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墨書 Inktalez
"I wrote a novel called 'The Age of Great Strife,' which tells the story of a modern young man whose soul is transported back three thousand years due to the Underworld, becoming Qing Ji, the son of King Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period. Using his modern knowledge and historical insights, he defeats many formidable foes in that tumultuous era and ultimately becomes a dominant ruler," Yue Junzhe said. "He wakes to power and sleeps at the feet of beautiful women. Even Xi Shi kneels before the protagonist, becoming one of his concubines."
"What a phrase, 'wakes to power and sleeps at the feet of beautiful women.' A real man should be like this," Zhou Xingchi immediately took Yue Junzhe as his confidant. "But who is Qing Ji?"
"Don't you know the story about the assassination of Qing Ji?" Yue Junzhe asked.
The three shook their heads.
"What about King Fuchai of Wu? You must know him, right?"
"Of course! He's Xi Shi's husband," Zhou Xingchi said, excited to share what he knew. "He first destroyed the Yue State. Gou Jian of Yue endured hardships to restore his state and sent the beautiful Xi Shi to use her charm on King Fuchai of Wu for revenge. Poor King Fuchai—his country was gone, people died, and his beauty ran off with another man. He must have felt quite humiliated."
The last remark made the other three laugh.
Yue Junzhe continued, "Qing Ji is Fuchai's cousin. Fuchai's father sent someone to assassinate Qing Ji's father, King Liao, and then killed Qing Ji himself to ascend as King Wu. In my story, Qing Ji had already been assassinated when the soul of a modern person took over his body, coming back to life..."
He briefly outlined some plot points, captivating the other three until they arrived at a restaurant table. The server smiled as they presented the menu, bringing them back to reality.
"That sounds amazing!" Liang Wei exclaimed. "If it were made into a TV series, it would surely rival 'Shanghai Beach.'"
Zhou Xingchi nodded repeatedly, wearing an ingratiating smile. "Sister Yue—"
"Just call me Yue Junzhe."
"Alright, Yue Junzhe. What do you think of my image?"
Yue Junzhe replied, "Not bad."
Zhou Xingchi leaned in and asked, "How about I play a character from your story?"
Yue Junzhe raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"
Zhou Xingchi chuckled, "I think such an exciting story will eventually make it to the television screen. When that happens, could you recommend me to the director for one of the roles?"
Yue Junzhe smiled, "Sure! If my story really gets adapted into a drama, I will definitely recommend you, and of course, Wei Ge as well."
Liang Wei laughed upon hearing this, "Then I thank you in advance."
As they spoke, the dishes were served at their table. The three of them didn't order anything particularly expensive. Even though Yue Junzhe had money, they considered that he was living alone in Harbor City and would soon be heading to university. Having money didn't mean he could spend it recklessly, so they ordered some common dishes: boiled shrimp, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, garlic vermicelli steamed scallops, roasted goose, roasted pigeon, white cut chicken, vegetable soup with baby bok choy, salted fish and eggplant casserole, stir-fried beef rice noodles, and durian pastries. Yue Junzhe chose a more expensive steamed grouper.
The four of them ate heartily. After arriving in this world, Yue Junzhe had been very frugal with his last thousand dollars for living expenses; the other three came from relatively poor backgrounds as well. A meal like this was not something they often enjoyed. They were all very satisfied by the end of the meal, with almost no food left on the table.
"Yue Junzhe, when is your article coming out?" Liang Wei asked as he set down his napkin.
"I don't know for sure, but it should be soon," Yue Junzhe replied. He was unaware that Golden Giant had taken an interest in her work and arranged for it to be published in the newspaper the next day.
Zhou Xingchi said, "Then I'll start buying Ming Pao from tomorrow onwards; I won't miss a single issue."
The next day, Liang Wei went to work at Infinite Television as usual. There was a newsstand by the entrance, and recalling what Yue Junzhe and Stephen Chow had said yesterday, he walked over to buy a copy of Ming Pao.
Opening the newspaper, Liang Wei was astonished to see that The Age of Great Strife had actually been published. This was surprising since Yue Junzhe had just sold her manuscript to Ming Pao yesterday. It seemed that Ming Pao valued this piece highly. Because each chapter was relatively short, Ming Pao published three chapters at once. After reading the first chapter titled "The Ten Lives of a Good Person," Liang Wei couldn't help but laugh; if the protagonist truly became a ten-time good person, it would certainly be amusing. Unfortunately, in the end, they were outsmarted by the cunning Underworld judge. The second chapter titled "The Stabbing of Qing Ji" was thrilling, while the third chapter "Death and Resurrection" featured a major twist that left him stunned. With such an engaging start, Liang Wei was sure many readers would be drawn in.
"Wei Zi, what are you so engrossed in? I called you but you didn't hear me!" A hand clapped on Liang Wei's shoulder, pulling him back to reality.
