Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

The morning sunlight streamed into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

Lin Yuan sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his aching back. He looked at Gu Zhiwan, who was sleeping soundly next to him, hugging a teddy bear pillow, and shook his head helplessly.

The power of that "self-defense kick" last night is still deeply etched in his lower back muscles.

He tiptoed out of bed, put on his coat, and went into the study.

Birds are singing and flowers are blooming outside the window; it's the perfect weather for getting things done.

Lin Yuan sat back down at his computer and skillfully opened the largest online novel platform in China—Red Eggplant Chinese Website.

In the world of online novels, the name "Lin Yuan" has long been a supreme myth that countless readers both love and hate.

He burst onto the scene here with "Zhu Xian," which created the pinnacle of classical fantasy novels and tormented countless readers. Then came "Murder on the Orient Express," which swept the suspense and mystery charts and was hailed as a masterpiece by countless detective enthusiasts. Following that, "Dragon Raja I" captivated the hearts of the younger generation with its extremely chuunibyou yet passionate and tragic writing style.

Even his earlier science fiction short story, "The Rural Teacher," is now being repeatedly studied as a classic textbook by literature departments in major universities.

But... there's always a "but".

On the official forum and comment section of Red Eggplant Network, besides "The Great Demon King" and "Literary Genius," Lin Yuan has another widely circulated, most resounding, and most infuriating nickname in the martial arts world—

"The number one chapter-breaking dog on the entire internet".

This guy writes books entirely based on his mood! He wrote "Zhu Xian" and then abruptly stopped when Biyao blocked the sword; he wrote "Dragon Raja" and then abruptly stopped updating to go sing and make movies when the crucial battle was about to begin. Every time, he would suddenly shut down and unplug the power when the readers' emotions were at their peak, which made millions of readers so angry that they would send razor blade emojis to the comments section every day.

"Today, I'll give you a change of pace."

Lin Yuan's lips curled into a wicked smile. He created a new work, packaged the first dozen or so chapters he had prepared, and directly clicked "Publish New Book".

Book title: Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Ancient City of Jingjue.

Synopsis: "To find the dragon and divide the gold, look at the winding mountains; each winding mountain is a barrier. People light candles, ghosts blow out the lamps; when the rooster crows, the lamp goes out—don't touch the gold."

Click to submit, shut down the computer, and go downstairs to make breakfast.

At 8:30 a.m., at the headquarters building of Red Eggplant Chinese Website.

Jiang Cheng, the chief editor of the review team, was holding a thermos and groggily refreshing the backend review list.

Suddenly, the anti-cheating alarm system in the background emitted an extremely piercing beeping sound!

"Huh? The server's been hacked?!"

Jiang Cheng glanced at the list carefully, almost spitting out a mouthful of goji berry water onto the screen, his eyes fixed on the new book record that had just passed the automatic review in the background.

"Holy crap!! Lin the Demon King has released a new book! Quick! Top banner on the homepage! Pop-up promotion across the entire site! Activate all backup servers! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Jiang Cheng screamed hysterically, and the entire editorial department instantly descended into chaos.

Three minutes later.

The announcement of the release of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" was like an atomic bomb dropped into a calm lake, causing tens of millions of book fans and onlookers across the internet to boil over!

"What?! The Demon King was in London just two days ago making the Western music scene cry with 'Apologize,' and today he's back in China and launching a new book?!"

"The Lost City of Jingjue? Tomb raiding and adventure? What kind of niche genre is this? Has the Great Demon King stopped writing Dragon Raja 2 and gone off to dig up old graves?!"

"Never mind! Let's see first! I just hope the Great Demon King will be human this time and not die in some weird place!"

"Hahaha, 'Fragment Dog' is at it again, spreading poison! Everyone get your razor blades ready!"

Countless readers, filled with curiosity and skepticism, flocked to the pages of "Ghost Blows Out the Light".

Dragon Kingdom, Shanghai.

