The Path of the Sage

The long river flows through the city like a jade belt, with a faint mist covering the water surface. Willow trees hang down on both sides, and countless people crowd the banks.

On the sandbar, everyone on the dragon boat stands up.

On top of the black-tiled high building, the Prefect of Yu Hai recites a eulogy to the ancestors, representing the official start of the dragon boat race.

"Raise the flag!" someone shouts on the sandbar.

The drummers on the five dragon boats hold up the red flag together, reinforcing it one last time to prevent it from falling during the race.

"Beat the drum!" the person shouts again.

The five drummers strike the drums together, the rhythm is steady, the sound is deafening, and the crowd on both sides cheers again, shaking the two little ears of Nunu, who covers her ears to block the noise.

"Let's begin," Qian, the Presented Scholar, says.

The people on the second dragon boat sit down and start grinding ink.

Just as Fang Yun finishes grinding the ink and hasn't even picked up his brush, he hears someone in the crowd exclaim.

"The first dragon boat has talent! It's still rising."

Fang Yun immediately looks towards the first dragon boat where the people from Qing Kingdom are. Under the power of the official seal, he sees a faint orange aura rising from the paper in front of Shi Dehong, a disciple of the Poet Sage. It continues to grow and has now exceeded one foot, reaching the standard for leaving the county.

The talented scholar in front snorts and says, "They must have been prepared for a long time. They probably spent months preparing the draft in their minds without actually writing it down."

The accomplished scholar on the third dragon boat sighs lightly and says, "As disciples of the Poet Sage, it's unlikely that we could write a poem that meets the county-level standard in our lifetime."

"They excel at writing this kind of romantic poetry in Qing Kingdom, which is surrounded by no external enemies. If we were allowed to write about boats and ships, although our literary talent might not be as good as theirs, we could inspire more vitality from heaven and earth. We wouldn't lose to them!"

"Stop talking and start writing!"

The aura in front of Shi Dehong continues to rise. When he finishes writing the entire poem, the aura reaches one foot and seven inches, just three inches away from the prefecture level. It is truly astonishing.

Shi Dehong smiles faintly, then glances at Fang Yun and the other people from Jing Kingdom's dragon boat. He notices that no one has started writing, so he recites his own poem to himself, "The Jade River on the Dragon Boat Festival..."

He only recites one line before he realizes that everyone is looking behind him. He sees that the aura on the paper in front of Yan Yukong, a disciple of the Half-Sage, is growing at an even faster rate.

On top of the black-tiled high building, Feng Zimo, the Prefect of the Prefecture, sees Yan Yukong's poem with the power of the official seal. Yan Yukong writes a line, and Feng Zimo recites a line.

Some officials remain silent, while others praise a few times. No one dares to belittle the disciples of the Half-Sage, especially since Yan Yukong's writing is excellent and the aura is not deceiving.

When Yan Yukong puts away his brush, a two-foot-one-inch aura appears in front of him on the paper.

"The poem meets the prefecture level!"

The people from Jing Kingdom on both sides let out a long sigh. The willow branches sway as if they are being blown by the sighs of the crowd.

A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.

The people from Qing Kingdom on the first dragon boat show joy on their faces. The aura of only two people has reached four feet.

The other four people from Qing Kingdom immediately start writing. The auras in front of each person surge, with one person writing a poem and three people writing lyrics. After they finish, the auras from the entire dragon boat merge together, reaching a total of five feet and seven inches.

Then, the aura from the first dragon boat activates the vitality of heaven and earth, and a faint blue light appears on the dragon boat. This light is the power that propels the dragon boat forward.

"Last year, the team from Qing Kingdom had an aura of only four feet and six inches in the first round of poetry. I didn't expect it to increase by so much this year."

The people from Qing Kingdom on the other four dragon boats sigh with disappointment. They are afraid of writing poorly and losing face.

Fang Yun notices that something is wrong with the people on the second dragon boat. They are clearly overwhelmed by the momentum of the people from Qing Kingdom. Even though these people have prepared their poems in advance, they still need to make some adjustments. Without the momentum, they are likely to mess up their poems.

