Volume 1, Chapter 5: Everyone Found a Treasure

He opened the paper and cast his gaze upon its contents. What met his eyes was a line of beautiful regular script, vibrant and vigorous, revealing a sharp, spirited edge. This was the first time he had ever seen calligraphy with such character. It is often said that one’s handwriting reflects one’s personality; even without having met Su Yuan, he already felt a sense of admiration for him.

When he read the content of the couplet, he was only halfway through when his eyes brightened. Although this specific split-character couplet was not particularly difficult, the way this person had paired it was not only precise but also ingenious—it could well be considered a masterpiece.

"Excellent! A wonderful couplet!"

Immediately, he hurriedly grabbed the paper containing the five-character poem from the clerk. Upon reading the full poem, he could not help but slap his thigh, his face filled with excitement and thrill.

"Good... what a magnificent five-character poem! This verse is grand and imposing, with beautiful imagery and a captivating scene. This man must be the top performer of this assessment! Quickly... bring him in. The literary duel is about to begin; have him prepare himself!"

He was brimming with impatience. The two examiners beside him were equally surprised. Su Yuan’s masterpiece couplet and this exquisite poem gave them hope for the literary duel. To be able to compose such a brilliant couplet and write such a magnificent poem showed a profound literary foundation. The middle-aged clerk, hearing this, ran out in high spirits.

On the other side, at the martial arts assessment grounds, there was only one examiner: General Shen Xinghai, the General of the Household Cavalry. As a second-rank general, he really had no need to serve as an examiner here. However, like He Yuanshen, he hoped to discover some hidden experts among the commoners, ideally promising them great rewards to help the Great Chu Empire secure a good ranking. Otherwise, if Great Chu were to lose again, it would be truly disgraceful, especially since he was the primary official in charge of the martial arts competition.

Yet, although nearly thirty martial arts experts had been selected this time, none of them satisfied him. Most of these people had mediocre skills; he reckoned they could not even defeat the lieutenants under his own command, let alone compete in the martial duel between the two nations. The opponents were the elite guards from the Great Qing palace—men who had been meticulously selected, skilled in both archery and horsemanship, and possessing formidable combat power. Sending these commoners into the ring would be like serving them up on a platter!

This year’s martial duel, it seemed, would once again be nothing more than a formality for those chosen from the masses. In the end, the burden would still fall upon the elite soldiers of the army or the imperial palace guards.

"General! General! I have struck gold!" At that moment, someone ran in hurriedly, his face full of excitement.

"Struck gold, you say? Luo Kede, if you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, I’ll beat you so hard your own parents won't recognize you!" Shen Xinghai, already frustrated, snapped angrily. Even at over fifty years old, he still possessed a fiery temper.

"General, I’ve found a powerhouse who can draw a two-and-a-half-stone bow! He shot through the very center of the target with a single arrow. And look at this stone—see how he split it!" The person called Luo Kede was the middle-aged soldier who had assessed Su Yuan. He was excitedly carrying the ruined target, which still had the center piece attached, pierced halfway through by the arrow. In his other hand, he held the stone Su Yuan had split.

Seeing the stone and the target, Shen Xinghai’s expression shifted. He inspected the target from front to back and then took the stone from Luo Kede. A sharp glint instantly erupted in his eyes. Anyone capable of controlling their strength with such precision was terrifyingly powerful. Even he himself might not be able to achieve such a feat, let alone the target. Although the target was woven from rattan, even with a two-and-a-half-stone bow, it was unlikely to pierce through the center at a hundred paces, let alone cause such damage. It could only be said that the archer’s arm strength far exceeded the requirements for a two-and-a-half-stone bow. With such power, not only would it be hard to find a match in Great Chu, but even in Great Qing, there might be no one capable of winning!

"Quick, where is he? Bring him to see me!" Shen Xinghai demanded, unable to contain his impatience.

"General, I’m afraid that might be difficult. He also participated in the literary assessment. The literary assessment started first, and he should have been summoned to the literary duel grounds by now!" Luo Kede said, looking troubled.

Shen Xinghai stood frozen on the spot. "What! You said he participated in what?" he asked in disbelief. He thought he had misheard. A man with such terrifying martial prowess, and you’re telling me he also participated in a literary duel? Was this kid a genius in both arts? Even the most promising First Prince only had mediocre literary talent and was barely a first-class martial artist. Yet this fellow, who possessed nearly grandmaster-level strength, was actually participating in a literary competition? It had to be a joke.

Before he could recover, Luo Kede added more fuel to the fire: "If I’m not mistaken, he is likely to enter the literary duel as the top-ranked candidate!"

"Damn it..." Shen Xinghai stumbled. He steadied himself against the table and waved at Luo Kede. "Fine, I get it. Go and tell that fellow: once the literary duel is over, remember to report to my martial arts arena! This year, whether we win or not depends on him!"

***

Su Yuan brought his daughter to a noodle stall and said to the shopkeeper, "Old man, two bowls of wonton noodles, please."

The shopkeeper acknowledged the order and quickly prepared two bowls of noodles for the father and daughter. The little girl picked up her chopsticks, fished out a wonton, and held it to Su Yuan’s lips, saying sweetly, "Daddy, you eat first..."

The little girl was always like this; she always thought of her father first, just as she did with her mother. Whenever she had porridge, she would always offer it to him first, even when she was truly hungry. Su Yuan took a bite of the wonton and then fished one out of his own bowl to feed his daughter. As she took a bite, the flavor of the meat made her almond eyes curve into crescents. She hadn't eaten meat for nearly a year, and the taste brought back fond memories.

After they finished their noodles, Su Yuan heard his name being called at the entrance of the literary duel grounds and walked over with his daughter. Just as he arrived at the entrance, he saw the middle-aged clerk who had been looking for him. The clerk’s face lit up with joy, and he grabbed Su Yuan, pulling him inside.

"Hurry... everyone else is already inside, we were just waiting for you!"

Su Yuan nodded. The two entered the curtained-off area, and in the small tent reserved for the examiners, only one remained. Seeing the clerk and Su Yuan—and the child—he frowned.

"Why did you bring a child along?" His voice carried a hint of annoyance.

Bringing a child to a literary duel was simply inappropriate! Moreover, Su Yuan’s clothes were tattered and barely presentable.

"Fine, fine, just hurry over there. The literary duel is about to start, there’s no time left. You brought him, so you handle it!" Although the examiner was unhappy, he clearly didn't want to dwell on it, and he waved them away.

The middle-aged clerk nodded hurriedly. He looked Su Yuan up and down, then sighed.

"Let’s go. I’ll look after your little girl for you! You must make us proud! My chance at a reward depends entirely on you! If I get the reward, I’m treating you to a drink!" The middle-aged clerk patted Su Yuan on the shoulder, acting as if they were old friends.