Chapter 329: Even a Toad Lusts After the Flesh of a Swan
Translator: Pika
Zu An’s eyes narrowed. So, this guy said all that just to make a fool out of me.
Then again, who do you think this Ah Zu is? Bring it all on! Do you think I’m scared?
“I am someone who loves to show off before great beauties. Why would I refuse?” Zu An said, smiling and nodding towards Qiu Honglei, Xie Daoyun, and Zheng Dan.
Wang Yuanlong had a strange expression on his face. What the heck is this guy doing? Others would always be particularly attentive to one particular beauty. Why would he fawn over three girls at once? And yet, this doesn’t seem strange at all! Just how does he accomplish this?
Sang Qian grew even more depressed. He couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous whenever Zu An looked at his fiancée, even though the rascal wasn’t really going any further.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 233 Rage points!
Only then did Zu An look at him. “How does Commander Sang wish for me to display my talent? Perhaps the two of us can play the game of matching phrases?”
Sang Qian immediately waved his hand and said, “There is no need for that. If we are talking about literary skills, we have to include poetry. Let’s have brother Zu awe us with a verse or two.”
Are you kidding me? Even Starfire City’s great genius Xu Qinsong lost to you. Why would I be dumb enough to match phrases with you?
Xu Qinsong had challenged Zu An just to make him look bad, yet he’d ended up inviting trouble upon himself.
“Poetry?” Zu An had a strange expression on his face. “Are you sure you want to compete with me in poetry?”
Are you trolling me? I have all the poetry of ancient China to draw upon, and the works of the great poets of countless other generations in reserve. If you really want to compete with me in poetry...
All the other transmigrators in their own stories plagiarize great literary works to claw their way to the top. Who would’ve thought that it would be my turn today!
Xie Daoyun grew excited when she heard this. “May I ask what the theme is?”
Sang Qian spoke. “Knowing brother Zu’s literary talents, any normal subject matter wouldn’t trouble him in the slightest. It’s better if I choose something more unfamiliar to allow his skills to fully shine. How about we use ‘toad’ as the theme?”
When he said these words, all the guests on the top floor fell silent. Even though he had spoken in a dignified manner, everyone could see that he was targeting Zu An.
Not only was he mocking the match between Zu An and first miss Chu as a match between a toad and a swan, he was also mocking Zu An’s eager attentions towards the three beauties present as nothing more than a toad lusting after treasures beyond his reach.
Qiu Honglei frowned. “Isn’t this topic somewhat inappropriate? What sort of good poetry can be created from such a theme? How about we switch to a different theme?”
Zu An considered Qiu Honglei for a moment. On the surface, this woman seems to be treating me coldly, but it still seems like she cares about me after all. I guess I’ll forgive you for what you did just now.
Xie Daoyun also replied, “Indeed, I’ve never heard of a theme like this, nor are there any well-known poems about this. I approve of a change in the theme.”
On Zheng Dan smiled without saying anything. Her status made it so that she couldn’t reject her fiancée to help Zu An. However, she secretly desired to see Zu An mess up in front of the other girls. She didn’t want him playing around with so many other women.
Wang Yuanlong spoke up to dissuade Sang Qian as well, a feeling of regret beginning to grow in his heart. If he had known about the nature of the relationship between these two, he would never have invited the both of them together. Wasn’t he just asking for trouble?
Unexpectedly, Zu An waved his hand casually and said, “It’s fine. Honestly, I feel like ‘toad’ is a very good theme. A toad who doesn’t lust after a swan is a poor toad.”
Xie Daoyun let out a laugh, but she immediately covered her mouth. She clearly felt that she was being disrespectful.
Qiu Honglei’s eyes also glistened with mirth. This man was different from the one she’d met before. He really was interesting.
Zheng Dan’s head was full of images from her shared history with him. This swan has already been defiled by a toad too many times.
When he saw the three great beauties tittering with laughter at Zu An’s teasing, his expression instantly became awful.
Zu An then continued, “I already have a verse in mind.”
“You thought of one already?”
All present were startled. How could even a theme like ‘toad’ be used to create poetry?
Moreover, the theme had only just been mentioned! Even if it were a common theme, there was no way he could have been so well-prepared.
Even Xie Daoyun grew curious. She wanted to hear just what sort of poetry could be written from a theme like this.
Sang Qian jumped in fright. However, he figured that there was no way a poem created that quickly could be of a decent standard. As such, he said with a laugh, “Brother Zu is indeed formidable. I am all ears.”
Zu An took up a position next to the window and looked out towards the distant lotus pond. “Like a tiger it sits by the pond, under the tree’s shade it gathers its spirit.”
The image of a toad appeared in the minds of all those who heard these words. Even Sang Qian had to admit that this fellow indeed had some talent.
Only Xie Daoyun frowned slightly. The first line was still okay, but the second seemed much less effective. Coming up with a poem like this in such a hurry was acceptable, but having heard the awe-inspiring tune of his at the Immortal Abode, her expectations were sky high.
Zu An continued on, “If spring comes and I do not speak, which bug would dare to make a sound?”[1]
A hush fell across the entire room as his voice faded out.
