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

Chapter 98 The First Young Confucian and Taoist Master in Luyang Prefecture

The character "bamboo" on the paper seemed to come alive, transforming into several faint yet lush green bamboo stalks, swaying gracefully in the room, their leaves rustling softly.

The characters for "peach blossom" are transformed into tiny pink and white petals, fluttering down and carrying a subtle fragrance.

The words "Spring River" evoke the image of a shimmering, warm current, where several ducks, their forms a blend of ink and literary elegance, frolic and float contentedly.

Artemisia and reed shoots sprouted vibrant green patches on the corner of the wall and ground, full of life.

The entire quiet room, and even the small courtyard outside the door, was instantly enveloped in this springtime illusion constructed by literary atmosphere!

A warm breeze caresses the face, the air is slightly damp, the fragrance of flowers fills the air, and the bamboo shadows sway gently, as if the harsh winter has suddenly passed and spring has returned to the world!

This is precisely the wonderful method of Confucianism and Taoism to "transform literary spirit into form," using poetry to paint and the abstract to make the concrete!

Standing outside the door, Li Yuanjiang was completely stunned by the suddenly unfolding, vibrant literary illusion!

He could no longer contain himself and stepped into the quiet room. His gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto Zhang Yuan, who stood in front of the desk with a calm expression.

The old man's face was filled with unbelievable surprise and admiration. He clapped his hands and sighed deeply, his voice loud and sincere: "Poetry brings spring to the world, and literary spirit moves heaven and earth! Excellent! Excellent is 'A few peach blossoms beyond the bamboo'! The imagery is natural and full of vitality! Zhang Qingyang, you are indeed a prodigy! With this one poem, in less than three days, your name, Zhang Qingyang, will resound throughout the Confucian circles of Luyang Prefecture!"

The radiant light of the illusion flowed and gradually faded into the pages of the poem, leaving only the faint golden glow that had not yet dissipated from the ink and the lingering fragrance in the room.

Zhang Yuan remained calm and bowed slightly to the high-ranking official of the prefecture and the head of the Li family, his manner composed: "Junior Zhang Yuan greets the clerk."

Li Yuanjiang clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his eyes filled with the admiration of an elder looking at an outstanding junior: "Excellent! Excellent, Zhang Qingyang! Your poetry brings spring to the world, your writing moves heaven and earth! Such talent truly shows that like father, like son!"

"Your father, Zhang Zhenshan, was renowned in the army for his composure, courage, and exceptional wisdom. Now it seems that you, Qingyang, have surpassed him, excelling in both literary and martial arts. Your future is limitless!"

He changed the subject, his tone deliberately friendly: "Speaking of which, my Li family's ancestral home is also in Fengming County, and we have been neighbors with the Zhang family for generations, with many kinship ties. In this prefectural city, our two families should be even closer."

Zhang Yuan knew perfectly well what was going on.

This seventh-rank clerk in the prefectural government was no different from Li Decai of Fengming County. Both of them saw that he was showing great promise and potential, so they tried to win him over and build a good relationship.

But that's what connections are all about.

He remained calm and composed, clasping his hands in a respectful gesture: "You flatter me, sir. I will strive to fulfill my father's wishes."

"The Li family is a prominent family in Fengming, and Uncle Decai has also taken good care of me. It is my good fortune to be able to get close to the Li family in the prefectural city."

He turned to Li Jinyuan, his tone becoming more sincere: "I am very grateful for your guidance today, Brother Jinyuan, which has broadened my horizons. Your calligraphy and painting are divine, containing profound truths, and your knowledge is as vast as the sea, from which I have benefited immensely."

"If you have free time in the future, I hope you will not hesitate to give me your guidance, and I will ask you for advice often."

Li Jinyuan's knowledge truly impressed him.

Li Jinyuan smiled warmly, clearly admiring Zhang Yuan greatly, and nodded, saying, "Brother Qingyang, you are too modest."

Your spiritual insight and understanding are rare indeed. Come find me anytime; I would be delighted to discuss poetry and painting, and to exchange ideas.

