The Embryonic Form of Media, Character Periodicals

Xue Mu sighed, "Chief Constable Xiahou, to be honest, keeping Yin Ye locked up will only lead to a stalemate between the Six Fan Gates and the Star Moon Sect until the bitter end. The only ones who will benefit are others, which is completely contrary to the goals you wish to achieve."

Xiahou Di remained unmoved. "Perhaps you all believe I am doing this to assert my authority, but I have already told you my true intention: Yin Ye's cultivation method is far too terrifying; it simply should not exist in this world. The only reason I haven't killed her is out of consideration for the imperial court's grand strategy; I do not wish to burn bridges with the Star Moon Sect."

Xue Mu was stunned. Just how terrifying could Yin Ye's cultivation method be? Was it even less tolerable to the world than his own, which could trigger a plague just by walking outside?

Xiahou Di continued, "Sect Master Xue, you should know that the Nine Cauldrons suppress the world only to keep the yin-evil spirits and demons in check. But demons and monsters dwell within the human heart; the Nine Cauldrons are merely dead objects—how could they suppress the world forever? If Yin Ye is unleashed, human hearts will decay and yin-evil will flourish. I fear the Nine Cauldrons will eventually collapse, and the world will see the return of the chaotic dancing of demons from a thousand years ago, with no peace ever again."

Xue Qingqiu was unimpressed. "Alarmist. With that girl's current cultivation, when would she ever be able to achieve such a thing? Furthermore, aside from the necessary places for her practice, Yin Ye never leaves her quarters, let alone creates such an influence."

Xue Qingqiu actually didn't refute Xiahou Di's assessment of Yin Ye's cultivation, merely feeling that it hadn't reached that point yet. This shocked Xue Mu. He suddenly felt that the world's current state of valuing martial arts above all else likely had its origins in some ancient chaos from a thousand years ago that had persisted to this day. This explained Xiahou Di's seemingly irrational behavior; she truly harbored concerns for the world. In her heart, she likely knew that holding onto Yin Ye brought her no benefit, and she was quite conflicted, wasn't she?

Xiahou Di replied, "Perhaps Yin Ye cannot reach that level, but it is always better to be cautious. This matter will not be changed."

Xue Qingqiu gritted her teeth. "You lunatic, do you really think This Seat doesn't dare to kill?"

Seeing the tension rising again, Xue Mu hurriedly interjected, "Chief Constable Xiahou, between a precautionary measure with a known low probability and the future of the Six Fan Gates, which carries more weight?"

Xiahou Di hesitated for a moment before asking, "What kind of business does Young Master Xue have in mind? Please, speak plainly."

As expected, Xue Mu's judgment was correct. Xiahou Di had desires, and her desire was an obsession with restoring the authority of the Six Fan Gates. As for the collapse of the Nine Cauldrons or the fate of the world, she wasn't a saint; how could she value these abstract concepts above everything else? When it came down to it, if the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. The eight major righteous sects were still there, with a group of Void-Refining experts hiding away. If her Six Fan Gates remained as pathetic as they were now, she would only be a laughingstock if she tried to play the savior.

Xue Mu pulled a book from his robes, handed it to Xiahou Di, and asked, "I bought this biography of the pugilistic world at a bookstore. It says here it was published by the Six Fan Gates?"

Xiahou Di glanced at the cover: Major Events of the Pugilistic World, Year 20 of Chongan, with "Published by the Six Fan Gates, Year 22 of Chongan" printed in the corner. She flipped to a random page, which read: "In the autumn of the 20th year of Chongan, Xue Qingqiu single-handedly washed the Cold River Sect in blood. In this battle, the Six Fan Gates fought hard against the demonic might; three Gold-Badge Constables died in the line of duty, finally saving an orphan. However, from the Sect Master down, all two hundred and thirty-seven members of the sect perished, and the river turned red. The ruins of the Cold River Sect remain to this day, and white bones can still be seen at the bottom of the river. Thus, the name 'Bloody-Handed Qingqiu' was born."

Xiahou Di sneered and threw the book back. "Are you using your sister's exploits to threaten This Chief Constable?"

In truth, Xue Mu hadn't even read that page himself. He broke into a cold sweat as he realized he wasn't just clinging to a powerful backer, but a living legend of demonic terror. But he truly hadn't meant to provoke Xiahou Di, so he hurriedly explained, "It's a misunderstanding! How could I have known you'd flip to that page?"

Xiahou Di paused, then said irritably, "It is indeed a publication of my Six Fan Gates. So what?"

Xue Mu asked, "Is it because the Six Fan Gates also needs to generate revenue?"

If an ordinary person had asked such a question, which undermined her dignity, Xiahou Di would likely have thrown them out. But at this moment, she clearly viewed Xue Mu as a heavyweight figure. There was no point in hiding this from someone with a sharp eye, so she admitted, "The intention to generate revenue exists, but the fact that the public needs these is the main reason. Many major events in the pugilistic world rely on word of mouth, which is too chaotic and full of conflicting versions. The Six Fan Gates has a duty to set the record straight."

