master. Within three years, he may surpass us all. This... County Magistrate, what are you doing?!"

Academy Director Wang's eyes widened as County Magistrate Cai suddenly struck. He grabbed Fang Yun's right thumb, pressed it into the vivid red inkpad, then pressed it onto the page bearing Early Departure from Ji County.

Fang Yun raised his thumb in confusion. A clear red fingerprint remained on the paper.

Everyone looked at County Magistrate Cai in bewilderment. What kind of play was this?

With the speed of thunder before one could cover one's ears, County Magistrate Cai snatched up that page and bolted, reciting a Swift Movement Battle Poem as he ran.

"Young, mounted swift as flying, Sold all scholar's robes for battle dress; Old, unaware my strength had waned, At night's end, I still dreamed of breaking free from siege."

As he recited the poem, a wild gale rose around County Magistrate Cai. With the lightest tap of his foot, each stride carried him seven or eight zhang. His body glided through the air at astonishing speed, not one whit inferior to a galloping steed.

County Magistrate Cai threw back his head and laughed. "Hahaha! This poem shall be my family heirloom! Fang Yun, go in peace!"

Fang Yun nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood. Was this really a Metropolitan Graduate? Was this really the head of a county? Someone like this even had a chance of becoming a provincial governor? Last night, he had claimed to be a student of the Literary Chancellor. Was this the sort of student a Great Scholar taught? Would they ever be able to happily discuss Classic Interpretation again?

The others suddenly understood, and every one of them turned green with envy!

Su Provincial Graduate shouted, "You shameless thief, do not flee! Return my worthy son-in-law's Nation-Quelling poem! What are you waiting for? Join forces and stop him!"

"Old Su is right! If he dares touch the Literary Treasure Official Seal, this official will impeach him!" Academy Director Wang said in a furious panic.

"Cai He, how can you be so treacherous? You are no man's son! No man's son!"

Su Provincial Graduate pointed ahead of County Magistrate Cai and swiftly recited Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang's famous war song, Song of the Great Wind.

"A great wind rises, clouds fly aloft; might blankets all beneath Heaven, I return to my homeland; where may I find fierce warriors to guard the four quarters?"

When Provincial Graduates slew enemies, verses flowed from their mouths as chapters.

A sharp tearing sound rang through the sky. Then a cyan tornado thirty zhang tall appeared before County Magistrate Cai and swept toward him at tremendous speed. The great wind formed by the war poem far exceeded a natural tornado. Its wind blades were like knives; anyone caught inside would surely be minced into flesh.

Academy Director Wang was not to be outdone. He recited Jing Kingdom Half-Sage Chen Guanhai's battle poem, Canglang Journey. A massive wave four zhang high and nine zhang long appeared behind Cai He, attacking in concert with the tornado from front and rear. This wave was even stronger than the force Constable Lu had unleashed using the Literary Treasure Waist Pendant.

"They have all gone mad," an Academy Student muttered.

Several older Academy Students watched the spectacle with smiles. Unless everyone present attacked with all their lives on the line, they could never stop County Magistrate Cai. He was a Metropolitan Graduate, after all.

Fang Yun stood amid the chaos like a man tossed by the wind, neither knowing whether to laugh nor cry. He had never expected his first time witnessing scholars battle with war poetry would be under such circumstances—and that it would be caused by one of his poems.

"Haha, this poem is mine for certain! Sword, emerge—cleave!"

County Magistrate Cai laughed as he expelled Literary Qi, condensing it into a Talent Qi Ancient Sword.

The Talent Qi Ancient Sword slashed into the tornado. With a thunderous boom, the tornado exploded into scattered clouds of cyan qi.

At the same time, the Niu Barbarian who had been protecting County Magistrate Cai leaped fiercely into the air, rising a full two zhang high, then swung his fist down at the enormous wave Academy Director Wang had summoned.

Boom!

The Niu Barbarian was blasted backward by the powerful recoil like a leather ball, while the wave's force weakened and it could no longer catch up with County Magistrate Cai.

The Niu Barbarian smashed a shallow pit into the ground, then rose while shaking his head. He patted the dust from his body, utterly unhurt.

"He is actually a Barbarian General." Fang Yun had not expected this Niu Barbarian to be so powerful. A Barbarian General was equivalent to a Human Race Provincial Graduate and could single-handedly crush an army of a thousand.

Though a Barbarian General could not Shatter a Provincial Graduate's battle poem in one blow, it was even harder for a Provincial Graduate to kill a Barbarian General. In a one-on-one fight, a Barbarian General had an overwhelming chance of victory, possessing individual strength the Human Race could not compare to.

"Hahaha! Fang Yun, go find Registrar Zhou tomorrow. I will give you a small gift." Cai He laughed as he rushed into the city. He displayed none of a county magistrate's composure; he was simply a high-spirited mad scholar.

