At the age of eight, he impersonated the orphan of a military officer and went to the martial world.

Chapter 100 Peach Blossom Prince

Scholar Chen was so excited that his beard trembled, and his voice changed, filled with wild joy: "Jinyuan! You—you've finally agreed to participate in the Qingyun Ranking?! That's wonderful! This is a great event for the Confucian community of Luyang Prefecture!"

He seemed to see the hope that the literary and academic circles of Luyang Prefecture would gain fame at a higher level.

A middle-aged scholar, who was affiliated with the Qian family, stepped forward anxiously, his voice trembling: "Young Master Jin Yuan! If you were to make a move, the title of champion in the literary category of the Azure Cloud Ranking would surely be yours!"

"With your talent and learning, you will surely have a place on the list of candidates for the Azure Dragon and Fierce Tiger Ranking after this ranking! One day you will enter the capital, have an audience with the Emperor, and soar to great heights!"

Sun Hao recovered from his initial shock. Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he took a deep breath, stepped forward, bowed deeply to Li Jinyuan, and asked the question that had been on everyone's mind: "Young Master Jinyuan, if I may be so bold as to ask, you—you have never been involved in such competitions before, why have you suddenly become interested this year?"

Yes! Why?

Countless gazes converged on Li Jinyuan, filled with curiosity, inquiry, and awe.

Despite the intense gazes of the crowd, Li Jinyuan remained calm, as if he were discussing something completely ordinary.

He did not answer Sun Hao's question directly, but slowly raised his arm and unfurled the scroll he had been holding in his arm in front of everyone.

"Today I met a young friend who is participating in the Qingyun Ranking Trial. We exchanged ideas on literature and Taoism. His Confucian and Taoist poetry and prose made me think that this ranking list is actually quite interesting."

As he spoke, the scroll was fully unfurled!

In an instant, a strange phenomenon occurred!

The ink on the paper seemed to come alive!

A faint golden aura rippled out like water, instantly filling the entire top floor of the Moon-Viewing Pavilion!

The bamboo shadows sway gracefully!

Peach blossoms dot the landscape, their pink petals exuding fragrance!

The spring river reflects the ethereal beauty of spring, a scene of warmth and tranquility!

Several ducks, outlined in ink, are leisurely swimming and playing!

In the corner of the wall, tender green shoots of artemisia and reeds are bursting forth, full of vitality!

This perfectly captures the mood described in Zhang Yuan's poem "Peach Blossoms Beyond the Bamboo Grove"!

At this moment, through Li Jinyuan's great supernatural power of "painting with divine inspiration", combined with the essence of the poem, it is transformed into a lifelike and intoxicating spring dreamland!

The entire gathering felt as if it had been instantly transported to an early spring in the water towns of Jiangnan!

A warm breeze caresses the face, moisture rises in the air, the fragrance of flowers wafts through the air, and bamboo shadows sway gently—

Everyone was immersed in the magnificent and exquisite literary expression, dazzled and mesmerized, their minds swaying, and for a moment they even forgot where they were!

"This poem was written by my young friend, and I, Li, have transcribed it." Li Jinyuan's clear voice, like a morning bell or evening drum, pierced through the dreamlike scene and clearly reached everyone's ears, awakening them from their reverie. "We will determine who is superior during the trial."

As soon as the words fell, the spring light, ripples on the water, shadows of bamboo, and rain of flowers that filled the room—like the tide—quickly receded, returning to the seemingly ordinary scene.

The ink on the paper seemed even more vibrant, and the lingering faint golden light and subtle fragrance reminded everyone that what they had just seen was not an illusion.

Li Jinyuan flicked his wrist, and the scroll was rolled up again.

He stopped looking at anyone, as if he had just accomplished a trivial task, and turned to leave.

"Nephew Jinyuan! Wait! Wait!" Old Scholar Chen was the first to react, his old face flushed red, and he excitedly chased after him, his voice cracking, "This painting—could I borrow this painting for two days? No! One day! One day will suffice!"

