Such a Scene, Such a Moment
"Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!"
The carriage had not been stopped for long when a string of hoofbeats sounded in the distance.
The next moment, several fine horses came galloping around a distant corner.
As they drew near, the riders swept their gazes around. Noticing Zhang Yong, the provincial graduate, standing to one side, they hurriedly reined in their horses.
After dismounting, they approached Zhang Yong with delighted faces.
"Master Zhang, fancy meeting you outside Yueyang City!"
The newcomer seemed to be an old acquaintance of Zhang Yong's, stepping forward to bow with his hands clasped.
Zhang Yong paused at the sight of him, then smiled. The newcomer was the son of Yueyang City's county magistrate.
They had met before while drinking tea in a garden, so they could indeed be considered old acquaintances.
"What a coincidence, meeting you young gentlemen here."
Zhang Yong showed no intention of putting on airs before them, returning their greeting with a smile.
"Master Zhang, are you heading to the capital for the examinations? You've left yourself rather little time."
One look at his appearance told the magistrate's son that he was heading to the capital for the examinations.
But calculating the time, he felt Zhang Yong had set out rather late.
Hearing this, Zhang Yong offered an explanation.
As they were talking, they suddenly heard the words of several people farther away. They turned to look, then could not help frowning.
"Good grief, the scenery really is gorgeous from here."
Seeing Zhang Yong catching up with acquaintances, Zhang Yong and the others were in no hurry to continue their journey. They stood where they were, looking at the scenery ahead, wonder creeping onto their faces.
This was because Yunmeng Marsh lay just a short distance outside the city.
It happened to be noon, and beneath the sunlight, vapor rose from the marsh, seeming to take solid form as it stirred up wind and waves.
"Such a scene, such a moment-I really feel like composing a poem!"
Zhou Ling, who was a little on the short side, sighed beside them.
Everything about the Seeking the Dao World was quite good, but the inability to take photos and such really was a terrible shortcoming.
There were many places of uniquely beautiful scenery in the Seeking the Dao World.
Yet they could not take photos and post them to the outside world. If they could, they would probably have been snapping selfies like mad by now.
"Ah, the internet breeds talent today; timeless lines come with a flick of the wrist. Seeing scenery lovely as a painting, I meant to recite a verse or say something. Alas, I have no learning-one 'holy shit' takes me around the world."
Wu Yong sighed as well, a hint of ruefulness appearing on his face.
Hearing this, Zhou Ling and the others burst into laughter.
But Zhang Yong and his companions nearby all frowned at the doggerel, casting several more looks their way.
"Ah, mere martial brutes. What would they know of composing poems and matching couplets?"
Looking at them, the magistrate's son sneered inwardly. "He did get one thing right, though."
What he had composed had none of poetry's beauty, displaying nothing but vulgarity.
Hearing these words, the others could hardly avoid feeling some distaste.
"These people all come from a foreign land, apparently a country called Blazing Summer. I previously heard that the people of that foreign country were all literate and possessed extraordinary literary talent. Looking at them now, I suppose they amount to no more than this."
Along the way, Zhang Yong had heard these people talking.
Although there were things he did not quite understand, after listening for so long, he had come to know a little more about them.
Recalling some of the rumors he had heard, he shook his head repeatedly.
Listening to the others spouting nonsense, Fang Zelin could not help smiling.
But then, when he heard the people behind him bringing Blazing Summer into their discussion, he frowned.
Judging an entire country over a casual piece of doggerel really was rather repulsive.
Wu Yong and the others were probably too weak to hear Zhang Yong and his companions, and continued chatting among themselves.
After some thought, Fang Zelin suddenly spoke to Wu Yong.
"Brother Wu, lend me your saber."
Wu Yong and the others were chatting happily when they suddenly heard Fang Zelin speak.
Wu Yong turned, about to tell Fang Zelin that he sounded far too bookish.
But when he saw Fang Zelin's rather earnest, solemn expression, he froze slightly. Thinking something serious had happened, he immediately tossed over the saber at his waist.
Fang Zelin caught the saber with a backhanded motion. Spotting a large rock nearby, he drew the blade and stepped forward to carve into it.
Curious about what Fang Zelin intended to do, the others drew closer to look. When they saw the words he was carving, they froze.
"In the eighth month, the lake's waters brim; embracing the void, they blend with the lofty heavens?"
"Is this... a poem?"
They stared blankly, then looked at Fang Zelin in astonishment.
None of them had expected Fang Zelin to compose a poem on the spot.
In all their schooling, their textbooks, and the extracurricular books they had read, they had never encountered such a poem.
By the look of it, Fang Zelin had composed this on the spot?
If that was the case, this fellow was impressive!
"Vapor steams over Yunmeng Marsh; waves shake Yueyang City?"
"Oh, that line is excellent! It captures the scenery before us to the very last detail!"
"Exactly. Composing a poem of this caliber on the spot is truly impressive."
As they looked at Fang Zelin, all of them marveled at his literary talent.
Meanwhile, hearing the recitation, Zhang Yong and his companions hurried several steps closer. When they saw the verse carved into the great rock, their faces instantly burned.
The fact that he was carving the poem straight into the rock made it clear that he had heard their conversation and was doing this because of it.
He had spoken about someone behind his back, only to be caught by that very person.
At the thought, Zhang Yong felt uncomfortable all over.
Besides, he could tell that the man wanted to show them that Blazing Summer had capable people too.
He could not write out the rest of this poem, but these lines suited the scene.
Fang Zelin stopped writing there, merely carving the words "Blazing Summer" where the author's signature would go.
The others probably did not yet know that the Seeking the Dao World was a real world.
Similar things might happen again in the future. Leaving a poem here to give his own people a little boost in morale would be a good thing too.
If that was not enough, he could leave a few more in the future. In any case, he only needed to carve "Blazing Summer" as the signature.
Having finished, Fang Zelin glanced, seemingly casually, at Zhang Yong and his companions, then tossed the saber back to Wu Yong.
"I've reached my destination, so I won't be traveling with you any farther. I'll take my leave."
Just now, Fang Zelin had vaguely seemed to see a dragon's shadow swimming past up ahead.
Judging by its direction, Fang Zelin felt it should be connected to the dragon he was seeking.
He therefore planned to act alone from here on.
Wu Yong also knew that Fang Zelin's destination was around here. Hearing this, he did not try to stop him and simply watched him leave.
Only after Fang Zelin had gone far into the distance did Zhang Yong withdraw his gaze, saying with some feeling, "I never thought your Blazing Summer would have someone so capable."