Zhan Yushu eyed Jun Moxie with suspicion, then sneered, "Mo Junye, you aren't doing this on purpose, are you? You know you can't answer this couplet, yet you insist on spouting nonsense and inexplicable drivel, seeing conspiracies everywhere—what are you trying to achieve? Tainting the name of our Zhan family?"

Jun Moxie snorted, "Taint your name? Hardly. You presented your terms; naturally, I must present mine! You agree, or you don't. Why beat around the bush? Give a straight answer, and don't make me look down on you bunch of aristocratic scions!"

The Zhan brothers exchanged a look. Zhan Yushu whispered, "Big Brother, what do you think?"

Zhan Qingfeng's eyes flickered. "This condition is 'simple' in appearance, yet its implications are monumental. This demand, while seemingly unrelated to him personally, strikes at our very core. If we agree and he actually manages to answer correctly, everyone we brought here today will have their futures instantly ruined! Furthermore, it will become extremely difficult for the Zhan family to do anything from now on... we'll cut off our source of talent, as no one will want a master who might betray them at any moment..."

"I considered that too... But what if this is just a deliberate obstruction tactic by Mo Junye, something he knows he can't answer? If we concede this point too easily, our chances in the upcoming rounds will be even slimmer. If we lose outright, all our prior arrangements will be for naught, and we'll still have to deal with his conditions... leading to a complete loss of face..." Zhan Yushu fretted.

The brothers frowned deeply in consultation. Suddenly, Zhan Qingfeng gritted his teeth. "Yu-shu, we cannot refuse this; however, if he answers correctly after we agree, we'll have to employ the 'sacrifice the chariot to save the king' strategy. You are young, with a vast future ahead; you need not be involved in this. Should he indeed answer, I will step forward, declare the entire scheme was my sole idea, unrelated to you or the family... Sacrificing myself for the greater good should solve the problem!"

"Big Brother, what are you saying? I orchestrated this whole matter; how can I let you take the blame?"

Zhan Yushu was still young and a bit naive. Hearing his elder brother speak with such righteous resolve, his heart instantly warmed, blood rushed to his head, and he blurted out, "If anyone takes the fall, it should be me! What does it have to do with you?"

"That... is acceptable," Zhan Qingfeng hesitated for only a moment before quickly agreeing, sighing, "But I apologize for putting you in this difficult position. Still, I trust your judgment. Mo Junye resorting to such a cunning trick implies he truly cannot produce an answer! He couldn't manage it back then; is he really expected to conjure it up in this short span?"

Zhan Yushu, having spoken rashly in a moment of impulse, already regretted his words. He hadn't expected his own flesh-and-blood elder brother to agree almost instantly, seemingly eager to push everything onto him!

A sickening sensation, like stepping into a trap, washed over Zhan Yushu. It felt as if his elder brother had dug a pit specifically for him to jump into, only to swiftly distance himself.

Was this truly the respected elder brother he had always admired?

In that instant, Zhan Yushu felt as if he had swallowed a dead rat; the sheer disgust was indescribable...

"Mo Junye, I agree to your terms. I have signed the Blood Oath scroll."

Zhan Qingfeng glared at Jun Moxie with a cold smile. "Now, is it time for you to display your unparalleled literary talent?"

Jun Moxie jumped in mock shock, stammering, "Damn, you agreed to such harsh conditions? Aren't you afraid the Zhan family's reputation will be ruined?"

Zhan Qingfeng sneered, "If we can buy the failure of a supreme genius possessing the Ethereal Constitution at this cost, we consider it worthwhile! Mo Junye, are you trying to stall for time now? Give us the lower line!"

"Uh..." Jun Moxie intentionally wore an expression of being cornered, scratched his head, and asked, "Uh... right... what was the upper line again?"

The Zhan brothers instantly felt more certain: this guy was finished! They began to chuckle smugly.

"Heaven makes the chessboard, stars make the pieces, who dares to play?"

Zhan Yushu immediately forgot his previous displeasure and recited the line with proud flourish, full of rhythm...

"Heaven makes the chessboard, stars make the pieces... Heaven makes the chessboard, stars make the pieces... Alas..."

Jun Moxie frowned, pacing back and forth across the hall floor.

His brow furrowed deeper, his face growing darker...

Miao Xiaomiao's heart leaped: He must answer this! If he fails, all previous achievements will be lost, and the consequences will be unimaginable...

Everyone present looked at the possessor of the Ethereal Constitution with a touch of pity: such a universally gifted genius appears perhaps once in ten thousand years, and now, he seems to have shot himself in the foot... He told a story that has trapped him in a dead end...

