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Chapter 44: Senior Sister, Do You Know Second Ox?
Chapter 44: Senior Sister, Do You Know Second Ox?
Lindsay knew her current request was somewhat unreasonable.
But she couldn't bear to return like this.
Her teacher, Master Wei, had been looking forward to today's literary competition for two years, pouring his heart and soul into teaching her. But the outcome was a complete defeat, not a single win?
She could accept this outcome, but where would her teacher's dignity be?
She couldn't win against Russell, but at the very least, she had to leave her teacher with a shred of dignity!
And she was certain she would win this round!
After all, the depth of the poetic imagery and the intensity of the emotions were the most profound she had ever encountered!
"A poetry competition?"
Russell hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
He genuinely didn't want to further disappoint this young senior sister.
If it were any other competition, he might have been a bit apprehensive, but when it came to poetry—
Not just this young senior sister, but even if he included his teacher and everyone present, they wouldn't be a match for him.
Thinking about this, he pondered how to gently refuse her.
However, to his surprise, the renowned Scholar Malcolm's eyes lit up.
"A poetry competition? Great!"
"Your poetry, Lindsay, is a masterpiece I've had the fortune to hear. This is the perfect opportunity for you two to spar."
Beside him, Ian also chimed in, smiling and clapping.
"Lindsay's poetry is indeed remarkable. I was regretting not hearing the full piece earlier, but today, my wish will be fulfilled."
They had witnessed Russell's formidable strength, and a competition in anything else wouldn't be as interesting, as the two were on different levels.
But poetry was a different matter!
The half-poem Victor had recited to them recently had left them amazed for a long time.
Although Russell excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Lindsay's poetry was certainly no less impressive!
"Oh? It seems Senior Niece Lindsay has a deep foundation in poetry."
Hearing the praise from the two great scholars, Ethan also looked at Lindsay with interest.
In the Scholarly Dao, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were generally considered offensive cultivation techniques.
However, reading poetry and prose was the best method to cultivate and enhance one's righteous aura.
The more one read and the more proficient one became in poetry and prose, the faster one's cultivation in the Scholarly Dao would progress.
In the Scholarly Dao, those called great scholars might not be strong in offensive techniques, but their poetry and prose were undoubtedly profound.
Now that Lindsay had earned the praise of a great scholar, it was clear she had genuine talent.
This piqued Ethan's curiosity about what kind of poetry Lindsay could produce.
"I lost in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but I will definitely win in poetry!"
Hearing Ethan's words, Victor, who had been despondent, managed a weak smile.
Although he had lost badly today, winning one round would help salvage some of his dignity.
Otherwise, he would return with his tail between his legs.
"Teacher, maybe we should just... let it go."
At this moment, Russell spoke up hesitantly.
"Why should we let it go?"
Ethan looked at Russell, "It's just a competition. Winning or losing isn't a big deal. Go ahead and give it your all."
Ethan knew that Russell would certainly lose this time.
Over the past two years, to suppress the growth of Russell's righteous aura, he had never taught him poetry or prose.
Even the books he had read were mostly about etiquette and morality. How could Russell write poetry?
Today, Russell had won too much. Losing one round would help adjust his mindset, which wasn't a bad thing.
However.
Hearing this, Russell was even more troubled.
"Go ahead and give it your all? Does this mean I have to use my full strength?"
Lindsay's eyes had been red-rimmed. If he lost again, she might cry.
Then, who would have to comfort her?
Russell sighed, pondering what kind of poem he should choose to make Lindsay's defeat less embarrassing.
Seeing Russell's sighing, Ethan shook his head.
"Losing is nothing to be so upset about.
“
‘This will also give your Uncle Master and Senior Sister a way to save face. Otherwise, they would have come all this way only to lose, which would be quite embarrassing.’
Su Changqing was taken aback for a moment before his eyes lit up.
So, they didn’t really expect him to win? That made things much easier. He had been agonizing over this.
On one hand, he couldn’t disobey his master’s orders, and on the other, he had to show mercy to his Senior Sister, who was just starting out. Although it wouldn’t really matter, he had to remember this gesture.
Now that he understood his master’s true intentions, Su Changqing completely relaxed.
“Senior Sister, you go first. I’m looking forward to your masterpiece.”
Su Changqing smiled, his eyes filled with curiosity.
He was eager to see what the poetry in this world was like.
“Alright, listen carefully, Junior Brother.”
Ling Si smiled confidently and began:
“This poem is untitled.”
“Meeting is hard, parting is harder still, the east wind weakens, and the flowers wither.”
“Spring silkworms—”
“Pfft! Cough, cough, cough.”
As everyone else was amazed by her words, Su Changqing, who had just taken a sip of water, spat it out and started coughing violently, completely stunned.
“This poem—”
Su Changqing’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Changqing, what’s wrong with this poem?”
Li Qingchen frowned, seeing Su Changqing’s unusual reaction.
“This poem—”
Su Changqing’s mind raced, but he forced a smile when he saw everyone’s questioning looks.
“This poem is excellent.”
No one knew that Su Changqing was completely flabbergasted.
Ling Si gave him a puzzled look before continuing:
“Meeting is hard, parting is harder still, the east wind weakens, and the flowers wither.”
“Spring silkworms spin silk until they die, the candle burns to ash before the tears dry.”
“Morning mirrors fear the change in clouded hair, night chants feel the cold of the moon’s light.”
“The journey to the mountain is not far, the bluebird diligently seeks a glimpse.”
The poem ended, and everyone present was amazed.
Li Qingchen was particularly generous with his praise:
“This poem’s imagery is extraordinary. In just a few lines, it captures the difficulty of meeting and the pain of parting.”
“Even more brilliant is how it uses images like ‘withered flowers,’ ‘burnt candles,’ and ‘spring silkworms’ to vividly convey the poet’s sorrow.”
“The words, meaning, and atmosphere are all perfect.”
As he spoke, Li Qingchen looked at Ling Si and said:
“To write such a poem at your age, Apprentice Niece, you are truly remarkable.”
Wei Cang, who had lost the literary competition, couldn’t help but smile. He knew how proud Li Qingchen was, and for the current Scholar Immortal to say ‘remarkable’ spoke volumes about the poem’s quality.
Moluan and Yixian, standing nearby, couldn’t stop praising and immediately copied the poem onto paper.
“This little Senior Sister is truly talented in poetry.”
Shuhan was equally amazed, feeling humbled.
He had thought he was a rare prodigy in the literary world, but meeting Su Changqing made him realize he was just a frog at the bottom of a well. Now, hearing Ling Si’s poem, his last bit of pride was completely extinguished.
“Learning has no end.” Shuhan sighed dejectedly.
Everyone continued to discuss and praise the poem, but Ling Si remained calm. She knew that the praise wasn’t for her, but for the predecessor.
To save her master’s face, she had no choice but to use someone else’s poem today.
“Sorry, Senior. I will visit and apologize in two days.”
Ling Si sighed inwardly, planning to visit after the literary competition.
At this moment, Su Changqing, who had been holding back his curiosity, couldn’t resist and asked Ling Si in a low voice:
“Senior Sister, do you know Er Niu?”
(End of Chapter)
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