A Comparison?

"In that case, I'll go first!"

Just then, a young man stepped forward before anyone else.

He straightened his robes, took two steps forward, and raised his head to survey the crowd, a glimmer of confidence flickering in his eyes.

Clearly.

He was rather pleased with himself for being the first to step forward.

After all, at a Poetry Gathering, the first person to take the stage often drew the most attention, provided his poem was good.

At that thought, his eyes brightened, and he immediately began to recite.

"To live, a man must have a spine, nor bow his head nor fret and pine. If trouble makes him first retreat, how can he stand proud, his life complete?"

As his verse ended, several cheers immediately rose from the crowd.

"Not bad!"

"The meaning is clear!"

"Not exactly breathtaking, but a solid effort!"

Hearing the voices around him, the young man's expression grew even more self-satisfied.

Indeed.

He had been the first to step forward.

And in his own opinion, his poem was quite good.

At the very least, it was probably better than what most people present could produce.

At that thought, he puffed out his chest, a little more arrogance creeping into his expression.

Yet nearby, Jiang Xiaobai's gaze grew rather odd at the sight.

A moment later.

The corners of his mouth twitched, and he finally failed to hold back a laugh.

This... this fucking counted as poetry?

For a moment, Jiang Xiaobai wore a rather peculiar expression.

Before he could think further, a second man eagerly stepped forward.

He was a rather tall, thin-looking man.

He took two steps forward, cleared his throat, then said with perfect composure, "Strength of character is an excellent theme!"

"As it happens, I have quite a few insights on the subject myself!"

"So inspiration came to me very quickly!"

With that, he smiled faintly, then swayed his head as he recited, "A green pine stands beside the mountain stone, fearing neither wind nor frost alone. Trunk straight, leaves green, roots firm below, a fine appearance it does show."

As the poem ended.

Another chorus of praise immediately rose from the crowd.

"Excellent!"

"Well written!"

"Using the pine to convey the theme-how wonderful!"

"Yes, this is clearly a cut above the previous poem!"

Listening to everyone's praise, the second man's smile grew increasingly pronounced.

He even deliberately lifted his head and glanced toward Li Zhiwei.

It was as though he dearly hoped to see some admiration on that breathtakingly beautiful face as well.

However.

Just then.

"Pfft..."

A stifled laugh suddenly escaped.

Everyone froze for a moment.

Then they saw Jiang Xiaobai standing nearby, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Clearly, that laugh had come from Jiang Xiaobai.

And this time, it was noticeably more exaggerated than before.

The smile on the man's face instantly stiffened.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiaobai seemed finally unable to contain himself any longer. He covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking even harder.

At the sight, many of those around him turned their gazes toward him in unison.

Some looked stunned.

Some frowned.

And, of course, some were plainly displeased.

The man who had just finished reciting looked particularly grim, anger surfacing in his eyes.

"Sorry, everyone, sorry!"

Jiang Xiaobai waved his hands repeatedly. "I just suddenly thought of something funny!"

"Please continue, please continue!"

Despite his words, the way his face flushed red from suppressing his laughter made him utterly unconvincing.

"You..."

At the sight, the man's face immediately reddened.

He felt as though something were blocking his chest.

This was an unspeakable humiliation!

Yet Jiang Xiaobai's remarks had been watertight.

He insisted that he had merely thought of something funny.

For a moment, the man could find no proper grounds to lash out.

In the end, he could only fling his sleeve, snort coldly, and retreat.

But the matter clearly did not end there.

Just then, another man stepped forward.

He was clearly unwilling to accept this either. Once he stood in place, he immediately began to recite, "Proud bones are born amid the wind..."

Yet he had only just spoken the first line.

"Hahaha!"

An even clearer laugh rang out once more.

And this time, there was not the slightest attempt to conceal it.

The man's voice cut off abruptly.

Then he whipped his head around and glared furiously at Jiang Xiaobai.

"Jiang Xiaobai!"

"Aren't you going too far?"

"You... you... you're a disgrace to cultured society!"

As his angry shout fell, the crowd, which had remained relatively restrained until then, began to look hostile.

Clearly.

They, too, thought Jiang Xiaobai had gone too far.

Regardless of how good the poems were.

Laughing repeatedly like this really did leave others with no face to save.

Yet just as the man stood there seething, before Jiang Xiaobai could speak.

From another direction.

A voice tinged with amusement suddenly rang out at a leisurely pace. "Heir Jiang, you're laughing so merrily... surely you have a fine poem of your own?"

At those words.

Everyone's expression shifted.

They all turned toward the voice.

Three figures were approaching slowly from nearby.

Two men and one woman.

One was the White-Clad Man who had been seated in the pavilion earlier.

The other was Zeng Qingchi, the distinguished young man of noble birth.

As for the woman, she was the one who had played the zither in the pavilion earlier.

However, Jiang Xiaobai did not know any of the three.

The one who had just spoken was the White-Clad Man.

Wearing a faint smile, he approached, looked at Jiang Xiaobai, and continued gently, "How about this?"

"I happen to have thought of a poem myself. Why don't we... compare ours?"

"Oh?"

At those words, Jiang Xiaobai raised his head and glanced at the White-Clad Man.

The other man was smiling, but beneath that smile lurked something difficult to describe.

Indeed, his words seemed casual, yet there was clearly a hint of mockery in them.

"What, afraid?"

When Jiang Xiaobai remained silent, the White-Clad Man asked with a smile.

"Hardly!"

Jiang Xiaobai shook his head. "Will you go first, or shall I?"

The White-Clad Man smiled faintly and raised a hand, gesturing for him to proceed.

"In that case..."

At the sight, the corners of Jiang Xiaobai's mouth lifted. "I won't stand on ceremony!"

As his words fell.

Quite a few contemptuous gazes immediately turned his way.

In their eyes.

Jiang Xiaobai was nothing more than an ignorant, good-for-nothing wastrel.

His earlier offhand recital of that insulting poem had most likely been a fluke.

Now, faced with a theme like "strength of character," what could he possibly recite?

"Hmph, putting on airs. I'd like to see what this useless fool can write!"

"Exactly. Let's hope he can even string together a complete line!"

Whispers drifted from the crowd, but Jiang Xiaobai acted as though he had heard nothing. "Since verse is what we're composing, I'll begin with a lyric poem!"

With that, Jiang Xiaobai gently cleared his throat and lifted his gaze slightly. In that instant, his entire bearing seemed to change.

Some of his earlier flippancy faded, replaced by an indescribable stillness.

A moment later, Jiang Xiaobai began to recite slowly. His voice was not loud, yet every word seemed to carry a mysterious force, ringing clearly through the crowd.

"Outside the post station, beside a broken bridge, it blooms in solitude, with none to tend it. Already dusk, it grieves alone, assailed still more by wind and rain. It has no wish to vie for spring, letting all other blossoms envy it. Fallen into mud, ground into dust!"

At that point, Jiang Xiaobai paused, the corners of his mouth lifting. "Only its fragrance remains unchanged..."