Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“What’s the use of pity? If it doesn’t make money, even a god can’t do anything about it!”

Zhang Daniu was even drunker. His eyes bulged as he tapped the clay pot with a bone. He spoke incoherently, “Speaking of which, being an online writer is really the most bitter profession in the world. It can’t even be called a profession at all. It’s just that… In the early years, it was said that those who sold their art under the overpass were of the lower class. It was lively. There were many who applauded and shouted. There were few who had the support of real money. When the Emperor passed away, he didn’t even let you sell it. Who knows, he might have violated some taboo. This thing… how can it be justified?”

“As you said, the feeling of being torn apart before and after is especially serious. I like to watch the front, not the back. I like to watch the back, and I don’t like to watch the front. This saying is completely correct. That’s why, ever since the 400-500 chapters changed styles, my grades have been sliding down. At the very least, my family wouldn’t be hungry if I ate to my heart’s content, and I could also pay rent. Recently, my grades have been getting worse and worse.

“I also know that I can’t write like this. Readers read books to relax, to have fun, and to have fun. Who would be willing to spend money to watch you sit there and discuss the justice of dozens of chapters? Society, the future, and so on, right? So if I continue writing like this, I will definitely die. I’ve tried to recycle it several times, but I can’t control myself!”

“Well…”

Li Yao didn’t expect it to be like this. He nodded his head and said, “Even a penny can’t kill a hero!”

“Right?”

Zhang Daniu said, “So, it’s not just a matter of these two days. Ever since my style has changed and my grades have plummeted, I’ve been thinking of finding a suitable and decent way to end this book. For example, let me think about it. After the protagonist finishes fighting a boss, he will suddenly wake up with a jolt and realize that everything he’s been doing is a dream. Then, he will forget everything that happened in the dream and focus on his studies every day. What do you think of this idea?”

“…”

Li Yao said, “I think you will be killed by the readers.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’ve been wondering how I should clean up the mess, too!”

Zhang Daniu said, “Anyways, it doesn’t matter how this book ends. I’m already thinking about the next book. I’m absolutely not going to make this book’s mistake. I’m going to train and level up. I’m not going to let go of the flag of face slapping and girls chasing. I’m going to walk on the path of fantasy, and I’m going to walk on the path of interstellar cultivation. In short, I can’t continue writing this damn science fiction.”

“Why?”

Li Yao was dazed. “Isn’t science fiction good?”

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“Not good. Of course not good.”

Zhang Daniu shook his head and said, “You know it, right? The most important thing about NovelFires is desire. Whether it is cultivation, face-slapping, picking up girls, or the courtship of female fans, it doesn’t matter what kind of skin you’re wearing. It doesn’t matter what kind of theme you’re talking about. The bottom line is that you have to satisfy the unspeakable desires in the depths of human nature. Whoever can precisely control the desires of the readers and scratch that itching meat will win!”

“But science fiction… Oops. How do you say science fiction? If it is really written well, it must be anti-humanity, anti-desire, or rather, it must surpass human nature and desire. The further it is from human nature and desire, the more brilliant it will be. You can’t set two bizarre alien species to fall in love on an incredible planet. What kind of thing is that?

“Do you understand now? To write online novels, you need to make money. You need to set your sights on desire and ruthlessly attack it. You need to satisfy what the readers care about the most and what they are most familiar with. But to write a good science fiction novel, you need to be anti-human, anti-desire, and anti-superhuman. You need to use things that the readers are completely unfamiliar with and have never thought of to create a sense of surprise. These two natural contradictions are irreconcilable. The conclusion is that only a fool would write science fiction online!”

“Wait—”

Li Yao said, “Brother Niu, don’t you love science fiction and want to contribute to our country’s science fiction industry?”

Zhang Daniu was stunned for a moment. He chuckled and said, “That may be the case, but haven’t I not paid the rent for the next quarter? I’d better love the evil money and myself first. When the day comes when I can make a name for myself, when I’m rich, when I have a nice car, and when I have five beautiful girls, I’ll come back and contribute to the science fiction industry, alright?”

Li Yao had nothing to say.

“Besides, how should I put it?

Zhang Daniu continued, “Now that you’ve asked this, I have nothing to hide. This is probably God’s will—even God doesn’t want me to continue writing this book.”

“Oh?”

Li Yao’s eyes turned sharp again. “How so?”

“That’s right. The past two months have not been smooth at all. I feel that I can’t even drink cold water.”

Zhang Daniu gestured and said, “It’s not that it’s been a month or two. It’s just that things haven’t been going well ever since changed its style. When I was shopping in the neighborhood, a flower pot almost fell off and hit my head. When I went to walk around in the garden, I ended up being f*cking bitten by a dog. When I was sleeping at home, the gas valve broke down for some reason. Thankfully, there was no gas poisoning. Just last month, my computer broke down three times for no reason. Every time it was repaired, it broke down. Every time it was repaired, it broke down. The repair shop said that they had never encountered such a thing before… Can you imagine how determined and persistent I was to maintain a normal update under such circumstances?”

“Is there such a weird thing?”

Li Yao secretly clenched his fists under the table and said, “Then, then has Brother Niu been involved in any dangerous accidents recently, such as… being hit by a car?”

“Not really.”

Zhang Daniu shook his head and said, “I was already angry enough when I encountered so many annoying things. I didn’t go anywhere at home and the car didn’t hit me. Anyway, I was in a trance for quite a while. That day, when I went to the toilet, I finally couldn’t bear it any longer and wanted to give up. However, after writing for such a long time, I have feelings for it. So, I decided to throw a coin to decide whether to continue writing or to become a eunuch. If I was facing the front, I would become a eunuch. If I was facing the back, I would rot. If the coin was standing up, I would continue writing. As a result, just as I threw the coin into the air, my foot slipped and I dropped my hand. Tell me, if this isn’t the work of the heavens, then what is it?”

“At that time, I was in so much pain that tears were rolling down my face. I was really disheartened and gave up on myself. So, I simply cursed, ‘What stupid book is this? I’m not writing any more!’

“In the end, it was very strange. I seemed to have gotten rid of something. A cool breeze disappeared from my body. Although my hands still hurt in the next few days, the weird things never happened again. I ate, slept, and felt refreshed. Except for the fact that I had no money, everything else was good.

“So, now you’re asking me whether or not to write ‘Forty Thousand Years of Cultivation’. I can’t lie to you about that. I really don’t know!”

Zhang Daniu was already dead drunk. He kept on slipping under the table.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told Li Yao the truth.

“However, yesterday, I heard from your junior sister, Little Rabbit, that many people still like to read this book and are silently supporting Brother Niu. How should I put it? I feel sorry for everyone.”

Zhang Daniu slumped in his chair. “In fact, it’s not that bad. Today, it was you who came. If it was really your little junior sister, I—I really don’t know how I would face her. She was about to give up. How could I have the face to go to your place to be a guest!? Then, do you really have many university students who like to read my books?”

“Yes.”

Li Yao nodded. “They are all college students with long hair and swaying skirts.”

“How about…”

Zhang Daniu’s eyes were somewhat sluggish. “For the sake of these enthusiastic readers who support me, I will be a fool again and continue writing?”

“Well—”

If it were before a meal, Li Yao would definitely not hesitate to coax the author to continue writing.

But as it turned out, if the accident continued, there was no telling what would happen next.

Li Yao felt extremely uncomfortable. He would not allow himself to push the author into the fire pit.

“Well, it’s still up to you, Brother Niu. I will respect your choice no matter what.”

Li Yao said, “However, you’ve written the outline, including the Vulture Plan and the secrets of Earth, haven’t you, Brother Niu?”

“…Yes, yes!”

Zhang Daniu was already so drunk that he didn’t know whether to nod or shake his head, “I—I have everything. However, these are all my secrets. Even if this novel is of no use to me, I can still continue to use the next novel. Come, let’s not talk about these unhappy things. Continue drinking, drink!”

“Brother Niu, you’re drunk.”

Li Yao said, “Let me take you home.”

Zhang Daniu struggled for a while. Naturally, he was no match for the stocky Li Yao.

The house he rented was in the old neighborhood next to the casserole bone kiln. It took him three tries to find the right door.

When he entered the door, he was so drunk that he couldn’t even answer the keyhole.

Li Yao took the opportunity to observe the layout of the room.

It was a typical old house decorated in the style of the last century. One room and one living room were packed with yellowing books and newspapers. It was perfect for one person.

There was barely any furniture or appliances in the room. On the old, mottled desk was a battered laptop, which was Li Yao’s target.

Over the course of the meal, Li Yao basically understood Zhang Daniu’s personality. This was a rather casual fellow. It was unlikely that he would place the outline of a novel in an encrypted USB drive or a safe.

However, Li Yao did not steal the computer directly.

“Brother Niu, I’m leaving. Let’s contact each other via WeChat. I’ll see you when I’m free!”

Li Yao noticed that the ventilation window of the toilet was not locked, which was enough.

After making sure that the other party had heard his words, he closed the door loudly from the outside, went downstairs, and walked out of the neighborhood with his hands in his pockets.

Although it was an old neighborhood, there were still some surveillance cameras on the side of the road. When he helped Zhang Daniu back just now, he had already been captured by the surveillance cameras, so he had to take another video of him leaving the neighborhood.