Follow the path of Dao from infancy

Chapter 85: Chapter 79: Poetry Contest with the Prince_2

“I take my surname from the first Palace Master, my family name is Song,” the Water Kylin smiled and said, “My name is Song Qiumo.”

Song Qiumo… Li Hao nodded slightly and said, “Senior Qiumo, the next time I’m free, I’ll come to visit you again. How should I call for you then?”

“Just gently touch the pond water, and I’ll know,” Song Qiumo said with a smile.

Li Hao remembered this and nodded, “Till we meet again, Senior.”

Song Qiumo waved lightly, turned around, and drifted away, taking along about a dozen paintings back into the Emerald Pond.

The paintings were covered by her power like a membrane, keeping the water from touching them.

“This dive… should score a perfect ten,” Li Hao thought to himself as he watched her enter the cold pond without causing a single splash.

He didn’t immediately put away his drawing board, but instead continued to paint the cold pond and the cliff.

Even without the Water Kylin Song Qiumo in the paintings, the sheer beauty of the scenery alone provided plenty of experience.

Li Hao had tried creating magnificent and imposing scenes in his mind, and even bizarre and ferocious creatures, but the experience gained from painting them was minimal.

He didn’t know why, maybe it lacked some fine detail or charm?

He then painted four or five more Solitary Cliff and Cold Pool Paintings.

After gaining five to six hundred experience points, Li Hao felt it was about time to leave, but then he heard someone reciting poetry:

“Steep cliffs with weary mountains, white clouds drift like tears of heaven.”

“Where does this narrow path lead, who could fathom my intentions?”

As he spoke, a figure walked slowly toward him, and just as Li Hao turned around, the newcomer also looked his way.

The two exchanged glances, recognizing each other’s identities.

A prince?

Li Hao was surprised; this man was one of the two princes from Alpha Academy, apparently named Jiang Hanxing.

Jiang Hanxing also recognized Li Hao. If anyone had caused a stir today at Alpha Academy, it was undoubtedly this young master of the Li family.

From the moment he had entered Alpha Academy, he had noticed Wang Han and Li Hao, along with other scions of the Divine General Mansion, although he hadn’t approached them.

Thinking that he had recited poetry on his way here, Jiang Hanxing felt his face flush, somewhat hot and bothered. Damn it, why is there someone here?

But, this guy is a military general’s son; he probably can’t appreciate the finer points of poetry, right?

After their brief eye contact, Jiang Hanxing managed to control the heat on his face and smiled to greet him:

“Young Master Li?”

“Hello.”

Li Hao responded quite formally. He really wasn’t interested in these members of the Imperial Family.

The other prince named Jiang Ye had approached him and Li Yuanzhao at the beginning of school to express a desire to make friends.

But the young man’s ambition was too plain in his eyes, and Li Hao didn’t want to get involved with any troublesome matters related to the Royal Family. He also advised Yuan Zhao to keep his distance from these people, as these waters weren’t suitable for easy wading.

“What are you doing here?”

Jiang Hanxing curiously surveyed the drawing board in front of Li Hao. It wouldn’t have surprised him if Li Hao was here to practice his skills.

But what was he doing with pen and ink?

Considering that Li Hao had been exceptionally allowed into the Black and White Hall and had already ascended to the Soul Succession Realm, Jiang Hanxing’s gaze grew a bit more serious.

“Sketching,” Li Hao said casually, withdrawing his gaze and once again busying himself with preparing the ink to start painting.

Jiang Hanxing was somewhat taken aback, his eyes registering a flicker of interest. He had been secretly observing this young master of the Li family back at Alpha Academy.

After all, this name was given by his own Emperor father.

He had heard his mother mention this from the time he was born. Upon meeting him at the academy, he couldn’t help but pay extra attention.

Li Hao’s actions had indeed been extraordinary. Initially, Jiang Hanxing regretted thinking that such favoritism from the Li family had spoiled him.

