Chapter 137: Am I the Kind of Person to Back Down?

A faint smile played at the corners of Chen Xiang's mouth, ignoring their mocking jeers as he gazed out at the bustling street below.

He had only one objective in doing this: to show off his superiority and thoroughly humiliate them in return!

Currently, there was no one else on the fifth floor besides them. If Chen Xiang simply defeated them outright, they would undoubtedly return to plot further troubles for him, and no one else would know what had transpired here.

Instead, it was far better to utterly discredit them in front of everyone all at once. Afterwards, they would not dare to bother him again, which would save him a great deal of trouble.

After all, he still intended to stay in Liuxin City for a few days, and rather than constantly having to deal with these insignificant pests, he might as well go look for that Soul Formation stage man from the Heavenly Yin Sect and pick another fight with him. If by chance he managed to eliminate him, his acquisition of the *Shadow Strategy* would also be settled.

Besides, the aura suspected to belong to a member of the Heavenly Yin Sect that he had sensed earlier definitely required a thorough investigation.

Just at that moment, a scholar-like man down on the street possessed exceptionally sharp eyesight. Recognizing Chen Xiang's face, he immediately cried out in astonishment, "That man up there is none other than the mysterious Young Master Chu who defeated Young Masters Zhang and Wang at yesterday's minor literary gathering!"

"What? It's actually him?"

"He's the one who came up with those riddle characters? Just like the rumors say, he's so handsome and so young!"

"That's not the main point. The main point is that he just said he was matching poems with Young Masters Zhang and Wang up there?"

"Yes, yes, yes, they're matching poems! This is a major event! Who doesn't know that Young Master Wang of Dongliu Academy excels at composing poetry, while Young Master Zhang is a master of antithetical couplets? For this fellow to be so bold—yesterday he only used character riddles to win against the two young masters, and today he actually dares to match poems with them?"

"Alas, I'm afraid his ego has gotten the better of him, or perhaps the two young masters refused to accept defeat and went to challenge him. But no matter what, his chances of winning are extremely slim!"

"Indeed, those two young masters are top-tier talents of Dongliu Academy, and their talent for composing poetry is extraordinary!"

...

Once the people in the marketplace figured out what was going on, a wave of heated discussion broke out.

While matching poems was a common occurrence, matching poems with Young Master Wang and Young Master Zhang was certainly rare—and moreover, it was one man against two!

At that moment, Young Master Wang and his companions also stepped forward, walking to Chen Xiang's side and exposing their figures to the gaze of the crowd below.

Madam Xiao, however, made no move. She was deep in thought, pondering how she might help Chen Xiang weather this crisis.

After all, truly fine poetry was exceedingly rare, and she also believed that the poems composed by the two young masters were already exceptionally good. Surpassing them would by no means be an easy feat.

Seeing several more figures appear on the Fragrant Tea Pavilion, the people in the street below looked up intently.

"Look! It really is Young Master Wang and the others!"

"Not just the two talents, but Young Master Hu and Young Master Lin are there too!"

"Although their literary accomplishments may not match those of the two talents, they aren't far behind and enjoy quite a reputation among the scholars of Liuxin City!"

"It looks like Young Master Chu is in grave danger!"

...

Young Master Wang smiled faintly; this was precisely what he had hoped to see. The sensation of being elevated by others felt exceptionally comforting and utterly addictive.

Smiling slightly, Young Master Wang raised his voice toward the street below, proclaiming, "Respected elders and fellow townsmen of Liuxin City, I am Wang Yu, a student of Dongliu Academy and a disciple of Master Qingliu."

Wang Yu began with an introduction, causing the noisy commotion in the street to come to an abrupt halt as everyone listened closely.

Guessing what he intended to do, Young Master Zhang and the others took a few steps back to place Wang Yu in the spotlight.

Extremely satisfied with this effect, Wang Yu continued, "Yesterday, at the minor literary gathering held in the eastern district at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, the winner was to receive an invitation to the Liuxin Literary Banquet. At the very last moment, Brother Chu defeated all rivals with four identical character riddles, baffling my teacher and every scholar present, thereby claiming the laurel."

