How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

Unlike the people on stage who were lost in thought, the audience was more straightforward. Although they were surprised by the war theme proposed by Liu Yin, they did not have many objections. Instead, they were more looking forward to a more amazing performance from these two great lyricists and composers.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn is quickly up. This time, Liu Yin will perform her own lyrics and music first. When she sits in the middle of the stage with her pipa in her arms, she is greeted by the audience's full of anticipation. Liu Yin is full of trepidation. This time, she has taken a risk and chosen a direction that is completely different from what others think. She doesn't know if it will be accepted by the public. She calms herself down and plucks the strings once.

A clang rang out, like the sound of a war drum, but what followed was not the thunder of ten thousand horses and the roar of soldiers fighting, but rather the sound gradually fading away, followed by a desolate voice, like the loneliness of a lone person left in an endless desert.

Fingers flew across the page, tinkling incessantly, as a child, holding flowers, stepped into this blood-soaked world. Broken walls and corpses lay everywhere. The bewildered child climbed the hillside he had just been on, gazing at the still-burning city walls in the distance…

"In the past, war raged, and flames of war filled the land. I beheld cities and towns, reduced to rubble. The living grieved for their parents, utterly destitute and helpless. Oh, heavens, how boundless is your mercy! The wind swept through the desolate streets, chilling the alleys. Corpses littered the fields, their chill like ice. Gathering fragments of rubble, I tried to recall past joys, but as twilight deepened, the cries of sorrow were silenced..."

The children slowly climbed down the hillside and entered the once-prosperous city step by step. The smell of gunpowder and war filled their nostrils, and all they could see was scorched earth. All they could hear was silence.

"Beneath the vast sky, I am but a speck of dust. Mud obscures my form, scars are hard to find. The sky howls, white birds soar. A line of them flies, breaking through the setting sun. Looking afar, the scorched earth resembles the colors of an oil painting. I see them leaping over tracks, crossing fences, scaling stone walls, and piercing iron towers. A hazy beckoning, a call: Follow me. Standing beneath the vast sky, I am but a speck of dust. Mud obscures my form, dampness still lingers..."

She walked toward a courtyard that had long since been deserted and burned to the ground, where a happy family had once lived. She looked around, wondering to whom she should hand the flowers in her hand. Looking down at the flowers, she turned and went back to the hillside, looking at the desolate landscape.

"The clouds part to reveal the sun, and the sunlight shines brightly. The leaves shimmer with green, brimming with life. A flock of white birds flies away into the distance. The spring breeze caresses the face, and all things revive. Tender green shoots emerge, like the light of new life. How true these words are! How true those birds are..."

An eagle soared overhead, its cry echoing across the sky. Sunlight streamed down the earth, and she suddenly saw the prosperity of the past, saw spring arrive, and saw everything restored to its former state, as if the war had never come…

As the music ended and the lyrics faded, the crowd remained immersed in a sense of desolation, helplessness, and sorrow, unable to recover. They seemed to have transformed into that child, not knowing why there was a war, why their homeland had become scorched earth, or where their future lay.

Without waiting for the applause that followed, Liu Yin bowed and withdrew, clutching her pipa. It took a long time for the crowd to react before a thunderous applause and cheers erupted, lingering for a long time…

It wasn't until Master Xu repeatedly reassured everyone that they calmed down and looked forward to Madam Xue's performance. However, Madam Xue's expression was not good at this moment. Ever since she heard Liu Yin's song, she knew that she was doomed to lose this round. But looking at the audience waiting for her to go on stage, she calmed herself down, gave Master Xu a wink, and then went on stage to perform.

Her performance was exactly as Liu Yin had expected. It was the song Liu Yin had proposed to commend the soldiers for their bravery in protecting the country. It was beautiful, which was entirely expected. After listening to Liu Yin's amazing song, everyone was not dissatisfied with it, but they always felt that something was missing. It wasn't until the song ended that everyone gave a hesitant, sparse applause.

The judges' expressions were even more unpleasant. They never expected that the two players' skill levels would differ so greatly in the second piece. In particular, the magistrate and the sub-prefect looked at each other with furrowed brows, unsure whether to proceed with the original plan. They glanced at each other and then turned their gazes to the prefect on the other side.

The prefect cursed the 'fool' inwardly. He wanted to secretly give the other party a wink, but when he looked up and saw that Prince Cui was staring at him with a half-smile, he stopped himself and looked back innocently.

The two men, having received no indication of their intentions, became even more distressed. After exchanging a few words in hushed tones, they decided to try their methods again in the third round.

Master Xu was now pale-faced and sweating profusely. He never expected Liu Yin's piece in the second round to be so strong, completely overwhelming Madam Xue's piece. This meant that the opponent had a sure win in the second round, and if Madam Xue wanted to win, she would have to win from the third round onwards. Otherwise, it would have to be a draw, and he would have to step in and propose an extra round for Madam Xue to win. But at this moment, he had no idea how to make Madam Xue win.

It wasn't until someone urged him that Master Xu realized it was time to introduce the third round. He steadied his trembling hands, took a deep breath, and walked toward the stage. Before he even got on stage, a little maid who was helping him rushed up to him in a panic. Before he could scold her, he felt a piece of paper being stuffed into his palm. After quickly reading it, he breathed a sigh of relief and went on stage with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Congratulations to Instructor Liu for winning seven votes and securing victory in the second round." Before he finished speaking, he continued, "The purpose of this competition was to clear Instructor Liu of the smears. Now that the two pieces have proven Instructor Liu's ability, I believe there is no point in continuing the competition. Moreover, playing six pieces a day would be too taxing for both of you. How about we have three rounds today? What do you two think?"

"I think it's excellent. After all, I'm getting on in years and can't compare to the young and energetic Instructor Liu." Madam Xue looked at Liu Yin with a gratified smile and readily agreed.

Looking at the two, Liu Yin recalled that she seemed to have seen them exchanging glances earlier, and she began to speculate about the change in the rules. Thinking of Madam Xue's eager agreement, she smiled slightly and agreed as well. After all, she was also a little tired, and she didn't believe she would lose the third round.

Seeing that both sides had agreed, Master Xu smiled even more broadly. He cupped his hands towards the audience again and said, "How about we try something different for the third round, so that everyone won't get bored?"

A cheer came from somewhere in the audience: "Bravo!" Immediately, other people joined in the shout. Hearing everyone's approval, Master Xu smiled even more happily. He gestured to the crowd and continued: "For the third round, our Prefect will set the topic, and the two of you will need to compose a piece together."

"I wonder what you mean by the song performed by Master Xu and his companion?" Prince Cui asked with interest.

Master Xu bowed to him before continuing to explain: "First, the two masters need to decide on the order of performance. One master will sing the first stanza, and the other will sing the second stanza, so that it becomes a complete piece of music that fits the theme."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, having never heard of such a format before. However, this piqued their interest, but Liu Yin's heart skipped a beat when she thought of the relationship between Madam Xue and Master Xu…