Becoming a Saint by Leisure Reading - Chapter 61

Rewinding the time to around an hour ago.

The wind is violent, the north wind building.

Nan Yuanxi took a deep breath, drank the herbal tea to moisten his throat, raised his head high, and walked up the stairs.

　　His figure just appeared on the platform, and there was already a burst of applause from the audience.

　　The students of Zheliu Academy frowned, this situation made them recall the imagery of street performers, which made them feel insulted.

　　Nan Yuanxi was already accustomed to this kind of support. He glanced around at his surroundings, his eyes paused slightly at the position where the students of Zheliu Academy were, and then moved away.

　　”Everyone, good morning.” Nan Yuanxi bowed his hands and slowly got up.

　　”Mr. Nan, let’s talk about Zhong Kui, I wasn’t able to come to the “wake up early” yesterday and because of that I have not been happy all day.” A rich man in luxurious clothes shouted.

　　Nan Yuanxi shook his head slightly and turned around, the full text of “Lady Du” flashed in his mind, and an inexplicable emotion was born in Nan Yuanxi’s body.

　　Looking at Nan Yuanxi, who turned his back to the crowd, the people in the audience were clueless as to what was happening for a while. Just when they were about to discuss this in private, Nan Yuanxi suddenly turned his head and shouted: “Damn it!”

　　Everyone was startled by the sudden shout, and they all gathered their attention in an instant to look at Nan Yuanxi again.

　　Nan Yuan exhaled a long breath: “Today, I will take the courage to share a wonderful article with you. Everyone, listen carefully-“

　　…

　　”She has the surname Ji, her given name is Du Ming, ranked tenth, and everyone in the courtyard called her Du Shiniang. She was born—”

　　”Her whole body is graceful, and she was fragrant,

　　The two curved eyebrows are drawn with green mountains in the distance, and the pair of eyes are like bright and hydrated autumn.

　　Face like lotus calyx, lips like cherry,

　　A pitiful piece of flawless jade that fell into the mortal world and among the flowers by mistake. 

　　”Then Du Shiniang, who lost her chastity at the age of thirteen, is now 19 years old. In the past seven years, nobody knows how many sons and grandchildren she has gone through. One by one, they were fascinated, and they would not hesitate to go bankrupt. There were four lines of rumor about the courtyard. The slogan says:

　　If there is Du Shiniang at the same table, drinking as many as a thousand cups you can do.

　　If you know Ms. Du, thousands of other beauties with white faces and red lips will only look like ghosts to you. “

　　When Nan Yuanxi said this, he paused slightly, only to hear the sound of swallowing saliva from the audience. Especially the young students of Zheliu Academy, all of them gave up the breakfast food in their hands, and both men and women listened attentively.

　　This scene made the face of the Wang scholar who brought the students here slightly darkened. How could such vulgar words be heard by the students? It’s just that he was very fascinated by what he heard, and was really reluctant to interrupt, so he made up his mind that after returning to the academy, all the students should be punished by copying the “Book of Gentlemen” ten times.

　　…

　　Then the story gets to the point, Confucian scholar Li Jia and Du Shiniang are in love with each other and enjoy each other’s company. Helpless, Li Jia had no ability, and in order to stay with Du Shiniang, he spent all the money that was saved for his studies. In the end, he could only live in Du Shiniang’s small courtyard.

　　Fortunately, Du Shiniang was also infatuated with Li Jia and cut off contact with her past benefactors. This annoyed the old brothel keeper who was relying on Du Shiniang to make money. The old brothel keeper provoked Li Jia and said cruel words that if he took out three hundred gold, she would let Du Shiniang regain her freedom. However, Du Shiniang decided to die! Her reasoning she listed one by one-

　　It’s always been difficult to measure the sea, and it’s ridiculous that the brothel keeper thinks her bad intentions are not known;

　　It is expected that the bottom of the poor scholar’s pockets is already exhausted, making it more difficult for him to find the money and gifts to get a wife.

　　When Nan Yuanxi reached this point in the story, he made another stop and took a sip of tea. Everyone in the audience was full of joy, and there was no one in the world who didn’t want the lovers to be married in the end. No matter how difficult it was for Li Jia, after all, he was still a son coming from a big family, it should not be difficult to raise three hundred gold.

　　…

　　Nan Yuanxi continued to go down, and the story progressed abruptly. Li Jia asked fellow villagers, visited relatives and friends, and for several days, he could not raise a single penny. Li Jia didn’t dare to go back to see Du Shiniang, so he had to stay with his fellow villager Liu Yuchun, but Liu Yuchun thought the beauty was trying to use a traditional trick to chase customers away, and persuaded Li Jia to cut off the relationship early.