Pausing briefly, Young Master Wang went on, "However, although Brother Chu's victory was designated by my teacher, Master Qingliu, he merely guessed one character riddle and posed another. And what is a literary gathering? Is it merely about guessing riddles? Prior to that, so many of us scholars chanted poems, composed couplets, and compared our skills through rigorous elimination rounds until only Brother Zhang and I remained. Brother Chu then thrust himself into the fray at the eleventh hour, seizing the crown through a medium at which we are not specialized. Therefore, we refuse to accept this defeat!"

Wang Yu's speech was logical, well-grounded, and passionate, deeply stirring many of the scholars present.

Indeed, on what grounds did they spend their time chanting poems, composing couplets, solving riddles, and enduring step-by-step eliminations just to reach the championship?

And that fellow called Chu—whatever his name was—why should he be allowed to win the crown simply by guessing a riddle?

We refuse to accept this!

Most of the scholars who had attended yesterday's minor literary gathering were swayed by Wang Yu's words and began shouting loudly in agreement.

"That's right! On what grounds does he get to win the championship just by guessing riddles?"

"Precisely! What we compete in is literary talent, not those petty little tricks!"

"Hey now, brother, watch your tongue. Master Qingliu also excels at character riddles. If you put it that way, aren't you insulting Master Qingliu as well?"

"Oh, my apologies! A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue!"

"We refuse to accept it!"

...

Those in the crowd below who had not attended the minor literary gathering also broke into chattering discussions.

They were uncertain of the truth, but most of them naturally leaned toward Young Master Wang's side. After all, Wang Yu was a native of Liuxin City, and they were much more familiar with him.

The corners of Young Master Zhang and the others' mouths curled into mocking smiles as they glanced toward Chen Xiang, finding the spectacle immensely amusing.

Madam Xiao, on the other hand, felt a headache coming on. The countermeasure she had just devised was now useless, and she feared Young Master Chu would not be able to escape this calamity.

As for Chen Xiang, he was staring in absolute dumbfounded bewilderment!

He had originally intended to simply defeat them head-on with poetry and be done with it, but he had never expected these fools to pull such a stunt.

Did they genuinely believe their intelligence could rival his?

Heh, how naive!

Crossing his arms with an amused expression, Chen Xiang asked, "Oh? Didn't you say we were matching poems just a moment ago? Now that you're bringing all this up, what is it you propose we do?"

Wang Yu struck his folded fan against his palm, stared directly at Chen Xiang, and shouted, "We shall still match poems, but we must also compare our literary skills. We shall make friends through literature and hold the literary gathering anew. If you lose, you need only surrender your invitation!"

Wang Yu's voice was loud enough for everyone in the street below to hear, and they were overjoyed!

Several talented scholars engaging in a public literary competition? This was a major event!

"Young Master Chu, you mustn't!"

Before Chen Xiang could reply, a voice rang out beside his ear.

Curious, Chen Xiang looked toward Madam Xiao. Wang Yu and the others had not heard Madam Xiao's voice at all.

From an angle hidden from Wang Yu and the others, Madam Xiao wore a solemn expression as she shook her head slightly at Chen Xiang, signaling him not to accept.

How laughable. Was he the sort of person to back down from a challenge?

Knowing that Madam Xiao had used divine sense sound transmission, he put on a puzzled expression, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.

"Very well, a literary competition it is. That's fine, but it seems you only mentioned that I must surrender the invitation if I lose, without stating what happens if you lose," Chen Xiang said with a calm, indifferent smile.

Seeing Chen Xiang accept, Madam Xiao let out a soft huff of annoyance, though she could no longer stop him. She could only hope that he truly possessed profound literary talent.

"Hah! If I lose, I shall never compose another poem or couplet for the rest of my life!" Wang Yu declared loudly, full of absolute confidence.