Volume One: Riverside City Chapter 11: Undermining Foundations

Having ideas is a good thing, but the challenge lies in putting them into practice. At least for Li Ling at this moment, there was no other way to make money as steadily and feasibly as writing books. So, for him, the only option was to focus on finishing "Investiture of the Gods" well.

Yet, things seldom go as planned. Just as Li Ling was eager to complete the third volume, he encountered a problem every author faces: the dreaded writer’s block. Unlike before, when he could churn out two volumes in just over a month, progress slowed significantly.

Part of the difficulty stemmed from his mindset—sometimes the more one rushes to do well, the more mistakes creep in. The saying "more haste, less speed" especially applies to writing. Another reason was his desire to present the novel perfectly. The first third of "Investiture of the Gods" was actually quite good, filled with many original ideas and memorable, skillful passages.

However, as numerous characters appeared and the conflict between the Shang dynasty and West Qi became clearer—especially with key figures like Huang Feihu entering the stage—the battles started to feel repetitive and redundant. The ten formations in the middle section, each named grandly and supposedly distinct, ended up feeling almost identical. Ten battles played out like a copy-pasted sequence, which was far from what Li Ling had hoped to write.

Beyond just honoring Gu Yuezi, who had helped him before, Li Ling had to make substantial revisions to captivate readers and entice them to continue buying the books. Fortunately, having read many cultivation-themed web novels before, he wasn’t completely at a loss, though his writing speed was considerably reduced. It wasn’t until early July that he finally finished the third volume.

After that, even more popular characters like Zhao Gongming and the Sanxiao awaited, which naturally posed another major challenge for Li Ling. Following submission of the third volume, he secluded himself at home to write, rarely venturing out to bookstores.

Though the debt repayment date drew nearer and money was still scarce, the siblings had to live well. Li Ling did not scrimp—when it came to food and drink, they ate and drank properly, and every two or three days he would buy some meat to treat himself and Yue’er.

Yet Yue’er felt uneasy living this way. One afternoon, seeing Li Ling once again deep in thought at the desk without writing, she gently said, “Brother, since the book is so difficult to write, don’t overwork yourself. I don’t need to eat the best food.”

Li Ling put down his pen and, as was his habit, stroked the slowly thickening hair of the little girl. “Don’t worry. I can handle the money issues. We’re only short by a few dozen taels of silver. Once I finish volumes four and five, I’ll be able to repay the debt on time. You’re still growing and you were injured before; you need to take good care of yourself.”

Before Yue’er could say more, a loud knock came from the yard gate. Li Ling rose to answer, thinking it might be someone from the bookstore pressing for the manuscript. After all, the Gu family bookstore was struggling since the opening of the Wan family bookstore in the prefectural city, which had taken much of their business.

As for Xu Cang, after being humiliated at the county office, he had locked himself away studying and hadn’t contacted them for days, so it wasn’t him.

Opening the door, Li Ling found an unfamiliar man standing there, middle-aged, with a shrewd, mercantile expression.

“And you are?”

“Are you Xiaoyaozi?” the man asked, catching Li Ling off guard. Then Li Ling recalled that was his pen name for writing "Investiture of the Gods" and nodded, puzzled. “Yes, that’s me. May I ask your business?”

“I am Wan Rong, manager of the Wan family bookstore in Jiangcheng. Pardon my intrusion.” After introducing himself, the man entered the courtyard with ease and gestured for Li Ling to come inside for a talk, clearly taking charge.

Li Ling was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, donning his professional smile. He invited the man into the main room and had Yue’er bring two cups of hot tea.

After scanning the room and the courtyard furnishings, Wan Rong felt more confident. “Your renown, Xiaoyaozi, preceded you even when I was in Hengzhou prefecture. After reading the two volumes of 'Investiture of the Gods,' I was truly impressed by your talent and exquisite prose. To think you are so young.”

“Brother Wan, you flatter me,” Li Ling replied with a smile. “Just call me Li Ling—I only have this one skill to earn my living.”

“So you’re Mr. Li. My apologies,” Wan Rong said, somewhat surprised. This Li Ling was much more polished than he had expected. Over the years, he had dealt with many scholarly authors—some arrogant, others tongue-tied—but few as composed as him.

