Chapter 13: Kidnapped

Manager Hu was quite amiable. He took Lian Li’s manuscript and sat down to read it right then and there.

As he read, he gradually became enthralled. One moment he was slapping his thigh, the next he was sighing with frustration as if the characters were failing to live up to their potential, and a moment later he was clapping and cheering.

Once he finished reading Lian Li’s thirty-thousand-word manuscript, he said, “Master Lian, you are truly this.”

He gave Lian Li a big thumbs-up.

“However, this doesn’t look like a complete novel; there isn’t a single, continuous story.”

Lian Li nodded and said, “Correct. This is just the Martial Arts Assembly Combat Records, which I wrote on a whim using the matches I watched at the Martial Arts Assembly as inspiration.”

Manager Hu stroked his beard and pondered for a while before saying, “There will certainly be many people interested in this. It’s just a bit too short to publish as a standalone book. Why doesn’t Master Lian flesh out a story for it?”

Lian Li shook his head. “I don’t want to write a long story for the time being. I remember your bookstore has a gazette, don’t you? Why not publish it in installments in the gazette?”

Hearing Lian Li’s suggestion, Manager Hu continued to stroke his beard. After a long silence, he finally spoke. “That is one way to do it. Does Master Lian plan to settle down here?”

Startled by the question, Lian Li paused before answering, “No. Once the Champion’s reward is distributed, I’ll be heading back with Yun Huizhou.”

Manager Hu said, “In that case, it seems I won’t be able to pay you a writing fee for each issue. We’ll have to settle the payment in one lump sum.”

Lian Li replied, “That’s what I was thinking as well.”

After the two of them haggled over the manuscript fee for a while, they finally agreed on a price that was satisfactory to both parties.

Before Lian Li took the money and left, Manager Hu asked him, “Does Master Lian wish to leave a pen name?”

Lian Li thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go with Long Aotian.”

Manager Hu: “…I’m afraid that name might easily clash with someone’s real name. Why doesn’t Master Lian think of another one?”

“Then let’s call it ‘I am Lian Aotian’.” Fearing the manager might not understand, Lian Li asked for a brush and swiftly scribbled the pen name onto his manuscript.

Manager Hu: “…That should certainly avoid any duplicate names.”

Manager Hu quickly brought out one tael of silver for Lian Li. The two signed a contract, officially finalizing the purchase of the short manuscript.

Once it was published, whether it made a profit or a loss would have nothing to do with Lian Li.

However, Lian Li knew that only if it turned a profit would he be able to command a higher price and sell his work more easily the next time he came to submit a manuscript.

Back at the inn, Lian Li casually tucked the money under his pillow.

Yun Huizhou sometimes returned very late, and Lian Li generally didn’t wait up for him.

After requesting hot water to wash up and wipe himself down, he let down his hair, took off his outer robe, and went to bed to rest.

He closed his eyes, and in that state between sleep and wakefulness, he felt as though someone had entered the room and approached him.

Subconsciously assuming it was Yun Huizhou returning, he didn’t pay it any mind. He rolled over toward the wall to make space for Yun Huizhou.

At that moment, he suddenly caught a faint scent. His mind instantly went on high alert, but a wave of drowsiness surged up, seemingly impossible to resist.

Oh no, Lian Li cried out in his heart, I’ve been drugged.

However, no matter how hard he struggled to stay awake, he could not withstand the effects of the drug and could only fall into a deep sleep.

Before losing consciousness, his last thought was that he had just earned a tael of silver and hadn’t even had the chance to spend it yet.

When Yun Huizhou returned to the inn carrying the prize money distributed by the Martial Arts Alliance, he saw an empty room and the faint, lingering scent of incense.

The corners of his mouth, which had been turned up, instantly flattened. His gaze became incredibly cold, and the smile that usually hung on Zhao Honglan’s face, who had followed him back, also vanished.

“Brother Yun, this scent hasn’t completely dissipated yet. They must have just left. There’s still time to give chase. I’ll go back immediately and have my junior brothers and sisters search the area.”

Yun Huizhou nodded and said to Zhao Honglan, “Then I shall trouble you, Brother Zhao.”

As he spoke, he tossed the bag he had brought back onto the inn’s table and then vanished with a flash.

Zhao Honglan also left the inn immediately. A short while later, two disciples from the Qinghong Sword Sect arrived at the inn—one stayed in the room to guard the belongings, while the other sought out the manager and the waiter to inquire about the situation.

Lian Li was woken up by the cold. Although it wasn’t winter, he had already taken off his outer clothes when he went to bed, sleeping only in his inner garments.

Now, however, he only had a pair of trousers on; his shirt was gone.

He sprang up with a carp leap and saw his clothes tossed to the side.

!!!

While he was unconscious, someone had undressed him!

In an instant, his mind flooded with all sorts of “not suitable for children” scenarios that might have happened while he was out cold. He felt like he was about to have a mental breakdown!

He was a freaking man! The person who kidnapped him couldn’t possibly be a woman who coveted his beauty and wanted to ravish him, right?

His body was already weak to begin with; if this kept up, wouldn’t he be even weaker in the future?

He hurriedly crawled over, grabbed his clothes, and then squinted toward the source of firelight.

He discovered that he was currently inside a ruined temple. A bonfire was burning in the center of the temple, and a masked man sat beside it.

His heart eased slightly. Good, good, it’s a man.

Then, he froze. Holy crap! It’s a man!

He couldn’t have been ravished by a man, could he? Being ravished by a woman would have been better!

Lian Li’s face was instantly covered in tears. Clutching his clothes to his chest with both hands, he asked the man by the fire a classic question.

“What… what did you do to me?”

The man glanced over and gave a couple of “hehe” chuckles. “Looking at that face of yours, I certainly wanted to do something, but unfortunately, I’m not interested in men.”

“Oh, so you didn’t do anything to me.” Lian Li’s heart relaxed. Good, good, nothing happened. No wonder there’s no pain.

But why did this person kidnap him?

He had been in this world for less than a month, and every day he had honestly stayed by Yun Huizhou’s side, acting cute and playing nice to stay in his good graces. He hadn’t done anything!

Lian Li’s mind raced, thinking of a way to escape.

He thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with anything.

The person who kidnapped him had drugs and martial arts. Barring any accidents, he wouldn’t be able to slip away.

His mouth moved as he cursed the man frantically, but he didn’t make a sound.

Shaking out his clothes, he put on his shirt and then huddled back into the corner, looking as dejected as a frost-bitten cabbage.

Suddenly, the man by the fire moved.

Lian Li immediately watched him warily. The lower half of the man’s face was masked, and his head was wrapped in black cloth.

Only his eyes were exposed, but looking at those eyes, Lian Li knew this person probably wasn’t much to look at.

At that moment, another man walked into the temple. He had a pair of mouse-like whiskers and his face was coated in powder as white as a wall.

As soon as he entered, his gaze swept over Lian Li. He frowned at first, but after seeing Lian Li’s face clearly, he revealed a lewd and satisfied smile.