Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: A Pair That Dominates the Entire Scene

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Unfortunately, time was up! The rules applied to everyone! If they were unfair to him, they were unfair to anyone! But rules were rules!

“Second Prince… I admire you! You lost with dignity and full respect!” Wu Honghui accepted defeat graciously, bowing respectfully to Su Yuan.

“Just luck… Young Master Wu is quite formidable as well!” Su Yuan smiled faintly at Wu Honghui.

Although he hadn’t started off on the best terms with him, Su Yuan wouldn’t cruelly attack someone already down.

Wu Honghui’s face showed a hint of guilt as he nodded and stepped down from the stage.

At that moment, someone from Daqing quickly approached the stage, and the crowd gasped once more.

This man was Zhu Wenbin, another master of couplets, just behind Wu Honghui, the King of Kings in this art. The only difference between them was luck!

Otherwise, last year’s champion might have been him!

“Second Prince, greetings…” He walked up to Su Yuan and bowed respectfully.

“Please…” Su Yuan smiled faintly, not bothering with formalities.

Zhu Wenbin, also unwilling to be overly polite, immediately presented his challenge: “The moon is full in the sky, half in the mortal world; every month, the full moon meets the half moon.”

“New Year's Eve at the year's end, the new spring at the year's start; every year, the end meets the beginning,” Su Yuan answered without hesitation.

His response instantly renewed everyone’s admiration. Their eyes shone with respect.

Su Yuan’s skill was truly extraordinary! He hardly needed to think when composing couplets!

Zhu Wenbin was momentarily stunned, then his eyes filled with respect and admiration as he bowed to Su Yuan. “Your Highness, please present your challenge!”

Su Yuan looked at him and curled the corner of his mouth with a faint smile. “Smoke locks the pond’s willows.”

The moment Su Yuan uttered this line, a heavy silence fell over the crowd. Everyone stared in shock, unable to react for a long while.

No one had expected Su Yuan to bring out this exact couplet again.

However, there was no rule forbidding repetition in couplets; as long as the opponent couldn’t respond, the same couplet could be reused indefinitely.

Such occurrences were common in previous arena battles, but Su Yuan’s couplet was absolute.

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In past years, once a couplet was used and the stage cleared, someone would always figure out the answer. Yet, no one had solved Su Yuan’s couplet so far.

If Su Yuan kept using this one, he could essentially clear all challenges. Who could possibly face him again?

“This…” Zhu Wenbin was completely stumped by Su Yuan’s challenge. He looked at Su Yuan with a bitter expression, silently cursing in his heart.

“Brother, could you please not bring out your ace right away? Can’t you let me last a couple more rounds? Once you say that couplet, how can I keep my dignity?”

But he couldn’t accuse Su Yuan of breaking the rules. Su Yuan was simply playing by them. What could he do? If he had the skill, he would answer. If not, he’d better step down.

Zhu Wenbin forced a bitter smile and bowed to Su Yuan. “My knowledge is shallow; I cannot respond. I concede!”

He was honest—if he couldn’t answer, no need to stay on stage and lose face.

With Zhu Wenbin’s concession, the atmosphere instantly cooled. Nobody dared step onto the stage again. Not because they didn’t want to challenge Su Yuan, but how could they?

If they went up to challenge him, Su Yuan would just say, “Smoke locks the pond’s willows!” and knock them down immediately.

Unless someone could come up with the matching couplet, no one dared risk humiliation.

Yet a few held onto a flicker of hope, thinking their own couplets might stump Su Yuan. If they could trip him up, they wouldn’t have to face his unbeatable ace anymore.

After a brief silence, someone finally stepped onto the stage.

When the crowd saw this, they rejoiced, thinking this challenger might answer Su Yuan’s couplet. Their eyes gleamed with hope.

But this challenger presented a couplet, and after Su Yuan’s reply, he once again said, “Smoke locks the pond’s willows!”

And just like that, the challenger was knocked out.

Everyone both admired and resented Su Yuan. They marveled at his quick wit and vast knowledge, but they also hated that he had dominated with the same unbeatable couplet so far.

One after another, more than twenty challengers tried their luck, and each was knocked out in a single round.

The Emperor Chu watched this scene, staring at Su Yuan in disbelief. He then looked at his eldest son, silently urging him to step forward.

But his eldest son, Su Ming, was paralyzed with fear. He avoided the Emperor’s gaze. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself like the others.

He felt that even if he could produce a couplet, it wouldn’t trouble Su Yuan, and he certainly couldn’t match Su Yuan’s unbeatable ace.

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Emperor Chu was trembling with anger, nearly fainting. His eldest son truly lived up to his title.

Thus, although the couplet contest was thrilling, it was also extremely frustrating.

The thrill lay in the brilliance of the couplets, with Su Yuan undefeated. Yet he had knocked out more than twenty challengers in a row!

Only Wu Honghui had lasted a bit longer, making it to the third round.

But even that was because Su Yuan had shown some leniency. Otherwise, even the King of Kings would have been knocked out in the second round.

At this moment, Luo Changfeng, Gan Yunshen, and He Yuanshen glowed with emotion, tears shining in their eyes. They had never expected Su Yuan to be so formidable.

The little girl was especially excited, cheering endlessly for her father. “Dad is mighty! Dad is amazing!”

Seeing her adorable enthusiasm, Luo Changfeng and the other ministers couldn’t help but be charmed. The more they looked at her, the more they adored her.

Su Yuan stood on the stage, beside him the trembling Su Ming, and Gu Tingyu, wearing a stunned expression, looked at Su Yuan with deep admiration.

No one dared to step forward anymore, frightened by Su Yuan’s performance.

This round of the couplet contest would likely end in the strangest way, all because of Su Yuan’s presence.

Just then, Mu Yuncheng suddenly stood and said calmly, “Your Majesty, I believe this contest is unfair! If the Second Prince keeps using his unbeatable ace to trouble others, isn’t that a bit excessive?”

As soon as he spoke, many looked at Mu Yuncheng with disdain, thinking his words shameless.

Su Yuan’s ace was his skill, but to bring this up now? When he was the challenger, was it fair? Why not complain when others struggled?

Yet no one dared offend Mu Yuncheng, so no one defended Su Yuan.

However, that did not mean no one would speak.

“Eldest Prince, your words are mistaken. The Second Prince’s ability to produce the unbeatable couplet is his strength. If others cannot respond, it only shows their lack of skill. Yet you say the Second Prince’s method is unfair, but when he defends the stage against everyone, is that fair?” Luo Changfeng retorted coldly to Mu Yuncheng.