The dragon boat race emphasizes teamwork among the six people. If the other five lose their momentum, even if Fang Yun writes a poem with an aura of four feet, they will undoubtedly lose.

Fang Yun takes a deep breath and says, "Fellow writers, if we lose to Qing Kingdom, the literary people of Jing Kingdom will bear the stigma of eighteen consecutive defeats. Even if we win next year, Jing Kingdom will never be able to wash away the shame! Qing Kingdom has an aura of five feet and seven inches, but as long as our dragon boat has an aura of five feet and eight inches, we can surpass them! I alone will take up two feet and five inches, are you five willing to share the remaining three feet and three inches?"

Two feet is enough to meet the prefecture level, and in the future, there will be a chance to enter the "Path of the Saints."

The five people in front turn their heads together and look at Fang Yun in astonishment. Seeing his determined expression, they are greatly encouraged!

"Each of us only needs to contribute six inches of aura! How can I not do it!"

"We must gather three feet and three inches!"

"We will never lose this battle!"

The morale of the five people soars, dispelling the gloom brought by the people from Qing Kingdom.

Shi Dehong, the disciple of the Poet Sage, laughs heartily and says, "The literary people of Jing Kingdom are indeed arrogant! Do you think it's easy to write a poem that meets the prefecture level? A talented scholar like you dares to boast like this, you are even more arrogant than the first ruffian, Yi Zhishi!"

Qian, the Presented Scholar, turns his head and says, "The lip guns and tongue swords of the people from Qing Kingdom are getting more and more powerful, but now we are writing poetry, not competing in verbal skills. Wait until we win the silk banner on the dragon head bridge, and you will naturally know who is the arrogant one, it's not us!"

"I'm waiting! If you can win first place, I, Shi Dehong, will eat the dragon heads of all five dragon boats!"

The people from Jing Kingdom on the second dragon boat ignore Shi Dehong and start writing slowly.

Fang Yun doesn't engage in the argument. He first writes the title of the poem, "Washing Silk Sands," and then adds the words "Dragon Boat Festival."

The officials on the black-tiled high building nearby immediately become excited.

"Fang Shuangjia has started writing!"

"Zi Mo, what did he write?"

"'Washing Silk Sands on the Dragon Boat Festival'!"

"He started writing again, you should recite it quickly."

"You... I'll recite it. Light sweat slightly penetrates the blue silk, bathing in fragrant orchids on the Dragon Boat Festival morning. The fragrance flows and saturates the clear river..."

"Great! The scene of women playing on the Dragon Boat Festival is vividly portrayed, especially the flowing fragrance, which is quite novel. After the women finish dressing up, they pour all the powder and rouge into the river, naturally creating the flowing fragrance that saturates the clear river."

"This aura is growing even faster than Yan Yukong's!"

The people on the second dragon boat continue to write their poems, but the people on the other dragon boats are all watching Fang Yun.

Yan Yukong, who used to be arrogant, looks at Fang Yun.

At this moment, Fang Yun turns his head and looks at Yang Yuhuan and Zhao Zhuzhen on the boat. The little fox immediately waves its paw at Fang Yun.

Fang Yun smiles slightly and continues to lower his head to write the second half of the poem.

The Prefect of the Prefecture, Feng Zimo, continues to recite, "Colorful threads lightly wrap around the red jade arm, small talismans hang diagonally on the green cloud-like hair. A thousand years of meeting between lovers."

Someone applauds, "The colors are bright and vivid, as if they are right in front of us. It turns out that it praises the Child Bride of Jiangzhou, who is also known as Xi Shi. The colorful threads wrapping around her arm can prevent illness, and the small talismans hanging on her body can ward off disasters. The poem praises her beauty and also wishes her a life without illness or calamity, and a thousand years of companionship with her lover. The description of the Dragon Boat Festival scenery in the front and the blessing to the lover with Dragon Boat Festival items in the back are much more brilliant than Yan Yukong!"

