All Heavens and Worlds Starting from the Night Watchman

Chapter 016: No Need to Worry About Having No Friends, for the World Will Recognize You

Poetry, at its core, is about mastering tonal patterns. Xu Qi’an knew that in this era, only Lin Qi’ye could match him in this regard!

Now that Lin Qi’ye had given him a chance to shine, if he didn’t seize it, wouldn’t that mean letting Lin Qi’ye steal all the glory?

Everyone here had gone through nine years of compulsory education. There were many classic poems they had to memorize. Even if they only remembered a few dozen, that was more than enough to earn a good reputation.

Xu Qi’an pondered. There were too many farewell poems—how many could he recall? He quickly sifted through his memory.

His aunt, Li Ru, noticed his silence and sneered, “Ningyan, in the entire Xu family, only Nian’er has any literary talent. The rest of you? Forget composing poetry—you can barely write legible characters!”

If you couldn’t even write properly, thinking about composing poetry was nothing short of a fantasy.

Xu Pingzhi remained silent. He had no way to refute her—because, well, she wasn’t wrong.

Lin Qi’ye, however, disagreed. “That’s not true at all. Are noble titles passed down through bloodlines?”

“There’s no such thing as being ‘suited’ for something. It’s all about effort. Ningyan is someone who works hard in private—he has 120GB of study materials.”

The crowd was baffled. Study materials?

Meanwhile, Xu Qi’an had already recalled a poem. He raised his voice and recited:

“The setting sun dims behind a thousand miles of yellow clouds.”

Li Ru and Xu Pingzhi ignored him. They didn’t believe for a second that Xu Qi’an could truly compose poetry.

Xu Xinnian, however, furrowed his brows. Perhaps it was just the first line, but it didn’t sound bad. It didn’t seem like nonsense—the structure was well-balanced, and the tonal patterns were correct.

Then, Xu Qi’an continued:

“The northern wind drives the wild geese as snow flutters down.”

The moment these two lines were spoken, a vivid scene unfolded in everyone’s mind.

Xu Xinnian’s eyes lit up instantly!

Xu Lingyue, who had been watching Lin Qi’ye, couldn’t help but turn her gaze toward her eldest brother, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.

Could her cousin truly compose poetry?

Or was this something Lin Qi’ye had written for him? After all, the two had an extraordinary bond.

But Lin Qi’ye seemed genuinely confident in her brother’s talent. And her brother… had changed a lot. Maybe they never really understood him.

Perhaps this was who he truly was. In the past, he had merely chosen to keep a low profile.

Xu Xinnian, intrigued by the first two lines, waited eagerly for more. But after a long pause, Xu Qi’an still hadn’t spoken.

Xu Xinnian urged, “What’s next?”

Xu Qi’an gave his aunt a casual glance and said with a calm expression, “How would I know? The Xu family doesn’t have the ‘gene’ for poetry.”

Li Ru understood immediately—he was mocking her remark from earlier, proving that the Xu family was indeed capable of producing poets.

She asked, “Is this poem any good?”

The others either didn’t understand or remained silent, but Xu Lingyue softly replied, “It’s very evocative.”

Although she hadn’t read extensively, she loved books and could tell this was a well-crafted piece.

Xu Qi’an took a sip of tea and leisurely continued:

“No need to worry about having no friends, for the world will recognize you.”

The moment these words were spoken, the most well-read person in the room, Xu Xinnian, trembled slightly.

The first two lines had already been impressive, but these last two? They were nothing short of legendary!

“No need to worry about having no friends, for the world will recognize you…”

Xu Xinnian’s hand shook. A brilliant poem—truly a masterpiece!

Xu Lingyue shuddered as well. These lines were simply too beautiful!

She didn’t know much about poetry, but words of such exquisite beauty resonated deeply, shaking her soul.

And the way Xu Qi’an had recited them—his tone, his demeanor—it was flawless, as if a farewell scene had come to life before their eyes.

Unable to contain himself, Xu Xinnian slowly rose to his feet and recited:

“The setting sun dims behind a thousand miles of yellow clouds.

The northern wind drives the wild geese as snow flutters down.

No need to worry about having no friends, for the world will recognize you.”

“Marvelous!”

“What a poem!”

Xu Xinnian may not have been a master poet, but as a scholar, he could recognize a masterpiece when he saw one.

Lin Qi’ye clapped enthusiastically and turned to the others. “I told you, Ningyan just doesn’t like to show off.”

“I dare say, if poetic talent were divided into ten parts, Ningyan alone would claim eight!”

Xu Qi’an rolled his eyes at him. Oh, come on. They might not know, but you do!

He countered, “Lin Qi’ye, you’ve got it backward. You should be the one claiming eight parts.”

Lin Qi’ye grinned. “Ningyan, don’t be so modest. Others may not know your talent, but I do. ‘Overflowing with literary genius and a mind rich with knowledge’—that describes you perfectly.”

“Quit joking. I can’t even compose poetry…”

The two of them continued their exaggerated praise of each other, leaving the others speechless. Only Li Ru was visibly irritated by their antics.

That said, the deep bond between the two made the Xu family members envious. Who wouldn’t want such a close friend?

Just a moment ago, they had all looked down on Ningyan, convinced he couldn’t compose poetry. Now, he had proven them wrong.

Xu Xinnian, still in awe, asked, “When did you learn to compose poetry?”

As his family, they should have known him best, yet Lin Qi’ye, an outsider, seemed to understand him better. How embarrassing!

Xu Qi’an replied, “I told you, I don’t know how to compose poetry.”

Li Ru was both frustrated and amused. She had merely suggested that no one in the Xu family had poetic talent.

And yet, Xu Qi’an had taken that statement and repeatedly used it to rub salt in her wounds.

But deep down, she was happy. No matter what, he was still family. His poem could even help her son build connections with the academy’s senior scholars.

“Big Brother,” Xu Xinnian said, “can I use this poem? I happen to need a farewell poem.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to credit you properly.”

He knew that if he recited this poem during tomorrow’s farewell ceremony for a respected elder, it would surely cause a sensation.

He had no intention of taking credit for it—he just needed a poem.

“Go ahead,” Xu Qi’an said indifferently. “It’s just one poem. If it helps, that’s a good thing.”

If it had been for wooing women, that would have been a different story. But using it to gain favor with influential scholars? He’d gladly provide ten poems if necessary.

Seeing Xu Qi’an’s generosity, Xu Xinnian quickly expressed his gratitude. “Thank you, Big Brother! Oh, by the way, what’s the title?”

Xu Qi’an frowned slightly. “I forgot. No idea.”

Everyone was speechless. How do you forget something like that?

Xu Qi’an turned to Lin Qi’ye. “I’ve done my part. What about you? Let’s hear one from you.”

All eyes shifted to Lin Qi’ye, filled with anticipation—especially Xu Lingyue’s.

Lin Qi’ye smiled and shook his head. “Alright, I’ll give it a try. But don’t laugh if it’s bad.”

“The sheep wails as we part, the west wind whispers through autumn.

A glance back breaks the heart—go forth, but do not look back.”

While it wasn’t as earth-shattering as Xu Qi’an’s poem, it was still an excellent piece.

Everyone recognized that Lin Qi’ye had deliberately held back, allowing Xu Qi’an to shine this time.

A true friend indeed.

Xu Qi’an felt warmth in his heart. A brother for life.

With the matter settled, everyone chatted and laughed together, enjoying the warm sunshine of the day.