The little fox carefully glanced at the thin and frail old man, Luo Jingting, then cheerfully jumped into Fang Yun’s arms, pointing at the little butterfly.

Fang Yun stroked the little fox, noticing that Yang Yuhuan was not at home. The faint sound of a zither came from next door, she must be learning from Mrs. Lai. Meanwhile, the others at home, like Fang Da Niu, were excitedly watching Luo Jingting, guessing his identity.

“You guys carry on with your business, Mr. Luo and I will take what we need and leave.” Fang Yun said, holding the little fox and heading towards his room.

Luo Jingting glanced at the little fox and said, “Your fragrant fox has gained spiritual intelligence, which is rare. After you enter the Holy Academy, try to exchange for some Moon Tree leaves from the Demon Realm. It will be beneficial for it.”

Upon hearing about the Moon Tree leaves, the little fox immediately showed a greedy expression.

“I heard that the small moons in the Demon Realm grow on an incredibly large Moon Tree. It’s a pity I’ve never seen it, it must be beautiful.” Fang Yun said.

“It’s also terrifying.” Luo Jingting added.

The little fox nodded vigorously, a hint of fear appearing on its face.

Fang Yun also thought of the legends about the Demon Moon and decided not to mention it. He took out the manuscript of “The Three Character Classic” from the bookshelf and handed it to Luo Jingting.

Luo Jingting’s expression became serious as he carefully took the manuscript from Fang Yun. Even without using his official seal, his eyes could see the talent on the pages.

The little fox looked at Luo Jingting in confusion, as if saying, why are you so serious? “The Legend of the White Snake” is more interesting.

Luo Jingting carefully put away the manuscript of “The Three Character Classic” and said solemnly, “This text will be of great benefit to you once it enters the Hall of All Saints. You will find its use in the future. I won’t say more, just remember not to reveal this matter.”

“Ah, I know. There are too many things I can’t talk about, I’m used to it.” Fang Yun laughed.

Luo Jingting said, “Even I don’t know much about your affairs. I’m afraid only the Eastern Saint knows your true achievements. But don’t worry, when the day comes that your merits can be made public, you will surely become famous throughout the Ten Nations. Your name will be remembered for generations! Those petty scholars from the Courage to Write will probably suffer because of this.”

“Thank you for your advice, sir.”

“I have to meet an old friend, I’ll leave after a few words, so I won’t accompany you to the city tower.”

“I can go back by myself.”

Upon leaving the study, Luo Jingting’s feet seemed to be stepping on clouds. He slowly rose to the height of the roof, then suddenly stopped and said, “I’ve already taken care of the matter with the Liu family for you. If they don’t know what’s good for them, I’ll have to take action myself. If you can enter the Holy Land, remember to write the best poems and essays you can at the Mid-Autumn Literary Meeting, because it will be of great help to you in entering the Holy Land. Remember, the Holy Land is not independent.”

After Luo Jingting finished speaking, he flew into the sky with a whoosh, leaving Fang Yun no time to thank him.

“Having the ability to ascend to the sky is really great. Unfortunately, you have to be a Grand Academician to have it. However, if I become the top scholar in One Kingdom, I can ascend to the sky when I become an Imperial Scholar.” Fang Yun thought to himself, put down the little fox, and walked out, preparing to find a carriage to the Flood Control Literary Meeting.

The little fox, however, followed Fang Yun like a little dog, not making a sound. After Fang Yun hired a carriage and got in, the little fox showed a cunning smile and jumped into the carriage.

“Hey!” The coachman tried to stop it.

“It’s okay, this fox is from my house.” Fang Yun laughed.

“Oh, then it can’t pee in the carriage.” The coachman said and drove off.

The little fox looked at the coachman with annoyance, yelped a couple of times, then turned to look at Fang Yun, looking very proud, as if saying: Aren’t I smart?

“Just remember not to pee.” Fang Yun teased.

The little fox immediately became embarrassed and rolled around in Fang Yun’s arms to vent its dissatisfaction. It looked like a little fur ball, extremely cute.

When he returned to the city tower in the southern part of the city, Fang Yun saw a familiar face, Tang, the head of the shop. He was pacing back and forth under the city wall.

“Shopkeeper Tang, what are you doing here?” Fang Yun asked.

Shopkeeper Tang laughed, “Of course, I’m waiting for your Qixi poem. As soon as your Qixi poem comes out, I’ll have the printing houses in the Ten Nations print it, along with “The Legend of the White Snake”, to promote each other. It can also increase your literary reputation.”

“Thank you, Shopkeeper Tang.”

