Insufficient balance

  Three days later, Yi Han was having breakfast when a beautifully dressed young man with a face as white as jade appeared at the door. It wasn't Yu Jie, but who else could it be? As soon as Yu Jie entered the hotel door, he saw Yi Han and walked over to him, saying: "Brother Yi"

  Yi Han bowed and smiled: "Yu brother, was the woman's dance good-looking?"

  Yu Jie suddenly became excited and sighed, "Ah, Yi brother, you left too early and didn't get to see her dance like a fairy, what a pity!"

  I'm not being driven away by others, otherwise who would be willing to leave. With a sense of resentment in my heart, I comforted myself with a smile: "There are still opportunities, after all."

  Yu Jie sighed: "Yi Han, it's a pity you didn't see it. I'm afraid we won't be able to see such a stunning dance again in the future."

  It's really a case of "whichever pot is not opened, lift that one", clearly knowing I couldn't see, yet still coming to flirt with me, changing the subject, and laughing: "Brother Yu, you came so early today, what's the reason, it can't be just to have breakfast with me, right?"

  "Oh no, I almost forgot!", Yu Jie's face turned anxious.

  Yi Han said: "Oh, what's bothering you so much, Brother Yu? I don't know if Xiao Neng can help with it."

  "Yi Xiong, this matter cannot be done without your help. On that day on the painting boat, I have already made an appointment with Yun Gu Tian for today," Yu Jie explained the reason.

  Yi Han said calmly: "Oh, Brother Yu, why are you in such a hurry?"

  Yu Jie's face was filled with excitement, and he said: "Brother Yi, I've been waiting for this day for a long time. You don't know the feeling of being suppressed by them, when we see them, we all have to lower our heads."

  "Alright, Brother Yu, wait a moment, I'll go with you", Yi Han went back to the house to tidy up and then left with Yu Jie.

  Two people got on the horse carriage, and as Yi Han sat down, Yu Jie introduced: "This time's Wen Ya Song and Hua Xiu's literary and martial arts competition has already spread throughout Jinling City early this morning. It must be that those who are in charge of Hua Xiu's poetry meeting have already won the prize, so they deliberately spread it out. For this literary comparison, we've also invited scholars with higher prestige and reputation within Jinling City to come and evaluate. As for the martial arts competition, we've also invited renowned masters to be judges. Due to time constraints, I don't know if these people will come or not. However, today's showdown between us and Hua Xiu Poetry Meeting is unavoidable. This matter has already spread throughout Jinling."

  Yi Han lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw that the crowd was surging towards one place, asking: "Are all these people going to watch the competition?"

  Yu Jiedao said, "Exactly, we are rushing to the side of Mochou Lake. In the south, there is Mochou, quietly walking by the lake. This place has always been a gathering place for talented scholars, and it's quite suitable."

  The horse-drawn carriage arrived at the side of Mochou Lake, where many people were already gathered. Seeing the arrival of the horse-drawn carriage, they made way to let it pass through.

  Yi Han followed Jie to a large venue that could hold several hundred people. In the middle of the venue, several tables and dozens of armchairs were neatly arranged. A yellow line was drawn around the perimeter of the venue, and the onlookers were mostly young girls and students. Occasionally, ordinary citizens, including elderly men and women, could be seen at the edge of the crowd. Many vendors had also arrived, setting up stalls and starting to do business on the outskirts.

  Yi Han followed Yu Jie inside, his ears perked up as he listened to two girls discussing beside him.

  Girl Xiaodao: "This Wind Elegant Ode and Flower Sorrow, which side are you supporting?"

  The girl Yi Dao said: "Of course, I support Huaxu. The people who attend the poetry meeting of Huaxu are not only more talented than Fengya Song, but they are also masters of martial arts and have a heroic spirit, unlike the people of Fengya Song who can write but cannot fight."

  The girl A said: "I support Feng Ya Song".

