Later, anyone who came to buy a book would receive the same recommendation: This one is the most recent arrival and is free to read. Would you like to take it back and take a look?
It was free anyway, so they’d accept it regardless. Furthermore, it appeared intriguing after seeing the title and the text.
Unexpectedly, they all jumped into the pit one by one, especially the young ladies, who were really enthusiastic. They were voracious readers. When the cannon fodders rebuked the heroine, they scolded the cannon fodders. When the scumbag didn’t behave like an upright man, they were itching to burrow into the book and see the man who had a murky heart. They were overjoyed when they saw his face being slapped. The story was only about 30,000 characters, but the plot’s ups and downs, as well as the rolling mood, were like a roller coaster ride.
They were intrigued about the mysterious man’s identity when he stated he wanted to marry the heroine and were looking forward to seeing them join forces to destroy the scum.
They flick to the next page, their hearts racing and their palms quivering.
…It’s gone? It’s gone!!!
Not believing this, they kept flipping the last page. They even shook a couple of the complimentary copies, as if to flush out the hidden chapters.
What kind of author is this, ah. How could you put out something so short?
Bringing their knives to the door, they wanted to stare at the author until the end of the day.
Whether they were the daughters of a well-known affluent family or a commoner’s daughter, they all shared the same purpose at this point—to walk into the book store and ask for the first volume.
Sun-niang had foreseen this reaction and had already printed several hundred copies during the free reading phase.
But she didn’t predict that the quantity would be insufficient to sell; it was all purchased by the servant girls and commoner girls who rushed here and queued at once, and those who came after basically didn’t have any left.
Sun-niang was astonished and pleased, but those who couldn’t purchase the book were not. In truth, those who purchased the book were not necessarily delighted either, because it was the first volume and the second one was not yet available. They’d heard the author was still working on it. What an amazing example of human misery!
All the ladies in two were buzzing about this book now, and anyone who hadn’t read it seemed to be from the countryside. Thus, they had to find a way to buy or borrow a copy in order to be part of the conversation.
They gather to berate the scumbag, to pick up on the foreshadowing laid in the beginning, to predict the plot’s future trajectory, and then to debate their opinions on matrimony, how to spot a scumbag, how to swiftly sever the knot in a similar circumstance, and so on.
Wen Mingyu didn’t even think he was merely writing a dog blood story. The audience saw it as a philosophy of life, believing that a woman should be bold and resolute enough to live like the heroine. Rather than relying only on men, they should live a clear-minded and transparent life like the female protagonist, know how to be a blend of hardness and tenderness, and appropriately handle their emotional bond with their husbands.
He was born during the Interstellar era, where many of his predecessors struggled for rights and fairness piece by piece, and where people were constantly pushing for gender equality between men and women. Then ABO appeared, and the genders were split again, causing havoc and confusion; people had to march for new equality all over again. Omega has human rights organizations that work tirelessly for their freedom and rights; he was also active in several of those initiatives, which he found quite fulfilling.
These thoughts were organically introduced between the lines, where they were found and comprehended by the reader. That was why many female readers liked this book and believed they had discovered the person they wanted to be in it.
Of course, this was partly due to the fact that the culture of this dynasty was somewhat liberal, with men considered to be more superior than women in some circumstances, but not so much that women were not obliged to leave their gates. The fact that Sun-niang was permitted to run around a business in public was evidence of this.
Because the content was well received, there were several prompts for more. Sun-niang was even on the front lines of the surge, very eager to glue Wen Mingyu to his desk to keep him writing.
When Wen Mingyu said he was in a slump, Sun-niang shared some local gossip to get him in the mood and see if there was any potential for eliciting inspiration in him.
There were no sparks of inspiration, but Wen Mingyu became a wild beast, rushing about the melon field. The melon seeds were very sweet and enjoyable to eat.
When Wen Mingyu didn’t hand over the manuscript, Sun-niang said softly with a looming tone, “Yu-niang, do you realize how many people want to know your identity and address? If you continue in this manner, the animosity will be intense. I’m afraid they’ll show up at midnight with a grudge and knives.”
Wen Mingyu, who was chewing a sticky sugar cake with a crunchy click, almost choked in horror—“I’m going to write!”
Fortunately, he had just eaten and gained inspiration, and if he had had another day, he would have finished writing the finale.
But no one expected an unforeseen incident to occur at this moment.
Mu Zhan’s face darkened day by day, to the point that ink might spill from it.
While the officials at the bottom were frightened in their boots, they couldn’t stop discussing who had taken Lord Wen away. They had looked everywhere, but they still couldn’t locate him. Has he crossed the border and gone to another foreign land? That would be difficult to search for.
Naturally, Mu Zhan was also perplexed as to why it was so challenging to locate someone. Was Wen Mingyu’s hiding so securely because he didn’t want to be discovered by him?
Due to his agitation and uneasiness, Mu Zhan had not slept well for several days already. His eyes were bleak and sunken, and he resembled an evil Shura creeping out of hell with the frightening aura around him.
Finally, a different proposal was made.
If so many people were still unable to locate the person when searching, why not attempt the non-human approach?
What they meant was that dogs have a keen nose and are adept at locating people or objects based on scent.
Because they didn’t know if it would work, they didn’t explicitly recommend it to His Majesty, for fear of being blamed and infuriated if it flopped.
The person who proposed bolted to inform Wei Yingwu and Wen Changlan.
Wen Changlan pondered it for a time and concluded that it was practicable.
Wei Yingwu nodded as well, and the next step was to find some competent dogs. After all, it was the key to finding someone.
The proposal was submitted to the court, and with the approval of His Majesty, the operation began.
Mu Zhan also went with them.
San Xi, with Wen Mingyu’s clothes, offered them to the dogs and let them take a sniff.
Just as they were about to set off, a nimble dark shadow appeared and rushed forth.
It was the Husky owned by Wei Yingwu.
San Xi assumed this dog was also one of the working dogs and handed the garments over to it to sniff.
Wei Yingwu rubbed his forehead and appeared to have no face to see anyone, murmuring, “It’s not, it can’t…”
When he said that, the husky was not having it and stormed at Wei Yingwu in full momentum, barking ferociously.
Who are you saying I can’t? Do you think this uncle won’t bite you?!
“We are not fooling around; we have an important task to complete, so go play by yourself,” Wei Yingwu replied.
The husky disregarded his words and, with an expression of “I think I heard someone saying I’m handsome,” pushed his way to the front. When others refused to offer him a robe to sniff, he nabbed one for himself, even nearly tearing it.
He was scatter-brained, fooling around, while the others were terrified, as if their hearts might get an attack.
Mu Zhan’s eyes were becoming increasingly icy, owing to the fact that he was riding on his horse and staring down at the husky from above.
Who doesn’t know how much His Majesty values Lord Wen. This stupid dog was simply twirling in madness on the edge of the emperor’s bottom line.
Those present were scared that His Majesty would have the dogs slaughtered the next instant, and that if His Majesty grew too enraged, they, too, would succumb to the same fate.
However, instead of ordering the dog to be killed, Mu Zhan amazingly said, “If you can’t locate someone, you’ll be diced up and cooked into a dog meat casserole for everyone here to chew.”
The audience was taken aback. Isn’t this an obvious case of still killing the dog? They couldn’t even find a shadow of the person after so many days of looking.
They all looked at the stupid dog with some pity, but they couldn’t help but gulp, thinking that if the Imperial kitchen prepared a dog meat casserole, it couldn’t be that horrible, right?
Although many times Wei Ying was so angry with the foolish dog that he wanted to butcher it, he naturally couldn’t bear to part with it. When he heard His Majesty say that, he instantly wanted to appeal for its forgiveness.
