Important Notice: This is the last scheduled chapter for now. I have undergone a hand surgery and would be taking a break from translating to recuperate. It might take probably around two months before I can resume typing normally again. (hopefully by late August or early September). Thank you for support and following the series up till now, and I hope to be able to return to translate this series as soon as possible.
There was nothing more the shopkeeper could do. How could he expect a three-year-old child to understand the complexities of the event? He wanted to persuade them again, but the three little kids had already scurried over to the tiger lantern and danced around as though their victory had been assured.
Erbao, who was forced to participate in the competition, had a pout on his face as he glanced at his elated sister. Sighing like a grown-up, he placed his hands behind his back and went along with her whims.
Su Jin stood on the other side of the booth, keeping an eye on her children from a distance with gentle eyes. She had no intention of intruding on their fun. Her peripheral vision remained locked onto the individuals hiding around the corner. She was dying to find out what kind of dog shit business had come knocking on her door this time.
She might have to make some time out of her schedule to thoroughly exterminate the sewer rats. It was better than letting these pests linger around, not knowing when they might cause some problems.
As night fell, the lanterns began to light up along the streets like a beautiful light show in the dark sky. Cheers erupted occasionally from the lively crowd around various attractions, creating a lively ambience…
“Dong dong dong~” A shopkeeper repeatedly struck a copper gong covered in stains as he shouted, “Come take a look! If anyone can answer with a matching verse for this old man’s poetry quiz, I’ll give them a free lantern!”
“Do you even have enough lanterns, old man? There are many students in Fengyuan County. Don’t complain if you end up being drained of your entire life savings.”
The surrounding crowd burst into laughter. It was clear that the booth had successfully attracted the crowd’s attention and interests.
The shopkeeper smiled at the crowd and replied, “I have been saving up for a long time just for the event today. Fret not and let us enjoy a fun and memorable festival this year! Of course, I would be happy to receive support in the future at our store from the ladies and gentlemen present today.”
Every year during the festival, business owners would set up booths in front of their shops and organize some forms of activities to gain fame and attract customers.
Sensing the joyful and lively atmosphere, a large crowd quickly gathered around his booth. The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up. Without any further delays, he cheerfully commenced the quiz, “Alright then, this humble old man will start with the first question – . Any challengers for this quiz?”
A young man dressed in white gown in a scholar-like appearance swayed his folding fan lightly and glanced around before giving a confident reply, ” . Is that answer satisfactory, old man?”
The shopkeeper gave a round of applause and complimented the man who answered. “Excellent! This gentleman sure is well-learned.”
Meanwhile, the three kids huddled together in a corner with their tiny heads close together, as they whispered softly to one another.
Dabao asked curiously, “Why didn’t we answer that question just now?” He vividly remembered this poem as they had just recited it this morning.
“Big dummy! Answering that question would only get us an ordinary lantern. Guaibao is aiming for the big tiger head lantern.” Guaibao poked Dabao’s cheeks in slight annoyance, lamenting her eldest brother for being dim-witted.
Dabao did not mind at all. Instead, he leaned closer to her and smiled sheepishly as he enjoyed her poking.
As they exchanged words, several rounds of quiz had already passed. When the shopkeeper saw that the crowd had reached a certain level of excitement, he projected his voice loudly and took out the biggest tiger shaped lantern from behind.
When the three cubs saw that, they exchanged glances and ran over in tiny steps.
“The reward for the finale would be this exquisite lantern, a masterpiece which took more than half a month of time and effort to produce, handcrafted by a master craftsman! Naturally, the quiz this round would be harder compared to the earlier ones. The question will be divided into two parts, the first being a test on poetry and the second being a test on arithmetic. The first person who manages to clear both parts will become the new owner of this lantern! Please listen carefully.”
When the crowd heard that it would include an arithmetic test, sighs could be heard. Some even retorted that this quiz would be too difficult, as they flicked their sleeves and left in anger.
The shopkeeper paid no heed to the people who left, and clapped his hands as his continued with a smile. “ Any challengers for the next verse?”
The scholar in white had no interest in winning the lantern. He mainly participated to exhibit his scholastic abilities and had already accomplished that from the previous rounds. For now, he was satisfied with basking in the limelight.
Even after some time had passed, no answer came from the crowd. The scholar couldn’t resist fanning his own ego, and was just about to answer, “Raising…” But a young tender voice pretending to sound like an adult interrupted him. “”
Everyone was surprised. Tracing the direction of the sound, their eyes landed on three little kids at the front row of the crowd. Did a child of their age manage to solve the poetry quiz?
A hint of annoyance flashed across the young scholar’s eyes. How could he lose to kids? Ridiculous! He criticized them with a foul mood, “Get your parents to answer the quiz themselves. Little kids should not interrupt in games for grownups.”
He assumed that the children must have received the answer from their parents. There was no other reasonable explanation for them to be able to solve the quiz.
