Reserve Divination Medium

Chen Shi'an's expression changed several times before he finally said, his face full of difficulty, "Pavilion Mistress Tao, I wouldn't dare defy your instructions, not in ten thousand lifetimes.

But I have reasons beyond my control that prevent me from writing the poems for you."

"Because of Wang Tianye?" Tao Yaoyao asked mildly.

Chen Shi'an jolted. "How did you know?"

The corners of Tao Yaoyao's lips lifted slightly. "Here in Windrise Stronghold, nothing I wish to know can escape my eyes!"

You certainly got to show off this time.

Chen Shi'an put on an expression of shock, panic, and fear.

"Stay at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion from now on and write poems for me. I'll protect you and your Chen Family," Tao Yaoyao continued.

Chen Shi'an sighed softly. "Pavilion Mistress Tao, if I really knew how to compose poetry, I would absolutely agree without the slightest hesitation.

But although I did give those poems to Lu Chenyang, I didn't write them."

"You didn't write them?" Tao Yaoyao frowned.

And so Chen Shi'an repeated the story he had used to deal with Lu Chenyang.

Tao Yaoyao fell silent for a moment, fixing Chen Shi'an with eyes as clear as autumn waters. "To outsiders, you present yourself as a gambling scoundrel, yet you possess accomplished penmanship and even invented chili sauce.

Chen Shi'an, you might fool Lu Chenyang, but you can't fool me.

You wrote those poems!"

As she spoke, an oppressive aura radiated from her once more.

Terror filled Chen Shi'an's eyes, and his voice trembled. "Pavilion Mistress Tao, if I could write poetry like that, I would certainly accept your request and your protection without hesitation. Why would I still need to worry about Wang Tianye?"

Tao Yaoyao kept her gaze firmly locked on Chen Shi'an. Only after a full ten breaths did regret appear on her face. "Have you remembered the final two lines?"

Chen Shi'an hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Dean Lu gave me half a month. I should be able to remember them."

"Once you remember, bring the poem straight to me. Whatever Lu Chenyang can do, I can do as well." Tao Yaoyao raised her chin slightly.

Chen Shi'an looked troubled. "Pavilion Mistress Tao, I naturally believe in your influence.

But I've already promised Dean Lu. If I break my word, I'll not only have to worry about Commander Wang, but also face Dean Lu's wrath."

Tao Yaoyao said, "I can handle Lu Chenyang too."

Chen Shi'an hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed. "I'm endlessly grateful for your kindness, Pavilion Mistress Tao.

But our Chen Family are residents of the Stronghold, after all. Even with your protection, we truly wouldn't dare offend Commander Wang and Dean Lu at the same time.

Besides, even if I give the poems to Dean Lu, they will ultimately reach your hands. Please don't make things difficult for me, Pavilion Mistress Tao."

Tao Yaoyao narrowed her eyes slightly. "Chen Shi'an, don't think flattering Lu Chenyang with poetry will let you sleep soundly on a high pillow.

I understand Lu Chenyang's nature ten thousand times better than you do. The day you fail to remember any more poems, he may well be the first to kill you to seal your lips."

Panic appeared on Chen Shi'an's face. "Dean Lu must never learn what happened today. Please keep this secret for me, Pavilion Mistress Tao."

Tao Yaoyao curled her lips slightly. "Why should I keep your secret?"

Chen Shi'an cleared his throat. "Dean Lu only wants poems to please you, Pavilion Mistress Tao. All he wants are works like 'Yaoyao Song.'

But you truly understand and love poetry. The manuscript I found contained other poems unlike 'Yaoyao Song.'

If you'll keep my secret, I can give you one right now."

At this, Tao Yaoyao's eyes lit up, and she called loudly, "Cui Zhu, bring paper and brushes as quickly as you can!"

Before long, Cui Zhu returned and delivered the paper and brushes to the carriage, panting for breath.

While grinding ink, Chen Shi'an searched his memory for a poem. As he picked up the brush, he said cautiously, "Pavilion Mistress Tao, about Dean Lu..."

Tao Yaoyao waved a hand and snorted. "If what you write is good enough, I'll naturally keep your secret.

If you dare fool me, you know the consequences."

"I wouldn't dare. I wouldn't dare."

Chen Shi'an drew a light breath and gently lowered the brush in his hand.

Soon, a five-character quatrain flowed from his brush:

The lofty tower rose a hundred feet;

My hand could pluck the stars.

I dared not raise my voice,

For fear of startling those in heaven.

Tao Yaoyao silently recited it once, her eyes growing brighter and brighter. She asked delightedly, "Does this poem have a title?"

Chen Shi'an didn't dare let someone else name it again. He hurriedly said, "Night Lodging at a Mountain Temple."

Tao Yaoyao exhaled in admiration. "A few years ago, many of Windrise Stronghold's finest poets gathered at Cloud Temple to make friends through poetry. Everything they wrote put together couldn't compare to this single 'Night Lodging at a Mountain Temple'!"

