Fan Li's voice wasn't loud. He thought it natural that no one could hear him. However, the loud, resounding voice from the sky was furious!
"Who dares disparage my Confucian sect?"
The crowd at the literary gathering was instantly shocked! The scene fell into dead silence, and some even glared around, wanting to find the offender who had offended the great scholar!
Fan Li was in a waterside pavilion, with gauze curtains separating the interior and exterior.
Those ordinary guests didn't pay attention to the pavilion, because they all knew that whoever had the qualifications to enjoy the secluded pavilion must have an extremely noble status.
"Moo!" A cow's moo sounded from the sky.
Fan Li felt puzzled. Was there really someone who had inflated a cow's fart into the sky?
However, the Confucian scholars at the literary gathering were excited and looked up at the sky, applauding!
In the distance near the horizon, a green ox carrying an old man with white hair and beard was seen riding auspicious clouds and flying towards Luo Lake.
"Is that Confucius descending to earth?" Fan Li couldn't help quipping.
The newcomer was of course not Confucius, but he must be a great scholar with extremely high reputation in Great Chu's scholarly circles.
"Greetings, Master!"
In the crowd, Fan Li heard a familiar voice.
He looked over, and it was indeed Dong Zhong who claimed to be the number one talent of Jiangbei, leading a group of young Confucian scholars to kneel on the ground, performing the grand master-disciple ceremony.
The other scholars also bowed respectfully.
"Greetings to Master Huangfu."
Fan Li finally knew the identity of the newcomer. It was Huangfu Song, the famous scholar Dong Zhong had boasted about earlier to decorate his image.
Huangfu Song made his voice carry through the air, then rode his ox and descended from the sky, clearly possessing extremely high cultivation.
As the ox landed, Huangfu Song's face was stern as he dismounted. The great scholar loudly declared, "All things are inferior, only reading excels!"
His voice was loud and clear. Not to mention Fan Li heard it clearly, even the surface of Luo Lake was shocked into layers of ripples.
"Excellent!" Dong Zhong was the first to applaud, as if injected with chicken blood. Countless young Confucian scholars behind him also clapped and cheered!
Inside the waterside pavilion, Fan Li rolled his eyes. So this was the standard of Jiangbei's number one talent?
It was no different from 'Seeing the beautiful scenery like a painting, I wanted to compose a poem to present to the world. But alas I am uncultured, I can only exclaim how impressive it is!'
"Who was the friend earlier that disparaged my Confucian sect? Please come out, I wish to discuss for a bit," Huangfu Song loudly said.
Fan Li had been staying in the pavilion the entire time. Was he afraid? Of course not.
As the supreme minister of Great Chu who could even bully the Emperor, how could he be afraid of some freelance old Confucian scholar like Huangfu Song?
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Fan Li was just thinking that he wasn't the only one inside this waterside pavilion. Princess Chang Le still hadn't appeared, but she must be watching this show.
"This woman doesn't seem well-intentioned, hiding sneakily like this. Just because her cultivation is high, even inside a small pavilion I can't detect her?" The more Fan Li thought about it, the more unhappy he felt. He coldly snorted, and finally walked out towards the exterior of the pavilion.
Hiding her head but showing her tail? That wasn't his style!
"Look, it's from the waterside pavilion!"
When the gauze curtains were lifted and Fan Li walked into everyone's sight, he immediately became the focus of all!
"He... How..."
Jiangbei's number one talent Dong Zhong stared wide-eyed at Fan Li, then looked at Fan Yuehua beside him.
Wasn't he a no-name nobody? How could he have come out from the waterside pavilion? That waterside pavilion, even his own master Huangfu Song didn't have the qualifications to use.
Dong Zhong's old face went red as he recalled how he had deliberately refused to give Fan Li the entry waist tag earlier, obstructing him from participating in the literary gathering.
Now it turns out the other party was the honored guest, completely uninterested in some ordinary seat from a common entry waist tag.
