Early morning of June 16th.

Chen Xu had not yet truly appeared, but he left behind a legend in Pingyang City.

Whether encountering the Shimmering Star Lake Water Monarch while sailing, or painting the blue smoke on paper and confronting him from afar, or in the end, the Shimmering Star Water Monarch sending a gentle breeze that made nine hundred miles of water road pass by in a night—

All these scenes are akin to mythic legends.

Any one of these stories would be enough to keep people talking, not to mention when all these elements are gathered together?

Chen Xu had not appeared, yet it was as if he had.

For a time, whether it was Mo Huaizhang, who wrote "Mong Yao Dian Shi," or Zhou Huan, famous for righteous deeds in the Celestial South, they were inevitably overshadowed by Chen Xu's legend, and appeared somewhat inconspicuous.

Only Ning Siyu, who authored "Water Classics of the Celestial South," remained with strong support, difficult to easily shake.

In Pingyang City, countless betting tables had already opened, with various gambling places launching different weighted bets on who would become the Top Scholar!

Currently, Chen Xu and Ning Siyu's fame is equally strong, hard to distinguish who is better.

Both have the highest voices to become Top Scholar, with odds at one to one.

Mo Huaizhang's odds are at one point two, Zhou Huan's odds at one point three, and Song Chengye's odds are also at one point three.

Furthermore, there are other scholars not so well-known, having their own odds on the gambling table.

Though these scholars do not have as striking names as Chen Xu and others, they possess individual advantages, counting as outstanding figures in a certain range.

Life's uncertainties are inherent, who can confidently assert those lesser-known scholars definitely can't become Top Scholar?

Just like Yunjiang Prefecture's Cui Yunqi, who also has a name on Pingyang City's betting table.

However, Cui Yunqi's odds to become Top Scholar are as high as two point six, indicating that although his name is present on the betting table, he isn't truly favored.

In response, Cui Yunqi merely sneered in private: "A town full of mediocrity, unable to see the high blue sky and thick yellow earth, merely adds to my amusement!"

Turning around, he instructed Cui Fu to place bets in various large gambling places, betting exclusively on Chen Xu.

In each gambling place, he bet ten thousand taels of silver, totaling forty thousand taels across four major gambling places.

Such lavish spending directly consumed most of the private money he had accumulated over the years.

Cui Fu felt a bit anxious, inevitably saying: "Young master, with such a large bet, how would people easily pay in full when receiving the earnings in the future?"

He was not worried about Cui Yunqi betting on the wrong person, but worried about him placing too large a bet which might make it hard to recover the stake.

Such words immediately caused Cui Yunqi to raise the corner of his mouth, laughing with a "Who dares not to pay?"

In four simple words, the style of the aristocratic family was fully displayed.

However, after a brief moment, Cui Yunqi sighed, "Still not strong enough."

If he were strong enough, why would he scatter forty thousand taels of silver to the four major gambling places to place bets?

If he were strong enough, it wouldn't be just a bet of forty thousand taels; he could wager all his private holdings!

Thinking about it made a fierce determination rise in Cui Yunqi's chest, and he instructed Cui Fu again:

"Uncle Fu, I want to close off; just allocate people for Brother Chen upon his arrival.

Unless there is news of Brother Chen or the odds of Brother Chen being reduced further by the major gambling places, don't disturb me for any other matters."

His odds were two point six?

Brother Chen's odds equal Ning Siyu's?

Pingyang Prefecture's aristocrats, thus greatly underestimate people, which is truly infuriating!

Chen Xu that day on the building ship drew the dragon bone waterwheel blueprint, paper smoke rising to the sky.

Yet, the specifics of the blueprint were never disseminated, resulting in others only vaguely understanding the blueprint's meaning, ultimately unable to confirm its real value.

Chen Xu had attracted paper smoke before, but past paper smoke was all due to poetry.

Poetry and practical works have fundamentally different meanings; people not seeing the blueprint's true face, hesitating to reduce Chen Xu's odds is understandable.

In Pingyang City, with heated discussions, another kind of public opinion battle unfolded with enthusiasm.

Yet no one knew, in a certain secluded courtyard in Pingyang City, Ning Siyu was holding a sheet of slightly imbalanced lined blueprint, displaying astonishment and regret on his face.

"Quite a dragon bone waterwheel!"

Ning Siyu held the blueprint, and depicted there was indeed a dragon bone waterwheel.

However, the proportion of this waterwheel was somewhat strange, with details quite vague.

Naturally, this wasn't the original blueprint drawn by Chen Xu but made by some people on the building ship that day who saw the dragon bone waterwheel's shadow and drew it from memory.

Due to Chen Xu's mysterious disappearance, the original blueprint was, naturally, never circulated.

But there were thousands of passengers on the building ship that day, and some had strong memories, partially drawing the dragon bone waterwheel's appearance.

Ning Siyu was different from others; dedicated to studying the Celestial South water domain, he paid special attention to everything related to water conservancy with particularly deep insight.

Now, holding the blueprint and repeatedly examining it, Ning Siyu grew more regretful, eventually pounding his chest in frustration, scolding himself.

"It infuriates me! That day while lodging in Yunjiang Prefecture Langxi County, clearly heard Chen Xu's voice, I went to seek him yet missed multiple times!

Why was I so foolish then, not realizing that 'modern people don't see ancient moon' was actually made by Chen Xu?

Ah, if I'd seen this fellow that day and had a heart-to-heart chat, wouldn't 'Water Classics of the Celestial South' have been perfected by now?"

Indeed, that night Ning Siyu heard the voice of a little hedgehog reciting poetry, he followed the voice yet only heard it without seeing the poet's true face.

At that time, though Ning Siyu was disappointed, he didn't dwell too much on it.

Life inevitably has many regrets; missing one or two encounters hardly counts for much.

Back then, he thought the poem 'modern people don't see ancient moon' was made by some senior Great Scholar, unexpectedly, the author was Chen Xu.

Later, on the first day of June at Silver River Crossing, when the Divine Turtle appeared again, "Great Li's Splendor Record" updated to the newest version, only then did Ning Siyu learn that the moon-chanting poem was indeed penned by Chen Xu.

Chen Xu penned new poem again, not spreading it himself, but "Great Li's Splendor Record" collected it everywhere, indirectly spreading for him.

Ning Siyu sighed and anxiously tossed and turned.

Holding the blueprint in the courtyard, he sighed long: "Nevertheless, I and Chen Xu are competitors after all.

This time in the provincial exam, I am determined to become Top Scholar.

No matter how much I appreciate this person, I will also put my full effort, never yielding."

However, despite saying this, even with full effort, can Ning Siyu certainly win?

A shadow of doubt was ultimately planted in Ning Siyu's heart.

Originally possessing unwavering vigor and full of confidence, but after 'encountering' Chen Xu several times, this confidence was inevitably affected.

Ning Siyu stepped towards his courtyard's study, ultimately making up his mind.

He said: "Yunfeng, prepare for me the Calming Heart Pill, I want to close off."

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