Lu Jinfeng’s greatest love in life was the sword at his waist, and he very much admired those heroes with great talent and ambition.

Listening to this poem now, he seemed to see the many heroes of the co-called “Three Kingdoms” before his eyes, and his blood boiled with excitement.

Chu Jiubian felt that burning gaze upon him, but paid it no mind. Instead, he turned his head toward Bai Gongjin beside him and unhurriedly recited the next lines of poetry: “Thinking back to Gongjin in his prime, newly married to Xiao Qiao, he radiated heroism and vitality. With a feather fan and silk headscarf, he was effortlessly calm as the enemy’s ships and towers were reduced to ashes.”

Zhou Gongjin was not a Confucian scholar driven by power and wealth, who only knew how to write poetry.

His talents extended far beyond literary and military prowess; his battlefields were not political intrigue and power struggles, but in the distant Three Kingdoms period where heroes vied for supremacy.

Bai Gongjin’s eyes were blank, and his hands were trembling slightly.

At that moment, he felt a sense of not being able to measure up. How could he be worthy of being called “Gongjin?”

Good!

Inside a second floor private box, Lu Jinfeng slammed his palm heavily against the railing, nearly breaking it.

What a perfect description of annihilating the enemy while being completely unaffected!

Zhou Gongjin was brilliant!

If it were possible, he would love to have a proper sparring match with him.

Chu Jiubian’s gaze swept over Lu Jinfeng, whose face was flushed with excitement, then to Xiao Yao, whose gaze was deep and dark. The faces of the civil and military officials were filled with shock, and their female relatives clutched their handkerchiefs as they tried to suppress their excitement. Finally, his gaze fell on the grim-faced Wang Huanzhi.

The look in this person’s eyes was the most unpleasant.

Chu Jiubian looked at him as he recited the last two lines: “My thoughts wander to my homeland, my sentimentality and prematurely gray hair a cause for amusement. Life is like a dream; I offer a cup of wine to the moon over the river.”

These lines elevated the imagery of the entire poem, and the magnanimous emotions it expressed, to a higher level.

They also drew everyone’s attention away from the heroic Zhou Yu and back to Su Shi.

Life is like a dream; the past is gone, so let’s raise a cup of wine to the moon and live life to its fullest.

The God of Poetry.

Was this his work?

Such broad-mindedness, such wide horizons…..it evoked the same sense of comfort and exhilaration as the line “There will be a time to ride the wind and waves, and set sail to cross the vast ocean.”

“God of Poetry. Poet Immortal,” Deputy Minister of Justice Zhen Fu murmured to himself where he was seated near the front on the first floor. “No wonder they were able to become a god and immortal. Their magnanimity is beyond the reach of us mortals.”

The crowd was still reeling in shock.

Wang Huanzhi and Wang Zhang, who both considered themselves to be of high moral character, also remained silent for some time, their hearts filled with lingering emotion.

Since he had already started, he might as well go even bigger.

Chu Jiubian looked at Bai Gongjin again and said: “Your poem was certainly excellent, but the first line, ‘a swift horse gallops through the clouds,’ reminds me of a line from the poet Li Bai: ‘A silver saddle gleams on a white horse, swift as a shooting star.’”

To everyone’s utter surprise, Chu Jiubian continued to recite more poetry, and the amount information revealed in that short line was incredibly large.

Everyone had previously thought that Li Bai was exceptional for the fact that he had written one truly outstanding poem, but now Chu Jiubian had casually recited another line. Although they didn’t fully understand its meaning, they could tell at a glance that the poem must be quite extraordinary.

However, Chu Jiubian was not finished with his recitation.

“And your line, ‘Gains and losses follow the gull birds, one’s conduct determined by a goblet of wine,’ contains a similar sentiment to a poem written by the God of Poetry.”

Bai Gongjin’s entire person was like a block of wood: “What poem?”

“We are but mayflies in the vastness of the universe, mere grains of millet in the boundless ocean. I lament the brevity of life, and envy the endless flow of the Yangtze River.”

The entire building was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Under all of those nearly tangible gazes, Chu Jiubian maintained a mild tone: “To travel with immortals and wander freely, to embrace the bright moon and live for eternity; those things that cannot be easily attained, I entrust their lingering echoes to the mournful wind.”

Another masterpiece.

Those present were at a loss for words, and were unable to recover for some time.

It wasn’t until Chu Jiubian stepped down from the stage and headed toward the second floor that someone finally let out a sigh.

In an instant, a racket erupted.

Bai Gongin stood there blankly, his mind swimming with the lines he had just heard.

Every word and sentence seemed like a giant standing in front of him, clearly conveying: Kid, you’re still young. Don’t get cocky.

Perhaps he had overdone it, because as Chu Jiubian ascended to the second floor, not a single person dared to approach him and strike up a conversation.

Even after he reached the second floor, none of those powerful and influential people came to seek him out – not even the two family heads.