While rhetoric and literary styles were important in the creation of poems, what was even more important was the boldness of spirit that they contained.
Although this poem was stylistically very ordinary, the imposing and noble spirit it contained made it truly outstanding.
Xie Daoyun had originally been a little disappointed, but her eyes lit up when she heard the last two lines of his poem. She let them linger on her lips. The expression she wore now as she looked at Zu An was entirely different from before.
This man doesn’t seem at all like the sloppy and negligent fellow everyone has imagined him to be!
Qiu Honglei’s eyes also shone with brilliance. When she first realized that his relationship with Chu Chuyan was much better than what everyone else had imagined, she had developed reservations about whether or not to continue with her original plan. After all, her plan rested on the premise that he was being treated unfavorably by the Chu clan.
However, it was clear to her now that she should emulate the other party’s boldness. At worst, she would just have to fight with Chu Chuyan over her man. She didn’t believe that she surrendered any advantage in terms of looks, while her skills at seducing men were far greater. The conflicting thoughts that had haunted her all this while finally settled down. She looked at Zu An, her eyes tinged with a hint of warmth and gentleness.
Only Zheng Dan was upset. Hmph! This guy is showing off in front of other girls again.
She was immediately frightened by her own thoughts. She didn’t have anything to do with this man anyway. Why was she getting jealous?
When she thought of her engagement with Sang Qian, her expression grew complicated, and clouded over with sadness.
“Brother Zu is indeed a great genius!” Wang Yuanlong smiled and led the room in a round of applause. Wei Suo looked like he had just woken up from a dream. He clapped until his hands turned red.
Sang Qian’s face was overcast. When he saw the expressions in those beauties’ eyes, his mood soured even further.
He’d planned to make this Zu An look bad, yet his actions had only elevated his status.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 233 Rage points!
Zu An looked at him with a smile. “Brother Sang, shall we choose another theme?”
“There’s no need. Everyone has already fully witnessed brother Zu’s literary talents.” Sang Qian forced a smile. After everything he’d experienced, he was now convinced that this guy might really have some talent. How could he possibly dare to give him any more chances to show off?
Realizing that Zu An had spoken to him precisely to elicit such a reaction from him, he grew even more upset.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 44... 44... 44...
After that, Qiu Honglei performed a song for the guests, and the atmosphere in the hall grew to a climax.
Following her song, Wang Yuanlong thanked everyone for their help in his rescue, which heralded the start of the party.
Zu An shared a toast with Wang Yuanlong while persuading Wei Suo to keep drinking.
Wei Suo had embraced his moment to shine earlier, and he was extremely excited. He didn’t refuse anything.
Xie Daoyun didn’t touch a drop of alcohol. She whispered to Zheng Dan, and discussed some musical matters with Qiu Honglei while glancing at Zu An now and then.
The sky was already getting dark. Xie Daoyun got up to bid everyone goodbye. She didn’t wish to return home too late, as that would ruin her reputation as a lady from a prestigious house.
Zheng Dan also got up to take her leave. She noticed that Zu An had drunk quite a bit. She was worried that he might get too drunk and do something reckless to her. That would surely spell disaster.
Even though she didn’t mind him doing that to her in private, she still had to maintain her image, and she had her status and responsibilities to keep in mind.
Not long afterwards, Qiu Honglei also bid everyone farewell. She still had many things to tell Zu An, but with so many others present, it wasn’t the right time.
With all the ravishing beauties gone, Sang Qian naturally lost interest as well. Everything he drank tasted awful because he was drinking with Zu An. He, too, left soon after.
Zu An and Wei Suo drank another round. Zu An’s body had been reforged through the Primordial Origin Sutra—how could Wei Suo’s be comparable? Wei Suo quickly passed his limit.
Wang Yuanlong offered to have some men take him home. Zu An refused. Since bringing Wei Suo along had been his idea, he said it was his duty to see him home.
Wang Yuanlong didn’t pressure him, but still offered several men to escort them.
Zu An brought Wei Suo back to the Wei clan’s entrance. Hearing the news, Wei Hongde came out to receive his younger brother.
A sudden thought struck Zu An. He pressed a certain acupoint on Wei Suo’s body, and sent a small sliver of ki into him. Wei Suo felt his stomach heave, and vomit poured out of his mouth.
Zu An, who was standing right next to him, couldn’t avoid the resulting disaster. His clothes were covered in vomit.
When he saw this, Wei Hongde apologized profusely. Zu An requested for a set of clothes to change into, since he didn’t want to return home with his clothes covered in vomit.
Wei Hongde hesitated a little, but finally agreed.
Having successfully entered the Wei Estate, which was shrouded in shadow, the corners of Zu An’s lips curved upwards slightly.
1. This is a poem written by Mao Zedong, which describes the ambition that he harbors to dominate the destiny of his country and to uplift the lives of the common people. He compares himself to a frog (he grew up as a lower-class citizen) but is not ashamed of it, and believes in the power and responsibility of the common people (frogs) to shape the destiny of the country.