Chapter 123: No One Understands Wuxia Better Than the Master (Monthly Tickets Requested)

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Although Wang Ke felt deeply uneasy, he did not skim through the text; instead, he read it slowly, word by word.

Meticulous reading is almost unheard of for editors. They usually scan manuscripts at a glance, ten lines at a time. Yet, at this moment, Wang Ke read with agonizing slowness. His gaze was locked onto the screen, while Liu Da’s head leaned in close behind him, unhurried and observant.

One line, two lines, one chapter, two chapters, three, four...

Wang Ke was reading with intense focus, and Liu Da, standing beside him, was even more absorbed. The two were utterly entranced.

The workday at the Baidu Literature editorial department ended at 5:20 PM. Recently, due to the upcoming Wuxia Competition, the volume of submissions had surged for every editor. Although the competition was a grand event for the Wuxia genre, it had also sparked an increase in submissions across all categories. Consequently, the department had extended the workday to 8:20 PM, with the extra two hours compensated as a full day’s pay.

8:20 PM.

The editors of the Fantasy Group shut down their computers, rolled their shoulders and necks to relieve the fatigue of long hours, and began packing their bags to leave. As the editors stood up one by one, they noticed that the screen at Wang Ke’s workstation was still glowing.

They leaned in to take a look.

Good grief—those two mortal enemies of the Fantasy Group were practically bumping heads.

"What is going on with these two?" an editor wondered, their worldview momentarily shaken.

"Maybe... a secret office romance?"

The group gathered closer, forming a circle. Once they saw what was on the screen, they understood immediately.

They were still reviewing a manuscript!

A female editor tapped Liu Da on the shoulder and whispered, "Whose manuscript is this? Why are you reading so slowly? At this rate, will we ever get to go home?"

Liu Da didn't even turn his head, his eyes glued to the screen. "The Big Shot’s new book."

The Big Shot’s new book... a Wuxia story!

No wonder they were reading so slowly; he must be feeling terrible inside. Everyone felt sympathy for Wang Ke, just as they had once pitied Liu Da when they heard a top-tier author was switching to Xianxia. However, that sympathy had evaporated after the explosive success of *Zhu Xian*.

But not every author is a god, and not every editor is Liu Da.

Someone sighed, truly feeling for Wang Ke. He had finally landed a "Big Shot" with the potential to become a legendary author, only for that author—after the excellent warm-up for the *Wu Dong Qian Kun* spin-off—to abandon the fantasy genre entirely to write Wuxia. Wang Ke wasn't the only one fuming; any editor in the department would find such a situation unbearable.

Well, except for Liu Da, who had a successful track record with such situations, though his experience was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

An editor patted Wang Ke’s shoulder and urged, "Stop reading, let’s just head home. We can deal with the review tomorrow."

The more they watched, the more disheartened they felt. They had been colleagues for years. Although Wang Ke was often prone to a smug, self-satisfied attitude, they couldn't bear to watch a veteran colleague spiral into depression.

"When you get in tomorrow, try to persuade the Big Shot again. Explain the pros and cons clearly. It’s incredibly difficult for a fantasy author to switch to Wuxia; the power scaling alone is nearly impossible to manage."

In a fantasy world, one could destroy heaven and earth with a single hand and slaughter millions of souls, but if you wrote that in a Wuxia novel, the readers would tear you to shreds.

"Exactly, there's still a chance. The Big Shot’s book doesn't go live until tomorrow. You can still talk him out of it."

"There's still time."

Wang Ke was truly pathetic; he was probably trying to figure out how to convince the Big Shot to return to fantasy. Everyone offered their advice, constantly patting Wang Ke on the shoulder.

Wang Ke didn't react, but Liu Da grew annoyed. Having people’s arms brushing against him made it impossible to read properly.

"What the hell do you people know? Do you even understand Wuxia?"

The group froze. They looked at each other, wondering if Liu Da had lost his mind. They were trying to help Wang Ke, and not only was he not joining in, but he was actually blocking them.

That was going too far!

"Liu Da, I know you and Wang Ke don't get along, but you can't just think about your own feelings. You have to consider your colleague's situation."

"That's right, Liu Da. Look at how miserable Wang Ke is, and you're still here provoking him."

*What the hell...* Liu Da was baffled by their comments. What were they talking about? Were they blind? Which eye saw Wang Ke looking miserable or depressed? The idiot was probably beaming with joy on the inside.

Others might not know the quality of the Big Shot’s new book, but having almost finished the advance manuscript, how could he not know?

Wu Santong, Guo Jing, Furong, the Quanzhen Sect...

Who said the Big Shot didn't understand Wuxia?

Having finished the final paragraph, Wang Ke felt as if he had just woken from a dream; he felt invigorated and completely refreshed. He suddenly spun his office chair around, his face glowing with excitement, and declared, "Do you understand Wuxia? No, you don't."

The crowd was truly stunned this time. What was happening? Had Wang Ke been driven to madness by the Big Shot’s choices?

"Brother, try to look on the bright side. It’s just one author; don't take it so seriously."

"This has nothing to do with you. The Big Shot is just being willful; it’s his fault."

"Even if the new book doesn't perform well, he still has his old work. It’ll be easy for him to make a comeback."

"There are plenty of good authors in the world. If you lose one, another will come along. No need to hang yourself from a single tree."

"..."

They kept offering advice, hoping Wang Ke would lighten up. They expected that after their sincere round of consolation, Wang Ke would feel a bit better.

Instead, to everyone’s shock, Wang Ke and Liu Da stared at the crowd and shouted in unison, "You don't understand the Big Shot at all! Don't you dare talk about him like that!"

Wang Ke stood up from his chair, brimming with passion and excitement. "You don't understand what the Wulin is, or what Wuxia is. You don't know anything!"

Liu Da chimed in, "The Big Shot's understanding of Wuxia is something you couldn't even imagine or grasp."

Even though he and Wang Ke were rivals, he didn't let personal feelings cloud his judgment of an author.

The editors: "????"

They were completely bewildered. What was going on?

Wang Ke seemed almost manic: "No one understands Wuxia better than the Big Shot."

He was genuinely thrilled. Wuxia was different from other genres; it was powerful, and there were many great works. That was why, when the Fantasy Group editors heard the Big Shot wanted to write Wuxia, their first reaction was that he had grown arrogant. Just because you can write good fantasy doesn't mean you can write good Wuxia.

Wang Ke had thought the same at first, which was why he had been trying to talk the author out of it. It wasn't until a few minutes ago, when he finished reading the first few dozen chapters of *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, that he realized just how profound the Big Shot’s understanding of the genre was.

His grasp of Wuxia surpassed everyone’s.

Guo Jing defending against foreign enemies, the whimsical Guo Xiang... Every character was flesh and blood, as if they were truly alive. Every plot point left Wang Ke shaken, as if the clash of steel was right before his eyes. Every new concept introduced left him full of praise and dumbfounded.

So, the Jianghu wasn't just about fighting and killing; it was about human relationships and the ways of the world.

Wang Ke was completely won over. He didn't offer any more explanations—words were hollow. Only by seeing the facts would his colleagues understand.

He sent the document of *The Return of the Condor Heroes* directly into the Fantasy Group’s small chat group, confident that everyone would understand once they read it.

After forwarding the file, Wang Ke shut down his computer and walked downstairs with Liu Da.

Work was over.

The other editors stood there, looking at one another. Once Wang Ke and Liu Da disappeared from view, they pulled out their phones and checked the group chat.

"The Big Shot’s new book?"

"Wuxia? I’d like to see what kind of tricks the Big Shot can pull off with Wuxia."

One by one, they clicked on the file.