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

"vulgarian?"

Upon hearing this, Su Shi not only felt no shame, but instead threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound of his laughter making the wine cups on the table vibrate.

He grabbed the wine jug, and without even using a cup, tilted his head back and took a big gulp. The wine dripped down his beard and onto his clothes, revealing a touch of wildness and unruliness.

"Miss Qin Cao, you live in Fanlou, surrounded by fine clothes and delicacies. All you see is the bustling prosperity of Bianjing, and all you hear is this decadent music."

Su Shi casually wiped his mouth with his sleeve, his eyes blurry with drunkenness as he stared intently at the beauty behind the curtain:

Do you know that in the vast desert thousands of miles away, the wind and sand are like knives, and people's hearts are as hard as iron? Do you know that what is called "vulgarity" is precisely the hottest blood in this world?

Qin Cao frowned slightly, her fingers pressing on the strings, and said coldly, "Young master is drunk. What do the desert sands have to do with me? I only know that the teachings of the sages are to convey the Way through literature, not those vulgar tales of fighting and killing in the marketplace."

"Wrong! Utterly wrong!"

Su Shi suddenly stood up and slammed his folding fan on the table with a loud "bang," as if he were hitting not wood, but worldly prejudice.

"As Jiang Shanchang once said: 'The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people!' If one cannot even write what the common people enjoy, how can one talk about education? Today, I, Su, will show you what true 'refinement' is, and what true 'jianghu' (the world of martial arts) is!"

Fueled by the alcohol, Su Shi recalled the scene Jiang Lin had described that day. He took a deep breath, his voice no longer gentle as usual, but desolate and powerful:

"The tide rises over the Qiantang River, and only today do I realize who I truly am... That Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi, as the tide surges in the blue sea, he plays his jade flute, a song that breaks my heart, where in this world can I find a kindred spirit!"

Qin Cao originally intended to be sarcastic, but when she heard the seven words "The tide rises over the blue sea, pressing the jade flute," her fingertips trembled involuntarily.

She was a connoisseur of music, and with just those seven words, she instantly conjured up a breathtaking image in her mind: towering waves and a solitary figure playing the flute.

Su Shi became more and more excited as he spoke. He paced around the private room, his folding fan transforming into a long sword. He was no longer reciting poems and essays, but rather excerpts from the "Huashan Sword Debate" that had not been published in "The Eagle Shooting the Condor Heroes".

"Atop Mount Hua, the cold wind howled. Five peerless masters, exchanging martial arts, fought for seven days and seven nights! Wang Chongyang, the Central Divine, shattered the sky with a single finger; Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar, wielded the unparalleled power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms..."

As Su Shi began to speak, the atmosphere in the private room changed.

The originally ambiguous and alluring fragrance seemed to be blown away by a fierce gust of wind.

Qin Cao's gaze shifted from initial disdain to surprise, then to seriousness, and finally to an undisguised fervor.

She seemed to see heroes and valiant men drinking and laughing amidst the swirling snow; she saw the helplessness and resolute determination of lovers when the country was shattered.

This isn't just a story from the streets; it's a world forged with words! A world more real and more thrilling than Fanlou itself!

"Zheng—"

The music suddenly changed.

Qin Cao no longer played the tender and poignant "Phoenix Seeking Its Mate." Her fingertips danced wildly on the strings, and the music became passionate and high-pitched, like the clash of swords and the sifting of sand by great waves. It was as if she was subconsciously providing background music for Su Shi's story!

"Excellent! What a masterful display of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms!"

When Su Shi spoke of the saying "the dragon soars too high and then regrets it," Qin Cao couldn't help but let out a delicate shout, completely losing her aloof and elegant demeanor.

She pushed aside the guqin, grabbed a wolf-hair brush from the table, and disregarding her precious Shu brocade skirt, began to write furiously on the hem, recording every word that Su Shi uttered.

"Young Master Su... please speak slowly! What exactly is the opening of the Nine Yin Manual? What happened to Huang Yaoshi afterward?" Qin Cao's eyes shone brightly, his gaze more intense than if he had seen a chest full of gold and silver.

Su Shi let out a burp, looking at the courtesan in front of him who had instantly transformed into a "fangirl," and secretly felt pleased: The teacher was right, in the face of absolute content advantage, all aloofness is just a paper tiger!

"Want to know?" Su Shi blinked. "To be continued."

