Acai's Sky

Chapter 979: Moyun Academy Shock 2

The dusk permeated the sky and earth like splashed ink, making the flying eaves and brackets of Moyun Academy even more gloomy.

The raindrops condensed on the green tiles reflected the cold light, and the copper bells on the eaves rang out a small and ethereal sound without wind.

Ah Cai stroked the warm jade pendant on her waist. It was a token she received when she first entered the regional battlefield. Now, a slight coolness seeped out from her palm.

Her eyes swept over the people around her who were on high alert. Mingchen Xie Jin's brows were furrowed, and his fingertips unconsciously moved repeatedly on his palms, as if he wanted to carve all the poems in his memory into the palm lines; Mingchen Yang Rong stood with his sword in hand, the hem of his official robe lifted by the night wind, and the darkly embroidered pattern of sea water and river cliffs was faintly visible, and his eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly like an eagle.

“Use writing as a sword and poetry as a shield.”

Before Ah Cai could finish her words, a teeth-grinding tremor suddenly came from the ground.

The dead branches and leaves swirled into the air, condensing into a twisted "Spring" character in mid-air.

The text monster was surrounded by blue-black mist, and faint blue phosphorescent flames danced between the strokes. Every flash was accompanied by a sharp scream like metallic friction, as if it was the cry of a ghost coming from the Netherworld.

"Flying Flower Order, with the topic 'Spring', you answer first!" The goblin's voice was like rusty gears grinding on bones, with a biting chill that made everyone's eardrums hurt.

A Cai took a deep breath, and countless poems flooded into her mind like a tide.

Spring banquets, spring river waters, spring boudoir complaints… Her thoughts raced through a vast sea of ​​poetry, finally settling on Meng Haoran’s tranquil five-character quatrain: “I slept through the spring night, unaware of the dawn, and heard birds singing everywhere.”

As soon as the words fell, the phosphorescent fire around the monster suddenly exploded, casting the shadows of everyone on the mottled courtyard wall, turning them into monsters with bared fangs and claws.

The flames illuminated everyone's tense faces. The sweat on Xie Jin's forehead sparkled in the firelight, and the veins on Mingchen Yang Rong's hand bulged as he gripped the hilt of the sword.

But soon, the flames dimmed unwillingly, like a frustrated beast.

"You're lucky!" The goblin swung the fiery red "捺" pen and wrote the word "月". The ending tone was long and full of provocation.

Yang Rong blurted out almost instinctively: "The moon sets, the crows cry, and the sky is full of frost. The maples by the river and the fishing fires are opposite me, and I am sad to sleep. Zhang Ji's "Night Mooring at Maple Bridge" fully describes the sorrow of autumn nights in the south of the Yangtze River." He deliberately emphasized the poet and the title of the poem, and looked at the monster with a sharp gaze, his eyes full of disdain.

"Good!" Emperor Ming Zhu Gaochi slapped his thigh excitedly, and the jade pendant on his waist made a crisp sound, which was particularly clear in the silent academy.

Emperor Ming Zhu Di twirled his beard and shook his head, with a sly look in his eyes: "It's just an ordinary poem. Let me show you my grandson's real skills!" As he spoke, he winked at Zhu Zhanji, as if to say, "Show them your skills."

Emperor Ming Zhu Zhanji understood what he meant and gently opened his folding fan. The ink-and-wash landscape on the fan flowed with his movements, as if coming alive.

He said aloud: "The moon is above the treetops, and we meet after dusk. Mr. Ou's words describe the young girl's love in a subtle and graceful way."

After saying this, he raised his eyebrows proudly, causing Emperor Ming Zhu Di to burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the academy and startled several crows perched on the ancient trees.

The flying flower order became more and more intense. Suddenly, the monster threw out the word "wine" and said with a hint of sinister laughter: "This, let's see how you deal with it!"

Ming Dynasty official Xie Jin clapped his hands and laughed, "The grape wine is in the luminescent cup, and the pipa music is urging me to drink! Wang Han's poem is full of the heroic spirit of the frontier!" His voice was passionate, as if he was really at a banquet on the frontier of the desert.

As soon as he finished his poem, Ming Wang Zhu Gaoxu suddenly added: "Wine enters my sorrowful heart and turns into tears of longing! This line from Fan Wencheng expresses the pain of homesickness!"

The two of them smiled at each other, showing a tacit understanding. That smile contained both admiration for each other and the pride of defeating the monster.

However, when the word "sorrow" is thrown out, the atmosphere suddenly freezes. Sorrow is an eternal theme in poetry, but it is also the most difficult proposition to come up with new ones.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment, and only the weird laughter of the monster echoed in the air.