But the stupid husky was completely unaware of the danger. After hearing Mu Zhan’s words, he spat out his tongue and barked in response, then stretched his dog legs and galloped forward madly. With the air that blew past him, as if following him, the master, there was a guarantee you would find someone.
Without a word, Mu Zhan jerked the reins and spurred his horse to follow.
Wei Yingwu was simply a tad too late to plead for mercy, so he could only sit back and watch the jovial back of the idiotic dog, praying for him. In his heart, he still had a sliver of hope that perhaps the dog was too clever that he looked dull-witted. Can it truly track a person down?
This question, a quarter of an hour after setting off, was ruthlessly shattered by the dog.
The husky flopped onto the meadow and rolled around, content to play on its own and entirely unconcerned about its duty.
Mu Zhan gave it a frigid glare; the dog immediately sensed it and felt as if it was being observed by a natural adversary. It soared up, shivering, sprinting forward at full speed with its tail between its legs to lead the way obediently—multiple times, it wanted to escape and play, but a pair of cold eyes were glaring behind it.
…It wimped out.
Dumb Husky has never previously made such an earnest commitment. He flew all the way to the town where he had originally sent Wen Mingyu, skillfully digging the dog hole to gain entry.
Needless to say, Mu Zhan and his followers couldn’t crawl through the dog hole. They entered the town gates, found the dog, and then went on their way.
Several days had gone, and the scent had decreased somewhat. Wen Mingyu didn’t go out, so the husky circled the vast streets and tiny alleyways before finally running near Sun-niang’s residence, wandering between various mansions, unsure which was the right one.
The husky was tangled, frowning seriously. When he’s not sticking his tongue out and being ridiculous, he can be extremely fierce, like a proud wolf. Of course, one had to overlook the pink bowknot on his ears.
Mu Zhan’s patience was ready to run out when Dumb Husky started thrashing around, not knowing what to do, and coincidentally, Sun-niang returned.
The hem of her skirt waved gently as she went, carrying a gust of wind with it.
Sun-niang spent a lot of time with Wen Mingyu, thus she evidently picked up some of his scent.
Dumb Husky smelled the scent and ran over, biting the hem of Sun-niang’s skirt, startling Sun-niang. “What’s happening?!”
When she looked down, she saw a dog wagging its tail and laughed in relief, “You can smell the roast chicken, don’t you? Fine, share a piece of leg with you.”
Everyone else thought the husky had a craving for something yummy since his mouth was salivating and he was eyeing Sun-niang with bated breath.
But Mu Zhan’s thoughts were different; he detected the familiar fruity fragrance. He turned to face Sun-niang, peered in the direction she would be walking back, and swiftly locked on to the proper residence.
Mu Zhan galloped through on his horse without hesitation. Sun-niang glanced up as she heard the racket and saw a tall and lofty man galloping in the direction of her gate, followed by a group of men in armor. She blanched and dashed after them with the hem of her skirt.
Dumb Husky was drooling, but when he realized he’d been abandoned, he scowled and woofed in displeasure.
What’s going on? Throwing a dog across a river! This is outrageous!
I’m not going to get well unless I receive some large chunks of bone!
As if it was frightened it might be short of its reward, it hastily stretched its legs and pursued after them, though it was unknown whether it was running after Mu Zhan or the roast chicken carried by Sun-niang.
Mu Zhan led the way, with Wei Yingwu and the rest close behind. Sun-niang tugged at her skirt in pursuit, and Dumb Husky spit its tongue after the roast chicken at the end, forming an irregular stick of skewers.
Following the mild fruity fragrance, Mu Zhan came to a halt at the gate and dismounted.
Under such circumstances, a courteous knock on the gate was obviously out of the question; he didn’t have that sort of patience.
“Open the gate,” Mu Zhan said plainly.
Wei Yingwu walked forward in answer to His Majesty’s command. His mountain-like body was almost as towering as the gate, while the gate in front of him appeared dainty and cute. His muscles tensed up, the fabric on his torso curved up, and he kicked his foot hard. He shattered the latch with a loud crash, and the gate sprang open.
