Chapter 31: The Birth of an Immortal Verse

“Toiling under the blazing noon, sweat drips onto the soil beneath the grain.” Li Su recited steadily, his voice carrying across the hall. From the second line onward, the entire poetry gathering fell silent; all the amused onlookers now wore expressions of awe.

Li Su continued, “Who realizes the food upon their plate—each grain hard-won by toil and fate.”

The scholars: “!!!” They had just witnessed the birth of a masterpiece! What fortune! Li Su was a genius!

In merely four lines, the poem drew the listeners into deep reflection.

Li Su cupped his hands respectfully toward Lin Xi. “Master Lin, do you have any advice?”

The smug smile froze on Lin Xi’s face. His eyes widened, disbelief flooding his gaze.

Lin Ze was so excited he nearly bruised his own hand from squeezing it. He looked up at Li Su with reverence. Su, you’re incredible!

Upstairs, Xi Sheng’s hand unconsciously tightened on the window ledge, his gaze fixed on Li Su, shock gleaming in his eyes. After a brief moment of contemplation, he seemed to reach a decision.

Could this be the one the Grand Diviner had spoken of?

Lin Xi muttered under his breath, “Impossible…” How could Lin Ze have made such a friend? How could Li Su compose such a timeless verse?

There was jealousy and unease mingled with Lin Xi’s astonishment.

Ren Shuhua tugged at Qin Ming’s sleeve. “Wasn’t Su just chatting with us the whole time? Where did he find the time to compose a poem?” He’d seen his own grandfather and other scholars struggle to write poetry, often wrestling with inspiration for hours, if not days.

“Maybe he wrote it on the spot, when he stood up just now?”

Ren Shuhua: “…” That’s absurd…

Qin Ming: “…” Even he thought it sounded implausible as soon as he said it.

“How did Brother Li compose such a brilliant piece?” Lin Xi was deeply suspicious. Li Su hadn’t had a spare moment to think about poetry. Could he really be such a genius, creating lines of this caliber with ease?

Impossible. If he possessed such talent, the world would have heard of him by now. He’d hardly be some obscure youth idling away his days with the likes of Lin Ze.

“I was born to a farming family, so this subject speaks to me deeply. By the way, the curved plow you mentioned earlier—that was my invention.” Li Su spoke with a gentle smile, each word striking Lin Xi like a hammer. Lin Xi felt as if he could hardly breathe, his chest tight with shock.

Lin Ze was on the verge of bursting with joy. So Lin Xi could finally taste defeat!

All the pent-up frustration of these years seemed to be avenged in this single moment. Su, he’d gladly follow Su for a lifetime!

The scholars began to murmur among themselves.

“Master Lin, with Brother Li’s talent, why did you keep belittling his and your brother’s studies to us—misleading us and causing us to miss the chance to befriend a true genius?”

“Yes, Master Lin, that was most ungenerous of you.”

Lin Xi: “…” He was so embarrassed he wanted to die.

“We’ve had such a talent among us all this time and never realized it!”

“Brother Wu, you come from a farming family too. Would you like to try your hand at a poem?”

Scholar Wu: “…” Li Su’s farming background was clearly not like his own…

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to compose—he simply couldn’t.

But everyone was now eyeing the scholars from farming backgrounds with hopeful expectation.

Those farm-born scholars: “…” Their feelings were complicated. There was a serious misunderstanding at play. Not every scholar from a farm could compose such verses!

Previously, no one had wanted to approach Li Su, but now he was surrounded by a throng of admirers, everyone eager to speak with him.

Li Su, however, wasn’t ready to let Lin Xi off the hook. “Brother Lin, you haven’t yet shared your thoughts on this poem—any advice?” He looked at Lin Xi with feigned humility.

“We all saw Master Lin’s poem. Compared to Brother Li, he’s in no position to give advice. Why don’t we discuss among ourselves…”

“Does work of this level even need advice?”

“Master Lin isn’t qualified to instruct you, Brother Li. Let’s talk instead…”

Lin Xi’s face flushed purple and pale by turns; inwardly he was seething. He had organized this gathering to bolster his own reputation as a prodigy, hoping to humiliate Lin Ze and his companions along the way.

And yet—all his efforts had been for Li Su’s benefit! How could he ever explain this to his father?

Li Su was enveloped by the crowd, all eager to converse with him. Lin Xi, watching the scene, nearly dug his nails into his palms.

Li Su conversed easily with everyone. His three friends were dumbfounded—just how much did Su know? It seemed there was nothing beyond his grasp.

As the gathering dispersed, many scholars left with a favorable impression of Li Su.

Li Su, meanwhile, found his thoughts wandering. Why hadn’t the gentleman upstairs come to find him yet? Had he miscalculated?

“Come on, Su, let me treat you all to a meal! Seeing the look on Lin Xi’s face today—I’m over the moon. Thank you for standing up for me!” Lin Ze insisted on treating them to dinner.

Li Su nodded. Qin Ming chimed in excitedly, “Yes! I’m starving. Listening to poetry all day has left me…”

“Enlightened in spirit?” Li Su suggested.

“That’s it! You always know just how to put it, Su.” Qin Ming nodded emphatically.

“Master Li, please wait.” A voice called out from behind, stopping Li Su in his tracks.

He turned to see a middle-aged stranger. Judging by the man’s bearing, Li Su had a guess as to his identity.

It must be the man whom the elderly gentleman upstairs had sent.

It seemed there was a good chance he could reel in this master as his teacher.

Li Su’s lips curled into a faint smile, but when he turned, his expression was one of confusion. “Uncle, is there something I can help you with?”

Uncle Lin, remembering all the disparaging things he’d said about Li Su earlier, felt a bit awkward. Judging by his master’s attitude, he clearly intended to take this young man under his wing—which meant the boy would likely become the young master in the future…

Compared to the master’s other apprentices, this one was a bit different—the only one from a farming family, in fact. A child of true fortune.

“My master would like to speak with you. Do you have a moment, Master Li?”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

Lin Ze frowned. “Who is your master?”

Uncle Lin explained his employer’s local standing. “My master owns the Sheng Bookhouse.”

Lin Ze knew of it. Sheng Bookhouse had sprung up out of nowhere two years ago, yet no one knew who was behind it—only that the owner was well-connected and had a reputation for a bad temper.

“What do you think, Su?” Ren Shuhua asked. He’d heard a little about this mysterious figure. Why had he suddenly taken an interest in Su?

Of course—Su had just composed a masterpiece. The bookhouse owner must have been drawn by his talent.

“I’ll go meet him. Dinner will have to wait.” Li Su was quite looking forward to this, and wouldn’t dream of refusing the chance.

Of course, he wouldn’t rush to formally request apprenticeship—he’d need to vet the man’s essays first, see if he was worthy to be his teacher.

Li Su followed Uncle Lin, who said, “You may call me Uncle Lin, Master Li.” Best to establish a good rapport now, for if the master really did take him on, he would be his last disciple.

With such a master, and outstanding senior apprentices, this young man would surely rise to great heights.

Of course, all this depended on passing the master’s test—he never accepted disciples lightly.

On this, Li Su and Sheng Xi were of one mind: both meant to test the other first.

Li Su followed Uncle Lin up to a private room on the second floor of a tavern. He glanced at Sheng Xi without betraying his thoughts: tall and imposing, perhaps six feet tall, with a vigorous spirit and a stern, scholarly demeanor.

“Uncle Lin, you may go.”

When Uncle Lin withdrew, only Li Su and Sheng Xi remained. The room fell silent.