Chapter 40

In the middle of the square, the fountain was spouting water as a matter of routine, but for the scorching July, a single fountain clearly had no effect on the rising heat from the ground.

Liu Jingtong stared at the water pool for a long time, then gave a bitter laugh and said softly, "Throughout history, in any form of war, the ones who ultimately suffer the most are the innocent people. For the sake of the happiness of those above, the people below have to make sacrifices."

Lu Yichou had no words to respond, he could only look at the water pool in silence.

"I'm thinking, what if there are readers who care about this story? If it suddenly stops, they would definitely be very disappointed. Why should they be?"

"We will issue a statement in the magazine and on our official website. News is always happening, and the media's attention is never long-lasting. Believe me, it will pass soon."

Liu Jingtong did not say anything more. Lu Yichou's decision was understandable. Han Shuo's magazine was a key project he had been preparing for a long time; it couldn't just be stopped on a whim.

"Actually, there was no inherent connection. Whether Han Shuo continues the magazine or not has nothing to do with your serialization. But someone can create such a situation, though foolish, it is vicious," Lu Yichou said with a bitter laugh. "Even if we have no weaknesses, they will find a way to give us one, let alone Han Shuo's already sensitive position."

"Can we continue the serialization online?" Liu Jingtong asked tentatively.

"Hmm?"

"Never mind."

Liu Jingtong himself knew how much damage this would cause to Qianhong, and it would inevitably lead to many unnecessary troubles.

"I understand your point, I've thought about it carefully. But after discussing with other senior executives, we decided it wasn't appropriate," Lu Yichou's questioning "hmm" already expressed his view. Seeing his partner's calm expression, he felt the need to explain, "If we release a free version online, it will form a reading and thinking habit among readers. In the long run, they will think the book should be free. We are, after all, a company."

"I understand," Liu Jingtong nodded heavily, "I really do."

This was the first time Liu Jingtong felt the irresistible power of certain forces. Although it seemed absurd, that was the reality. Xu Xiaozhong was right; every industry has its deep waters, and to avoid them, one must grow taller.

In the scorching July, Liu Jingtong and Qianhong's CEO, Lu Yichou, stood by the fountain. The nearly fifteen-year-old boy secretly made a resolution to grow taller.

After all, it was just a minor setback. For Liu Jingtong, it wasn't a big deal, just a bit of reflection. He understood the significance of the ideas in his head, and no conspiracy could stop them.

When leaving the square, Liu Jingtong told Lu Yichou in a normal tone that he wouldn't go anywhere else. It had nothing to do with the contract or even trust; it was purely out of laziness and disgust.

Lu Yichou nodded in relief, promising to solve the problem soon.

...

By the time he got home, it was dinner time. Liu Jingtong explained to his parents that he had gone out to meet some friends. His parents, increasingly confident in their mature son, did not pry further.

After dinner, the family, as usual, watched a TV drama together—*Seven Heroes and Five Gallants*. This was the hottest TV series recently, with segments like "Bao Gong's Judgments," "The Cat and the Prince," and "Five Rats in Tokyo" already well-known to the public. Ocean TV (STV) had firmly secured the top spot in ratings with this series, leaving its rival Star Moon TV (GTV) in the dust.

The most famous character in *Seven Heroes and Five Gallants* was Southern Hero Zhan Zhao, but the most skilled was Northern Hero Ouyang Chun. Ouyang Chun had a round, beer belly that swung when he used his lightness skills, and he could disappear in a flash. Moreover, he was the one who could toy with the White Rat Bai Yutang.

At the climax of the TV drama, as usual, a commercial came on to ease the tension and test the audience's patience. Liu Jingtong was about to switch to Star Moon TV to boost its ratings when a literary contest advertisement suddenly appeared on the screen:

"China's woodblock prints have a long history, spanning thousands of years," a deep, magnetic male voice narrated. "The oldest woodblock prints date back to the Han Dynasty's figurative seals..."

"By the Song and Yuan Dynasties, woodblock prints began to flourish, reaching their peak in the late Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, woodblock prints had developed widely, with New Year's prints becoming popular and entering ordinary households..."

"The famous woodblock print *Thirty-Three Swordsmen* was personally drawn by the Qing Dynasty master Ren Weizhang, consisting of thirty-three images, each representing a captivating story..."

"In response to the country's call to 'prosper culture and enrich people's spiritual lives,' under the care of the Ministry of Culture, the National Museum, the Writers' Association, and the *Harvest* magazine are jointly organizing the 'Legend Cup' literary contest, which will be held soon."

"This contest will be open to all citizens, aiming to use this form of public participation to provide a broad and profound traditional cultural education, contributing to the construction of our country's spiritual civilization..."

"The rules of the contest are: using *Thirty-Three Swordsmen* as the source material, participants are to create literary works. The genre is unrestricted, with a preferred length of around ten thousand words. The works should be innovative, unconventional, and have the power to touch the heart..."

"The rewards for the contest are: one grand prize of 200,000 yuan, with a certificate and trophy; ten first prizes of 100,000 yuan, with a certificate and trophy; twenty second prizes of 50,000 yuan, with a certificate and trophy; twenty-five third prizes of 10,000 yuan, with a certificate and trophy; and several honorable mentions, with certificates."

