Knight, is there really such a person?

Cui Yunqi felt like he had come upon a lake of ice water on a hot summer day, instantly delighted, and was about to question Chen Xu about the whereabouts of the knight.

But then he heard Chen Xu say, "It's a story I heard in the marketplace, just a rumor not personally seen, hence half realistic, half fictitious."

So Chen Xu had never seen the knight himself, thus he portrayed such a person based on rumors, with a blend of reality and illusion?

Cui Yunqi's mood sank again, growing disappointed.

"I see, alas..." He restrained himself for a while, but ultimately couldn't hold back a sigh, intending to say something to cover the awkwardness.

Again he heard Chen Xu say, "But that rumor is based on real events. I have two little stories, and right now, I've recorded one. Brother Cui, please have a look."

He handed the previously written little story of beast creation to Cui Yunqi and returned to the desk, picking up his pen.

"Master." As he picked up the pen, Chen Xu glanced at Wu Zhengze.

Wu Zhengze arrived earlier than Cui Yunqi; he was the middle-aged scholar reading "Knight's Journey" by the desk earlier.

Now Wu Zhengze, eyes alight, looked at Chen Xu, urging him, "Hurry and write."

This was pressing Chen Xu to quickly write the second little story on beast creation.

Goodness, it felt like the intimidating pressure of being pushed by a teacher to complete homework.

Luckily, Chen Xu was already planning to write the second piece.

Unafraid of the gaze, he immediately set pen to paper, writing "Beast Creation II."

The outline was already formed in his mind, and now he wrote it out effortlessly.

"By day I heard of beast creation, deep into the night I entered a dream, in the dream I met a ghost."

This was depicting his experience of encountering a little ghost at the Ghost Market as a dream.

Meeting a ghost in the dream seemed both real and illusionary, with a peculiar and ethereal feeling.

Some things should be written to warn the world, yet not too realistically.

Though all of this was Chen Xu's own experience, he had to cover his experience with a legendary mystique.

And certainly couldn't say the knight was himself—

Since it was a matter of leaving quietly, deeply hiding oneself and one's name, naturally the hiding must be thorough.

Chen Xu wrote, encountering a phantom in the dream. The phantom first silently shed tears, looking at him with resentment.

"In my lifetime I've never committed evil, why be frightened just because of encountering a ghost?

Yet the ghost appeared young and naive, with a cute face but forlorn expression. Being young but a phantom, there must be grievances.

Couldn't help but ask why the ghost came?"

At this point, Chen Xu deliberately made the little ghost's image clear and cute, partly to invoke the readers' sympathy, and also to emphasize the ghost's subsequent tragedy.

If the first story involving the knight was a fusion of fantasy and idealism, the second story without a knight was an unavoidable cold reality.

Chen Xu detailed the ghost's sufferings intricately, layer by layer.

How the ghost had shallow familial ties, how his maternal tribe was wiped out, and how he was deceived by his father's concubine with sweet words and a deceitful sword...

Finally, harmed by the beast creation evil magic, and his head fell to the ground.

Chen Xu highlighted the little ghost's anger and danger against being killed.

In the end, after hesitating for a moment, he still wrote down the conclusion of the ghost's revenge.

Chen Xu anticipated that, with the ghost avenging and killing the father as a child, he would surely face strong criticism from his contemporaries.

No matter whether revenge was just, the rites of the time could not tolerate such behavior.

Writing it this way, debate would surely ensue.

And it's quite possible that he himself, as the "bystander, recorder," might be subject to numerous criticisms.

But Chen Xu eventually still wrote it this way.

If the little ghost had the courage to seek revenge, would he not even dare to write?

Since it was to warn the world, the tragedy of father and son discord, and the ghost patricide, would it not be even more shocking?

Chen Xu not only wanted to write but wanted to render this scenario even more thrilling and tumultuous.

At the climax of the little ghost's revenge, he fabricated some twists and turns.

By using various perilous and vivid language, he depicted the scene as if it were real, with a strong visual impact to strike the readers' senses.

The ending was a light sigh: "Long grievances are not like water, waves arise from calm ground."

Merely a short sentence, not a complete poem.

If these two little stories could ferment in the future, and people grew curious about this sentence, when the time was right, Chen Xu would be encouraged to write a complete poetic piece.

In this way, a new poem would emerge following public demand, its dissemination effect certainly being better than straightforward narration.

Chen Xu placed his pen down at this point.

Then he heard two heavy sighs from beside him.

The first was Wu Zhengze, his voice low: "World affairs are indifferent, human hearts treacherous, how could it come to this?"

The other was Cui Yunqi, anger over his expression:

"What a shameless scoundrel, clearly filled with the teachings of sages, yet does not engage in production or accumulate family wealth, actually coveting the wife's family's assets.

Not satisfied with harming the wife's Yue Family, also indulged the concubine to poison the little son.

Truly worse than beasts! The utmost shamelessness, how can such scholars exist in the world?

His reputation must be spread, so that the whole world may scorn him!"

After his anger, there was another sigh: "Poor child, never met a knight."

He was still lamenting the knight in "Knight's Journey."

The two little stories completely aroused the sympathy of this aristocratic young man.

The knight in "Knight's Journey" even stimulated his chivalrous spirit.

Cui Yunqi fully believed both stories, and although Chen Xu's storytelling was in a somewhat dreamlike tone, in fact, the stories were indeed real.

Chen Xu was about to speak when Cui Yunqi suddenly clasped his fists and said:

"Brother Chen, what you wrote today, whether poetry or story, my, my Cui family's bookstores can print them.

Please hand over the manuscript to me, I will print thousands of copies and sell them across Yunjiang counties.

The sales and all the silver coins obtained thorough the sales, my Cui family will not take a single bit, all will go to Brother Chen."

With such generous conditions, Chen Xu was speechless.

This was not just opening terms; this was clearly giving money as the most direct goodwill.

Chen Xu immediately stood up, prepared to refuse.

There are certain benefits in the world that should not be entirely accepted without reservation.

Thinking it's advantageous, not knowing that all gifts in the world should have a price?

If there's no price, then that would be the ultimate price.

Just then, a voice rang out from the doorway: "Brother Chen, my Wang Family can help Brother Chen spread your works and poems throughout the Seven Prefectures of the Celestial South, even to the Capital City!"

It turned out to be Wang Xian, who had been silently standing at the door, finally speaking up.

As soon as Wang Xian opened his mouth, it was like stirring a hornet's nest.

People crowded in the hallway outside, who knows when they gathered, hurriedly began to speak:

"Your Wang Family is struggling nowadays; how do you have the strength to spread Brother Chen's poems across the Seven Prefectures of Yunjiang? Better let our Tian Family step in!"

"Master Chen saved our seventh family member's life, our Ning Family can also step in; Brother Tian, your family hasn't much experience in operating bookstores, right?"

"Just because we don't run bookstores doesn't mean we can't help? Doesn't everyone have a few relatives and friends?"

"How can relatives and friends compare to direct control by one's own family? Our Ning Family not only has bookstores, but also teahouses..."

Well, they started arguing.

At this moment, Chen Xu hadn't yet dressed splendidly with flowers, but standing in this ordinary inn room, he somehow felt a sense of blooming flowers and boiling oil.

This wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Being excessively prosperous leads to decline, unless one has a solid foundation, not fearing any storm.

And clearly at this moment, Chen Xu hadn't yet rooted deeply.

He declined all offers of goodwill—

Of course, he only refused the free goodwill.

If it was normal publishing, selling, proportionate royalty sharing, Chen Xu had no reason to refuse.

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