The second floor of the embroidery building had twenty-one private booths. White gauze curtains cascaded from the ceiling like waterfalls, and freshly picked flowers in vases adorned the surroundings, making it feel like a fairy realm.

However, the curtains of all other booths had been removed by the maids, leaving only the Prince’s three booths still veiled.

The Prince, Bai Li, Chen Ji, Liang Gou’er, and Liang Mao’er were in one booth, while She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and other martial artists occupied the other two.

Liang Gou’er didn’t mind; even with the curtains drawn, maids continuously brought in food and wine. He found the teahouse’s wine cups too small and simply switched to a bowl.

The Prince sat blankly inside the veiled booth, sleeves rolled up, at the table, racking his brain with a brush in hand, unable to write a single line of poetry.

He slowly looked at Chen Ji, who was still sound asleep, frowning. Clearly, he couldn’t be relied upon.

He then slowly looked at Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er… Forget it!

Finally, he turned to Bai Li: “Uh, Bai Li, can you write one? I remember you used to write poetry.”

Bai Li looked troubled: “My teachers used to criticize my writing as ‘chaotic.’ I can’t write; it would just be a joke.”

Liang Gou’er chuckled happily: “This ‘Qingyin Teahouse’ just loves to be pretentious. They’re clearly here to make money, but they put up all these obstacles for you. And scholars just fall for it! If you ask me, White Clothes Lane isn’t as straightforward as Red Clothes Lane. At Jinfang, Miss Yan’er’s drinking capacity is legendary. You drink a few cups, and she matches you cup for cup—now that’s true fun.”

Liang Mao’er pouted: “Brother, you just like her drinking capacity! I don’t even want to expose you!”

At this moment, Chen Wenxiao’s laughter came from beyond the curtains: “How are there still three veiled booths? Do the friends inside think it’s more elegant this way?”

The Prince retorted from behind the curtain: “Excellent lines are naturally formed, brilliant ideas come by chance. Poetry isn’t about quantity, but quality. If it’s not exquisite, what’s the point of writing more? I think Manager Liu’s game is a bit hasty, forcing everyone to immediately write three poems about autumn. One can write them, but what good can come out of such haste? Do any of you believe the poems you just wrote will last for a thousand years?”

Outside the curtains, silence fell. Some pondered the Prince’s words, while others considered the eight characters: “Excellent lines are naturally formed, brilliant ideas come by chance.”

Chen Wenzong was silent for a moment: “I can’t hear you clearly. Remove the curtains and speak.”

The Prince: …

He turned to Chen Ji, his last hope resting on Chen Ji waking up.

The Prince was a bit worried: “Chen Ji isn’t dead, is he?”

“No, he’s still breathing,” Princess Bai Li said after thinking. “He’s probably too tired after being injured and then dragged out by you all to be messed with.”

“Let’s wait a little longer and see if he wakes up.”

Chen Ji didn’t wake up; he was engaged in a fierce battle.

On the mountaintop, Chen Ji and the Halberd Bearer were both panting. They had exchanged hundreds of probing blows, but neither could defeat the other.

Xuanyuan had, at some point, changed into a black royal robe. Its sleeves were embroidered with golden threads depicting the Ziwei Constellation in the center, flanked by the Taiwei and Tianshi Constellations. His golden armor and royal banner were gone.

As Xuanyuan sat cross-legged on a large rock, he appeared like an emperor seated on a golden throne, despite merely being on a stone. His expression was majestic and solemn. Like the black of his royal robe, he was calm, rational, and unquestionable.

Seeing them idle, Xuanyuan urged them coolly: “This round has been going on for two incense sticks. How much longer will you dawdle? On a real battlefield, formations are shoulder-to-shoulder; there’s no time for you to catch your breath!”

The Halberd Bearer, receiving the command, immediately swung his bronze halberd, rushing forward with a whistle.

Chen Ji’s gaze did not waver. He stared intently at the horizontally slashing blade, his body leaning back just slightly. The blade passed by his nose, not harming him in the slightest. This dodge was effortless, as if he breathed with the world, completely natural, handling heavy burdens with ease.

