The Path of the Sage

Tong Li's friends slowly retreated, recognizing the style of the sword. Although the position of the royal family monarch was not as high as that of the Half-Sage, it was still significant in front of the monarch. Moreover, they were only Child Scholars.

The royal guard saw Tong Li give up running away, sheathed his sword, and looked towards the dragon boat on the Jade Belt River.

After the completion of the poem "Dragon Boat Race," the second dragon boat where Fang Yun was located sped forward at a terrifying speed. The dragon boat seemed to be flying on the water, scaring the drummer who dropped his drumstick and held onto the drum stand tightly, afraid of falling off.

In just a few moments, the second dragon boat approached the first dragon boat of the Jing Kingdom.

Qian, the Presented Scholar, angrily shouted, "Shi Dehong, last year you said that there was no one in the Jing Kingdom. Dare to say it again today!"

The two boats approached and then separated, allowing everyone to see each other's expressions.

Except for Yan Yukong, the expressions of the six people from the Jing Kingdom were all extraordinary. Especially Shi Dehong, a disciple of the Poetry Master, his expression was as if he was sleepwalking. He still couldn't believe that Fang Yun could compose a war poem that did not mention "boats" but could increase the speed of the boat. Even his mentor's friend, the "Poetry Master," would take a long time to write such a poem.

The dragon boat swiftly passed by, causing a large amount of water splashes. Everyone on the first dragon boat was splashed with water, and no one dared to speak.

The dragon boat where Fang Yun was continued to move forward. Qian, the Presented Scholar, turned around and said, "Fang Yun, I will never forget the favor you have done for me today. Without you, the Jing Kingdom would never have a chance to turn the tables!"

Another person said, "In the future, if there are any tasks, our Yu Hai Ye Family will definitely assist with all our might!"

"It is an honor to be on the same boat as Fang Yun!"

"You are too kind." Fang Yun modestly smiled.

The dragon boat quickly arrived under the Dragon Head Bridge and was controlled by the power of the official seal, quickly coming to a stop. The drummer, who was holding onto the drum stand, wiped off his sweat and sat down weakly.

Qian, the Presented Scholar, stood up with a flushed face and pulled out the flagpole with trembling hands, waving it forcefully.

The people on the bridge and both sides of the river cheered loudly. The unmarried girls who had been waiting on the Dragon Head Bridge threw their embroidered handkerchiefs onto the dragon boat, and their target was the elegant young man at the end.

Fang Yun looked at the handkerchiefs falling towards him, neither catching them nor avoiding them, pretending not to see them.

This was a custom in the Ten Kingdoms. In this kind of literary gathering, unmarried women could express their love. If the recipient of the handkerchief agreed, they could directly marry without considering other formalities. Many talented scholars and beauties escaped arranged marriages through this method.

The girls on the bridge giggled. They didn't necessarily want to marry Fang Yun, but they enjoyed the lively atmosphere and hoped that their future husbands would be as talented as Fang Yun.

"Win the championship, take the dragon head!" One wave after another of people began to shout.

"Win the championship, take the dragon head!"

The last time the people of Yu Hai City shouted these six words together was seventeen years ago.

Qian, the Presented Scholar, held the flagpole but couldn't bring himself to lower it. Finally, he turned to look at Fang Yun and said, "Fang Yun, it's your turn. You are the greatest hero!"

The girls on the bridge also shouted loudly.

"Let Fang Yun come!"

"I haven't thrown my handkerchief yet. Let him come, it must land on him!"

Many women were playing around.

However, Fang Yun said, "Brother Qian, it's better if you go."

Qian, the Presented Scholar, hurriedly said, "My participation in the dragon boat race is not to seek the limelight, but to wash away the shame of the Jing Kingdom. As the greatest hero of this dragon boat literary gathering, it must be you who takes down the silk ribbon!"