　　Seeing that the deadline was approaching, Du Shiniang couldn’t see Li Jia’s figure and sent someone to look for him. Li Jia could only cry out, “No one believes that borrowing money is extremely difficult!”

　　When everyone in the audience heard this, they all had a sullen faces. Among the students, there was even a female student who reprimanded in a low voice “what a loser”!

　　At this time, Master Wang felt that there was something wrong with this story, and some emotions were unknowingly brewing in him.

　　…

　　Du Shiniang prepared wine and food and went to comfort Li Jia. She also told Li Jia that she had accumulated a total of 150 taels of silver over the years and gave them all to Li Jia. It’s just the other half that needs to be collected by Li Jia. Li Jia told Liu Yuchun about this, and Liu Yuchun realized that Du Shiniang was sincere, and immediately borrowed Li Jia’s money which helped Li Jia complete the three hundred taels of silver he needed…

　　…

　　At this point in the story, everyone’s hanging hearts finally calmed down. In any case, Li Jia collected enough money. Next, the prostitute tried to take back her words, but was forced by Du Shiniang. In the end, Du Shiniang finally got her freedom and left Yanjing with Li Jia. Before leaving, Du Shiniang took Li Jia to say goodbye to her sisters, and was given some extra money for their journey. ”

　　Du Shiniang knew Li Jia’s father well and suggested that she should not be in a hurry to change surnames and live together with Li Jia elsewhere. After Li Jia communicated with his father properly, it would not be too late for her to return home with him. Li Jia went along with the flow and took Du Shiniang on a tour of the mountains and waters, but all the expenses were paid by Du Shiniang. Within half a year, the gold and silver money bottomed out again…

　　”Crack!” A student slapped the table and said angrily, “Which academy’s disciple is this, Mr. Nan, tell me, I will teach him a good lesson!”

　　”Yeah, let’s go together, he’s really destroying my Confucian sect’s face!” The students were rowdy for a while.

　　Teacher Wang patted the table, “Silence!”

　　When the students heard the teacher’s voice, they quickly closed their mouths. Teacher Wang bowed his hands towards Nanyuan Xi: “The younger generation is full of blood and easily impulsive, Mr. Nan, please continue!”

　　Nan Yuan returned a salute before continuing to speak.

　　…

　　The story soon tells that the son of a rich family, Sun Fu, encounters Du Shiniang by chance, and he is shocked. Therefore, he deliberately interacted with Li Jia, and after several exchanges, he was narrated as a confidant of Li Jia’s. After the two became acquainted, Li Jia did not hide his problems and told Sun Fu that he was short of money that’s why he did not dare to take Du Shiniang home. This suited Sun Fu’s desire.

　　Sun Fu pretended to be planning for Li Jia, saying that he was willing to give a thousand dollars in exchange for Du Shiniang and let Li Jia return home. He also slandered Du Shiniang. Saying that as a mere prostitute, how could she have a long-term relationship? She only just used Li Jia to buy her freedom, and it will inevitably cause unrest in the family in the future.

　　Because of Sun Fu’s rhetoric, Li Jia was confused and even agreed for Sun Fu to go back home alone and discuss this conversation with Du Shiniang!

　　…

　　There was a sound of teacup shattering from the audience, and everyone followed the sound and saw that the teacup in Master Wang’s hand had turned into a pile of porcelain pieces. Master Wang waved his hand: “That was an accident. Mr. Nan, please continue!”

　　Nan Yuanxi nodded and continued to narrate the last part of the story…

　　It was said that after Li Jia returned, he sighed and tossed and turned. Du Shiniang was smart and knew that Li Jia had something that he was hiding from her. After asking again and again, Li Jia finally told Du Shinian what he had discussed with Sun Fu.

　　Du Shiniang felt that behind Li Jia’s words, there was already a will to act, so she agreed with a sneer.

　　Sun Fu was overjoyed when he learned that Du Shiniang had agreed, and came to pick her up by boat. Du Shiniang personally inspected the thousand taels of silver sent by Sun Fu and handed it over to Li Jia. She also brought the small box that had always been with her.

　　Du Shiniang pulled the lock and opened the box, and asked Li Jia to open its first level to look at it, only to see a pair of jade earrings, a cascading hair ornament, and more jade earrings, which filled the level to the brim, and were worth about several hundred golds. Du Shiniang picked up this level and threw it into the river.