Su Provincial Graduate was so angry that his beard bristled and his eyes bulged. He cursed helplessly, "That little fox Cai He! How did I not think of this trick? Fang Yun, if my daughter or granddaughter becomes your concubine, could you get that Nation-Quelling poem back for me?"

Su Provincial Graduate looked at Fang Yun with utter expectation. Though he was already over fifty, his gaze was more pitiful than a little kitten's.

Fang Yun was equally helpless. "How was I supposed to know County Magistrate Cai was so cunning? It is only one poem. Forget it. I should be going. Farewell."

Academy Director Wang reached out to stop him and asked, "You do not have any new poems to compose?"

"How could Nation-Quelling poems be so easy to write?" Fang Yun nearly rolled his eyes. Academy Director Wang had gone astray too.

"If not Nation-Quelling, State-Ringing will do. My appetite is not as great as County Magistrate Cai's. A State-Ringing poem would be enough to serve as my family heirloom," Academy Director Wang said.

Su Provincial Graduate said, "I do not need State-Ringing. Prefecture-Reaching will do. Lyrics will do too, and songs as well."

An Academy Student quietly said, "A County-Exceeding one would be enough for me. I have been worrying over a suitable betrothal gift for my second son."

Another Academy Student teased, "If you really can obtain a County-Exceeding poem or lyric from Case First Fang, you can bring it to my home as a betrothal gift. My daughter is known as Little Yuhuan."

"Then it is settled!"

The people around them burst into laughter.

Fang Yun glared at the two Academy Students, amused and irritated. He cupped his hands and said, "Farewell, everyone." Then he jumped onto the carriage.

Su Provincial Graduate called out, "Do not leave! My daughter or granddaughter's marriage can be discussed. Could you save your next Nation-Quelling poem for me? I also have a grandniece who is quite lovely."

Fang Yun did not know whether to laugh or cry. He merely waved goodbye.

Academy Director Wang sighed. "Cai He is simply insatiably greedy. Not only did he receive a gifted poem, he even snatched away the original Nation-Quelling poem! This cannot be allowed to stand! A dignified Nation-Quelling poem was seized by that bastard Cai He with a pressed fingerprint—what kind of propriety is that? We must make him bleed heavily. We absolutely cannot let him get off cheaply."

Su Provincial Graduate said, "Of course we cannot let him off! But that fingerprinted Nation-Quelling poem is too rare. Once Fang Yun becomes famous, he will surely have his own seal and will never press fingerprints again. That page may well be a unique, peerless relic. If Fang Yun becomes a Great Scholar or is even enfeoffed as a Saint someday, Cai He will have struck gold."

Academy Director Wang's face turned livid. "Whenever I think of Cai He snatching that Nation-Quelling poem, my heart aches. My heart is bleeding! I would trade my official position for that poem!"

"Come! Let us go to his house for breakfast. We will go for lunch and dinner too, and eat there for three straight days! Otherwise, the hatred in my heart will never be eased!" Su Provincial Graduate said angrily.

"Come!"

Everyone responded in agreement and headed toward the county office with smiles.

Fang Yun shook his head and lifted the carriage curtain before entering.

The inside of the carriage was rather dim, yet Fang Yun saw a pair of bright eyes looking at him.

Yang Yuhuan's eyes held shock, delight, and gratification—but even more, admiration and worship.

"Little Yun, you are incredible!" Yang Yuhuan said excitedly, staring at Fang Yun without blinking.

"I suppose I did all right." Fang Yun felt a little embarrassed.

Yang Yuhuan said, "How can you call that merely all right? Even a woman like me knows the reputation of Nation-Quelling poems. Look at those high officials—they actually started fighting over you. I have never heard of anything like that. You are simply... no, you truly are a great talent!"

Fang Yun could not help smiling. He had only written a poem, yet Yang Yuhuan was acting like an obsessed fan chasing a star. At that moment, she seemed even more radiant and lovely.

Fang Yun studied Yang Yuhuan carefully, then said, "Sister Yuhuan, you have become prettier again. But you are still too thin. Keep eating."

"Nonsense!" Yang Yuhuan lowered her head, blushing.

Mother Jiang flattered him, "Young Master Fang truly is the Literary Star descended to the mortal world. Just one poem, and he made officials fight. What will happen in the future? But they will not truly fight to the death, will they?"

Fang Yun smiled. "You worry too much. Academy Director Wang and Su Provincial Graduate only acted because they were furious for the moment. It is not that serious. Are there not war poetry literary assemblies? This was much like a sparring match."

"That is good," Mother Jiang said.

Fang Daniu called loudly from outside, "Young Master, I saw a war poetry literary assembly a few years ago. The theme then was 'fire,' and they wrote war poems. Two Academy Students actually signed life-and-death contracts. In the end, one was burned alive. It was terribly gruesome."

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