“The Flood Control Literary Meeting is almost over, you should hurry up, otherwise you won’t make it.” Shopkeeper Tang said.

“Alright.”

Fang Yun held the little fox and quickly climbed up the city wall, then walked into the city tower. He saw some scholars writing poems or essays for flood control. The energy of heaven and earth continuously flowed into their papers, and their poems and essays turned into powerful forces that rushed into the rain, slightly reducing the heavy rain nearby, but there was no substantial difference.

Fang Yun looked out of the window, the rain between the southern part of the city and the Yangtze River had already lessened. The mountains in the distance were finally visible. He could see the farthest point of the Yangtze River’s estuary in the rain, but the section of the river known as the Qiantang River or Zhejiang River behind the estuary was still a white expanse.

Someone asked in a low voice, “Has Master Wen Zong left?”

“He should have left.” Fang Yun said.

The people of Qing Nation looked at each other, especially the six Presented Scholars who were about to be exiled to the southern border. They were all dissatisfied, but they were afraid that Wen Zong would come back and kill them, so they didn’t dare to speak up and just muttered quietly.

“What’s going on with the Liu family?”

“What else could it be? Since Wen Zong personally said that the Liu family couldn’t come, he must have found a way to stop them.”

“This Fang Yun is really lucky.”

The first disciple of the Poetry King said resentfully, “His good luck is about to run out!”

Prefect Dong coughed lightly, about to speak, when a strange cry that pierced the clouds came from the river. Then the river water churned, and waves several meters high surged towards the shore.

Then, a giant green Flood Dragon, over ten meters long, flew up.

This Flood Dragon had green scales, a slender and well-proportioned body, and four powerful dragon claws. Its dragon whiskers fluttered, and its pair of dragon eyes were especially bright, as if they contained the moon.

“Roar…” The Flood Dragon roared to the sky, its strange sound echoing throughout Jiangzhou City. The people on the city tower felt their eardrums vibrating, which was very uncomfortable.

The Flood Dragon looked fierce, its body radiating a strong aura of blood and power, and it was full of killing intent.

The rain that had been reduced by the Flood Control Literary Meeting suddenly increased.

“It’s the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King!” someone shouted.

Everyone first looked at the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King, then all turned to look at Fang Yun, because everyone knew that the continuous heavy rain for more than half a month was the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King’s revenge on Fang Yun.

Fang Yun remained calm, quietly looking at the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King surrounded by clouds and mist.The King of the Qingjiang Flood Dragons hovered above the Yangtze River, shrouded in clouds and mist, and roared loudly, “Fang Yun, you devoured my son’s dragon pearl. If you do not atone with your life, the heavy rain in Jiangzhou will never cease!” The Dragon King’s voice, like rolling thunder, echoed in all directions, reaching Yuhai City.

Many people in Yuhai City only then realized that the heavy rain was caused by a conflict between Fang Yun and the Dragon Clan, which left many feeling conflicted.

The people of the Jing Kingdom breathed a sigh of relief. With the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King present, the pressure on Fang Yun increased significantly, which could potentially diminish the influence of the previous Wen Zong Luo Jingting to the lowest point.

“Hand over Fang Yun, and the rain will stop!” The Qingjiang Flood Dragon King roared.

The scholars of the Jing Kingdom sighed. The Qingjiang Flood Dragon King was cunning. This was the mouth of the Yangtze River, beneath which was the Flood Dragon Palace, home to a Dragon Saint. The humans could not possibly kill the Dragon King here.

A scholar from the Jing Kingdom asked, “Fang Yun, is what the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King said true? Do you really have a grudge against it?”

Fang Yun did not answer.

“Sigh, if this is really a personal vendetta causing the entire Jiangzhou to suffer, the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King is truly malicious. However, for the sake of the people of Jiangzhou, someone must make a sacrifice.” He said, looking at Fang Yun with ill intentions.

“Yes, during the great disaster of our Jing Kingdom, many people stepped forward, and those who died were posthumously honored as model scholars. The scholars of the Jing Kingdom are no less brave than those of our Jing Kingdom, and naturally, someone will step up.”

Upon hearing this, the people of the Jing Kingdom realized that these people from the Jing Kingdom had learned their lesson and were no longer directly attacking Fang Yun. However, this indirect method of attack was even more annoying, making people grit their teeth in anger, yet unable to refute directly.

Prefect Dong immediately said, “Don’t fall for the provocations of the Demon Clan. The Flood Control Literary Meeting is over, let’s start the Qixi Literary Meeting.”