  Girl Yi said: "Why, you know that Feng Ya Song will definitely lose today, why are you still supporting them?"

  The girl giggled and said: "Because I like Mingxiu, Mingxiu is so handsome, even if he loses, I will still support him".

  Yi Han gradually walked away from them. However, he could still hear their conversation.

  The young lady A said: "Did you see that gentleman who just walked behind Yu Jie? Who is he, why don't I recognize him, he's so handsome!"

  The girl smiled and said: "He is so handsome, I have never seen such a handsome young man before, compared to that Mingxiu."

  The girl whispered: "He's so handsome, if he can be half as talented as Mingxiu, I'll support him"

  The girl smiled and said: "How come, you're so fickle. I thought you were devoted to Mingxiu alone."

  Yu Jie walked towards the place with several chairs on the left, where Ming Xiu, Lin Mu Sen, Ma Hua Teng and others were, as well as a few people who were unfamiliar to Yi Han. Looking across, there were dozens of people at Huaxiang Poetry Society, in stark contrast to Fengya Song, which was sparsely attended.

  Suddenly, the beautiful women watching in the distance rushed towards Huaxu Poetry Society like they were crazy. Those who couldn't see clearly ran to the bridge and looked from a distance, while the shrill cries of surprise filled the air. It was those talented scholars who seemed much more composed.

  "Look, look, it's Yun Gu Tian, Yun Gongzi, and also Zhang Ziwen, Zhang Gongzi, Ma Guoping, Ma Gongzi, Wei Feng, Wei Gongzi, Luo Zhancan, Luo Gongzi, they all came!" Yanyan Yingying started to get excited.

  "They are so handsome!" The tens of thousands of girls present suddenly went crazy, and the atmosphere instantly boiled over.

  Yi Han looked away, and the people in front of him were worried that the poetry meeting would be attended by a few people. This lonely sky, Wei Feng saw last night, the rest are not familiar with, behind him followed several young masters, but they were robbed of the limelight by those in front, they seemed to be more like followers.

  Yi Han smiled at Yu Jie and said, "Brother Yu, it seems they are more popular than you guys. When we arrived, the girls weren't so crazy about them either. It's really hateful how they've snatched away all the beauties. At least leave half of them for us!"

  "Right, how can they snatch everything away? At least leave half for us!"

  Ming Xi smiled but didn't speak, while Yu Ze's face contorted in a bitter smile as he said: "Brother Yi, why are you still teasing me at this time? Don't forget, we're in this together. If I lose face, then you'll also lose face."

  Yi Han said: "Let's go, just to see if they can take away all the beauties of Jinling. Today, we must thoroughly crush their arrogance." Seeing that there was no movement in the central arena, he asked: "Why hasn't it started yet?"

  Yu Jie Dao said: "The famous scholars of Jinling we invited, and the well-known martial arts judges have not arrived yet."

  At this time, a sixty-year-old old man squeezed into the crowd, and saw him walking slowly to the pavilion with six armchairs in the center under the support of a beautiful young girl.

  Without waiting for Yi Han to ask, Yu Jie said: "This is Jinling scholar Tai Shan Bei Dou, Fu Zuo Yi, originally an official in the Ministry of Rites, retired and returned to his hometown a few years ago. His prestige in Jinling is unmatched, and the girl next to him is his granddaughter, Fu Yingqin, who is 17 years old. It's said that she has been clever and talented since childhood, but rarely appears in public. I don't know much about her either."

  Before long, two more people arrived. Both of them were over 40 years old. One of them was recognized by Yi Han as Zhao San Si. The other had a high and straight nose bridge, bright eyes, elegant demeanor, and extraordinary temperament.

  Yu Jie explained: "That Mr. Zhao, you've met before, and the other is the most famous academy in Jinling City, the principal of Jinling Academy, Bai Congxian. He and Mr. Zhao Sansi were classmates when they were young."

