Prodigal System in the Flourishing City

Chapter 427: Chapter 425: Deadly Moves [3rd Update, 30,000 recommendation votes for additional release]

The woods were deathly quiet.

It was really silent as a graveyard!

Tides of the sea, morning tides, do morning tides ebb away?

Expanding clouds, continuous growth, do they grow only to fade?

No one expected that Lu Xiaobu’s seemingly ordinary string of ”longs” was actually hiding a profound mystery!

Yu Jian found it hard to believe as he swallowed his saliva and exclaimed in a lost voice, ”This... this really matches?”

He couldn’t believe it, but the fact was right before his eyes; their teacher’s extremely tricky question had been answered correctly, and the answer fit perfectly!

The top female student was also stunned.

Only now did she realize the meaning of the couplet.

And how long did it take for Lu Xiaobu to figure it out?!

She hadn’t figured it out yet, but Lu Xiaobu had already come up with the answer.

Just how talented is Lu Xiaobu?

Flow looked at Lu Xiaobu, staring at him for several seconds, then burst into hearty laughter: ”Indeed! Indeed, the teacher is truly talented!”

Then he stopped laughing, stood up straight, and said, ”This is really beyond my expectations. Today has really surprised me. Shilin will definitely learn a lot by following you. I agree.”

He had been studying this couplet for several months already, and now Lu Xiaobu had matched it in such a short time, which was quite astonishing to him.

So, he was no longer nitpicking!

At this time, Lu Xiaobu finally found out that the top female student’s name was Shilin.

Just by hearing the name, he knew she must be literary.

And Lu Xiaobu was happy as well.

It’s best not to continue; saving a bit of effort is still saving effort.

Wu Qianmin was also pleased, looking at Yu Jian: ”Got slapped in the face, didn’t you? Dared to say Xiaobu wasn’t up to it!”

Yu Jian’s face turned green!

Damn it, Lu Xiaobu actually matched it!

It really was a case of losing the wife and the army!

However.

”That’s not right!” The top female student—Zhang Shilin suddenly spoke up: ”Teacher, you went easy on him!”

”Pfft!”

Liu Chen felt a pang in his chest.

My silly disciple, do you have to be so blunt?!

And that was already enough!

”What do you mean?” Yu Jian suddenly interjected: ”Are you saying that Lu Xiaobu’s answer is incorrect?”

”I don’t know, but I know that the teacher’s couplet has other readings, other interpretations.”

Zhang Shilin, worthy of being Liu Chen’s proud disciple, deduced the second layer of meaning after Liu Chen explained the first.

”That is to say, Lu Xiaobu wasn’t entirely correct!”

Yu Jian was immediately overjoyed.

Hahaha, Lu Xiaobu can’t cut it, huh!

Acting all high and mighty, now you’ve made a fool of yourself!

Seeing this situation, Lu Xiaobu sighed, realizing he wouldn’t be able to get away with being lazy.

This was really...

”Teacher Liu, please continue!”

Lu Xiaobu waved his hand and said.

”Do you really want to continue?” Liu Chen felt somewhat reluctant: ”My couplet has many interpretations.”

After all, if they continued, it was very possible that Lu Xiaobu would lose face.

It would be awkward for everyone.

”It’s okay, continue,” said Lu Xiaobu calmly: ”Coincidentally, my response also has many interpretations!”

Losing was not an option, not in this lifetime.

He must recruit this top female student under his command!

Now it was Liu Chen’s turn to be stunned; skeptical, he said, ”Huh? You have one too?”

Wu Qianmin touched her chin, withholding comment.

Although she believed in Lu Xiaobu, her instincts told her that it was pretty good to just match one layer of meaning in that amount of time.

After all, Liu Chen’s couplet must have taken who knows how long to craft.

But Xiaobu, he only looked at it for a few minutes?!

The top female student was also disbelieving.

Yu Jian was even more dismissive—impossible!

He thought to himself, Lu Xiaobu, just keep on boasting!

