Xueyue: Master-disciple romance, righteous-demon romance, and human-demon romance are all taboos in the cultivation world. As for swapping spirit roots, it's unheard of—a chilling method used only by evil cultivators.
Xueyue: To avoid violating the basic moral standards of the immortal sects and prevent the storybook from being banned...
Xueyue: The outcome for the female lead, Gu Lianxue, and these male leads must end in tragedy.
Xueyue: Gu Lianxue's ultimate fate must be exceptionally miserable.
Xueyue:
One of the main selling points of this book is melodramatic angst.
Such a tragic and miserable ending will leave a deep impression on readers. Some might even find it hard to accept or let go.
At the same time, it serves as a warning to the world and elevates the theme.
Xueyue: Can you accept this?
After all, the inspiration and setting were provided by the contributor. To avoid disputes after the book was published, Xueyue had developed a habit of discussing potentially controversial plot points in advance.
Gu Ningyun looked at the ending Xueyue had set, and her eyes brightened more and more as she read.
How could she not accept it? Writing Gu Lianxue so miserably was something she more than accepted.
The more miserable the character was written, the happier she would be.
Just thinking about fans discussing the plot of this book right in Gu Lianxue's ear...
Just thinking about Gu Lianxue's reaction when she saw this book made her want to laugh.
Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately: It is our duty as cultivators to uphold justice in the cultivation world.
Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately: Please, feel free to write as you wish, sir. The more miserable, the better. After all, an angst-filled story isn't right unless it’s truly agonizing.
Although he felt something was slightly off—the contributor's cooperation seemed eerily high—reaching an agreement smoothly was always a good thing.
Xueyue: There is one last point. Your current title is a bit plain; it needs to be changed.
Xueyue: I plan to change it to 《Seducing Master: Stolen Love is Especially Sweet》.
The title needs to be changed too?
Gu Ningyun was a bit surprised.
She pulled up the original title, 《After My Spirit Root Was Swapped, I Started a Harem in the Cultivation World》, and compared it with the new title proposed by Mr. Xueyue.
The original title was direct, expressing her desire to expose Gu Lianxue's true face.
The new title... seemed to fit the theme of melodramatic angst much better.
The word "stolen" was a double entendre, referring both to Gu Lianxue's stolen spirit root and her infidelity behind her partner's back.
While Mr. Xueyue had a fan base and his books would always sell, a good title was crucial if she wanted more people in the cultivation world to see the book and learn about Gu Lianxue's "glorious" deeds.
Gu Ningyun was a bit conflicted.
She couldn't quite tell which title would be more popular with readers.
However, after the earlier discussion about the opening chapter, she had gained a clear understanding of her own level of storybook writing.
No one is perfect, and everyone has things they aren't good at.
As an unskilled amateur, when she couldn't make up her mind, it was best to follow the professional.
Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately: You are the expert when it comes to storybooks, sir. We will do as you say.
Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately: I wonder when you plan to start writing, and what is the earliest it can be released?
After this exchange, Xueyue felt incredibly refreshed.
In truth, many cultivators who submitted ideas had their own fixed thoughts on character settings, beginnings, and endings.
They had stories they wanted for their characters.
It was only because they couldn't write well or at all for various reasons, yet didn't want their ideas to go to waste, that they sought her out to collaborate and bring the story to life.
Because of this emotional attachment, many contributors were very stubborn about their initial settings.
If she wanted to change even a little bit, they found it hard to accept.
A contributor as easy to talk to as "Falls Asleep Immediately" was as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn.
In a pleasant mood and genuinely interested in the setting, Xueyue gave it some thought.
Xueyue: Your submission is very interesting. Once I finish the book I’m currently working on next month, I’ll start on yours.
Xueyue: As for the release date, from the time I start writing to the time the Five Continents Bookhouse publishes it, it will take at least a year, at most a year and a half.
Writing a storybook took time. For a cultivator, a year or so was nothing.
If one wanted to unleash a powerful move, one had to build up strength first.
Gu Ningyun had no objections at all.
Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately: Understood, sir.
Xueyue: Regarding payment, since your setting is quite novel, I can offer two thousand low-grade spirit stones.
Compared to a wild and imaginative idea, the hardest part was actually writing it out into a brilliant book.
Gu Ningyun had originally thought a few hundred low-grade spirit stones would be good enough; she hadn't expected two thousand.
Mr. Xueyue was truly generous.
Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately: That works. How should the payment be delivered?
Xueyue: Choose a city.
Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately: Let's go with Wuxin City.
Xueyue: Alright. I’ll send word to the Five Continents Bookhouse in Wuxin City later.
When the time comes, go directly to the bookhouse manager and give the book title, your name "Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately," and the protagonist's name "Gu Lianxue."
Xueyue: Finally, give the code "88888," and you can collect the spirit stones.
Gu Ningyun liked that code quite a bit.
Youngster Falls Asleep Immediately: Got it. I’ll look forward to the book, then.
By the time she finished communicating with Mr. Xueyue, half the night had passed.
Gu Ningyun stretched and moved her body.
The salty sea breeze blew in through the window, carrying the damp chill of the night.
Gu Ningyun leaned against the window and looked out at the sea.
Tonight, there were no stars or moon over the water; it was pitch black.
Only the spirit boat beneath her emitted a faint luminescence.
It was the spiritual light from the array patterns on the boat's surface.
The waves at night weren't as gentle as during the day; each layer was at least three meters high.
They came one after another, wave upon wave.
The array patterns on the hull flickered as the spirit boat cut through the waves.
Gu Ningyun stood on the boat. Even with the waves surging beneath, she didn't feel the slightest bump.
This was the effect of the arrays, though she didn't know the exact principle behind it.
Gu Ningyun admired the night scenery for a while but saw nothing unusual on the sea.
She sat back down at the table and took out a cooked Blue Lake Scallop.
Processed with a special technique, the scallop meat had turned from pinkish-blue to white with a faint hint of blue.
After being steamed and stir-fried, it gave off the enticing aroma of the seasonings and the unique freshness of the scallop meat.
Just as she held the scallop shell to her lips, intending to eat the meat in one bite, she suddenly felt the boat lurch.
Her hand froze.
The shaking continued.
It wasn't an illusion.
Gu Ningyun put the scallop away. Just as she leaned out the window, a colossal wave surged toward her.
Gu Ningyun's pupils shrank, and she instinctively tried to back away.
Before she could move, the transparent light shield on the boat's surface flashed, blocking the massive wave.
The seawater slid off the shield back into the ocean, only for another giant wave to crash down.
At this moment, the sea seemed to have woken from its slumber, its vast body churning with immense power.
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