The first disciple of the Poetry King had come to avenge his friend, but now he was about to be exiled. His heart was filled with resentment. He said, “Prefect Dong, your words are wrong! Not only has Fang Yun not yet written a flood control poem, but the rest of you have not even started writing. How can the Flood Control Literary Meeting end? Since Fang Yun is a model scholar of One Kingdom, he definitely won’t think his life is more important than the entire Jiangzhou. But he can’t sacrifice himself to save the entire Jiangzhou, so there must be a way to solve the great disaster of Jiangzhou!”

Another person from the Jing Kingdom immediately added, “Exactly! This flood has spread thousands of miles, and a rain-stopping poem is definitely not a fundamental solution. What method does Scholar Fang plan to use to stop the heavy rain?”

“Anyone who has the potential to become an emperor can create famous verses. Their talent may not be very high, but they must have a grandeur that can not only move the energy of heaven and earth but also influence the fate of a nation. Liu Bang’s ‘Song of the Great Wind’ is an example. He was only a Presented Scholar, but he wrote such a broad-minded poem. In my opinion, Fang Yun, you will write an emperor’s poem to stabilize the mountains and rivers and break the flood, right?”

“You don’t have to be afraid. Now is not the time before the Ten Kingdoms. Now there is only a king and no emperor. You don’t have to worry about being executed for writing an emperor’s poem.” The people of the Jing Kingdom sang in harmony, finding a “way out” for Fang Yun.

“If you can write a unique piece, perhaps it can also disperse the dark clouds in the sky, but that is even more difficult than writing an emperor’s poem.” A person from the Jing Kingdom had a tone of schadenfreude.

During the conversation of the people from the Jing Kingdom, the Dragon King was still shouting.

Feng Zimo, the lord of the academy, said coldly, “It’s clear that the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King is trying to sow discord, and you are still harping on about it, which is really disgusting! Then I will represent those who have not written in Yuhai Prefecture and create a new poem, ‘Flood Control and Dragon Trapping.’”

After Feng Zimo finished speaking, he quickly walked to the window, picked up a brush, and wrote, “The mountains and rivers are drenched in rain, the Dragon Palace is locked in solitude…” As he wrote, his talent surged, but halfway through, Feng Zimo couldn’t continue.

The people of the Jing Kingdom thought, “This is bad!”

The phrase “The mountains and rivers are drenched in rain” was not a problem, and “The Dragon Palace is locked in solitude” was also very clever. Solitude means silence, and Feng Zimo wanted to use the power of poetry to silence the Dragon King. The Flood Dragon caused the rain, and silencing it was also a way to control the flood.

Feng Zimo was only an Imperial Scholar. To defend the city, he could temporarily ascend to the status of a half-time Hanlin Scholar with the help of the Holy Temple, which was still lower than the Qingjiang Flood Dragon King. He definitely couldn’t defeat the Dragon King, but he could limit the Dragon King’s voice.

However, the status of the Dragon Palace was too high. The tone and intention of “The Dragon Palace is locked in solitude” were too high, making it difficult to continue. If the subsequent artistic conception could not keep up, the poem would fall apart and have no effect.

“Your Excellency is talented, please continue!” The opposing people from the Jing Kingdom immediately started to heckle.

Feng Zimo’s face turned red to the root of his neck. He didn’t expect to get stuck at this moment. In fact, he had already thought about it, but when he actually wrote it down, he found that the last two lines were not good, and he couldn’t write them recklessly.

Fang Yun walked over and whispered a few words in Feng Zimo’s ear.

Feng Zimo suddenly cheered up and said loudly, “Thank you, Fang, for completing the poem! I, Feng Zimo, am fighting against the Demon King, and I hope the Holy Temple will help and grant me the status of a half-time Hanlin Scholar!”

An invisible but palpable majestic power descended from the sky and landed on Feng Zimo, causing his clothes to flutter.

Feng Zimo’s talent temporarily reached the level of a Hanlin Scholar. He picked up his brush again and wrote down the two lines that Fang Yun had whispered in his ear.

“From the tower, I watch the sea under the sun, the gate faces the tide of the Zhejiang River!”

As soon as the poem was finished, the sun tore a corner of the dark clouds, the waves of the Yangtze River rolled, and a transparent chain appeared on the mouth of the Dragon King, silencing the Dragon King’s voice.

The people of the Jing Kingdom applauded and cheered, and Prefect Dong praised loudly, “Good! Although this poem can’t stop the flood yet, it’s enough to weaken the power of the Dragon King. The last two lines use the tower to watch the sun and the gate to face the tide, using the small to see the big. Not only does it solve the difficulty of continuing the Dragon Palace, but it even sublimates it. It’s a wonderful poem!”

(To be continued.)