How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

When Wenchang and Luren saw that he had actually taken out the manuscript, they looked at each other in bewilderment. They never expected that this man surnamed Liu could actually write a manuscript. You see, the two of them had also tried to imitate it, but this thing seemed simple but it was not so simple. Their writing was nothing like "Candy," which was simple and straightforward yet touching.

Seeing that the two men did not take the manuscript, Liu Ziming chuckled to himself and handed it directly to them, continuing to pretend, "I have only written it briefly and have not proofread it. I would appreciate it if you two brothers could help me correct it."

Wen Chang squinted at him for a moment before taking the manuscript and flipping through it. At first, he read it quite carefully, and his expression was extremely serious. But as he read, his brows and eyes relaxed, and he handed the manuscript, which he had not yet finished reading, to Lu Ren with a smile in his eyes.

Seeing his friend's expression, Lu Ren understood what was going on. He couldn't help but look through the manuscript with curiosity in his eyes. However, just like Wen Chang, he became more and more relaxed as he looked at it, and he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Upon seeing this, Liu Ziming felt a sense of foreboding, but thinking of his extremely satisfactory manuscript, he put aside his sense of crisis and no longer concealed his feelings. He raised his chin arrogantly and said, "Well? Do you two gentlemen have any advice?"

Wen Chang and Lu Ren exchanged a smile, and Wen Chang, seemingly unable to suppress his laughter, said, "Very good, very good. Liu Ziming's masterpiece is truly a rare find."

Although Liu Ziming was proud, he wasn't stupid. He immediately noticed the other party's sarcastic tone and became somewhat angry: "Do you two gentlemen find my humble work unappealing?" After saying that, he added sarcastically, "It's because you two gentlemen prefer those vulgar works that you wouldn't appreciate my piece."

With a "pfft," Wen Chang and Lu Ren couldn't help but burst into laughter. Lu Ren, in particular, pointed at Liu Ziming while laughing and said, "We really can't appreciate Liu Ziming's clumsy work. Why don't we post it out for the whole academy to see?"

Before he could finish speaking, Wen Chang continued, "I'm afraid Liu Ziming has never heard of 'Candy Fruit,' I advise him to give it a listen."

Lu Ren followed up by saying, "That's right. If Liu Ziming is unwilling, I have a copy of the document here that I can lend to Liu Ziming for review."

Hearing the two men's words, Liu Ziming knew perfectly well that they looked down on his work. He was so angry that his face turned red. He looked around at his classmates in the classroom. Although they were curious about what was going on, they couldn't help but turn their gaze away when he looked over. When he saw Li Mozhu and Zhang Ziheng, his eyes lit up and he said, "Brother Li, your writing is excellent. Brother Zhang, you are knowledgeable. I trust you two more. Why don't you two help the three of us judge? I don't believe that my work is inferior to a prostitute in a brothel."

Li Mozhu did not agree directly. Instead, she looked at Liu Ziming seriously and said, "Liu Ziming, you must not speak recklessly. That Liu Jianniang, the instructor, is an instructor hired by Qingyin Hall. She is a respectable girl from a respectable family and not some prostitute. Do not slander her reputation."

Liu Ziming wanted to ask what the difference was, but seeing Li Mozhu's serious expression, he realized that he shouldn't offend him by asking for his opinion, so he stammered, "Yes, yes, I misspoke. Please forgive me, gentlemen."

Li Mozhu nodded before stepping forward and picking up the manuscript from the table. After carefully reviewing it, he frowned and said to Liu Ziming, "I know that you are a man of great literary talent, but this article is indeed inferior to the work of Instructor Liu."

His words caused Liu Ziming's expression to change drastically, and he shouted incredulously, "Impossible! How could a prostitute write better than me?"

Just as Li Mozhu was about to explain, the teacher outside the door coughed loudly and scolded, "This is the time for reading, why are you making such a racket!"

Upon seeing the gentleman enter, Liu Ziming hurriedly bowed and apologized. Li Mozhu also turned to return to his seat, but before leaving, he said to Liu Ziming as if he couldn't bear it, "Liu Ziming, why don't you go and read that work and you'll know."

Liu Ziming was already flushed with anger. He had initially thought Li Mozhu was a person of great insight and talent, but now he felt that the other party was nothing special. When class ended, he angrily shoved Li and Zhang aside, who were chatting, and left without the slightest apology.

Li Mozhu pulled back Zhang Ziheng, who was about to get angry, and advised him, "Why argue with him? Anyone who has heard of or read Liu Jiaosi's excellent works will not support him."

Zhang Ziheng raised an eyebrow and glanced at Li Mozhu, saying with a hint of surprise, "Mozhu actually has such insightful views. I thought you would righteously criticize him."

Li Mozhu ignored him, only glancing at him and saying, "I won't argue with a fool." Then she turned and left, and Zhang Ziheng chuckled and followed her.

After storming out of the academy, Liu Ziming boarded a carriage and headed home. All along the way, he heard people discussing Liu Jiaosi, the author of "Candy," which only fueled his anger. He was especially furious when he heard his servant excitedly telling him about the excitement on the street. He didn't let out a cold snort until he got out of the carriage and entered his house with a heart full of rage.

After sitting down in his study and downing several cups of cold tea, he called in a servant: "Mingxiang, go! Find me the manuscript about that fruit on the street!"

The servant boy, who was only sixteen or seventeen years old and was called Mingxiang, was stunned for a moment when he heard the request before replying in a low voice: "Young master, there are no books for selling this story on the street yet, only storytelling and performances by storytellers."

"Idiot! How come I have such an idiot by my side?" Liu Ziming was speechless with anger at his servant. He picked up a teacup from the table and threw it at him before shouting sternly, "Since you don't have it, then go find someone to listen to it and write it down! I want the story exactly as it is. I don't care what method you use, send it to me tonight."

Seeing his anger, the servant nodded repeatedly in fear and ran out quickly. Liu Ziming was even more furious at his appearance.

The events at Wenyuan Academy did not affect Dao Liuyin at all. After returning from the Zhang family, she revised the poem about the singing bird into lyrics and music, and planned to send it to Qingyin Hall next month. She then asked Mei Wu to send a letter to her master, saying that she would be in seclusion for the next few days to write lyrics and music, and that the classes would be changed to once every ten days. She also carefully instructed Mei Wu: "Take the roll of cloth that I bought the other day to my master, and just say that I am really too busy to go and will visit my master next month."

After carefully noting it down, Mei took the fabric to Madam An's place. She didn't mention the rest, but when she returned and reported back, she said, "Miss, Madam An said that she was just about to arrange for someone to tell you that you are very busy with the manuscript, and that you don't need to be bound by time to visit in the future. You can just ask her if you have any questions. She also said that the fabric you chose is very good, and she likes it very much."

After Liu Yin nodded in agreement, she dismissed Mei Wu and then went into seclusion again. Little did she know that as her story and fame spread further, the rumors surrounding her became increasingly exaggerated, leading a self-important master from several cities to vow to have a duel with her to prove who was the best lyricist and composer...