Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

The cultural atmosphere of the Great You Dynasty was extremely prosperous.

Even the porters carrying goods at the docks and the waiters serving tea and water in teahouses could mostly read a few characters.

Therefore, novels have become very popular.

Selling words and writing books is definitely a good business.

After a moment's thought, Xia Dong decided on the subject matter he wanted to write about—"The Legend of Liu Yi".

The world itself is full of strange tales about dragon kings, aquatic creatures, and fox spirits, so writing about this kind of subject will never seem out of place.

In its previous life, "The Tale of Liu Yi" was the pinnacle of Tang Dynasty legends.

To ensure the book would be a hit in this world, Xia Dong did not simply copy the somewhat restrained classical Chinese of the original work, but instead adapted it to a style more suited to this world.

In addition, Xia Dong also incorporated some techniques from online novels from his previous life.

The story begins by vividly portraying the arrogance of the second son of the Jing River Dragon King and the tragic mistreatment of the Dragon Girl, maximizing the hatred level. Then, it depicts the protagonist, Liu Yi, standing up for justice and angrily rebuking the powerful. The plot then takes a sharp turn when the Qiantang Dragon King, upon hearing of his niece's humiliation, transforms into a red dragon and bursts forth to punish the second son of the Dragon King. Xia Dong's description of this scene is highly vivid and sophisticated, making this part of the story incredibly enjoyable.

In the end, the scholar remained humble yet assertive, refusing the large sum of money, and finally gained the approval of the Dragon Girl's family. He ultimately won the heart of the beauty, attained immortality, and achieved a truly satisfying outcome.

Paper, pen, and ink were readily available at home.

With his profound literary foundation, coupled with his extraordinary energy and skill, Xia Dong writes with divine inspiration.

In just three days and nights, a magnificent and dramatic revised version of "The Tale of Liu Yi" was completed.

When it came time to sign his name, Xia Dong hesitated for a moment, then wrote three words with a hint of deeper meaning: "Gouchenke" (勾沉客), instead of using his real name.

...

...

Sanhai Bookstore is the largest printing shop in Pingyang County.

That morning, Xia Dong specially changed into the long robe that symbolized his status as a scholar and walked straight into the bookstore.

In ancient society, social classes were clearly defined, and this long robe served as the best pass for navigating social strata.

The usually arrogant waiter, upon seeing that the man was a young gentleman, immediately put on a smiling face, respectfully invited him to a private room in the back hall, served him fine tea, and then invited out the bookstore manager.

The shopkeeper's surname was Qian, and he was always shrewd.

When he first heard that Xia Dong had come to "sell his manuscripts," he was somewhat dismissive.

After all, most of the time, there are pedantic scholars who try their luck with some nonsensical poems and songs, but the results are almost always very boring.

But because of Xia Dong's achievements, he still opened the manuscript with a smile.

However, after only watching the beginning, Manager Qian was completely engrossed in it.

The supernatural tales of the Great You Dynasty were mostly straightforward and dry. But Xia Dong's "The Tale of Liu Yi" opens with a strong sense of conflict and suspense. The writing is a blend of classical and vernacular Chinese, easy to understand yet elegant. Especially when Shopkeeper Qian reads the part where the Dragon King of Qiantang roars in fury, he can't help but slap his thigh and exclaim, "That was exhilarating!"

He has been in this industry for many years, and just from the writing style of this novel, one can tell that Xia Dong is definitely a once-in-a-century talent in this field.

"Master Xia is truly talented! Such ingenious ideas are simply unheard of!" Manager Qian abandoned his previous politeness and looked at him with eager eyes.

Xia Dong picked up his teacup and gently skimmed off the foam, his expression calm: "Manager Qian is an expert, so I won't waste any more words. How much will you pay for the exclusive purchase of this book?"

After a fierce negotiation, Manager Qian knew that the book would definitely be a bestseller, so he directly quoted a fee of fifty taels of silver for the writing.

Nowadays, a family in the city spends no more than twenty taels of silver a year. One can imagine how much Xia Dong had spent practicing martial arts before.

