Chapter 4, Two Beggars Write Poetry

Jia Liyu said: "If you insist on calling me a beggar, please do not prefix it with the word 'stinky'. In fact, I am a disciple of the Beggar's Sect"

As the simple fan closed, with a slight frown on his brow, just as he was about to erupt, Old Zheng interjected: "If the young brother can compose a poem that convinces us wholeheartedly, I will reward you with five taels of silver."

Just now, Yi Jian scolded the boy in the cap and said: "Are you also going to write a poem?"

After reading the previous poem about peach blossoms by the little beggar, Old Zheng began to suspect that there was a master behind the scenes guiding this, sending someone to disrupt the scene in order to prevent him from making a name for himself. If he reacted too strongly, it was possible that the other party would resort to other means, making it even more difficult for him and his literary friends to save face. Therefore, it would be better to go with the flow and respond to changes with consistency.

After walking for a while, his stomach began to rumble in protest. Jia Liyu was contemplating whether to change into a different outfit and alter his appearance when suddenly a beggar holding a wooden stick hurriedly approached him. As the beggar brushed past Jia Liyu, he whispered in his ear, "Elder Li has issued a command, we shall gather in the Black Pine Forest this evening."

This is the entire process of Jiali Yu's first real communication with ancient people. Although the experience and outcome were not entirely satisfactory, he felt a great sense of novelty and interest, much like having a conversation in English with a foreigner for the first time

"Today, I have truly exhausted my abilities; these two questions will have to be supplemented by you, old Zheng." Another scholar, wearing a Dongpo cap, humbly remarked, and the others also echoed in agreement

Standing not far away, Jia Liyu witnessed this scene and understood that others were intentionally trying to promote the old Zheng, which is why they deliberately claimed to be "out of ideas". This suggests that the trend of flattery in the Chinese literary world has indeed been longstanding

Without further questions, this appearance and equipment have clearly displayed one's identity in the world of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", namely as a new member of the Beggar's Sect, which consistently ranks among the top five hundred sects in the martial arts world, that is to say, a beggar

The first line is "Falling Leaves Divine Sword Palm," the second line is "Emerald Sea Tides Rising Melody," the fourth line is "Orchid Brush Acupoint Hand," that's right, it's her!" Upon seeing this poem, Jia Liyu finally confirmed the identity of that young man, feeling both excited and pleasantly surprised in his heart

Black Pine Forest? Jia Liyu recalled the plot and truly had no impression of the Black Pine Forest, only vaguely remembering that Huang Rong hanging upside down from the Yellow River's Four Ghosts seemed to be in a certain grove.

Where did this delusional person come from, perhaps hoping to chance upon five taels of silver?

"Where does this little beggar come from, to speak so brazenly?" a scholar holding a fan scolded

Just as he was lost in thought, a sudden waft of fragrance came to his nose. Jia Liyu paused and looked around, discovering that he had arrived in front of a steamed bun shop, and the aroma was emanating from the freshly steamed buns in the steamer.

What kind of poetry is this? This is clearly just counting, utterly absurd!

Other literati, upon hearing this, also gathered around to watch. Upon seeing the four lines of delicate and exquisite small script of peach blossoms on the paper, they could not help but secretly applaud.

Silently muttering a complaint, I began to look around. This is a typical ancient metropolis, with bustling streets and thriving commerce. Compared to the pedestrian streets of modern cities, it exudes a completely different atmosphere

The young man wearing a leather hat had just taken two steps when he heard Jiali Yu's voice. Suddenly, he stopped, turned to look at him, and his eyes revealed a hint of curiosity: "How did he discern that I possess both literary and martial talents?"

The young man said: "Isn't it shameless boasting? One must write it down to know for sure."

Jia Liyu stepped forward and said apologetically: "Because I suddenly came across a good poem, I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, which disturbed everyone's enjoyment. Please do not take offense."

The owner of the steamed bun shop, with a face full of disdain, angrily said: "You filthy beggar, get out of here quickly. Who would want to hire you to work? You are delaying my sale of steamed buns, and don't blame me if I resort to violence"

Yijian has learned from the experiences of others. After a brief pause, he was unsure how to respond, when Lao Zheng said: "At today's poetry gathering, encountering two young brothers is likely a matter of fate. Among the four themes of wind, flowers, snow, and moon, only the theme of 'snow' remains without a poem. How about you compose a poem on this theme?"

Jia Liyu strolled leisurely, contemplating ways to get acquainted with Guo Jing and Huang Rong. The key to this mission was to befriend the most famous couple in the history of martial arts. By getting to know Guo Jing, he could learn the complete Quanzhen internal skills from Ma Yu. By meeting Huang Rong, he could encounter Hong Qigong, learn the Xianxia Youquan martial arts, and even pick up a few moves of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.

Jia Liyu had the intention to attract the attention of the boy in the cap, saying: "If it is convenient, I can also compose a rough poem to join in the celebration"

At that moment, I heard the old Zheng say: "The poem is a good poem, and the characters are good characters. I have nothing to say, so I will present the silver." Unexpectedly, the young man replied: "Since you recognize good poetry and good characters, I do not want the silver anymore." With that, he turned and left.

The scholar holding the fan still had to speak, and Old Zheng waved his hand, saying: "Do not be angry, Yi Jian. A so-called talented person does not inquire about one's background; let him write it down."

