Chapter 197: Two Letters

If not for this letter, Seven Serpents Sect Master Luo Defeng suddenly leaving the sect and going down the mountain should have been a matter that required vigilance.

Because Seven Serpents' power in Bowang City had been annihilated overnight, and they had no way to know the basic situation of who the enemy was and how strong they were, as the last needle that calmed the sea for Seven Serpents, Luo Defeng really shouldn't have acted rashly.

Not to mention that the mountain gate was the foundation of the entire Seven Serpents. Even if Cuiyu occupied the initiative, wanting to weaken it would take years of work, and Qijiao Shang Huaitong was just a fruit it had borne. If he were killed, it would naturally be a major loss for Seven Serpents, but it was already a choice of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Under these circumstances, Luo Defeng suddenly entered the city abnormally, and Tianshan and Cuiyu had to consider whether there was something about the soul-snatching bead that required this master to handle.

And now that this letter had arrived, it dispelled this suspicion. It turned out that Qijiao Shang Huaitong's life and death were truly important enough—not only for Zhang Junxue and Seeing Pei Ye, but also equally important for the overall survival of Seven Serpents.

This short note was very brief, and the tone was also very humble. After it was announced by the state office, under the rapid copying of all parties, within a day, many pairs of eyes had already browsed it.

It said:

To the Honorable Office of Bowang,

Respectfully asking if the wind and rain are well.

My academy has fortunately received the mandate of the Emperor, entrusted with the Dao-Opening, and since the establishment of the academy, it has been twenty-one years. Every time I observe my Dao students, they are naturally of crane-like and duck-like posture, but alas, they have a lonely appearance, so I feel ashamed to be listed, sighing day and night, ashamed of the country's entrustment.

However, looking down into the deep pool, dragons crouch and phoenixes hide. In a hundred cities and a thousand towns, how can there be no people good at the sword; in the well reflecting the ghost's reflection, it is full of beautiful jade. It only depends on the fact that human eyes have limits and flesh ears have extremes, unable to see the orchid and hear the fragrance, so the two wishes are in vain.

Shang Jun, courtesy name Huaitong, has a broad and harmonious temperament, excellent art and reason, early stage of prosperity, outstanding in the sword forest, later arrived at the prefecture city, diligently seeking progress, but due to a difference of a hair's breadth, he had to return to his hometown, and my academy regrets losing good material.

Although the matter is not beautiful, it also makes me lift a leaf that blocks my eyes. Bowang is a beautiful state, the horn of Shaolong, the firewood is high and lush, the Lu River is clear and stable, it is truly a place where people are outstanding and the land is spiritual, where orchids grow and jade grows, and it must be willing to obtain it and teach it, and must not hide it for exclusive beauty.

Additionally to Shang Jun: Now that the Autumn Championship is ahead, I present a beautiful wish, and the appointment of that day should be visible.

The Great Tang Thirty-Three Sword Imperial Dao-Opening Meeting · Shaolong Prefecture Sword Academy,

Respectfully sent.

Accompanying the note was also a formal official document from the state office. The wording of this one was much more serious and earnest, and it also changed to the command tone familiar to the state office clerks.

Combining the short note with this document, the state office notified the entire state of the complete face of this matter.

That is, that trip Qijiao Shang Huaitong made to Shaolong Prefecture in the spring made the Sword Academy in the prefecture city notice this young outstanding talent, and incidentally, it also aroused interest in this remote small state of Bowang.

Now, just as a supervisor was about to pass through Bowang on the way, the Sword Academy simply handed a Dao student quota to this supervisor, which was equivalent to conducting a simple Dao student selection in Bowang.

Anyway, at least Qijiao Shang Huaitong had only been a little bit off last time, and this time he was almost certain to meet the standard, so he definitely wouldn't make a wasted trip.

This supervisor would arrive on September 2nd, and the return trip would be around the 10th. September 2nd was exactly when the Luzhou Poetry Meeting was held; and the 10th happened to catch up with the tail of the martial competition.

One name and one reality, so there was almost no need to explain where this quota was determined.

A quota for the Sword Academy!

For a time, there was a clamor of discussion in Bowang. This was ten or a hundred times more precious than the qualification for the Divine Capital Martial Examination, and precisely because of the mention in the letter as if it were internal, the Seven Serpents, which were still in the limelight on the surface, made a noise again.

And the question on Cuiyu's side was thus answered—no wonder Luo Defeng would rather abandon the mountain gate than come to stay with this precious true disciple.

The high grass and old roots cannot be cut off, and the new buds fly before the old tree dies. The root of this big tree of Seven Serpents was already about to rot, but this fruit emitted a dazzling brilliance, wrapped in a new seed that was even better.

——

September 2nd.

Changdao Martial Hall.

Rising in the morning, the blue sky was like a wash, the trees were green and the tiles were black, and the morning glow shone into the room through the window lattice.

Seeing Pei Ye sat to one side, leaning his elbows and watching the girl combing her hair in front of the mirror.

