Chapter 303: Stockpile Hundreds of IPs to Retire

Originally, Wei Ming didn't place much importance on "Qin Shi Ming Yue"; he merely wanted to keep Cheng Long occupied while reusing his pre-Qin knowledge gained from writing "Qin Yong Qing," and to preserve a spark of commercial comics in mainland China.

At the time, mainland China had no soil for commercial comics—only lianhuanhua, and even those wouldn't last many more years; despite their current boom with annual sales exceeding 400 million copies and projected doubling in two years, they'd soon be swept away by policy shifts.

It wouldn't be until the 1990s—specifically 1993, with the launch of "Hua Shu Da Wang"—that mainland commercial comics finally took root.

Though this magazine lasted only a year, it achieved a peak single-issue circulation of 400, 00 copies; early pillars of Chinese comics like Yan Kai, Chen Xiang, Yao Feila, Ziyou Niao, and Hu Qianrong all began here, and alongside pirated Japanese manga, they cultivated the nation's first generation of anime fans.

But the opening of the market in the 1990s couldn't wait until then; Wei Ming believed it was essential to prepare a decade in advance, or else when the market opened, domestic comics would lack the capacity and quality to compete, leaving them crushed by Japanese manga.

Since there was no market on the mainland, publish in Hong Kong instead; the market might be smaller, but it was enough for stealthy growth, and Southeast Asia offered additional potential—perhaps one day even a counterattack on Japan.

But Huang Yulang wasn't cooperating, so Wei Ming began considering how to break the deadlock—and whether he could replace him.

Having lived two lifetimes and being a film professional, Wei Ming understood better than anyone the importance of IP; novels were an IP source, and comics were equally an upstream industry for IP.

Japan's "Weekly Shonen Jump," built on decades of accumulated anime copyrights, could command a valuation of thirty billion U. . dollars.

Even when Marvel was on the brink of collapse, its roster of comic characters allowed it to return to its peak and dominate global cinema.

China's "Qidian Chinese Website" maintained its industry leadership by monopolizing the entire male-audience IP pipeline and sustaining relentless creative output.

Similarly, downstream development of IP could benefit its source: a hit film or drama boosting novel subscriptions was exactly this dynamic.

Even if Wei Ming wrote novels at top speed, even if he worked as if he were three men, how many stories could he possibly write in a lifetime—and how many of those stories would sustain him for life?

His most confident works were the "Black Cat Detective" series and "The Lion King," but he wasn't even certain they'd still be profitable forty years from now.

But what if he had many, many such works?

Take "Qin Shi Ming Yue": aside from the initial time spent on world-building, once the opening groundwork was done, a day's worth of his written plot could supply Cheng Long and his team with material for one or two months of drawing.

He handled only character design, main plot, and narrative direction; Cheng Long filled in the story details, and Cheng Long's team managed the comic specifics—this collaboration model allowed him to engage in far more IP development, effectively turning one man into a hundred.

Thinking of this, Wei Ming's heart stirred with fervor—it seemed he absolutely had to get involved in Hong Kong's comic industry!

If done right, even if he missed the big trends or lost all his wealth, as long as he held these IP sources, he could retire in peace.

They would become films, animations, TV dramas, games, theme parks—feeding their father!

Thinking of this, Wei Ming could no longer contain himself; he grabbed a blank notebook and began writing, his pen flying, unable to stop.

This had to be done quickly—not only because his time in Hong Kong was limited, but because of Huang Yulang.

Huang Yulang wasn't without vision; he surely understood the value of "Qin Shi Ming Yue," yet he offered such harsh terms—either he looked down on Cheng Long as a newcomer, or he disdained his mainland origins, believing he held the upper hand.

Moreover, Huang Yulang had already seen the first two chapters; with his ability, he might soon produce a "borrowed" version—so Wei Ming had to act fast.

"Ah Ming, when are we leaving?" Cheng Long asked.

"Big Brother Wei, where are we going?" Biaozi asked.

"Teacher Wei, what are we eating today?" Wu Jing asked.

Because he'd slept late last night, Wei Ming woke up late today; he glanced at the luminous watch Meilinda had given him—damn!

"Let's talk about that this afternoon—I've got something else to do."

Since he hadn't informed Amin ahead of time, Wei Ming planned to spend the morning with her and deal with "Qin Shi Ming Yue" in the afternoon.

"Ah Ming, wait a moment."

As Wei Ming descended the stairs, he met Mr. Fu Qi—he was the husband of Shi Hui, one of the Three Princesses of Changcheng, father of Fu Mingxian who severed Gu Tianle's arm, and a director at Changcheng Film Company who had co-directed "Cloud Sea Jade Bow Connection" with Zhang Xinyan.

Fu Qi was also one of the founders of Zhongyuan Film Company, behind Zhang Xinyan's current production of "Shaolin Temple."

Since he was staying on their turf, Wei Ming had to pause, no matter how urgent he felt.

"Mr. Fu, what's the matter?"

Fu Qi smiled: "I just got good news—I'm here to congratulate you."

