Chapter 18 Su Shi, the Poet God

News of Chu Jiubian's meeting with Mr. Gongjin spread quickly.

Upon hearing that the two seemed to be having a poetry contest, the crowd couldn't contain their curiosity and rushed to the third floor, forcing the auction to be temporarily suspended.

The manager of the Treasure Pavilion panicked at the thumping sound overhead and rushed upstairs to squeeze into the private room, shouting, "Gentlemen! Gentlemen, please hear me out!"

The clamor of voices finally subsided a bit, and the innkeeper squeezed into the middle of the private room, where he saw Chu Jiubian and Bai Gongjin standing in front of the long table, as well as several distinguished officials.

He quickly smiled and bowed, saying, "I'm so sorry to have disturbed your enjoyment. However, the third floor is cramped. Why don't you gentlemen move to the first floor so we can have more space?"

Bai Gongjin, dressed in a dark blue robe, looked at Chu Jiubian and asked, "Young Master Jiu, shall we continue downstairs?"

“Okay,” Chu Jiu replied.

First courtesy, then force.

When Chu Jiubian met Bai Gongjin, the latter first talked about "The Road to Shu is Hard" and "A Spray of Plum Blossoms," saying how much he liked these two poems and how much he admired Li Bai and Li Qingzhao.

He also said that he had always wanted to meet Chu Jiubian and find out if there were any other masterpieces like this to appreciate.

Fearing that Chu Jiubian might be unwilling or have a reason to refuse, Bai Gongjin proposed to compose a poem himself first, as a starting point to inspire others.

He's already lowered himself so much; if Chu Jiubian still doesn't agree, it would seem as if he's afraid of him.

With so many spectators around, they're practically offering their faith points; there's no reason not to accept them.

Moreover, all the powerful and influential people present are waiting to see what abilities this "Ninth Young Master" has. If he doesn't show off, they will really look down on him.

If he were to enter the imperial court later, he might be looked down upon.

More importantly, Qin Xiao will definitely know everything that happened tonight.

He needed to continue cooperating with Qin Xiao; being too timid wouldn't be good for their future relationship.

Therefore, Chu Jiubian agreed without hesitation to "discuss" the matter with Bai Gongjin.

Seeing that the two people at the center of the incident had gone downstairs, the rest of the people naturally followed suit.

As darkness fell, the innkeeper ordered oil lamps to be lit throughout the building.

There were quite a few lights, but the light was dim and flickering, so they could only be used to see the road and people.

This is a common tactic used by the Treasure Pavilion: the auction starts in the evening, and once the lights come on at night, even the most ordinary items can be given a more atmospheric feel.

Bai Gongjin led Chu Jiubian to the first floor, preparing to go directly to the stage to discuss poetry.

Seeing this, many dignitaries stayed on the second floor and returned to their private rooms to look down.

Many more people followed to the first floor, sitting or standing, but all were surprisingly quiet.

The vast majority of these people today are here to verify Chu Jiubian's identity, a fact that Bai Gongjin, burdened with a heavy responsibility, is well aware of.

After standing on the stage with Chu Jiubian, he bowed to the crowd and said gently, "I never expected that my discussion of poetry with Young Master Jiu would disturb the auction and spoil everyone's enjoyment. I am truly ashamed."

Chu Jiubian stood quietly to one side, looking up at the private rooms on the second floor.

In the dim light, he saw all the powerful and influential officials upstairs, including Xiao Yao, sitting leisurely.

The way these people looked at him was as if he were a commodity waiting to be sold.

On the contrary, two steps behind him, Qin Chaoyang stood quietly, seemingly unremarkable yet somehow incredibly present.

At this moment, Chu Jiubian realized with absolute clarity that the Qin family members were not the same as those people upstairs.

He could even guess that if Qin Xiao were present at this moment, he would stand below the stage with his arms crossed, watching with amusement how he would deal with the situation, but he would never show that look of scrutinizing the goods.

Chu Jiubian felt that he might have been wrong from the beginning.

He and Qin Xiao were indeed not equal in status, but Qin Xiao never looked down on him, nor did he ever belittle his life.

Otherwise, his neck would have been broken by Qin Xiao on the day of his coronation ceremony.

Chu Jiubian's feelings were somewhat complicated, but his face remained calm and composed.

"Sir, you are overthinking it," someone in the audience said, and immediately more people chimed in.

"Both of you are exceptionally talented individuals, and it is our honor to witness you two discussing poetry in person."

"Yes, it's not at all like disturbing you, sir. You're too kind to us."

The atmosphere inside the building was peaceful, but then a sudden voice rang out.

The voice, tinged with amusement, lazily asked, "Are we going to compete or not?"

The noise inside the building suddenly subsided, and everyone looked toward the source of the sound, including Chu Jiubian.