He didn’t know if they hadn’t processed things yet, or if they had other plans.

Chu Jiubian was leaning more toward the latter.

Those powerful figures had weathered more storms than anyone else, and it was unlikely that they would be stunned by his few lines of poetry. It was more likely that they were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information conveyed by his words.

From Qin Xiao’s words, Chu Jiubian had already discerned the attitudes the major powers in the capital held toward him.

These people didn’t believe he was a god. They simply felt that there was some mysterious force behind him.

And as for Li Bai and Li Qingzhao, whom he had mentioned early on, they were categorized as his backers.

Since this was the case, Chu Jiubian wanted to solidify such an identity, so that even if these people didn’t believe he was a god, they wouldn’t dare attack him casually for fear of the force behind him.

However, having only two poets as backers wouldn’t be enough, so he took the opportunity today to bring out some new figures.

For example, the God of Poetry Su Shi, the brilliant strategist Zhou Yu, and many other heroes who, although not named, “truly existed.”

The power of imagination was immense.

With just a little guidance, Chu Jiubian had them all filling in the rest of the story for him.

And as a result, the benefits that those powerful figures had previously prepared to recruit Chu Jiubian were no longer sufficient, which was why none of them sought him out.

Chu Jiubian glanced at the System interface and couldn’t stop the upward tilt of his lips.

What a great harvest!

He had not only made those skeptical elites wary of him, but also made them reevaluate their standards for recruiting him. And he had also convinced the easily swayed of his status as a “god,” and earned a large amount of Faith Points from them.

His accumulated points now exceeded two hundred, and were about to break three hundred.

He was now able to summon another Believer!

The astonishment and shock he had brought to everyone was so great that it was clear that the auction could no longer go on.

Most of the people in the building would presumably leave soon, but many of them definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Chu Jiubian’s mind was entirely focused on his new Believer, and he didn’t want to waste time here.

But Qin Chaoyang had yet to return, so he could only wait for the time being.

Qin Xiao would be coming as well.

Even if Qin Chaoyang couldn’t return for a while, when Chu Jiubian glanced at the time, he found that only half of the hour Qin Xiao had given him had passed.

It seemed he would have to wait another half hour for Qin Xiao to arrive.

Walking to the door of the private box, Chu Jiubian was just about to push it open when he realized that it wasn’t shut properly.

He paused for two breaths. Since none of the guards came to stop him, the private box must be safe.

With a guess in mind, he no longer hesitated, and pushed open the door.

Chu Jiubian’s gaze fell upon the room as the door creaked open.

There Qin Xiao was, dressed in black and leaning against the railing. The flickering light of the oil lamp behind him cast hazy shadows across his figure, softening the sharp features of his face.

“You’re back?” Qin Xiao asked with a smile.

It really was him.

Chu Jiubian entered the private box and closed the door behind him.

Rather than stopping at the two seats by the railing, Qin Xiao walked to the round table in the center of the room and poured two cups of tea.

“You must be thirsty after talking so much,” he said.

Chu Jiubian went over to him.

The moment he reached out to take a teacup, a mechanical voice sounded in his head: [This is Longjing tea, free of poison or drugs. Please drink it with confidence. (One Faith Point has been automatically deducted.)]

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

I know it’s not poisoned!

Damnit, was there no way to turn off this semi-intelligent System’s automatic billing?!

Seeing the strange look on his face, Qin Xiao sipped his tea with a smile, saying, “Don’t worry. It’s free of drugs.”

I already said I know it’s not poisoned!

Chu Jiubian sat down on a round stool beside the table and downed the small cup of tea.

Qin Xiao was taken aback, and poured him another cup: “You’re this thirsty?”

“Why has My Lord arrived at this hour?” Chu Jiubian asked instead of answering.

They had agreed on an hour, but he’d shown up after only half an hour.

Lord Ning-wang really had no credibility whatsoever.

“I couldn’t rest easy, ah.” Qin Xiao sat down nearby and sighed with seemingly genuine emotion. “I’m truly worried that this ‘love tribulation’ of mine won’t be able to keep the young master by my side.”

Chu Jiubian chuckled softly: “So the dignified Lord Ning-wang condescended to be my bodyguard for half an hour?”

From the very beginning, Qin Xiao had remained hidden in the shadows while following Chu Jiubian at all times.

When Chu Jiubian asked Qin Chaoyang to chase after those two girls, the reason the other party had obeyed him and left was likely not due to the strength of the secret guards left behind, but because the one keeping an eye on Chu Jiubian was Qin Xiao himself.

Qin Chaoyang had left so decisively only after obtaining Qin Xiao’s consent.

“Nothing can be hidden from you.” Qin Xiao chuckled, his gaze lingering on Chu Jiubian’s throat. “You didn’t use the medicine I gave you?”

