Chapter 451: Chapter 36: My Fans Are Everywhere

April 26, 2018

"Ah Jiu, is this... the script you asked Grandpa to write?"

Holding the not-so-thick stack of manuscript paper, Shen Qingming felt as if it weighed a ton, making her arms tremble.

Even though there wasn’t a mirror nearby, she knew her expression must be quite distorted.

Beside her, Li Chaolu had an enamored expression: "As expected of the master of the Three Lives Stone, a simple story written with such powerful prose can be so moving..."

Li Wanqing added: "And even in such a simple story, he never forgets to kill off a few Li Family members..."

Wang Jiu explained: "He said that if he didn’t write it this way, people would doubt that it was his own work, accusing us of false advertising."

Li Wanqing said: "Indeed, if it’s a work by Three Lives Stone without any Li Family members dying tragically in the street, it just feels too unnatural."

Shen Qingming exclaimed: "But you can’t have the important character Li Fengyun be gang-raped by a hundred men and left exposed in the street, right!? What kind of grudge does he have with my dad that he won’t let go, even after all this time?"

Wang Jiu said: "By portraying the tragic fates of the Li Family members, it can more powerfully demonstrate the sincerity that the author Three Lives Stone put into the script. In past works, the more tragic the fates of the Li Family, the more brilliant the entire story tends to be, so I think this kind of plot setup is necessary. It should even be mentioned in the advertisement that the gruesome death of a certain Li member ranks among the top three in Three Lives Stone’s complete works."

"What kind of ridiculous advertisement is that!" Shen Qingming exclaimed angrily, "It makes me uncomfortable just looking at it!"

After a pause, the girl added: "Still, I have to admit, this story is indeed brilliantly written, especially the twist at the end, which is really unexpected. It turns a completely fabricated affair into something deeply moving. But can such a story really change the perceptions of millions so easily? Isn’t that too frivolous?"

Li Chaolu countered: "If such a touching story can’t change perceptions, then those people aren’t worthy of being called human!"

"Only a fanatical bookworm like you would think that way, the works of Three Lives Stone aren’t as crazily popular in Golden Jade City as they are in Cyan Cloud City and Shen City."

Feeling her idol being criticized, Li Chaolu immediately retorted angrily: "This has nothing to do with being a fanatical bookworm! I’m just objectively stating the facts. You muscle-head simply don’t appreciate the beauty of literature."

Shen Qingming snapped: "My grades in literature appreciation, among other subjects, are better than yours in the Inner Sect!"

Li Chaolu sneered: "Only children and ungratified adults take their childhood grades seriously. I’m now a rising star in the Shen City literary circle, what achievements do you have in literature?"

Shen Qingming was silent for a long time before gritting her teeth: "The instructor from the Inner Sect once said my essays could win awards even in the adult group."

"Oh, well, congratulations, great writer."

Shen Qingming, both embarrassed and angry, said: "No matter what, I still think that relying on such a plot twist alone can’t easily sway people’s hearts, Zhao Chenlu’s reputation is already ruined, it won’t improve because of a love story!"

During the argument, Li Wanqing sighed: "Little Sister Qingming, before you speak so confidently, maybe you should look at the reactions of those around you."

"What reactions... huh!?"

As the girl’s gaze shifted, she finally noticed the person she had been ignoring all along.

Li Xinyu.

The young man held the manuscript and was already silently crying his eyes out.

"It’s truly, truly touching, such a love deserves all our blessings."

Muttering softly, Li Xinyu wiped away his tears vigorously, yet no matter how absorbent his clothes were, they couldn’t soak up all of his tears.

Shen Qingming was utterly shocked, instinctively twitching her lips and trying hard to suppress the nausea rising in her stomach.

Though objectively speaking, the now-slender Li Xinyu was considered an attractive young man by most, for those who had known him for a long time, all they could see was his chubby face with an ever-present lewd grin.

Li Wanqing chuckled: "Looks a bit unbearable, right? But either way, he represents the authentic aesthetic of the majority."

Shen Qingming was puzzled: "Authentic aesthetic?"

Li Wanqing explained: "It’s a person’s natural reaction, you know, humans are creatures that love to deceive themselves, their rational and emotional aesthetics are entirely different... To give a simple example, if a very beautiful woman walked in the street naked, what would those around think?"

Shen Qingming immediately showed a disgusted expression: "Disgusting."

"Exactly, because after all, you’re straight, but what if it were a very handsome man?"

"Disgusting! Walking down the street naked, have you no shame!?"

Li Wanqing said, "That’s your rational thinking, but instinct is not like that."

"Of course not!"

Li Wanqing nodded, "Then look at this."

As she spoke, she showed a painting to Shen Qingming. The painting depicted Wang Jiu... in his naked form.

Shen Qingming’s face turned red in an instant, and she immediately turned her face away: "What are you doing!?"