Sixteen furnaces were lit within Chen Ji, his strength far surpassing ordinary people’s. Even grappling with Jing Dynasty spies, he had a clear advantage. However, having suddenly gained such immense strength, he was unfamiliar with his own body and lacked effective exertion techniques. Power exertion techniques are like a lever; without one, ten-tenths of strength can only be used as eight-tenths, but with it, ten-tenths can be exerted as twelve-tenths.

Now, Chen Ji knew exactly what his body was like and where his strength resided!

Yet, the Halberd Bearer was no pushover. Seeing his first strike miss, he immediately twisted his waist and body, forcefully changing the halberd blade’s direction using his core and hips. What should have been a left-to-right sweep across a thousand armies suddenly became an upward reverse flick!

The halberd blade grazed Chen Ji’s chest, leaving a mark, forcing back Chen Ji’s opportunistic counter-attack. However, after being injured, Chen Ji didn’t look down at his wound. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the Halberd Bearer, as if the wound caused no pain, bending slightly like a leopard. Despite being wounded, there was no sign of him being at a disadvantage.

Xuanyuan had once said that Chen Ji had lost his combat instincts, but he suddenly realized he was wrong. In just one day, he had witnessed Chen Ji transform from clumsily fleeing across the mountains to now fighting the Halberd Bearer to a standstill. His footwork, techniques, and even power exertion methods were becoming increasingly raw yet more authentic. A casual punch or kick, though appearing hasty and clumsy, was full of brutal and direct dominance.

“Only six hours,” Xuanyuan mused softly. The combat instincts within Chen Ji’s body were like an ancient, immortal longsword that hadn’t seen the light of day for ten thousand years, slowly having the dust wiped away.

Although Xuanyuan thought this, he taunted: “Six hours, and you still can’t win? This Halberd Bearer is merely a soldier in my army formation.”

Chen Ji, still panting, looked at the Halberd Bearer and said with a smile: “He’s not very good with words, don’t mind him. You’re very formidable; it’s normal not to defeat you.”

Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow.

Chen Ji looked exhausted. After six hours of intense fighting, the Halberd Bearer could stand there, energized again and again, but Chen Ji could not. Every single moment was torture for him now. How many times had he “died” in one day? Forty times, or sixty? He couldn’t keep track.

At one point, Chen Ji thought about giving up; perhaps he didn’t need to learn this sword seed path. But when he considered that he had learned new things and gained more confidence, a new fighting spirit ignited within him. The next moment, the Halberd Bearer swung again. Chen Ji moved, but the action pulled at the wound on his chest, causing his movement to falter. He couldn’t dodge sideways in time, and a chunk of flesh was sliced from his entire left arm!

This blow was like a watershed moment; from then on, Chen Ji could only dodge clumsily, with no opportunity for offensive action.

Xuanyuan sneered at Chen Ji: “I see you have no hope left. Why don’t you just let me return to the world and leave your last words? Tell me who you wanted to kill, and I’ll do it for you.”

“I’ll do it myself,” Chen Ji panted, dodging the Halberd Bearer’s attacks.

“Oh, are you so attached to that world?”

“I still have a cat. What if I’m gone?”

Xuanyuan was puzzled: “A cat?”

“I also made a few new friends.”

Xuanyuan burst out laughing: “You need friends too? You said long ago that you didn’t need friends!”

“Were we ever friends?”

“Yes, but not for a long time.”

“Then let’s reacquaint ourselves.”

As the bronze halberd chopped down vertically again, Chen Ji suddenly bent forward and charged at the Halberd Bearer, his eyes hooked firmly on the opponent’s halberd blade. The crescent blade of the bronze halberd cleaved down. The Halberd Bearer was prepared for various evasions from Chen Ji, but this time, Chen Ji simply didn’t dodge!