Erbao’s face tautened as he pursed his lips without a word. He stared at the scholar with a pair of dark murky eyes, as if looking at an idiot.
On the other hand, Guaibao was visibly upset. She puffed out her little chest and proclaimed arrogantly with her head held high. “My second brother solved this quiz by himself without any external help! Don’t blindly make up excuses just because you are embarrassed from losing! Bleh!”
The scholar looked at the little girl doing her best to make funny faces at him, and frankly found it to be quite adorable that he had to avert his eyes from her. As the valedictorian of the scholar exam this year, how could he lose to a three-year-old child?
He sneered inwardly. He wouldn’t believe that a three-year-old child was capable of reciting poetry and matching couplets regardless of family background. Rolling his eyes, he challenged the kids, “3Third poetry! Raw was by Bai Juyi from Tang Dynasty. First verse – 林晴有残蝉 , and the matching verse is 巢冷无留燕 …” He arched his eyebrows and looked around the boy, hoping to find his parents.
Without looking up, Erbao casually answered, “.”
The scholar was startled and started to get serious, “4Last and thankfully final one.. Raw was another line from by Bai Juyi from Tang Dynasty again. First verse – 沉吟卷长簟 , and the matching verse is 怆恻收团扇. …”
Erbao: “.”
……
The audiences were dumbfounded by their exchange. A single clap from an individual soon grew into fervent rounds of applause as someone from the crowd shouted, “We are witnessing the birth of a child prodigy! Such talent at a young age is unprecedented!”
It was rare enough for children of that age to be able to read, much less recite poetry.
As the commotion around them grew louder, Erbao frowned and asked impatiently. “Shopkeeper, my sister has been eyeing the lantern for some time. Could you hurry up and get on with the quiz?”
The shopkeeper snapped out of his daze and nodded repeatedly after taking a good look at the kid again. He turned to the crowd and resumed the event.
“As the boy wishes, let us move on to the next part. This will be a test on arithmetic. Here it goes – ‘Division by three gives a remainder of two, by five a remainder of three, and by seven a remainder of two. What is the smallest numerator that satisfies the geometric conditions’?”
The scholar wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was still in disarray from their earlier exchange. After immersing himself in academic studies for more than ten years, he couldn’t win against a child?
His expression turned solemn in an instant. He took a deep breath and set aside his arrogance. His main focus now was to win the game and claim victory. Solving arithmetic questions required a different set of skills unlike poetry couplet quizzes, which could easily be solved just by having a good memory.
He sharpened his mind and began mental calculations. Even the surrounding people who were trained in arithmetic started jotting down their calculations. For a while, the entire venue fell into deep silence.
At that moment, Erbao answered confidently without any hesitation, “Twenty-three.”
“Bang!” The copper gong fell to the ground as the vendor’s grip loosened. He looked at Erbao with excited eyes. “Correct! This little genius got the right answer again! This is incredible!! It’s unbelievable.”
The crowd gasped in amazement… Some even began to speculate about the background of these children.
Su Jin spectated the scene with a tender gaze as she blended into the crowd. Her cubs were really truly outstanding. Perhaps her transmigration to this world was a blessing for her instead, because these three kids were the best gifts she had ever received. Just thinking about them made her heart melt.
The group of individuals from the Dark Reaper Guild who had been tailing Su Jin hid themselves in the last row of the crowd. They naturally witnessed this miraculous scene as well and Yan Xing’s eyes lit up as though he had found a rare treasure. For a young boy to possess this level of intelligence despite his age… If they were to kidnap him now and mould him with great attention for around ten years, he was certain that they would gain another fearsome assassin in their guild.
As the head of a top-notch assassin’s guild, Yan Xing had the martial abilities to complement his position. Naturally, his eye to discern talent was excellent as well. He carefully evaluated the posture and complexion of the young boy as he walked.
The more he observed, the more satisfied he became. At such a young tender age, the child’s bones and frame had developed extremely well. The boy would, without a doubt, rise to the peak of martial arts in the future with little to no equals.
From time to time, the guild would bring some children back to groom from a young age, but Yan Xing always found young children to be either lacking in one way or another, or exhibit lacklustre talent. That was… until today.
If he had not been surrounded by a crowd right now, he would have let out an unrestrained laughter to the skies. This fateful meeting must have been a divine arrangement!
He wanted to thank his employer for this request which brought him this unexpected harvest. After regaining his composure, he remembered that this child was one of Su Jin’s three children, which would make things more convenient for him. He could settle everything in one fell swoop.
Yan Xing suppressed his excitement. He could not afford to rush on this matter. Their plans had to be revised.
He would have to devise a plan to make the child follow them out of his own free will. After all, the child had already exhibited an outstanding ability to memorize things. Yan Xing wanted to cultivate a top tier assassin who would be loyal to them, not one that would raise his blade against them for revenge in the future.
With that thought in mind, he signalled to his underlings and withdrew from the crowd.
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.
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