The marks left by his strangulation a few days ago were still somewhat blueish-purple.

Chu Jiubian raised a hand to touch his neck. The medicine Qin Xiao had given him was truly effective, because he actually couldn’t feel the pain anymore. It was just that his skin was delicate, with a propensity for bruising, so the marks had yet to completely vanish.

He looked at the perpetrator in front of him and said with a smile: “Perhaps it won’t get better because I’m still angry.”

“It’s my fault.” Qin Xiao took a dagger from his sleeve and handed it to Chu Jiubian hilt first.

Chu Jiubian took it.

What was this about?

Surely he wasn’t suggesting that Chu Jiubian should stab him a couple of times to vent his anger?

The other’s warm, calloused hand grasped Chu Jiubian’s own, completely enveloping it.

Gripping his hand, Qin Xiao pressed the tip of the dagger against his shoulder. Then, with a bit of force, the sharp blade pierced through clothing and flesh.

A bloodstain slowly seeped through his dark clothes, dampening Chu Jiubian’s fingertips as well.

Damn.

He really was a nutjob, ah.

Chu Jiubian’s heartbeat, which had been steadily accelerating, suddenly calmed down.

Releasing the dagger, he pulled his hand back and rinsed it with tea from his cup, then wiped it off with a handkerchief.

Qin Xiao smiled as he casually wiped the dagger on his sleeve, saying: “If the young master feels this isn’t enough, he can stab me a couple more times.”

Chu Jiubian paused in the middle of wiping his hand, a surge of anger rising within him. 

Without hesitation, he snatched the dagger from Qin Xiao’s hand and plunged the blade into the man’s other shoulder. He even hit the same area as the previous stab.

Qin Xiao regarded him with some surprise.

The young man’s eyes were indifferent, lacking any emotion, yet his expression seemed to contain a hint of a smile.

Truly a contradiction.

Qin Xiao was suddenly curious…..what kind of person was Chu Jiubian?

Cursing inwardly, Chu Jiubian withdrew his hand and began to wipe it down again.

“Did you think I wouldn’t dare, you bastard?”

If I was able to kill you now, I would have stabbed you in the heart.

“Has the young master’s anger cooled?” Qin Xiao asked with a smile.

Chu Jiubian initially thought the other man was mocking him, but when their eyes met, he found that Qin Xiao seemed to be sincere, as if he was genuinely concerned that he might still be angry.

Chu Jiubian paused mid-wipe.

Qin Xiao was actually looking for a way to appease him.

Why?

Was it just for the purpose of retaining a rare asset?

Was it really necessary to go to such lengths?

Chu Jiubian didn’t quite understand, but he vaguely felt that he had caught a glimpse of the real Qin Xiao.

Suddenly, a commotion arose downstairs. Unlike the lively poetry discussion just now, it sounded like the turmoil of conflict.

Chu Jiubian got up with a frown and walked to the railing to look down.

Qin Xiao sheathed his dagger and walked to his side.

A number of people had gathered at the entrance to the first floor lobby, including some acquaintances.

A dozen or so Imperial Guards stood there clad in soft armor and with swords at their waists, and were accompanied by their commander – An Wuji.

Chu Jiubian glanced toward Qin Xiao and found that he also wore a slight frown. He probably didn’t know what was going on below them.

An Wuji stepped onto the auction stage, and his sharp gaze swept over the crowd as he said coolly: “The Second Young Lady of Minister Su’s family has vanished without a trace. Has anyone seen her?”

Su Sheng had gone downstairs at some point and was standing with the Imperial Guards, his expression exceedingly grim.

After An Wuji asked this question, Su Sheng quickly bowed to everyone and said: “Esteemed colleagues, if anyone has seen my daughter, please let me know. This Su Sheng will repay your immense kindness tenfold!”

Those present were all powerful and influential figures in the court, and all of them knew that Su Sheng had one son and two daughters, with his youngest daughter being the most doted upon.

He had brought his wife and daughter to the auction with him today, but unexpectedly, Miss Su had gone missing.

Madam Su was sobbing uncontrollably. Supported by a female servant, she reached for Su Sheng’s hand and pleaded in a whisper: “Husband, how can you possibly make something like this public?”

Did he not care about the young lady’s reputation?!

It was so late at night, and a girl had gone missing. Who knew what might have happened to her?

“Is reputation more important than life?” Both angry and anxious, Su Sheng said to the female servant beside him, “Quickly, take your mistress back to the manor.”

Madam Su was helped out of the Treasure Pavilion by the servant, her eyes closed in despair.

In the Great Ning Dynasty, reputation was life itself.

The ladies in the private boxes were also growing restless, and were eager to return to their residences. They all seemed to be quite frightened by this sudden incident. 

But at this moment, a sweet female voice suddenly exclaimed in surprise: “What is Commander An doing here? Didn’t he ask Xi’er to meet him outside?”

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Chapter 18 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 20