Ye Feng ignored Zhou Changshu, continuing to revel in the pleasures of being a wealthy young master.
However, the other patrons of the Drunken Immortal Tower were far from pleased.
Ye Feng had declared that he would cover the entire evening’s expenses.
If Zhou Changshu’s words soured Ye Feng’s mood and drove him away in anger, would they have to pay for the several jars of fine wine they had just ordered themselves?
At this thought, the crowd erupted in fury.
“You brat!
I don’t care who you are—apologize to Young Master Ye immediately, or you won’t leave this place in one piece!” “Biting the hand that feeds you, huh?
Every drop of wine in your cup was bought by Young Master Ye.
You drink his generosity and then insult him?” “You look decent enough, dressed like a scholar, but you’re utterly ungrateful, picking fights and causing trouble.
Did you read your books with your ass instead of your head?” The crowd erupted in a chorus of condemnation, berating Zhou Changshu.
Some, with more fiery tempers, seethed with fury.
Had they not feared the power behind the Drunken Immortal Tower, they might have resorted to violence.
Zhou Changshu was dumbstruck!
He had merely been trying to complete a System Task: provoke Ye Feng, challenge him to a poetry duel, then crush him with his superior Literary Path mastery, seizing Destiny Value in the process.
How had this sparked such universal outrage?
To make matters worse, Ye Feng completely ignored him, continuing to revel with Yue Ya in carefree joy.
Seeing the crowd’s mounting fury, Zhou Changshu panicked.
He was now just an ordinary person, devoid of any cultivation.
Yet among the surrounding crowd were numerous individuals at the Martial Artist Realm.
If he were to actually fight, he would likely meet a premature end, his mission unfinished.
With this realization, Zhou Changshu gritted his teeth, deciding to gamble everything.
He pointed at Ye Feng and declared with righteous indignation, “Ye Feng, though I walk the Literary Path and you the Martial Path, I once regarded you as an idol, admiring your unwavering resolve.” “Now, you wallow in brothels, indulging in pleasure and neglecting your ambition!” “You’ve utterly disappointed me!” In Zhou Changshu’s view, this moral barrage would surely break through Ye Feng’s composure, forcing him to acknowledge his presence.
Once Ye Feng engaged, Zhou Changshu was confident he could easily manipulate him with his cunning rhetoric!
To Zhou Changshu’s delight, Ye Feng finally raised his head and looked at him.
However, Ye Feng’s next words nearly shattered Zhou Changshu’s composure.
“What’s this, Young Master Zhou?
Did you come here not to carouse with the ladies and drink wine, but to study the classics of the sages?” “Hahaha!” The Drunken Immortal Tower erupted in laughter.
When Zhou Changshu accused others, he never considered whether he himself had lived up to his own standards.
At this moment, Zhou Changshu’s face flushed crimson, leaving him utterly speechless.
Especially seeing the faint mocking smile at the corner of Yue Ya’s lips, Zhou Changshu wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Fortunately, Zhou Changshu’s skin was thick enough that he quickly regained his composure.
Steadying himself, he spoke with a face full of certainty.
“Hmph, I will never immerse myself in such debauchery.
Beauty is merely a painted skull.” The crowd was stunned, never expecting Zhou Changshu to possess such insight.
The phrase “painted skull” particularly caught the attention of many scholars and writers, their eyes lighting up.
Such words could never be uttered by mere idlers and gluttons.
Even Yue Ya’s impression of Zhou Changshu shifted.
Sensing the change in the crowd’s attitude toward him, Zhou Changshu’s face broke into a triumphant grin.
He then pointed directly at Ye Feng and declared: “Ye Feng, my Literary Path is yet to be completed, and I possess no cultivation!
Why don’t we each propose a topic and compose a poem on the spot to test our skills?
What do you say?” Hearing Zhou Changshu’s challenge, expressions of keen interest appeared on the crowd’s faces as they turned to Ye Feng, eager to see if he would accept.
