"We'll know if we try," Wang Shu said with a smile.
At this moment, the registration area, which had been empty, was already crowded. After all, it was a prize of one hundred thousand yuan, which was not a small sum for ordinary people. Therefore, many tourists with some knowledge of poetry stepped forward to register, intending to join the fun.
Wang Shu also strode forward, following closely behind. Although this was a folk poetry exchange, the judges were all renowned poets and experts specializing in ancient poetry.
"Go, Wang Shu!" Seeing Wang Shu heading to the competition, Deng Xiaoqi couldn't help but quietly cheer him on. However, they dared not be too loud, as it wouldn't be good if they were recognized.
Wang Shu, also wearing a mask and a baseball cap, joined the back of the line. The preliminary round's assessment method was to randomly compose a poem containing the character 'moon,' and then the examiner would decide if you were qualified to enter the poetry gathering.
As expected, with such a simple and crude screening method, many who were just trying to get by were directly eliminated. Soon, it was Wang Shu's turn.
"Hello, please compose a poem related to the moon on the spot!" The preliminary examiner was an old man with white hair and a stern face. When he saw that Wang Shu was a young man, he said casually. In his opinion, what did such young people know about ancient poetry? They were purely trying to muddle through!
"Bright moonlight before my bed," Wang Shu said without thinking, looking directly at the examiner's face, word by word. When the examiner heard Wang Shu recite this line, he was slightly taken aback, and his gaze shifted from dismissiveness to anticipation.
"It seems like frost on the ground." Wang Shu continued with the next line. The examiner's expression changed drastically at this point, his eyes widening as he looked at Wang Shu.
"I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, and lower my head to think of my hometown." Wang Shu recited the complete poem "Quiet Night Thought" in front of the examiner.
"Excellent! Congratulations on passing the preliminary round!" When the examiner heard Wang Shu recite the complete poem, his attitude changed from indifference to adoration. He said to Wang Shu excitedly.
"Thank you, teacher!" Wang Shu replied politely and, under the guidance of the staff, entered the venue. Because of the strict preliminary screening, less than a fifth of the people who had queued were able to enter the venue. Among those who could enter, young people were even rarer. Most were middle-aged or elderly, and many were even white-haired elders.
"Welcome, everyone, to our official competition segment. The format for this Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering is simple. It's a one-on-one duel. The loser is eliminated, and the winner advances to the next round of duels! Whoever wins until the end will take first place in this competition!" the host continued to explain.
Since the venue was simply decorated, with just a stage set up, and seven professors from the Xiangnan Poetry Association and the Literature Department of Xiangnan University were invited, the competition adopted the simplest and fastest format.
"Next, please choose your first opponent and then take turns on stage to compete!" When the host announced that they should choose their opponents, everyone in the venue turned their eyes to Wang Shu. After all, Wang Shu was the youngest here, and poetry, which requires cultural accumulation and life experience, is generally difficult for young people to master. Therefore, they believed that choosing a young person like Wang Shu as their opponent would give them a high chance of winning!
"Little brother, let's be a pair!"
"Young man, let's be together!"
"Are you old fellows only picking on the weak? Brother, team up with me, I'm very weak!" In an instant, five or six people approached Wang Shu, all proposing to team up with him.
Wang Shu shook his head helplessly. "It'll be you!" Wang Shu casually pointed at one of them. When the middle-aged man heard that Wang Shu had chosen him, he was immediately excited. He suddenly felt that he was one step closer to that hundred thousand yuan!
"Brother, you have good taste!" The middle-aged man said directly to Wang Shu. In the next few minutes, the remaining people also successfully selected their opponents.
Next was the time for duels. As groups after groups competed and were judged, more and more people were eliminated. When Wang Shu and the middle-aged man stepped onto the stage, the middle-aged man confidently recited a poem called "Moonlit Immortal" in public. He felt that although his poem might not be as good as those of the masters, it should be more than enough to defeat the young man in front of him.
"This brother's poem is not written perfectly, but it's decent. I wonder if Wang Shu can defeat him," Zhang Bichen whispered to himself after hearing the middle-aged man loudly recite his poem.
"Wang Shu will definitely be fine. After all, his lyrics are so good, his poetry can't be bad either!" Deng Xiaoqi had great faith in Wang Shu, believing that someone who could write such beautiful and moving lyrics must also be good at writing poetry!
"Old Bai, do you think this poetry gathering can discover any promising talents today?" At the judges' table, an old man in a Tang suit sitting at the side asked the old man next to him, who was wearing a black tunic and gold-rimmed glasses.
"Let's hope we encounter some. The Xiangnan Poetry Association needs fresh blood!" Bai Fu stroked his beard, saying with a complex expression. From the works of the first few groups, none had particularly impressed him. Most of them were superficial and filled with empty rhetoric. Only the current poem, "Moonlit Immortal," sounded decent and possessed a touch of ancient poetry's charm. However, he then looked at Wang Shu, the opponent of the middle-aged man, who was just a young man, and felt disappointed. In his opinion, the outcome of this match was already decided.
"This contestant, please present your work!" the host said to Wang Shu.
"The sea rises, the moon shines bright, from the ends of the earth, we share this moment." Wang Shu glanced at the judges and then confidently recited the first line of his poem loudly!
As the first line of poetry came from Wang Shu's mouth, the atmosphere in the entire venue instantly fell silent.
"Old Bai, this poem is quite interesting!" The old man in the Tang suit whispered to Bai Fu at this moment.
"Be quiet!" Bai Fu replied coldly. He did not want to be disturbed and wanted to savor this line of poetry. Because that line was simply too good. It not only possessed the charm of ancient poetry but also a touch of spiritual essence.
"Lovers resent the distant night, and all night long, longing arises." Wang Shu continued to recite.