"Just dot it like this, it's fine." Li Piaoqing opened her eyes, drew along the eyelid to the corner of the eye, and then hooked it lightly. A fine line was completed, and when she lowered her eyelid, this line disappeared, and a faint cyan meaning that was just right appeared on the girl's brows.

Seeing Pei Ye frowned tightly.

There was also a mirror in front of him, in which his eye sockets looked like he was poisoned.

The girl drew her own, turned her head, and couldn't help but smile when she saw him.

Seeing Pei Ye sighed: "I'm not learning anymore."

"Eh~ don't," the girl still couldn't restrain her smile, trying hard to be gentle. "Your control is very precise, you just don't understand where is heavy and where is light for the time being."

Of course, the youth was already Fourth Life; how could his control be imprecise when holding a fine brush? It was just that he felt this thing was a bit like painting, and it really needed a little talent.

"You just started," the girl said. "Take out some of the patience you use for practicing the sword, alright? It's just practice makes perfect. If you can draw this makeup well, I can teach you how to disguise your own eyes to look like this."

She knocked on the table. On the paper was a pattern of a pair of eyes, similar in size to Seeing Pei Ye's, but with obvious differences.

"I don't have any patience for practicing the sword," Seeing Pei Ye sighed, still picking up the brush and facing the mirror.

Li Piaoqing stood to one side and gave detailed guidance. It took seven or eight times before Seeing Pei Ye barely managed to draw this fine line that was contained but not revealed.

"Very good, isn't it!" the girl encouraged. "Try drawing the other one yourself."

Seeing Pei Ye was very fast this time. He raised his brush and hooked it, copying the appearance he had drawn on his left eye, exactly the same.

Even the flaws and distortions were perfectly contrasted, and his exquisite control was simply displayed to the fullest.

"..." Li Piaoqing was a bit frustrated. This craftsmanship was naturally fine if it only depicted makeup, but disguise had to be designed and disguised on the spot according to different situations. This rigid method was clearly not working. "I think you have quite a bit of spirit when practicing the sword."

"If it's not in your life, you can't force it," Seeing Pei Ye sighed lightly. "I think my actions are bright and open, so I probably won't need this disguise skill."

"Then why did you disguise yourself before?" the girl refuted his request.

"That was because the person who disguised me wasn't bright and open. He couldn't beat others, so he could only design a sneak attack."

"Then you can beat them, why did you let people disguise you?"

"No, I couldn't beat them even if I was disguised."

"..." Wipe it clean, come again," Li Piaoqing handed him a square towel. "This is a method you'll inevitably encounter in the Jianghu. You don't have to be proficient, but at least you have to understand some."

Seeing Pei Ye sighed.

The youth seemed to have no resilience in things that were of no interest and not necessary, but Li Piaoqing knew it wasn't like that. He had always had sufficient patience, not to mention that this was indeed useful knowledge, and he really shouldn't always be thinking about "retreating before the battle."

Actually, she had discovered his abnormality early on—the youth who woke up early in the morning was clearly somewhat unwilling when she called him over.

After being pressed here helplessly by her, the youth had always appeared somewhat anxious.

Clearly, he was the one who said he wanted to learn that day.

"Are you in a hurry for something?" the girl asked pretending to be casual.

The youth sighed deeply.

"... Nothing, let's continue." He drooped his brows.

This "torture" didn't stop until noon. It was indeed as the girl said, practice makes perfect. At this time, Seeing Pei Ye could already naturally add some things that were contained but not revealed to his eyes.

"Look, right?" the girl said with satisfaction.

"It's okay," Seeing Pei Ye fiddled with his eyes in the mirror and regained some interest.

But this class could only stop here, because in the afternoon, it was the time for the Luzhou Poetry Meeting.

——

Afternoon.

Bowang was not comparable to those big cities with many famous sects. The dignitaries and celebrities inside could be clearly listed. The residents who lived there long ago had already been familiar with many carriages. Usually, as long as they saw them gathering on the street, they knew there was some movement in the city.

And today's scale was even more impossible to ignore—people had long remembered this date—Luzhou Poetry Meeting!

The grand event in Bowang second only to the martial competition, all the distinguished guests in the city gathered here after lunch, and joy permeated everyone's face.

Different from ordinary gatherings, Luzhou could always stay overnight, and it was precisely in the middle of the night that it was the most wonderful moment. At that time, the moon reached the center of the sky, the lake water soaked the stars, the wind passed through the reed bushes, the white egrets stood quietly, and everyone sat by the lake or drifted in small boats, chanting poems, drinking wine, and talking happily, how comfortable.

The large carriage from Changdao Martial Hall was one of them. It was painted in green and decorated with green feathers. Its uniqueness was easy to recognize at a glance.

It was Cuiyu's carriage.

Inside the hanging curtain of the carriage, the girl was leaning, holding a small note and chanting. On the cover, a line of ink characters read: "Invitation · Luzhou Elegant Gathering on September 2nd · Master Yang Yan."