Beside the vermilion stone pillar on the right side of the hall, a young man in a white robe stood with his arms crossed. His slightly curly long hair was casually draped over his shoulders, and there were faint traces of silver chains in his hair, which flickered like stars in the candlelight.

In the Great Ning Dynasty, which emphasized etiquette and regulations, it was truly strange and odd for a young man who had reached adulthood to have his hair disheveled like this.

Chu Jiubian even felt that he was more like a local than this person.

But I have to say, this guy is really quite handsome.

With delicate features and a pair of alluring peach blossom eyes, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, every smile and frown exudes a romantic and carefree charm.

At that moment, the other person's eyes fell on Bai Gongjin.

Bai Gongjin seemed to recognize this person, his expression stiffening.

Seeing this, the young man scoffed and said, "I hate people like you who put on airs the most. Aren't you just trying to make things difficult for this Ninth Young Master who stole your thunder? What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for?"

"Young Master Wang is too kind," Bai Gongjin said, barely maintaining his composure. "I merely wish to discuss a few things with Young Master Jiu."

"Let's get started then, so as not to delay my shopping."

Young Master Wang?

As Chu Jiubian was pondering the man's identity, Qin Chaoyang's voice rang out beside him in a low voice: "Young Master, that is Wang Qichen, the eldest son of the Langya Wang family. His birth mother died early, and the current mistress of the Wang family was brought up by a concubine."

I see.

Chu Jiubian looked up at the private room where the Wang family members were, and sure enough, he saw that the usually composed and gentle Wang family head had a dark expression on his face.

The father and son have a strained relationship.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed by this, Bai Gongjin smiled awkwardly at Chu Jiubian and said, "Then I'll offer my humble opinion as a starting point."

"Please," Chu Jiu said.

Bai Gongjin took a slow breath before saying, "A swift horse gallops through the clouds, a long song breaks through the dawn. A heart full of ambition, eyes that encompass ten thousand villages."

As soon as these two sentences were read aloud, everyone's eyes lit up.

He thought to himself, "As expected of the renowned Mr. Gongjin, this poem is truly exceptional."

Seeing everyone's reaction, Bai Gongjin felt much more at ease.

This poem, "Chasing the Wind," is his most satisfying work recently. It was influenced by the line "There will be times when the wind will break the waves and I will set sail to cross the vast ocean," which gave him such an open-minded state of mind.

He calmed himself and continued reciting the last two lines: "Gains and losses follow the seagulls, my whereabouts are determined by the wine cup. I have no fixed abode at the ends of the earth, my wandering soul is filled with the wind and moon."

After the poem was recited, thunderous applause erupted.

If you can read three hundred Tang poems by heart, even if you can't compose poetry, you can still recite it.

Chu Jiubian was the kind of person who couldn't write poetry but could distinguish between good and bad, so he knew that Bai Gongjin's poem was indeed quite good.

However, when each line of the other person's poem was taken out of context, Chu Jiubian could find similar artistic conceptions in the poems he had memorized. Therefore, after comparison, even the best poems were not so amazing.

But for the onlookers here, this was indeed a rare masterpiece, and for a time, the sounds of praise and discussion almost drowned out the entire Treasure Pavilion.

Amid the slightly chaotic scene, Chu Jiubian suddenly caught sight of two slender figures, hiding from people, hurriedly and carefully leaving through the back door.

Two women?

Chu Jiubian immediately recalled that the two women should be the same two women from the private room on the second floor, one dressed as a young lady and the other as a maid.

It's completely dark outside now, and the street is closed off again today, with no one going in or out.

If it's something like relieving oneself, there are several rooms on the third floor specifically prepared for women, all guarded by strong old women, so there's no need to leave.

Moreover, the women who came here today all came with the men in their families and their matriarchs. Even if some news suddenly came from home, it wouldn't be necessary for a young lady to take her maid back to deal with it.

Their hurried and nervous expressions suggested they couldn't possibly be sneaking out to play.

So what are we going to do?

Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at Qin Chaoyang behind him, who immediately stepped forward and asked, "What are your orders, young master?"

"Two girls are acting strangely; go and take a look."

Qin Chaoyang paused for a moment, glanced subtly in a certain direction on the first floor, then replied "Yes" and left. His figure disappeared into the shadows in the blink of an eye, without alerting anyone.

Chu Jiubian was startled for a moment.

This is the first time I've seen kung fu from this era; it's really cool.

But why is Qin Chaoyang so obedient to him? Could it be that Qin Xiao granted him some kind of authority?

For example, "Listening to Chu Jiu's Debate While Out and About".

Or perhaps it was because there were other guards watching him from the shadows that Qin Chaoyang wasn't worried about him running away, nor was he afraid that other forces would think of "killing Chu Jiubian if they can't have him"?