The good news was the box office performance of "Heroes Born in Youth"; early statistics showed total earnings had surpassed five million Hong Kong dollars, placing it third for the year, just overtaking Shaw Brothers' "The Thousand Kings vs. The Thousand Tyrants."

"The Thousand Kings vs. The Thousand Tyrants" was Wang Jing's directorial debut, starring Xie Xian, who had just become a father last year.

Fu Qi predicted: "At this rate, ten million in box office is almost certain—and Beiyingchang has already started making prints for release."

"That's great—though Yuan Xiangren might be feeling pretty bad."

"Why's that?"

"Because he's the action choreographer; with the film's success, he can't tell anyone it was his work."

Fu Qi burst into laughter; Wei Ming checked his watch: "Mr. Fu, I'll be going now—I have another appointment."

"Oh, by all means."

Watching Wei Ming leave, Fu Qi couldn't help but picture his own company's "Shaolin Temple"—hopefully it wouldn't let down everyone's hard work.

When Wei Ming arrived at the meeting spot, Amin had already been waiting; she'd changed her look—women dress to please the ones they love—and she was increasingly willing to spend time on her appearance.

"Sorry, you must have waited a long time."

"No, no," Amin looked at him with concern, noticing his dark under-eye circles. "I know you're trying to write me the perfect song, but don't stay up all night."

Wei Ming chuckled vaguely: "I haven't had breakfast yet—let's eat together."

"Mm, eat on the way."

"Where are you taking me today?"

Amin: "Let's stroll around Wan Chai."

She'd spent most of her fourteen years on Hong Kong Island, so she was more familiar with Central & Western, Wan Chai, Eastern, and Southern Districts; Kowloon and the New Territories were less so.

While eating wonton noodles at a street stall, Wei Ming told Amin: "I've got some work to handle this afternoon—I think your sick leave can end."

"Ah?" Amin felt miserable—so miserable she truly wanted to take sick leave; she'd planned to spend every last day with Ah Ming, and this was only a day and a half.

"What are you busy with? Maybe I can help," Amin clung to him—old saying: a stubborn man can't resist a persistent woman.

Wei Ming: "I need to find some printing and publishing houses, and a comic company."

Amin: "Printing? I know—come with me."

After breakfast, Zhou Huimin took Wei Ming down a street with old-fashioned charm, all festive red.

It was Lido Street, squeezed between Johnston Road and Queen's Road East.

Amin explained: "This is Hong Kong's most famous printing street—whether for books, magazines, flyers, business cards, or red envelopes, you come here."

"Though it seems more people print wedding invitations," Wei Ming said, eyeing the festive colors.

Amin's eyes sparkled: "Yes, more and more people print wedding invitations here—so some even call it Wedding Invitation Street."

Hearing "Wedding Invitation Street," Wei Ming nearly hummed aloud.

"Back then, gold foil on wedding invitations, the framed wedding photo on the wall, all those beautiful old years—tomorrow they'll all be torn down…"

Huang Weiwén, a graduate of Chinese University of Hong Kong, was as renowned in lyric writing as Lin Xi from Hong Kong University; his song "Wedding Invitation Street" for Tanya Chua was one of the most beautiful colors in the final era of Cantonese pop—but he was even more famous for writing "Fuk Wa" for Eason Chan.

But that song was about the demolition and redevelopment of Wedding Invitation Street, utterly out of sync with the thriving street before them; legend had it that the British colonial government, to monitor publications, concentrated all publishing in this tiny Lido Street.

Even now, as publishing had spread everywhere, this remained the densest and most vibrant hub; as they passed a shop, Amin blushed—inside were printed pornographic books, with naked women displayed openly as advertisements.

With Amin beside him, Wei Ming kept his eyes straight ahead—he'd criticize it another time.

He mainly inquired about comic printing prices—color comics and black-and-white comics differed, newspaper comics and magazine comics differed too; price matched service.

Wei Ming focused on his business; Amin paid more attention to the dazzling variety of wedding invitations.

Thinking she might use these invitations in two years, her cheeks flushed involuntarily; she glanced at the invitations, then at Ah Ming earnestly negotiating prices, and secretly bought two behind his back.

"Ah Ming, are you making comics?" Zhou Huimin asked as they left Wedding Invitation Street.

"Mm, I'm considering it."

"So you'll come to Hong Kong often? Even settle here?" Amin asked hopefully.

"I'll definitely come often, but I won't settle—Hong Kong's housing prices are too high; I can't afford it."

He could have afforded it once, but after supporting Old Ghost with some U. . dollars, he was stretched thin.

Amin sighed inwardly: "They really are expensive—we still live in a public housing estate."

Buying a home remained out of reach for Zhou Ma, still building her business.

"Will you finish everything before returning to the mainland?" she asked.

"I'm not returning to the mainland."

"Not returning? Then you…"

Wei Ming: "Before going back, I'm flying to the UK—I have some collaborations to discuss."

Amin: Are you sure it's just business?

She knew what was in the UK—his ex-girlfriend.

Wei Ming offered no explanation: "Now I really need to focus—I'll drop you off first. Home or school?"

"Going home would be disastrous if Mom finds out," Zhou Huimin glanced at her backpack. "I'll go back to school."

Amin got into Wei Ming's van; he told her: "When I leave Hong Kong, I'll hand this car over to Bin Shu—you can all use it."

"Don't forget to find me before you leave—you have to hand me the song yourself."

"I will."

Watching Wei Ming's car disappear, Amin pulled out the two wedding invitations from her bag, admired them for a long while, then carefully put them back.

Not long after, Wei Ming's van picked up Cheng Long, Biaozi, Wu Jing, and Xu Jinjiang.

Xu Jinjiang, being an artist himself, knew comics were drawing too; he brought them to the office of "Xi Bao."

Once, a surnamed Kuang family ran a general store; half the shop space was rented out for comic rentals. The eldest son, Kuang Zhuoxiong, inspired by the comics, often drew promotional posters to hang inside.

Later, a comic distributor noticed his drawings, thought them good, and recommended him to his father to become a comic apprentice.

This eldest son later adopted the pen name "Shangguan Xiao Long."

He not only drew comics himself but also brought his two younger brothers into the industry, who took the pen names "Shangguan Xiao Bao" and "Shangguan Xiao Wei."

"Xi Bao" was the brothers' venture.

In the 1970s, Bruce Lee sparked a kung fu craze; Shangguan Xiao Bao and Huang Yulang rose accordingly, creating the comics "Bruce Lee" and "Little Hoodlum," the latter eventually renamed "Dragon Tiger Gate."

These two comics were the most popular Hong Kong comics of the 1970s, but Huang Yulang had better business acumen; his Yulang International and its comic empire far surpassed "Xi Bao" in popularity.

Now Huang Yulang has extended an olive branch to the Kuang brothers, hoping they will join Yulang International and continue using their talents within Yulang International's comic empire, with their works still belonging to them—only on a larger platform.

To be honest, Shangguan Xiaobao was somewhat tempted; he felt that after years of hard work with his brother, their earnings still fell short of what Huang Yulang was offering.

As he was thinking, his younger brother Shangguan Xiaowei entered: "Second brother, someone's here to visit."

"Who is it?"

"The visitor claims to be Wei Kuangren."

"Wei Kuangren?" Shangguan Xiaobao was surprised. "We just watched his movie a couple of days ago—how did he find us so quickly? Could he have found out we're planning a Biao Wang comic?"

Shangguan Xiaowei said: "Biao Wang came too—he's just as imposing as in the movie."

Shangguan Xiaobao: "Let's go out and see."

At this moment, Wei Ming's group was being hosted by Shangguan Xiaowei's disciple, Ma Rongcheng.

Ma Rongcheng, of the same age as Wei Ming, was refined and handsome; he dropped out of school at Zhou Hui's age and entered the comic industry, apprenticing under Shangguan Xiaowei and serving as assistant to Shangguan Xiaobao. Now he only drew freelance sketches, mostly imitating famous comic artists.

Who could have guessed this young man would one day become as renowned as Huang Yulang, with his works even slightly more popular on the mainland?

Even if you haven't read Chinese Hero, surely you've seen Feng Yun!

For a comic artist, landing just one signature work is already extraordinary—but Ma Rongcheng had two major hit IPs.

But sorry, Wei Ming looked at him—now he's mine, but I can let you be the lead artist.

Besides Ma Rongcheng, the Kuang brothers' Xi Bao was brimming with talent: Niu Lao, who drew Gu Chao Zi, was Shangguan Xiaobao's disciple and only twenty years old.

Feng Zhiming, who would later draw Dao Jian Xiao, was only fourteen and just starting out; Xu Jinjiang, standing beside Wei Ming, had even acted in the film adaptation of that comic.

Also among them were Huang Guoxing, skilled in humorous comics; Li Zhiqing, adept at ink wash and fine brushwork; and Zhao Rude, Xie Zhirong, Huang Weizhao, and others who would later expand Yulang International's territory—all now worked for Xi Bao.

These young men, mostly in their teens or early twenties, came from modest or even poor families; the two masters paid them meager wages but taught them how to draw comics, giving them a means to earn a living.

So when Shangguan Xiaobao and Shangguan Xiaowei later left Huang Yulang to strike out on their own, many of their disciples willingly followed their masters again.

In terms of mentoring disciples, Xiaobao and Xiaowei had a far higher success rate than Huang Yulang.

Wei Ming watched these young men who would one day hold up half of Hong Kong's comic industry, his mind racing—then he saw a refined man with glasses step out.

"Honored guests have arrived—forgive us for not greeting you sooner. My apologies!"

Shangguan Xiaobao immediately locked eyes on Wei Ming: "Are you Wei Kuangren?"

"Yes, Mr. Xiaobao, nice to meet you." Wei Ming shook his hand.

Though Shangguan Xiaobao had been in the comic industry for over twenty years, he was only thirty-six.

The Shangguan brothers invited the four into their office; once the disciples were out of sight, they asked about their purpose.

Wei Ming asked: "I heard Huang Yulang is planning to invite you both to join Yulang International?"

Shangguan Xiaobao admitted: "That's true—seems rumors are spreading fast."

Wei Ming said: "If you join Yulang International, would you be interested in selling Xi Bao to me?"

(End of Chapter)