"H City is Experiencing a Terrorist Monster Attack!"
"Is the End of the World Coming?!"
"My Unspoken Story with a Monster."
...
The incident in H City exploded across the internet. Initially, some people refused to believe it, thinking the videos were fabricated special effects. That was until some experts stepped forward to explain the situation.
However, the unified explanation was the revival of ancient creatures. The monster that had been defeated was nowhere to be found, possibly having retreated underground.
In reality, H City suffered heavy damage from the battle between the two monsters. Yet, the actual losses were minimal. Since the monster incident was confirmed, countless curious tourists from various countries flocked to the city. H City seized this opportunity for rapid development, significantly boosting its economy. Even the battlefield where the monsters fought was turned into a museum and opened for ticketed exhibition.
At Fang Ming's residence.
Ba Yu Fang lay contentedly in the courtyard. However, unlike before, a pile of yellow paper lay beneath it. Now, it was torn to shreds and made into a soft paper nest.
The entire Bei An Street had been cleared under the pretext of demolition by Mayor Huang. Only Fang Ming's family was not relocated. While he was grateful that Ba Yu Fang had eliminated the toad monster for him, it didn't mean he could rest easy with ordinary people living near Ba Yu Fang.
Meanwhile, Fang Ming, still in the ancient world, was unaware of this. He was waiting in the inn for Xiao Nian to return.
"It's been two to three hours already. Why isn't Xiao Nian back?" Fang Ming looked worriedly towards the door. Could their movements have been exposed, implicating Xiao Nian?
Just as he was consumed by worry, a familiar figure walked in through the door. It was none other than Xiao Nian.
Xiao Nian, not noticing Fang Ming sitting in the lobby, headed upstairs as usual upon her return.
"Xiao Nian, over here."
Fang Ming waved and called out. Xiao Nian turned her head and saw Fang Ming's smiling face, her heart leaping. However, she quickly composed herself.
"Young Master, you've returned," Xiao Nian walked up to Fang Ming, feigning "surprise."
"Hurry back to your room and pack your things. I've found another place to stay, and we're preparing to attend the upcoming Yun Xian Poetry Gathering."
Fang Ming explained the situation directly. He didn't want to linger here any longer; every moment spent was an extra moment of danger.
"We're leaving now?" Xiao Nian blinked, the news coming too suddenly. Could it be that Fang Ming suspected her? A sense of panic washed over her. If Fang Ming truly suspected her, wouldn't he kill her?
"Yes, we're leaving now. Time is pressing," Fang Ming nodded.
Xiao Nian dared not ask any more questions, only praying inwardly that Fang Ming didn't suspect her.
"Alright, alright, I'll go pack my things immediately." With that, Xiao Nian quickly went upstairs, entered her room, took out a bamboo whistle, and blew it gently. A black beetle flew in through the window and landed on her palm.
"Fang Ming is preparing to relocate his living quarters. The new location is temporarily unknown."
Xiao Nian relayed the intelligence to the beetle. Upon receiving the information, the beetle spread its wings and flew out the window.
After reporting the intelligence, Xiao Nian began packing. She retrieved a stack of silver notes from under the bed, which roughly amounted to nearly ten thousand taels of silver. Then, she took out a bundle of silver notes from her bosom and placed them with the others. She wrapped them at the bottom of a bundle, then casually packed a few clothes on top.
Finally, she slung a small bundle over her shoulder and left the room.
"Have you finished packing?" Fang Ming asked as he saw Xiao Nian coming down. He stood up.
"Finished packing," Xiao Nian replied.
"Come with me."
Fang Ming left his seat and walked towards the inn's exit. Xiao Nian quickly followed. Soon, they arrived at Young Master Liu's courtyard. Fang Ming surveyed the room and asked Xiao Nian to stay in another room. Before she could even unpack, he casually helped her tidy it up.
"You'll stay here for now. When the Yun Xian Poetry Gathering begins, we'll head over," Fang Ming said, glancing at the room, which was almost fully organized.
"Thank you, Young Master," Xiao Nian bowed gratefully.
"Ah, what's there to thank between us?" Fang Ming waved his hand. "Stay here, and absolutely do not go out for the next two days, understand?"
Hearing this, Xiao Nian's heart began to wonder if Fang Ming truly suspected her. She was unaware that the Liu family had sealed the city specifically to capture Fang Ming. She only knew that the Liu family was apprehending people from the Zhu Xie Si.
However, regardless of whether Fang Ming suspected her, she could only nod nervously and say, "Yes, Young Master. I won't go out for the next two days."
"Then you rest. I'll go to the room next door. If you need anything, you can come find me there."
Two days passed in a flash, and the time for the Yun Xian Poetry Gathering finally arrived!
"Buns, hot, steaming buns!"
"Sugar-coated hawthorn! Selling sugar-coated hawthorn!"
"Sweet cakes, freshly baked sweet cakes!"
...
Near Yun Xian Lake, the crowd was immense. Numerous vendors had seized the opportunity to set up stalls. Many passersby were dressed as scholars, and of course, there were also many ordinary citizens who came to join the excitement.
