The Villain is Number One in the World

Questioning Sword Manor, Questioning Sword Newspaper.

As one of the three major newspapers officially recognized by the martial world, they received an overwhelming amount of submissions every day.

A few editorial staff members were sorting through today's submissions. They discarded letters like "I really like your newspaper" or "Why wasn't my favorite story serialized in the last issue?"—these were clearly fan letters—into the left pile, and put all the other articles into the right pile.

They then proceeded to a second round of screening.

The Questioning Sword newspaper had five main sections: imperial edicts, latest martial world events, local news, serialized stories, and interviews & miscellaneous.

During the second round of screening, they would determine which section the article belonged to, and then a specific department would be responsible for reviewing it.

Zheng Xudong was one of the reviewers for the serialized stories section.

Originally, he was a scholar, but because of his love for martial arts stories, he wrote many novels. Later, Questioning Sword newspaper recruited him, and he became a professional reviewer.

Zheng Xudong was well-read and had encountered all kinds of strange and unusual records. His judgment was sharp. Many submissions, without even looking at their literary quality, would be rejected outright because the sentences were poorly written and incoherent.

He didn't hesitate to dip his brush in ink and write the rejection reason at the end of such articles: "Incoherent sentences."

Some articles had decent literary quality, but they were long-winded and filled with unnecessary fluff. They were unclear about what they were even trying to convey.

So, he'd write at the end: "Unclear theme."

Even worse were the articles that had good writing and a clear theme, but the story itself was dull, with no tension or excitement. It was just flat and uninteresting.

"Flavorless as chewing wax."

…

After going through many submissions, Zheng Xudong came across a thick stack of letters.

He opened it and immediately saw the title at the top of the first letter: The Legend of the Greatest Martial Artist.

The title was quite intriguing, but he wondered what the content was like.

He mumbled to himself and flipped to the first page. The story was about a mountain village boy who accidentally stumbled upon a secret chamber and obtained a martial arts manual, the Drizzling Rain Sword Technique...

Wait a minute.

Drizzling Rain Sword Technique? That sounds so familiar.

His eyes widened suddenly as he remembered.

There had once been a martial artist in the martial world, wielding the Drizzling Rain Sword, whose sword techniques were incredibly subtle and flawless. It was said that the sword strikes were as dense and unyielding as spring drizzle, with no place to hide, and each drop of rain could take a life.

Later, that martial artist disappeared without a trace, and the Drizzling Rain Sword Technique became a martial arts legend.

Could this be the same Drizzling Rain Sword Technique he knew? Or was it just a gimmick?

Soon, he read the detailed martial arts instructions that followed.

Zheng Xudong: "…"

He rubbed his eyes hard. He couldn't believe it—did someone really write down a martial arts technique?

In the past, many novels had written about legendary martial arts, but those were mostly fabricated. Even a casual reader could tell they were fake, often written just to advance the plot with only a sentence or two to describe the technique.

But this was different. The author had meticulously recorded every step in great detail, explaining the technique clearly and even sharing personal insights and experiences with cultivation!

Zheng Xudong felt a bit dazed.

In all his years as an editor, he had never encountered something like this.

A thought suddenly flashed in his mind: Could this Drizzling Rain Sword Technique be real?

Actually, Chloe Chen had used a little trick here. She had heard about the Drizzling Rain Sword Technique while gathering information, but she didn't know the real technique. But that was no problem—she could just make up something that sounded similar.

She quickly pulled out a martial art from her mind that resembled the Drizzling Rain Sword Technique and slapped that name on it. Who could say that it wasn't the Drizzling Rain Sword Technique?

The technique she described wasn't very advanced, more like a lower-tier skill, a simple technique for entry-level martial artists.

Though she had learned that Questioning Sword Manor had a good reputation, she still decided to test the waters first.

Zheng Xudong hesitated with the manuscript in hand.

From the manuscript itself, the story was well-structured, and the characters were vivid. It had a lot of potential and made him want to keep reading. But he didn't dare make a decision by himself. The long martial arts instructions left him in a dilemma.

Eventually, he decided to take the manuscript to the manor owner, who was also the editor-in-chief and owner of Questioning Sword newspaper.

Zhuo Huaiqi, the manor owner, was a man in his forties, with slightly graying hair at his temples. He was sitting in his study, sipping tea and reviewing manuscripts.