Xue Qingqiu scoffed, "Setting the record straight, my foot! How come This Seat didn't know your Six Fan Gates participated in the Cold River battle? Yue Qianjiang is still locked up in my Ling Province; who the hell did you save? Why don't you list the names of the constables who died? You're just adding to my kill count for no reason, and I don't even care for it."

Xiahou Di felt a bit awkward and fell silent.

So, what needed "setting the record straight" was the positive image of the Six Fan Gates or the imperial court. The story was meant to convey that the Six Fan Gates had once tried their best to resist the ravages of the Demon Sect. Against such a formidable opponent, they had sacrificed three men and finally saved an orphan—a truly moving and heroic tale. This was a primary application of propaganda; to put it bluntly, it was gilding the lily, or perhaps "chasing trends." In any case, the Star Moon Sect wouldn't bother to refute it. If the Six Fan Gates couldn't even pull off this much, they might as well slit their own throats.

Xue Mu's focus wasn't there. He said, "I noticed there are many similar pugilistic chronicles in the bookstores. Besides those from the Six Fan Gates, there are some from independent wanderers, but I haven't seen any from other sects. Why is that?"

Xiahou Di said coolly, "Naturally, I won't allow them to boast about themselves or smear others, polluting the Capital City and misleading the masses."

Xue Mu smiled. "Then, by the same logic, in the territories of the major sects, no one else's materials circulate, only their own self-promotion?"

Xiahou Di replied, "Of course, there will still be materials published by the Six Fan Gates. Every region has local officials and my Six Fan Gates branch offices. Unless they are rebelling, how could they possibly ban the government from publishing?"

This was a natural, unique, nationwide, and monopolistic distribution channel! A channel, big sister!

This was the kind of channel modern people dreamed of!

If they didn't know how to use this, could he call them all idiots?

Xue Mu felt confident. In that instant, he had already thought of several plans, but he needed to figure out which one was most appropriate and how to get the Star Moon Sect involved...

Xiahou Di grew impatient. "You've been beating around the bush for ages—what business do you want to do!"

Xue Mu probed, "Chief Constable Xiahou, have you ever considered what it is that pugilistic disciples value the most?"

Xiahou Di replied impatiently, "Fame."

"Exactly, fame," Xue Mu smiled. "But major events that can shake the pugilistic world are rare. Like your chronicle, it's a thin volume once a year, and it's filled with hot topics everyone already knows. In reality, many people in the pugilistic world have several proud achievements, but unfortunately, most people don't know about them. Boasting about oneself is embarrassing and hard to spread across the world. I think... the pugilistic world is missing something..."

Xiahou Di's heart stirred, and Xue Qingqiu opened her eyes, which she had been keeping closed to maintain her air of superiority.

One was a Chief Constable of the Six Fan Gates, the other a Sect Leader; neither was a fool. On the contrary, both were very insightful. As soon as Xue Mu's proposal was out, they both sensed that there was a great deal of potential here, though due to the limitations of the era, they couldn't quite grasp the full picture yet.

Xue Mu continued, "For instance, it's missing a ranking of new pugilistic talents, detailing their deeds, analyzing their potential, and commenting on their martial arts specialties. Especially for those in second or third-rate sects and independent wanderers—their proudest moments go unknown. To gain fame, they have to set up fighting rings, which is like performing on the street, and the effect is poor... If the Six Fan Gates could do this good deed, the world would surely follow..."

"Winning the hearts of the world" was too abstract. Xiahou Di immediately realized this: once this ranking became popular, it would mean controlling the shortcut to fame. Even the super sects would have to beg her Six Fan Gates for their disciples!

Xue Mu saw the expression on Xiahou Di's face and knew what she was thinking. He smiled slightly and continued to paint the picture: "Once it truly becomes a trendsetter, why worry about the Six Fan Gates lacking authority!"

Xiahou Di couldn't sit still. She stood up abruptly and paced back and forth. When she paced in front of Xue Mu, he realized this woman was truly tall—he estimated nearly 1.8 meters. The coolest part was those long legs, likely 1.2 meters long, straight and rounded, without a trace of fat, and shaped to perfection. They were truly a top-tier treat for leg lovers, the kind you could play with for a year. He wondered what it would look like if they were wrapped in long black silk...

Xiahou Di had no time to notice Xue Mu's gaze. After pacing for a while, she finally stopped and sighed softly, "The idea is a good one, and it would be a hundred percent beneficial to my Six Fan Gates. It's just that our Six Fan Gates is severely constrained by various sects in the regions, and we are short on manpower... If the recorded deeds deviate significantly from the facts or are incomplete, it would undermine our credibility and turn us into a laughingstock."

Xue Mu blinked. "Our Star Moon Sect disciples are spread across the four seas, and the industry we are in is... well, our sources of information are incredibly vast. See, doesn't this business just happen to fit us perfectly?"