Xia Dong didn't haggle; after all, the influence of Sanhai Bookstore was limited to Pingyang County. Even if the book sold well, it would only generate revenue in Pingyang County.

As for other places, there are many illegal bookstores that print and sell these books privately, and you can't find anyone to sue them.

The Great You Dynasty didn't have any copyright laws.

Therefore, a fee of fifty taels for writing is indeed not low.

Moreover, Xia Dong has no plans to continue cooperating with Sanhai Bookstore.

This was just a stepping stone for him, proving that he had the ability to write books.

He had someone else in mind who was a more suitable partner.

So Xia Dong, using the pen name Gouchenke, signed a document with Manager Qian, selling "The Tale of Liu Yi" to Manager Qian.

With these fifty taels of silver, he should be able to improve his Crane Shadow Step technique considerably.

After receiving the money, Xia Dong continued his seclusion to cultivate the Crane Shadow Step.

In any case, let's focus on improving our capabilities first. This will give us more confidence to act later.

...

...

After he went into seclusion to reflect,

Within just a few days, Pingyang County was in an uproar.

The Legend of Liu Yi swept through the teahouses, taverns, and docks of the entire county with an unstoppable force.

"How delightful! How delightful! That little dragon from the Jing River has committed countless evils; he deserves to be skinned and have his tendons ripped out by the Dragon King of Qiantang!"

"Master Liu is truly a role model for us scholars. Even when faced with the Dragon Palace's treasures, he was able to uphold his principles. No wonder even the celestial dragon maiden fell for him!"

The engravers at the bookstore worked day and night, and the printed books were sold out before they even warmed up on the shelves. The storytellers on the street regarded this novel as a sacred text. Every day, as soon as they struck the gavel and began telling the story of "The Tale of Liu Yi," the teahouses would be packed. Even laborers and peddlers were willing to save half a copper coin just to hear a segment of "The Dragon Girl's Gratitude."

Even the price of paper in the county town rose slightly by a few coins because of the reprint of "The Story of Liu Yi".

The name "Gouchenke" (勾沉客) became the focus of discussion in the streets and alleys of Pingyang County.

This craze inevitably swept into an elegant mansion on the east side of the county town.

Inside the study, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, yet full of energy, was wearing reading glasses imported from the West, carefully reading through the slightly yellowed first edition of "The Tale of Liu Yi" in his hands.

This man is none other than the renowned Lord He of Pingyang County. He once served as an Assistant Minister of Rites in the capital. After retiring, he returned to his hometown and was deeply respected by the county magistrate and even the prefect. At present, Lord He is in charge of the county government's work and is responsible for leading the compilation of the "Pingyang County Gazetteer".

Compiling a county gazetteer is a great undertaking that benefits the local community and will leave a mark on history. The chapters on astronomy, geography, and customs have all been completed, but the volume on "Strange Tales" is the only one that has given Lord He a real headache.

Pingyang County is located by the sea, and there are many legends about aquatic creatures and spirits, which is an extremely important part of the story. However, the Confucian scholars in the county either regarded these strange tales as heresies that "Confucius did not speak of," and wrote them perfunctorily; or their writing style was dry and dull, turning wonderful supernatural events into a mere account of events, without any spirit or charm, and failing to reflect the character of Linyuan Prefecture at all.

"Excellent writing...excellent structure!"

Lord He put down his book and couldn't help but stroke his beard in admiration.

Although "The Tale of Liu Yi" is a work of fiction, its descriptions of the rules of the aquatic dragon palace and the habits of spirits, though seemingly fantastical, subtly align with human ethics and moral principles. More importantly, the righteous spirit and unrestrained spirit that permeate the text are far beyond the capabilities of ordinary, pedantic scholars.

"To write about the supernatural with such vivid detail and educational value..." A glint of light flashed in Lord He's eyes. "If we could invite this 'hidden history expert' to write the 'Supernatural Tales' section of the county gazetteer, what great things could we not accomplish?"

He immediately turned to the steward standing to the side and ordered in a deep voice:

"Go and investigate this 'Hooking Up the Past' for me. Regardless of whether he has any official rank or not, we must invite him over with the utmost courtesy and tell him that I have something to ask of him."