Chapter 106: The Golden Luck Woman, Saintess of Qinglian!

    “Then let’s begin the test,” Lin Qi’an said, his words sparking astonishment from the crowd behind him.

    The Crown Prince was voluntarily asking for a test! Why would he need one? Yunmo Dao Palace was practically begging for him to attend! If he failed the test and couldn’t get in, wouldn’t they be the ones left crying?

    After some thought, there could only be one reason—Lin Qi’an wanted to set an example for others.

    “But can the Crown Prince recite poetry? I’ve never heard of that before!”

    “I don’t know...”

    “His cultivation talent is unparalleled, but I’ve never heard anything about his literary skills!”

    “What if he fails? That would be embarrassing...”

    “Haha, if the Crown Prince fails, it’s Yunmo Dao Palace that’ll be crying! They went through so much trouble to invite him!”

    “Exactly... If the Crown Prince doesn’t participate, all of us would have come here for nothing.”

    At that moment, Saintess Mo Shuiqiu, along with several elders, came out to greet him. Upon hearing that Lin Qi’an had asked for a test, their hearts tightened. If he failed, the loss would be theirs!

    Everyone was on edge, praying that the Crown Prince would be able to recite a few decent lines of poetry. As long as he could pass, they’d make sure he was allowed through.

    After all, the difficulty of responding to the first line of the Flying Flower Order wasn’t particularly high. The elder in charge of issuing the test, however, was drenched in sweat, his hands trembling. If things went wrong, it might be his end!

    He had to pick the easiest word possible.

    “Your Highness, the word for this round is ‘flower.’”

    All Lin Qi’an had to do was recite a line of poetry containing the word “flower” to pass the test.

    While everyone expected him to take some time to think, Lin Qi’an immediately responded without hesitation. Before many of the real scholars had even recalled a poem about flowers, he had already opened his mouth.

    “Last night, the sound of wind and rain, how many flowers have fallen?”

    This line from the famous poem Spring Dawn was something Lin Qi’an didn’t need to think much about.

    The crowd erupted instantly, with countless mouths agape, their eyes filled with shock.

    “I’ve never heard this poem before! Did the Crown Prince compose it himself?”

    “In just a short line, I can already picture the scene of falling flowers on a rainy night. This poem is on a different level!”

    “No way, the Crown Prince actually has literary talent?”

    “Not just talent, the imagery in this poem is something even ordinary scholars wouldn’t be able to come up with!”

    “Uh... Could it be that the Crown Prince composed it himself?”

    “That’s impossible. He’s already handsome and powerful—if he’s also skilled in poetry, how are the rest of us supposed to live?”

    Even Zhao Qingmeng was surprised. In her previous life, there had been no such literary meet, and Lin Qi’an had only ever recited one poem to her when they were getting close.

    She had assumed he copied it from somewhere, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

    “Such a beautiful poem!”

    “Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!”

    The flattery came in waves, with people falling over themselves to praise him.

    “Oh my heavens! After hearing this poem, I had a breakthrough in my cultivation!”

    The ridiculous praise kept coming, over-the-top and exaggerated. Zi Lianyou covered her face in embarrassment. In her heart, “Frosty leaves are redder than February flowers” was still the best...

    “Wonderful!”

    【Ding! Destined Child “Ji Bai” detected. You have successfully intervened in the storyline.】

    – Destined Child: Ji Bai

    – Secret Treasure: None

    – Luck: 600 (Purple)

    – Core of DestinyLuck: Emperor Wenqu’s Manuscripts

    – Current Reward for Killing Him: None

    Reminder: When the target’s destiny drops below 100, you can seize their core of destiny and gain permanent destiny points, along with all associated rewards.

    ‘This protagonist seems weak... the rewards don’t look great either,’ Lin Qi’an thought. ‘Emperor Wenqu’s Manuscripts? Oh, so that’s his “golden finger.” He must be using that to shine at the literary meet, amaze everyone, and win the heart of the Saintess.’

    Activating his Heavenly Fated Villain Divine Eyes, Lin Qi’an observed further.

    Ji Bai—Hostility: 100

    Lu Miaoyin—Hostility: 10

    Another golden-luck woman, this time the Saintess of Qinglian, Lu Miaoyin. ‘She’s definitely worth taking as a maid,’ Lin Qi’an thought.

    Mo Shuiqiu had her own charm too, so the final choice for his bedmaid would be between the two of them. And as for the one he didn’t choose—he would eventually claim her as well.

    For now, though, he was content to watch the drama unfold.

    “Who are you, kid? Trying to sneak in?” a guard called out as Ji Bai attempted to enter.

    “I’m with the Saintess of Qinglian. Why can’t I go in?” Ji Bai retorted.

    The elder glanced over, and Lu Miaoyin confirmed, “He is indeed from Qinglian Holy Island.”

    “That doesn’t matter. Only those who pass the test can enter,” the elder replied. “The Saintess of Qinglian has earned special privileges, but that doesn’t extend to you.”

    A wave of jeers followed from the crowd.

    “Who’s this guy with no cultivation trying to attend the literary meet?”

    “Must be some poor scholar who thinks he’s important!”

    Ah, the classic treatment for a protagonist—immediate ridicule from the bystanders. Ji Bai sneered inwardly.

    ‘I’ve spent thirty years studying relentlessly, enduring hardship by the cold window. And I have Emperor Wenqu’s Manuscripts on me! They contain poetry the world has never seen before!’ He thought. ‘A mere “Flying Flower Order” test is nothing to me!’

    These ignorant fools had no idea who they were dealing with. This literary meet would mark his rise to glory!

    “The topic is: flower.”

    “Hah, ‘flower’? How difficult could that be?” Ji Bai scoffed, stepping forward confidently. With a raised voice, he recited:

    “Last night, the sound of wind and rain, how many flowers have fallen?”

    As soon as he finished, the entire place fell into stunned silence. Ji Bai stood tall, hands behind his back, full of pride. This poem, taken from Emperor Wenqu’s Manuscripts, had never been shared with the world before. Surely they were all astonished.

    But instead of praise, the crowd suddenly burst into uproarious laughter.

    “Hahahahaha!”

    “Where did this poor scholar come from? He’s copying the Crown Prince’s poem!”

    “The Crown Prince just said that not too long ago. Does he think we’re fools?”

    “Exactly! We may not have passed the test, but we wouldn’t stoop to plagiarism. How embarrassing!”

    In that moment, Ji Bai stood frozen, completely petrified.

    ‘How... how is this possible?!’