"Damn it, are you kidding me? My Nine-Return Fragrance can't even beat a cup of seawater!" Luo Muzi raged internally, while maintaining his composure on the surface.
"Hateful. This Wu Yihai is playing dirty tricks. We present tea, and he presents seawater. The nerve! And Miss Silky Willow is actually siding with him? Unacceptable, utterly unacceptable!" Lun Fei's fists, clenched under the stone table, were turning white with the strain.
Miss Tianlu quickly stepped in to mediate. "The moon is already high, we have drunk the tea, but to lack a poem would be a shame."
Fang Yuan feigned confusion. "Do we really have to compose a poem?"
He put on a perfect act of being unprepared and hearing this for the first time.
Luo Muzi and Lun Fei's eyes lit up instantly. This was another opportunity!
A perfect chance to strike down their rival.
"The last time, you bluffed your way out of it. This time, I will make sure to crush your arrogance, then stomp all over you."
Luo Muzi's mind was filled with this thought, but on the surface he wore a graceful, refined smile.
Lun Fei harbored similar thoughts.
They had no idea who Fang Yuan really was.
Compare poetry?
My goodness.
That was even more foolish than showing off one's slight skill before an expert.
Fang Yuan came from Earth. He had access to a vast treasury of ancient poetry, including masterpieces that had gone down in history and shaken the ages. Tossing out any one of them would be enough to leave these two utterly humiliated.
"Yes, we should compose a poem, and there's a good reason for it," Qiao Siliu replied to Fang Yuan's words.
"Oh? I'd like to hear it," Fang Yuan continued.
"This is a story passed down in the Southern Border, the origin of the Moon Festival," Qiao Siliu began her tale.
Long, long ago, in a certain stockade in the Southern Border.
A mortal young man fell in love with the daughter of a Gu Master, and the Gu Master's daughter also fell for this mortal boy.
The young man mustered his courage to propose marriage, only to be refused by the Gu Master.
"You are merely a mortal, while my daughter is a Gu Master, with a vast future ahead. How could you possibly be worthy of her? Get lost!"
The young man pleaded bitterly. The Gu Master sneered, "Want me to marry my daughter to you? You're delusional! You, a mere mortal, can't even brew a single cup of tea. What use are you?"
The young man said, "Isn't it just a cup of tea? What's so hard about that? If I make it, will you marry your daughter to me?"
The Gu Master was troubled.
He knew his daughter loved the young man before them, and forcing them apart would make her hate him as a father.
So the Gu Master said, "If you can make a cup of tea that satisfies me, I will give you a chance."
The young man was overjoyed and quickly agreed. "Sir, I will definitely succeed."
The Gu Master's daughter heard about this and was very worried. "Our family has been famous for tea for generations. You have to make a tea that satisfies my father. You're only a mortal, without the abilities of a Gu Master. How can you possibly make a good cup of tea?"
The young man, however, said, "Don't worry. Who says mortals can't make tea? Let me tell you three principles."
"The first principle: big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp."
So the young man went to the stream, caught a big fish, cut open its belly to take out the small fish, then cut open the small fish to take out the tiny shrimp inside.
"The second principle: people must eat, but they must also defecate."
Thus, the young man ate the tiny shrimp and produced a pile of excrement.
"The third principle: excrement makes flowers and grass grow more vigorously."
So the young man buried the excrement in the soil, and sure enough, the flowers and grass flourished, growing taller and taller.
From them, the young man selected a particular flower and grass, steeped it in the stream water, and the entire stream turned into tea.
The Gu Master took a sip of this tea and was speechless for a long time.
His daughter called out, "Father, you're not going to renege, are you?"
The Gu Master nodded reluctantly. "Young man, you've passed the first test. But for a mere mortal like you to marry my daughter is still impossible. You are too crude, lacking in literary talent, and cannot compose poetry."
The young man scratched his head, distressed. "I've never composed a poem, but I can try."
The Gu Master let out a derisive laugh. "Just you?"
The young man retorted, "Why can't I?"
The Gu Master said, "Young man, it's not poetry just because you mumble a few words. When we Gu Masters compose poetry, we can change the colors of the sky and earth, make people dance with joy. Can you do that?"
The young man said stubbornly, "How will I know if I can unless I try?"
"Fine, then try. Don't say I didn't give you a chance. If you fail, get out of here and never see my daughter again," the Gu Master declared.
The young man had no choice but to agree. He started wandering around aimlessly, trying to compose a poem.
But he had never composed a poem in his life and had no clue where to start.
Just then, he saw ants on the ground, birds flying past the window, and the setting sun. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead.
He called out, "Swallows fly low, snakes cross the path. Ants move their homes; rain will come at last."
The Southern Border was prone to rain, and it was currently spring.
As soon as the young man finished speaking, fine threads of rain began to drift down from the sky.