Such an outcome is truly lamentable. Jun Moxie paced a few steps, stopped, tilted his head in thought, then shook it, muttering, "No, no—" He continued pacing and pondering. Zhan Yushu and Zhan Qingfeng's smiles widened, nearly splitting their faces, as they watched the Ethereal Constitution holder as a hunter eyes prey already caught in a snare. Suddenly—"I have it!"

Jun Moxie shouted, wiping his brow in a practiced gesture of relief, "I almost had a breakdown from anxiety, but I finally thought of it. It was nothing, really, once I understood the key! Why didn't I see it before? What a pity!"

"Did you figure it out? What exactly is the lower line? Hurry up and say it, Mo Junye. I must remind you that you understand the nuances of couplets perfectly—if it's not structurally sound, you still lose!" Zhan Qingfeng added with a cold chuckle, pressing for added psychological pressure.

"What you said is nonsense. A couplet relies on balanced parallelism: Heaven opposes Earth, Rain opposes Wind, Continent opposes Sky; once the core principle is grasped, everything becomes clear. Listen, this lower line is—" Jun Moxie drew out his voice, speaking word by word: "Earth becomes the Pipa, the road becomes the strings, who dares to play?"

Boom!

The entire hall erupted. It was breathtaking! Truly superb!

Heaven makes the chessboard, stars make the pieces, who dares to play? Earth becomes the Pipa, the road becomes the strings, who dares to play?

Heaven opposes Earth, Chessboard opposes Pipa, Stars oppose Road, Pieces oppose Strings... Who dares to play? Who dares to play?

Every word was matched with exquisite precision, seamless, reaching the pinnacle of artistry!

The upper and lower lines possessed the same grandeur, the same arrogance, and the same... disdain for all others! If such a couplet could still be faulted for lack of structure, then very few perfectly matched couplets would exist in this world...

For a moment, everyone looked at Mo Junye with complicated expressions. What kind of person was this? He was practically a demon, a miracle... Miao Xiaomiao's beautiful eyes glittered with brilliant light as she gazed at Jun Moxie. She was too overcome with joy and excitement to speak. When he couldn't answer, she worried desperately, but now that he had succeeded, the sheer brilliance of the lower line had utterly stunned her! Absolutely and incomparably shocked!

Did he really come up with this? Am I dreaming? How could he be this powerful? Why is he so powerful? Wow... Miss Miao's eyes were starting to sparkle uncontrollably...

Jun Moxie wiped his brow, appearing relieved yet smug. "This upper line vexed me for several years; I never found a suitable match. Unexpectedly, just as you two Zhan young masters suggested, under the pressure of this special occasion, I finally broke through! In that case, I must really thank you both," he chuckled, "what luck."

As soon as he said this, everyone's expression became extremely strange. It felt like he was being falsely modest after gaining an advantage, but the flavor was strangely off... In short, the feeling was indescribable...

The Zhan brothers' earlier triumphant air had vanished, replaced by faces ashen gray, staring at each other. They were utterly dejected! They had just been gloating, certain this man had trapped himself, but now, who was truly holding the rock that smashed their feet? The brothers were on the verge of tears!

"Tell me, was my answer acceptable? It should be considered structurally sound, right?" Jun Moxie asked "humbly."

Zhan Qingfeng nodded stiffly. As for Zhan Yushu, he lacked even the strength to nod, completely lost in despair.

"Then, shouldn't the two Zhan young masters now tell me the truth I asked for earlier?"

Jun Moxie gave a peculiar smile, reminding them, "Please do not forget that you just swore a poisonous oath involving your ancestors and future descendants... Oaths are strange things... perhaps they will come true someday? Of course, if you truly don't care, you are free not to uphold your promise!"

"We admit defeat!" Zhan Yushu’s face flushed and paled multiple times as he tried to deny it, but such a poisonous oath, sworn before so many witnesses, could not be reneged upon. To deny it would mean disrespecting their ancestors and descendants, a crime for which even the Zhan family could not shield him...

"The Lin Qingyin family belongs to a lineage of musicians. Though they are masters of musical theory, they engage in no production, and their wealth has waned, now approaching decline. Meanwhile, our Zhan family has acquired nearly half the music halls in Huanfu. If they wish to survive, they must obey our commands. This young master merely made things difficult for their clan members in the music halls, making their livelihood tenuous, and they would naturally submit..."

Zhan Yushu's confession caused an immense stir.

Zhan Yushu gritted his teeth, "This entire affair, from beginning to end, was my sole idea. No one else in the Zhan family knew about it... Otherwise, even my own clan would not tolerate it..."

(To be continued. To know what happens next, support the author and purchase legitimate copies!)

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