Chapter 79

《The Ballad of the Wandering Swordsman》, written by Li Bai, is one of the thirty poems in his collection *Yuefu*. It is highly infectious.

At this time, not many people on the internet knew about it, and it was only circulating in a few forums related to martial arts novels.

Without any advertisements or promotions, everyone who read it was left with a deep impression, and it was hard to forget.

Who doesn't have a swordsman's dream? Who hasn't yearned for a life of bold adventure?

Some people used "Ten steps, one kill; a thousand miles, no trace" as their QQ signature.

Some people used "Three cups of wine, a promise; five mountains, light as a feather" in their profile to showcase their personality.

Some people called their friends and showed them this poem.

Some people took screenshots of the poem and posted them in QQ groups, competing with others to show off.

Some people reposted the poem in other forums, flooding them to gain forum experience.

When someone posted the poem in a QQ group, dozens of people saw it. If just a few of them forwarded it, it would quickly spread to many more groups, all dominated by *The Ballad of the Wandering Swordsman*.

The exponential spread was rapid. Within a short time, many netizens who paid attention to online information had seen the poem.

Interpretations and analyses began, and one by one, the internet experts emerged, taking on the role of commentators.

To be honest, it was precisely the brilliance of *The Ballad of the Wandering Swordsman* that made *Storyteller* decide to offer Lin Mu 500 yuan per thousand characters, a high price. Otherwise, based solely on the opening of the novel, although it was excellent, it didn't have that stunning effect.

Lin Mu's reputation soared. After exchanging *The Ballad of the Wandering Swordsman* for 500,000 reputation points, he once again experienced the thrill of a rapid increase in reputation. In just one day, his reputation increased by 100,000 points.

The next day, as the number of people who saw it increased, the reputation points grew even more dramatically, adding over 300,000 points. Combined with the remaining points, Lin Mu's reputation once again reached the million mark.

In just two days, Lin Mu had recovered the 500,000 reputation points he had spent on *The Ballad of the Wandering Swordsman*. Any additional reputation points gained afterward would be considered profit.

However, by the third day, those who frequently browsed the internet had mostly seen the poem, and the reputation points began to slowly decrease, adding only about 70,000 points.

Lin Mu was certain that the number of people who had seen the poem was far more than 500,000. Given the large number of internet users, the increase of only 500,000 reputation points suggested that there were aspects of the reputation calculation system he did not understand.

People at school didn't seem to frequent forums much. Although some had seen the poem online, because the reposts did not credit the author, no one knew it was written by Lin Mu.

This saved him a lot of trouble.

Lin Mu had considered writing other classic poems he remembered to earn some initial reputation points.

However, he didn't seem to have anything particularly urgent to exchange for at the moment.

Exchange other novels?

There were only so many magazines on the market. Although he had some fame, it wasn't high enough to earn much reputation or稿费 from submissions.

Publishing an entire novel with a publishing house was even less likely. Even the best novel would face unfair treatment if submitted by a newcomer.

This was already evident in *Martial Arts Story*.

Exchange a higher-level Jeet Kune Do?

It wasn't necessary. His current martial arts skills were sufficient, and there was no need to rush to improve them too much.

Therefore, Lin Mu decided to focus on *Storyteller*. With sales of 200,000 to 300,000 copies, it would certainly bring him significant fame. At that point, whatever path he chose would be easier.

Having thought it through, Lin Mu no longer dwelled on it. After reading some news, he lowered his head and worked on his physics problems.

The campus was peaceful. The *Youth Novel* production team occasionally filmed on campus, but most of the time, they took advantage of the clear weather to film at famous buildings near the town.

On the Lantern Festival, Guo Yongkui returned from the capital and invited the entire production team to a meal to celebrate the festival.

Lin Mu was also invited.

Lu Yifei was there too.

At the dinner table, Chen Jing occasionally gave Lin Mu a resentful look, still not understanding why this guy was so insensitive.

"Ha ha, Brother Lin, this time it's all thanks to you. I've already signed a contract with the singer Feng Feifei for *Dream Chaser*. Her new album will be released along with *Youth Novel* in a little over a month."

"At that time, *Youth Novel* will be shown in several cities within the province and at major art schools across the country. Feng Feifei's new song will also be uploaded to major music websites on the same day. Ha ha, will you be free then? If you are, how about joining us for promotional activities at the art schools?"

Lin Mu thought for a moment and declined: "Forget it. With you, the big director, and the lead actors, who would care about a mere composer? I'll stay out of it to save the production team some money."

"Ha ha, Brother Lin, you're joking. Come, let's have another drink!"

...

The dinner was a success, and Lin Mu's phone rang. After taking the call, he excused himself, saying he was drunk, and left the gathering.

Chen Jing watched Lin Mu leave and found an excuse to leave the private room as well.

Guo Yongkui sighed inwardly. He understood his niece's feelings. Beauty and talent often go hand in hand, and he had no objections to it.

But if Lin Mu didn't want it, he couldn't force him. He couldn't tie Lin Mu up, give him some aphrodisiac, and throw him on his niece's bed.

"Let's go!"

Outside the restaurant, it was Su Taohua.

In the call, she said she wanted to see the Lantern Festival fireworks in the city but didn't want to go alone, so she invited Lin Mu to join her.

Handing one of the two oranges in his left hand to Su Taohua, the two of them walked and chatted while eating the oranges, heading for the square.

Behind them, Chen Jing watched the pair, feeling extremely disappointed.

At first, when she approached Lin Mu, it was just for *Dream Chaser*. But as she collected and read the novels he had written over the past few days, her feelings for him had changed.

Was it infatuation?

Was it deep affection?

Chen Jing didn't know exactly what it was. The joy and excitement she felt when she called Lin Mu during the New Year and chatted with him still lingered in her mind.

But, he seemed to have a girlfriend?

...

The journey was lively.

"Taohua, you seem much happier these past two days. How are things? Has that scumbag come back to you?"

Lin Mu gently bit into the tip of an orange segment, peeled off the two slippery thin skins, and revealed the tender flesh and juice inside.

Crystal clear, tender, and adorable!

Lin Mu couldn't help but drool at the sight.

Seeing the juice about to spill, Lin Mu quickly licked it up with his tongue and swallowed it.

Then came the moment to savor the fruit.

Lin Mu's tongue, facing the fresh and tender flesh, sucked and bit it, his face full of bliss, creating a scene that was utterly wicked.