“Alright, since you want to have a discussion so badly, it would be a bit unreasonable of me to keep refusing!”
Qin Lang said calmly. “But a discussion involves both parties. I also happen to have a few couplets here that I can’t think of the second lines for. How about we discuss those together?”
Seeing Qin Lang agree, Li Qubai’s face showed a hint of a smile.
As long as she agreed, that was good. This way, he would have something to report back to his teacher.
“Then please listen carefully, Miss Qin!” Li Qubai cleared his throat and said calmly, “My first line is… A thousand rivers have water, a thousand moons are reflected.”
“Excellent!” As soon as he finished, someone shouted in approval.
Even Li Qubai’s teacher nodded slightly to himself.
Li Qubai had improved quite a bit recently. Although composing couplets is considered a minor skill, being able to come up with a first line like this showed his intelligence.
At first glance, this first line seemed plain, but it actually contained profound meaning. It was simply impossible to match it in a short time…
Just as the old professor was thinking this, Qin Lang’s voice reached his ears.
“Ten thousand miles without clouds, ten thousand miles of sky. What do you think of my second line?”
A thousand rivers have water, a thousand moons are reflected; ten thousand miles without clouds, ten thousand miles of sky!
Brilliant, simply brilliant!
After pondering for a moment, everyone’s eyes lit up.
Many people had originally thought that when facing Li Qubai, this Qin Yunxuan would surely show her true colors.
But who would have thought… Qin Yunxuan could respond so quickly?
Could it be that she actually possessed genuine talent?
But seeing Qin Yunxuan whispering with Zhao Qinghui, a look of understanding dawned on everyone’s faces.
“So it was Zhao Qinghui helping her. No wonder she came up with a response so quickly.”
However, Li Qubai, who was very close by, knew clearly that Qin Yunxuan hadn’t received any hints from others. This meant… she had thought of it herself.
“A thousand rivers have water, a thousand moons are reflected; ten thousand miles without clouds, ten thousand miles of sky!” he murmured to himself, his eyes showing a look of admiration.
“Well matched. But I have another first line, quite difficult. It took me a full three days to come up with the second line for this one!”
Li Qubai took a deep breath and continued, “Big trees, dense forest: pines, cypresses, parasol trees, willows.”
Hiss!
As soon as he finished this line, everyone couldn’t help but gasp.
This first line was truly challenging. Three ‘wood’ characters form ‘forest’, and the following characters all contain the ‘wood’ radical, cleverly structured and catchy.
This not only plunged the young people present into thought, but also made the seasoned scholars prick up their ears and fall into deep contemplation.
This really was quite difficult. No wonder even Li Qubai had to spend several days thinking of the second line.
A smile appeared on Li Qubai’s face. “Miss Qin, if you can’t think of a second line, it’s no big deal. After all… you’re a singer, and poetry isn’t exactly your forte…”
Before he finished speaking, a cough was heard from a distance, startling Li Qubai into immediately shutting his mouth.
He had originally wanted to give Qin Yunxuan a way out, but unexpectedly… it seemed his teacher was angry.
This was indeed difficult, but unfortunately for Li Qubai, he was up against Qin Lang.
A cheater from a parallel world!
“Ahem, this second line isn’t too difficult either. I just happened to think of one: Flowing water, vast expanse: rivers, streams, pools, lakes, seas.”
Everyone’s eyes widened. They all saw clearly that Qin Yunxuan had received no prompting from anyone and had come up with this second line entirely on her own.
This was terrifying.
So many rising stars and big names in the poetry world hadn’t been able to figure it out on the spot, yet a crossover singer had managed to produce a matching line.
This made everyone’s face sting a little.
Especially those big names; their faces were as dark as the bottom of a pot.
But they were also speechless. Li Qubai hadn’t gone easy on her. They themselves couldn’t have matched his first line in such a short time. How had Qin Yunxuan managed it?
“That’s not quite right, is it?” At this moment, a big name finally spoke up. “Little Qin’s couplet is indeed cleverly constructed, but there’s still a flaw in it.”
Everyone’s eyes snapped towards the big name who had spoken.
It was Professor Lin Yue from the Poetry Association, also Li Qubai’s teacher.
“Qubai’s ‘parasol trees’ can refer to a specific type of tree, but Little Qin’s ‘pools and streams’ in her second line is a bit too general.”
Many big names nodded slightly to themselves. One was specific, the other general; there was indeed a flaw.
Zhao Qinghui felt a bit displeased.
“Professor Lin, I think Xuanyuan did remarkably well to come up with a second line in such a short time. Besides, it’s just a minor flaw, nothing serious…”
“A flaw is a flaw!” Lin Yue said calmly. “Without this rigorous attitude towards learning, how can one achieve higher accomplishments? I’m sure Little Qin would agree with me, right?”
Qin Lang was very displeased. This old fellow was clearly splitting hairs!
Who was he calling ‘Little Qin’? Since when were we on such familiar terms?
Acting all high and mighty in front of me like this, who gave him the right?
“Ahem, I quite agree with this professor’s view. Whether it’s scholarship or songwriting, the principle is the same: you must treat it with rigor!”
Qin Lang said with a smile. “But perhaps this professor doesn’t know that there’s a town called Xitan Town on the outskirts of Jiuyang City?”
Xitan Town? Many showed puzzled expressions, but a small portion suddenly understood.
Qin Lang continued, “Xitan Town got its name from a deep pool and a small stream behind the town, hence the name Xitan Town! You said ‘pools and streams’ in my second line was a general term, but it could also be a specific reference.”
Professor Lin Yue’s expression stiffened. There really was a small place called Xitan Town?
If that were true… then everything he had just said, all the points he had raised, would be completely wrong?
An older scholar next to Lin Yue whispered, “Lin Yue, I just checked, and there really is a place called Xitan Town.”
Lin Yue’s face was somewhat difficult to look at, but luckily, being old, his skin was thick, and this minor embarrassment wasn’t enough to make him feel utterly disgraced.
And Qin Lang didn’t continue to press the matter. After all, these were old professors. Pushing too hard would make him, as a time traveler, lose face.
“Xuanyuan, you’re amazing!” Zhao Qinghui’s face was full of admiration.
She knew it, her idol was the best!
“You’ve asked me two first lines. Now it’s my turn.”
Seeing Li Qubai about to speak again, Qin Lang immediately said.
Those two second lines had just popped into his head from somewhere, as if he had seen such couplets before.
But he couldn’t guarantee such good luck would continue, so he decided to draw this segment to a close himself.
He had already shown off enough. If he couldn’t match the next one, it would be too embarrassing.
So, Qin Lang prepared to unleash his ultimate move.
An absolute classic couplet from Earth. Get ready to receive it!
