Novelists of the Hundred Schools of Thought

"What's wrong?"

After being piqued by the Seventh Vice Minister, Lin Fan became genuinely curious.

"He's a novelist!"

Lin Fan: "(⊙o⊙)????"

Do you even need to tell me?! Novels are written by him, what else is he but a novelist? If he's not famous, then so be it, but if he is, then you should at least give him the title of "novelist".

He almost couldn't help but complain.

"Then what...?"

"... He really is a novelist!"

"I know, so what?"

"Cough, no, you didn't understand what I meant. He was a novelist among the Hundred Schools of Thought of Thought!!!"

Lin Fan was slightly taken aback, then came to his senses.

The novelist among the Hundred Schools of Thought?

This... this... this... this...

"So, among the Hundred Schools of Thought in ancient times, there were already novelists?!"

He was a little confused. As a science student, he hadn't read much about ancient records and documents; he had only heard others mention them a few times.

Therefore, Lin Fan knew about the Hundred Schools of Thought, but he really didn't understand what exactly Hundred Schools of Thought 'schools' were.

Upon hearing that he was a novelist, I was utterly astonished.

However, we can't show it at this time, otherwise wouldn't that be too embarrassing?

So, this fellow rolled his eyes and calmly replied, "I know he's a novelist from the Hundred Schools of Thought, so what?"

"..."

The Seventh Vice Minister paused for two seconds before replying, "That's all."

That's it?

"We did meet him, but he wouldn't say, or rather, he said he didn't know anything and was just writing whatever came to mind."

"We don't have any evidence to prove that he's lying, and he hasn't done anything wrong. We can't keep restricting his freedom indefinitely, can we?"

So... that's all... we've only met.

"Wow!"

Lin Fan called out, "Make arrangements for him. I'd like to meet with him. Perhaps it's not appropriate for me to tell you all this?"

"No problem!"

The Seventh Vice Minister agreed, "We'll arrange it for you right away. You should be able to see him around tonight."

"Good!"

The call ended.

Lin Fan stroked his chin, lost in thought, "It seems I've overlooked many details after all..."

"The Resident Happiness Living Department, as an official body, has countless highly intelligent individuals as its think tank. They consider many things more meticulously and deeply than I do."

"This point cannot be ignored..."

He became slightly more wary.

For example, before this, he really hadn't thought about why cultivation novels were so similar to real cultivation!

coincide?

With so many books, it's inevitable that some will have similarities.

The problem is that the novelist who pioneered the cultivation genre already created works that are very similar!

But I had been ignoring this matter all along.

It wasn't until now, when talking to the Seventh Vice Minister Seventh Vice Minister, that Lin Fan realized they had already thought of this and had even met with him.

It wasn't that they couldn't meet, but rather that it served as a reminder to Lin Fan.

Even three cobblers with their mediocre skills can outwit Zhuge Liang, so what about three strategists, or even thirty or three hundred?

A positive plus a negative equals a negative? Where did you see this toxic motivational quote?

When such think tanks are brought together, they are able to analyze all the details in the shortest possible time and propose appropriate strategies to address those details.

so...

Never underestimate anyone!

Even if they are now partners, and even if the other party's personal combat skills are not outstanding, this still applies.

Especially after Sister A'Wu and Qi Zixiao repeatedly reminded him 'don't die,' Lin Fan became even more cautious.

"But then again..."

"What exactly is a novelist?"

He opened Baidu, searched for a while, and quickly got the results.

The novelists were one of the schools of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought, but most of their books have been lost. According to Ban Gu's "Treatise on Literature" in the Book of Han, "The school of novelists originated from unofficial officials; they were created by gossip and hearsay from the streets and alleys."

Novelists can represent the customs and traditions of ordinary people. However, because of their lesser-known nature, they are not valued by the world and ultimately fail to survive.

The most representative novelist is Yu Chu.

He was a native of Luoyang, Henan Province, during the Western Han Dynasty. Most of his deeds have been lost. According to the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Yu Chu served as a courtier in the position of Fangshi, riding a horse and wearing yellow clothes, and was known as the Yellow-Robed Envoy.

The Records of Sacrifices to Heaven and Earth states. "Yu Chu Yu Chu from Luoyang used a sacrificial ceremony to curse the Xiongnu and Dayuan."

"Originally, novelists mainly recorded street gossip and reported it to their superiors. However, although novelists formed their own school, they were considered second-rate, hence the saying 'nine streams and ten schools'..."

After reading many related records, articles, and analyses, Lin Fan gradually understood.

"Simply put, it's like recording unofficial histories, and incidentally writing down some folk legends?"

"However, the records state that the novelist has already died out?"

"..."

"Fortunately, it's just a record and shouldn't be taken too seriously. We'll know for sure once we see it for ourselves."

night.

Inside the VIP room of a teahouse in C City.

Lin Fan met the successor of this novelist, Chen Chumo, whose author name was Gu Lian. The novel he created to establish the cultivation genre was called "Journey of Cultivation".

