I Summoned Shan Hai Paint Spirits and Became a Sensation!

[Thanks so much to all the lovely readers who have already read this! Once the pre-release starts serializing, major revisions may drop at any time.]

Pre-release novel: Is It Really Okay to Be the Chief Disciple of My Sect's Rival? Blurb:

Jiang Mi's dream since childhood was to cultivate immortality. Unfortunately, his mother told him he had no spiritual roots, and he believed her for nineteen whole years. It wasn't until Yingying, one of the girls at the brothel, let the truth slip that he learned he'd been deceived.

"Cultivating immortality? With your constitution, you can only practice the Pudu Sect's techniques, but not even a dog would join that sect!"

What's wrong with the Pudu Sect? His mother, a member of the Hehuan Sect, may not approve, but he likes it just fine. His newly found master likes it too. (Not really.)

His master, wearing an expression of utter despair: "?? We're sworn enemies! Are you a spy?"

At the entrance trial, where candidates' moral character was briefly assessed, Jiang Mi immediately noticed a handsome young man with his hair tied up beneath a jade crown, just like his own.

The young man was unusual: his moral character score was especially low. Could someone like that even pass the trial?

"Oh, that was just a passing score for killing a few bandit leaders and taking over their mountain stronghold. Got a problem with that?"

Jiang Mi, who had a perfect score, didn't mind. The other disciples did: Did killing people while sending their souls on to the next life really count as good character?

A month later, Jiang Mi, newly appointed chief disciple of the Pudu Sect, had ink-black hair and the dignified bearing of a virtuous gentleman. The elders reluctantly sent him to consecrate another sect's magical artifact, and there he saw the young man again. The young man didn't seem to remember him.

"Lou Yan, you can choose either face blindness or amnesia. Otherwise, this is off," Jiang Mi said.

Lou Yan chose, and so Jiang Mi brought him back to the Pudu Sect as a prospective cultivation partner.

The Pudu Sect disciples were devastated: Junior Brother (Senior Brother), no wonder you're from our sworn enemies' sect!

Is it too late for us to switch sects?

He'd single-handedly rescued the Pudu Sect, whose marriage rate ranked last year after year!

--From the gong's point of view

When Lou Yan was young, he suffered a serious illness. After that, he discovered there was another version of himself inside his body: obsessive, dark, and always making him take the blame.

For instance, the handsome cultivator he'd met on a blind date was now angrily giving him two choices.

Face blindness or amnesia?

"Amnesia." He could only accept the blame.

Lou Yan's junior fellow disciples: Senior Brother, what happened to that swaggering attitude you had yesterday?

"I didn't forget. He's mine. It was love at first sight." After Jiang Mi turned away, the other obsessive personality whispered.

Novel blurb:

Fu Shangxia never imagined that when he opened his eyes, he'd find himself transmigrated into the body of a hapless guy being hunted, with a System stubbornly bound to him.

The System was practically useless apart from unlocking the Shan Hai species, yet it demanded that he make the Shan Hai painted spirits go viral across the stars so he could gather enough energy to return to his original world.

The first step to going viral: create a big spectacle.

A travel blogger asked for help: "Streamer, I ran into space pirates while traveling. It's like a game of hide-and-seek!"

Fu Shangxia: "Don't worry. The little Ming Snake can take on a whole group by itself."

The little Ming Snake smiled: Which would you like, this potion that makes you young again, or the one that turns you into a bubble person?

A corporate heir reached out with a business proposal: "The pressure of being an heir is too much. I want to let loose. Will one of your painted spirits come crash the party?"

Fu Shangxia: "No problem. The little Chongming Bird is a master of illusions."

The little Chongming Bird munched away: I can teleport things face-to-face. Want me to teleport myself? One meal is all it takes.

The next Fairy King sent an invitation: "I heard a Lu Wu is good with flowers and trees. Our people's Mother Tree is withering. Help!"

Fu Shangxia: "No worries. The little Lu Wu can bring dead wood back to life in a snap."

