Chapter Nine: Creating Enduring Works of Literature and Poetry!

"Is this... is this an Enlightening Poem?"
Within the County Academy of Shiyang, where the aura of literature surged, a scholar who had just been pierced by a ribbon of literary energy slowly opened his eyes, his voice trembling as he uttered these words.
An Enlightening Poem is a work of literature that surpasses the Encouraging Study Poems—while it cannot be wielded for attack, it nurtures the inner strength of scholars, refining and strengthening their literary power.
That very ribbon, brimming with the talent of eight dou, had just swept through him, and Scholar Lü, who had only attained his scholar’s title two years prior, felt his meager, fragile literary essence suddenly condense and flow within him like a vibrant stream.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
He had won his title at the age of thirty, only barely scraping through at the lowest rank. All his efforts had produced was a thin, brittle literary power, always on the verge of collapsing.
For this year’s exam, he had all but resigned himself to losing his scholar’s title. Yet, against all hope…
Lü’s gaze slowly drifted to Song Mu in the center of the hall, seeing myriad ribbons of literary energy weaving through the bodies of others, then gathering in the sky before gently descending into Song Mu himself.
At that instant, nearly everyone turned to look at Song Mu, their hearts surging with emotion.
To witness such poetry today was to be granted fortune!
With the academy exam imminent, everyone felt their spirits and literary power—be they mere students or scholars—greatly invigorated.
Moreover, this poem, titled for the Companions of the County Academy, would, when recited in the future, continuously channel literary energy to all those present today.
Such fortune was a blessing from the heavens!
At that moment, everyone gazed upon Song Mu with profound respect, some even with awe and admiration.
This was the true strength of a family with a century-old literary lineage!
The poem Song Mu composed today would be enough to sustain the Song family’s scholarly heritage for generations—a poem of this caliber bore the qualities of a great master!
"Hahaha! Wonderful, wonderful! What a line: ‘From age to age, talents emerge!’ And another: ‘Each leads the way for centuries!’ I, Xun, have studied for forty years, and at last, I witness such marvel—a delight, a true delight!"
At that moment, Master Xun burst out laughing, his voice echoing through the entire academy, his elation clear for all to see.
He strode quickly to Song Mu, gazed at the poem written on the page, and declared,
"An original Enlightening Poem, talent as vast as eight dou—this is a great deed of edification!"
"Song Mu, place your seal upon it! This poem must be enshrined in the Hall of Literary Eminence within the county!"
Song Mu was stunned, caught off guard.
At his side, Kong Zong, who had just recovered from the heady rush of literary energy, also cupped his hands in salute to Song Mu.
"Brother Song, seal it. Because of you, the Kong family too shares in this glory!"
"Seal it, Brother Song!"
In the next moment, the scholars and students in the courtyard all saluted, their faces flushed with excitement.

Only Pan Wenhao, Qi Dazuo, and their ilk stood pale-faced among the crowd.
When the poem was completed and the literary energy surged, countless ribbons swept through everyone—except for them.
Now, seeing so many students and scholars showing such reverence to Song Mu, Pan Wenhao’s cheeks burned with shame.
An Enlightening Poem—how many of even Li and Du’s works could achieve this?
This was a masterpiece for the ages!
With the energy from such a poem suffusing them, not only would their scholarly path be smooth, but even for the upcoming academy exam, their chances were greatly improved.
Yet they had missed the opportunity!
"Why, why did no literary energy enter me? I want the student’s title so much…"
A follower behind Pan Wenhao sobbed softly, realizing just what he had missed and filled with deep regret.
The sound only made Pan Wenhao and Qi Dazuo’s faces grow paler; they exhaled sharply, flung their sleeves, and departed.
Meanwhile, Song Mu bowed to his peers and mentors, then toward the northern sky, before carefully removing the student’s badge from his belt and pressing it onto the paper, where his name instantly appeared.
As the red seal was stamped, the paper floated up, the words shining brilliantly, and then soared through the air, passing above Shiyang County, landing atop the main pavilion of the city tower.
