Chapter 155: No Enemies, No Encounters

"Oh? Qin Ming? A dark horse? That is rather interesting!"

Hearing the name uttered by Xuanyuan Changfeng, Gou Ye could not help but think of a name from a novel he had once been familiar with.

"Alright, alright, brother! I didn't come to you today to discuss other people. Come, come, now that both of us have finished our examinations, we simply must go to the Yueyang Tower and drink to our heart's content today!"

Without waiting for a response, Xuanyuan Changfeng grabbed Gou Ye by the shoulder and pulled him toward the exit.

Faced with Xuanyuan Changfeng's boorish behavior, Gou Ye could only respond with a helpless sigh. "Fine, fine. We'll go, we'll go. Just stop pulling me! What kind of propriety is there in tugging and pulling like this?"

"Alright, alright. I was just afraid you wouldn't come, weren't I?"

Hearing Gou Ye's complaint, Xuanyuan Changfeng smiled faintly and released his arm.

The two of them walked together all the way until they arrived at the Yueyang Tower in the city.

"Oh my! If it isn't the illustrious God of Poetry and the First Scholar!"

Seeing Gou Ye and Xuanyuan Changfeng appear at the Yueyang Tower, almost all the scholars who had come for the examinations instantly gathered around them.

"This one is Wang Er of Jiangdu. I have long admired the great reputation of the God of Poetry. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your legend!"

"Indeed, indeed! Lord God of Poetry, this humble one has also admired you for a long time. We simply must have a proper drink together today."

"That's right! The reputations of the First Scholar and the God of Poetry have already spread throughout the entire city. Meeting here at the Yueyang Tower today is a matter of destiny. We must drink until we are thoroughly intoxicated!"

......

The group of scholars chimed in one after another, completely surrounding Gou Ye and Xuanyuan Changfeng in no time, every single gaze filled with flattery.

There was no helping it; the reputations of Gou Ye and Xuanyuan Changfeng were simply too dazzling, leaving the others with no choice but to curry favor.

However, before Gou Ye and Xuanyuan Changfeng could reply to the questions of these talented scholars, another commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance of the Yueyang Tower.

"Step aside! Make way! Young Master Qin Ming has arrived. Don't block the doorway!"

Hearing this, almost everyone present subconsciously turned their heads toward the entrance. They saw a young master dressed in luxurious black robes walking slowly into the Yueyang Tower, flanked by several attendants who continuously shoved the scholars blocking their path aside.

"Goodness, is this none other than Young Master Qin Ming, the commoner candidate recommended directly by the provincial government this year?"

Upon hearing the name Qin Ming, every single scholar present was involuntarily startled.

It was no laughing matter—while Gou Ye and Xuanyuan Changfeng possessed great literary talent, this Qin Ming had been recommended directly by the provincial administration. In other words, he undoubtedly possessed some formidable backing to secure such a recommendation.

In this era, having true literary talent was certainly important, but lacking a powerful background was absolute death.

And Qin Ming clearly met both criteria simultaneously: not only did he possess profound learning, but he also held mighty backing, evoking intense envy from everyone present.

"Ah, Young Master Qin Ming has arrived!"

"Yet somehow, I feel as though I've seen this Qin Ming somewhere before, though I can't quite place it all of a sudden."

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd around him, Gou Ye frowned once more, his thoughts plunging into deep contemplation.

Indeed, whether judging by his attire or his name, this fellow named Qin Ming gave him an intensely familiar feeling. Most importantly, the unruly and untamed aura in the other's demeanor seemed somewhat reminiscent of someone he knew.

"Oh? Familiar? Could it be that my brother has seen him somewhere before?"

Noticing that Gou Ye claimed to find Qin Ming familiar, Xuanyuan Changfeng immediately grew interested. Regardless of anything else, the Gou Ye before him was now a genuine "God of Poetry," and anyone who could make the esteemed "God of Poetry" feel a sense of familiarity could hardly be a simple character.

To Xuanyuan Changfeng, perhaps this examination was not quite as simple as he had originally imagined.

Since Gou Ye felt that this Qin Ming looked familiar, the most crucial step was to inquire into the other's background so that they could formulate a timely response.

"Let me think carefully."

In response to Xuanyuan Changfeng's inquiry, Gou Ye once again sank into deep thought, searching his memory. Lately, his mind had been entirely consumed by matters concerning the examinations, causing him to practically forget everything else.

"Ah, I remember now!"

Suddenly, as if recalling something, Gou Ye's eyes lit up involuntarily.

That was right, he had indeed seen this fellow named Qin Ming before, but it had only been at Zhu Ling's shop, which was why the impression had not been particularly profound.

Even so, the powerful aura the man had exuded back then had managed to leave a faint trace in Gou Ye's mind.

Although a great variety of people had passed through Zhu Ling's shop, anyone capable of leaving an impression in his memory was unquestionably far from ordinary.

"Hahaha! Ladies and gentlemen, according to my reliable sources, this Young Master Qin Ming is none other than the son of Lord Qin Hui of the provincial government, and his mother is none other than Zhu Ling, the beloved daughter of a vassal prince!"

Just as Gou Ye was racking his brains trying to deduce Qin Ming's true identity, a scholar nearby proudly announced this introduction to everyone present.

"Good heavens! The son of Lord Qin Hui? And his mother is a vassal prince's beloved daughter? Doesn't that mean his maternal grandfather is none other than a revered vassal prince?"

Upon hearing this scholar's introduction, the others were involuntarily startled, and the way each person looked at Qin Ming changed completely.

Earlier, they had all sensed that Qin Ming's background was formidable, but only now did they realize it reached such terrifying heights.

Everyone understood very well that in terms of power, imperial authority was certainly supreme, but immediately following that were the vassal princes who actually commanded real military forces.

To a certain extent, even the emperor might not dare to cross swords with vassal princes who wielded actual military power.

Yet what about Qi Ming now? Not only did he possess genuine talent, but he also had a commanding vassal prince as his backer. Such a revelation naturally left them deeply astonished.

"Come, come, fellow brothers, let us all go up and make the acquaintance of Young Master Qin Ming."

"That's right, that's right! We are all scholars of this imperial examination year; gathering together to get acquainted is a fine thing indeed."

As Qin Ming's formidable background was laid bare, all the scholars present were stirred into action. Each harboring their own motives, they surged toward Qin Ming's direction.

Only Gou Ye remained standing in place, his burning gaze fixed upon Qin Ming in the distance as a wave of emotion washed over him: "Hehe, the world is truly small indeed. Enemies are bound to cross paths after all!"