Chapter 41 Dimensional Strike

Li Qingning watched the figure in the center of the courtyard, holding his ground against the scholars with ease and eloquence, a brilliant and dazzling light shimmering in her beautiful eyes.

She felt as though her heart was being entirely melted by this man.

As for the young emperor, Li Qing-zhi, he had long since transformed into Xie Ning’s number-one little fanboy, his eyes shining with excitement as he chanted continuously under his breath:

"My brother-in-law is mighty! My brother-in-law is supreme!"

At that moment, Xie Ning seemed to have grown impatient with waiting.

He sighed and shook his head.

"Sigh, it seems no one is truly able to match it."

He looked around at the crowd, a look of profound disappointment written across his face.

"Very well, let me reveal the answer myself. Listen closely, everyone, my matching line is..."

Every breath in the courtyard instantly stopped.

Everyone desperately wanted to know what kind of matching line could possibly answer such a viciously brilliant opening line.

A wicked, charming smile tugged at the corner of Xie Ning’s mouth as he slowly recited:

"Ten rooms nine are poor, managing to scrape together eight liang, seven qian, six fen, five hao, and four li, yet still half-hearted and utterly worthless!"

Boom!

As soon as the matching line was spoken, the entire imperial garden erupted into chaos.

Everyones minds buzzed, turning completely blank.

Ten rooms nine are poor.
Managing to scrape together eight liang, seven qian, six fen, five hao, and four li.
Yet still half-hearted.
Utterly worthless.

"This... What the hell..."

A venerable old official with white hair and beard failed to hold back a crude curse.

If the opening line had pointed at their noses and cursed them for being unlearned and incompetent,

Then this matching line had stripped off their clothes, nailed them to the pillar of shame, and pointed at their spines to curse them as impoverished, hypocritical, despicable, and base.

The numbers in the opening line went from one to ten in ascending order.
The numbers in the matching line went from ten to one in descending order.

Exquisite, truly unimaginably exquisite!

The opening line satirized their pretense as paragons of virtue, while the matching line bitterly denounced their conduct as officials and men.

The artistic conception!
It was a match made in heaven, harmonizing in spirit down to the very bone.

"Thud!"

Another elderly, esteemed scholar rolled his eyes and collapsed straight backward onto the ground.

"Quick! Quick! Another one has fainted!"

"Where are the imperial physicians? Where the hell are the imperial physicians?"

The civil officials at the scene fell like dominoes.

Those who remained standing wore faces ashen and lifeless, their souls seemingly sucked out of their bodies.

They felt as though the pride and dignity they had built up over a lifetime were smashed to pieces by Xie Ning's couplet in this single moment, not even leaving dust behind.

Yuwen Yue, overcome with weakness, collapsed heavily to the ground.

His lips trembled as he repeatedly chanted the couplet to himself.

"One village two miles possessing three masters, ignorant of the Four Books, Five Classics, and Six Arts, yet daring to teach seven, eight, or nine disciples, utterly audacious."

"Ten rooms nine are poor, managing to scrape together eight liang, seven qian, six fen, five hao, and four li, yet still half-hearted and utterly worthless."

As he recited, with a sudden retch, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

It was over.
Completely over.

He knew that his life was finished.

In the face of such absolute strength, all his struggles appeared so pale and feeble.

Xie Ning looked at the topsy-turvy scene before him and nodded with satisfaction.

Ah, the effect was quite good.
This was precisely the feeling of dimensional reduction he was aiming for.

After all, they certainly never had the chance to watch Flirting Scholar, hahaha.

"My dear officials, this was merely a warm-up."

Xie Ning’s voice rang out once again.

What? A warm-up?
This was just a damn warm-up?

You are trying to take our lives!

All the civil officials who had not yet fainted stared at Xie Ning with the eyes of men looking at a demon.

"Since everyone is so interested in numerical couplets, let’s do another one."

Xie Ning smiled, giving them no room to catch their breath.

"Listen well."

"On the painting, lotus flowers; a monk paints."

Seven simple words, spoken casually.

This time, there was no vicious satire, nor any complex numbers.
It sounded like a very ordinary statement.

On a painting, lotus flowers are depicted, and a monk is painting.

The scholars present were stunned.

What is the meaning of this?
This opening line looked thoroughly unremarkable and seemed quite easy to match.

Could it be that this brat had exhausted his talent?

A glimmer of hope reignited in the hearts of many.

Yuwen Yue also managed to drag himself up from the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stared fixedly at Xie Ning.

He refused to believe that Xie Ning could maintain that monstrous level indefinitely.

However, a sharp-minded young imperial compiler quickly discovered the underlying mystery.

He repeated the phrase "On the painting, lotus flowers; a monk paints" in his mind several times.

Suddenly, as if discovering a new continent, his pupils contracted sharply, and he cried out in shock:

"Read it backward, reading it backward is the exact same!"

"On the painting, lotus flowers; a monk paints. Read backward: paints a monk, lotus flowers on the painting..."

"Good heavens, this is a palindrome couplet!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was shaken to their core!

A palindrome couplet!
Read forward or read backward, it was completely identical!

Everyone stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

Only then did they realize that this seemingly simple opening line contained such a terrifying technique and conception.

This... this had already surpassed their cognitive understanding of couplets.
This was simply not something a human could conceive!

What kind of monster was this brat, anyway?

"A palindrome couplet?"
"Good heavens, it's actually a palindrome couplet!"
"Read frontward, read backward, both form literary masterpieces—this is the supreme realm of couplets!"
"I have studied poetry and books for forty years, and today I finally realize there are heavens beyond the skies, and masters beyond men!"

The entire imperial garden was instantly drowned in overwhelming shock and awe.

If the first couplet was a trampling and humiliation of their dignity,
Then this second palindrome couplet was a merciless crushing of their intelligence and learning.

It was an absolute, dimensional reduction strike that left them utterly incapable of even feeling jealousy.

The esteemed scholars and civil officials present stood like men drained of their vitality, their complexions deathly pale.

The looks they cast toward Xie Ning had transformed from initial disdain and anger into terror, awe, and even... adoration.

They knew they were witnessing today the birth of a literary giant destined to enter the history books.
And they were merely the humblest stepping stones beneath this giant's feet.

Yuwen Yue's once-handsome face was now completely distorted.

He felt as though his worldview was being thoroughly torn apart in this moment, then thrown to the ground and trampled into powder.

A palindrome couplet...
He had never even heard of such a thing.

His proud and vast learning appeared utterly worthless in the face of this unimaginable technique.

What else could he compete with?
With what could he possibly challenge this?

He felt like an infant who had just learned to walk, yet foolishly attempted to challenge a divine dragon soaring through the nine heavens.

Ridiculous.
Utterly ridiculous.

"Hahaha... Hahahaha..."

Yuwen Yue suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, his laughter filled with endless sorrow and despair.

As he laughed, tears streamed down his face.

It was over.
He knew he was completely finished.