He wasn’t as quick to react as the female academic prodigy, but he wasn’t satisfied either; by now he had grasped all there was to know about this first couplet.

The sea water tides again and again and falls?

Actually, the word ”again” in the middle can be segmented differently.

Once you change the way it’s read, the artistic conception becomes completely different.

And even the intended meanings are poles apart.

This is filled with scholarly knowledge!

This must be Teacher Liu’s masterpiece!

Ridiculous Lu Xiaobu, what kind of scholarly knowledge could your ’long long long long long’ possibly have?

It’s nothing but a fluke that you stumbled upon one layer of interpretation and segmentation of this first couplet!

What are you still boasting about? Acting all puffed up!

Members of the literature club were also discussing in hushed tones.

”No way.”

”Yeah, although Lu Xiaobu is really awesome, he’s still a bit lacking compared to Teacher Liu.”

”Yes, yes! I also think it doesn’t work!”

”...”

Not minding the discussions around him,

Liu Chen was already stirred up by Lu Xiaobu’s words, his interest and competitive spirit ignited:

”Alright then, shall we give it a try? Are you sure you’ve prepared and thought everything through? My first couplet has many variations!”

”Come on, cut the chatter.”

Lu Xiaobu said with a yawn.

He had originally thought to just muddle through with his previous performance.

But that wasn’t going to cut it!

Fine, if it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get!

”The sea water rises, day by day, day by day it falls!”

Liu Chen slightly closed his eyes, stood with hands behind his back.

As soon as the couplet battle began, everyone in the literature club fell silent, shifting their gazes over; they wanted to see whether Lu Xiaobu had what it takes!

Teacher Liu said his first couplet has many variations and different ways of reading, and everyone believed him because he is Teacher Liu, a senior figure in the writers’ association, someone even the principal wouldn’t dare to offend.

But Lu Xiaobu said his second couplet held mysteries?

The crowd was somewhat skeptical.

This is the difference between circles; you can say Lu Xiaobu makes money, all tied up together they still couldn’t match Lu Xiaobu, but when it comes to couplets, they retained absolute skepticism!

Look at Teacher Liu’s first couplet!

This time, the way of reading and the usage of the words were different!

Compared with the couplet Liu Teacher and Lu Xiaobu matched before...

That previous one was more inclined towards grand rises and falls, wide openings and closings, like a heavy sword without edge, great skill with no gimmickry!

Yet, now, this first couplet with changed pronunciation was closer to nature, its artistic conception turned upside down.

It had the feel of a gentle breeze and drizzling rain, but with a lingering sword technique that couldn’t be splashed away.

Though it’s still technically a couplet, ”the sea water tides again and again and falls,” in reality, it was a completely different first couplet now!

Lu Xiaobu definitely couldn’t handle this!

Such a complete reversal of conception isn’t as simple as one plus two or two plus one!

Yet Lu Xiaobu, with utter boredom, gestured dismissively: ”The drifting clouds rise, rise long and long, long and long they dissipate!”

Hearing Lu Xiaobu’s second couplet, the crowd was a bit slow to process!

What?

This second couplet...

Holy crap! It matches?

Damn, your second couplet really has variations, huh?!

Liu Chen’s eyes also brightened: ”The sea water rises, day by day rises, day by day falls!”

This time, not only the reading and the meaning of the words changed, but even the break-up of the lines was different, in a three-four-three pattern.

Lu Xiaobu scratched his head: ”The drifting clouds rise, long long rise, long long dissipate!”

Liu Chen leaned forward: ”The sea water tides, tide by tide, tide by tide falls!”

Lu Xiaobu yawned: ”The drifting clouds rise, rise long rise, long rise dissipates!”

Liu Chen’s emotions grew more intense: ”The sea water tides in the morning, morning by morning tides, morning by morning falls!”

Lu Xiaobu’s eyelids began to sag: ”The drifting clouds grow long, long and long rise, long and long dissipate!”

The spectators only felt dazzled, as if watching two swordsmen come and go, advancing and retreating.

Flashes of knives and shadows of swords, each move potentially fatal!