My Super Beautiful Lady Boss-Chapter 593 - 588: Assault on the Martial Arts Arena

Su Xuan began with Su Dongpo’s "Bamboo" to fire the opening salvo, but he noticed Song Tianbao looked somewhat perplexed. Su Xuan guessed the man might not have heard of it, but that didn’t matter, he quickly switched to another poem in his mind.

"Let me change to Du Fu’s ’Cutting Bamboo’ for you: ’The temple’s abandoned, its bamboo hues are dead, the officials’ residence, would they keep it instead? Frost roots gradually follow the axe’s sever, the wind’s jade still knocks at autumn’s door. A troubled poet from Jiangnan, where to send the lingering sorrow?’"

Many had heard of Du Fu’s name, yet few were proficient in all his poetry; the style sounded genuinely like his.

Just as everyone began to doubt, a person known as the Song Family’s all-knowing talent stood up and loudly said, "Indeed, this is truly a work of the esteemed Mr. Du Fu."

Whether they believed him or not didn’t matter to Su Xuan, as long as the matter could withstand scrutiny afterwards.

"What, do you need another?"

Su Xuan looked at Song Tianbao as he asked. Song Tianbao had not expected Su Xuan to memorize so much—indeed impressive.

Seeing Song Tianbao unmoved, Su Xuan could only recite another poem to awe everyone, "Thorns planted, hedges carefully guarded and maintained, nurtured until the cold jade reflects on the sunken pond. The autumn breeze sweeps over the earth arriving early; the blazing sun moves across the sky, noon unnoticed. The rustle of bamboo being cut, the first sound heard; the initial sight of the leaves, fluttering apart. I wish to frequent this place in my leisure, and let the woven mat follow wherever I go."

The sentences were beautiful and vivid, answering one after the other, connecting the past to the future with clear meaning—truly a rare and fine piece of writing.

Everyone was now entirely captivated by Su Xuan’s talent.

Song Tianbao drew in a breath of cold air, this poem was Lu You’s "East Lake Bamboo."

Song Tianbao could not fathom how Su Xuan, at such a young age, could know so much. Not much older than twenty, his memory power was formidable. Why was this? None at the Song Family had such memory prowess at their twenties; truly, a godly person.

Seeing Song Tianbao still silent, Su Xuan thought he was not yet satisfied. Damn it, how can Song Tianbao, acting as the examiner, be so difficult to entertain? Difficult or not, he must be entertained. Su Xuan had no choice but to deliver another.

"Dew cleanses the leaden dust on the joints; the breeze sways the green jade branches. Yiyi resembles a gentleman, suitable everywhere. My lord, cherish it, for the root still remains, wishing for the air of an elegant and clumsy Phoenix. This one is Liu Yuxi’s ’Court Bamboo,’ is that enough?"

Su Xuan’s just-spoken verses still echoed in everyone’s ears, while Song Tianbao slowly savored their meaning.

Su Xuan was more straightforward, saying, "No need to ponder, I’ll explain it to you. On the surface, it’s about bamboo, its upright joints representing the gentleman’s integrity found in every village and lane. It’s an allegory for oneself, like the bamboo, a gentleman standing tall and pure everywhere. Alright, if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I’m happy to enlighten."

At this moment, everyone viewed Su Xuan with astonishment, as if having witnessed a celestial being, his brilliance seemingly boundless. Su Xuan had opened their eyes to a new realm today—had the outside world evolved to such a terrifying extent, human memory evolving to such a staggering degree?

"Shall I recite another one for you???"

Su Xuan was beginning to enjoy this.

"Hey, no need for more, no need! It’s quite enough, quite enough. These aren’t counted in your score. Just give it a rest,"

Song Tianbao said, pulling Su Xuan aside.

A billion ******* were sprinting through Su Xuan’s mind at 340 meters per second, and the world had changed. The content he had racked his brains for was not included in the overall score. Fine, fine, alright then, the Song Family is ruthless. Just you wait; once I become Shuangshuang’s Gold Medal Tutor, I’ll woo her first, then avenge myself with gusto.

An assistant examiner stepped forward to explain, "Little brother, here’s the thing, according to our annual regulations, each examinee can only answer about one item. Wang Wu had already discussed bamboo, and our Family Head, seeing your mastery of the verses spoken by Wang Wu, asked you to recite any other poetry regarding bamboo. We didn’t expect you to recite so much."

Another assistant examiner added, "Of course, we won’t let you recite for nothing. After the exam, we’ll prepare a cup of top-quality mung bean soup for you to help clear the heat."

"I %&￥%&...￥...&&*@￥%@￥#%#%￥@%"

Su Xuan cursed furiously, of course, only in his mind...

"Fine, since this is your territory, you call the shots. Get on with the test, quick, get on with it. Once it’s over, I’m taking, no, getting the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus to save someone. Staying here really **** wastes time."

Of course, this too was in Su Xuan’s mind.

"Now I will start the poetry challenge. Su Xuan, your topic is the chrysanthemum."

Finally, Song Tianbao announced the topic.

The chrysanthemum, such a beautiful plant, Su Xuan didn’t care anymore and quickly searched his brain for information about chrysanthemums.

Chrysanthemum tea? Chrysanthemum terrace? ****** Why had the signal for chrysanthemums suddenly vanished from Su Xuan’s mind? In modern society, chrysanthemums are often associated with *** When Su Xuan thought of such vulgarities, his memory deteriorated. Damn it, think positive thoughts; the more you focus on the distasteful, the harder it is to remember...

After a painful struggle, Su Xuan finally thought of one.