When Sun-niang approached and witnessed this scene, she shrieked and screamed, “What in the world are you doing?! Is there no longer any law in the land!”
Wen Changlan stepped in and calmed her. He explained that they were merely searching for someone and had no plans to harm anyone.
He was a polished and elegant man with a kind tone of speech, which made it easy to warm up to him, but after hearing his explanation, Sun-niang grew more apprehensive. “I don’t have the person you’re looking for here. Get the hell out, or I’m going to notify you and him to the authorities!”
When the gate was wrenched open, the servant guarding it was caught off guard and turned to obey his master’s bidding. But the man in the armor halted him in his tracks with his arm.
As Mu Zhan had already entered the house, Wen Changlan took up the responsibility of pacifying the scene. It was indeed as he had said; the others didn’t approach the door, instead standing watch outside, allowing Sun-niang to enter and comfort the children. They were visibly segregated to avoid meeting with the emperor, which was also for their own good.
Except for the initial commotion, which shocked them a little, the children were fearless. They resumed their game once the nanny confirmed it was alright.
Sun-niang was happy to see that the children were safe, but she had just noticed Mu Zhan’s figure striding towards Wen Mingyu’s chamber. She fixed her gaze on Wen Changlan and Wei Yingwu as if they were her rivals from the classroom next door.
“Your boss is that twisted wealthy merchant who pushes and grabs his way into everything! People’s young spouses have died, and he won’t even spare a little young widow—does he still consider himself human?! I pooh!”
Wen Changlan instantly extracted the message from her words, and his face grew stiff.
Wei Yingwu, on the other hand, was perplexed: “…???”
What rich merchant? A husband dies, and some tyrant forces a young widow to marry him? That sounds a pretty twisted one.
Wei Yingwu pooh-ed along, bewildered, not realizing he was mentally cursing his own boss.
At this time, in the room.
Wen Mingyu was still writing as he was pressed to do so. He was so engrossed that he didn’t even notice the crash of the kick in the gate outside. After a time, he put down his pen and inclined his head, thinking: Just now, I think I heard some unusual movement?
He was uncertain, suspecting himself he was hallucinating. What happened next was even more ludicrous, as he smelled faintly the familiar fragrance of wine.
So he missed Mu Zhan so much that he experienced hallucinations?
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Wen Mingyu heard rapid footsteps—and the door to his room was brutally shoved open.
Facing the light, the guest entered, which haloed his outline, thus weakening his form. The man in the middle was obscured by shadows, making it difficult to distinguish his face—but there was no doubt that there was a terrifying pressure and a sense of aggression.
When Wen Mingyu recognized someone who wasn’t supposed to be here, he was so terrified that his brush slipped from his hand onto the table, tainting the rice paper with a splash of inky cloud.
His mind became blank. He was so shocked that he couldn’t even utter a sound.
Because he always stayed in his room, and Sun-niang wouldn’t come in unannounced, Wen Mingyu didn’t pay much attention to his disguise or make-up. Without any paint, his face naturally revealed seven points of his own features. His left earlobe was ornamented with a vivid cinnabar mole, his chest was mediocre, and he was clad in a goose-yellow coat and skirt. Because he was too unmotivated to wear his embroidered shoes, he stepped on the carpet barefooted.
At first glance, it appeared to be a young beauty who was for everyone to admire.
At that moment, when Wen Mingyu was frozen stiff, Mu Zhan approached him step by step. His expression was not furious, and it was even regarded as serene. But there were instances when stillness was more disconcerting, like the quiet before the tempest.
Mu Zhan’s lips arched slightly. He took out the familiar delicate golden chain, smiled, and said, “When you left, you forgot this.”
ChiFu: two more updates and I will be gone! Take a break for one month~adopted the stray cat lurking around our house~midterms are approaching~activities are everywhere~editing is waiting~Mariah Carey is already invading!! XD