"Hm?!" Seeing Fan Li's appearance clearly, Huangfu Song was also secretly shocked, not expecting it to be such a handsome young man.
Although he was far away wandering the Jianghu, he had heard like everyone else that Great Chu's Chancellor Fan Li was very young. But this was still his first time seeing Fan Li.
"This friend...?" Huangfu Song suppressed his anger, and his tone also restrained somewhat. "It was you earlier, comparing my Confucian sect to mere farmers and craftsmen?"
"Yes." Fan Li nodded, not denying it.
The crowd made noises of shock, while Dong Zhong became even more smug. He secretly glanced at Fan Yuehua beside him, hoping to see disappointment appear on the Fairy Maiden's face.
Unfortunately, Dong Zhong was the one left disappointed. Fan Yuehua gazed up at Fan Li, her face only showing unconcealed joy and admiration!
Huangfu Song stopped talking, but instead turned and walked onto the stage.
The young Confucian scholars cried out in surprise!
The platform at Luo Lake's literary gathering was specially prepared for debating and discussing the classics.
Established scholars like Huangfu Song who were famed throughout the land with countless students only needed to watch. They no longer needed to go on stage to debate with others.
Only young Confucian scholars wished to go on stage and perform, hoping to be noticed by some famed scholar to be accepted as a disciple.
That was how Dong Zhong did it. He had performed outstandingly at the previous Luo Lake literary gathering, thus catching Huangfu Song's eye who then took him as disciple.
"Since this friend looks down on Confucianism, please come on stage and have a debate with me," Huangfu Song said sternly.
Actually at this time, the Luo Lake literary gathering hadn't completely started yet. Many guests had yet to arrive, and there were still many empty seats.
Seeing the old man pestering endlessly, Fan Li was too lazy to remain courteous and directly leapt onto the stage.
"Oh? This friend only has 3rd grade Body Refinement Realm cultivation?" Huangfu Song had profound cultivation at 1st grade Golden Core Realm, so he saw through Fan Li's strength at a glance. Moreover, his voice wasn't small at all, clearly intentionally letting everyone hear.
"Hahaha! A Body Refinement Realm cultivator? Simply unaware of their own limitations!"
"What arrogance for a nobody with mere Body Refinement Realm to be on the same stage as Master Huangfu? Hurry and get off stage!"
"Body Refinement Realm? With that level of strength still dares to attend the Luo Lake literary gathering?"
Huangfu Song elicited ridicule towards Fan Li from a bunch of Confucian scholars. The loudest voice belonged to none other than Dong Zhong!
But Dong Zhong had barely gotten excited when he discovered the cold expression on Fan Yuehua beside him. She had even clenched her fists tightly, seemingly about to start hitting people!
Many were bedazzled by Fan Yuehua's beauty, often neglecting her actual cultivation strength. Especially Dong Zhong who completely didn't know that compared to his master Huangfu Song, Fan Yuehua was only a single grade difference in cultivation. Moreover, in a real fight, Fan Yuehua might not be unable to kill above her level. After all, her surname was Fan!
"What's wrong with Body Refinement Realm? You invited me on stage to debate or fight?" Fan Li coldly asked.
Huangfu Song now looked down quite a bit on Fan Li, despite him having come from the waterside pavilion. "Naturally to debate. I wish to ask this friend, when you disparaged Confucianism earlier, have you not even heard that all things are inferior, only reading excels?"
Fan Li nodded. "Of course I've heard it." He shook his head again. "But I don't agree."
"Oh?" Huangfu Song's face turned unpleasant.
Scholars value their reputation the most, especially someone like him, a great Confucian who has read through thousands of books. He absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to demean scholars.
"Why?" Huangfu Song asked.
Fan Li knew that even though the Luo Lake Literature Club was a debate, it would not accept sophistry or meaningless quibbles. He could only cite classics or use concise arguments to refute the opponent.
"Because when three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher," Fan Li said.