"Golden flower, fragrance unique and peerless, on the Double Ninth Festival, it’s mistaken for mere ornamental arrangement. Blooming late, it confronts the frost, challenging children’s claim that it’s merely out of season. This is Lu You’s ’On the Twelfth of September, Breaking off Chrysanthemums,’ is this passable now?"

Su Xuan finally thought of this poem, feeling utterly refreshed. Moreover, the topic of the poem perfectly included the word chrysanthemum, hitting the nail on the head. He wondered how many points Song Tianbao would give him for it.

Song Shuangshuang on the second floor of the great hall saw so many people crowding around Su Xuan below and felt incredibly anxious. She regretted not going down with her father to watch the excitement. No, it wasn’t to watch the excitement but rather to be the chief examiner. Nevertheless, if Su Xuan did not manage to stay this time, she would throw a huge tantrum at her father, an enormous one.

As Song Tianbao listened to Su Xuan’s poem about chrysanthemums, he was quite satisfied deep down. Nonetheless, he wanted to make things difficult for Su Xuan, after all, Su Xuan was an outsider, and if one of their own didn’t pass while only Su Xuan shined, wouldn’t that be slapping his own face? Therefore, it was not acceptable, and he insisted on another poem.

Meanwhile, the other examinees were already admiring Su Xuan so much they were prostrating in respect. Some even began thinking of withdrawing from the examination, sensing that their opponent was overpoweringly strong, illogically strong, oppressive, trampling over them completely, not even in the same category. If the categories were to be drawn, these locals would certainly be reduced to the trash among trash, so it was better not to compete, to preserve the last bit of face for themselves.

Song Tianbao started to pick on Su Xuan, "Cough, cough, there’s a small problem with this poem of yours."

Su Xuan was startled, "Damn, what’s the issue? It couldn’t be that Lu You had a grudge with Song Tianbao, right? If that were the case, then it’d be over for me. The score surely won’t be high."

"The issue isn’t that serious, it’s just that I asked you to compose a poem about chrysanthemums, not just put the word ’chrysanthemum’ in the title, but also in the content."

"The content entirely brings to mind chrysanthemums, there’s no issue there."

"Alas, why are you so stubborn, lad? Do you still want to continue the examination? What I mean is that the content must include the word ’chrysanthemum’."

Eventually, Su Xuan finally understood: saying it was like farting, so easy.

Su Xuan narrowed his eyes, and a second later, a poem about chrysanthemums sprang forth.

"Why has Liu Yuxi come here, when the autumn wind is already brisk? Rain ruins the deep courtyard’s chrysanthemums, frost fells the half-pond lotus. To be banished does not go against nature, emptiness does not depart from Zen. Meeting by chance turns to an overnight stay, with the moon over the mountains shining full upon the faces of men."

After reciting the poem, Su Xuan watched to see what Song Tianbao had to say.

Su Xuan saw this foolish Song Tianbao was baffled, possibly because he had read too few poems, and he had to explain a bit; otherwise, if he didn’t score high, that would be a disaster.

"This is Du Fu’s ’Staying at Su Zang’s House,’ should I elaborate further for you?"

Su Xuan really felt like smacking Song Tianbao. Coming up with these verses had cost Su Xuan a massive number of brain cells.

"No need, it seems you have quite a deep knowledge of ancient Chinese poetry. To question you in this regard would be far too easy," Song Tianbao declared. It appeared that the flurry of poems thrown out by Su Xuan had absolutely bamboozled him.

Looking at the other examinees below, they were even more dazzled, each of them looking at Su Xuan with a suggestive glint. Could it be because of Su Xuan’s chrysanthemum verses? Regardless, Su Xuan was here to "take" the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus, other matters were of no concern.

"How many points, just tell me. I won’t become arrogant."

Su Xuan was very confident in his performance, with so many people dazzled, thankfully these individuals mostly lived in isolation on mountains, that’s the advantage of being cut off from the world—innocence!

"Do you really want to know?"

Damn, why does Song Tianbao’s look seem off? He’s not planning to screw me over, right? No, that can’t be. It must be my imagination.

"Your score is..."

This Song Tianbao was holding back the result again, and not only was Su Xuan anxious, but the other examinees were also restless. Even Shuangshuang on the upper floor craned her neck, eager to know just how much she had scored.

Slap!

Suddenly, a pink shoe flew down. The shoe was finely crafted, exuding the youthful essence of a young girl from inside out. Both Song Tianbao and Su Xuan guessed that it belonged to Shuangshuang.

Indeed, Shuangshuang, unable to wait any longer upstairs, yelled down, "Father, Mother left us early, you make the call!"

Song Tianbao chickened out. Originally, he intended to give Su Xuan seventy points, but the flying shoe from his daughter changed the score; a dazzling one hundred percent fresh out of the oven!

"Your score is one hundred points!"

Song Tianbao spoke feebly, as if Su Xuan owed him one hundred thousand yuan.

Thankfully, Su Xuan’s mood was not affected by Song Tianbao’s donkey face; hearing the perfect score still brought joy, for it was a testament to his own ability.

"Isn’t this the time for some applause?"

Su Xuan looked at the other examinees, stunned as if turned to stone, overwhelmed by Su Xuan’s domineering aura. When they heard Su Xuan speak, it was as if they were set free, clapping their hands fiercely, red from the effort, indicating just how popular Su Xuan was.

This was the last event in the cultural field, and Su Xuan had passed without any barriers. It just remained to be seen how things would go in the martial arts arena.

Su Xuan felt a tinge of worry in his heart. These people had lived in seclusion for many years, so it was normal for their cultural knowledge to be lacking, but they would likely retain the most primitive form of Kung Fu, and the more original the Kung Fu, the more formidable it became. Chinese Martial Arts had already lost much in transmission, and Su Xuan was not eager to encounter a tough challenge here. His priority was to quickly seize the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus.