[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten":3,"chapter-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-616":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Simulated to Reality: I Once Looked Down Upon Ten Thousand Ages?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2347631,4587,"Chapter 616: How Can Common Mortals Recognize Me? I Seek Poetry and Verse","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-616",616,"\u003Cp>【Facing this, you decide...】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1. At the Gathering of Beauties, display talent and compose several poems. (Hint: May benefit your future.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2. At the Gathering of Beauties, hold back and refrain from composing poetry. (Hint: May affect your future.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3. End direct participation. (1\u002F3)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the mind-sea, the great tripod rang, its inscriptions slowly settling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke studied the hints of the three options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, he chose directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1. At the Gathering of Beauties, display talent and compose several poems. (Hint: May benefit your future.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke pondered briefly, thinking of poems on “female heroes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuan came to see the Young Master Guan, seemingly without intent to compose poetry, and felt a pang of disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew of this Young Master Guan’s talent, and felt particular regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Young Master could gain fame at the Gathering of Beauties, it would surely benefit him within the Xie Fu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shijun also wished to see this Xie Young Master’s poetry, to gauge whether he possessed any literary talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youth slowly walked toward the long table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Yu pretended indifference on the surface, but his eyes involuntarily followed Xie Guan’s figure; quietly, several others drew closer to the yellow pearwood table laden with brushes and ink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All saw Xie Guan gently lift a brush from the rack, its shaft carved with intricate patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if about to write!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yuner rose gracefully, her voice like spring wind: “Young Master Guan, let me grind the ink for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke merely nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gripped the brush, and a familiar sensation arose—as if he had held it for four or five springs and autumns without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brush and ink felt familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the poem on “female heroes,” he already had an idea forming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke slowly put brush to paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the talents “Spirit in the Brush” and “Calmness in the Breast” activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A unique aura emanated from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely holding the brush made Li Xiangjun’s eyes brighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Yu and the others had not paid much attention at first, but when Xie Guan began writing a few characters, their expressions changed abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As students of Chongshan Academy, they naturally knew how to judge calligraphy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were students of Chongshan Academy; they naturally knew the quality of calligraphy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ink stained the paper, black liquid soaking into white fibers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each word, each phrase, written slowly—brush flowing like a dragon, strokes deliberate and linked, fluid and unrestrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each character seemed to leap like a dragon or tiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuan had seen Xie Guan’s calligraphy before, but now he felt its power stronger than ever—each stroke round, effortless, flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He silently marveled within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thousand phenomena!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yuner’s eyes sparkled with wonder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuan slowly read aloud the first line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Briefly dwelling in Bianjing, again the New Year’s Eve arrives. Beneath the fence, chrysanthemums bloom wide, their petals wiped clean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mood was desolate—indeed, a short lyric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuan frowned slightly; the theme was “female heroes,” implying women need not be inferior to men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opening stanza indeed portrayed a woman’s sorrow and frailty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a lady sighing over spring’s end and autumn’s chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All saw Xie Guan continue writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The songs from all sides cease—the fortress falls; eight years of flavor, yet I still long for Jiangnan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They force me into the role of a delicate lady—I find it utterly beneath me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuan read slowly, as if the lines perfectly matched the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, the Great Qi leaks from all sides: demons in Jiannan, the Yellow River bursting its banks in Jiangnan, countless refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shijun recited the next line, “They force me into the role of a delicate lady—I find it utterly beneath me!”—and her heart stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its meaning: “They would raise me as a noble lady of Bianjing, yet in my heart, I scorn it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the poem deepened, the image of a woman, burdened by the nation’s woes and holding the world in her heart, gradually took clear shape before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gazed from her window, her eyes piercing the dense trees of the courtyard, fixed on the distant, disaster-shrouded lands of Jiangnan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart brimmed with sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet just as all believed the poem would end in this mournful, lingering mood—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Guan’s brush suddenly turned, and the mood opened wide!