(PS: I know about Brother Xiao Qian and The Journey to Immortality, but this is a fictional world, so it's different. Please don't take it too seriously, and it's never good to include people from the real world in this story.)

"Mister Lin."

Chen Chumo smiled and extended his hand, as did Lin Fan. After a light handshake, he looked at the other gently.

Without fluctuations of True Essence, one is not a cultivator.

Furthermore, their bodies were very weak. Not only had they not been nourished by spiritual energy, but they also had a lot of minor ailments all over their bodies, from their cervical spine to their lumbar spine and digestive system. Almost no part of their body was healthy.

"I apologize for disturbing you."

Lin Fan spoke up to express his apology.

"What are you saying?"

Chen Chumo still smiled and said, "Actually, I've wanted to meet Mister Lin for a long time, but unfortunately I haven't had the chance."

"It is truly an honor to be able to meet you today."

"Let's not stand on ceremony."

Lin Fan laughed and said, "I don't like Wan Wan around the bush. Let's get straight to the point."

"Mr. Chen, you should know why I wanted to see you, right?"

"I could guess." Chen Chumo nodded. "The Resident Happiness Living Department has already told me your identity, so..."

"That's good."

Lin Fan said, "I want to know, how much do novelists actually know about cultivating immortality, or rather, cultivating the true nature of things?"

"How... how did you know that?"

His gaze was intense as he stared directly at Chen Chumo.

There was no pressure; I simply watched quietly, waiting and anticipating his answer.

"To be honest, Mister Lin..."

Chen Chumo sighed, "The reason I didn't tell the Resident Happiness Living Department before was because it wasn't necessary, and our novelist ancestors left us with ancestral teachings."

"I do know something, or rather... about the past."

"The source of the information is our novelist ancestors. Throughout the dynasties, they left behind some things. Although these things are becoming less and less, there are still some useful things and records."

Hearing this, Lin Fan nodded slightly.

This is not that difficult to understand.

In ancient times, novelists were essentially writers of unofficial histories and recorders of folk biographies and legends, which is quite different from modern novelists.

It is perfectly reasonable that such novelists would have some records and ancient books passed down to later generations.

As for why there are fewer and fewer...

Thousands of years have passed, and the preserved items have gradually deteriorated or been lost. Is there a problem?

According to records, novelists have long since disappeared.

In other words, they did not actually appear for a very long time.

It's perfectly normal to lose some items passed down from one's master.

Let alone the inheritance from a master's school, even ancestral heirlooms often lose a lot of things when they have been passed down for too long and through too many generations.

Seeing that Lin Fan simply nodded without interrupting, Chen Chumo continued, "In the records and ancient books that have been passed down, I learned some information and legends from ancient times, including information about the existence of cultivators."

"However, they were just a few words."

At this point, Chen Chumo sighed deeply, then changed the subject. "Mister Lin, if I may be so bold as to ask, are you aware of the legend of the First Emperor burning books and burying scholars alive?"

"I've heard some things, but they're all hearsay, and I don't know the specifics," Lin Fan said honestly.

Burning and burying books alive?

Yes, I've heard of it!

But more than two thousand years have passed since the specific events, so who knows what exactly happened?

"Yes."

Chen Chumo nodded. "However, in the records of our novelists, the burning of books and burying of scholars alive did indeed exist."

"However, the First Emperor did not bury Confucian scholars alive, but rather some 'heretical' individuals among the Hundred Schools of Thought."

"Whether it was detrimental to the rule at the time, spread rumors and was harmful to the world, many people were 'tricked' into it."

"This led to a situation where almost Hundred Schools of Thought in the subsequent period felt insecure, and most of them gradually faded into obscurity and disappeared from the stage of history."

"We novelists are one of them!"

"I see!"

Lin Fan was amazed.

The burning of books and burying of scholars alive... In the modern world, many people say that the First Emperor was misunderstood. In fact, he did not bury Confucian scholars, but rather those sorcerers and Fangshi.

But who knows the specifics? After all, no one witnessed what happened back then.

However, novelists are meant to record these things, and as a descendant of novelists, the information Chen Chumo gives is more credible.

"After years of silence, although the Hundred Schools of Thought were secretly passing down their traditions, as far as I know, very few of them still have a legacy; most were cut off on the stage of history."

"As for the records about cultivation, they are some miscellaneous sayings recorded by our ancestors, who were novelists in the pre-Qin period."

"I have brought all the relevant works and books. If Mister Lin is interested, he can take a look at them himself."

"This should be more trustworthy than me just making empty promises and talking to myself, right?"

At this point, Chen Chumo looked directly at Lin Fan, his sincerity practically written all over his face.

Thank you so much for your support, 'AiAi'! I'll add an extra chapter once Huan Yan is ready. Thank you!

That said, if one day I could sign a contract with a top-tier author, then I could barely call myself a writer, right? But until then, I'm just an author, an author...

Anyway, I'm asking for your monthly votes, let's go!