The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

Jingshi Academy, with its library on the back hill.

The night was as dark as ink, and the cicadas outside the window were chirping loudly, but they couldn't drown out the "scratching" sound of the pen tip frantically scratching the paper inside the room.

Su Shi was completely unaware that a debate about "refined versus popular culture" was about to erupt outside. At this moment, this most popular scholar in the Song Dynasty was completely absorbed in his writing.

At first, he did indeed pinch his nose and look at the few "scribbles" outlines that Jiang Lin gave him with a look of disgust.

In his view, the dramatic snowstorm in Niujia Village and the drinking games of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan were simply a waste of ink.

"Fine, for the sake of the ten strings of cash fee per thousand words, I'll endure it!"

Su Shi sighed and picked up his brush, dipping it in ink. But as he actually wrote the first line, attempting to depict the swirling snow, a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

Although Jiang Lin's outline was crude, its framework was excellent and it was full of conflict.

As Su Shi wrote, his brows gradually relaxed, and his previously somewhat casual posture slowly became upright. In the end, he even leaned on the table.

Who is he? He is Su Zizhan!

He was the originator of the bold and unrestrained style of poetry, as expressed in the line "The great river flows eastward, its waves sweeping away the past."

Ordinary storytellers might write about fights as simply "you punch me, I kick you," but in Su Shi's writing, the scenes are incredibly varied and magnificent.

"No, it would be too simplistic to only describe the loyalty and righteousness of Guo and Yang here."

Su Shi, biting his pen, his eyes gleaming, muttered to himself, "It must have artistic conception! It must have the pain of national crisis! Amidst this wind and snow, there should be an introductory poem to set the tone for the entire book!"

He suddenly stood up, unaware that his sleeve had flipped up the inkstone, staining his cuffs black with ink. Yet, he felt as if he were in the snow-covered Niujia Village, holding not a wolf-hair brush, but a long, blood-stained spear.

As the brush falls, it's like a dream of clashing swords and galloping horses.

When he got emotional while writing, Su Shi couldn't help but grab the teacup on the table, gulp down the already cold leftover tea, and use it as wine, then slapped his thigh hard.

"happy!"

Especially when writing about the character Guo Jing, Su Shi paused slightly.

This silly boy... dull, slow-witted, and stubborn.

Isn't this just like me, someone who was inflexible and constantly running into obstacles in the imperial court?

Su Shi's eyes reddened slightly. He suddenly understood the meaning of Jiang Lin's words, "The greatest heroes are those who uphold the martial arts world." This was not just a story of chivalry; it was written for all those who, though clumsy, still wanted to protect something.

Before we knew it, the candlelight had burned out, and the sky was beginning to lighten.

With a loud "clang".

The wooden door, which had been tightly closed all night, was finally opened.

Jiang Lin was dozing on the steps by the door when he heard the noise. He opened his eyes groggily and was startled by a pale face.

Su Shi had two huge dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and there were several ink stains on his face, making him look like a madman who had just been released from prison. But his eyes were frighteningly bright, and the bloodshot pupils burned with an excited flame.

"Headmaster! It's finished! The first chapter is finished!"

Su Shi waved a thick stack of manuscripts in his hand, his voice hoarse from shouting for a long time, yet it revealed an uncontrollable fervor.

"Take a look! I've added a detail to the 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion Martial Arts Competition' here. The original outline was too dry, so I polished it... Also, for the appearance of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan, I used the imagery of a poem titled 'Water Dragon Chant' to set the stage..."

Jiang Lin took the stack of manuscript papers that were still warm from his body.

The handwriting was hasty and flowing, revealing the writer's passion. Jiang Lin stared at it closely, and after reading only the first few paragraphs, his scalp tingled.

"The mighty Qiantang River flows endlessly day and night, winding past Niujia Village in Lin'an, before flowing eastward into the sea..."

Simple descriptions of scenery, in Su Shi's writing, surprisingly convey a desolate and tragic sense of historical weight.

Jiang Lin was increasingly alarmed as he read on. His gaze quickly moved downwards, and suddenly, his eyes froze on the opening introductory lines.

That was a poem called "Man Jiang Hong".

"Iron cavalry like mountains across the Arctic, golden spears like snow startling the southern shore..."

Jiang Lin murmured the line, feeling a chill run up his spine and straight to the top of his head. "What a powerful 'golden spears like snow'! Zizhan, you've captured that chilling aura perfectly in those few words!"

