Utterly Shameless!

"Heh..."

The corners of Jiang Xiaobai's mouth lifted slightly, but when he turned around, his expression changed again in an instant.

Indeed, he somehow looked faintly forlorn. "May I ask, Miss Li... is there anything else?"

Looking at him, Li Zhiwei pressed her red lips together and said softly, "You still haven't collected the prize I promised you earlier, Heir Jiang."

"If you don't mind, why not stay a little longer?"

"Once the Poetry Gathering ends, I'll write it out myself and present it to you. How does that sound?"

"But... but I'm an ignorant good-for-nothing!"

Jiang Xiaobai sighed softly. "I don't belong here!"

At those words.

The expressions of everyone around him shifted once more.

In particular, those who had just been struck speechless by his four poems couldn't help twitching at the corners of their mouths.

Unacceptable!

It was simply unacceptable!

For someone as notorious as Jiang Xiaobai to produce four such poems out of nowhere truly left a bitter knot in their chests.

And now he was playing coy, refusing while inviting persuasion. It made them want to march over and give him a beating!

Upon hearing his words, however, Li Zhiwei couldn't help chuckling softly. "Heir Jiang, your poems were so stunning they seemed the work of a celestial being."

"If even you count as an ignorant good-for-nothing, wouldn't the rest of us have to hang our heads in shame?"

"Well... all right, then."

Jiang Xiaobai said, "Since you've put it that way, Miss Li, I... will stay a little longer."

"Then thank you for doing us the honor, Heir Jiang."

Hearing that, Li Zhiwei's smile deepened.

Jiang Xiaobai waved a hand lightly, then led the guard beside him back into the crowd.

With his return, the atmosphere became noticeably more subdued than before.

There was no helping it.

Those four poems of Jiang Xiaobai's had carried far too much weight.

So much weight that these so-called talented scholars felt crushed beneath them, scarcely confident enough even to speak.

However unwilling they were to accept it, the poems stood before them. They had to acknowledge their merit.

Fortunately, just then, Li Zhiwei's voice sounded again.

"Everyone, let us end the theme of integrity and spirit here."

She paused, then continued, "Since this is a Poetry Gathering, doing nothing but composing poems would be rather monotonous."

"Why don't we... exchange matching verses for amusement next?"

Matching verses?

At those words.

Quite a few eyes in the gathering immediately brightened.

Compared with composing poems on an assigned theme.

Matching verses was undoubtedly more entertaining.

And most importantly... inspiration alone wasn't enough for matching verses.

It tested both the depth of one's learning and the speed of one's response.

For a moment, the somewhat stifled atmosphere grew considerably livelier.

The White-Clad Man also smiled faintly. "Matching verses sounds splendid!"

"In that case, allow me to offer my humble attempt first."

As he spoke, the White-Clad Man stepped slowly forward.

Then he raised his head and surveyed the garden, his gaze finally settling on a cluster of flowering branches swaying gently in the night breeze.

A moment later, he said softly, "Wind stirs the flowers' shadows into fragments."

That brief five-character line fell.

The expressions of quite a few people around him grew intent.

Wind stirs, flowers' shadows, fragments.

It seemed simple.

Yet on closer consideration, it was extremely difficult to match.

For the line contained not only scenery, but an interplay of motion and stillness.

That final word, "fragments," was an especially exquisite touch.

It captured the scattered shapes of the swaying flower shadows while instantly bringing the entire scene to life.

To produce a matching line, one needed more than perfectly balanced wording.

The poetic atmosphere also had to measure up.

For a time, everyone around him lowered their heads in thought.

Some frowned.

Some murmured under their breath.

Clearly, they were all struggling to devise the answering line.

Even Li Zhiwei lowered her eyes slightly, seemingly turning possible wording over silently in her mind.

Seeing that no one spoke for some time, the White-Clad Man's eyes glimmered with a faint smile.

Then he slowly turned his head and fixed his gaze directly on Jiang Xiaobai.

"Heir Jiang, I wonder... can you match it?"

As the White-Clad Man's words fell.

Whoosh!

Almost simultaneously, every gaze in the gathering swung toward Jiang Xiaobai.

Matching verses demanded accumulated learning and genuine ability even more.

Clearly, the White-Clad Man was deliberately testing Jiang Xiaobai.

If Jiang Xiaobai couldn't answer.

Even after composing those four poems, he would inevitably leave some room for doubt.

Naturally, Jiang Xiaobai saw through his intentions. He looked up at the White-Clad Man, the corners of his mouth slowly curving into a faint smile.

"What's so difficult about that?"

Barely hesitating, Jiang Xiaobai answered at once, "Moonlight casts the willow tips aslant."

As those five characters fell.

Silence first settled over the crowd.

Then astonishment appeared on quite a few faces.

Moonlight casts matched wind stirs.

Willow tips matched flowers' shadows.

Aslant matched fragments.

Whether in wording or poetic atmosphere, the balance was impeccable!

One depicted flower shadows stirred into fragments by the wind.

The other depicted willow tips cast aslant beneath the moon.

Between motion and stillness lay a subtle, indescribable charm.

"Exquisite!"

"What perfect balance!"

"Yes, that answering line... it's as though it was always meant to be exactly that!"

Exclamations of admiration immediately rose one after another.

The smile on the White-Clad Man's face stiffened slightly.

Clearly, he hadn't expected Jiang Xiaobai to answer so quickly and so assuredly.

But Jiang Xiaobai merely smiled faintly, without a trace of smugness. "Since we're exchanging verses for amusement, I'll offer one too."

At those words.

Quite a few people grew tense, though they were also somewhat curious.

They wondered what kind of line Jiang Xiaobai would propose!

Then Jiang Xiaobai took an unhurried half step forward, raised his head, and said with a smile, "Near water, first sensing the night's faint warmth!"

As those eight characters fell.

The garden, where some voices had still lingered, abruptly fell silent, and everyone frowned.

What a disappointment. It was utterly unremarkable!

There was nothing much to it!

Taking in their expressions, Jiang Xiaobai curled his lips. "Read deeply, and only then will you grasp its meaning!"

At his words, everyone sank into thought. After briefly considering it, Li Zhiwei's eyes suddenly brightened, and she blurted out, "Meeting you, only then knowing this longing is not mine alone?"

Hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai's smile immediately deepened.

Then Li Zhiwei realized what she had said. With a soft gasp, she lowered her head, embarrassment and annoyance gathering between her brows.

Indeed, despite her veil, the flush on her face was plain to see!

Seeing her reaction, the people around her couldn't help feeling puzzled.

But as they read more deeply, they gradually understood the meaning of the paired verses.

For a moment, their expressions became a spectacle, before pair after pair of eyes turned toward Jiang Xiaobai in indignation.

Damn it, this bastard was utterly shameless!

Everyone else was matching verses for amusement. Was Jiang Xiaobai planning to match verses to win himself a bride?!

Shameless!