Chapter 599: The Kept Li Luo

There's a popular saying in the online novel circle.

Ten thousand subscriptions show skill; viral success shows fortune.

Something like that.

Of course it's not entirely true, but there's some truth to it.

A relatively high-quality novel often needs the alignment of timing and circumstance to truly go viral and break out of its niche.

Li Luo's "Night Watch of Great Qian" had poor timing, yet also decent timing.

It was poor because it directly clashed with the peak popularity of "Holy Domain," before the Red-Haired Old Monster had grown weak.

Built on the success of "Veil of Heaven" and "Perfect World," "Holy Domain," as the third installment, surged past all limits and dominated the Qidian rankings for nearly a year.

By April 2017, when Li Luo published his book, "Holy Domain" had only just passed its halfway point.

But if you call it good, it was still fairly decent.

At this time, "One Thought Eternal" was still being serialized, but its momentum was already fading.

Also on the list were "Battle Fever," "Douluo Continent 3," "Heavenly Library," and "Cultivation Chat Group."

Works like "Food Supplier," "Rebirth of a City Cultivator," and "Let That Witch Go" were also from this period.

"Horror Game," serialized for years, could still occasionally climb the charts thanks to sporadic updates by its author.

"My 1979" in the urban genre and "Taking a Warehouse to Ming Dynasty" in the historical genre were already distant memories.

Li Luo only recalled them briefly before realizing these were all 2017 works.

At this time, Eagle was still writing "Rebirth of a Fortune," yet had not yet revealed his true strength.

Wumu was writing his "Dog Food Master," and readers considered it his absolute low point, far below expectations.

Zhoudzi's "Your Majesty, Spare My Life" was still months away from release.

Ma Ni's "Choosing Heaven" was nearing its conclusion.

Maibao had not yet begun writing his "Sister's Book."

Zhai Zhu's "The Shepherd's Record" was still lying in his draft folder.

One could say this period was the transition phase where Qidian's new gods gradually replaced the old.

Hmm… I forgot one great master.

Li Luo glanced at Xu Youyu, still flushed and lying in his arms, and muttered silently to himself.

Our future "Early Sleep God" was still serializing her "Gu Dao Changqing."

It was because in 2016, "Food Supplier," "Let That Witch Go," and "Rebirth of a City Cultivator" had competed too fiercely for Newcomer King.

In response, Qidian changed its annual Newcomer King strategy and introduced the new concept of the Twelve Heavenly Kings.

According to Li Luo's estimation, when the Heavenly Kings were selected mid-year, Xu Youyu would surely be among them.

Once her success further matured, she might even compete for the Great Master title by year's end.

As for his own book…

After discussing timing, naturally came circumstance.

It was the chapter commentary feature, which Li Luo had long awaited.

One could say that "Your Majesty, Spare My Life," in its previous incarnation, became Qidian's first novel to surpass 100,000 average subscriptions precisely because of this feature's launch.

Or rather, Qidian's later shift toward light-hearted, humorous genres was also significantly tied to the emergence of chapter commentary.

Behind this, too, lay intricate connections to the evolution of the times.

Li Luo didn't care about all that—he just knew that if an opportunity existed, he might as well try it.

Currently, the chapter commentary feature was only available to a limited number of new books.

Although a few veteran great masters had also joined the chapter commentary test, none truly understood the opportunity within.

Only Li Luo truly grasped its key.

"By the way."

Xu Youyu, having recovered in Li Luo's arms, crumpled the tissue in her hand and tossed it into the trash bin beside her.

"This chapter commentary looks interesting, but is it really as powerful as you claimed?"

"We'll see how it goes," Li Luo admitted—he wasn't entirely certain himself.

Although he held a first-mover advantage, there were risks.

For example, most readers had just encountered chapter commentary and might not immediately adapt to it.

But Li Luo could personally step in and guide them.

Hearing Xu Youyu's question, Li Luo pulled out his phone, opened Chapter One of "Night Watch of Great Qian," and posted a chapter commentary directly on the chapter title.

【Chongran】: I began reading this book on April 15, 2017—here to sign in! I'll come back to trample it after completion~

Then he went to the end of Chapter Three's final sentence and posted another chapter commentary.

【Chongran】: Is this all? Not enough! Where's your backlog? Publish it faster!