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Yu murmured involuntarily: “My body is not of a man’s rank, yet my heart burns fiercer than any man’s! All my life, my spirit has burned for others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Jia Yu’s heart trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the founding of the Great Qi, poetry had evolved over centuries into its own distinct style and system—grand, profound works often revealed their power through balanced couplets and harmonious rhymes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet amid these complex, evolving forms, truly authentic works that returned to simplicity and touched the soul were rare—and those achieving such depth were usually masters of the lyric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Guan’s poem, however, with plain, direct language, captured this moment in just a few lines, drawing the reader into a woman’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His brush was delicate and heartfelt, rendering the woman’s inner world with exquisite precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The line “All my life, my spirit has burned for others” poured forth unfiltered, revealing her heroic passion with unbridled force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Yu and the two others exchanged glances—they had deeply felt the excellence of Xie Guan’s poem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Zhou Yuner, who did not understand poetry, could sense how fitting and melodious these lines were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuan suddenly pulled his own poem from the table and tore it apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to this, his own work was vastly inferior, impossibly distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Guan continued writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who among the vulgar understands my heart? Heroes at their end must endure trials.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this dusty world, where can I find a kindred soul?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Guan made his final stroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My blue robe is wet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One breath, complete!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke gently returned the brush to its rack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuan stared at the final lines, his fists clenching as he whispered: “Who among the vulgar understands my heart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled slowly, his heart filled with profound emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Yu’s eyes also sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this dusty world, where can I find a kindred soul?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, only “My blue robe is wet!” remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuan could not help but praise: “Of all poems I have seen today, this is the first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Yu said nothing, but knew Zhang Yuan spoke truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiao’s expression was complex—he had never expected this Xie Young Master to possess such extraordinary poetic talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This lyric would undoubtedly stand out in today’s contest, becoming the center of attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it would claim first place remained uncertain, but He Xiao already believed it would surely rank among the top three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A reckless thought rose in him—to claim this poem as his own—but many were present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiao shook his head again, dispelling that impractical notion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Great Qi’s literary world, plagiarizing poetry was the most despised act—if discovered, one would have no place left to stand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he would never let himself fall into such a fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke looked at the poem on the paper, satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought again of the simulation’s contents, then signed beneath the poem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grass Hall Poetry Gathering, Xie Guan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yuner carefully carried it to the master of ceremonies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master glanced only at the handwriting, not the poem, and placed it aside—reserved for Lady Gongsun’s personal selection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason? Xie Guan’s calligraphy was simply too extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Yu and the two others now looked at Xie Guan with markedly changed eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Guan’s “deal” with the Second Prince over paintings and calligraphy today—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this poem—would surely make him famous throughout Bianjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing the poem, Yu Ke returned to his original seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yuner tenderly peeled peanuts beside him and placed them in a dish, pushing it before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun sat in thought beside them, then rose to take her leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Yaya watched Li Xiangjun’s retreating figure, as if something had just occurred to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke roughly estimated that the time he had personally participated in was about one day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the memory of Xie Guan’s recollection, he visualized the two swords within his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword That Slays Demons, The Sword That Slays Ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Guan seemed to have fully comprehended The Sword That Slays Ghosts, leaving only The Sword That Slays Demons still incomplete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Ke’s heart stirred, and the great cauldron rang within his mind-sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Illuminating the two swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second courtesan of the Qunfang Banquet stepped onto the stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a woman who performed on the qin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheers had already erupted around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun glided forward with delicate steps, slowly passing through the four zones: Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She passed through the bustling backstage and headed toward the designated area behind the Qunfang Banquet’s four-stage platform—the preparation ground for the courtesans before their performances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving at the backstage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She peered behind the curtain, where tension and excitement hung thick; the women were busy applying floral powder, coiffing intricate hairdos, and preparing for their upcoming performances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuehua Xuan, one of the three brothels in the Qunfang Banquet, naturally had its own exclusive space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a member of Yuehua Xuan, Li Xiangjun knew everyone here intimately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she walked slowly, her expression carried a hidden urgency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Xiangjun, what brings you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman spotted Li Xiangjun and asked curiously, her eyes flickering with surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m here to find Sister Yun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the woman’s gaze shifted slightly, then she pulled back the curtain and led Li Xiangjun inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When is Sister Yun scheduled to perform?