Translated by Pure

Edited by Leilaz and cookiecrunch

Chapter 2: Wyverns in the Sky (2)

“Don’t go!” Bang Yan resolutely pulled him back. He threw a piece of silver to the shop assistant and demanded, “I’ll buy two books!”

When the shop assistant received the money, he smiled and said, “It’s an honor to serve this valuable customer. One person can only buy three books at most. Would you like to purchase another book? Then, this humble one would not have to find change?”

Bang Yan took three books and left the line. He then stuffed one of them into Tang Tianyuan’s chest and said, “Don’t be courteous with me.”

Who would be courteous with you? Tang Tianyuan was speechless. He wanted to return the book, but Bang Yan would rather die than take it back.

Carrying this scalding book, Tang Tianyuan entered the Hanlin Academy. He really couldn’t understand why people were willing to pay three times the amount for this kind of thing. Just to pay for an additional page with a handwritten poem? That Miao Miao Sheng was just a pervert and there was no way he could write that well. Thinking up to this point, Tang Tianyuan purposefully opened the book, wanting to look down on Miao Miao Sheng’s writing.

…Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. 

Tang Tianyuan himself had some attainments in the area of calligraphy, and his reputation wasn’t small either. So when he saw Miao Miao Sheng’s work, despite the fact that it appeared rushed, the style was light and distinct while the strokes were deep and resolute, creating a very unique piece of work.

Someone wrote it for him! Someone definitely did...

He threw the book onto the table and simultaneously pulled out another one to take a look.

Elsewhere, Bang Yan was already itching to enter his office. His eyes glowed as he opened his beloved new book.

Tang Tianyuan and Bang Yan both graduated from the Hanlin Academy at the same time, thus their office positions were pretty similar, and they both shared the same office room. Their desks faced each other, and normally, as long as they raised their heads, they would be able to see each other. According to Bang Yan’s words, every time he did so, he would see someone tens of thousands of times more handsome than himself. That was why he needed to find some spiritual pillars to keep on living, which was how he met Miao Miao Sheng.

This Miao Miao Sheng was anything but ordinary. He appeared when Tang Tianyuan scored brilliantly in third place during the imperial examinations. Not long after, his name spread throughout the land beneath the heavens. Nobody knew what he previously did. No one had ever seen his real face either, but whenever his name was brought up, it was still immediately recognized as it was extremely renowned. This Miao Miao Sheng had written quite a few fictional books. Although they were all romance novels, the characters were not your typical pair of ideal lovers. The men and women inside the novels were fully developed; the plot was unique and always surprised the readers. It also featured some fresh and clear croissant verses, satisfying the requirements of the scholarly people. Thus, for the past two years, his books had been extremely popular, and whenever a new book came out, a horde of fans would come and purchase his books. This was exactly what a bookseller would want to see.

The reason why Miao Miao Sheng’s books were this popular was partly because of Tang Tianyuan. In every book, the male lead was named ‘Tang Feilong.’ Feilong meant wyverns and the <Book of Changes> stated “Wyverns in the Sky,” so Tang Feilong was definitely Tang Tianyuan[1]. Of course, this kind of explanation was a bit far-fetched, but as long as one took a look at the book, one could easily come to the same conclusion. Tang Tianyuan and Tang Feilong shared the same birthday, both of them were the sons of the Chief Minister of the Cabinet, and both barely made it into the top three. Other details were also extremely similar… Wasn’t it obvious enough already? Most people who read Miao Miao Sheng’s book would unconsciously think of Tang Tianyuan as Tang Feilong.

As a result, Miao Miao Sheng’s book and Tang Tianyuan both created a wondrous, mutually beneficial push forward. Due to Miao Miao Sheng’s blessing, the number of girls wishing to bear Tang Tianyuan’s children had grown innumerable. Their numbers would be more than enough to circle the capital city’s perimeters three times! So, the fact that the Tang Residence entrance could hold so many people, even if some of them would come up to Tang Tianyuan and take liberties with him, would not be weird at all.

Fame has its price, and celebrities must always pay a price. Tang Tianyuan understood this logic. He really didn’t care about others writing about him, but what the heck did Miao Miao Sheng write about him?! In the first book, Tang Feilong was a humble nobleman who enjoyed secretly groping women. In the second book, Tang Feilong was the feeble son of an official. For every three steps he took, he’d cough up a mouthful of blood. The third book was even more outlandish: Tang Feilong had a mental disorder! In the daytime, he was one person, and at night, he was another. Now, he was reading the fourth book. The story began with Tang Feilong sending out troops for suppression. Suppression? What suppression– What did it have to do with romance!?

Considering Miao Miao Sheng’s evil interests and vast imagination, Tang Tianyuan had no idea what he was going to write in this novel. Soon, he couldn’t help but want to take another peek.

Raising his head to take a look at Bang Yan, who seemed to be deeply engrossed in reading. Because he was too excited, he was crouching on his chair. With one hand holding the book and the other covering his mouth, he would occasionally let out some weird giggles. That movement and that expression, accompanied by his naturally dark, tanned skin, made him greatly resemble the Great Monkey King, Sun Wukong– like when Wukong met a female monkey to his liking.

Tang Tianyuan really couldn’t bear to continue looking at him, so he lowered his eyes. He supported his head with his hand, and his gaze once again moved onto the book on the table, <Records of the Suppression of Tang Feilong>.

In the end, he stretched his hand towards it.

Every time it was like this! Every single time! Tang Tianyuan’s heart cried out in despair. Every time, he refused to read it, and yet he always ended up reading it!

Opening up the book, the beginning was actually quite unremarkable. It was nothing like Miao Miao Sheng’s style at all. Tang Tianyuan moved down the pages and on the third page, saw that Miao Miao Sheng couldn’t stop himself from showing his true colors. Tang Feilong had become a palace official, and he was leading a group to suppress bandits. However, that was not the main point. The main point was that he was actually captured and fell into the hands of the bandits! Worse than that, the bandit leader was homosexual… and this homosexual, dark-skinned man stripped Tang Feilong bare and tied him to the bed. And just as he was about to indulge in some illicit affairs, the female protagonist appeared in the nick of time to rescue him.

Stripped. Bare. Tied. To. The. Bed.

As if Tang Tianyuan had just finished some sort of ceremony, he let out a breath and slowly closed the book. It was only the third page, and such a provocative scene had already appeared in the plot. He really didn’t have the courage to continue reading.

To be truthful, Tang Tianyuan suspected Miao Miao Sheng to be one of those homosexual perverts. Most men who authored romance novels weren’t like this. Looking at Miao Miao Sheng’s work, he had the weird feeling of always being watched by a pervert. It seemed as though the homosexual leader of the bandits was Miao Miao Sheng himself, seeking to satisfy his own perverse desires. 

Tang Tianyuan accidentally imagined an old man with a full, glossy beard writing at a tremendous speed and felt cold all over.

He almost couldn’t bear it anymore.

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Footnote:

[1] Wyverns in the Sky- Tang Tianyuan(唐天远)’s name also includes the character sky(天).

translat ed by pure tl. com / do not re post

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