"Show me now!"
The bestie snatched the newspaper away, and the two white-collar beauties were instantly immersed in the strange events of Handan City. They almost missed the bus stop and chased after it in a panic amid the driver's impatient horn, still tightly clutching the newspaper that was wrinkled by the morning breeze.
In the damp corridor of the subdivided flats area in Sham Shui Po, a pale-faced middle school Chinese teacher, Mr. Li, was about to go to school to invigilate an exam.
Passing by the newsstand downstairs, I bought a left-wing newspaper as usual, and for some reason I also bought the much-discussed "Asia Daily".
Sitting on a crowded bus, he first flipped through the main newspaper's analysis of the political situation in Southeast Asia, and inwardly marveled at the newspaper's sophisticated approach.
When I turned to the supplement, the opening chapter...
"The long river of history flows eastward, and the gears of fate quietly shift..."
Such a quote made him raise his eyebrows.
Seeing Xiang Shaolong, acting as a "special agent," analyzing the Warring States period with a vision that transcended his time, attempting to exploit information disparities to profit from the Qin-Zhao political struggle and even interfere with history, this self-proclaimed erudite, old-school scholar, was completely stunned. "This...this isn't a novel! This is a deconstruction and reimagining of history!"
His lips trembled slightly, and even the hand holding the newspaper began to shake.
What about "royal power and conspiracy" and "rare goods are valuable"? The familiar story of Lu Buwei will be reinterpreted from the perspective of a modern intruder, shining with a terrifying and fascinating light.
He forgot he was supposed to be invigilating, his mind racing with thoughts: "The childhood trauma of Qin Shi Huang, the machinations behind the Lao Ai Rebellion, even the inevitability of Qin's conquest of the six kingdoms and unification of the empire... If only a modern soul could truly participate... Oh my God!"
This subversive shock almost made him miss his stop.
The editorial office of Sing Tao Daily was filled with smoke.
The editor-in-chief had a gloomy expression on his face and slammed a copy of the Asia Daily on the table. The supplement contained the article "A Journey to the West".
"Have you found out? Who exactly is this 'Huang Yi'? Pen name? What's his real identity?
When did such a person appear in Hong Kong?
The writing is sophisticated, the layout is grand, the plot is bizarre, and the setting is unheard of!
How can history be written like this?"
One of the editors wiped his sweat and said, "Editor-in-chief, the phone lines in the newspaper are about to explode. Half of the calls are asking about Mr. Huo's incident, and the other half... are all asking if our newspaper knows the inside story of "A Journey to the West", whether it will also reprint "A Journey to the West", when the next issue will be, and who the author is!
I can't find it, I really can't find it, it's not in our newspaper's intelligence or database at all!"
"Could it be that Kobayashi Tenwang is another genius that he has poached from Japan?"
The editor-in-chief bit the butt of his cigar. "This guy, it's fine if he's just stirring up trouble with comics, but now he's going to poke holes in even the most traditional newspaper supplements?"
Another senior literary editor said with a bitter face: "The most terrifying thing is that this opening exudes a strong power... The character of Xiang Shaolong, placed in the chaotic era of the Warring States, is like a tempered knife!
There must be Qin Shi Huang, Lu Buwei, Xinling Jun, Zhao Ji... all of them are great figures who have left their names in the history books, and he mixed them up with this kind of time-travel method... Hiss, I dare not imagine how exciting it will be later!
This subject matter is simply a bottomless gold mine!"
His face showed both the admiration of a professional who saw a fine product and the despair of being crushed by his competitors.
“This move is too cruel!
The Asia Daily opens with three moves, and they are three moves in a row, each one deadly!
Ma Chengyun, editor-in-chief of the Overseas Chinese Daily, sat behind a large desk with the supplement of the Asia Daily also spread out in front of him.
He read very slowly, his finger pausing for a long time on the line "Xiang Shaolong must complete the task of taking photos when Qin Wang Zheng ascends the throne."
The newspaper on the table was still hyping up the old scores of a certain shipping tycoon's family, but in comparison, it seemed so dull and petty.
He sighed deeply, a feeling of powerlessness coming over him.
“Times have changed…”
He muttered to himself, "'Dragon Jump' targets young people, but this newspaper... this 'Huang Yi'... this 'A Step into the Past'... is trying to uproot old newspapers like us!
Informative? Depth? Storytelling? Popularity? They have it all!
He waved his hand, stopping his assistant who was still reporting on today's circulation. "Forget it, forget it... Have someone buy ten... no, twenty copies of the Asia Daily. Give one to each member of the editorial office and let's take a closer look at how they make their own newspaper!"
However, in the editor-in-chief's office of Ming Pao, which is filled with the scent of books and old papers, the atmosphere is completely different.
In front of the bright floor-to-ceiling window, Mr. Louis Cha - Jin Yong - was holding a copy of the Asia Daily and reading it with great concentration.
He wore reading glasses, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle as he scanned the magnificent text line by line.
The hustle and bustle of Victoria Harbour outside the window seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier.
Sometimes he frowned, as if he had doubts about a certain setting;
Sometimes his brows would relax, with a hint of smile on his lips, as if he was amused by a plot or character description;
When he saw Xiang Shaolong's absurd and misplaced struggle for survival when he first entered the Warring States Period, he nodded slightly;
But when the story entered the banquet of the Zhao nobles, with undercurrents surging, and a few strokes sketched out the charm of Zhao Ji and the forbearance of Qin Yiren, the old man's eyes suddenly lit up.
Secretary Wang Yang came in with a cup of freshly brewed Longjing tea. Seeing this scene, he didn't dare to disturb them and just gently placed the cup on the desk.
The aroma of tea wafts in the air.
Jin Yong seemed to have not heard it.
He was completely immersed in the Warring States world constructed by "Huang Yi", which was both familiar and completely unfamiliar.
When he read the end of the first chapter, when Xiang Shaolong was gazing at the majestic and ancient outline of Handan City in the moonlight, and silently said to himself, "I must find a way to return to my own era", Jin Yong finally slowly closed the newspaper.
He didn't speak immediately, but picked up the teacup and took a sip of the already lukewarm Longjing tea.
The office was silent, with only the faint sound of a ferry whistle coming from the distance in Victoria Harbour.
After a long time, he put down the teacup and looked at the magnificent sea and sky outside the window. His gaze was distant and deep, as if he had penetrated time and space and saw some new creative realm.
Editor-in-Chief Wang Yang held his breath and concentrated, finally hearing the old man's low murmur, full of endless amazement and complex emotions: "A Step into the Past... A Step into the Past... What a Step into the Past!"
"Historical novels... can be written like this?"
"How wonderful! How wonderful!"
"Who on earth is this Huang Yi?"
"This Xiaolin Tianwang... where did he invite such a person from..."
His deep gaze finally focused on the newspaper's signature, the pen name "Huang Yi" that seemed to contain infinite possibilities. He paused for a moment, gazing at each word with genuine admiration and incredible curiosity: "They've invited such a... eccentric genius to take charge!"
…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
