When Mo Bai opened his eyes again, the sky was already shrouded in twilight.
Golden rays of sunlight spilled from the horizon, falling before him and beside him, illuminating the river below with a shimmering golden hue. It was a breathtaking sight.
He stood up, gazing outwards.
"Ah, how refreshing! But the sun's about to set. I'd better hurry and find my master to get some training done. Hopefully, I can finish the task her brother entrusted to me before nightfall."
With that thought, he left the area and began heading toward the ethereal Misty Mountain.
However, he hadn't walked far before realizing something was amiss.
The path was unusually crowded.
Although he'd been here before, today's foot traffic was at least a hundred times greater than usual. Everyone was dressed impeccably, exuding elegance and charm—men and women alike.
Yet, the ratio skewed heavily toward men.
Amidst the crowd, faint murmurs could be heard:
"I saw them—definitely from the Moonlit Sect!"
"That unmistakable aura, and they're all so stunning. Especially the one leading the group; she looks like she walked straight out of a book…"
"I recognize her—that's Senior Sister Shi Ci! If I could have even a fleeting romance with her, I'd happily give up a hundred years of my life!"
"Don't waste your time, Senior Sister's out of your league!"
"Once they're done meeting with the sect leader, I'll give it a shot anyway. Who cares if it works or not? At least I'll have tried…"
Even without actively eavesdropping, Mo Bai pieced together what was happening in no time.
Without much thought, he turned around and walked away.
If someone was meeting with his master, it wouldn't be appropriate to interrupt. He decided to wait until they were gone.
Besides, the people from the Moonlit Sect were notoriously difficult to deal with.
He returned to the riverside meadow and sat down again.
This time, however, he didn't take another nap. Instead, he pulled out a book and began reading intently, his expression serious, as if he were studying a world-shattering secret technique.
A curious little spirit flew out to take a peek at the book.
Expression: (꒪⌓꒪)
A moment later, the little spirit snapped back to its senses.
It flew directly in front of Mo Bai, hovering over the book with a serious expression.
"Mo Bai, are you seriously reading a book you wrote? How boring can you get?"
Mo Bai looked utterly confused.
"Why would I write something like this? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
"Then what exactly have you been doing in this world?" the little spirit pressed on, still staring at him intently.
"Nothing much," Mo Bai replied nonchalantly.
Hearing this, the little spirit instantly flared up, her beautiful eyes widening as she zipped to his side. Grabbing his ear and pointing at the book, she shouted,
"Nothing much?! Dominant Sect Master Falls for Me?! There's no way anyone in this world could have written something like that!"
This was supposed to be a serious and traditional xianxia world, one dominated by epic cultivation tales. How could a book like that exist here?!
Mo Bai swatted her away with a flick of his hand.
"Why are you shouting so loudly?"
Then, he calmly returned his gaze to the book.
"Besides, writing is the cheapest form of investment. I've got an entire world of creative ideas at my disposal, so why wouldn't I use them?"
He flipped another page, continuing,
"I just wrote a few books to earn some pocket money. Who'd have thought the trend would catch on so fast? Though I must admit, some of their follow-up ideas are really impressive. Some of the stories people have written are genuinely entertaining."
Saying this, Mo Bai lazily turned over onto his side again.
Ding! You have gained 50 Villain Points. Source: Ling Xi.
The little spirit was so furious her chest heaved up and down, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly why she was so angry—she just was!
This sort of thing wasn't supposed to exist in this world.
What if it caused unforeseen consequences? The already chaotic and fractured plotline of this world would become even worse!
Then again, upon reflection, perhaps it wasn't that likely. After all, books like this only circulated among mortal nations. How could something like this truly take off?
...But considering it was Mo Bai, anything seemed possible.
With that thought, the little spirit hesitantly asked:
"These books don't circulate widely, right?" the little spirit asked.
Mo Bai's eyes remained fixed on the pages of his book.
"You think this is the internet? Just relying on books for distribution—how far do you think they can spread?"
With that, he paid her no further attention.
Though he had more to say, this was his reading time…
At this moment, the story had reached its climax!
The female disciple, misunderstood by the domineering sect master, fled the sect in sorrow. Upon realizing the truth, the sect master was overcome with grief and set off in pursuit. It was the perfect embodiment of that timeless phrase:
"She flees, he chases, and neither can escape…"
Mo Bai couldn't help but mutter a sarcastic comment aloud.
He expected the little spirit to chime in immediately, but to his surprise, there was only silence.
Suddenly, a breeze brushed past, and a shadow appeared behind him.
Sensing something, Mo Bai glanced back out of the corner of his eye.
Not far behind him stood a tall and slender figure.
Her face was serene, her flowing sky-blue and white dress lending her an air of tranquility. She held a small book in her hands, and merely standing there, she radiated a sense of gentle elegance.
She looked like a celestial maiden who had stepped out of a painting.
Mo Bai turned his gaze forward again. The sun was setting.
The orange hues of the sunset reflected off the lake, bathing the entire world in a warm glow.
A sudden breeze swept through, rustling the grass, stirring the hem of her dress, and playing with her long hair.
Under the sunset: a boy reading by the riverside, a girl who exuded a literary charm, and the caress of a gentle breeze…
Mo Bai's thoughts: (≖╻≖;)
"Today's… atmosphere feels a bit too dramatic?!"
This thought jolted him upright. He went from lying down to sitting bolt upright in an instant.
No longer sneaking glances at his surroundings, his eyes now fixed firmly on the riverbank ahead.
Was it his imagination, or was there actual background music playing around him?
No, it wasn't his imagination—it was real!
His gaze shifted forward again, landing on the little spirit, who was fluttering above him, cheerfully humming along to the tune of "Literature Girl."
"You… what are you doing?" Mo Bai asked cautiously.
As a system sprite, Ling Xi could only be seen and heard by Mo Bai. Her actions and words were invisible to anyone else.
If Mo Bai wanted to communicate with her, he didn't need to speak—he could simply think of the little spirit and the words he wanted to say.
So, despite his response, the scene remained silent, with only the rustling of the wind as background noise.
The little spirit didn't respond either, continuing to hum that background music.
Mo Bai felt his cheeks warming up and a wave of awkwardness creeping in, his skin tingling.
This moment, though many years past, was still vividly etched in his memory—because when he first read it, he had laughed so hard his stomach hurt.
But experiencing it firsthand brought a whole new level of feeling.
The atmosphere, the characters—all perfectly aligned—though this guy was clearly of the shy type…
If he walked away now, he'd make her uncomfortable.
Simple greetings wouldn't be enough—they'd ruin the moment…
But speaking as in the story? Mo Bai knew it would be painfully embarrassing!
Just then, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the literary girl had started to blush, her face turning red and her gaze averted.
Perhaps she had noticed Mo Bai's stare—her head turned even further away.
Seeing this, Mo Bai quickly turned his eyes back to the book in his hands.
"So awkward!!"
Both of them thought at the same time.