Chapter 72 – The Deal is Done
As soon as Gu Qingheng spoke, the expressions on the faces of the people around him changed.
Those who knew the answer were astonished that Gu Qingheng, at such a young age, had actually answered correctly!
Those who didn’t know the answer, seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of those around them, also knew that Gu Qingheng had answered correctly.
Therefore, they were even more amazed, thinking that even though they, as adults, didn’t know the answer, Gu Qingheng, a child of only eight or nine years old, knew it!!!
This was truly monstrous!
No wonder Gu Yu had such a confident look, clearly having anticipated this outcome from the start.
What kind of people were the Gu family!
A family of demons!
The students of Qingshan Academy couldn’t help but be greatly surprised when they saw that Gu Qingheng had actually answered correctly. Especially the student who had posed the question, who thought that he had underestimated his opponent, allowing Gu Qingheng to answer the first question so easily.
Director Qingshan, standing beside them, showed no change in expression and continued to silently watch the situation unfold.
“Answered correctly.”
Helpless, the student who asked the question could only announce the result to the crowd.
His once confident demeanor had been reduced to nothing, and he was now plunged into deep self-doubt, feeling like a complete failure for not being able to stump a child.
After reading for so many years, this was the first time he had tasted the bitterness of defeat.
Therefore, after the questioner, with a dejected expression, rejoined the group, it seemed… it would take a long time for him to recover.
Meanwhile, Gu Qingheng, having answered one question correctly, felt a slight sense of relief, thinking that his brother-in-law hadn’t completely set him up to fail.
It was just that reciting books was not a problem for him at all.
However, he had only read half the books in the room. What if someone asked about content from other books?
His brother-in-law had thought too little about this.
Gu Qingheng felt that Gu Yu had forgotten to consider this, but in fact, Gu Yu had already thought of it from the beginning.
However, even knowing this, he couldn’t restrict the competition to just a few books, which would greatly diminish Gu Qingheng’s brilliance.
After all, if any book’s content was mentioned, Gu Qingheng could answer it with just a word, and the impact of this would be even more suffocating than simply asking about a few books!
It would also make Director Qingshan pay more attention…
As for asking about obscure books, Gu Yu was also gambling.
He gambled that these students from Qingshan Academy would not read particularly outrageous books, nor would they ask basic questions. This way, Gu Qingheng would have a high chance of answering correctly.
After all, Chengfeng Shan’s private collection, apart from some unofficial histories and biographies, the remaining books were still within the scope of the imperial examinations in Linfeng Kingdom.
Even if Gu Qingheng didn’t answer all of them correctly, it didn’t matter. He could answer one out of three questions correctly, and when Gu Yu was discussing the competition rules, he hadn’t promised that entering Qingshan Academy was guaranteed after three questions.
Gu Qingheng answering one question correctly was also a sign that Qingshan Academy couldn’t stump him!
Gu Yu, who was being clever, now smiled with triumphant glee after his younger brother-in-law’s victory, making those around him want to beat him up.
They had originally thought… Gu Yu wanted to use this opportunity to enter Qingshan Academy. Now it seemed that he was determined not to enter.
Such a brilliant child made the situation unpredictable.
“Let’s continue with the next question!”
Afterward, seeing that no one else was stepping forward to ask the second question, Gu Yu raised his eyebrows and spoke to the Qingshan Academy side, urging them to hurry up with the competition.
After Gu Yu finished speaking, the anger of the Qingshan Academy students surged again. Without further ado, one person immediately stepped forward and posed the second question.
“I will ask the second question! ‘Ren ren qi ren! Yuan yuan qi yuan! Hao hao qi tian! Gou bu gu qiao ming sheng zhi, da tian de zhe, qi shu neng zhi zhi?’ What is the preceding line?”
The person who asked this time also played a small trick.
Generally, people are accustomed to completing the next sentence.
However, when faced with a question that provided the latter half and asked for the former, they would suddenly be stumped.
Because they couldn’t remember it.
They would answer the next sentence out of habit, but when it came to answering the previous sentence, they would fall into a temporary state of amnesia…
“Only those with ultimate sincerity in the world can govern the great principles of the world, establish the great foundation of the world, and know the transformations of heaven and earth. How can they rely on anything?”
However, Gu Qingheng still answered.
Because he couldn’t be judged by ordinary standards. If Gu Yu were to describe him, Gu Qingheng was an absolute cheat.
His brain was like a scanner, remembering all the books he had read, and he could answer any question asked, which was a terrifying existence.
After all, some people were very good at rote memorization, but it was difficult to integrate and understand.
Although Gu Qingheng hadn’t completely integrated and understood everything, with his amazing memory, questions like this were not a problem for him.
Answering correctly once could be considered luck, but answering correctly twice in a row was skill.
The people around knew this very well.
Therefore, their gazes towards Gu Qingheng were now filled with astonishment, wondering if this child was a reincarnated celestial being, how could he understand so much at such a young age!
