Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

September 30th afternoon.

Tomorrow is National Day, and the sound of suitcase wheels rolling can be heard throughout the building.

Zhou Zixuan ran his fingers through his hair in front of the mirror for the seventeenth time before finally turning around, satisfied: "Brothers, what are your plans for the seven-day holiday?"

Qian Zhuangzhuang leaned halfway out from the top bunk: "Comic convention. Five days and four nights. I've already bought a case of energy drinks; I'm planning to stay at the venue."

"That wasn't a vacation, it was a tribulation." Zhou Zixuan rolled his eyes, then turned to Chen Mo by the window, "Where's Brother Mo?"

Chen Mo was slowly stuffing lenses into his camera bag, his movements deliberate: "Spending time with my girlfriend."

"..." Zhou Zixuan clutched his chest, "Asking you this was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life."

Finally, he looked at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan was sitting at the table, stuffing his laptop into his backpack. Hearing this, he didn't even look up: "Go home."

"Go home?" Zhou Zixuan's eyes widened. "Seven days! A full seven days! You're going home?!"

"What else?" Lin Yuan zipped up his backpack, patted it, and said, "Going home to be with my parents. I haven't seen them for a month. My mom called the day before yesterday, subtly asking if I'd lost weight, if the cafeteria food was good, and if I had enough money—a full three-part maternal love routine. If I don't go back soon, her next call will be to my counselor."

"Tch." Zhou Zixuan curled his lip. "That's it? You only spent seven days off to go home, cook, and keep your parents company? What about your youth? What about your passion? What about your college romance dreams?"

"I've been won over by sweet and sour pork ribs." Lin Yuan slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Love might betray you, but your mother's sweet and sour pork ribs won't."

"Nonsense!" Zhou Zixuan exclaimed in anguish.

Chen Mo quietly put the camera away and, unusually, spoke up: "It's good to be home."

Qian Zhuangzhuang poked his head out from the top bunk: "Even though I don't have a girlfriend, I still think it's nice to go home. Your anime wife won't make you soup, but your auntie will."

Zhou Zixuan: "...Are you all ganging up on me to isolate me?"

Lin Yuan pushed open the door, glanced back at him, and said, "Why don't you come with me? My mom's a big cook, it's no big deal to add an extra pair of chopsticks."

Zhou Zixuan's eyes lit up, and he was about to speak when he heard Lin Yuan add the second half of the sentence.

"You'll have to pay for your own travel expenses, and when you get to my house, you'll be responsible for washing the dishes."

"...Never mind." Zhou Zixuan slumped back into his chair. "I'll just stay at school and guard this campus alone."

The door clicked shut.

Qian Zhuangzhuang and Zhou Zixuan exchanged a glance.

"Do you really think Brother Yuan will stay home and behave himself for seven days?" Zhou Zixuan muttered.

"I don't know." Qian Zhuangzhuang lay back down. "But the way he packed his things was so efficient, completely different from usual. He seemed to be in a real hurry."

"Maybe he really misses home." Zhou Zixuan shrugged, picked up his phone, and opened his social media. "Whatever, let's see if I have any plans tonight—"

When Lin Yuan arrived home, Lin Liguo was watering flowers on the balcony, and Jiang Wanqing was stewing soup in the kitchen.

Hearing the door open, Jiang Wanqing poked her head out: "Why are you on holiday?"

"I miss you all." Lin Yuan tossed his bag onto the sofa and slumped into the cushions. "I mainly miss Mom's cooking."

Lin Liguo walked in from the balcony and snorted, "You brat, your words are as sweet as honey. Tell me, are you brewing up some big surprise again?"

"Dad, what are you saying?" Lin Yuan said innocently. "Can't I just simply want to go home and see you two?"

"Yes," Lin Liguo put down the spray bottle, "but every time you laugh like that, my and your mother's stocks drop for two days."

Lin Yuan: "..."

Dinner was sweet and sour pork ribs, plus a new dish—garlic vermicelli shrimp.

Lin Yuan buried his head in his rice, but his mind was racing.