He continued reading, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Alas, the people have suffered, their blood shed for millennia, and no one has cared!"

Jiang Lin suddenly looked up at Su Shi, his eyes filled with disbelief: "This one sentence... this one sentence elevates the scope tenfold! What was originally just a matter of江湖恩怨 (jianghu grievances) has been transformed into an epic of national history with this one stroke of your pen!"

Su Shi chuckled and rubbed his hands together, looking rather pleased with himself.

Jiang Lin ignored him, his gaze fixed on the last few sentences, his voice involuntarily rising and trembling slightly:

"I will go to Huanglong without regret, and repay my debts with my blood. I will start anew, reclaim our lost land, and dawn will break!"

boom!

Jiang Lin felt his head buzzing.

Is this what they call a dimensional reduction attack?

The story structure, which was originally only at the level of a second-rate online novel, was transformed into the quality of a timeless masterpiece by the writing skills of Su Shi, a literary giant throughout the ages! It's like asking Michelangelo to paint graffiti on the street, and that graffiti can become a work of art.

If this poem were to spread, not to mention the scholars, even the soldiers who only know a few characters would probably be filled with fervor upon hearing it, wishing they could immediately grab their swords and mount their horses!

"Great! That's wonderful!"

Jiang Lin slammed the manuscript shut, and his gaze toward Su Shi changed.

"Zizhan, you made history tonight." Jiang Lin praised him without reservation.

"Hehe, you flatter me, you flatter me." Su Shi rubbed his ink-stained hands sheepishly, then his gaze drifted to Jiang Lin's pouch, a hint of scholar's shyness mixed with a touch of worldly savvy in his eyes. "Um... Headmaster, now that the manuscript is finished, shouldn't we settle our accounts...?"

"What's the rush?"

Jiang Lin suddenly revealed an extremely eerie smile.

He precisely pulled out the first three sheets from the thick stack of manuscripts, and then returned the remaining first part to Su Shi.

"Headmaster, what does this mean?" Su Shi was stunned, not understanding.

"This is called a serialization." Jiang Lin carefully folded the three sheets of paper and tucked them into his robes, keeping them close to his body. "The first issue of the newspaper has limited space, so we only printed up to the point where the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan searched for Guo Jing in the desert for eighteen years and finally found him. But—"

Jiang Lin paused for a moment, then pointed to the remaining manuscript in Su Shi's hand: "However, we haven't taught him martial arts yet, nor have we encountered the Black Wind Duo."

"ah?!"

Su Shi let out a scream, his whole body contorted in panic. "That's the crucial moment! Mei Chaofeng's Nine Yin White Bone Claw is about to unleash its full power, and if the readers see this end, won't they be driven mad with anxiety?!"

As the author, Su Shi knew all too well how agonizing that breaking point was. It was the moment when emotions had reached their peak and were about to be released!

"That's exactly what we want to do, drive them crazy."

Jiang Lin patted Su Shi on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Zizhan, this isn't just literature; it's psychology. This is called 'fragmentation.' Without fragmentation, where does the anticipation come from? If it's not stuck in your throat, who's going to get up early tomorrow morning and wave coins to buy a newspaper?"

Su Shi stared wide-eyed at the man before him.

At this moment, the sunlight shone on Jiang Lin's face, but it could not penetrate the darkness in his eyes.

It's so dirty.

This heart must be black, right? This kind of tactic is a hundred times more cunning than those unscrupulous merchants!

"But...won't we get scolded for that?" Su Shi shrank his neck.

"Being scolded? That's just encouragement." Jiang Lin shrugged nonchalantly, yawned, and said, "Since you're so full of inspiration, Zizhan, don't waste this energy. Strike while the iron is hot and go back to write the second part."

"Wait! I want to sleep! I want to drink! My hands are about to break!" Su Shi protested.

"After you finish writing the second chapter, I'll let you drink that jar of thirty-year-old Daughter's Red wine from that day, plus two roast geese from Fanlou."

"Is this really true?" Su Shi's Adam's apple bobbed.

A gentleman's word is his bond.

"Fine!" Su Shi gritted his teeth, his weariness instantly replaced by his appetite, and turned to go back inside.

"etc."

Jiang Lin suddenly called out to him. At that moment, the laziness and playfulness on his face vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.