Even if he had started reading from the womb, he couldn’t be this brilliant!
On the Qingshan Academy side, after hearing Gu Qingheng answer the second question correctly, they lost their previous composure and confidence. Instead, they frowned deeply, looking at Gu Qingheng with shock in their eyes, wondering how this child was different from what they had imagined.
As students admitted to Qingshan Academy, they were already considered geniuses!
But they never expected Gu Qingheng to be even more monstrous than them!
To be able to read various books fluently at such an age, to the point of being able to answer questions with just a word, was too terrifying!
After answering two questions in a row correctly, Gu Qingheng was no longer panicking. He even felt a little proud, thinking that so many people couldn’t stump him, they were simply too weak.
Unlike his brother-in-law, who always came up with strange and peculiar things that Gu Qingheng had never even seen before, let alone answered.
These people were not even half as smart as his brother-in-law.
Gu Qingheng, who had become a little arrogant at this moment, didn’t remember that this was just a test of recitation. If they were to test something else, he wouldn’t be so relaxed.
However, Gu Qingheng’s personality was lively, so it was normal for him to be a little smug after overpowering everyone.
If it were Gu Yu, he would be looking down on others with his nostrils.
Instead of like Gu Qingheng, who was secretly pleased but pretended to be calm on the outside, to describe him in one word would be “闷骚” (mèn sāo) – outwardly reserved but inwardly passionate.
“Don’t stop! There’s still the last question, keep it up.”
Gu Yu didn’t forget to add fuel to the fire at this moment, making the situation even more exciting.
However, when the students of Qingshan Academy heard this, they did not show the same defiant anger as before. Instead, they wore wry smiles.
They had already guessed two questions correctly. If the last question was also guessed correctly, then Qingshan Academy would be thoroughly disgraced!
They had boasted earlier, believing that Gu Qingheng posed no problem.
But now, it had become a big problem!
If Gu Qingheng really managed to answer all three questions correctly, then Qingshan Academy would lose face.
Even if Gu Qingheng was a genius, with so many people present, if it got out that Qingshan Academy couldn’t even stump a child, who knew what the outside world would think!
Therefore, with this consideration, no one from Qingshan Academy stepped forward to pose the third question, no matter how Gu Yu provoked them.
“Forget it, forget it, there’s no point in continuing. Let’s just call off this competition! If even my younger brother-in-law can’t win, then don’t think about me entering Qingshan Academy.”
Seeing the highly vigilant look of Qingshan Academy, Gu Yu smiled slightly and didn’t continue to pressure them. He suddenly said these words, which surprised everyone around him.
Although it was only a short period, the series of events at the poetry gathering showed that Gu Yu was a shrewd person who wouldn’t act without a clear advantage. Why would he let Qingshan Academy off the hook so easily now?
As long as Gu Qingheng answered the third question correctly, he could crush Qingshan Academy under his feet. But why did he suddenly give up now?
It was like holding onto silver and then giving it away to someone else!
Gu Yu was truly extraordinary, and couldn’t be understood by common sense.
Just as everyone was thinking this, Gu Yu knew better than anyone else what he was doing.
Gu Yu wasn’t truly trying to crush Qingshan Academy under his feet. He just wanted to find a way to get his younger brother-in-law into Qingshan Academy. If he was destroying the academy’s reputation before he even got in, it would be a classic case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice!
Gu Yu still wanted his younger brother-in-law to enter and get a degree before coming out…
Therefore, giving up the competition now was the best course of action.
Next, it was up to Director Qingshan’s performance.
“You must learn from this experience and never underestimate any opponent at any time. Since you are competing, you must take it seriously. Remember to be vigilant and not complacent… And this young Gu Qingheng is indeed remarkable! Qingshan Academy humbly concedes defeat in encountering such an astonishing talent this time.”
Then, just as the students of Qingshan Academy were feeling ashamed by Gu Yu’s words, Director Qingshan suddenly spoke.
Hearing Director Qingshan’s words, Gu Yu couldn’t help but smile slightly, thinking that the director was indeed on the right track.
After the director reprimanded his students, he quickly brought up Gu Qingheng, clearly showing that he was already impressed by him.
“Not at all, not at all. This is also because my younger brother-in-law is intelligent! Qingshan Academy is still very strong. If it were any other academy or school, my younger brother-in-law wouldn’t even bother to compete with them.”
Gu Yu also knew how to give a carrot after a stick.
Since he had mocked them enough in the early stages, it was time for business mutual praise.
It remained to be seen… how long Director Qingshan could wait?
“Since Gu Yu, you are unwilling to enter Qingshan Academy, perhaps Gu Qingheng would be willing?”
Gu Yu had just been wondering when the director would bring it up, but it never occurred to him that he would speak so soon!
This made Gu Yu’s smile even brighter.
The deal was done.