Facing the skeptical gazes of the people around him, Qin Lang simply didn’t take it to heart.
It wasn’t like this was some incredibly difficult couplet; what was there to be shocked or doubtful about?
“Alright, ten of them. Don’tt even talk about ten, if you can even just come up with one, I’ll admit defeat!”
The man who had provided the second line said this with some resentment.
Qin Lang glanced at him. “Whether you admit defeat or not, what does that have to do with me? But since you insist on hearing them, then you better prick up your ears and listen well!”
Qin Lang cleared his throat, and under the expectant gaze of the crowd, slowly began to speak.
“The first line is: Nantong Prefecture, Beiting Prefecture, North and South Prefectures connect North and South. My first matching line is: Big gambling houses, small gambling houses, big and small gambling houses gamble on big and small.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings were quiet for a moment, then erupted in cheers.
“Excellent, that’s brilliant! This is much more interesting than that ‘birth of boys and girls’ one!”
“This girl is amazing! Gambling houses are exactly where you gamble on big and small! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Haha, you lose, you lose. Apologize quickly! A real man can’t go back on his word!”
…
The face of the man who had offered his own second line darkened. Although Qin Lang’s couplet wasn’t particularly ingenious, compared to his own, the difference in quality was clear as day.
This made his own attempt seem… a bit frivolous.
Who was this person? Were they deliberately trying to upstage him?
A hint of resentment appeared on the man’s face.
He had finally managed to become the center of attention, so where did this unexpected obstacle come from?
But apologizing was out of the question. He would never apologize in this lifetime!
Especially not to a girl.
“Hmph, she said she could come up with ten, didn’t she? Let’s just see if she can actually produce ten!”
The man was being stubborn to the end.
“That’s not what you said just now!”
“A real man’s word is his bond. Going back on it is not the act of a true man!”
“He’s really embarrassing all men!”
…
However, Qin Lang had already anticipated that he wouldn’t concede so easily.
“This is only my first matching line. Since you want to hear more, then listen to my second one!”
He paused for a moment, and when all eyes were fixed on him, Qin Lang continued.
“My second matching line is: Broken bundles, tattered bundles, broken and tattered bundles bundle broken and tattered things.”
The moment he finished, countless people were already shouting in appreciation.
“Excellent, truly excellent! The words ‘broken’ and ‘tattered’ are adjectives at the beginning, but they form a noun at the end. It’s simply brilliant!”
“Who is this girl? She absolutely cannot be an unknown!”
Qin Lang found it amusing. Sure enough, without him having to say anything, the people around him had already analyzed the matching line for him.
It’s the same in every world; there’s never a shortage of analysts.
“My third matching line: East schoolhouse, West schoolhouse, East and West schoolhouses teach East and West [subjects/things].”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up again. This was another neatly structured and ingeniously crafted line.
Before the crowd could shower him with more praise, Qin Lang spoke again.
“My fourth matching line: East Grand Canal, West Grand Canal, East and West Grand Canals transport things East and West.”
“My fifth matching line: East swallows, West swallows, East and West swallows fly East and West.”
“My sixth matching line: East pawnshop, West pawnshop, East and West pawnshops pawn things East and West.”
Four consecutive matching lines using the “East-West” structure directly stunned everyone present.
Even the man who posed the original challenge was dumbfounded.
They all thought Qin Lang’s claim of producing ten couplets was just empty boasting.
Coming up with one or two good matches for such a difficult first line was already no small feat.
How could anyone possibly produce ten in such a short time?
But they never expected… Qin Lang had actually blurted out six in one go, and every single one was impeccable.
Who exactly was this? Could she really produce ten?
“Listening to the voice, it’s a young woman. Could it be… that newly emerged talented woman?”
“You mean… Wu Yunqing?”
“The voice doesn’t quite match, but besides her, who else could it be?”
“It’s said that Wu Yunqing has always wanted to challenge Zhao Qinghui’s position. Now that she’s shown up, does that mean this Poetry Conference is going to turn into a real dragon-and-tiger fight?”
…
Inside the third-floor hall, a staff member rushed over frantically.
“Something’s wrong, something’s wrong! Someone is trying to cause trouble!”
A group of poetry luminaries were in the middle of exchanging pleasantries. Hearing this news, their expressions changed.
“Causing trouble? Who would dare to cause trouble at the Poetry Conference?”
“What exactly happened? Who has the audacity?”
The staff member caught his breath. “Miss Zhao’s couplet… someone has matched it!”
As his words fell, Zhao Qinghui, who had been quietly reading in a corner, lifted her head.
Someone had matched her couplet?
Was that really such a big deal? But still… who could have done it, and in such a short time?
“You young lad, matching a couplet is hardly ‘causing trouble’! Can you not exaggerate!”
A senior scholar was quite displeased.
The staff member shook his head. “It’s not just that… She has already produced six matching lines, and she’s said she’ll produce ten!”
What?
Everyone present was shocked.
They had all seen Zhao Qinghui’s original line; it was excellent and very clever.
Even these senior scholars hadn’t been able to think of ten matching lines off the tops of their heads.
“Who is this person? Has she really produced ten matching lines?”
“How is this possible? Who is this person? How could they produce ten matching lines?”
The scholars were also astonished. To produce ten matching lines within ten minutes – was that something a human could do?
“I don’t know who it is either. She’s wearing a mask and a sun hat, but… some people say it’s Wu Yunqing!”
Whoosh!
Many eyes turned towards Zhao Qinghui.
Wu Yunqing was a poetic genius who had emerged recently, once claiming to be even more talented than Zhao Qinghui.
She had been invited to this Poetry Conference too, but hadn’t given a definite reply. Looking at it now, it seemed she was planning something underhanded here.
If Zhao Qinghui’s first line was completely outdone by Wu Yunqing’s ten matching lines, once word got out, it would plant an impression in everyone’s mind: Zhao Qinghui was nothing special, no match for Wu Yunqing!
How insidious!
Zhao Qinghui’s brows furrowed slightly, and she put down the book in her hand.
“I’m quite curious to see what matching lines she’s come up with.”
The staff member quickly recited the six matching lines Qin Lang had produced.
After listening, Zhao Qinghui’s eyes sparkled.
“It seems Wu Yunqing is no pushover. I’m starting to find her interesting. Let’s go. I’d like to meet this Wu Yunqing.”