"Additionally, prestigious universities such as Yanjing, Tsinghua, Fudan, and Nankai will actively support this contest. High school students who achieve a ranking in the contest will receive 5 to 30 extra points in the college entrance exam."

"To ensure fairness, the contest will include a public voting phase. All entries will be published on our designated website for public review, followed by a selection of one hundred outstanding works by a panel of judges, which will be sent to the *Harvest* magazine headquarters. A final panel of renowned writers, literary professors, and cultural theory experts will make the final decision and determine the rankings."

...

Liu Jingtong watched the advertisement, stunned for a while, until the TV drama resumed. He muttered to himself, "Thirty-Three Swordsmen, Zhao Chuniu, Qiu Ranke, the Three Heroes of the Dust, Nie Yinniang..."

"Interesting, very interesting." Liu Jingtong muttered to himself for a while, then couldn't help but laugh.

Many people knew that Jin Yong had written fourteen works, "The Flying Snow, Linked Heaven, Shooting White Deer, Smiling, Book, Divine Hero, Leaning on the Green Jade," but only hardcore Jin Yong fans would know that besides these fourteen works, Jin Yong had also written a preface for *Thirty-Three Swordsmen* and had planned to write a short story for each image, but due to various reasons, he only wrote *The Sword of the Yue Maiden* based on the first image, *Zhao Chuniu*, which became the only short martial arts novel besides the couplets.

*The Sword of the Yue Maiden* was short but had many commendable aspects. It vividly portrayed the historical rivalry between Wu and Yue, the beauty of Xi Shi, the love between Fan Li and Xi Shi, and the poignant scene at the end where the heroine, Ah Qing, left in sorrow, which still lingers in the hearts of many martial arts fans, evoking sighs and regrets.

Of course, what people talked about the most was not the above content, but the author's ingenious recreation of the classic scene "Xi Shi Holding Her Heart":

[Only the sound of Ah Qing calling, "Fan Li, where are you?" could be heard.

Fan Li glanced at Xi Shi and said loudly, "Ah Qing, I'm here."

The sound of "here" had barely faded when a hiss was heard, and the door curtain split in two. A green-clad figure flew in, it was Ah Qing. Her bamboo stick pointed at Xi Shi's heart.

She gazed at Xi Shi's beauty, and the killing intent on Ah Qing's face gradually faded, turning to disappointment and frustration, then to surprise, admiration, and finally reverence. She murmured, "There... there is such a beautiful woman in the world! Fan Li, she... she is even more beautiful than you described!" With a twist of her waist, she let out a clear whistle and broke through the window.

The whistle quickly faded into the distance, gradually becoming lighter, the lingering sound lasting for a long time.

Dozens of guards rushed to the door. The guard captain bowed and asked, "Is the doctor unharmed?" Fan Li waved his hand, and the guards retreated. Fan Li held Xi Shi's hand and said, "Let's change into commoner's clothes and go boating on Taihu Lake, and never come back."

Xi Shi's eyes sparkled with joy, but suddenly she frowned and clutched her heart. Ah Qing's bamboo stick had not hit her, but the force from the tip had injured her heart.

For two thousand years, people have known that "Xi Shi Holding Her Heart" is the most beautiful image in the world.]

Liu Jingtong still remembered how he had slapped the table in admiration when he first read this part, pulling his roommate's arm and dancing around, asking, "Do you know the story of 'Xi Shi Holding Her Heart'? Do you know? She was injured by Ah Qing's sword qi!"

Now, recalling that scene, he found it amusing, but he didn't think it was inappropriate. Enthusiastic Jin Yong fans have always been numerous. In the other world, a primary school student in Taiwan wrote on a history test, "After Wei Xiaobao signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk with Russia..."

This is a clear example.

"The Sword of the Yue Maiden." Liu Jingtong softly called out these three words, lost in thought. "According to the original plan, I should finish 'The White-Haired Demoness' before considering Jin Yong or Gu Long's works. But whether it's fate or coincidence, a great opportunity is right in front of me. Can I bear to let it go?"

Later generations have already made clear evaluations: the new school of martial arts novels began with Liang Yusheng, but it was Jin Yong who popularized and elevated it. It can be said that because of Jin Yong, martial arts novels have entered the mainstream literary world without any shame.

"It seems this is fate," Liu Jingtong finally decided to go with the flow. "Since the Seven Swords have faced a setback, the Sword of the Yue Maiden should naturally come to their aid. This is a form of inheritance."

"Xiao Ting, are you okay? Why are you so absorbed in this advertisement?"

His mother, who had been engrossed in the plot, finally noticed her son's occasional muttering and occasional laughter and took a moment to show concern.

"Ha ha, Mom, I'm fine. I want to participate in this literary contest, and I'm thinking about what to write."

"You write fairy tales, which have nothing to do with this contest."

"Mom, you have to believe in your son."

"I naturally..." Liu's mother's eyes returned to the TV screen, and she forgot to say "believe you."

Liu Jingtong smiled and said softly, "Mom, Dad, you keep watching. I'll go back to my room and think about it."

Liu Jingtong got up and went to his room. After taking a step, his usually silent father suddenly said, "Son, we believe in you. If you want to write, go ahead!"

Liu Jingtong nodded heavily and seriously.

---

The advertisement began.

The advertisement ended.