It seems the person guarding him must be highly skilled in martial arts; Chu Jiubian is relieved.

Bai Gongjin didn't notice Chu Jiubian. He listened to the compliments from the crowd below the stage and knew that after this night, his reputation for talent would spread even further. He couldn't help but feel a little proud.

He can write poetry, and he understands poetry even better.

Therefore, he also understands more clearly how difficult it is to create a poem like "The Road to Shu is Hard," and many poets spend their entire lives without being able to write one.

He didn't think that the poet Li Bai and Li Qingzhao could produce better poems that Chu Jiubian could spread, unless there was a third great talent.

"What do you think of my poem, sir?" he asked politely, feigning humility.

Chu Jiubian nodded: "That's right."

"I'm sure you have someone better, young master," Bai Gongjin said.

The building fell silent again, everyone waiting for Chu Jiubian's answer.

"To be honest," Chu Jiubian said with a faint smile on his indifferent face, like spring snow melting, which captivated many people.

Bai Gongjin, who was closest to him, was also stunned for a moment. After he came to his senses, he subconsciously lowered his eyes, not daring to meet the gaze of the immortal figure in front of him, and his heart beat faster.

This feeling was even more exciting than when he had just been complimented by everyone.

Chu Jiubian paid no attention to the reactions of others.

His voice was clear and cold, and his expression was nostalgic as he said, "In our immortal realm, there is also a Mr. Gongjin, but his surname is Zhou and his given name is Yu. He is a rare talent."

A dark glint flashed in Xiao Yao's eyes.

He recalled that when he mentioned "Mr. Gongjin" earlier, Chu Jiubian subconsciously asked, "Is his surname Zhou?"

Therefore, this Zhou Gongjin must have really existed.

Even if he wasn't a so-called immortal, he was definitely a member of the forces behind Chu Jiubian.

A man of great talent.

What kind of person would dare to use this word to describe someone?

Bai Gongjin was surprised that Chu Jiubian would say such a thing, and couldn't help but ask with some curiosity, "Does that Mr. Zhou Gongjin also write poetry?"

"Yes." Chu Jiubian said without hesitation, "But what I am going to recite now is not his poem, but a poem by the poet Su Shi, which was written in remembrance of Zhou Yu, called 'Ode to the Red Cliff'."

"The God of Poetry?" Bai Gongjin was speechless.

Everyone present forgot to speak.

Isn't it the poet Li Bai?

How come another poet like Su Shi has appeared?

Will there be other "Poet Saints" or "Poet Ghosts" in the future?!

The expressions of the dignitaries in the private rooms on the second floor changed. Sure enough, this Ninth Young Master had more than two great talents behind him. Now, another poet, Su Shi, and Zhou Yu, who was known as a "great talent," had also emerged.

Wang Huanzhi took a sip of tea and said, "You're just being deliberately mysterious."

Wang Zhang had already gotten up and walked to the railing.

Seeing that everyone's curiosity had been piqued, Chu Jiubian began to recite: "The great river flows eastward, its waves sweeping away countless heroes of the past."

"West of the old fortress, people say, is the Red Cliff of Zhou Yu of the Three Kingdoms."

These first two lines alone transport the audience into a desolate and profound atmosphere.

The people who had been sitting calmly in the private room on the second floor couldn't help but get up and walk to the railing, their burning gazes fixed on Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian seemed oblivious, continuing to recite in his cool voice: "Scattered rocks pierce the sky, surging waves crash against the shore, rolling up thousands of piles of snow."

Even without his deliberate, impassioned recitation, everyone could still feel the magnificent and awe-inspiring ancient battlefield from that single sentence.

"The landscape is like a painting, and countless heroes have emerged in this era."

How many heroes?

Was Zhou Yu not the only person on this poet's mind?

At that moment, those powerful and wealthy people seemed to feel a chill from the bottom of their hearts.

Where is the so-called "Red Cliff"?

What about the "Three Kingdoms" period?

Is it the name of a place, or does it refer to—three countries?

Thinking about this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Could there be other, even more powerful nations and forces lurking in places unknown to them? And what was the purpose of those forces sending Chu Jiubian to the capital?

Why did you hide it so well, and now you want to get involved in this mess in the capital?

Xiao Yao could no longer maintain the gentle smile on his face.

His gaze burned as he stared intently at the tall figure downstairs, his hands almost snapping the folding fan in two.

Such a terrifying force, yet none of them discovered it for so many years.

Either the other party is truly powerful to an uncanny degree, or the other party is not actually in this realm at all.

If so, is it really as Chu Jiubian said, that these poems, those people, the ice-making techniques... all came from the Immortal Realm?

This Ninth Prince.

Is it really a "god"?