Chapter 302 - 217: The Good Show Begins
Chapter 302: Chapter 217: The Good Show Begins
So he kept quiet.
Once Lady Yun finished grinding the ink, Li Huai’gu lifted his brush and wrote the first line of his poem:
"A jade mirror hangs in the azure sky, a golden wind sweeps the cassia court..."
Chen Yunfan glanced over, his expression faltering slightly. He looked down at the poem in his own hands:
"Ten thousand li of clear light reach the celestial palace, the spiritual qi of late autumn gathers in the icy wheel..."
After a moment, Chen Yunfan rolled up the paper in his hands and sighed softly.
"So much for being the ’Poetry Champion’."
Cui Qingwu covered her mouth and chuckled.
Perhaps her laugh was too loud. Chen Yunfan shot her a glare and huffed, "Even if I’m not the ’Poetry Champion’, Brother Huai’gu won’t be either."
Hearing this, Li Huai’gu surprisingly didn’t argue. He finished his poem, blew on the ink to dry it, and said:
"Brother Qingzhou’s poetry is heavy with meaning and emotion. I am not even a fraction as skilled as him."
"Good, as long as you know."
"By the way, where did Brother Qingzhou go?"
"Out helping someone with their troubles..."
Quite a few people had the same question, and Chen Yi’s name was mentioned from time to time.
Pei Zhaoye studied the poem in his hand, preparing to seek out a few masters for their appraisal. But when he looked up, he couldn’t see the man he was looking for, and he couldn’t help but frown.
"Why isn’t Chen Qingzhou here?"
"Don’t tell me he got scared off."
...
Scared?
Chen Yi was, indeed, scared.
If something happened to Pei Guanli at the Xiao Family estate, never mind how Granny Shan might seek revenge—the Wu Mountain Mutual Market between the Mountain Race and the Xiao Family would be jeopardized.
Such an outcome would be unacceptable to him, to the Xiao Family, and to the Mountain Race.
Moreover, he had spent a fair amount of time with Pei Guanli; how could he not be concerned for her safety?
But while Chen Yi’s heart was heavy, not a trace of it showed on his face.
He silently followed the middle-aged Confucian Scholar on a circuitous route around the academy before boarding a carriage that drove out of the grounds.
Only then did the middle-aged Confucian Scholar finally speak. "My apologies, Mr. Qingzhou."
"The academy is full of powerful experts. I had no choice but to resort to this crude plan."
Chen Yi glanced at him from the side, then ignored him and lifted a window curtain to look outside. He asked:
"Could you perhaps tell me where that girl is now?"
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon a shop not far away—There’s a Wonton Shop by the Clouds.
Seeing this, the middle-aged Confucian Scholar didn’t stop him. He smiled and said, "Of course you can see her, Mr. Qingzhou."
"But tonight’s grand event has just begun. If I let you have your wish so early, wouldn’t that be a waste of all my efforts?"
Chen Yi lowered the curtain, looked him straight in the eye, and asked in a serious tone, "What do you want me to do?"
’Right now, I’ve confirmed two pieces of good news and one piece of bad news.’
’First piece of good news: Tiger Girl isn’t dead yet. At least, not right now.’
’Second piece of good news: the man before me is a brainless idiot.’
’And the bad news is—my good mood for the night ends here.’
As it happened, Chen Yi hated nothing more than these kinds of sudden interruptions.
The middle-aged Confucian Scholar paused, sizing him up for a moment before slowly nodding.
"To be this calm and composed even now... no wonder she’s so interested in you."
"Her?"
Before Chen Yi could ask, the middle-aged Confucian Scholar interrupted, "Patience, Mr. Qingzhou."
"The night is long. We have all the time in the world."
Chen Yi gave him a deep look. "Fine."
’The people from the Five Poison Sect... and her, Liu Zhaoxue...’
’Heh.’
A moment of silence.
The carriage drove all the way to the edge of Quchi, where Chen Yi followed the middle-aged Confucian Scholar aboard a painted boat.
He had expected to see Pei Guanli here, but a look around revealed no sign of the girl, and he couldn’t help but frown.
"I’ve already come with you to this place. May I see Miss Pei now?"
The middle-aged Confucian Scholar glanced at him, gestured for the boat to set off, and only then said, "No rush."
As if sensing what Chen Yi was thinking, he continued, "Actually, I’ve invited you here simply to put on a play with you."
"A play?"
"That’s right."
"A play with Shu State as the stage, the bright moon and endless stars as the props, and the poetry gathering as the first act."
Chen Yi was taken aback, and the look he gave the man was rather odd.
’I was wrong.’
’This man isn’t just a brainless idiot. He’s a colossal idiot.’
As if sensing the offense in his gaze, the middle-aged Confucian Scholar narrowed his eyes and stopped wasting words.
He pulled two items from his robes and placed them on the table beside him.
"Here are two vials of medicine."
"Take one, and your guts will be torn apart within three breaths."
"The other will let you live for three days."
The middle-aged Confucian Scholar stared at Chen Yi and grinned. "Whether or not you’ll be able to perform in the second act, Mr. Qingzhou, will depend on your luck."
Chen Yi glanced at the vials on the table and asked, "It’s death either way. Why make me go through all this trouble?"
The middle-aged Confucian Scholar smiled and shook his head. "Not so."
"If you are still alive, I will personally present the antidote to you with both hands within three days."
"So, that’s how it is."
"...How interesting."
Chen Yi let out a laugh, then directly picked up one of the vials, opened it, and poured the contents into his mouth.
One breath. Two breaths...