Li Wanqing said, "See, although rational thinking made you turn your head, your instincts are still faithfully reflected in your body. The secretion of bodily fluids has accelerated, and there’s local moistening..."

"Hey, hey, hey, what nonsense are you talking about!?"

Li Wanqing laughed, "I meant your eyes are moist, where did your thoughts go?"

"You’re doing it on purpose!"

Li Wanqing said, "Indeed, it’s on purpose, but your reaction is very honest too. Humans are such creatures, even cultivators are no exception. Rational thinking is one thing, but instinct is another. If there really was a naked woman walking down the street, the audience around would instinctively be attracted to her, that’s the power of instinct. And Li Xinyu vividly demonstrated to us what a person’s instinctive reaction is."

Shen Qingming looked at Li Xinyu, who was crying like a tearful mess, and suddenly felt sorrow for human instinct.

"This story is very intriguing, cleverly exploiting human weaknesses, or even ugliness, making people resonate emotionally even if they don’t rationally acknowledge it," Li Wanqing analyzed, "Even if you think it’s absurd, people will still be moved by the final twist. That’s human nature, whether they admit it or not. And the Wish Power collected through United Strength is also a product of human instinct, rather than rational thinking, right?"

Wang Jiu said, "Yes, so-called Wish Power must come from the heart and with sincerity. So no matter what people say on the surface, as long as they can identify with Zhao Chenlu in their hearts, the Wish Power collected through United Strength can help her break free."

Li Wanqing praised, "That’s brilliant, you really came up with such a scheme."

"It’s not my original idea, just borrowed from a friend’s wisdom. I only hope that the tricks of the Jiuzhou Era will work in the Xiangzhou Era as well."

Li Wanqing said, "It’s hard to say in other places, but in Golden Jade City, there’s definitely no problem. So next, it depends on whether the few of us main actors can perform the script brilliantly... There’s no time to lose, let’s start rehearsing immediately."

——

According to Wang Jiu’s plan, this musical play was scheduled for the day before the public trial conference in Golden Jade City, which is April 29. With time being tight, all work was accelerated, making the team members nearly work their brains to exhaustion, and even the personnel far away in Shen City and Cyan Cloud City were working around the clock.

By late night of the 26th, the preparations for the performance were largely complete. The venue was officially secured, and promotional activities began to get underway in an orderly fashion, with many districts already having people distribute flyers. A script penned by Three Lives Stone, starring the highly popular idol group Spirit Cat Plan from southern Xiangzhou, with a mysterious Zhao Family guest appearing—the hype quickly caught the attention of many music enthusiasts.

By April 27, thanks to a massive publicity campaign that spared no expense, this impromptu musical performance had become one of the top five hot topics in Golden Jade City—the top four being: the sexy life secrets of Zhao Chenlu and Zhao Xinyu, other suspected sexual partners of Zhao Chenlu, Zhao Chenlu’s extravagant and indulgent private life, and the public trial conference.

Being able to become a trending topic in Golden Jade City at this point was not only due to Wang Jiu leveraging his extensive promotional resources—massive amounts of Spirit Stone from Shen City, Cyan Cloud City, and other avenues—but also because the people of Golden Jade City had experienced immense mental upheaval in a short time—the coup in the City Lord’s Mansion and the fall of the former City Lord’s idol aura—urgently needing some entertainment to support their mental world from collapsing.

At this moment, a heavyweight musical naturally drew people’s attention.

——

Of course, this also included those in the City Lord’s Mansion.

In the dead of night, in a vast and serene hall, two elderly men with gray hair and beards sat straight-backed opposite each other at a desk, diligently attending to a mountain of paperwork.

As the heads of the temporary government, they had finally taken control of Golden Jade City, but as they held this power, they realized how heavy it truly was. Though they had previously been high officials in Golden Jade City, only by sitting at the very top did they understand the loneliness of high places.

When Zhao Chenlu was City Lord, she wielded power effortlessly, but others could never achieve what she did. The brothers worked overtime, handling affairs, only to feel their True Essence restless and their Primordial Spirit unsettled...

And at that moment, the door to the hall creaked open, and a laid-back middle-aged man walked in with a flask, smiling, "You two brothers are still working late? You should rest when it’s time. There’s a musical in a couple of days, it boasts quite a fabulous lineup. Want to see it?"

Zhao Hongwu didn’t lift his head: "Who has the interest for any musical at this time? We’re still busy with the public trial conference’s matters. Also, Hongxue, if you really think we’re working hard, why not help out a little?"

Zhao Hongxue laughed heartily, "I’ve been retired for so many years; I’m out of practice and would only cause trouble for you. By the way, the musical’s script is penned by Three Lives Stone."

The two brothers simultaneously put down their brushes.

"When does it start?"