"The long lake gathers waves, the high egrets change feathers, the bright moon can be scooped, the pot of ice waits to be drunk. The sheath is deep in the wet, the handsome sword is hard to hide for long; the rain stops and the brush is moist, good sentences are just right for elegant work. Wanting to make a beautiful gathering, carefully preparing flower drinks, daring to tell the front, spreading seats and sweeping the room to wait for clear appreciation."

Li Piaoqing chanted softly, handed the small note in her hand to Yang Yan, but her head had already turned to Seeing Pei Ye: "Look, this is the unified format. The guests that Qi Jushi doesn't recognize all receive this piece of writing."

"..."

The youth acted as if he didn't hear. He was also frowning and holding something in front of his eyes, but it was a book that wasn't thin.

He had been like this since getting on the carriage, and hadn't said a word until now.

Li Piaoqing didn't know when he became so studious. Clearly, two days ago when chatting about the Luzhou Poetry Meeting, she asked him if he wanted to read two books to prepare, and the reply was a light smile: "What books do I have to read? Isn't this sword enough to stand in this poetry meeting?"

The girl thought it was correct at the time. If the youth lost some face in writing, he would definitely win it back ten or a hundred times with his saber.

But now... why was he suddenly holding a book and studying hard?

This was definitely not the "obsession" out of interest, or rather, this "interest" was covered up by another more obvious emotion. That was the first time Li Piaoqing saw such an expression on the youth's face—nervousness.

Li Piaoqing leaned over to look, and identified the book title on the cover from between the youth's fingers.

"General Theory of Six Dynasties Sword Art."

Never heard of it.

The girl straightened up and called out again: "Seeing Pei Ye."

"Ah?" This time the youth came back to his senses. "Oh, you're talking about Qi Jushi... are all these invitations written by her personally?"

"Of course. All the invitations for the Luzhou Poetry Meeting every year are written by the Jushi personally. If you keep them, they might be worth some money in a few years," Li Piaoqing said.

"This must be one or two hundred copies. I didn't expect us all to receive them," Seeing Pei Ye buckled the book on his lap and opened the note that had been handed to him for the first time, flipping through it back and forth. "What is this invited based on?"

"The martial side is based on the list of the Golden Autumn competition, but it's not bad if a small half of the people can go, and then there are some famous names in the Jianghu; the literary side doesn't have a very obvious boundary. Anyway, there are always seventy or eighty people every year, half old faces and half new faces," Li Piaoqing said, and then pulled back to the previous topic. "With so many people, the Jushi is also familiar with few and strange with many, so although every letter is written personally, for most guests, she can only copy the unified tone once. Only special ones have some differences."

Speaking of this, the girl raised the small note in her hand: "This one of mine was written by the Jushi specifically for 'Li Piaoqing'."

"Oh? Is that so? What's different about the Young Master's?" Seeing Pei Ye curiously leaned over, and Yang Yan couldn't help but probe his head.

"There are many differences. For example, the eight characters 'Sweeping flowers and stepping on branches, neck stretching and feathers flying,' do you have them?" The girl showed the note to them and smiled triumphantly. "Written specifically for me."

Seeing Pei Ye looked—the ink characters on this were indeed more than that note of Yang Yan's just now.

"Then..." he frowned and leaned back to his position, staring at the invitation in his hand. "Mine also seems to have some differences."

"Yours can't have anything different." The girl rolled her eyes at him.

"Really, look, what does 'willing to bear the beautiful favor' mean?"

The girl leaned over: "... What she wrote is 'repeatedly bearing beautiful favors, gratitude is deep'."

Then she raised her eyebrows and glanced at the youth: "Do you really have a font size in Qi Jushi's place?"

"Just say it, we are acquaintances." Seeing Pei Ye was still holding the small note, frowning and trying hard to identify it.

"Oh, are you two very close?"

Seeing Pei Ye was stunned for a moment, put down the small note: "It's okay, but... actually, we haven't met many times."

"Oh, Qi Jushi is not only first-class in talent, but also very beautiful."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded deeply in agreement.

Yang Yan also wanted to speak, but lacked decisiveness and couldn't get a word in. Zhang Junxue leaned against the window and looked outside silently. They traveled for less than two quarters of an hour like this, the road surface gradually stabilized, and it became bustling outside. Seeing Pei Ye probed and looked, and they had already arrived at Bowang Garden.

It was truly crowded. Seeing Pei Ye had already seen many faces at the Pill-Singing Meeting that day, and today there were even more people dressed as literati, mostly young people laughing and talking in groups of three or five.

Being young was precisely one of the characteristics of this poetry meeting. Since it was a gathering tied to Qi Zhaohua, the identity and age of the talented woman determined that this gathering was more relaxed than heavy, and more about talking and music than studying. The old gentlemen with high status and prestige didn't like to attend.

And precisely because of this, although it wore a coat of "literature," the influence of the Luzhou Poetry Meeting had always been not in the academic forest, but in the public opinion field.

Of course, this was also the reason why martial artists were willing to participate—a place to seek fame.

And today, someone had come with a piece of dry and hot fame. I don't know if after this poetry meeting, it would burn into a bear fire, or turn cold into cold ice.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 198 =====