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"Whose young master is this? Why haven’t I seen him before?"

The area was filled with animated discussions and words of admiration.

Only Xun Qingqing stared at the man on the stage for a long time, somewhat in disbelief, that he would come to Daxia today.

Almost fifty days had passed since she last saw him, he was still handsome, and even more so with a fan in his hand.

Finally, she saw Jun Wuxian again.

Cao Yanran was also dazzled by the young master on the stage, curiously wondering which prominent family he was from, and she even had the sensation of regret at meeting him too late.

She glanced at Xun Qingqing and saw her staring intently at the young master.

"Qingqing, are you smitten? But it’s normal, who wouldn’t fall for someone so handsome," Cao Yanran said in a jesting tone.

Xun Qingqing, surprisingly, did not deny it or retort, but instead nodded in agreement, "Mmm, he is indeed very handsome, much more so than the top scholar."

Cao Yanran’s expression, which had just softened, turned ugly again. She snorted coldly in her heart, thinking, look at yourself in the mirror first; you’re not even in his league, are you?

"Du Zhiheng may not match his good looks, but I value character over appearance. Besides, Du Zhiheng is a top scholar, not something that can be surpassed simply with good looks."

Xun Qingqing gazed at the figure for a long time, unconsciously letting out a breath and muttering, "It’s not always the case."

Cao Yanran felt irritated but couldn’t afford to lose face, so she let her wait and see the top scholar’s knowledge.

"We’ll see in a moment."

Xun Qingqing paid no attention to Cao Yanran.

The lantern riddle guessing began with a gong strike.

The organizer’s representative was a man around thirty years old, dapper and clearly scholarly.

Behind him were rows of red lanterns, each hiding a riddle inside.

"Gentlemen, guessing the lantern riddles is about being quick to respond. Whoever knows the answer may speak up without worrying about courtesy."

After explaining the rules, the organizer’s representative walked to the red lantern, grabbed the tassel, and pulled it down, revealing the riddle.

A watermelon has seeds (guess a character)

Jun Wuxian: "Alone."

The other six were still trying to grasp the riddle when Jun Wuxian beat them to it, leaving them somewhat bewildered.

The organizer smiled and said, "This young master is correct, the answer is ’Alone.’

Xun Changfeng couldn’t help but give a thumbs up, "Young Master Jun, impressive."

Ever since Jun Wuxian arrived, Xun Changfeng had noticed him, knowing that his sister would be happy.

Jun Wuxian smiled slightly, "I’m flattered."

Du Zhiheng glanced at Jun Wuxian, knowing the answer too but just being a tad slower, thinking that such an opportunity wouldn’t come easily again.

The second lantern riddle was, Two wings that cannot fly, serve both as clothes and house. Rather let water topple it into the sea than let the sun dry up the dwelling. (Guess an animal)

Jun Wuxian: "Clam."

Again, it was Jun Wuxian who beat everyone else to the punch.

The organizer couldn’t help but take another look at Jun Wuxian, "This young master has answered correctly, the answer is ’Clam.’

Xun Changfeng studied the riddle for a while, failing to guess it. He looked at Jun Wuxian with widened eyes, "How did you get that?"

Not just Xun Changfeng was surprised, but the other guests as well; they had only just finished reading the riddle when Jun Wuxian had already responded, who could compete with that?

Du Zhiheng furrowed his brows, not expecting to be at a disadvantage despite his status as a top scholar.

A curious young master asked Du Zhiheng, "Top Scholar, did you guess it?"

Du Zhiheng feigned calmness, "Of course I did, but my response was a bit slow."

The person praised him: "The top scholar truly stands out."

The organizer’s representative reminded everyone, "This young master has already guessed two riddles correctly, earning a pair of Blessing Flower Lanterns. If he gets one more right, he will qualify for a one-day tour at Late Wind Villa and can bring a companion."

If they didn’t manage to answer the last question, their chance would be gone; everyone was eager and ready to try their luck.

The third riddle was: A flock of sheep arrives. (Guess a fruit)

Seven people were momentarily stunned by the riddle.

Xun Changfeng scratched his head and turned to Jun Wuxian, "Young Master Jun, do you know?"

Jun Wuxian chuckled, "Don’t you know?"

Xun Changfeng answered honestly, "I don’t."

"This time even Young Master Jun doesn’t know," someone couldn’t help asking Du Zhiheng, "Does the top scholar know?"

Du Zhiheng’s brows were tightly knitted. It didn’t feel like a proper riddle to him. Sheep arrive, what on earth could that be?

The organizer’s representative looked indifferently at the seven young masters as if everything was going as expected and slightly curled his lips.

Jun Wuxian, twirling his folding fan, softly uttered two words: "Strawberry."

Du Zhiheng scoffed, "There’s no such fruit as a strawberry."

The organizer’s expression first tensed, then he asked with a smile, "Could this young master please explain the answer?"

Jun Wuxian replied calmly and confidently, "When a flock of sheep arrives, of course, the sheep will eat grass. After a flock of sheep eats the grass, it means the grass is gone, hence the homophonic ’strawberry.’

"But Daxia doesn’t have such a fruit."

"Right, I’ve never even heard of it."

Voices of skepticism rose one after another.

Xun Changfeng remembered his sister mentioning strawberries in letters home, "I’ve heard of it, my sister has even eaten strawberries in the palace."

Jun Wuxian turned to Xun Changfeng upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, "Qingqing has eaten strawberries?"

...

PS: I’ve been busy with writer’s block these past two days, only managing to write a Chapter of four thousand words. I’ll try to maintain a daily output of two Chapters totaling six thousand words.