Chapter 90.1

With a clang, Wine Sword Immortal’s sword flew from behind and landed in front of Empty Hand Master as a warning.

Bai Zhu also emerged from the shadows, her sword pointing at Empty Hand Master.

Liu Eunuch, Chai Yulang, Chai Yuxin, and others all rushed over, surrounding Lin Beifan for protection.

Lin Beifan waved his hand nonchalantly, “Everyone, no need to be tense. This old fellow who has one foot in the coffin can’t hurt me!”

Empty Hand Master trembled with rage, “One foot in the coffin? I could crush you with just one foot! It’s just that I, being a senior, do not bully the weak in martial arts! Come on, let’s start our poetry contest!”

Lin Beifan realized that the Empty Hand Master before him had a competitive nature.

He chuckled to himself, thinking, watch me play you to death!

With disdain, he said, “What’s the point in competing with you? Whether I win or lose, I lose face either way. There’s no benefit for me!”

“Alright, alright, if I, the old man, lose, how about I give you a treasure?” the Empty Hand Master said impatiently.

Lin Beifan spread his hands and said in a booming voice, “I am the ruler of a nation, wealthy across the four seas. Do you think I need your trinkets?”

“If the old man loses, I’ll owe you a favor, how about that?” the Empty Hand Master urged.

Lin Beifan still looked disdainful: “Apart from stealing, what can you do? What use do I have for a favor from you?”

“Then what will it take for you to compete with me?”

The Empty Hand Master became angry. “You don’t agree? Believe it or not that this old man can sneak into the imperial palace every other day and steal your possessions so you’ll have no peace?”

Lin Beifan also became furious, “You old thief, believe it or not, I’ll have people go out and spread the word that you, Empty Hand Master, are an old homosexual, with a preference for the same sex, especially fond of male love, came to men house everyday and get excited at the sight of men?”

Empty Hand Master trembled with anger, “F*ck! Have you no heart at all?”

Lin Beifan was unyielding, “It takes one to know one!”

Empty Hand Master felt helpless, never having encountered such a shameless and underhanded young rascal!

But the thought of a contest made him itch with anticipation.

At that moment, Lin Beifan glanced at Empty Hand Master and sighed leisurely, “Forget it, considering your age, it’s not easy. I’ll reluctantly agree to have a match with you!”

Empty Hand Master looked up excitedly, “Really?”

Lin Beifan’s voice boomed, “I am the ruler of a nation; how could I possibly lie? Now, quickly express your gratitude for my magnanimity!”

The Empty Hand Master said excitedly, “Thank you…”

“No need for formalities!” Lin Beifan said with a smile.

Empty Hand Master: “…”

Why did it feel like he was the one pleading?

But it didn’t matter, as long as the comparison was made. The process was unimportant.

At this moment, Lin Beifan added, “Merely competing seems a bit monotonous and dull. How about we spice it up a bit? The loser must do something within their power for the winner. What do you say?”

The Empty Hand Master didn’t see any issue with this added stake.

Firstly, he didn’t believe he would lose.

Secondly, even if he did lose, it was just a matter of doing something within his capabilities, nothing too excessive.

Without any hesitation, he nodded: “Agreed, it’s a deal!”

“How shall we compete?” asked Lin Beifan.

Looking up at the vast, bright moon in the sky, the Empty Hand Master smiled and said, “Today happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time when the moon is full and people reunite. Let’s take the moon as our theme, and each of us will compose a poem. How about that?”

Lin Beifan nodded, “Alright, who will go first?”

The Empty Hand Master said, “You go first!”

“Why?”

The Empty Hand Master proudly declared, “Because once this old man open his mouth, there will be no need for anyone else to judge who’s the winner!”

“Fine, then I shall cast the brick to attract jade and make a humble contribution!”

Lin Beifan looked up at the moon in the sky, and having found his inspiration, he immediately began to recite.

“When will the moon be clear and bright?”

“With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky.”

“I don’t know what season it would be in the heavens on this night.”

“I’d like to ride the wind to fly home…”

A rendition of “Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Moon Be Clear and Bright?” was recited with a great flourish by Lin Beifan.

Upon hearing it, everyone was astonished and couldn’t help but burst into applause in admiration.

Lin Beifan asked with a smile, “What’s good about it?”

Heshen replied excitedly, “Your Majesty, the scope of this poem is incredibly grand. The opening line, ‘When will the moon be clear and bright? With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky.’ immediately treats the heavens as a friend! Only Your Majesty possesses such a broad and lofty vision! In a word, it’s excellent!”

“It’s not just that!”

Yan Song, unwilling to be outdone, stood up and said fervently, “The scope continues to expand in the following lines. I’d like to ride the wind to fly home, roaming freely, gazing upon the jade towers and palaces, unaware of time, indifferent to direction, displaying the carefree elegance of an immortal. Your Majesty, you are truly a celestial being! Only an immortal could write such verses!”