The little Lu Wu clung to the Mother Tree around the clock: Jianmu is a treasure of the world!

The Shan Hai painted spirits went viral, and the bizarre trending topics shot straight to the top.

Shocking! The little Zhuyin's nap is the reason the sun hasn't risen!

Shocking! The councilors are all going bald because they've been secretly worshipping the little Yinglong?!

Shocking! The streamer's little Jiufeng may be the hottest voice actor around?

When Fu Shangxia learned that Qin Xian was the youngest marshal in interstellar history and that they were dating online, he thought Qin Xian was just as cool and mature as the rumors said.

"You like my silver snake?"

The snake's cool tail coiled around Fu Shangxia's waist beneath his thin shirt, its head resting lightly on his shoulder. Feeling the warmth of another person's fingers against its scales, the dangerous snake eyes narrowed in contentment.

"Don't touch it. Touching him is the same as touching me." Qin Xian, sharing sensations with the silver snake, held Fu Shangxia close and sighed happily.

[An irresponsible bonus scene]

One day, Fu Shangxia formally invited Qin Xian over and introduced him to all the Shan Hai painted spirits in the house.

The little nine-tailed fox, unconcerned: Here's a whole box of spirit fruit. Know what's good for you and leave this house.

Qin Xian: The entire Qingqiu Mountain.

The little nine-tailed fox: !! It's yours, it's yours. I'll have it packed up and delivered tonight.

Fu Shangxia, packed up by the two of them: ?!

Reader's guide:

1. Lots of author-created lore. A whole mountain of it.

2. I've consulted reference materials. Please point out any mistakes.

--◎Pre-release: The Real Young Master Is Spending Money to Hire Evil Spirits Again Today◎--

Shocking! The impoverished real young master from a rich-family-switcheroo novel has awakened.

Jiang Ruozhu, the real young master, still scavenging for scraps: !! This incredible fortune has finally come my way.

Sure, the fake young master acts superior while pretending to be nice, his wealthy biological parents look down on their son for scavenging, and his older brother and sister ignore him, only depositing a huge sum into their little brother's account every month.

His father doesn't care for him, and his mother doesn't love him, but that's no problem at all.

Jiang Ruozhu, who spends money to run an evil-spirit agency: This is a win. As long as they keep sending money, I definitely won't show up at the Jiang family again.

The evil-spirit agency gets its first client.

A client wrapped from head to toe says she suspects her rival has hired a child ghost. No problem. Jiang Ruozhu spends ten thousand and hires a Staff-Wielding Hungry Ghost to take care of it.

The Staff-Wielding Hungry Ghost: I can tell you're no ordinary person. I could swallow a little ghost like that in one bite.

The rival's little ghost, nearly swallowed: You're my real dad! I'll work for you for free!

The second client is a stay-at-home mother whose daughter may be possessed. The girl gets up in the middle of the night to chew on frozen raw meat. No problem. Jiang Ruozhu spends ten thousand and hires a Halberd-Borrowing Ghost to exorcise the child.

The stay-at-home mother's first love turns out to be a ghost, and Jiang Ruozhu calmly watches the drama unfold.

Word spreads at high-society gatherings: There's an evil-spirit agency where paying enough can make ghosts switch sides.

One big client after another comes knocking, but Jiang Ruozhu gets haunted by a little plastic-bag ghost he hired with money earned from scavenging.

The little plastic-bag ghost has turned into a tall, handsome man. He holds Jiang Ruozhu firmly in his arms and murmurs, "Master, have you found someone new and forgotten your old love?"

All the other evil spirits tremble. With ghosts all around, who would dare try to steal your husband?! Could you dial back the pressure, please?

"Jiang Cangxue." Jiang Ruozhu rubs the head of the evil spirit pretending to be hurt and gazes at him earnestly. "I like you best."

Good news: He's gotten himself an evil-spirit gong.

Bad news: The evil spirit is the big bad in a novel about real and fake young masters.

Theme: Promoting excellent traditional culture