"Pavilion Mistress Tao, the poem is finished, so I'll take my leave. Please keep your word and preserve my secret." Chen Shi'an cupped his hands slightly and prepared to leave the carriage.

"Wait."

Hope crept into Tao Yaoyao's voice. "Chen Shi'an, do you remember any other poems?"

Chen Shi'an looked apologetic. "For now, this is the only one I remember."

Tao Yaoyao's delicate brows creased. "Write me another. Name your terms."

Chen Shi'an shook his head repeatedly. "Pavilion Mistress Tao, I truly only remember this one right now."

"Whatever your terms, so long as I can fulfill them!" Tao Yaoyao raised her voice.

Chen Shi'an slapped his forehead, delight spreading across his face. "What a coincidence! I suddenly remembered another fine poem!"

He picked up the brush again, but did not lower it for a long while.

Tao Yaoyao gave a soft snort. "Speak. What are your terms?"

Chen Shi'an chuckled. "Didn't you just say that once I'm no longer useful, Dean Lu might cross the river and tear down the bridge behind him?

I hope you'll lend a hand and point our Chen Family toward a clear path, a way to survive."

Tao Yaoyao considered briefly. "If you wrote these poems yourself, I could let you become a resident literary guest at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

Once you held that position, neither Wang Tianye nor Lu Chenyang would dare lay hands on your Chen Family lightly."

What a difficult woman. Even now, she's still testing me!

Chen Shi'an sighed softly. "If only I really had the ability to write these poems."

Tao Yaoyao asking Chen Shi'an to become a literary guest at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion served the same purpose as Lu Chenyang asking him to join Windrise Martial Academy. Both wanted poetry.

Once he agreed, Chen Shi'an would undoubtedly be placed under tight control, reduced to a miserable poetry slave, a cow squeezed for milk every day.

He could just barely accept enduring humiliation and shouldering a heavy burden.

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But if he entered the Hundred Flowers Pavilion or Windrise Martial Academy, he would be surrounded by Tao Yaoyao's and Lu Chenyang's eyes and ears. His grand Sword-Draw undertaking might become difficult to sustain.

That was absolutely unacceptable.

Tao Yaoyao gently smoothed the long hair hanging over her forehead. "Lu Chenyang can only hold Wang Tianye off for you temporarily.

To resolve the Chen Family's crisis, you'll ultimately have to rely on yourself.

But with your abilities, opposing Wang Tianye would be nothing more than a tale from the Arabian Nights."

"That's why I'm asking you now, Pavilion Mistress Tao."

Chen Shi'an lowered his head and cupped his hands. "Others might have no solution, but you surely do."

Tao Yaoyao's eyes shifted. "If I committed myself to protecting you, I could naturally resolve your Chen Family's crisis.

But you aren't valuable enough to make me turn against Wang Tianye, let alone Lu Chenyang."

After a pause, she continued, "The reason your Chen Family has incurred Wang Tianye's enmity is that the problem lies with Chen Tiantian..."

Chen Shi'an's expression suddenly darkened. "Pavilion Mistress Tao, I cannot agree with what you just said.

Our Chen Family are the victims here. What does Tiantian have to do with it? Wang Tianye is the one who has utterly abandoned his conscience!"

Tao Yaoyao clearly disliked being interrupted, and her expression turned noticeably unpleasant. "I can see that you care deeply about your niece. Just now, she was very concerned about you too.

But here in the Desolate Ruins, familial affection is a luxury for ordinary people like you.

Because you simply cannot protect it."

Chen Shi'an set the brush on its rest and raised his head, looking straight at Tao Yaoyao. "Including 'Night Lodging at a Mountain Temple,' I'll write you three poems in total.

In return, use your connections to make my niece a Reserve Divination Medium of Windrise Stronghold."

Windrise Stronghold had a tradition of praying for blessings and warding off calamity. Divination Mediums were indispensable to every such ceremony.

Divination Mediums enjoyed extremely high status within the Stronghold and received its special protection.

To ensure that the blessing ceremonies went without a hitch, Windrise Stronghold maintained four Spirit Mediums: one active and three reserves.

For a child in the Stronghold to be chosen as a Spirit Medium was an unsurpassed honor.

Thus, whenever Spirit Mediums were selected, families with children of the right age tried every possible means to compete for a place.

However, selecting Spirit Mediums involved examination after examination, and at every stage the examiners would pluck feathers from even a passing goose.

For ordinary Stronghold residents without wealth or power, participation meant merely filling out the ranks and adding to the bustle of the selection ceremony.

Windrise Stronghold stipulated that Spirit Mediums had to be between eight and thirteen years old.

A month earlier, one of the three reserve Spirit Mediums had passed the age of thirteen.

The Stronghold was now selecting a new Spirit Medium.