Chongran's name was already famous; after his new book launched, readers spread the word, and donations never stopped.

Many well-known author elites, upon hearing Chongran had started a new book, came to show support, with alliance-level donations raining down like free money.

Two platinum-level great masters Li Luo had invited to the annual banquet had even donated silver alliance rewards.

Thus, this new book of only eight thousand words suddenly flashed two banners across the app's homepage, exposing itself to every reader on the platform.

As soon as Li Luo posted his two chapter commentaries, countless replies flooded in.

【666, is it even allowed for the author to sign in himself?】

【Then I'll sign in too!】

【Signing in! Signing in!】

【Tell us—will you ever write your old book again?】

【Catch him!】

Another chapter's comment section below also quickly grew lively.

【Just about to agree, then I checked the username—wow, am I rushing myself for updates?】

【How can you even say that?】

【Oh? So you've got drafts stored up? Hurry up and serve them!】

【You damn it, didn't your old novel have drafts too? I saw you update at the same time every day—no wonder there's something fishy!】

Xu Youyu watched Li Luo's antics and was utterly astonished: "You can actually do this?"

Without delay, she opened her phone, logged into her author account, and posted a comment directly under Li Luo's chapter.

Within minutes, other readers caught her red-handed.

【You're here too? Go update now! Don't read!】

【You! Yes, you! Don't run away! All of you, into the black room!】

Though readers had never encountered chapter comments before, they were no strangers to internet platforms and quickly mastered the basic mechanics, treating it like a familiar danmu effect.

Added to this, Li Luo had subtly dropped hints and jokes throughout the first three chapters, easily drawing in a flood of comments.

"I think I'm starting to get it—no wonder you picked this power," Xu Youyu said after playing with chapter comments for a while, gradually understanding.

"How so?" Li Luo smiled, raising an eyebrow in reply.

"I originally thought your system—converting grievance into righteous qi—was just an ordinary cultivation power," Xu Youyu mused. "But now I see it fits chapter comments perfectly."

"The investigation plots didn't make it obvious, but around the middle of Chapter Three, during the family's daily interactions, the design began to show."

"You designed the younger brother as earnest and simple-minded, younger in age; the younger sister, slightly older, mischievous and clever behind closed doors, yet pretending to be well-behaved and sensible in front of their parents."

"So in small daily matters, the sister always blamed the brother—for stealing sweets, catching insects—everything fell on him, generating a faint sense of grievance in him."

"The protagonist, as a third party, steps in with humorous, casual interactions, absorbing the brother's grievance and converting it into righteous qi."

"The two kids' personalities are solid, their daily exchanges are light and fun, they pulled in chapter comments, and deepened reader engagement."

"The protagonist isn't idle—he handles household matters while advancing his cultivation, so readers don't grow impatient with the mundane, smoothly transitioning the pacing."

Over the past two or three years of writing, Xu Youyu had steadily improved.

Especially since she frequently discussed online novels with Li Luo, she was far more sensitive than most and quickly analyzed the strengths.

The more she spoke, the faster she talked, the brighter her eyes grew, increasingly awed by Li Luo's meticulous design and clever thought.

Whenever a person does something and is suspected by others, they inevitably generate some grievance.

Some matters involve life and death—then the grievance is so vast it can cover half the sky.

Others are trivial daily affairs—then the grievance is like a wisp of smoke; even if the protagonist ignores it, after a few days, when the parties involved no longer care, it fades on its own.

This design, placed within the main plot, can drive the protagonist's entry into the Night Watch of Great Qian and lay groundwork for future complex cases.

At the same time, it aids in crafting vivid, interesting characters through daily details.

"What about the fiancée design?" Xu Youyu asked. "I remember you said before that the main plot is killing the Emperor, the power has clever uses, and the romance thread is built around the fiancée."

"Mm." Li Luo nodded. "Look at The Selection of Heaven's Record and you'll see."

"The protagonist and his fiancée have never met—they were betrothed by their elders."

"But secretly, both have encountered each other under hidden identities, unaware of each other's true selves."

"So when they gradually develop feelings for each other, they naturally resist the official engagement."

"If you were the protagonist or the heroine, what would you do?"

Xu Youyu blinked, answering without hesitation: "Of course, I'd break off the engagement."

"But to break it off, you'd have to meet face-to-face, right?" Li Luo smiled. "What do you think that scene would be like?"