Liang Wei looked up and said, "Andy, you startled me."
Andy Lau replied, "Who told you to ignore me?"
Liang Wei and Andy Lau were the future Infinite Five Tiger Generals, but at present, they were both newcomers in the television industry. Andy Lau had entered the Infinite Training Class a year earlier than Liang Wei and had become a lead actor before him, gradually making a name for himself. The two met while filming the television drama "The Falcon." This was Andy Lau's first leading role, while Liang Wei had not yet graduated from the training class and only played a supporting character.
"What news caught your attention in the newspaper?" Andy Lau asked curiously.
Just as Liang Wei was about to answer, Zhou Xingchi ran over excitedly and said, "Wei Zai, have you seen today's Ming Pao? Yue Junzhe's article is out! It's amazing! I heard some key points from Yue Junzhe earlier and thought it was impressive, but seeing it in print is even more fascinating!"
Liang Wei waved the newspaper in his hand. "I saw it; I was just engrossed in it until Andy woke me up."
Andy Lau asked with curiosity, "What? Is it written by your friend? What's the title? Let me see!"
Liang Wei handed the newspaper to Andy Lau. "It's called 'The Age of Great Strife.' You can read it yourself!"
And just like that, another future star fell into the trap.
Many people fell into this trap today, including the boss of a newsstand in Central District. In his thirties, the boss loved reading martial arts stories and was a loyal reader of Ming Pao. Even though Ming Pao wasn't particularly appealing at the moment, he continued to read it diligently. After distributing the newspapers, he picked up a copy of Ming Pao as usual.
"Hey, there's something new in Ming Pao? 'The Age of Great Strife'? That sounds quite imposing, but it doesn't seem like a martial arts title. I wonder what it's about?" The boss muttered to himself casually as he began to read.
[On the narrow and long Bridge of Helplessness, spanning across the River of Forgetfulness and leading into the ethereal depths of Cloud Trace. The dust-free spirits sobbed as they drank a bowl of Meng Po Soup, stepping onto an unpredictable path to their next life.
In the depths of Cloud Trace, there was an invisible pull; once a ghost stepped onto the bridge, there was no turning back, only drifting forward like a moth drawn to a flame.
At that moment, an arrogant voice suddenly shouted, "I want to file a complaint! I absolutely must file a complaint!"]
Upon reading this, the Boss thought this piece was about ghosts and monsters. Although it was quite trendy, even the supernatural beings knew how to complain. The Boss felt a flicker of interest and continued reading. The protagonist's experiences amused the Boss greatly; it was astonishing how simply they became a Ninefold Virtuous Person, and after one lifetime, they could attain Buddhahood. No longer a staff member of the Underworld, even he felt envy and jealousy. No wonder the Underworld staff tried every means to cheat and scheme against him. However, going back three thousand years? That setting was intriguing!
In the following chapters, when he saw the protagonist resurrecting through the body of Qingji Young Master, the Boss couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"No wonder it's called 'The Age of Great Strife'; it turns out modern people have arrived in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period." The Boss wasn't well-versed in history but knew that during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, various states vied for supremacy, with constant conflict and chaos.
[...Sure enough, the Bull-Headed Horse-Faced beings were dissatisfied with themselves, so they secretly meddled, right? Otherwise, with so many nobles around here, why would I be forced into the body of a fallen young master? The moment I opened my eyes, I was already steeped in grievances. Even if I didn't seek out He Lü, that guy wouldn't let me off easily. This young master identity not only offered no benefits but also attracted a bunch of assassins at any moment.]
Upon reaching this point, the Boss shed a tear of sympathy for the protagonist: "Haha, Xi Shi is still just a child. How will the protagonist win him over?"
"Boss, I'll take a copy of the Eastern Daily News." A customer came to buy a newspaper.
The Boss was engrossed in reading and replied without looking up, "Just drop the money; take it yourself."
The customer was a regular who took the Eastern Daily News but didn't leave immediately. Instead, he curiously asked, "Boss, what are you reading that's so entertaining? Aren't you afraid someone will roll up your newspapers?"
Finally lifting his head—having finished reading the current issue—the Boss excitedly recommended to the customer: "I just read an interesting piece in Ming Pao about 'The Age of Great Strife.' You should check it out."
"Really?" The customer knew the Boss well enough that hearing such an enthusiastic recommendation piqued his interest. He tossed down a coin and said, "Then give me a copy of Ming Pao as well."
After receiving the newspaper, instead of immediately looking at his usual favorite Eastern Daily News, he opened Ming Pao to find what the Boss had recommended. Before long, he too was drawn into it and soon burst out laughing: "The Underworld is truly keeping up with the times; they've even installed computers! Computers have just been developed in America and aren't widespread yet. Our company is considered one of Harbor City's tech firms, yet we don't have a single one. Meanwhile, the Underworld has had them for ages."
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