Fang Yun said seriously, "I know that Brother Qian is not someone who seeks vanity, which is why I want you to take the dragon head. The people of Yu Hai City have carried too much for the Jing Kingdom. Today's honor should be personally obtained by the people of Yu Hai City! Brother Qian, please!"

Qian, the Presented Scholar, was stunned for a moment, but soon his eyes turned red. Every year, the dragon boat literary gathering was held in Yu Hai City. Every time they lost, people from other parts of the Jing Kingdom would insult the people of Yu Hai City.

Even though they knew it was difficult to win against the Qing Kingdom in the dragon boat race, even though they knew they would lose face afterwards, Qian and the other Yu Hai scholars still insisted on participating in the dragon boat race. They could lose in the literary competition, but they couldn't lose face!

For seventeen years, the literary people of the city had been accompanying the people of the enemy country!

Only the scholars from Yu Hai City who personally participated in the dragon boat race understood how difficult it was.

"Fang Shuangjia, with your high integrity, if anyone tarnishes your literary reputation in the future, I will wash it away with the blood of our enemies!"

"Thank you, Brother Qian." Fang Yun smiled faintly.

Qian, the Presented Scholar, raised his head and shouted loudly, "Win the championship, take the dragon head!" He shouted out all the resentment he had held for seventeen years, then used the red flagpole to pick off the silk ribbon held by the dragon's mouth on the Dragon Head Bridge and raised it high.

"Good..."

The thunderous cheers made it seem like half of Yu Hai City's ground was shaking.

Not far away, Yang Yuhuan and Zhao Zhuzhen smiled as they watched. The crowd on both sides cheered, and a dragon boat lay on the green waves under the bridge, with red flags and silk ribbons fluttering in the wind.

After seventeen years, the Dragon Boat Festival in Yu Hai City finally had the atmosphere it should have.

On the first dragon boat, which was still far from the Dragon Head Bridge, Yan Yukong calmly watched everything, his expression unchanged.

"I will never accept this insult! I cannot be a criminal of the Qing Kingdom!" Shi Dehong clenched his fists and roared softly. He couldn't believe that seventeen years of effort by the Qing Kingdom had been ruined by his own hands. He couldn't believe that as a Presented Scholar, he had lost to an Accomplished Scholar, and even more so, he couldn't believe that as a disciple of the Poetry Master, he had lost to a commoner.

Yan Yukong said calmly, "I don't see this as an insult."

"I am different from you! You don't care, but the person our Shi Family relies on wants to compete for the next head of the Xun Family. If I can surpass Fang Yun, who wrote 'At the beginning of life, human nature is good,' then that person will naturally be more valued in the Xun Family and will pay more attention to our Shi Family."

"You can give it a try. If he loses to you, then I don't need to wait for him in the world of learning." Yan Yukong said.

Shi Dehong calmed his emotions and said, "Don't worry, even if Fang Yun is well-versed in the classics, he also has irreparable flaws. I have a way to defeat him!"

"You mean the Book Mountain?"

"Book Mountain is just a backup plan. The imperial examination tests 'essence', while Book Mountain tests 'miscellaneous'. As a child from a humble background, how could he learn the skills of a hundred families and the Six Arts of a gentleman? We, the wealthy prominent families, have the money to learn these various skills, but how could a poor accomplished scholar like him surpass us? Perhaps he was born with talent, but he was not born with everything!"

"That's true. At first, I didn't understand why my teacher asked me to learn those seemingly useless things. It was only after I obtained the Heart of Literature that I understood. Book Mountain is indeed too difficult, even for me and Yi Zhishi, we could only obtain a medium-grade Heart of Literature. However, the so-called test of 'miscellaneous' is only for the first three mountains. From the fourth mountain onwards, it's different. I can't explain the specifics, after all, apart from the Saints, everyone's memory of Book Mountain is vague, and we can only know the general idea."