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time, the draw might place her in the second half—no need to rush.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun finally exhaled, stepped through the curtain, and entered the inner quarters of Yuehua Xuan’s backstage. Before her lay a scene of bustling yet orderly activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from Ni Hun, who had already taken the stage, seven other courtesans were gathered here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each was busily preparing for the upcoming performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Yunniang and Chen Xiang stood together at a dressing table, meticulously adorning themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several maids surrounded them, hurriedly arranging ornaments and stage props.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun’s gaze involuntarily settled on them, and the long-suppressed resentment within her surged again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She instinctively touched her chest, feeling a sharp, throbbing pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She recalled last year: she had been certain of winning the title of courtesan, only to be surpassed at the final moment by her rivals, Hu Yunniang and Chen Xiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart brimmed with regret and bitterness—a feeling buried deep within her like a boulder, crushing her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, she withdrew her gaze and turned to another corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There stood a woman in a flowing white cloud-patterned robe, elegant and gentle, gently combing her long, jet-black hair before a bronze mirror, her movements soft and graceful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Yun, Xiangjun has come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed woman turned her head, smiling warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was Yun Wan, Li Xiangjun’s closest friend and a courtesan of Yuehua Xuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Xiangjun, what brings you here?” she greeted warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Yunniang and Chen Xiang, hearing Yun Wan and Li Xiangjun’s voices, turned their attention toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew Li Xiangjun had been Yuehua Xuan’s most popular courtesan last year—the one everyone internally favored as the next courtesan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of Yuehua Xuan knew that Li Xiangjun and Yun Wan were inseparable confidantes, always seen together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the Qunfang Banquet was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had Li Xiangjun come here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun Wan’s face also bore a hint of confusion; she had assumed Li Xiangjun would be out relaxing with Zhang Yuan, He Xiao, and others, never expecting her to appear here suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun glanced around. Though the space was small, the seven courtesans each occupied a corner, their distances close enough to hear each other’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their conversations were easily audible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun lowered her eyes to Hu Yunniang and Chen Xiang, then spoke plainly, recounting everything that had happened with Xie Guan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she mentioned the Second Prince requesting a painting, Yun Wan’s face showed astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Second Prince requested a painting? That’s rare. Little Yun’er will surely gain great fame because of this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun Wan sighed, fully aware of what it meant to earn the Second Prince’s favor in such a glittering setting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This Xie Guan… it seems Yaya’s taste truly is excellent. We never thought highly of Zhang Yuan, but now it appears his associates include more than just people like He Xiao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun went on to tell Yun Wan about Xie Guan composing poetry for Gong Sun Niangzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Yun, do you have ink and brush?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun suddenly asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun Wan paused slightly, then nodded, retrieving inkstone, brush, paper, and ink from a nearby table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun took the writing tools and slowly wrote out the poem Xie Guan had composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun Wan studied the poem on the paper, her astonishment deepening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never imagined Xie Guan, once famed in the Western Pavilion, lived up to his reputation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, Hu Yunniang, hearing the name Xie Guan, instantly focused her gaze, listening intently to their conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she learned the Second Prince had sought Xie Guan for a painting, she was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had assumed Xie Guan merely had exceptional calligraphy; she never knew he was skilled in painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Xiangjun mentioned Xie Guan’s poem for Gong Sun Niangzi, Hu Yunniang studied Yun Wan’s expression—clearly, the poem must be exceptional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, Chen Xiang, overhearing Li Xiangjun and Yun Wan’s conversation, flickered a look of disdain, curling her lips into a sneer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had always scorned those with fame but no true talent—and Xie Guan was no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her mind, truly gifted people would never ignore a sincere invitation like Su Yun’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, she would never have firmly pulled Hu Yunniang away from Su Yun’s presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun must have been blinded by Xie Guan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun turned to Yun Wan and asked softly: “Sister Yun, what do you think of this poem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun Wan nodded slightly in agreement: “This poem, even on the Qunfang Banquet stage, would be astonishing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun gazed at her quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun Wan understood at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiangjun had come to ask her to seek Xie Guan for a poem—to serve as the opening verse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2391,"2026-06-21T01:33:03.787Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","42fbfd0381679c372849a8f4e5364e61a3c924718f4d534f11c9b6618b454cc6","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-617","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-615",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg"]