Without continuing the discussion with Liangcha, Huang Yifan quickly registered a new account on the Supernatural Forum.
Under the alias "The Real Fanchen," he created a brand new post.
[Hello everyone, I'm Fanchen, the author of 'Strange Tales'.
Lately, there's been a flood of commentary about me and my work here on the forum.
After reading some of it, I could only shake my head and sigh. I've always lived by the rule: if others don't mess with me, I won't mess with them. But if they do, then bring it on.
I won't waste time explaining myself. I won't say much at all. All I'll say is: to those mocking me, to those hyping me up to tear me down, I accept it all.
Zhang Yun? So what.
His 'Curse of the Vengeful Ghost'? So what.
Even when it comes to all current supernatural works in the literary world, what is there to fear?
I know the moment I say this, many of you will call me arrogant, some will say I don't know my place, and others will just watch and wait for me to make a fool of myself.
But I don't care.
In the end, whoever has the last laugh is the real winner.
'Strange Tales', and my name, Fanchen, will surpass every other author on this forum and stand at the very peak of Huaguo's literary scene.
Also, I've just written a new supernatural story.
Feel free to read and critique it:
''Song Dingbo Captures a Ghost''
In Nanyang, there was a young man named Song Dingbo.
One night, while walking alone, he encountered a ghost.
He asked, "Who's there?"
The ghost replied, "I'm a ghost."
Then the ghost asked, "And who are you?"
Song Dingbo lied and said, "I'm a ghost too."
"Where are you headed?" asked the ghost.
Song Dingbo replied, "To the city of Wan."
The ghost said, "I'm going there too."]
Huang Yifan finished the post in just over an hour.
"Liangcha, I've registered a new ID on the forum. This is the post I just wrote, take a look, what do you think?"
He sent the link via TT. Just a few minutes later, Liangcha's messages exploded.
"My god, Fanchen, what are you doing?"
"Are you insane?"
"It wasn't enough to provoke Zhang Yun; now you've insulted every supernatural author?"
"This is a total meltdown… I can't believe I was the one who gave you this intel."
But Huang Yifan was unfazed by Liangcha's meltdown.
In truth, Huang Yifan had never been the type to take abuse without striking back. During the Feilong incident, he didn't respond because he was weak, but because he felt there was no need; trying to reason with blind haters was pointless.
But this time, things were different.
This wasn't just about online fiction; it involved print literature. Online readers cared about skill; no matter how many haters there were, someone would still read if the work was good. But in the traditional publishing world, reputation and personal character mattered a lot.
And Liangcha's proposed PR response? In Huang Yifan's view, it would solve nothing.
So if someone wanted to use "praise to kill" him, Huang Yifan would do the opposite: use 'pure power' to hoist himself to the highest peak, so high, no one could pull him down.
That was why he had prepared his follow-up: 'Song Dingbo Captures a Ghost'.
It was a witty, thought-provoking tale.
In his past life, this story had even made it into school textbooks, a testament to its literary value.
Of course, the story wasn't actually from 'Strange Tales' but from 'In Search of the Supernatural'. Still, given the stylistic overlap between the two works, Huang Yifan had no qualms about placing it under the 'Strange Tales' banner.
Now he wanted to see who would dare challenge him after reading 'Song Dingbo Captures a Ghost'?
And just as he'd expected,
Within moments of his highly provocative post, the entire Supernatural Forum went nuclear.
"Holy crap, he really went there. Just wait to get roasted, dude."
"Haha! This guy's gone completely off the rails."
"Nope, he's just plain brain-dead."
"Haven't seen a clown this funny in a while. Honey, come read this."
"Who is this guy? Dissing Zhang Yun is one thing, but he went after every supernatural author?"
"He's done for. I used to think 'Strange Tales' was alright, but now it's obvious, this guy's drunk on fame."
In just over ten minutes, angry replies flooded in, over a thousand comments and counting.
But after they vented and laughed… some finally noticed the story at the bottom of the post.
And then,
They went quiet.
At first, everyone was so distracted by the hate-bait post, they hadn't even seen the attached story. But once they scrolled back and actually read 'Song Dingbo Captures a Ghost', they froze.
A man meets a ghost, a terrifying premise on its own.
But the protagonist? Calm and composed. He doesn't panic; he tricks the ghost and captures it with cunning and bravery.
A simple story, but behind its simplicity lies a profound truth.
It was the kind of tale that even children would love, and more than that, it taught something.
Kids who hear this might stop being afraid of ghosts. That's one layer.
But as they grew older, they'd understand the real meaning: that "ghosts" are just metaphors for ugly forces, for hardship and fear.
If you cower, even a harmless threat will defeat you.
But if you face challenges with calm, with wit and courage, those problems may dissolve, or even reward you.
Just from this one story, the forum's users were floored.
Especially the other supernatural authors.
They knew what a story like this represented.
Many were left thinking: this should be in a textbook.
A story that could last a hundred years.
And suddenly, they remembered those earlier claims, that 'Strange Tales' could be remembered for a century.
They hadn't paid attention to what 'Strange Tales' contained.
But this one story, 'Song Dingbo Captures a Ghost', might just be enough to last a century.
Some authors now regretted attacking before finishing the post.
Others were deeply embarrassed.
Forget other works, just this single story crushed theirs tenfold. No, more than tenfold.
Even Zhang Yun couldn't compare.
Did this not prove that Fanchen's 'Strange Tales' really was the best supernatural fiction of the era?
And so the drama took another twist.
One minute, they cursed him; the next, they fell silent in awe.
Some were still unwilling to admit it.
But deep down, they knew they could never write something this powerful.
A storm of emotions swept through the forum.
They wanted to say something, but when they picked up the pen…
They couldn't find the words.
In the end, they tossed the pen aside.
'Screw it. I can't beat him. I'm done meddling in this.'
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Glossary
Song Dingbo Captures a Ghost (宋定伯捉鬼) is a short supernatural tale from the classical Chinese collection In Search of the Supernatural (搜神记), compiled by Gan Bao (干宝) in the 4th century. The story portrays a young man who uses calm reasoning and clever deception to outwit and capture a ghost. Though brief, it conveys a lasting message about overcoming fear through intelligence and courage.
In Search of the Supernatural (搜神记), written by Gan Bao (干宝) during the Jin dynasty, is a foundational work of Chinese supernatural literature. It gathers myths, legends, and folk tales involving spirits, gods, and strange phenomena, preserving early Chinese beliefs and exerting a profound influence on later supernatural and fantasy writing.
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