Ming Dynasty official Xie Jin clapped his hands and laughed: "How much sorrow can you have? It is like a river of spring water flowing eastward! Emperor Li Houzhu used water to describe sorrow, which is a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages!" His voice echoed throughout the academy, and even the tiles on the roof trembled slightly.

"Nothing more than that!" the goblin laughed harshly, black mist swirling around it. "Let's see how you respond to the word 'pigu'!"

The air solidified instantly.

The two words "鼙琴" are too obscure. They are not common images and are difficult to separate.

Ah Cai suddenly spoke, her voice was soft but every word was as powerful as a hammer: "The drums shook the earth, startling the dancers in their colorful costumes and feathered robes! Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" describes the An-Shi Rebellion and the collapse of a prosperous era." Her eyes were like torches, staring straight at the monster.

Black mist swirled around the monster, and it suddenly screamed, "No! This word can be broken down into 'beigu', so the sentence should start with 'bei'!"

Before he finished speaking, countless words turned into ink blades and came down like a rainstorm.

The ink blade drew a black arc in the air with a sharp sound of breaking through the air, leaving deep marks on the ground wherever it passed.

"Protect the Lord!" Ming general Qi Jiguang roared, and his long sword danced out a silver light shield.

As the knife flashed, the ink blades were cut down one after another, splashing black ink.

Ming Chen Xie Jin was quick-witted. He pulled off the jade belt from his waist and swept it across. The jade belt drew a graceful arc in the air, blocking the ink blade in front of him.

Ming minister Yang Rong took off his official hat and used it as a shield. The peacock feather on the hat fluttered up and down in the ink blade, like a blooming black flower.

Emperor Ming Zhu Zhanji threw out his folding fan, and when the fan unfolded, it revealed a lifelike painting of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival".

The characters in the painting seemed to come alive, some carrying loads, some riding horses, and raising their hands to block the whistling ink blades.

The ink blade fell on the painting, but only left a faint mark on the paper, as if it was dissolved by the bustling city in the painting.

"Go to the library!"

Ah Cai caught sight of a damaged plaque in the corner and led the others out. The library was filled with a pungent musty smell, spiderwebs hung like curtains, and ancient books on the shelves were tilted and swaying. Some pages were yellowed like dead leaves, while others had tattered covers, revealing the dark red interior, as if telling of the vicissitudes of time.

"careful!"

Ming Wang Zhu Gaoxu suddenly grabbed Acai, and a bronze arrow flew past her ear and nailed into the wooden pillar.

The feathers at the tail of the arrow were still trembling slightly, and the air was filled with the smell of rust.

Only then did everyone discover that there were mechanical puppets hidden among the bookshelves. They held ancient weapons in their hands, and a faint blue light flickered in their empty eye sockets, like guards from hell.

"Look for each other separately!"

Before Ah Cai could finish her words, Zhu Di had already climbed up the bookshelf using his hands and knees, sweeping away a cloud of dust with the corner of his robe. "I know this library well! When I was in the palace, I loved going into the library and browsing through books!"

As he searched, he muttered, "The Scroll of Mountains and Rivers must be hidden in the most dangerous place..."

His voice echoed among the bookshelves, startling several monsters hiding in the books.

Ming Dynasty official Xie Jin suddenly squatted down amidst the mess on the ground and picked up half a torn page: "There are traces of ink here!" The writing on the torn page was mottled, and the words "mountains and rivers" could be vaguely seen.

Just as he was about to take a closer look, the ground suddenly shook violently and the bookshelves fell like dominoes.

The books fell and scattered in the air like black butterflies flying in the sky.

At the critical moment, Emperor Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty threw out a rope to entangle the fallen bookshelf; Ming general Qi Jiguang leaped up and used his long sword to cut off the beam that was about to hit Acai.

Amidst flying wood chips, everyone continued to climb, and every step was accompanied by the groaning of wooden boards, as if it was the wail of this ancient building.

The moonlight from the top floor shone through the hole and illuminated a tattered ancient book - it was the remaining scroll of "Mountains and Rivers"!

However, when Ah Cai reached out to touch the scroll, countless words suddenly rose into the air and formed a hideous face.

The text spirit's shrill laughter echoed again: "Want to take the remaining scroll of "Mountain and River Scroll"? You have to get past me first!"

The laughter was full of malice, as if foreshadowing the coming of a new and more severe challenge.

Everyone held their weapons tightly, their eyes determined, ready to face the unknown crisis.