Ever since Zhou Zhiwei came to power, Jing Ba had felt that something was wrong.
He had met Zhou Zhiwei many times before and knew that he was very talented and arrogant. In the whole of Jinxi, there was no scholar who could be his equal.
But why do I look so wilted today?
To encourage him, Jing Ba added, "Young Master Zhou is not only highly learned and talented, excelling in both poetry and prose, but he has also created his own calligraphy style. All the renowned calligraphers in Jinxi City have praised him highly, calling him a prodigy. Today, let Young Master Zhou demonstrate his calligraphy style for everyone!"
Jing Ba didn't notice that when he said those words, Zhou Zhiwei's face almost turned bright red, and he lowered his head.
After finishing his statement, Jing Ba got straight to the point.
"President Jing, why don't you come up on stage and leave your calligraphy?"
Jing Zhe smiled, did not refuse, and strode forward.
The audience below the stage saw that he was handsome and refined, with a natural air of elegance, and with an incomparably beautiful face. Even if they didn't like him, they were extremely envious of him.
Upon arriving on the stage, Jing Zhe and Zhou Zhiwei stood facing each other. Zhou Zhiwei looked at Jing Zhe, shook his head, and gave a bitter smile.
Unaware of this, Jing Ba had already had paper, ink, brush, and inkstone prepared and brought to the stage.
He said he was going to practice calligraphy, but there was no table on the stage.
Although Jing Ba was a scholar, he knew that the people below the stage were all martial arts practitioners who were unconventional and liked to be carefree. It was already a great honor to have them watch such a literary test before the martial arts competition. How could they have the leisure to watch them grind ink and write like scholars?
So he had two constables each hold a piece of paper by its top and bottom edges, suspending it in the air, preparing them to write in mid-air. This method of writing was too demanding on penmanship, and the resulting characters were mostly crooked and messy.
But Jing Ba had seen Zhou Zhiwei's recent calligraphy, which was wild and unrestrained, like weeds. Even if he wrote it suspended in mid-air, he wouldn't suffer any loss. Jing Zhe, on the other hand, was the opposite.
He went to great lengths to embarrass Jing Zhe.
He chuckled and said, "There are so many martial arts heroes and folks from all over the country who have come today. Writing like this will help them see the words more clearly!"
Jing Zhe shrugged, indicating that he didn't care. Jing Ba got angry when he saw his relaxed look: Just wait and see how you cry!
"President Jing is a guest from afar, so why don't you let Young Master Zhou go first?"
"please!"
Therefore, Jing Ba handed the pen to Zhou Zhiwei.
Last night, Jing Ba had actually told Zhou Zhiwei about today's events, which was like a rehearsal in advance. So, writing a poem on the spot was just nonsense. Zhou Zhiwei had already thought about what to write last night.
But Zhou Zhiwei never expected that the person he was facing was a mountain in his heart, a man he admired wholeheartedly and could not think of anything else but respect.
This is a bit tricky. He held the pen, but didn't move for a long time.
"Young Master Zhou, write it down!"
Jing Ba reminded him.
"Write it!"
The people below were getting impatient. They came to participate in the martial arts tournament, and asking them to write was already giving them face. Why were they dawdling like this? Were they crazy?
Zhou Zhiwei hesitated for a long time before finally putting down his pen.
"I can't write."
"???"
Jing Ba was completely bewildered and angrily asked, "Why?"
"Because I am not as good as my master..."
Not as good as... my master?
The crowd below was stunned for a moment, then Zhou Zhiwei took a step forward, cupped his hands to Jing Zhe and said, "Greetings, Master!"
Jing Zhe smiled and nodded. He never expected that a disciple he had taken on by chance would lead him on a unique and unconventional journey of showing off and getting slapped in the face.
"Master, when you're done with your work, you can come to the Zhou residence to find me, and we can talk in detail. I'll be going now!"
Before Zhou Zhi finished speaking, he left without even saying goodbye to Jing Ba, leaving Jing Ba frozen in place.
Jing Ba had intended to humiliate Jing Zhe, but instead ended up benefiting him instead, leaving him filled with deep regret.
"Prefect of Jingba, it seems I'll have to do it myself!"
So Jing Zhe took the brush, stood before the paper, and began to write with great flourish. On the Xuan paper, one after another, powerful and vigorous cursive characters leaped forth, reading:
"The north wind sweeps across the land, snapping the white grass; snow flies in Tianjin in October."
"Suddenly, like a spring breeze overnight, thousands of pear trees burst into bloom."
With no one left to slap in the face, Jing Zhe could still pull off this act even if he was just lying down, so he didn't think much of it and just wrote one down casually.
"What a beautiful poem!"
Because the Xuan paper was facing the direction of Qingyun Sect, Master Mingji clapped and cheered after reading it. It was unclear whether she genuinely thought it was good or was just showing support for Jing Zhe.
Seeing this, everyone else, including the illiterate swordsmen who couldn't read, cheered, and the atmosphere instantly rose. Jing Zhe's first appearance was a perfect success.
...
Today is a martial arts tournament, after all; we're not here to watch Jing Zhe write poetry and show off.
So after that little incident, the main event began.
Other smaller sects and factions besides the four major sects took turns competing in the order pre-arranged by the four major sects.
However, there are too many small sects and factions, a mixed bag. There are some who are truly powerful, but not many. Most of them are weaklings around the third level of cultivation, fighting amongst themselves. With Jing Zhe's current level, it's really an eyesore to watch.
After observing for a while, he found that not only him, but most of the people from the other four major sects were also drowsy. He then went to check on Mu Qingren, who was already "tired" from the night before, and with this boring martial arts competition, she was forcing herself to keep her eyes open and yawning.
When Jing Zhe looked over, she seemed to notice and immediately looked in his direction.
Jing Zhe smiled at her, but she frowned at him, as if trying to make him pay more attention to avoid being discovered, yet her eyes were full of tenderness.
Jing Zhe quietly mouthed "Your Highness, Pavilion Master," and Mu Qingren blushed when she saw it, turning her head away and refusing to look at him again.
Feeling utterly bored, Jing Zhe suddenly remembered something, turned around and whispered a few words to Hanhan, who then left after listening.
At this moment, Lin Qingshan entered the arena.
He recognized his opponent, Jing Zhe, as Li Fu from the Axe Gang, whom he had met on the road. Li Fu was carrying a large hammer and was greeting Lin Qingshan with a silly grin.
"Sect Leader Lin, please enlighten me!"
Lin Qingshan has always considered himself the fifth major sect and looks down on these smaller sects. He feels that fighting against them is an insult to himself. But there is nothing he can do. As long as the Qingcheng Sect is not recognized by the four major sects, he will have to start from scratch when participating in the martial arts tournament.
Without answering, he drew his sword and thrust it at Li Fu.
Li Fu was really unlucky. He was a latecomer to martial arts, so his skills were only so-so. He had come to the martial arts tournament hoping to encounter a few weaker opponents, fight a few more rounds, and show off his skills.
Who would have thought I'd run into Lin Qingshan?
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