The first volume of *Zhu Xian* ends on the eve of Biyao blocking the sword and Gui Li's birth. Those fans in the comments section have been hanging over it for a whole month, and the Weibo hashtag is still at the bottom of the entertainment charts, with people checking in every day on the hashtag #HasAkinaMountainOldFoolShowedToday#.

If this drags on any longer, I'm really afraid someone will go to Mount Akina for an on-site investigation.

Although he had never seen that mountain before.

After dinner, Lin Yuan went back to his room and turned on his computer.

Instead of immediately starting to write, he first logged into the author backend of Red Eggplant Literature Network and opened the author activity page.

His fingers hovered above the keyboard. After thinking for a moment, he gave a sly smile and typed out a line:

Fellow cultivators, do you miss this old man?

Today, having achieved great success in my divine skills, I have returned from seclusion in my cave and decided to recount to you all, in detail, the unfinished tales of my past at Qingyun.

[Tonight at 9 PM, Volume 2 of Jade Dynasty will be updated on time.]

[PS: I brought plenty of supplies this time. But let me warn you—more knives than sugar, plenty of glass shards. Those with weak stomachs should probably stock up on tissues now.]

[P.S.: Don't try to find my IP address. I used seven layers of proxies. All you'll find is the address of some penguin in Antarctica.]

Click Publish.

Lin Yuan leaned back, turned around, and nodded in satisfaction.

This tastes just right.

The comment section exploded within three minutes of the post being published.

[Fellow Immortal "Failed Tribulation Tonight": ??? He's alive?! That old bastard is alive?!]

[Fellow cultivator "Biyao, wake up!": I don't believe it! It must be a hacked account! How could that old scoundrel update on his own!]

[Fellow Immortal "Kui Niu Ben Niu": Hehe, I've already sharpened my sword and you're telling me you're updating? Too late! I'm already practicing my sword control technique!]

[Fellow cultivator "Master Chef of Dazhu Peak": Fellow cultivators, calm down! Don't get excited! Look closely at that phrase "more knives, less sugar"... This is a trap!!!]

[A player nicknamed "Professional Head-Feeder": I don't care if it's a tragedy or a sweet romance! As long as it's watchable, I'll fucking spend all my money!]

[Fellow Immortal "Lin Jingyu's Dragon-Slaying Sword": Finally... finally the second volume is here... I've been waiting forever!]

On Weibo, the hashtag #ZhuXianVolume2UpdateTonight# is climbing at an unreasonable speed.

In the book fan group, messages were flooding in at a dizzying speed.

Someone prepared supplies: "I've already ordered three boxes of tissues, two boxes of Red Bull, and an eye-protection lamp. I'm not sleeping tonight."

Some people have already entered the pre-mystical state: "I'll take a shower first, cleanse myself, burn three sticks of incense, set out snacks, and make my pilgrimage at nine o'clock sharp."

The entire internet was gripped by a frenzied anticipation because of a single post by the author.

At the same time, the Su family.

Su Zhiyuan was leaning back on the sofa watching a slow-paced variety show with her mother.

The phone screen lit up briefly.

She glanced at it.

It's an app notification.

[The author you follow, "Old Man of Akina Mountain," has posted a new update.]

Su Zhiyuan's fingers paused slightly.

Her expression remained unchanged. Three seconds later, she quickly picked up her phone and opened the post.

Su Zhiyuan's ear tips turned red.

It's not shyness.

It's anger.

"...More knives, less sugar?" She stared at the words, gritting her teeth as she muttered, "You old bastard, you're still the same old scoundrel."

She recalled the scene at the end of the first volume, where Biyao stood in the way of the Zhuxian Sword.

She didn't get a good night's sleep for a single day that month.

This bastard actually dares to predict "lots of knives" now?

Su Zhiyuan took a deep breath, pressed the phone screen to her chest, and closed her eyes.

Reason told her: Stop watching, or you'll have insomnia again.

But my finger honestly clicked on the last page of the latest chapter of "Zhu Xian" and opened the update notification.

Then she got up and called out to the kitchen, "Mom, I'm going to bed early tonight, don't wake me."

"So early?"

"Okay, time to catch up on sleep."

Catching up on sleep is a lie.

The preparations are real.