Chapter 5: The First Words Out Were an A-Rank Contract
[Little Hu Sanli was startled into full wakefulness.
She turned her head—and met a pair of murky, greedy eyes.
“So tender!”
She heard the man’s hoarse voice: “You’re so tender, you must taste delicious!”
“Have you eaten a lot of people?”
The childish voice rang out suddenly. Unexpectedly, Little Hu Sanli did not burst into tears.
“Yes, plenty. Old folks, and children like you. Children taste the best—your skin is so soft.”
The man chuckled darkly. His height began to grow taller, his arms thickened, and yellow fangs jutted out.
“Awoo!”
Before Little Hu Sanli’s eyes, he transformed from a man into a wolf standing two meters tall!
The wolf howled, lunging at her in eager hunger.
“A child’s heart tastes the best. Give me your heart—let me have a bite.”]
“He suddenly turned from a man into a wolf? Is that a beastman?”
A net insect flapped its wings fearfully and backed away, the thread connecting it to the terminal pulled taut.
“Probably not a beastman. Beastmen don’t eat humans.”
Meng Xingchong, braver than the others, answered calmly.
Besides, if it were a beastman, the author could have just written beastman. Why specifically write demon race?
Meng Xingchong kept on reading.
After all, Little Hu Sanli was still in danger. But what came next even managed to surprise the well-experienced Meng Xingchong.
[The enormous wolf’s claws were just about to slash down in front of Little Hu Sanli.
The wolf demon laughed hoarsely, drool dripping uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes.
He seemed to already be picturing the scene of pulling out this little girl’s heart right before him.
Just at the critical moment—
A crimson claw suddenly smacked the wolf demon’s paw down with brutal force.
That claw was only half the size of the wolf demon’s, yet it carried a strength that could not be resisted.
With a sharp crack, the wolf demon’s forepaw went limp and dangled uselessly.
Startled, the wolf demon looked closely—only to see a red fox sitting proudly in front of him. The little girl was nowhere to be found.
In an instant, the wolf demon realized: he’d been tricked.
What he had grabbed was no helpless child, but a demon hunter!
Once that sank in, the wolf demon immediately turned to flee.
After all, he was nothing more than a minor demon who hadn’t even cultivated a full century—how could he possibly be a match for a demon hunter?]
The tide had turned, and the editors all let out a sigh of relief.
One of the net insects couldn’t help but spit disdainfully: “Serves you right. Met your match now, huh?”
Meng Xingchong also flapped his wings, easing up a little.
The following development was easy enough to predict.
[Ahead, the gray wolf ran off in panic through the forest, its tail tucked between its legs.
Behind, a small fox trailed leisurely after him.
The corners of her long mouth curved into a mocking smile.
“Run faster! This much exercise isn’t even enough for your Grandma Hu to stretch her legs.”
The words nearly made the fleeing gray wolf break down completely.
“You so-called demon hunters are nothing but traitors to our kind! You’re a demon beast, yet you insist on becoming lapdogs for humans. Bah! Even if I die, I’ll curse you in the underworld—you and everyone close to you will meet a wretched end!”
Perhaps because he knew his death was near, the gray wolf shouted hoarsely between ragged breaths, his curses laced with desperate, broken howls.
The words “everyone close to you” instantly struck Hu Sanli’s weak spot. Her smile vanished.
She formed a hand seal, and suddenly a net glowing with golden light appeared, wrapping the gray wolf’s entire body.
“Awooo!”
The moment the golden net touched his fur, the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
“Since you’re so eager to die, your Grandma Hu will gladly oblige.”
The red fox transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman—her hair a cascade of fiery red curls, lips painted with crimson lipstick, and a pair of tall high heels clicking under her feet.
Under the gray wolf’s horrified gaze, Hu Sanli stepped forward, grabbed one end of the net, and dragged him away like a dead dog.]
The editors watching were completely hooked. They were dying to know what other stories might unfold around Hu Sanli.
But when they turned the page, they were greeted by a familiar line: “You have reached the end. Please bookmark the work first.”
It felt like having a bucket of cold water dumped over them in the dead of winter. Everyone was left with a heavy sense of loss.
“This story is really something. In all my years in the industry, I’ve never seen one this exciting.”
An old editor withdrew her web-thread and sighed with heartfelt admiration.
The editor beside her flapped his wings in agreement: “It’s brilliant. If the later plot doesn’t collapse, our site might just have another phenomenon-level hit on our hands.”
“It’s just a pity there’s too little of it for now. Otherwise, I’d send her a contract invitation right this second.”
Another net insect editor pulled back his thread.
Myriad Novel Network had a rule: a work had to reach twenty thousand words before it could be signed. On the one hand, it was to test the author’s ability; on the other, it was to prevent flighty authors from quitting on a whim.
One thread after another withdrew, until at last, only Meng Xingchong’s web-thread remained—alone, still linked to the terminal.
“Meng Xingchong, aren’t you going to rest?”
A colleague called out.
“You all go ahead. I’ll read it again.”
Meng Xingchong replied.
After his colleagues had all flown off, their wings fluttering, he went back and reread the opening chapter.
He really liked this story. There seemed to be a kind of magic in it, something that tugged at the reader’s mind—something most authors simply could not achieve.
If only I could get this book signed, Meng Xingchong thought. But he was still too inexperienced. Even if the author agreed to sign, the chance probably wouldn’t fall to him.
How could he get this book signed under his own name?
All at once, his body lit up—he’d thought of a way!
Net insects were a race that needed little sleep, especially fond of nighttime activity. Meng Xingchong knew that their department’s chief editor definitely wouldn’t be asleep yet.
As a young net insect fresh to the job, Meng Xingchong hadn’t yet learned the unspoken rules of society. Whatever came to mind, he did directly.
He shared the novel straight to his chief editor, “Bu Yingchong,” and typed:
[Chief, could you take a look at this book? Do you think it’s worth signing?]
He didn’t have to wait long before Bu Yingchong’s reply arrived.
[The story is fresh, and the author’s writing skills are quite practiced. This author has definitely written other novels before.]
One had to admit, the chief’s eye for talent was sharp.
[The only drawback is that there isn’t enough written yet. Once it hits the word count for contracts, we can sign her.]
Seeing this, Meng Xingchong immediately replied: [Chief, I think this novel is really high quality. Couldn’t we give it an A-level contract?]
[This author hasn’t signed with our site before. If we offer better benefits, there’s a good chance we could keep a top-tier author.]
After that message, Bu Yingchong fell silent for a moment.
Myriad Novel Website had four kinds of contracts: S-level, A-level, B-level, and C-level.
For new authors, the site usually signed C-level contracts—the revenue split was fifty-fifty. B-level contracts were given to mid-tier “small-god” authors with some success, where authors took seventy percent and the site thirty. A-level contracts were reserved for the true “great-god” authors, offering an eighty-twenty split in favor of the author, plus guaranteed base pay and benefits.
As for the legendary S-level contracts, almost no one ever qualified. Only authors whose works generated extraordinary profits for the site could obtain one.
For Meng Xingchong to open his mouth and immediately suggest an A-level contract showed just how highly he valued Song Wenlan.