"It would…" Xu Youyu's lips twitched. "Kind of socially dead."

"It's just a very old trick of information asymmetry—turned into a xianxia version of netizens meeting IRL," Li Luo reminded. "You could use this same method in a modern setting and make it just as interesting."

"For example?" Xu Youyu, knowing Li Luo had endless ideas, pressed.

"For example, the protagonist is an online novel author, and the heroine is the illustrator who draws risqué illustrations for his novels," Li Luo said instantly. "But actually, the protagonist is her junior at the same university—and she's his sophomore class assistant. Doesn't that instantly create tension?"

"That does sound interesting," Xu Youyu murmured, stroking her chin in thought, then sighed. "You always tease like this—writing nothing, yet making me desperate. I just want to lock you up and starve you until you write."

"Sister Youyu wouldn't be so cruel."

"Hmph, how will you know unless you try?" Xu Youyu raised an eyebrow, flipped over, and straddled Li Luo, looking ready to pin him down.

At that moment, someone knocked on the bedroom door.

Ying Chanxi's voice came from the hallway.

"Li Luo, Senior, I washed some fruit—can I come in?"

After two or three seconds, Ying Chanxi pushed open the bedroom door, carrying a tray of fruit, and placed it beside the desk.

Xu Youyu was already seated cross-legged on the bed.

Li Luo sat upright at the desk, reaching out to pluck a grape and pop it into his mouth.

"How's the new book going?"

Ying Chanxi rested her right hand on the back of the chair, not leaving immediately, and asked Li Luo.

"Fine," Li Luo replied, then pulled out his phone and checked—again, a Silver Alliance notification had scrolled across the top.

The book title was still: Night Watch of Great Qian.

"Huh?" Li Luo paused, tapped into the Silver Alliance page, and checked who had tipped.

If it were another author's gift, it was just social obligation—like a red envelope—you'd have to return it when they launched their next book, and record it.

But when he saw the name displayed: 【Shengsheng Bu Xi】, Li Luo helplessly rubbed his forehead.

This girl really spends money recklessly.

Even if Aunt Yuan gives you more pocket money than you can spend, you still shouldn't be this wasteful.

"What's this?" Ying Chanxi saw him staring at his phone screen in silence, so she leaned over to take a look. "This is a Silver Alliance, right? Who tipped you? Hmm..."

After seeing the tipper's nickname, Ying Chanxi fell silent.

After sampling some fruit in Xu Youyu's room, Li Luo rose to take his leave and returned to his own bedroom.

During the afternoon's free time, he continued writing, accumulating more drafts.

Just before evening, he received another Silver Alliance tip from 【Xixi Bu Xixi】 and 【EarlySleepPresidentGao】.

On the very first day of publishing, he had received five Silver Alliances and dozens of other Alliance tips.

Even before 【Night Watch of Great Qian】 was put up for paid access, it had surged to the top of the bestseller list, pushing 【Holy Dust】 down one spot and taking its number-one position.

As for Li Luo's 【I Am Really Not a Star】, it still hovered around tenth place, naturally overshadowed by the new book.

Even though it had been only one day, the traffic had reached its peak.

In just half a day since launch, the book's collection count had shot past one hundred thousand and landed at number one on the new book ranking.

Although some of the collection boost came from Silver Alliance water collections, it still clearly showed how fierce the momentum of this new book was.

【Qianzhou】: First-day reading surged past ten thousand, but this was due to several external factors; it may drop later.

【Qianzhou】: Whether it holds steady from now on depends entirely on your future content.

With Chongran, a top-tier platinum author, serializing two new books simultaneously, the new chapter comments feature going live, and five Silver Alliances bombarding the system, this result was perfectly normal.

Li Luo felt no surprise or delight—just maintained a calm mind—and the next day accompanied Ying Chanxi to the driving school for her road test.

That evening, back at school for night self-study, he was frantically pressured for updates by Zhu Yufei and a few loyal fans.

"We're official readers now, hey!" Zhu Yufei chuckled. "We're reading on the Qidian official app!"

Hearing this, Li Luo rolled his eyes.

Who's the one who switches to pirated copies the moment it goes paid?

How can you even say that with a straight face?

Look at our desk-mate and the guy in front—those are the real official patrons.

(End of Chapter)