Shi Dehong wiped the water off his face and looked at Fang Yun's figure under the Dragon Head Bridge, firmly saying, "Today, I was splashed with river water, but one day I will repay him with a whole river! He underestimates the power of Qing Nation and the power of the Half-Sage prominent families. As for Book Mountain, he might not even be able to climb it."

Yan Yukong's gaze changed slightly, and he said sternly, "Are you planning to use... the power of the Holy Academy?" Yan Yukong glanced around after speaking, not finishing his sentence.

Shi Dehong, however, looked at the Jing Kingdom officials not far away without any hesitation and confidently said, "I am using an open and aboveboard strategy, they can't do anything to me. Moreover, we have other help. In June, the Holy Academy's examination inspection will surely come to Yuhai City!"

Yan Yukong was stunned for a moment, and finally shook his head, reciting the content of The Analects in a low voice, "Confucius said: 'Do not yield in practicing benevolence. Confucius said: 'A gentleman is steadfast but not stubborn...'"

His voice seemed to have a peculiar power, making Shi Dehong's faith even more pure, firmly believing that he was doing it for the family and for the greater good, so that his Courage to Write would not waver.

Yan Yukong recited The Analects in a low voice while looking forward, his gaze becoming empty again, with only the heavens and the earth in his eyes.

On the high floor, Prefect Dong and Feng Yuanjun looked at each other, their faces full of anger. The two officials' seals covered the river section, and they heard Yan Yukong and Shi Dehong's conversation clearly.

Prefect Dong said, "They are too arrogant, treating us as if we are nothing!"

Feng Zimo, the Imperial Scholar, said in a low voice, "I never thought they would be so despicable! Once the examination inspection intervenes, any flaws will be magnified infinitely. Those people are good at nitpicking, and they all follow the rules. I won't participate in the celebration banquet, I will personally go to Dayuan Prefecture to report to Lord Li."

Prefect Dong nodded and said, "Go ahead. I am the chief examiner of the prefectural examination, even if the people from the Holy Academy dare to violate the sacred teachings, they have to pass my War of Words first! I will go to Jinghai Tower to prepare for the celebration banquet."

Fang Shuye, who was beside them, was shocked and asked, "What's going on? Why are they sending the examination inspectors? Those people are like awls, even if there are no problems, they will poke a hole."

Prefect Dong explained the situation, and the surrounding officials were furious. Shi Dehong's deliberate words were clearly meant to tell all the Yuhai officials that even if Qing Nation lost the Dragon Boat Literary Meeting, they could still make a comeback elsewhere.

"This disciple of the Poetry Master is too arrogant!"

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"We must ask our Half-Sage prominent families to stop them."

However, no one responded afterward, even the young official who spoke had a darkened expression.

The Xun Family was one of the six Semi-Saint prominent families, second only to the Confucius Family, and no family in Jing Kingdom could compare.

Fang Shuye slowly said, "Unless Chen Sheng comes out of seclusion and goes to the Holy Academy personally, no one in Jing Kingdom can stop them. The Xun Family is, after all, a Semi-Saint family. As long as their family head can become an Imperial Scholar, even if they don't make any further progress, they can enter the Holy Academy and gradually receive talent infusion, achieving the position of a Great Scholar. However, the family heads of the Semi-Saint families throughout the generations have been proud and have not accepted the talent infusion, giving this opportunity to others in their families. Even so, this is enough to ensure that the Semi-Saint families always have a Great Scholar in charge, sometimes even multiple Great Scholars, comparable to our Jing Kingdom."

"It is precisely because the Semi-Saint families have deep roots that Shi Dehong is so arrogant. Unfortunately, the old family head of the Xun Family doesn't have much time left and won't care about this matter. Otherwise, if we all jointly request, he wouldn't let the Xun Family suppress the great talents of the human race."

"Is there no other way?"

"The Holy Academy is too complicated. Once the Semi-Saint families take action, other families will not intervene unless they tear their faces apart."