All Heavens Strategy Game

Chapter 49. The New Script: Is This Not About Me?

Lin Qingyun was truly stunned by the "light step" the young man had just taken.

He initially doubted his eyes, but the spiderweb-like cracks on the thick, hard bluestone slab beneath his feet were so real and glaring.

The deep footprint was even more shocking, silently mocking all his previous doubts.

No, impossible. He knew how sturdy the bluestone slabs on the street were; they had remained unscathed despite years of traffic and exposure to wind and sun.

That shattering sound just now felt like stepping on some crisp pastry!

He suddenly bent down, ignoring the muddy snow on the ground, and reached out to touch the cracks.

The fingertips felt a cold, rough, and sharp-edged real touch.

He even ran to the side, somewhat out of control, picked up a discarded, rather thick and hard wooden stick, and smashed it with all his might against a perfectly intact bluestone slab next to him.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the wooden stick bounced high into the air, making Lin Qingyun's hand go numb and causing him to grimace in pain.

The bluestone slab remained completely still, leaving only a faint white mark on its surface.

"Hiss—such a hard stone slab—"

He threw down the stick blankly, then looked at Su Ming, his face a mixture of shock, bewilderment, and a lingering resistance to reality.

"You—you step on me again and see?"

Lin Qingyun's voice trembled without him even realizing it. He himself felt that the request was somewhat unreasonable and absurd, but the huge cognitive shock made him subconsciously want to confirm it again.

Su Ming glanced at him, said nothing, and casually lifted his right foot, then "lightly" placed it down again on a pristine bluestone slab about two steps away from the footprint on his left foot.

The movements were the same as before, casual and natural, as if it were just ordinary walking.

"The familiar, teeth-grinding cracking sound rang out again!"

Spiderwebs spread, stone slabs collapsed, and yet another clear footprint appeared!

This time, Lin Qingyun saw it clearly. There was no fancy move, no effort put in. He just stepped down with an ordinary stomp, as if the hard bluestone slab under his feet was no different from the soft snow.

"hiss"

Lin Qingyun gasped and took three or four steps back until his back hit the cold wall.

He looked at Su Ming, then at the two footprints side by side on the ground, deeply imprinted in the bluestone. His face turned pale, then ashen, finally settling into an indescribable, almost awe-inspiring pallor.

The powerful generals and heroes in his stories, who could lift heavy objects and crush stones, actually exist in reality?

And standing right in front of him was a boy who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, with a face that still bore the marks of childishness and exhaustion?

"This—this—hero—"

Lin Qingyun swallowed hard, his voice dry.

The confidence that had been so readily apparent vanished, replaced by timidity, as if afraid that any of his words might have been disrespectful and offended this "inhuman" being.

"If I have said anything inappropriate or offensive just now, please forgive me, sir, and do not hold it against an ignorant scholar like myself."

Su Ming waved his hand, his tone still calm: "Brother Lin, you're too kind. There's no need to be so polite. Let's just talk normally."

"I'm not some man-eating monster, what could I possibly do to you because of a few words?"

He paused, then steered the conversation back on track: "Those two concerns you mentioned before—the authenticity of the force and the ownership of the spoils—seem to be no longer issues now, right?"

"No! Absolutely not a problem!"

Lin Qingyun suddenly came to his senses and shook his head vigorously.

His eyes rekindled with a light, even more intense than before, a mixture of immense surprise and unbelievable excitement.

"With these two problems solved, all obstacles have been cleared! No, these aren't obstacles at all; they're our greatest advantage!"

He spoke rapidly, becoming somewhat incoherent with excitement: "I—I'm not making up a story!"

"I'm here to publicize what you actually did! A true, undeniable heroic feat!"

"Even if—even if some people initially thought it was exaggerated, even if they found it unbelievable, we have wolf pelts, we have the wolf king's pelt as irrefutable proof!"

"Now, and now there's you—" He pointed to the footprints on the ground, then looked at Su Ming with awe: "There's living proof of your own strength!"