"You—" Qin Cao's chest heaved with anger. She was about to beg for more when she heard a loud "bang."

The screen in the private room was kicked over violently.

Wang Wenxuan, his face ashen, led four burly men who rushed out from behind.

He originally wanted to see Su Shi indulging in sensual pleasures and making a fool of himself, but who would have thought that the two of them would actually hold a "new book launch"?

Especially when he saw Qin Cao's expression, as if she wanted to stick to Su Shi and ask for spoilers, Wang Wenxuan was furious.

"You slut!" Wang Wenxuan pointed at Qin Cao and cursed, "I paid a fortune to send you here to seduce him, and you came here to listen to my story? Have you no shame?"

Qin Cao paused, then slowly raised her head. The fervor in her eyes faded, replaced by a cool indifference, even more sharp than before.

"Young Master Wang, be careful what you say." Qin Cao carefully held the skirt covered in writing in her hands, as if it were a priceless treasure.

"How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan? Young Master Su has profound thoughts in his heart and a vast universe in his writing. If Young Master Wang cannot understand, then it can only mean that... this 'Elegant Gazette' is indeed only fit to wrap fried dough sticks."

"You...you've gone too far!" Wang Wenxuan trembled with anger, feeling as if his intelligence was being rubbed into the ground.

Even prostitutes look down on him?

"Tie him up!" Wang Wenxuan, having completely abandoned all pretense of civility, roared at the servants behind him, "Tie up this Su fellow and take him back! And this bitch, take her away too!"

Four burly men pounced on Su Shi like wolves and tigers.

Although Su Shi had practiced sword dancing for a few days, he was, after all, a weak scholar, and coupled with being drunk, he was no match for these thugs.

However, when faced with the oncoming fists and sacks, Su Shi did not panic. Instead, his eyes lit up and he revealed an extremely strange expression.

He didn't resist, but staggered back a step, pointed at Wang Wenxuan and laughed loudly: "Wonderful! Wonderful! Young Master Wang, I never expected you to be so dedicated!"

The servant, who was about to take action, froze.

Even the furious Wang Wenxuan was stunned: "Are you crazy? What are you laughing at?"

"I laugh at my teacher for being so insightful!" Su Shi, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, pointed at Wang Wenxuan's nose with an expression that said, "I see right through you."

"The headmaster said that in order to promote 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' we need to create some big news that will shake the whole city. Is this what they call 'immersive marketing'?"

Su Shi clapped his hands, his face full of admiration: "Young Master Wang, to cooperate with our publicity, you actually personally played the villain 'Wanyan Honglie'?"

"Has the headmaster settled your performance fee? If not, I'll follow up with him later!"

Wang Wenxuan: "???"

The servants: "..."

The entire private room fell into a deathly silence.

Wang Wenxuan felt like a million alpacas were stampeding through his mind. What the hell is this immersive marketing?! What the hell is this Wanyan Honglie?! I'm really going to kidnap you!

"What are you all standing there for! Gag him! Put the gag on him!" Wang Wenxuan roared hysterically.

The servants snapped out of their daze and hurriedly pinned Su Shi down, roughly shoving a musty-smelling sack over his head.

Just as Su Shi was about to be completely enveloped, Qin Cao, who had been observing coldly, suddenly moved.

She pretended to be pushed by a servant, and stumbled into Su Shi. Under the cover of her sleeve, a cool jade hairpin silently slipped into Su Shi's sleeve.

At the same time, she leaned close to Su Shi's ear and said quickly and clearly in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Young master, do not forget, the chrysanthemums are blooming by the eastern fence of Fanlou!"

The next second, the sack was tightly tied shut.

"Mmmmmm!"

A muffled shout came from inside the sack.

Looking at the writhing sack on the ground, Wang Wenxuan finally regained a bit of his villainous dignity and grinned maliciously:

"Su Zizhan, you dare call yourself a talented scholar? After tonight, let's see how you'll maintain your footing in Bianjing!"

However, before he could finish his harsh words, Su Shi's excited roar came from inside the sack. Although it was somewhat distorted by the sack, the excitement was undeniable:

"Yes! That's the right amount of force! That feeling of suffocation...it's so realistic! This is exactly how Guo Jing felt when he was trapped in the Mongol camp! Young Master Wang, your acting is great, tighten it a bit more! I think I've got another idea!"