Li Ling continued, smiling, “I should be the one apologizing. I’ve long admired Wan family bookstore, the premier bookstore in Hengzhou prefecture.”

As Li Ling rambled on, praising the bookstore, Wan Rong found it hard to keep up and quickly steered the conversation to the point. When Li Ling paused, thirsty, Wan Rong said eagerly, “Since you admire our bookstore so much, I assume you’d be interested in cooperating with us?”

“Cooperate? How so?” Li Ling’s interest piqued; he sensed the opportunity.

“Your 'Investiture of the Gods' is a rare gem. Limiting sales to small Jiangcheng is a waste—a precious pearl cast into darkness. If you entrust the Wan family bookstore to publish it, we can guarantee distribution throughout Hengzhou this year. If sales do well, we may even send it to the capital at Luoyang…”

In just a few sentences, Wan Rong painted a grand picture that would sway most. But Li Ling remained calmly smiling, nodding along. “Manager Wan, your offer is tempting. But what are your conditions? Surely you don’t just want to promote my book everywhere?”

“To make a good book available to more readers is our greatest gain,” Wan Rong said, then shifted tone. “Of course, if you agree to cooperate, you must stop supplying manuscripts to the local Gu family bookstore. Don’t be quick to refuse—I know you have ties with Gu Yuezi and that your fame is built on his help. But friendship aside, business is business. Surely you won’t let sentiment block such an opportunity?”

“Oh? And if I agree, how much will you pay for my manuscripts?” Li Ling asked without revealing emotion.

“The first two volumes have been published for a while, so their price is lower—twenty taels. The third volume, which you’ve reportedly submitted to Gu family bookstore, is still new, so thirty taels. As for the latest volume, if it’s good enough, we’ll pay eighty taels!” Wan Rong said confidently, certain his offer was irresistible.

Before Li Ling could respond, Yue’er suddenly rushed in, eyes wide, glaring fiercely. “Brother, he’s a bad man. Uncle Gu is good. Don’t agree to him!”

This caught Wan Rong off guard. After a moment’s pause, he laughed, “Young lady, you see things too simply. But I doubt Mr. Li is as childish as you?”

“I know what you mean. Children see right and wrong; adults only see profit and loss, don’t they?” Li Ling shot back.

“Exactly. If you agree, I’ll buy your existing manuscripts with silver now, and we can negotiate the price for the new book later. You’re smart, Mr. Li—you know which bookstore can help you more.”

“Yes, the Wan family bookstore is powerful, far beyond the Gu family bookstore. And since you found me, I imagine others have already been bought off. Many writers in Jiangcheng have probably switched sides, yes?”

“Brother…” Seeing Li Ling showed no intention of refusing, Yue’er grew anxious. She grabbed his arm, shaking it, trying to persuade him, but Li Ling gently caught her hand, stopping her.

Wan Rong was delighted and, to seal the deal, added, “You are indeed sharp. Not just you, but most other writers here have agreed—only you have held out because you kept a low profile and no one knew who Xiaoyaozi really was.”

“I see,” Li Ling nodded, confirming his suspicion that there was a traitor near Gu Yuezi.

“So, do you agree?” Wan Rong smiled triumphantly.

Li Ling suddenly smiled in reply, “Didn’t you just hear my answer?”

“You didn’t say yes just now,” Wan Rong asked, confused.

“My sister already said it—we won’t cooperate with bad people,” Li Ling answered firmly.

“You…” Wan Rong was stunned. He thought he had offered enough face and benefits, yet Li Ling was so ungrateful!

Yue’er, pleased, put her hands on her hips and made a face at Wan Rong. “Did you hear? My brother said he won’t stoop to your level. So please leave quickly!”

“If you won’t cooperate with Wan family bookstore, you are our enemy. Then I will make sure you can’t publish a single book!” Wan Rong threatened.

“We’ll see if you have the ability. I still have the Gu family bookstore on my side,” Li Ling replied without a hint of fear.

“Hmph, ungrateful! You think your little writings are so great? You’ll regret this someday!” Wan Rong spat harsh words as he left, while Yue’er’s laughter echoed behind him.