“And then in the latter part, it turns back to the human world!”

Li Linfu clicked his tongue in admiration, “It intertwines the joys and sorrows of human partings and reunions with the waxing and waning of the moon, stirring emotions and bringing tears to the eyes! Of the entire poem, your humble servant is most fond of that line at the end, ‘May we all be blessed with longevity though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.’ ”

“The whole poem flows magnificently, deeply moving, filled with the romantic sentiments of a poet, truly a masterpiece for the ages!”

“My humble servant has heard many poems about the bright moon, but this one is definitely the best!”

“A masterpiece for the ages, nothing less!”

Flattery came rolling in, unstoppable!

With such sincerity in tone and heartfelt emotion, they puffed up Lin Beifan to the point where he felt as light as a feather as if he could float alongside the moon in the sky.

Consequently, Lin Beifan couldn’t help but laugh proudly: “You all flatter me too much, haha!”

However, standing to the side, the Empty Hand Master was dumbfounded!

I asked you to write a poem, not to create an eternal masterpiece!

God, what a poem! It’s splendidly written, every line a classic, capturing the moon and longing in a single phrase!

Truly a peerless work of ancient times, a masterpiece for the ages!

Even if he racked his brains, he couldn’t produce poetry like this!

In short, it’s as if you’ve cut off his path completely!

At that moment, Lin Beifan said proudly, “Empty Hand Master, it’s your turn now!”

“Did you really compose this poem?” Empty Hand Master asked skeptically.

It was hard to imagine that the foolish emperor, who had made such childish and laughable verses as “One petal, two petals, three and four petals, five petals, six petals, seven, eight petals, nine petals, ten petals, and countless petals” could suddenly produce such an extraordinary masterpiece!

“Who else but me?” Lin Beifan declared loudly.

Empty Hand Master shook his head, “I don’t believe it. You must have prepared this in advance, so this poem doesn’t count. Let’s have another competition!”

The officials immediately became furious.

“This is a poem composed by His Majesty, how could it not count?”

“You old fool, could it be that you cannot compose a poem yourself, and that’s why you’re causing such a fuss?”

“A thief is a thief, with no respect for the rules!”

“Your Majesty, since he does not abide by the rules, there’s no need for us to be courteous!”

Lin Beifan generously waved his hand: “My ministers, please calm yourselves! Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I am in high spirits. I shall give him another chance so he may die with his eyes closed!”

“His Majesty is benevolent!” the officials shouted in praise.

“Hmph!” The Empty Hand Master snorted in embarrassment and lowered his head to ponder.

This time, it must be something difficult, not so mainstream, so that the other party can’t use any backup poem.

“Next, how about we take ‘beauty’ as our topic?”

The Empty Hand Master pointed at Consort Wang Xiangjun, who was next to Lin Beifan, and provocatively said, “Let’s compose poetry to praise her looks!”

This topic was a bit cunning and malicious!

Not only did it increase the difficulty, but he also wanted to make Lin Beifan lose face in front of his own woman!

“Alright, those are your words!”

Lin Beifan’s body jolted with excitement: “I’ve got it!”

The Empty Hand Master’s eyes nearly popped out in astonishment: “So quick?”

“Of course, now listen carefully!”

Lin Beifan, pointing at Wang Xiangjun, spoke with fervor and emotion:

“Clouds wish to dress her.”

“Flowers long to adorn her face.”

“The spring breeze sweeps the threshold, dew glistens with grace.”

“If not atop the mountain of jade she’s seen, she’d be under the moon at the Jade Terrace!”

The officials were once again astounded as if struck by a revelation, clapping and cheering in approval.

“This poem is wonderful!”

“The louds wish to dress her, the flowers long to adorn her face… such beauty in the opening lines of the poem! Only a peerless beauty could intoxicate the flowers and clouds to such an extent!”

“Then it goes on to use the Mountain of Jade and the Jade Terrace, comparing the Consort to a fairy from the heavens, the metaphor is simply exquisite!”

“Reading through the entire poem, the image of a beauty leaps right off the page!”

“Another famous poem through the ages!”

Even the Consort was extremely surprised, rushing to Lin Beifan’s side with a flushed face, she called out, “Your Majesty!”

She shyly lowered her head, but her eyes were filled with Lin Beifan.

Lin Beifan wrapped his arm around the beauty and once again burst into proud laughter: “Haha…”

The Empty Hand Master was shocked and dismayed; his opponent had done it again!

And it was yet another timeless masterpiece, completely overshadowing the poem he had just prepared!

Could it be that the other party is the reincarnation of a legendary poet?

He couldn’t believe that the foolish emperor before him could possess such a level of poetic talent!

So he shook his head vigorously: “It doesn’t count, it doesn’t count… It must be something you’ve prepared in advance! The two of you are together day and night, you must have prepared this long ago, just taking this opportunity to present it! Therefore, let’s have a rematch!”

The officials once again became angry, vying to show their worth.

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