After hearing Ethan Brooks's words, this young master suddenly clapped his hands and said, “‘Snow drifts down from the heavens in June, covering the streets front and back in jade; one day when the sky clears, those with brooms use brooms, those with shovels use shovels.’ Wonderful, wonderful! This brother truly understands my thoughts. How about this, I’ll pay your registration fee. But do you also have a poem ready?”

Ethan Brooks smiled slightly and said, “How can I accept such kindness? But I do have a poem ready: ‘Shredded goose feathers dance in the air, inside and outside the city not a speck of earth; glazed green tiles turn to silver, the whole of Xizhou Prefecture is covered in paste.’”

“Wonderful, wonderful... Brother, you are truly a talented man.” With that, the young master hurriedly took out six silver dollars and handed them to the registration desk. He and Ethan Brooks both registered and each received a badge. Then he pulled Ethan Brooks aside and said, “I am William Carter, may I ask your esteemed name, brother?”

Ethan Brooks put away the badge and then said, “We are both men of talent wandering the world; why must we have met before to be friends? Pleased to meet you, Brother Xuewen. Let’s meet again at tomorrow’s poetry contest.”

With that, Ethan Brooks cupped his fists, took Little Ethan by the hand, and bid farewell to Olivia Carter. He had no interest in getting to know this so-called talented man.

Olivia Carter immediately exclaimed, “Dressed in Western cowboy attire, speaking in verse—truly a hero!” Then he rushed to the registration desk to check, muttering, “So his name is Ethan Brooks. Truly shining like a star.”

……

“Charlotte, is that man really wearing Western cowboy clothes? How come I’ve never heard of such a thing?” By the window of a distant small building, a woman in a light yellow dress pulled at another woman in a pale blue floral dress and asked.

“Actually, I haven’t heard of it either. My master may not have traveled the entire Jiushen Continent, but she’s been to dozens of countries, including those in the West, and she’s never mentioned Western cowboy attire. But this man speaks in verse, so he doesn’t seem like a fraud. And his last words, ‘We are both men of talent wandering the world; why must we have met before to be friends?’—I think they’re quite poetic, though it feels like something is missing…” The woman called Charlotte frowned slightly, her beautiful face looking even more elegant.

“I actually think he’s an interesting person. I don’t quite agree with you; I think he might really be a fraud. He tricked that William Carter into paying his registration fee. Hehe, Charlotte, could he be here for you too? He looks like he can barely afford to eat, so skinny, and even his companion is just as thin. It’s really amusing.” The woman in the light yellow dress said with a laugh.

The woman called Charlotte shook her head and said, “Actually, I don’t really understand why my master asked me to host this poetry contest. She said I need some poetry to comprehend certain things, or I’ll never have a chance to break through to Two-Star Scholar.”

“You mean your master wants you to select a few talented scholars and use poetry to help you break through your bottleneck?” the woman in the yellow dress asked in surprise.

The woman called Charlotte nodded again. “In the Bingfeng Sect, every time we hit a bottleneck, we need a stroke of fate. My master once met a down-and-out scholar, and after hearing three of his poems, she had an epiphany and advanced to Three-Star General. I’ve been stuck at Two-Star for a long time, and my master thinks I should seek enlightenment in the mortal world. She said that for our sect, moving from Two-Star to Three-Star, aside from fate, poetic inspiration is also a good method.”

“But Charlotte, do you really think those poems just now could help you have an epiphany? That’s just…” The woman in the yellow dress was at a loss for words.

The woman called Charlotte smiled sweetly, like a spring breeze, and said, “I also find it funny, but this Ethan Brooks is indeed a bit interesting, just as you said. Let’s see how his poetry is tomorrow.”

……

“Mr. Ethan, you really have a way with things. That Olivia Carter actually volunteered to pay your registration fee.” Brian Cooper was full of excitement.

But Ethan Brooks just smiled wryly and shook his head. If he had a choice, he really wouldn’t stoop to such tricks to get the registration fee. Still, it wasn’t exactly a scam—at least he’d said two true things to Olivia Carter.

“Mr. Ethan, what do we do now?” Brian Cooper asked again.

“Now we go and perfect this set of Western cowboy attire.” Ethan Brooks pulled Brian Cooper along to buy some props.

They needed a thin piece of bamboo, some paste and fine thread, and a good sheet of white paper—oh, and a small knife.

“Mr. Ethan, what are you buying all this for?” Brian Cooper couldn’t figure out what Ethan Brooks was up to, so he had to ask.

Chapter 013: The Indecency Four Years Ago

“Just watch and you’ll see.” Ethan Brooks took the small knife and quickly shaved the thin bamboo into slender, thin strips. Before long, a paper fan appeared in Ethan Brooks’s hand.

“Mr. Ethan, is this a fan? And it folds?” Brian Cooper stared blankly at the fan in Ethan Brooks’s hand, not understanding why he’d made such a thing, especially since the weather wasn’t even hot.

Ethan Brooks smiled and said, “This will be useful tomorrow. It’s called ‘bluffing,’ understand?”

“A folding bluff?” Brian Cooper looked at the paper fan, wondering what Mr. Ethan was thinking. It was clearly just a paper fan, but Mr. Ethan insisted on calling it a bluff.