Chapter 111: The Great Hero

Two days later, Li Yan brought a reporter from the He Fei Evening News to Gangji Town to interview Zhang Tan. Zhang Tan had originally thought they would go to He Fei City to sit down for tea or something, but unexpectedly, they came straight to Gangji Town.

“Reporter Liu wants to get a sense of your living environment, so we came directly here,” Li Yan explained to Zhang Tan.

Zhang Tan nodded. “I understand.”

Reporter Liu was a bespectacled, scholarly young man, probably just recently promoted to a full-time reporter. After all, Zhang Tan was merely a wuxia novelist, with little news value; the interview was naturally low-profile. The fact that they hadn’t even sent an intern but came themselves was quite respectful.

At this time, some family members were at work, others in the fields, so Reporter Liu’s arrival did not disturb anyone at home. Zhang Tan was the only one at home; his parents had gone to Dayang Town and seldom returned. His sister, Zhang Yan, was substituting at a tutoring class, which she and some classmates had started.

These high school classmates, all admitted to university, had jointly opened a summer tutoring class. Since the instructors were college students, parents trusted them and sent many middle and high school students there. Occasionally, Zhang Tan would also attend to catch up on math.

“Is it just you at home?” Li Yan asked as she busied herself pouring water for Reporter Liu, fetching a bottle of boiled water from the kitchen, and taking Zhang Tan aside to give some instructions on how to conduct the interview.

After all, she was the assistant and needed to manage all the details for her boss.

“Yes.”

“Talk more about the contents of ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes.’ For the off-the-record parts, be careful not to say too much, especially avoid negative comments. Focus on positive things that help build your public image. If you’re unsure about something, think it over—don’t rush to answer.”

Zhang Tan naturally understood what she meant. Being in his thirties, he knew well what to say and what to withhold. “Okay, I got it.”

After preparing tea for the reporter, they wasted no time and started the interview.

Reporter Liu was well-prepared, pulling an interview script from his folder. Glancing at it, he said, “Wuxia novels written by writers from Hong Kong and Taiwan are very popular in Mainland 6. On television, wuxia works are frequently adapted. Yet, in Mainland 6, wuxia writers are still rare, and among them, you stand out.”

Faced with such a formal and serious interview, Zhang Tan put aside his usual flamboyance and answered earnestly: “I’m somewhat of a pioneer. I started writing wuxia relatively early here in Mainland 6. There wasn’t much of a foundation for wuxia before, so there was nowhere to showcase such works.”

“You’ve written two novels so far, *The Four Great Constables Shake the East*, and *The Four Great Constables Meet in the Capital*. Both have been published and received well in the market.”

“Yes, two novels, over five hundred thousand words, and the publication results are decent.”

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re only sixteen this year?”

“Sixteen years old.”

“A sixteen-year-old author is quite rare. Can you share where your writing talent comes from? Is it innate, or influenced by your environment?”

It related to reincarnation, but that couldn’t be said.

Zhang Tan pondered before replying, “It’s probably both. I was exposed to wuxia novels from a very young age and loved watching wuxia dramas. I had a kind of dream about the jianghu—the martial world. At the same time, I was interested in language and literature, enjoyed writing, and liked imagining ideal worlds. The combination of these interests pushed me to dedicate myself to this field.”

“Some say you are a symbol of Mainland 6’s wuxia genre, and your novels have a distinctive style. On the path of writing wuxia, who has influenced you the most?”

“I read widely. Many wuxia works have influenced me in one way or another,” Zhang Tan answered. The greatest influence, of course, was Jin, Gu, Huang, Liang, and Wen, but he couldn’t say that outright.

“How do you balance school and writing? There was a writer named Han Jingming who also started writing in high school but dropped out later. Will you do the same—quit school to focus on writing—or continue your studies? Do you think school is important to you?”

Continuing school held little meaning for Zhang Tan since he had already experienced that life path in his previous life.

However, he understood that he was an exception. If he admitted openly that school was unimportant, it would set a bad example and might encourage many students to give up their studies. Besides, Zhang Tan himself did not support the idea that education is useless and definitely did not want to mislead others.

So, he gave the standard, prepared answer: “Of course, I will continue studying. A jade must be chiseled to become a gem. People must learn to understand. Although I have achieved a bit in writing, the more successful I become, the more I realize my own lack of knowledge. As teachers often say, a person’s knowledge is like a circle: inside is what you know, outside is what you don’t. The bigger the circle, the more you know, but also the more you realize you don’t know. So you should study even harder.”

“But doesn’t writing interfere with your studies?”

“By managing my time well, it doesn’t really conflict.”

“...What’s your next book?”

*The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. It tells the story of a boy growing into a great hero. Along the way, ancient history is reimagined and woven into the wuxia concept. Overall, the story goes beyond traditional jianghu grudges and rises to the level of national affairs. The greatest of heroes acts for the country and the people.”

The rest of the interview focused entirely on *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. Zhang Tan elaborated passionately on his understanding of the jianghu, wuxia, and the values he believed the martial world represented.

“When people think of a ‘hero,’ they usually picture someone wielding a sword to fight oppression, helping the weak, and doing good deeds anonymously. This reflects the hopes of the powerless, who long for strength to protect themselves and their values.”

Pausing, Zhang Tan continued, “But as the saying goes, Confucianism disturbs the law with words, and heroes break the law with force. The existence of heroes is the weak breaking free from weakness—wielding swords in the martial world, enjoying the thrill of justice and revenge. It’s exhilarating! But this is a very superficial level. Society is complex, and a hero’s actions can’t fundamentally solve problems. If you kill one villain, another will soon appear.”

“Because you haven’t fully embraced the spirit of heroism. You’re a minor hero, acting for friends or neighbors only. That’s why I write wuxia, hoping to portray heroes who truly serve the nation and the people. The *Four Great Constables* series represents a more realistic jianghu system, though it’s not explicit. Many parts are somewhat rough to create conflict.”

“This new book, *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, I want to start from the basics—depicting how a boy gradually finds his place as a hero, how he resolutely devotes himself to serving his country, truly becoming a hero for the people...”

By the end of his long speech, Zhang Tan was genuinely excited, his blood boiling with passion. The highest art of bluffing is to believe your own words, regardless of whether others do.

Of course, these were truly his heartfelt thoughts: a genuine hero should serve the nation, uphold justice, and be loyal. Among the great wuxia masters, only Jin Yong truly brought the hero to life with such vividness and depth.