　　Afterward, Du Shiniang asked Li Jia to open the second level, which was a golden and jade flute; to open the third floor to find ancient jade and purple-gold toys, which were worth thousands of gold. Du Shiniang casually threw these two layers of wooden boxes into the river. The people on the shore formed a block of viewers. In unison, they say: “What a pity, what a pity!”

　　Du Shiniang drew the last box again, opened the box, and looked at it. The Pearl of Luminous Night was around the size of an adult’s hand. Other emeralds, cat’s eyes, and all kinds of rare treasures which one cannot easily see before and impossible to determine the price were now on display.

　　”A lowly girl like me still has a jade-like value, but I hate that there are no pearls in the eyes of my husband. At the end of the day, we still got trapped and troubled by the wind and by dust. When I tried to get out of my situation, I was abandoned. Now everyone has their own eyes and ears, and you can become my witnesses. This girl did not betray the husband, it is the husband that has forsaken me!”

　　Du Shiniang held the treasure box and jumped to the center of the river. The crowd screamed for help. But they could only see the dark clouds at the heart of the river, the waves were strong, and there was no trace of Du Shiniang. It’s a pity that a famous concubine who was once like a flower and a jade, is now buried in the belly of a river fish!

　　Life on earth is easily forgotten in the greater course of things, and when life ends the soul enters the underworld.

　　…

　　Having narrated all these, Nan Yuan exhaled a long breath, tears in his eyes, and his fists clenched tightly. There was silence under the stage, and there were a few cries from the female disciples from the academy!

　　”This is making this old man!” Master Wang suddenly stood up and shouted angrily, “Mr. Nan, don’t try to cover up for the wicked. How could this matter be fictional? Tell the old man where Li Jia and Sun Fu are! The world cannot contain such vile beings!”

　　”Exactly! I can disregard my cultivation just to fight them to death!” Seeing that the teacher was so riled up, the academy disciples suddenly shouted as if they had been injected with energy.

　　”Count us in!” At the same time, those ordinary people also clenched their fists, and their faces flushed.

　　Nan Yuanxi was about to explain when he suddenly sensed the surging righteousness in his body, and a thought came into his mind.

　　”The famous prostitutes in the city are looking for love, and it is difficult to find it when they are in a brothel.

　　Grievances and resentment under the red candles of the Qing and Shang Dynasty, in front of the fragrant cold and green sleeves and green bottles.

　　There is no bright moon in the north, and the eyes are looking at Jiangnan to relay a dream.

　　However, the east wind blows the thin grass, leaving a tragic and solemn warning. 

　　A poem came out from Nan Yuanxi’s mouth, and in an instant, Nan Yuanxi’s whole body was full of blue light, and there seemed to be the sound of a ghost whimpering in the blue light.

　　The pen falls to shock the wind and rain, and the poem becomes the weeping ghosts and gods!

　　Nan Yuanxi, who has been trapped in the writing realm for more than ten years, is now promoted to the poetry realm!

　　Almost at the same time, among the students, there were also a few flashes of blue light. Among them, the one with the strongest blue light was the young boy who had been yelling the most fiercely just now, but he was only thirteen or fourteen years old and looked at Master Wang with a look of astonishment.

　　”Master, I, I seem to have entered the realm of writing…”

　　On the other side, among ordinary people, a young man in his twenties also glowed with blue light. The young man froze for a moment, and then tears welled up in his eyes.

　　”My True Noble Qi can be released! My True Noble Qi can be unleashed!”

　　After several incidents, Master Wang realized that he had encountered a major event, and looked at Nan Yuanxi: “Mr. Nan! What the hell is going on in this article?”

　　Nan Yuanxi suppressed the ecstasy of being promoted in his heart, and quickly replied: “Master, this article is from the author of “The Tales of Zhong Kui”, the work of Lord of Wan An, Chen Luo. I don’t know anything about the rest!”

　　Master Wang’s expression froze: Lord of Wan An, Chen Luo?

　　…

　　In the creaking carriage, Chen Luo lay in it to catch up on sleep.

　　After the reward came down, he is now recognized as a half-sage master, and Old Wei is now going to be called Xiao Wei.

　　He also offended the Ministry of Rites a little to let everyone know that he was not a soft persimmon.

　　Well, today’s trip to the court went very smoothly!

　　Next is the new report.

　　I wonder, what’s going on with Nan Yuanxi?

　　It should be fine too!

　　Chen Luo suddenly felt an itch on his nose, as if someone was talking about him.

　　”Ah-”