"Zhang Pangzi," a seasoned bookworm and professional online novel critic, was lounging lazily on the sofa, munching on toast while opening "Ghost Blows Out the Light."

As a seasoned bookworm who had read countless urban fantasy and cultivation novels, Fatty Zhang wasn't particularly interested in this so-called "underground adventure" genre. After all, similar novels on the market before were either dry and boring archaeological reports or far-fetched zombie tales, so fake that they were laughable.

"Is Lin the Great Demon King going to mess things up this time? After finishing Western classics, he's now writing this kind of niche online novel..." Fatty Zhang muttered to himself, casually clicking on the first chapter.

However, after reading only three pages, Fatty Zhang slowed down his chewing of toast.

This writing style... is absolutely amazing!

There was not a trace of pretentiousness in it; it was a storytelling tone that was extremely authentic, extremely down-to-earth, and imbued with a strong sense of the vicissitudes of the times. Starting with the ancestor of the protagonist Hu Bayi, the incomplete book "The Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Technique" instantly brought out that profound sense of historical depth.

"This is interesting..." Fatty Zhang sat up straight.

The plot progresses rapidly. During their time as sent-down youth in Dahuangling, Hu Bayi and Fatty spend the night in a desolate graveyard deep in the mountains.

When the author described the old, snow-white weasel that bowed to the moon like a human and begged for food under the moonlight, Zhang Pangzi's hair stood on end!

"Holy crap...this tastes just right! This must be a true story from the folk tales, right?!" Fatty Zhang swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He quickly picked up the hot cocoa next to him, took a sip to calm his nerves, and then continued reading.

As Hu Bayi joins the army and retires, he reunites with his old comrade-in-arms, Wang Pangzi, in Panjiayuan. Da Jinya, a eloquent and knowledgeable street merchant who knows the secrets of antiques, makes his debut!

The intricacies of the antique world, the slang of Panjiayuan, the unspoken rules of Liulichang… Lin Yuan’s effortless writing vividly presents the readers with an extremely vast and mysterious world of antiques and tomb raiding!

Fatty Zhang stared in disbelief, his eyes gleaming:

"Tomb Raiders? Celestial Officials of Tomb Raiders? Mountain Moving Taoists? Ridge Unloading Warriors? Four sects standing side by side? My god! This world-building is absolutely amazing!"

As the plot progresses to the point where Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang are hired by an archaeological team to venture deep into the Black Desert in search of the lost "Jingjue Ancient City," and for the first time utter the ironclad rule passed down for millennia by the tomb raiders—

"To find the dragon vein and divide the gold, look at the winding mountains; each winding mountain represents a barrier. The principles of Yin and Yang, the Eight Trigrams, and Feng Shui are like a candle lit by humans—a ghost can blow it out!"

"When entering the underground palace, a candle must be lit in the southeast corner. If the candle goes out, it means that the 'friends' underground are not allowed to take the treasures, and you must return the way you came, without taking a single item! This is called—'Don't touch the gold when the rooster crows and the candle goes out!'"

"boom!"

Something seemed to explode in Fatty Zhang's mind!

This isn't web novel writing! It's practically using feng shui, gossip, and folk legends to force-feed a set of god-level slang to readers across the entire country! This sense of unseen rules and rituals is on a completely different level than simple fighting and killing!

Fatty Zhang became completely engrossed in it.

He followed Hu Bayi's perspective and arrived at the Kwantung Army's underground fortress deep in the mountains of Liaoning.

The dimly lit underground passage, the rusty mechanical door, the eerie clay sculptures of boys and girls... the overwhelming, suffocating sense of claustrophobia made Fatty Zhang subconsciously slow his breathing.

When Hu Bayi actually lit a white candle in the southeast corner of the stone chamber, and then took two silver dollars out of the coffin, he witnessed the candle flame suddenly turn from yellow to green and finally go out with a "pop"—

Fatty Zhang jumped up from the sofa with a loud "Whoa!" His hot cocoa spilled all over his pants!