Watching the two interact, Li Yuanjiang stroked his beard and smiled, "Very good, very good. Jin Yuan is truly too obsessed with Confucianism and Taoism. It's rare to see him get along so well with someone. It's good for him that you, Qingyang, are here to communicate with him."

Zhang Yuan did not linger at the Li residence. He bowed to Li Yuanjiang again to take his leave and departed from the elegant mansion.

After Zhang Yuan left, Li Yuanjiang turned his gaze to the ink bamboo and peach blossom spring landscape painting that Li Jinyuan had just finished on the desk.

The ink on the painting has not yet faded, as if the vitality of the literary spirit that just took shape still remains.

A glint flashed in his eyes as he tentatively asked, "Jinyuan, this painting has an extraordinary artistic conception. Would you be willing to part with it? I can take it back to the government office to support Qingyang's wonderful poem today."

However, to Li Yuanjiang's surprise, Li Jinyuan shook his head.

He stepped forward, gently yet firmly picked up the painting from the table, carefully rolled it up, and said calmly, "I'll paint this myself."

"You'll do it yourself?" Upon hearing this, Li Yuanjiang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he exclaimed in surprise, "You—you're willing to show your face in public?"

This reaction is not an exaggeration.

Li Jinyuan held an extremely prominent position among the Confucian scholars of Luyang Prefecture.

He was indifferent to fame and fortune, and devoted himself to scholarship and calligraphy and painting. His pure and noble literary spirit was unfathomable. He had long since reached the master level of "literary spirit transforming into form" and "painting meaning reaching the divine". He was recognized as the number one Confucian and Taoist among the younger generation in Luyang Prefecture!

His name, "Young Master Jin Yuan," shines like the bright moon in the sky, overshadowing all the young talents in the city.

However, he was aloof and never participated in any competition for fame or fortune. He even regarded the Qingyun List Literary Competition, which symbolized the highest honor for the younger generation in the prefecture as a passing cloud and never participated in it.

Now, he actually offered to "do it himself," which is absolutely unprecedented!

Li Jinyuan tucked the scroll under his arm, a faint yet meaningful smile appearing on his face: "Originally, I wasn't very interested. However, with a talented person like Brother Qingyang, whose poem has inspired literary talent, this Qingyun Ranking has become somewhat interesting."

Without saying another word, he walked straight out the door.

"I heard there's a literary gathering at 'Lanyuelou' tonight, I'll go check it out."

Watching his son's back, which seemed to have shed some of its aloofness and whose steps were lighter, Li Yuanjiang was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh heartily, his laughter filled with surprise and joy: "Haha, good!"

"Good! It seems Qingyang is truly my son's lucky star!"

Zhang Yuan returned to the Yuelai Inn, where Chen Zijing, Fang Jingsong, and others had already gathered in the hall.

However, the atmosphere was completely different from the excitement at the start of the trip, appearing rather heavy and oppressive.

"Qingyang, you're finally back!" Chen Zijing greeted Zhang Yuan as he entered, a bitter smile and an expression of disbelief on his face.

"We just went to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and inquired at several well-informed places—alas, the pressure of this Azure Cloud Ranking competition is far beyond our imagination!"

Fang Jingsong also frowned and said in a deep voice, "Yes, the foundation of the prefectural city is unfathomable. I thought we were among the best in Fengming County, but now it seems we were just sitting in a well and looking at the sky."

The two representatives next to him were from humble backgrounds. One of them was named Zhao Yuanchen, who was tall and skilled with a long spear.

The other one is named Sun Wenbai, who has a reserved temperament and is well-versed in Confucianism and Taoism.

Both of them stood out at Tingtao Pavilion that day.

At this moment, Zhao Yuanchen shook his head and sighed: "The talented people of the prefecture are as numerous as carp crossing a river. As for us—I'm afraid we'll have little chance of making a difference."

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Sun Wenbai chimed in, "It truly proves the old saying: 'You don't know how vast the world is, or how many talented people there are, until you've been to the prefectural city.'"

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