"Besides that, there are so many villagers in your village who witnessed it firsthand, and may even have participated in moving the wolf carcass, as witnesses!"

"This story—no, this fact—is bound to spread! It's impossible for it not to become a hit!"

He could almost see success beckoning him, and he could already see the carefully planned wave of fame that was about to sweep across the entire city.

Lin Qingyun couldn't help but get excited, his face flushing red.

"Okay." Su Ming nodded, indicating his approval.

"In that case, we are now partners."

"These wolf pelts, including this wolf king's pelt, are all yours to deal with."

"I hope you can really bring me a return of no less than a thousand taels within a month."

"Don't worry!" Lin Qingyun patted his thin chest, vowing confidently, "Although I, Lin Qingyun, am poor, I always keep my word! If this fails, I—I—"

He had intended to swear a solemn oath, but considering the other party's terrifying strength, he felt that any oath would seem pale and pretentious in comparison. In the end, he simply nodded firmly: "I will never let you down!"

However, after making his grand pronouncements, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Lin Qingyun's face. He rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Well—Brother Su, to be honest, I'm currently penniless. To get this done, renting a venue, hiring staff,..."

"To take care of the connections, and even my own meals these next few days—I need some money to get started."

"If it's convenient for you, Brother Su, could you lend me some silver to tide me over? Five taels, just five taels will do!"

After speaking, he looked at Su Ming nervously, afraid that the other party would think that he was pushing his luck, or that he couldn't even come up with the start-up capital and that his abilities were questionable.

Su Ming didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "If I give you five taels of silver, how confident are you in this matter?"

Lin Qingyun quickly calculated in his mind that five taels of silver could only do so much, and many plans needed to be streamlined, which might reduce their effectiveness.

He gritted his teeth and gave a relatively conservative but still hopeful figure: "Seventy percent! If it's five taels, I'm seventy percent sure!"

After saying that, fearing that "70%" might not sound reliable enough and make the other party feel that the risk was too high, he quickly added, "Or—three taels would also work! I can find a way to get it started with three taels of silver, and I'm about 70% sure of success!"

Su Ming remained noncommittal. He knew the principle of feeding the horse to make it run; to reap huge profits, initial investment was necessary. He continued, "What if it's eight taels of silver?"

"Eight taels?" Lin Qingyun's eyes lit up, and his mind raced.

With eight taels of silver, there's much more room for maneuver. You can afford a better storyteller, rent a more lively venue, and create more buzz beforehand.

"If you have eight ounces, you're at least 85% sure!"

"Ten taels?" Su Ming threw out the last number.

"Ten taels?!" Lin Qingyun's voice suddenly rose, filled with unbelievable joy: "With ten taels of silver, this matter will surely succeed!"

Ten taels of silver was a huge sum of money for him, enough to allow him to realize the most ideal aspects of his plan one by one, and even have some room to deal with unexpected situations.

He could almost see the stage being set up, the storytelling beginning, and the whole city in an uproar.

What a man Su Sanlang! He's so willing to give money away. He's definitely a man of courage and decisiveness!

If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't give a single penny.

How can you give someone a wolf skin and then pay them?

But Su Sanlang dared to give it!

"As expected of the one who hunted down the wolf king!"

Lin Qingyun was deeply moved and found himself developing a sense of admiration for this young boy.

"Okay." Su Ming replied decisively, taking out an old money bag from his pocket, weighing it in his hand, pouring out all the loose silver coins inside, and carefully counting them. It totaled a little over five taels.

This was the remaining money he had borrowed from Cui Chou Nu last time, plus some savings that his mother, Liu Shi, had insisted on giving him when she learned he was going to the city; it was all the money he had accumulated.

From then on, he was penniless.

He handed the five taels of silver to Lin Qingyun: "Here are five taels, take them first."

Lin Qingyun took the still-warm silver, paused for a moment, and asked in confusion, "Brother Su, didn't you just say ten taels—"

""

Su Ming smiled slightly and explained, "The government has always had rewards for 'eliminating evil and maintaining order, and hunting down ferocious beasts.'"