Instead, Chen Ji accelerated again, passing the point where the crescent blade descended, reaching the shaft. With hands like he was lifting mountains, he gripped the slender halberd shaft, forcibly stopping the bronze halberd’s downward trajectory! The Halberd Bearer tried to pull the bronze halberd back, but he was shocked to see Chen Ji pull the shaft down, shaking it forcefully with both hands!

“Let go!” An inexplicably powerful force transferred to the bronze halberd, shocking the Halberd Bearer into involuntarily releasing his grip. That strange weapon-snatching move… it was clearly one the Halberd Bearer had used before, but Chen Ji had learned it!

“Oh!” Xuanyuan’s eyes lit up. This meticulously refined art of weapon-snatching was a unique skill in his army formations, yet it had been learned in just one day.

Chen Ji swung the bronze halberd like a full moon, forcing the Halberd Bearer to continuously retreat, unable to find an opening. In an instant, with one pursuing and one retreating, the Halberd Bearer was cornered, with no more space to fall back. He had to stand his ground. The bronze halberd in Chen Ji’s hand didn’t strike him, but stopped at his neck.

“How was that?” Chen Ji asked breathlessly, “Can you teach me now?”

The long-lost joy of victory filled his heart. Amidst his fervent breaths, Chen Ji felt as though he had surmounted another insurmountable mountain, like climbing to the peak to witness a sunrise breaking through a sea of clouds—serene yet exhilarating.

Xuanyuan, sitting leisurely on the large rock, said, “Are you satisfied with this? Your current strength in my army formation is merely enough to qualify as a soldier.”

“Huh?” Chen Ji was puzzled.

Then Xuanyuan waved towards the army formation, frozen in time. Another Pudaosword Bearer, with a long saber at his waist, stepped out of the ranks, came forward, and knelt on one knee before Xuanyuan: “Your Majesty, how may I serve you?”

Xuanyuan pointed at Chen Ji: “This fellow is already familiar with the Halberd Bearer’s attacks. Now it’s your turn.”

Chen Ji’s eyes widened. He looked at the army formation below, equipped with all eighteen types of weapons, and his expression instantly changed: “I can’t fight anymore today. My friends are waiting for me to drink. See you tomorrow!” With that, he actually took a leap and descended.

Xuanyuan stared blankly at the empty cliff edge and said, “I really do need to reacquaint myself with you.”

On the second floor of the embroidery building, the curtains of the three private booths were still drawn.

“Autumn, the character ‘autumn’ can be written.” Liang Gou’er was already red-faced from drinking, while the Prince still sat at the table, scratching his head and ears: “What kind of poem?”

Then he heard someone whisper beside him: “When autumn comes on the eighth of September, after my flowers bloom, all other flowers will perish.”

The Prince turned his head and saw Chen Ji slowly opening his eyes, which were bloodshot, like a tiger preparing to hunt.

Bai Li mumbled, “What kind of dream did he have? Such strong killing intent.”

The Prince was overjoyed and whispered, “You’ve finally woken up! Quick, Bai Li, write down that line just now. We still need eight more!”

Chen Ji looked at the handful of golden melon seeds in his hand… Had these not managed to wake him up?! As he tucked nine golden melon seeds into his sleeve, he pondered, “Eight lines, right? Princess Bai Li, I’ll dictate, you write.”

Bai Li’s eyes lit up: “Okay, I’ll write.”

However, just as the two were dictating and writing, Chen Wenxiao’s voice was heard again from outside the curtains: “Have the friends in these three booths still not written poems related to autumn? If you keep delaying, won’t you hinder everyone’s interaction with Manager Liu?”

The Prince chuckled in response: “We’re writing, we’re writing.”

Chen Wenxiao: “If you could write them, why wait until now?”

Lin Chaojing’s laughter rang out: “I recognize the friend behind the curtain—it’s the Prince. How about this, Brother Wenzong? It’s just nine poems about autumn. You and I were classmates with the Prince for three years, so let’s help him out. I’ll write four, and you write five. Then we’ll say they were written by the Prince and his companions, and have the curtains removed.”

Chen Wenzong hesitated: “That doesn’t seem appropriate.”