"It's out! The candles are really out! Red is a feng shui curse! Green is a ghost blowing out the lamp! The red-haired red beast is coming out!!"

Fatty Zhang's eyes were wide open, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he was so overwhelmed by the terrifying and thrilling experience that his head was tingling!

He frantically scrolled the mouse wheel, eager to see how Hu Bayi would escape death from the Red Hou's pursuit—

however!

A cold, extremely annoying, and even mocking system notification suddenly popped up on the screen:

[Author's Note: To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next chapter. That's all for today's update. See you tomorrow! ~]

Fatty Zhang: "..."

He remained frozen for a full five seconds.

Fatty Zhang stared at the page stuck on the crucial moments of the Red Hou breaking out of the coffin and the candles going out in the southeast corner. His eyes instantly turned red, and he let out a heart-wrenching wail:

"Lin Yuan! You son of a bitch, you missing-the-page dog!!!"

"Did the Red Hou even show up?! Did Hu Bayi take the silver dollar?! You killed him in the southeast corner where the lights were off, doesn't your conscience hurt?!"

Zhang Pangzi's miserable state is just a microcosm of the millions of readers of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" on the internet.

That very noon, "Ghost Blows Out the Light" instantly topped the reward and recommendation charts on Hongqiezi.com, breaking the historical record in the online literature world!

The comment section exploded like a mushroom cloud, with tens of thousands of comments flooding in at a rate of dozens per second:

"This is too weird! This book is too weird! The power went out when I was reading it just now, and I almost peed my pants!"

"You Great Demon King, come out here! Confess honestly, were your ancestors really tomb raiders?! You can recite those feng shui incantations so fluently!"

"That scoundrel Lin Yuan! Of all places to put it, he had to be stuck in the southeast corner, right where you blow out candles! Now, every time I look at the water dispenser in the southeast corner of my living room, I feel like it's going to blow out air conditioning!"

"I advise you to produce the next chapter before midnight tonight! Otherwise, we'll form a group and light candles in the southeast corner of your house!"

"Guys, I've already bought white candles. I lit one in the southeast corner of my mom's room, and now she's chasing me with a broom..."

The Weibo hot search list was completely dominated by "Ghost Blows Out the Light":

#Lighting a candle in the southeast corner of Ghost Blows Out the Light#

#Combating the Abbreviated Chapter Dogs Online#

#Don't touch gold when the rooster crows and the lamp goes out#

Even many renowned folklorists and archaeology professors were alarmed, and they all posted about it on Weibo:

[A retired archaeology professor]: "I spent the whole morning studying Mr. Lin Yuan's 'Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Technique' in his new book 'Ghost Blows Out the Light.' Although some parts contain literary exaggeration, his descriptions of ancient tomb formations and the search for dragon veins are remarkably consistent with the 'I Ching' and geographical records! This is definitely not something that could be written overnight. Mr. Lin's understanding of traditional folk customs is truly astonishing!"

Netizens went even crazier upon seeing this:

"Holy crap! The professor himself confirmed it! The Great Demon King really did dig up a huge tomb?!"

"Officer, please check Lin Yuan's criminal record! He writes songs like a god, but his novels are like a tomb raider recounting his experiences!"

Noon.

The sunlight was just right in the living room.

Wearing an apron, Lin Yuan served the last dish, steamed grouper, to the table.

Gu Zhiwan was nestled on the sofa, holding a tablet computer in her hand, her two little feet swinging back and forth in mid-air, and occasionally making "smack smack" reading sounds.

"Zhiwan, stop looking, it's time to eat." Lin Yuan took off his apron.

Gu Zhiwan completely ignored him, instead staring intently at the screen, her delicate body trembling slightly from time to time with the plot. When she saw Hu Bayi encounter the large wardrobe at the Kwantung Army fortress, from which two mummified corpses slid out, she swallowed hard, her face turning deathly pale.