In the Great Qin Imperial Dynasty, refusing a challenge was considered deeply humiliating.
Watching Zhou Changshu jump up and down, his desire to trample Ye Feng and complete his System Task practically written on his face, a flicker of disdain flashed across Ye Feng’s face.
No matter how outstanding Zhou Changshu’s poetry and songs might have been in his original world, how could they compare to the five thousand years of Chinese civilization?
Any random Tang poem or Song lyric could easily crush him.
However, Ye Feng had no intention of competing with him.
Whether Zhou Changshu won or lost, his Golden Finger would inevitably reward him.
After all, in villain novels, the villains’ Golden Fingers operate with such utter disregard for reason!
Besides, how could a mere Zhou Changshu dare to challenge the literary legacy of Chinese civilization?
A faint smile crept across Ye Feng’s face at this thought.
Just as Zhou Changshu, his face flushed with excitement, believed Ye Feng would accept his poetic duel, Ye Feng spoke without a hint of mockery.
“Your Martial Path fails, so you resort to the Literary Path?
Your cultivation realm falls short, so you challenge me to a poetry contest?
Do you think this is some childish game?” “Specially exploiting your strengths against my weaknesses, huh?
Do you have no sense of shame left?
You’ve utterly disgraced the dignity of a scholar!” “I’ve never encountered such a brazenly shameless person before!” “Why don’t the million soldiers stationed at the Great Qin Imperial Dynasty’s border stop their bloody battles with the Great Han?
You could shamelessly suggest to the Great Han Emperor settling the next match with a game of Five-in-a-Row to decide the victor!” Hearing Ye Feng’s words, a flash of realization crossed the faces of the crowd.
Zhou Changshu’s challenge had seemed innocuous, but in reality, he had deliberately targeted his opponent’s weaknesses—utterly shameless!
The crowd’s gazes instantly turned contemptuous toward Zhou Changshu.
Even Yue Ya glared at Zhou Changshu with undisguised loathing, her eyes filled with disdain.
“Y-you—you—you!” Zhou Changshu pointed a trembling finger at Ye Feng, desperate to retort but finding himself speechless.
After all, Ye Feng had struck at the very core of his intentions.
Pfft!
Overwhelmed by humiliation and rage, Zhou Changshu spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.
The crowd stared in stunned silence.
A scholar of the Literary Path had his dao heart shattered by the taunts of a Martial Artist.
Witnessing Zhou Changshu’s miserable state, the crowd’s gaze toward Ye Feng now carried a hint of fear.
Yet at that very moment, Ye Feng abruptly shifted his tone, a wide smile spreading across his face as he addressed Zhou Changshu.
“Old Zhou, do you want a wife?” Zhou Changshu froze, staring at Ye Feng with utter bewilderment, completely at a loss as to what he meant.
Even the surrounding onlookers were baffled by Ye Feng’s sudden question.
Is he trying to soften the blow with a sweet treat after delivering the slap, hoping to win Zhou Changshu over?
Ignoring the crowd’s bewildered gazes, Ye Feng fixed his gaze on Zhou Changshu and stated plainly, “If you do, I can redeem Yue Ya’s indenture, allowing you to be together.” Boom!
Zhou Changshu’s mind erupted in a deafening roar.
Yue Ya—she was his white moonlight!
But as the most renowned courtesan of the Drunken Immortal Tower, Yue Ya’s indenture cost ten Low-grade Spirit Stones—equivalent to a hundred thousand taels of gold!
With no cultivation prowess and his System yet to awaken, how could Zhou Changshu ever afford such a sum?
This had prevented him from redeeming Yue Ya’s indenture all this time.
Yet now, Ye Feng was offering to cover the cost himself!
This unexpected windfall nearly knocked Zhou Changshu unconscious.
Just as he was about to accept, a thought struck him, and he realized something was amiss.