But today, after hearing Teacher Su Yehua’s words, he understood that this was a deeply hidden genius.

“Sketching?”

Jiang Hanxing curiously walked over and saw Li Hao start to paint. The solitary mountain and cold pond emerged onto the paper, depicted in an incredibly lively and picturesque manner.

He was mesmerized.

Coming from the Royal Family, he had been trained in martial arts from a young age, but he also cherished Poetry and Books, so he could certainly recognize that the painting skills were remarkably excellent.

After Li Hao finished painting, Jiang Hanxing couldn’t help but ask, “Li, you can also paint?”

Without moving his eyes, Li Hao continued with his brush, “Can’t you also write poetry?”

At the mention of poetry, Jiang Hanxing’s face reddened slightly.

As much as he liked it, “being able” was another matter.

He indeed knew a little.

But the poem he just recited wasn’t created seriously. The choice of words and phrasing all stemmed spontaneously, merely expressing the frustrations in his heart, without meticulous crafting.

“Li, do you also understand poetry?”

“A little.”

“Oh?”

Jiang Hanxing, quite surprised and intrigued, said, “Why don’t you compose a poem then, Li?”

“Compose a poem?”

Li Hao glanced at him. His own poetry experience was already fully leveled up to three stages, yet he hadn’t grasped the Poetry Heart, and composing poems wasn’t his strong suit.

“Exactly, why not… use this cold pool you painted as the subject for your poem, and let’s both write one, how about it?”

Jiang Hanxing was keen on a poetry duel and also intended to compare his skills with Li Hao’s, to recover some face for his casual recitation earlier, lest people think that was his actual level of poetry.

Li Hao glanced and said, “The cold pool, you say? You go first then.”

“You should start, Li. My poetic flair is shallow; I need to ponder more,” Jiang quickly replied.

Li Hao didn’t think he was being modest; judging by the poor poem Jiang had previously recited, he hadn’t even gotten the rhymes right.

“Alright.”

Li Hao, ever capricious, didn’t think much and began reciting:

“Li Bai sets off in his boat, suddenly hearing song from the riverside.”

“A thousand feet deep is the water of Peach Blossom Pond, not as deep as Wang Lun’s gift to me.”

As he finished one poem, his hand didn’t stop drawing; he continued sketching.

In the past, reciting a poem by the Immortal Poet would have earned him hundreds of experience points, but now his experience was already maxed out, not gaining a bit.

Out of respect for the original, he didn’t change a word.

Not fitting the background? Ha, that’s none of my concern.

Jiang Hanxing listened, somewhat dazzled; this poem had a certain charm.

“Li, you didn’t make this poem on the spot, did you?” Jiang Hanxing said, noting that the situation depicted in the poem didn’t match their current surroundings.

“Just tell me if there’s a pond in there,” Li Hao replied.

Jiang Hanxing was speechless; indeed, there was a pond, but where were any peach blossoms? There wasn’t a ghost of a peach blossom here!

After a pause, he asked, “Did you compose this yourself, or?”

The suspicion in his eyes was quite apparent.

“Anyway, you can’t find another author in this world,” Li Hao said coolly.

Seeing his confident response, Jiang Hanxing was a bit shocked and further inquired, “Then may I ask, who is the Li Bai mentioned in the poem?”

“As a Li, naturally, he is one of my ancestors of the Li family,” replied Li Hao.

“…And who is Wang Lun?”

“The top brother of my ancestor.”

What in the world is a top brother?

Jiang Hanxing looked utterly baffled.

“It’s your turn,” Li Hao gave him a look.

Coming back to his senses, Jiang Hanxing was somewhat speechless; fortunately, he had been a bit crafty. He had already composed a poem about a waterfall in the cold pond earlier, which he could conveniently use today.

Although it might not fully fit the current scenery, it was undoubtedly much better than Li Hao’s outrageous poem.