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Chapter 425 Protagonist
Bai Huahun was unwilling to admit that he was inferior to others.

They would then look for what they considered a "more reasonable" explanation: the young lady secretly helped Xu Yuan.

The demon-slaying army lagged behind, and the three groups returned to Luo City one after another.

Ma Tianshou threw a grand celebration banquet.

The young lady wasn't interested in this kind of thing, so of course she wouldn't join in the fun.

Miao Yan Zhenren also disliked these kinds of social engagements.

They returned to the inn.

Only the young lady and Miao Yan Zhenren were in the room.

The young lady lay on the bed, propping her chin up with one hand, while flipping through the bounty posters from the Southern Administration of Jiaozhi with the other, but she seemed rather uninterested.

Two fair and slender legs were raised and unconsciously tapped against each other.

“Aunt,” the young lady said, “do you have anything else to do that’s fun? My father finally let me out, and I don’t want to go back so soon.”

Miao Yan Zhenren teased her by plucking a feather from a feather duster and tickling the soles of her feet.

The two girls giggled and played around.

Exhausted from playing around, the young lady lay lazily on the bed. Master Miaoyan said, "I dare not take you with me. You should obediently follow your master's arrangements and go back to Zhengzhou."

I'll send you out of Jiaozhi; my third senior brother will take over and protect your safety.

"This is boring," the young lady complained.

But she is not willful.

I knew that my trip involved many people.

For example, Aunt Miaoyan Zhenren, and Third Uncle and Fifth Uncle.

These are all figures whose mere stomp of their feet would cause the capital to tremble.

She deliberately came out to protect herself in secret. If she said anything about being "unfree" or "being born into a cage," that would be pure affectation.

"Let's leave tomorrow," said Master Miaoyan.

The young lady was reluctant, but she still pouted and agreed: "Okay."

……

Xu Yuan was the person who received the most toasts at the celebration banquet.

Slightly drunk, he staggered back to the inn.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the inn, a person jumped up from a corner of the lobby and pounced on Lord Xu.

Lang Xiaoba flashed out, drew his sword, and slashed at the target.

The man waved his hands repeatedly and said in broken Ming Dynasty Mandarin, "I mean no harm!"

But Lang Xiaoba didn't care and went straight for the other's face with his sword.

"Little Eight," Lord Xu called out.

The sword stopped an inch from the man's forehead.

The man quietly put away a prop he was holding behind his back.

Xu Yuan looked at the other person, frowned, and said, "You are... ah, ah what?"

“Asmru, I am a writer.”

Asmru took out a book and handed it to Xu Yuan: "This is a novel I wrote, I'm giving it to you."

In Xifan, it is considered a very presentable gift for an author to sign their work and give it to anyone.

It is beneficial without being expensive.

Asmru's most successful work is that opera, but his proudest work is this poorly sold novel.

Xu Yuan suspected that this book might contain some kind of "skill".

So he didn't reach out, but gestured for Lang Xiaoba to accept it.

Asmru didn't think too much about it; he knew that officials of the Ming Dynasty liked to put on airs.

"You've come to see me?"

The waiter chimed in with a complaint, "Sir, these ghosts have been here for ages, and we can't get rid of them. They're determined to wait for you here."

Asmru nodded repeatedly: "I want to be friends with you..." "Wait a minute!" Xu Yuan hurriedly stopped him: "I remember not long ago, you accused me of fouling and ambushing Alice, and said you wanted to avenge her?"

First, let's put a big label on Asmru.

Lord Xu is very discreet and would never admit to what he did to Alice.

Asmru chuckled dryly, "That's all in the past. I'm currently gathering material for my second novel, and I think you're a very suitable prototype. I want to use your experiences as the basis for this novel!"

"The prototype?" Xu Yuan was very wary.

Xu Yuan knew about the professional "writer's" abilities, so his first reaction was: This guy is trying to harm me and write me into his story.

Asmru quickly explained, "I have absolutely no ill intentions. This novel will not use my professional abilities—it is truly a purely literary work."

You might not believe it, but I really am a writer. I don't actually think being a professional writer is a lucky thing; it makes my writing less pure!
If I had a choice, I would rather be just an ordinary writer.

My work is very popular in Anelia.

However, I encountered a creative block, which is very painful for a writer!

Fortunately, I met you, and I glimpsed an opportunity to break through this bottleneck!

Xu Yuan was still somewhat skeptical: "You're using me as the protagonist of your novel?"

Asmru scratched his head: "You suspect my motives... well, I can't blame you for that."

After all, not long ago, I was shouting for violence against them. This turn of events is indeed a bit abrupt. If I wrote it like this in the book, I would be criticized by the readers.

"Here's what you're going to do: if you have any curses or anything like that, you can cast them on me. I will never resist."

You can have complete control over me, manipulate my life and death, as long as you want me to stay by your side.

Xu Yuan was surprised. Was this guy really here to write a book?

Not long ago, Asmru received a letter from his publisher in the country.

This publisher actually once held a musket to Asmru's forehead, forcing him to submit his manuscript.

In this letter, the publisher came up with a solution:
You might not be good at writing novels, but you'll be a hit when you write plays.

But you don't want to write plays.

Then you write another novel, and we'll find someone to adapt it into an opera.

Your previous novel was no good; it couldn't be adapted at all.

I need a new work, preferably one with a certain degree of exoticism.

In Anelia, a large number of operas are now being performed.

But audiences are tired of operas about love and hate; we need something new.

Asmru was very interested in the proposal.

After arriving in the East, he saw many new things, which greatly inspired his creative desires.

After the competition, the delegation returned to Luo City from the Asking Heaven Platform, and Asmru slowly recovered from the anger and grief over Alice's murder.

Suddenly I realized that Xu Yuan was the best prototype!
As a writer, Asmru is rich and sensitive in his emotions, but this also leads him to be quite promiscuous.

Emotions come and go quickly.

When you're in love, you're sincere.

Cold-hearted when ruthless.

To paraphrase an old saying from the Ming Dynasty: "Many unfaithful men are scholars."

So as soon as the delegation entered the city, he quietly slipped away and waited for Xu Yuan at the inn.

In addition, another important reason is that he was indeed very rich, and that opera made him financially secure.

But this guy also spends money extravagantly.

His financial situation is basically one of spending as much as he earns.

This is dangerous. What if one day the opera suddenly loses its popularity, or the audience gets tired of it?

He will go bankrupt within three months.

He needs a second blockbuster.

This guy has a very keen business sense; he's absolutely certain that a work based on Xu Yuan will be a hit!
As for the fact that he had heard along the way that the various pleasure quarters of the Ming Dynasty were far more exciting than those of Anelia, and that Asmru longed to go there—these were not such important factors.

(End of this chapter)