A few scholars wandered around, leaving the street, and headed north. After walking for about 2 miles, a great river obstructed their path. By the riverbank, a group of literati gathered, seemingly holding a poetry gathering

Indeed, after Lao Zheng extended the invitation, the young man did not hold back. He took up his pen and made a stroke beneath the character "snow," annotating it with "Ode to Snow," and then wrote: "One flake, two flakes, three or four flakes, five flakes, six flakes, seven or eight flakes"

The owner of the steamed bun shop looked at Jiali Yu as if he were a fool, and then shouted, "Ali, Achun!" As soon as he finished speaking, two assistants walked over. Jiali Yu hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, purely a misunderstanding, I take my leave"

Lao Zheng said: "If there are no common phrases in the first two lines, the elegance of the last two lines cannot be seen. The poem is about snow, yet not a single character for 'snow' appears in the entire piece, but the artistic conception leaps off the page; indeed, it is a good poem"

As soon as these two lines of poetry were penned, the audience erupted in an uproar

Two abrupt moments of applause drew the attention of everyone in the venue. Upon seeing Jiali Yu's attire, someone couldn't help but murmur, "Another beggar has arrived"

Although the young man was dressed entirely in black, Jiali Yu was nonetheless struck by his appearance.

It is indeed more important to fill one's stomach first. Jia Liyu looked around, searching for a place to eat. At that moment, he happened to see several scholars coming out from the street on his left, pointing and discussing something. Jia Liyu vaguely heard phrases like "affectation" and "making a fool of oneself" and, out of curiosity, decided to follow them.

"Good poem!" Old Zheng clapped his hands in approval upon seeing the second line. When the young man finished writing, he praised again, saying: "Good characters!"

Jia Liyu, feeling hungry in his stomach, stared at the steamer of steamed buns for a while. The owner of the bun shop hurriedly waved his hand and scolded, "What are you staring at, you beggar? Hurry up and get lost"

"What is so difficult about these two questions? I can write them." Just as the literati were politely deferring to one another, an incongruous voice suddenly rang out. The crowd turned to look and saw a slender young boy standing not far away, wearing a tattered leather hat askew on his head, with his face and hands covered in black coal, nonchalantly observing the poets.

Hurry up, hurry up, don't cause trouble here

The young man, upon hearing "five taels of silver," shook his head and smiled, saying, "Five taels is just five taels." His demeanor and words conveyed a sense of indifference, prompting a group of literati to scold him for his "rudeness." The young man paid them no mind and walked directly to the table, extending his dirty hand to pick up a wolf hair brush, and wrote: "In the shadow of peach blossoms, the divine sword flies; the tides of the azure sea rise to the sound of the jade flute. Laughing wildly and singing, lost in my own emotions; the orchid's snap of the fingers ages the beauty." He walked directly to the table, extended his dirty hand to pick up a wolf hair brush, and wrote: "In the shadow of peach blossoms, the divine sword flies; the tides of the azure sea rise to the sound of the jade flute. Laughing wildly and singing, lost in my own emotions; the orchid's snap of the fingers ages the beauty."

Someone responded, "Do you, a mere little beggar, understand poetry?" As soon as the words left their mouth, they suddenly realized that the little beggar had just written a fine poem, their face flushed, and they lowered their head in silence

Jia Liyu thought to herself: "Was being arranged to appear in the same style as Huang Rong meant to facilitate my acquaintance with Jing and Rong?"

Jia Liyu no longer hesitated at that moment and suddenly clapped his hands, exclaiming: "What a good poem! It combines both literary and martial prowess, truly a good poem!"

The scholar with the fan slightly cupped his hands and glanced sideways at the young man, saying: "Since you claim you can write, come forward and write then"

The wind and the moon are already full, while the snow and the flowers each lack a verse. Esteemed friends, do not be overly modest; if you have good poetry or fine lines, feel free to showcase them, and do not hold back.

Jia Liyu quickly walked away, hearing the bun shop owner's incessant curses: "A filthy beggar, even a disciple of the Beggar's Sect, does he take me for a fool? I'm as shrewd as a monkey..."

When Jia Liyu turned his head to look, the beggar had already walked more than ten meters away, clearly indicating that he possessed some skills.

Oh, these last two sentences..." Lao Zheng's voice suddenly rang out, somewhat suppressing the scolding voices of others. By the time more people saw the last two sentences, the earlier chorus of criticism had completely ceased, and someone even couldn't help but exclaim, "Well turned!"

Jia Liyu felt hungry in his stomach and found the situation quite novel. He politely said, "Boss, you misunderstood me. I am not here to beg for steamed buns; I am here to work in exchange for steamed buns."

... ...

Although Jia Liyu often sees others begging, he has no relevant work experience and harbors a sense of rejection in his heart. Sitting idly like this, it is bound to be difficult for him to achieve anything. Thus, he discarded the wooden stick and porcelain bowl, got up, and left. As he walked down the street, passersby instinctively avoided him, which is somewhat similar to modern cities

Despite the chorus of criticism, the young man remained unperturbed, continuing to write: "Nine pieces, ten pieces, pieces flying, flying into the reeds, all unseen."

Jia Liyu also did not respond sharply, smiling as he said, "I have studied for a few years and understand a little."

When Jia Liyu opened his eyes, the white dragon and the water curtain had already vanished, and he found himself sitting in tattered clothes by the side of a street, with a wooden stick placed beside him and a chipped porcelain bowl in front of him

The young man said: "If I write it out, what benefit would it bring? Otherwise, it would merely be showing you good poetry for nothing"

Upon hearing Lao Zheng's comments, others nodded in agreement, and there were whispers among them as they exchanged views on this poem. Jia Liyu was just about to speak up to ask for money when he turned and saw the boy in the leather hat break into a smile, then turn and leave, not having time to speak with Lao Zheng, and hurriedly quickened his pace to catch up.