Chapter 1, The Cause

In order to make the lies sound more convincing, I temporarily fabricated some stories about Taoist arts, metaphysics, and Buddhist teachings. After all, I am a novelist, and creating stories is easier for me than eating.

Isn't it? Seeing that I had not responded, she repeated it once more

Wow! Author, you are amazing. She admires me greatly, which gives a small sense of satisfaction to my vanity

This question is quite sharp; I have never had a reader ask me this so directly before. I thought for a moment and decided to be vague with her, saying: "Ghosts, such supernatural entities should not be discussed lightly. Even if I have seen them, I cannot tell you about it, as it may bring you misfortune."

Of course I am not afraid. Let me put it this way, there is a group of ghosts in my yard right now, including malevolent spirits and female ghosts... In a moment of excitement, I began to boast recklessly.

Ah? Yes, but you... I was at a loss for words.

"Author, if you have some free time, could we possibly meet?" she suddenly asked again

Well, that's good. It's getting late, and I am going out for some shopping. Author, good night to you!

My writing is not particularly good, but I have many readers who appreciate it, and besides, everyone has their own preferences. Over time, I have gained a few fans of my own

I am not handsome in appearance, and my personality is rather introverted. Generally speaking, I prefer not to meet people often. Moreover, it is quite late, and it is not very convenient to have a video call with a stranger, so I replied rather tactfully: "It's quite late, so it's not convenient. Let's talk another day."

She sent me a voice invitation, and I clicked "Agree." Immediately, a very sweet voice came through the headset: "Hello, Tianji Xiaopeng!"

Starting today, I will share with everyone my story that is not a story...

Previously, I answered this way, and this time I am answering in the same manner

Ah! At this moment, I realized that I had boasted too much. I had already fabricated my age, and having made such grand claims, I naturally dared not meet her.

I opened it and saw a message from someone wanting to add me as a friend. I looked at the verification message, which read, "Hello, esteemed author, I really enjoy reading your novels." I recognized that this was one of my readers, so I readily clicked "Agree and add as a friend".

That night, it was drizzling outside, and the weather was quite chilly

"Where, where?" I said with a feigned humility, smiling.

To be frank, I am a writer of supernatural novels, and I have intermittently written five or six supernatural novels from 2012 to the present.

As the number of fans increases, it is customary in the community for general novel authors to create a reader group to invite their loyal fans to join. Following the example of some prominent authors, I also established my own reader group. Although I am not particularly famous and the number of readers joining the group is not large, they are all very enthusiastic. This has deeply touched me

Start the video? I was a bit confused at that moment

I am very familiar with the background of this screenshot; it is the backend interface of the novel website I belong to. In the backend of the novel website, there is my home address. However, besides me, only the editors of the novel website can access this backend, and I am unclear how she obtained this screenshot

After exchanging greetings, I began to chat with this female reader. At first, I discussed a few things with several female readers regarding the characters and plot of the novel. As it approached twelve o'clock, she suddenly changed the subject and asked me, "Author, do you understand metaphysics?"

What I did not expect was that as the number of readers increased, some peculiar questions also followed

"Author, may I ask you another question? Have you ever seen a ghost? Not on television, but a real ghost."

I am naturally honored to chat with the readers. Whether they are readers from the forum or from the book site, I immediately agreed.

Because I believe that the author's age is directly proportional to the credibility of supernatural novels, in order to enhance the credibility of my own novel, I stated on my QQ profile that I am thirty-seven years old, while in reality, I am just over twenty.

I hesitated for a moment, thinking that after all, this reader does not know me, nor do they know where I live, and it is even less likely that a third party would know about this matter, so I might as well say that I have met them.

As soon as I heard this voice, I knew that this reader was indeed a female reader. To be honest, the novels I write are all supernatural stories, and they tend to be a bit bloody and violent, which generally do not appeal to most female readers. Today, however, a female reader suddenly appeared, and I cannot express how excited I was.

Thus, in order to conceal my age, I had no choice but to clear my throat and affect the voice of a person in their thirties or forties, responding: "Hello, Ye Xiaoye!"

Are you afraid of ghosts

Then, she sent me a message: "Author, may I have a video chat with you?"

This question has been asked by readers before.

I was a bit curious, but I didn't think much of it. I closed QQ and began writing my novel again

After hearing my answer, she exclaimed excitedly, "Really? Do you really understand metaphysics?"

However, in front of the readers, I naturally cannot claim that I understand nothing. Otherwise, many readers are likely to abandon the book. In order to retain the readers, I told a small lie, saying that I understand a little about metaphysics

Seeing the other party's sincerity, I felt somewhat troubled. After much contemplation, I realized that I could not offend my readers, so I responded with: "Well, alright."

After all, I am writing a supernatural novel, which inevitably involves matters such as casting spells, performing rituals, and capturing ghosts. These elements may appear very mysterious, but in reality, most of them are purely fabricated by me.

"It's nothing, I'm not afraid." Before I could finish speaking, she asked again, "Author, have you ever seen a real ghost?"

In the past two years, I have not gained any significant fame, nor have I earned substantial money. Compared to established authors such as Tianxia Bachang, who wrote "Ghost Blows Out the Light," San Shu, the author of "Grave Robbers' Chronicles," and San San, who wrote "Those Years I Was a Taoist Priest," I am indeed leagues behind.

She replied to me with a "wronged" expression, and then asked me: "Is it okay to use voice chat?"

However, after the group was established, my personal QQ number was also made public. Subsequently, some readers in the group began to add me on QQ to chat with me privately

This... I find myself in a bit of a dilemma; if I say I have never seen it, I fear losing my readers; if I say I have seen it, then the lie becomes a bit too grand.

It is probably already past eleven o'clock. I just finished updating a chapter of my novel. I originally planned to write another chapter before going to sleep, but at that moment, QQ suddenly made a sound, and a small horn appeared.

I replied in a voice reminiscent of an uncle picking his feet

This reader's online username is "Ye Xiaoye". The username does seem to resemble that of a girl, yet the gender specified in the profile is "male"

After speaking, she immediately ended the voice call

"Author, is this your address?" She sent me a screenshot of a chapter, which had my home address written on it

Author, you are truly impressive! I can hear the admiration in her voice.

After she joined, she sent me a smiling emoji, and I promptly replied politely with a "smile."

No, this really won't do. I quickly declined her.

However, at this moment, I encountered a minor inconvenience

I began to boast wildly, claiming to be more formidable than a true Taoist. She listened earnestly, occasionally letting out an admiring "wow".

Shopping? I leaned forward a bit and took a closer look at the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen. It was 12:30 AM. At this hour, are we really going shopping? Could it be that in a big city, people go to night markets at this time?

I am not a Taoist, just an ordinary person, and I do not understand metaphysics at all

Could it be that my editor came to tease me out of boredom in the evening? I speculated

"Yes, I understand a little. If I didn't understand, how could I write supernatural novels?" I said again

Whether I make money or gain fame is actually of little concern to me. Writing novels in my spare time, having readers who follow and comment, is also a very joyful experience.

However, upon further reflection, I find it unlikely. All of my editors are male, each of whom has reached the level of middle-aged men, yet the one speaking to me now is clearly a delicate young girl