For the people of this city, the Yun Xian Poetry Gathering was less of a privately organized event and more of a customary local tradition. Even if the gathering hadn't been held as scheduled, the area would still be teeming with people today.
Fang Ming was also dressed as a scholar. Young Master Liu was disguised as a capable guard, Gu Cheng as a steward, and Xiao Nian as a page. Nian Nian remained unchanged, while Qing Mian remained unseen, constantly monitoring the situation within the mirror.
The grand painted boat hosting the Yun Xian Poetry Gathering had already docked. A wooden bridge connected the boat to the shore. Two guards stood by the entrance, and the Liu family's head steward personally oversaw a table for recording participating contestants.
Fang Ming and his companions joined the queue at the wooden bridge.
"Pass."
Fang Ming handed over his participation token. The head steward recorded it in the participant's book and then stamped it with the number "157," signifying that Fang Ming would compete as contestant number 157.
"Only you and your page may enter. Others must wait on the shore," the guard stopped Fang Ming and instructed.
Fang Ming was aware of this rule and told Nian Nian and the others, "You all wait for me on the shore. I'll go up first."
"Can't I go with you?" Nian Nian whined, looking at Xiao Nian's calm face, which somehow seemed smug. Hmph!
"Be good, wait for me here. You can see me from up there. I haven't gone too far," Fang Ming patted Nian Nian's head to comfort her.
"Fine~" Nian Nian said reluctantly.
"Steward Gu, Guard Liu, please take care of Nian Nian," Fang Ming said.
The two exchanged glances. It was yet to be determined who would be taking care of whom, but they still said what was expected: "No problem, no problem! We wish Young Master success in winning the crown!"
"I accept your auspicious words," Fang Ming smiled. While it was called a painting competition, he might be nothing in that regard, but when it came to poetry, he had at least a little research.
With that, he led Xiao Nian onto the painted boat.
The painted boat was vast. The level solely dedicated to the competition was at least the size of a football field. The deck was laid out with tables arranged around a central high platform. Upon boarding, Fang Ming was stopped by a reception attendant who guided him to the table assigned to contestant number 157.
"Esteemed Young Master, this is your designated spot for the competition. The poetry competition will be held this afternoon. You can prepare here. Feel free to enjoy the fruits and pastries on the table. If you need more, just call out, and someone will replenish them," the reception attendant politely explained.
"Alright, thank you," Fang Ming said. The attendant bowed and turned to attend to other guests.
"Sit," Fang Ming gestured to the seat next to the table and invited Xiao Nian to sit. Xiao Nian complied and sat down. Fang Ming sat on the other side, idly observing his surroundings and occasionally sampling the food on the table.
Time passed without much boredom.
The half-day wait quickly passed. The contestants had gradually arrived on the painted boat, nearly five to six hundred people gathered. Due to a significant increase in the prize money offered by the Liu family, the number of participants this year was at least fifty percent higher than in previous years! Essentially, all the literati and scholars in the city had been gathered.
When the host, the Liu family, saw that most of the participants had arrived, the head steward suddenly appeared on the central high platform of the painted boat.
"Welcome to all young ladies and gentlemen participating in this Yun Xian Poetry Gathering. On behalf of the Liu family, I wish you all success and victory!" the head steward declared with resounding enthusiasm. His voice was so loud that if people didn't know he was ordinary, they might mistake him for a martial arts expert.
"First, I would like to introduce the host of this competition - the Liu family. The Liu family is..." This was followed by a period of self-praise from the Liu family, which was a familiar routine for many who had participated in the competition multiple times; they boasted every year.
Finally, after the head steward had rambled on for half an hour, they got to the main point:
"This afternoon, we will hold the first round of the competition – the Poetry Grand Tournament! The rules of the competition are as follows."
"First, the competition will adopt a three-round elimination system. Ten people will form a group and compose poems based on a given topic. Only the sole winner will advance to the next round, and so on, until the final three are determined! Second, plagiarism, cheating, bribery, or disturbing the competition are not allowed. Violators will be permanently banned from participating in the Yun Xian Poetry Gathering. Third, poem themes are unlimited, and the content should be elegant and emotionally rich."
The rules were no different from previous years. Fang Ming had already familiarized himself with them and had no questions.
"If you have any unclear points, you may call upon the surrounding attendants for clarification at any time. Now, I declare that the first event of the Yun Xian Poetry Gathering – the Poetry Grand Tournament – officially begins! The competition is limited to three hours. Stop writing when the incense burns out!"
As the head steward's words fell, two attendants carried a large stick of incense onto the high platform and placed it down. The incense emitted a slow white smoke, signifying the start of the competition.
A group of attendants appeared, holding several sheets of paper, and distributed them to each table.
Fang Ming also received a paper, on which were written two large characters: "Si Xiang" (Homesickness). This was likely the topic for their group. Above the characters were blank spaces for name and number.
"The topic is Homesickness?" Fang Ming rubbed his chin. This topic was both difficult and easy. It was difficult because it was a common theme, making it hard to write something novel. It was easy because the topic was straightforward.
"Is it difficult, Young Master?" Xiao Nian asked curiously.
"It's a bit difficult, but manageable," Fang Ming mused for a moment and then began to write, his mind already forming some ideas.