  Yi Han said: "How could you also invite Zhao San Si? Don't you know that Mr. Zhao is the teacher of Yu Xiong?"

  Yu Jie said calmly: "Mr. Zhao is known for his integrity, he absolutely will not be biased towards me."

  Another middle-aged man walked in, with a dark complexion and a thick beard. His face was rough and chubby, his back was like a tiger's and his waist was like a bear's. He walked with big strides. Yu Jie introduced him: "This is the head of the Righteous Dart Bureau, Huo Tao. The man beside him is his adopted son, Huo Lei Feng." This Huo Tao was originally from the secular family of Shaolin Temple and was extremely skilled in the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist.

  He was followed by a man with a long sword hanging from his waist, wearing a blue-green robe, about thirty years old, with a square jaw and clear eyes, and a flying sword eyebrow. The man's face was thin, but his eyes were bright and piercing. "This person is called Song Jing Shan, who studied under the famous master of the Canglang school, and had already made a name for himself ten years ago. He likes to indulge in romantic affairs, and coincidentally he is also in Jinling at this moment, so I invited him to come over as well."

  The last one to enter was an old monk, who came in late, walking slower than a turtle, step by step. Yu Jie exclaimed: "Master Jingming has also arrived."

  Yi Han said: "What's strange about him coming?"

  Yu Jie said, "Master Jingming is the abbot of Wuxiang Temple. He is well-versed in both Chan and Confucianism. His knowledge is unparalleled in Jinling. Many high-ranking officials come to pay their respects when they visit Jinling. It's also rumored that his martial arts skills are incredibly deep, but no one has ever seen him make a move, so it's unclear if it's true or not. Today, as the judge of the martial arts competition, it seems the rumors are true."

  Yi Han asked in surprise: "In such a short time, how did you manage to invite so many talented and renowned scholars to attend?"

  Yu Jie Dao said, "That night on the painting boat, I proposed to Yun Gu Tian that we have a competition today. The owner of the painting boat heard it and was willing for us to invite witnesses. But I didn't expect her to be so bold as to even invite Fu Zuo Yi and Jing Ming Dashi, people who are deeply reclusive."

  In the pavilion, five others saw Jingming arrive, both surprised and delighted. They stood up one after another to salute Jingming with respect. Fu Zuoyi even stepped forward and said with a smile: "To be able to see Master Jingming, today's trip is not in vain. Please sit down quickly."

  Jing Ming Dao said: "I'm also entrusted by others and can't help but come"

  Everyone burst out laughing, and both Wenwen and Wu Shi looked extremely excited.

  Yi Han saw that everyone had arrived and asked: "Why haven't we started yet? What are we going to compete in, reciting poems or composing them?"

  Yu Jiedao said: "I don't know yet, it's not fair, let those few famous scholars set the questions".

  Only to see the people in the pavilion whispering to each other, Fu Zuo Yi stood up and loudly said: "This time I came at the invitation of Feng Ya Song and Hua Xiang. Just now, I discussed with all the famous scholars who are well-versed in learning, and it was decided that I would come up with this topic. It is said that only those who are proficient in all four skills - qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting - can be considered truly talented and learned. So let's have a competition in these four areas, two sides will compete against each other, and the final round will be a poetry competition. The winner of three out of five rounds will be the ultimate winner of this literary competition. What do you think, everyone?"

  Yun Gu Tian stepped forward and replied in a clear voice: "Let's follow Mr. Fu's words." Yu Jie also stood up, "Feng Ya Song agrees too."

  Fu Zuoyi said in a loud voice, "Alright, since neither side has any objections, the first round will start with the character 'qin' (music). This way, everyone present can enjoy the heavenly music first. I'm not very familiar with music, but my young granddaughter has a talent for it. She'll come up with this question. What do you all think?"

  The crowd in the field cheered and applauded, pulling up a beauty, and there was another beautiful legend of a talented man and a beautiful woman.