In broad daylight, a ribbon of light flashed across the sky—everyone in Shiyang saw it clearly and cried out in astonishment.
A literary phenomenon—this was the pride unique to scholars of this age.
It was said that in the great cities of the literati, some even chose such auspicious days for celebrations, believing that such literary omens could bring prosperity to their endeavors.
Back in the academy, Master Xun had dismissed the students and scholars, instructing them to use this opportunity to stabilize their literary energy and strength. Song Mu was taken to the study, while Kong Zong carefully transcribed the two poems with a solemn face.
Only now did anyone notice the expression of Li Mo’er, who had stood quietly beside the desk all this time.
The young girl’s eyes sparkled, though her cheeks puffed with indignation as she stared dumbly in Song Mu’s direction, muttering to herself.
"Li and Du’s poems are famed on a thousand lips, yet a single line from you has diverted a whole stream of scholar’s literary energy. Hmph, now Father will surely blame me for this."
As she spoke, her eyes flashed with a strange light, a trace of unwillingness in her tone as she whispered,
"Song family of Shiyang, Song Mu…"
…
Having caused such a stir, Song Mu now stood in Master Xun’s study, absent-mindedly sensing the strange changes within, brought about by the ‘Comprehensive Mirror of Ancient and Modern Poetry’ as the page slowly revealed the poem.
It was a martial poem, brimming with talent.
In truth, it was originally written by Zhao Yi, a poet of the Qing Dynasty, titled ‘On Poetry, II.’
Though not widely known, the lines ‘From age to age, talents emerge; each leads the way for centuries’ were so bold and powerful that Song Mu had long taken them as his personal credo.
A moment ago, when Li Mo’er asked him to compose a poem about a person, Song Mu pondered, feeling it would be laughable to praise Kong Zong given his own status. Instead, he chose to broaden it, making it a poem about scholars.
After all, Kong Zong, too, was a scholar.
At the time, Song Mu wondered if the poem was too defiant, even apologizing toward the north—but he never imagined it would have such an effect.
He himself had benefited greatly; as abundant literary energy entered him, he felt physically stronger, and even the lingering ailments of the past days were much improved.
A single poem had given him a new lease on life.
Moreover, the ancient book was now wrapped in layers of literary energy, continually nourishing him.
The wonders of it all left Song Mu marveling in silence.
As Song Mu savored these unexpected blessings, Master Xun coughed from the side, glancing at Song Mu.
"Should I say this is the revival of the Song family’s literary lineage, or that you, Song Mu, are no longer the man you once were?"
These words made Song Mu’s heart skip, but Master Xun shook his head and continued,
"In the past, you were as unremarkable as yellow earth—I thought the Song family’s legacy would end with you. Who would have thought otherwise?"
With that, Master Xun took a book from the shelf and handed it to Song Mu, who received it with both hands. It was an annotated volume of Poetry.
"Your family has always been well-read; I cannot compare with the Song family’s century-old collection, but this Complete Commentary on Poetry was annotated ten years ago by the champion of the Jin examinations. Its explanations are clear and its interpretations clever. Consider this my reward to you."
Though Master Xun spoke lightly, there was clear satisfaction in his tone.
Song Mu breathed a sigh of relief; he had feared Master Xun might have seen through his secret. Seeing the gift, he repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
Though he and Master Xun were not especially close, he appreciated the elder’s concern and responded with proper courtesy.
But just as he finished, Master Xun’s expression grew stern.
"What happened today will surely spread throughout Shiyang and even Jizhou Prefecture. But do not worry—Li and Du’s school will not trouble you over a single poem. On the contrary, you must beware those closer to you."
Song Mu blinked, his heart stirred, and Master Xun continued,
"You know who I mean. But let me say this: you carry the blood of the Song family and have inherited their knowledge. When your ancestor authored his works, many watched with greedy eyes.
Today, you have made your mark; there will be those who cannot sit still. Remember this, remember it well."
…