Then, she saw that extremely familiar chapter break.

"...That's it?!"

Gu Zhiwan raised her head, her beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with disbelief and anger as she stared intently at Lin Yuan.

"Why are you looking at me? I just published the first batch today, 20,000 words, that's quite a lot." Lin Yuan said matter-of-factly as he ladled out a bowl of rice.

Gu Zhiwan put down her tablet, stormed to the dining table, sat down, picked up a piece of fish, and took a big bite, as if she were biting Lin Yuan's neck:

"Lin Yuan! Do you even know how much you're being cursed at online?! Tens of thousands of people in the comments section are saying they're going to send you razor blades!"

"I'm used to it. The life of the Great Demon King is just this lonely as snow." Lin Yuan leisurely sipped his goji berry water.

"Lonely my foot!" Gu Zhiwan rolled her eyes at him, then couldn't help but lean closer, tug at his sleeve, her big eyes sparkling with intense gossip, and whispered, "Um... Lin Yuan, since I'm your girlfriend, please tell me... that Red Hou in the Kwantung Army fortress, was it finally subdued by Hu Bayi using the black donkey hoof? And also, did that black donkey hoof really work?!"

He placed a piece of fish in Gu Zhiwan's bowl and winked mysteriously:

"Want to know what happens next?"

"Yes!" Gu Zhiwan nodded frantically, like a kitten waiting to be fed.

"So tonight... will someone still kick me?"

Gu Zhiwan's face flushed crimson to her ears in an instant. She stomped on him, embarrassed and annoyed, "Lin Yuan! You dare bring up last night! That was physical defense! Don't you understand physical defense?!"

"I understand, I understand, the physical defense is as high as 99,900." Lin Yuan chuckled as he rubbed his calf.

Seeing that force wouldn't work, Gu Zhiwan's eyes darted around slightly, and she instantly changed tactics. This actress, who was so glamorous in front of the camera, suddenly unleashed her award-winning acting skills to keep up with the latest episode.

She thoughtfully picked up a piece of tender, boneless grouper belly and gently placed it in Lin Yuan's bowl. She even brought the steaming bowl of goji berry water to his lips, her large, watery eyes filled with flattery and a thirst for knowledge.

"Lin the Great Writer~ Lin the Great Demon King~ Look, the fish meat has been picked out for you, and the water has been served too. Just reveal a little bit... even just one sentence! Is the Red Hou really afraid of the Black Donkey Hoof?"

Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair, slowly sipped his water, and curled his lips into a smug smile: "Tsk, Gu, your attitude in asking for help is not bad, but it seems to lack a bit of sincerity."

"You—!" Gu Zhiwan gritted her teeth, her small hands clenching under the table, making a cracking sound, but under the allure of the "top secret mystery," her dignity finally succumbed completely.

Her face flushed crimson to her ears in an instant. She glanced around shyly, then suddenly leaned close to Lin Yuan's ear and let out a barely audible, extremely awkward moan:

"...Brother, older brother."

"Hmm? The sound is too soft, listen carefully." Lin Yuan suppressed a laugh and turned his ear to the side with a serious expression.

"Lin Yuan! Don't push your luck!" Gu Zhiwan instantly exploded, her face flushed, slamming her hand on the table and standing up, poking his forehead in embarrassment and anger. "You've already called me! Hurry up and tell me! Otherwise, you can forget about eating today!"

Looking at his girlfriend, who was both frightened and exasperated, both proud and submissive, Lin Yuan finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. He grabbed her small hand, which was flailing wildly in the air, and leaned in to whisper four words:

"Black donkey hooves... work, but not many."

Gu Zhiwan's delicate body trembled, her large eyes instantly lighting up before she suddenly realized, "Wait a minute! What does 'effective but not much' mean?! You're playing word games with me again!!"