When he saw Zheng Xudong approach, he smiled warmly. "What's the matter? You seem in a rush."

"Master, take a look at this manuscript!" Zheng Xudong said as he placed the manuscript in front of him.

Zhuo Huaiqi was a bit surprised. He looked down at the manuscript and began to read. His expression started calm, but then his brows furrowed, and finally, his face became subtle, with his frown easing into a smile.

"I see what you mean," he said with a smile. "This person is truly interesting. They've written down a real martial arts technique."

Zheng Xudong's mouth fell open. He had suspected the technique might be real, but he hadn't dared to draw conclusions. After all, he was just a scholar, not a martial artist.

Zhuo Huaiqi, on the other hand, was a martial arts expert with deep insights into martial arts. If he said it was real, then it had to be real!

"Is this person out of his mind?" Zheng Xudong was confused. "Shouldn't martial arts techniques be kept secret and practiced alone? Why would someone write them into a novel?"

Zhuo Huaiqi pondered. "Perhaps their way of thinking is different?"

Zheng Xudong: "…"

Well, he couldn't understand that.

A good martial arts manual could bring unmatched benefits. Not only could it make you a revered hero, but it could also help you build powerful social networks and even money-making opportunities.

To put it bluntly, selling or gifting the manual to friends was far more valuable than publishing it in a newspaper and letting the entire world read it for free.

"Master, should we publish this manuscript or not?" Zheng Xudong asked, seeking his opinion.

Zhuo Huaiqi stroked his beard, smiling. "Of course, we'll publish it. Aren't we in the newspaper business to sell papers and attract both commoners and martial artists? The more attention we get, the more money we make. Since the author doesn't mind, why should we?"

Zheng Xudong nodded, muttering to himself, "If this manuscript is published, many people will realize the martial arts technique in it is real, and soon…."

His eyes widened, and he could almost imagine the madness that would spread across the world.

A genuine martial arts manual, the long-lost Drizzling Rain Sword Technique… This issue of the newspaper could really be a bestseller!

He suddenly thought of something, quickly flipped to the last page of the manuscript, and looked at the small print.

It read: "Author: Great Hero Swift Wind."

Great Hero Swift Wind.

The four small words were imprinted in his mind like steel. Zheng Xudong felt that this name was one he would never forget.

…

Chloe Chen received a reply—a wooden box.

Inside was a letter from Questioning Sword Manor, along with a contract and a corner of silver.

The letter said that they greatly admired her writing and hoped she could submit articles regularly. They would serialize the story in the newspaper at a rate of 3,000 characters per issue.

They offered a price of 100 copper coins per 1,000 words. New authors usually received only 50 to 80 copper coins per 1,000 words, but because Chloe's writing was unique, they offered her a higher rate.

As for the silver coin, it was a payment for the manuscript.

If she agreed, she could sign the contract and send it back. If not, they wouldn't ask for the money back—it was just a friendly gesture.

What a generous offer! As one of the most renowned martial arts newspapers, they were indeed impressive.

Chloe felt much more favorable toward them. She had already inquired about the market rate, and she was quite satisfied with their offer.

Some people take days to write 1,000 words, but for her, once she picked up the pen, countless stories would surge in her mind. She could easily write 4,000 to 5,000 words in a day.

At that rate, she could earn a tael in just three days—a great deal!

With her new manuscript fee, Chloe bought some writing supplies like paper and oil lamps, and she splurged on a whole hen. For lunch, she savored the fragrant, tender chicken and enjoyed the delicious chicken soup, nearly moved to tears.

Since arriving in this world, she had been cutting corners to survive, barely

scraping by. Now, having meat to eat felt like the happiest thing in the world!

After filling her stomach, Chloe was full of energy.

She first negotiated with the innkeeper, agreeing to take less pay and return the accounting books every three days to balance them before sending them back.

The innkeeper was not worried about her making any trouble, since both he and the accountant had a ledger of the main account. He thought about it, realizing that the pay was already low, and agreeing meant she was basically working for free. So, he readily agreed.

The reason Chloe didn't quit the inn job was that the accounts were simple and didn't take much time. More importantly, she wanted to keep a backup plan, especially since writing martial arts manuals could be risky. Plus, this inn had a lot of traffic, so she could easily get news.

After settling things at the inn, she focused completely on writing her story at home.