Lin Chaojing smiled: “Then I’ll write all nine.” He pulled up his sleeves, called for a maid from the embroidery building to bring brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and with a flourish of his brush, a poem was completed. Everyone crowded closer and saw that all nine poems were written in one go, as if effortlessly.

Lin Chaojing handed the poems to the maid: “Please take these to Manager Liu for review. If they’re acceptable, you may remove the curtains from the Prince’s booths.”

“There’s no need to show them to Manager Liu. Even a coarse maid like me can see the quality of these poems,” the maid said with a shallow smile. “I’ll go remove the curtains now.” In truth, the embroidery building was getting a bit anxious that the three booths’ curtains hadn’t been removed.

However, when the Prince heard Chen Ji’s pearls of wisdom and saw Bai Li writing with swift strokes, he instantly grew anxious: “Wait! We can write our own! Don’t remove them!”

But his words came too late. Layer by layer, the curtains were removed, revealing the three booths to everyone.

Liang Gou’er was drinking heavily, already half-drunk, while Liang Mao’er was eating dish after dish, as if at a continuous banquet. Looking at She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and the other martial artists, they were no better; their tables were already a mess.

With a chuckle, Chen Wenxiao burst into laughter: “Why are they all eating and drinking?”

Lin Chaojing sat formally behind his table, his expression grave: “It’s a rare occasion for Manager Liu to come to Luocheng from the Qinhuai River tonight. How disappointed would she be if she saw the scholars of Luocheng behaving like this? Prince, tonight is a refined literary gathering; why bring these uncouth martial artists to join in the fun?”

The Prince looked at Lin Chaojing: “I came up here after writing a poem myself. What, you can come, but my friends can’t?”

Lin Chaojing shook his head: “It’s not that they can’t come, but it’s not appropriate for them to be here. Wouldn’t it be better for these martial artists to eat at roadside noodle stalls and wander around Red Clothes Lane? That suits their status. Coming here is a waste of a good venue.”

The Prince asked in a deep voice: “Who should go to Red Clothes Lane?”

“Naturally, vulgar pleasure-seekers.”

The Prince then asked in a deep voice: “And who is suitable to come to White Clothes Lane?”

“Naturally, people of scholarship and status like you and me.”

The Prince slowly rose. Everyone thought he was angered and about to confront Lin Chaojing, but he suddenly turned to Yu Dengke and the others, cupping his hands in apology: “My apologies. Due to my recklessness today, I’ve brought you all to witness such ignorant and arrogant individuals. I apologize to you all. If White Clothes Lane is filled with such pretentious scholars, then we might as well not come again! My own humiliation is irrelevant, but to cause my friends to be insulted—that is my fault. Let’s go!”

Liang Gou’er was puzzled: “Prince, where are we going?”

The Prince stood tall and laughed heartily: “Come on, let’s go to Red Clothes Lane for some revelry!” With that, he actually led the way downstairs with a flick of his sleeve.

Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er lifted Chen Ji’s bamboo chair and followed. A large group of people moved together, neither dejected nor discouraged, looking as joyful as if they were going to a wedding.

Bai Li sat behind the table, brush in hand, staring blankly as the large group departed. She opened her mouth, then closed it, as if about to speak but stopping. She had just finished writing down the poem Chen Ji dictated!

The Prince called from the stairs: “Bai Li, let’s go!”

Bai Li had intended to take the finished poem with her, but after a moment’s thought, she put the rolled-up poem back down before hurrying downstairs: “Coming, coming!”

The second floor of the embroidery building fell silent again. Chen Wenzong glared fiercely at Chen Wenxiao, then rose and went to the Prince’s table, picking up the poem that had just been written. But upon reading it, he was stunned.

“Withered vine, old tree, evening crows;
Small bridge, flowing water, homesteads near;
Ancient road, west wind, a lean horse;
The setting sun descends, a heartbroken man at the world’s end.”

There was no character for “autumn,” yet reading it evoked the bleakness of autumn winds and the desolation beneath a bridge.