Chapter 3

The next day, after attending the morning self-study session, Lin Mu took the opportunity during breakfast to run to the town’s post office and mail the manuscript to the *Wuxia Story* magazine.

The journey was quite far, and by the time Lin Mu ran back, it was already half an hour later. Apart from a few students as mischievous as Lin Mu, most were busy previewing their lessons.

Lin Mu entered the classroom, panting heavily, naturally drawing many gazes—scorn, disdain, indifference, concern, and sympathy, all kinds of looks.

"Hey! Lin Mu, where did you run off to? Panting so hard, did you go out with your girlfriend?"

The one speaking was Chang Qiankun, the physical education representative of the class, whose academic performance was on par with Lin Mu’s.

But Lin Mu and he weren’t very close. Strictly speaking, there weren’t many true friends in the entire class.

The homeroom teacher roared every day, emphasizing that everyone was a competitor, forbidding chatting during self-study, even about homework. Any questions should be directed to the teacher!

At the same time, the teacher required the top students not to help others with their problems, ostensibly to maintain a quiet classroom, but in reality, to ensure that the top students didn’t waste time helping others.

This rule, aimed at making the top students even better, was initially proposed by the principal, Lu Buping. After discovering its effectiveness in improving the college admission rate, it was implemented throughout the school.

In such a situation, with studies being the primary focus, there were naturally few genuine friendships in the class. While there were some who got along well, they were in the minority.

Lin Mu glanced at him, too lazy to respond. He had stayed up late writing the manuscript last night and had no interest in idle chatter.

He lowered his head and fell asleep on the desk.

Chang Qiankun’s face turned a bit sour, but he didn’t say anything, taking out a *Wuxia* novel to read.

Homeroom teacher Shang Zhicheng walked by the window, nodding in satisfaction when he saw a few top students previewing their lessons. But when he saw Lin Mu sleeping at the back, Xiao Chang reading a novel, and a few other key students either looking listless or chatting idly, his brows furrowed.

"Xiao Qiang! Liu Fei! Come out here!" Shang Zhicheng walked to the back door and called out the two who were chatting.

"Chatting! Chatting! Can’t you learn from Lin Mu? Even though his grades aren’t great, he never disturbs others! Not like you..."

In the office next to the classroom, the homeroom teacher’s scolding could be heard from time to time. The students, hearing it, looked at the sleeping Lin Mu and chuckled silently.

Chang Qiankun glanced at Lin Mu and sneered.

...

Halfway through the second class, Lin Mu woke up, rubbed his fingers, and took out his manuscript paper and pen to write again.

*The Thirteen Stormy Knives*

*The Fish in the Cage*

*The Deer Antler and Ivory*

*The Soaring Dragon of the Spirit Crane*

...

For an entire week, Lin Mu kept writing, including short stories and mid-length novels of two to three hundred thousand words.

The class was surprised to see the famous Lin Mu writing seriously. Even the beautiful and charming English teacher took the time to look at what Lin Mu was writing.

Seeing that Lin Mu was writing a wuxia novel, she smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

Lin Mu, knowing his English teacher was always easygoing, didn’t feel awkward and smiled back, giving her an OK sign.

Writing novels was just a small ripple in the class life. When the homeroom teacher found out, he only closely observed Lin Mu for two days. Seeing that Lin Mu didn’t disturb others, he once again categorized Lin Mu as a "high-quality underachiever."

...

While Lin Mu was enthusiastically writing in the town, the *Wuxia Story* magazine was in the midst of an argument.

Lin Shuiqing was an editor. When *The Phoenix Hairpin* came into his hands, he felt a bit disdainful just from the title.

"What’s *The Phoenix Hairpin*? If it were *The Phoenix Head Hairpin*, it would at least be a noun. What’s *The Phoenix Hairpin*?"

However, he still had the professionalism of an editor and didn’t immediately reject it. He started reading.

"Hmm, the writing is good, but the first one or two hundred words are a bit bland... Hmm? The Yue Family Army?"

Lin Shuiqing’s eyes lit up when he saw the name of the hero he admired most, which piqued his interest.

"The Soaring Dragon Camp? To save General Yue? This old man selling hairpins doesn’t charge the Yue Family Army? After being forced to take the money, he even wants to marry his daughter to a soldier of the Yue Family Army?"

The opening few hundred words vividly portrayed the reputation of the Yue Family Army. Lin Shuiqing’s breathing quickened, as if he were a member of the Yue Family Army’s Soaring Dragon Camp, fighting to save their general.

While drinking water, Lin Shuiqing smiled to himself, wondering how he, an experienced editor, could still be so agitated.

However, his initial disdain for the author "One Page" had already dissipated, and he was eager to know what happened next.

To clarify, "One Page" was Lin Mu’s pen name, which he thought of while proofreading his manuscript. He originally wanted to call it "One Path," but it was already used by a country to the east. If he became famous, such a pen name would likely be ridiculed, so he chose "One Page."

"Divine Slash?! Damn, he killed the deputy commander with a single strike of a copper staff! If the government has such a powerful expert, why bother saving General Yue?!" Lin Shuiqing slapped the table, drawing the attention of the other editors in the office.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t calm, but the martial prowess of the black market expert "Divine Slash" in the story was set too high, and his appearance was extremely brutal, killing instantly.

As the plot developed, Lin Shuiqing’s expression changed from tension to confusion, then to calm, back to tension, and finally to excitement, only to end in disappointment.

"Alas, such a heroic woman and loyalist, in the end, still died and didn’t kill Qin Hui! General Yue still wasn’t saved!"

Lin Shuiqing sighed deeply. He knew the historical development and the final fate of Yue Fei and Qin Hui, but in the novel, he hoped the tragedy could be changed, even though he knew that changing it would make the entire story inferior.

"Such a novel would be top-notch in *Wuxia*. If it can’t be published in our magazine, what manuscript can pass?!" Lin Shuiqing said angrily.

The deputy editor-in-chief, who was also present, was conflicted. He had read *The Phoenix Hairpin* and thought it was good, but the layout for the next issue was already fixed, and the corresponding space was reserved for a novel by the editor-in-chief’s son...

The two argued, and Editor-in-Chief Zhu listened, considering the consequences of each choice. He then knocked on the table to stop them.

"Let’s replace Xiao Ao’s manuscript with *The Phoenix Hairpin*. It’s indeed good, and now is the time to compete with *Wuxia*. We must prioritize the magazine’s interests!"

PS: The new book urgently needs favorites and recommendations. Don’t waste your daily recommendation votes. Thanks to the generous 100 RMB donations from readers "Shen Ben Wu Ming" and "Wu Yu Xian Sheng."