Everyone nods in agreement. Poetry should ultimately have emotions.

Yang Yuhuan can't see clearly or hear clearly, but she smiles and looks at the aura that keeps rising in front of Fang Yun.

When Fang Yun finishes writing, Yang Yuhuan asks softly, "Sister Zhao, how many feet and inches is Little Yun's poem? I can't see clearly from here."

Zhao Zhuzhen doesn't mind Yang Yuhuan revealing her gender and looks at a Presented Scholar behind her. The Presented Scholar immediately says, "Two feet and eight inches, the poem meets the prefecture level, surpassing Yan Yukong by seven inches."

Zhao Zhuzhen asks, "What did he write?"

The Presented Scholar says, "We will find out when we row the painted boat to the outside of the buildings where the Prefect and the Prefect of the Prefecture are."

"Okay."

The others continue to write their poems, and the painted boat soon stops at the bank below the building. One person hands Fang Yun's poem up.

Yang Yuhuan has only recently learned to read and can't understand it, but she sees that it's Fang Yun's poem and likes it just by looking at it.

Nunu, on the other hand, stares at the poem and carefully reads each word, dancing with joy.

Zhao Zhuzhen softly recites, "Light sweat slightly penetrates the blue silk..." Finally, she lowers her head, looks at the river surface, and repeatedly murmurs, "A thousand years of meeting between lovers, a thousand years of meeting between lovers..." Her eyes reveal a faint sadness.

Before long, she looks up at Fang Yun and says softly, "Fang Shuangjia, your talent is astonishing. Yu Huan, this poem is written for you. You must remember it well."

"Ah? It's written for me?" Yang Yuhuan is overjoyed.

"Yingying! Yingying!" Nunu nods with a smile.

Fang Yun finishes writing "Washing Silk Sands on the Dragon Boat Festival." Shortly after, the others in the same boat finish writing as well. None of their poems reach the county-level standard of one foot, and even when combined, they don't reach three feet and three inches. However, Qian, the Presented Scholar, has an aura of more than nine inches, performing exceptionally well.

In the end, the aura on Fang Yun's second dragon boat reaches an astonishing five feet and nine inches, surpassing the first dragon boat by two inches. Even people in the distance can clearly see the difference.

"Heavens have eyes! Jing Kingdom can finally hold its head high!"

"Jing Kingdom will win for sure!"

The crowd on both sides is boiling with excitement. Some literary people even have tears in their eyes. They never expected to turn the tide after seventeen consecutive losses.

Many people shout wildly, cheering for Fang Yun and the others on the second dragon boat.

Tong Li, who made a bet with Fang Yun, stands on the bridge of the dragon head, gripping the stone railing tightly, looking at the front in disbelief.

"Fool! A so-called disciple of the Poet Sage and a disciple of the Half-Sage can't even compare to Fang Yun, a young talented scholar! A bunch of fools!"

Someone immediately shouts, "Which country are you from? How dare you slander Fang Yun? I'll break your legs!"

"Is anyone helping the people from Qing Kingdom? Who? Show yourself!"

"Who dares! Is it you?"

"It's not me! You misunderstood!" Tong Li hurriedly waves his hands, terrified.

The people around him take a few glances at Tong Li. Seeing his luxurious robe and his wealth and status, they don't take action. One person points at him and says, "If you dare to help the enemy country again, don't blame us for taking action!"

"Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!" Tong Li quickly leaves, and his friends hurriedly follow.

The people from Qing Kingdom on the first dragon boat, except for Yan Yukong, remain unchanged, while the other five people are in chaos.

"Who is that person? He's just a young talented scholar. How could he write a poem that meets the prefecture level?"

"Could it be cheating by the officials of Jing Kingdom? The aura might be fake."

"It's highly possible!"

Yan Yukong calmly says, "If I'm not mistaken, that person is Fang Yun, the number one Child Scholar of Jing Kingdom. He should be the number one Talented Scholar now."