"Young Master Jin Yuan!" Another refined-looking elderly man, who appeared to be a wealthy merchant, suddenly kicked aside the stool in front of him and practically pounced on him. "I'll offer a thousand taels of silver! I only ask to borrow the painting for three hours! How about three hours?"

"Brother Jinyuan! I—"

"Young Master Li—"

In an instant, the top floor of Lanyue Tower was in complete chaos!

Those reserved scholars and proud young elites who were just moments ago have all lost their composure and are now scrambling to keep Li Jinyuan, just so they can catch another glimpse of the painting that contains endless mysteries!

However, Li Jinyuan moved with ease and grace, his figure as swift as the wind. Amidst the cheers and shouts of the crowd, he gracefully descended the stairs and disappeared into the night.

All that remained was a complex mix of astonishment, envy, disappointment, and fervor.

After a long while, everyone gradually recovered from the shock and disappointment brought about by Li Jinyuan.

"A few peach blossoms bloom outside the bamboo grove—the ducks are the first to know when the spring river warms—" Qian Mobai murmured absentmindedly the lines of poetry he had just glimpsed, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "How fresh and natural, how full of life! The artistic conception is natural, the literary style is spontaneous—no wonder, no wonder it moved Young Master Jin Yuan!"

"Withered wormwood covers the ground, reeds sprout short, just when the pufferfish are about to ascend—wonderful! Wonderful indeed!" Sun Hao murmured to himself, his face devoid of any competitive spirit, only filled with deep admiration and a hint of bitterness. "To have Young Master Jin Yuan personally record this, and to use it as an excuse to make an exception for his participation in the Azure Cloud Ranking—just who is this young friend?"

"Young Master Jin Yuan referred to him as a young friend participating in the Qingyun Ranking Trial," so he must be a young and promising talent not yet thirty! Dr. Zhou analyzed excitedly, "But in my Luyang Prefecture, who could compose such a naturally perfect poem? Zhao Wencheng of the Zhao family? Cao Min of Dingyang County? Neither seems like it—"

"Could it be that distant relative of the Qian family who has been studying diligently behind closed doors?" someone speculated.

"Or is it that son of the Sun family who is studying in the prefectural capital?"

"No, no, this poem has a fresh and natural style, it's not a labored and contrived piece, and there's no one in the city who matches it —"

The crowd discussed among themselves, guessing at all the well-known young scholars in the prefecture, but none of them matched.

How could someone who could attract Young Master Jin Yuan to make an exception and take action be an unknown person?

"Could he be—a disciple of a reclusive master?" someone suggested boldly.

"Or perhaps—a talented scholar from another prefecture?" someone wondered.

"In any case," a young talent's eyes gleamed, "the imagery of this poem, especially the line 'peach blossoms beyond the bamboo,' is so elegant and refined, it's unforgettable! This mysterious genius truly deserves the nickname—'Peach Blossom Gentleman'!"

"The Peach Blossom Prince?" Everyone was taken aback at first, then nodded in agreement.

"Excellent! A few peach blossoms bloom outside the bamboo grove," capturing the essence of the scene, hence the nickname "Peach Blossom Gentleman," aptly and elegantly chosen!

"Yes! It must be the Peach Blossom Prince!"

While everyone was still debating the true identity of "Peach Blossom Prince," in a corner, a quick-witted young scholar had already taken advantage of the chaos to swiftly copy down the verses he had just memorized onto the notepad he carried with him.

His face lit up with ecstasy. He grabbed the note, turned and ran out, muttering excitedly, "Hurry!"

"Quickly send this to Miss Liu Yingying at Yicui Tower!"

"She sought a hundred taels of silver for a genuine work by Young Master Jin Yuan, but to no avail. This poem was personally transcribed by Young Master Jin Yuan and highly praised! Even if it's not a genuine work, this poem alone is enough to earn her a hundred taels of silver! No, even two hundred taels would be worth it!"

His running away instantly woke up the others!