"If a hunter kills a ferocious beast that harms people and livestock, he can go to the county government office to collect a reward by presenting the beast's head or pelt."

"This is something I confirmed with the old hunters in the village."

He pointed to the wolf pelts on the donkey cart, especially the wolf king's pelt: "Take these wolf pelts, especially the wolf king's pelt, to the county government to apply for a reward."

"I've estimated that with so many wolves, plus such a rare wolf king, the bounty should be at least five or six taels of silver."

"So, you now have ten taels of silver to start, right?"

The reason Su Ming didn't go to the yamen to collect the reward at first was because he was afraid of running into the head constable Yang Zhengyi, which would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den. Now that the scholar is in charge of collecting it, it's just right.

"Oh dear!" Lin Qingyun slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing what he had done, his face a mixture of annoyance and excitement: "Look at my blockhead! I completely forgot about that!"

"The 'Household Law' section of the Great Zhou Code clearly states that if a ferocious beast is causing harm in a locality, and the people kill it, they can report it to the authorities and request a reward! How come I didn't think of that!"

He rubbed his hands excitedly: "With these ten taels of silver, in a month! No, perhaps less than a month, I'm sure I can handle this matter perfectly, making the name 'Su Sanlang' resound throughout Linjiang!"

"Since we've decided to cooperate, there are some details we still need to finalize."

Seeing that he had calmed down, Su Ming pulled him aside to a sheltered spot under the eaves and began to talk to him in detail.

"First of all, your plan mainly involves storytelling."

"But I feel that simply telling stories isn't enough to create a big enough buzz or spread the word quickly enough."

Su Ming pondered for a moment and asked, "What do the people in Linjiang County, and even the countryside, love to watch the most?"

After a moment's thought, Lin Qingyun replied, "Of course, I'd like to watch a play or a variety show."

"Yes." Su Ming nodded. "If we could turn the story of 'Su Sanlang hunting wolves' into a play and find a reliable opera troupe to perform it..."

"On one hand, a stage is set up in a bustling area for a theatrical performance, creating a visually striking and lifelike spectacle;"

"While telling stories in teahouses and taverns, they elaborated on the details and added supplementary information."

"With these two elements combined, wouldn't the momentum be a amplified and accelerated one?"

Lin Qingyun's eyes suddenly flashed with astonishing light, like two flames igniting in the darkness: "Brilliant! Brother Su! This plan is brilliant!"

"Storytelling captures the spirit, acting brings out the form! With both methods combined, how can one not gain fame? How could I not have thought of this! Brother Su is truly a wise man!"

He was so excited that he spun around twice on the spot, eager to find the opera troupe immediately.

"Secondly—" Su Ming raised his hand to signal him to calm down, "regarding the storybook you wrote, I think it needs revision."

Lin Qingyun quickly composed himself and listened attentively.

"Your original script, in order to increase its melodrama and spread its message, fabricated scenes like the fiancée jumping into a well and the couple being together in a dry well."

"Delete all of these."

"It's too deliberate and doesn't reflect my actual situation."

"I don't want to gain fame through this fake sense of tragedy."

"This—" Lin Qingyun hesitated. He instinctively felt that those scenes were the "essence" of the story, the key to making it a topic of conversation and passed down by word of mouth among the common people.

But faced with Su Ming's calm yet unquestionable gaze, he still nodded: "Alright, as Brother Su says, but then—how should it be revised?"

"If you're going to make a name for yourself, why not do it honestly and openly?"

Su Ming said, "Just write down the whole story of my wolf hunt, from beginning to end."

"It may not be as convoluted and fantastical as the story you made up, but its value lies in its authenticity."

"Authentic details and genuine emotions can sometimes be more moving than fictional dramas."

"The exact same thing?" Lin Qingyun asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, I can tell you the details." Su Ming took a deep breath and began to slowly recount the events.

He started by recounting how a wolf carried away a small stone from Aunt Stone's house, then talked about Aunt Stone climbing over the wall in the middle of the night to cry out, about the village chief and villagers' painstaking efforts to protect him by concealing the news, and about his anger and determination after learning the truth.