If Chen Tiantian could become a reserve Spirit Medium, Wang Tianye naturally wouldn't dare harbor designs on her anymore.

Originally, Chen Shi'an had planned to keep up his humble performance to achieve his goal, then lie low a while longer and grow stronger.

But Tao Yaoyao had maintained her lofty, superior attitude throughout, and her words just now had even laid the blame on Chen Tiantian.

This was the profound prejudice, indifference, and disrespect of those in power toward those beneath them. She plainly couldn't distinguish black from white.

Remembering how Chen Tiantian had defended him and worried about him before he left, anger rose in Chen Shi'an's heart, and he decided to change his strategy.

Now that he was a Ranked Martial Artist, he already had some leverage, as well as more choices.

Few people in Windrise Stronghold dared stare so openly and unreservedly into Tao Yaoyao's eyes. Even Lu Chenyang had to restrain his gaze somewhat.

Yet now Chen Shi'an stared straight at Tao Yaoyao without the slightest respect, even with a measure of scrutiny.

Moreover, his eyes were dark and deep, like two bottomless black wells, and actually made Tao Yaoyao's heart flutter with apprehension.

For an instant, Tao Yaoyao actually wanted to avert her eyes, not daring to meet Chen Shi'an's gaze.

"So this is your true intention, your true face? I nearly misjudged you."

Tao Yaoyao quickly steadied herself. "Did you deliberately steer everything so that I would come here today?"

Chen Shi'an neither confirmed nor denied it. "My next two poems will be no worse than 'Night Lodging at a Mountain Temple.'"

Tao Yaoyao immediately followed up. "Why go to such lengths? Couldn't you simply have come directly to me?"

Chen Shi'an lifted his eyelids slightly. "Wang Tianye might make a move against Tiantian at any time. Though your influence is considerable, you aren't as well placed as Lu Chenyang to pressure Wang Tianye promptly.

More importantly, everyone in Windrise Stronghold knows of your cold beauty and pride. Who knows how many outstanding young talents have found your door shut in their faces?

A deal loses its worth when you chase too eagerly after it. If I came directly to you, I'm afraid I'd get the same result."

"So you made me chase after you?"

Tao Yaoyao curled her lips. "Chen Shi'an, are you so certain that I'll let you lead me by the nose and help you achieve your goal?"

Chen Shi'an shook his head. "We're making a transaction now, one both parties willingly accept.

If you don't want to make this deal, Pavilion Mistress Tao, I have no power to force you. Consider 'Night Lodging at a Mountain Temple' a free gift."

Tao Yaoyao narrowed her eyes slightly. "If I don't help you, how long can you keep maneuvering between Lu Chenyang and Wang Tianye?"

The corners of Chen Shi'an's lips rose slightly. "You needn't trouble yourself over that, Pavilion Mistress Tao."

"Chen Shi'an, you've got some nerve! No one in all of Windrise Stronghold dares speak to me this way. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?" Tao Yaoyao's expression turned cold.

Chen Shi'an's smile did not fade. "Your martial prowess is exceptional, Pavilion Mistress Tao, and you command the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. If you wish to kill me, I can only bare my neck for slaughter.

But you truly love poetry. If you kill me, you'll never have another chance to see those timeless masterpieces in the manuscript."

Tao Yaoyao's gaze was icy, and her breathing grew noticeably heavier. Only after a full six breaths did she say coldly:

"The Spirit Medium selection ceremony has already entered its latter half. It's too late to squeeze your niece in now."

Chen Shi'an smiled slightly. "You're being less than candid, Pavilion Mistress Tao. The Hundred Flowers Pavilion sponsors Windrise Stronghold's blessing ceremony every year.

In a Spirit Medium selection ceremony where people are fleeced at every stage, slipping someone in would be all too easy for you."

Tao Yaoyao snorted softly. "I can only get Chen Tiantian into the final selection round. I cannot guarantee whether she'll ultimately become a Reserve Divination Medium."

"Deal!" Chen Shi'an settled the matter decisively, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

Tao Yaoyao glanced sidelong at him. "You're that certain she can become a Reserve Divination Medium?"

Chen Shi'an brimmed with confidence. "A bunch of dull-witted children pushed through by power and money, with neither looks nor substance-what do they have to compete with our Tiantian?"

Tao Yaoyao's lips lifted slightly. "Even if Chen Tiantian becomes a Reserve Divination Medium, she's already over ten, and she'll have to retire at thirteen.

Without the protection of her Spirit Medium status, Wang Tianye, who avenges even the smallest slight, certainly won't let the matter rest.

You'll buy yourself less than three years. How will you deal with it then?"

Chen Shi'an chuckled. "Those of us struggling to survive at the bottom cannot compare with great figures like you, who gaze far ahead from lofty heights.

We can't plan that far into the future. We'll take care of what's before us first, then take the rest one step at a time."

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