Chapter 432: Couplets

Chapter 86: Wrathfully Slaying Zhao JianyeChapter 432: Couplets

Li Chen, hearing this, went through the door first.

Su Jinpa swallowed the words that were about to come out, stomped her foot, and quickly followed. She could only pray that they wouldn't have a falling out later.

Entering through the front gate and past the courtyard wall, after just a few steps they arrived at the main hall. As Li Chen and his group entered, a white-bearded and white-haired old man walked out of an inner room barefoot, taking large strides.

This was Li Chen and Mirror Master's first informal meeting.

The other party was tall and strong, looking quite imposing. Although he was over seventy years old, he was hale and hearty, with a ruddy complexion and bright, piercing eyes. If it weren't for the white hair covering his head, if it were black, people would believe he was in his forties or fifties.

He wasn't even wearing socks, which was something Li Chen didn't expect.

"Haha!"

Mr. Mirror's voice boomed, "Su family girl, have you brought the author of the *Preface to the Teng Wang Pavilion*"

The laughter was boisterous, more like that of a martial arts expert than a scholar.

Li Chen only felt that the Mirror Master in front of him, was far less ethereal and refined than he had imagined. He was more like a cunning half-immortal who spoke with sharp wit, rather than the noble and spiritual figure Li Chen had pictured.

Su Jinpa smiled faintly, curtsied gracefully to Mr. Mirror, and then said: "Jinpa wouldn't dare deceive you, sir, here I am."

Following Su Jin's slender finger, Mr. Mirror finally cast a glance at Li Chen.

Mr. Mirror gazed at him carefully and exclaimed, "Young man, you have a noble spirit!"

Li Chen cupped his hands and smiled, "Mr. Mirror, I am honored to meet you."

Mr. Jing smiled and said, "The first time I read the Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion, I exclaimed that there are always talented people in every generation. Now, the most outstanding among this generation has finally appeared."

"With such talent, even if I had lived for decades, I would still be amazed. Just this single poem is enough to make his name immortal and be praised by future generations."

"To witness this in my lifetime is a great blessing."

"Therefore, when the boy told me just now that the Miss Su had brought the author here, I hurried over without even putting on my shoes. I apologize for being so abrupt."

Although the real Mirror Master was vastly different from the image in Li Chen's mind, his lack of airs and graces, his unpretentious demeanor, still made Li Chen quite fond of him.

"Sir, you jest. The good verses are natural, skillful hands merely chance upon them. This piece is not bad, but the talents of this junior are far inferior to your praise, I am truly ashamed."

Mr. Mirror's eyes lit up, and he suddenly changed the subject, saying: “Old man has a top line, please give me the bottom line.”

Before Li Chen could speak, he blurted out: "Standing on the observatory tower, gazing at the boundless sky and vast sea."

Mr. Mirror's personality is cheerful and straightforward, and he had the intention of teaching Li Chen. He didn't give Li Chen a chance to refuse at all.

And this couplet, the difficulty is not low either.

The content within the > refers to the name of Guanghai Academy. The context implies that while it may not be definitive, an ordinary person with some ink in their chest can make a connection after careful consideration. However, to truly capture its essence is extremely difficult. It is precisely this challenge that makes the appropriateness of the lower couplet more indicative of one's level of understanding.

Su Jin looked at Li Chen with interest, waiting for his performance.

while the three treasures next to him were speechless.

He couldn't even recognize a few Chinese characters. Asking him to practice martial arts and kill people, something he could do effortlessly, was like asking him to dance with words and paint pictures. He probably wasn't even as good as the little errand boys who were peeking through the door frame outside.

Li Chen sighed.

It's risky to simply copy and paste poems from predecessors.

Such original couplets directly expose one's true nature.

But luckily, Li Chen is not the kind of person who is empty-headed.

After a moment of thought, Li Chen glanced at Su Jin'pa, whose face was as pretty and charming as the sunrise. He then said: "Let's ascend Mount Yue to its highest peak and admire the breathtaking scenery spanning thousands of miles."oup of people ran wildly from the direction of Tongzhou in the distance.Leading the procession was the Ninth Prince himself, flanked by Wang Tenghuan, Grand Scholar of Jianji Palace, and Jiang Zhou, t...