He talked about the preparations he made before going into the mountains alone, including buying equipment and preparing medicine.

He said that he went deep into Xiaochongshan, chose the "Wolf Burial Valley" as the site, set up traps and installed gates.

He described how he used "Tibetan flavor powder" to lure and kill the sentry wolves using meat as bait.

He recounted how he discovered the wolf pack hunting the deer herd, how he patiently waited, how he threw out poisoned lamb legs, how he seized the opportunity when the wolves were sharing the food and their vigilance was lax, how he launched a surprise attack, first sniping from a distance, then fighting in close combat, trading injury for life, and finally deliberately letting the seriously wounded alpha wolf go to lure the wolves out of their den.

He recounted returning to "Wolf Burial Valley" to wait for the wolf king and his pack, engaging in a life-or-death struggle, triggering traps, being sniped by arrows, being forced to climb trees, and then being forced to fight a bloody battle on the ground.

He recounted the wolf king's final cunning and madness, how he closed his eyes and relied on his intuition to make a desperate attack, blinding the wolf with a dagger, then finishing it off with a slingshot, ultimately ending the reign of the silver-white king who dominated the mountains and forests in the wind and snow.

He recounted how, after exhausting himself, he used the wolf's carcass as a bed, spending the night in the wind and snow. The next morning, carrying the heavy corpse of the wolf king on his back, he struggled back to the village, sinking into the ground with each step.

Su Ming's narration is very straightforward, without exaggerating his own bravery. Instead, he describes the environment, the cunning of the wolf pack, the danger of the battle, and the choices and struggles he faces at life-or-death moments.

But it is precisely this simplicity that makes the details so rich and real.

The icy snow, the biting wind, the gleaming green eyes of the wolves, the pungent, fishy smell, the sluggish feeling of a blade piercing flesh, the whistling of arrows cutting through the air, the mournful howls of dying beasts, and the chilling yet fervent will that arises when facing utter despair alone—

Everything was vividly presented to Lin Qingyun through his clear description.

Lin Qingyun listened intently.

He was no longer a calm planner, but a listener who was completely absorbed in the experience.

As Su Ming recounted the story, he would sometimes clench his fists in tension, sometimes marvel at the ingenious trap design, and sometimes break out in a cold sweat from the near-death struggle.

When he heard that Su Ming finally leaned against the rock wall and made his final stand with the blind wolf king in the wind and snow, he even held his breath.

When he heard that Su Ming had collapsed on the wolf king's corpse, exhausted, using the enemy's body to keep warm through the cold night, he felt not only shock, but also a complex emotion that was hard to describe. It was a deep feeling for the tenacity of life in desperate situations and the heavy price behind victory.

"So this is the real story."

Lin Qingyun let out a long breath, as if he too had gone through a tiring journey.

He looked at Su Ming, and his eyes changed completely, from the previous awe to a deep sense of admiration.

"Brother Su, your experience is already a wonderfully dramatic and exciting story! Why would I need to fabricate anything?"

He believed it completely.

Without firsthand experience, it would be impossible to describe every detail, every psychological shift, and every environmental change so vividly and immersively.

"Wait, you just said—the villagers sponsored your martial arts training from a young age?" Lin Qingyun suddenly caught a detail in the narrative and asked in surprise.

"Yes." Su Ming nodded. Since they had decided to cooperate, there was no need to hide some of his background: "I showed some talent for martial arts when I was eight years old, but my family was poor and could not afford it."

"In the end, it was the old village chief Su Dashun who proposed it, and he took the lead in persuading almost every household in the village to squeeze out some money from their already meager food rations every year to support me for more than five years."

"Without the help of the entire village, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Is this really true?!" Lin Qingyun was shocked, even more so than when he heard that Su Ming had single-handedly killed the wolf.

In those years of famine and when food was more precious than life, it was possible for one or two households to help their neighbors. But for a village of one or two hundred households to save up their food for five consecutive years to support a child who was not their own flesh and blood to practice martial arts.

What foresight, what courage, and what ability to unite people's hearts required for this?

This completely overturned his understanding of the "everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep" mentality in rural areas at the bottom of society in this era!

He couldn't help but think of himself.

His grandmother was old, and he studied hard. If it weren't for the neighbors who often helped him with vegetables and rice, and if it weren't for the kind-hearted Master Zhou from the south of the city who allowed him, a poor student, to listen in on the lessons outside the window, he probably would have starved or frozen to death, or been forced to give up his studies.

Only a handful of close friends and one teacher could help him.

But Su Sanlang, in front of us, received the full support of almost the entire village!

Regardless of how close or distant the relationship, regardless of family background!

What kind of personal charisma, or what amazing potential and character, must the recipient of the grant have to make such a "crazy" yet "united" decision for an entire village?

Lin Qingyun couldn't imagine it, but his evaluation of Su Ming was no longer just that of a "hunter with superb martial arts skills," but was also shrouded in a mysterious and intriguing aura.

This young man possesses an unknown "charm" that is difficult to fathom. If one had to describe him, he would be like a phantom ghost or deity, giving people a sense of unreality.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and hurriedly asked for more details about the funding, especially the beginning.

So, Su Ming briefly recounted how he "accidentally" pushed down the village chief's son when he was eight years old, and how he easily defeated Su Xiong Gou, the thirteen or fourteen-year-old king of the village, in several subsequent "sparring" matches. In fact, he defeated Su Xiong Gou seven times in a row, each time cleanly and decisively, leaving his opponent speechless.

These anecdotes among the children were told casually by Su Ming, but to Lin Qingyun, they were like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly making her understand why Su Ming could move the whole village at the tender age of eight.

Superhuman strength?

Maybe there is.

But more importantly, it was that precociousness, that composure, and that rare quality in a child that gave people hope!

Lin Qingyun's inspiration flowed like a spring, and he could no longer suppress it. Ignoring the cold, he took out his old brush again, licked the ink, and began to write furiously on the blank space on the back of the paper he carried with him, which was already full of writing.

His thoughts flowed like a torrent, and his writing flowed like a divine inspiration. He skillfully blended Su Ming's experiences with the background information he had just learned, such as "the whole village's financial support" and "early childhood prowess," restructured the story, and added, deleted, and polished it.

About half an hour later, a brand new, freshly written first draft of "The Legend of Su Sanlang" was completed.

Lin Qingyun carefully held the still-wet ink paper in both hands and handed it to Su Ming: "Brother Su, please take a look! This is the revised outline of the play script based on your description!"

Su Ming took it and, using the reflection of the snow and the darkening sky, examined it carefully.

The paper was still divided into chapters, but the content was completely new:

[Chapter 1: Born with superhuman strength, an eight-year-old boy fights the village chief's son; what are farmers compared to him? Even a strong adult is no match for an eight-year-old child; Su Sanlang becomes famous in Sishui Village.]

[Chapter Two: The village chief is impressed, the whole village sponsors martial arts training, the child king and his men challenge him to a duel, and Sanlang captures the child king seven times!]

Chapter Three (Five Years Later): The Wolf King is born, unifying the wolf pack and leading his vicious wolves to wreak havoc in the region, becoming an invincible tyrant of the mountains and forests.

[Chapter Four: The Wolf King Descends the Mountain to Eat Children, Little Stone Dies, Village Chief Worried About Sanlang's Loyalty and Righteousness, and the Whole Village Remains Silent.]

Women dare not go up the mountain to pick vegetables, charcoal sellers dare not go up the mountain to chop firewood, hunters dare not go up the mountain to hunt, every household keeps their doors tightly shut, the wolf king wreaks havoc in the village, but can it stop the children from crying at night? Who can rid the scourge of this menace?

【Sanlang, Sanlang, how could you be kept in the dark?】

[Chapter 5: Aunt Stone comes crying at midnight, Sanlang is shocked to discover that wolves are eating people. He vows to exterminate the wolf pack, kill the wolf king, avenge Little Stone, avenge Aunt Stone, and rid the whole village of this scourge!]

[Chapter Six: Su Sanlang, keeping it a secret from everyone, went up the mountain alone. There, he devised a plan to kill twenty wolves, then searched for the wolf king. He fought the wolf king for a day and a night, and finally, in the dead of night, amidst the snow and cold, he killed the ten-foot-long, silver-white wolf king with a single blow.]

This part left Su Ming speechless.

This experience is completely different from what Su Ming described.

The plot involving setting traps and poisoning has been removed, and the focus is now on Su Sanlang defeating these ferocious beasts with his sword and bow, upright and honorable, using his superb martial arts skills.

The description of Su Sanlang's martial arts skills is taken to the extreme, with each move being incredibly awesome, leaving the audience breathless and in awe.

Without poisoning, traps, or setting up a valley to surround him, how could he possibly stand up to an attack by more than twenty wolves, including a wolf king that was over 3 meters tall?

Su Ming doesn't have that ability; the Su Sanlang described here isn't him, is he?

However, it must be said that this scholar's writing is quite good, the descriptions are particularly wonderful, the fighting scenes are very realistic, and it's very enjoyable to read.

Continue scrolling down:

[Chapter Seven: Su Sanlang did not return home for a day and a night. His family searched the village but could not find him. Aunt Shitou came out to clarify the situation, blaming herself for Sanlang's death, and prepared to commit suicide.]

[Amidst the fear and sorrow, the village chief rallied the villagers, ordering the able-bodied men to go up the mountain to search for the missing person. They encountered a wolf demon halfway up the mountain and all returned. The entire village lit a bonfire, picked up their weapons, and, trembling with fear, prepared to fight the monster to the death.]

[It turned out that Su Sanlang had returned carrying the over three-meter-tall silver-white wolf king; the thin boy had carried a wolf king several times his own size.]

And so, the play ends.

If Su Ming were to give his opinion: "Hmm, it's exceptionally well written."

Everything was fine, except that the protagonist, Su Sanlang, wasn't himself.

The writing is superb, the plot is full of twists and turns, the action is awesome, and every chapter is captivating.

With this level of writing skill, this scholar is indeed very impressive!

"How is it?" Lin Qingyun asked anxiously as Su Ming read through the document, rubbing his frozen hands.

In fact, Lin Qingyun had always wanted to add the scene of "Su San's fiancée", including the hero spending his days alone by the well. Unfortunately, Su Ming strongly opposed it, so he had to delete this part. As a result, he felt unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

Lin Qingyun looked at Su Ming expectantly, hoping Su Ming would give an evaluation.

"This Su Sanlang is too amazing! He smashed a wolf's head with one punch? What the hell? This can't be me, right?" Su Ming was speechless.

"What are you saying? Do you mean there's another Su Sanlang in Sishui Village?"

"But I'm not that good."

"We just did a little bit of processing, what's wrong with that?" Lin Qingyun replied matter-of-factly.

Su Ming was speechless.

He has no ability to fight a wolf king head-on for a whole day and night without rest, using only a knife.

Moreover, the wolf king could knock down a tree with a single claw, break a tree that would take three people to encircle with a casual ramming motion, create a 3-meter-long wave of snow with a single slap of its tail, and bite through a rapidly slashing broadsword and iron knife with its teeth.

Is this special, or is it still a wolf?

This must be a monster!

I don't have the ability to fight a monster for a whole day and night!

If this wolf king is really that powerful, Su Ming probably wouldn't have enough lives even if he had 100.

"Scripts are naturally a mix of truth and fiction, as long as they're generally true. Do you think the stories and vernacular tales circulating in Linjiang County are actually true?"

In Linjiang County, many of the plays are about emperors and generals, and most of them are fictional. Even some of the stories of wandering knights are quite fantastical.

"Oh well--"

Since it was all for the sake of making a name for himself, Su Ming didn't dwell on it too much.

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