Chapter 119: Preface

“Boss, I’m here to return ‘The Four Great Constables Meet in the Capital.’ I’ve had it for two days, right? Here’s an extra coin to make up for it—I want to rent another book.” Tao Lao San pulled a steel coin from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

The shopkeeper picked up the coin and dropped it into the money box beneath the counter. Then he opened the ledger, found the rental record for ‘The Four Great Constables Meet in the Capital,’ and crossed it off. “Alright, go ahead and pick whichever one you want.”

As Tao Lao San browsed the shelves, he casually asked, “Boss, any new books lately?”

“Still into martial arts novels?”

“Yeah.”

“If it’s martial arts you want, Zhang Fei Fan wrote one called ‘The Wandering Swordsman of Ten Thousand Blades.’ It’s on the left-hand shelf.”

Tao Lao San shook his head. “Not interested in Zhang Fei Fan’s work—it’s all too contrived and fake. Can you recommend something with a style like ‘The Four Great Constables’?”

“The author of ‘The Four Great Constables,’ Tan Zhang, only wrote two books: ‘Shaking the East’ and ‘Meeting in the Capital,’” the boss replied. Then he seemed to remember something. “Oh, right—Tan Zhang has a new book called ‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero.’ It should be pretty good.”

“Really? Where is it?”

“Sorry, it’s a new series slated for eight volumes, but only two have been published so far, so it’s incomplete. I didn’t buy it. If you’re really interested, you can get it at the bookstore across the street.”

At the mention of buying books, Tao Lao San hesitated.

He was just an ordinary college student who rented books for leisure. Renting cost fifty cents per day, and since he usually finished a book in one or two days, he’d spend at most a yuan per book. Buying books, however, was at least ten or twenty yuan each, enough to rent books for over half a month. It just wasn’t economical.

But by now, he had read nearly all the martial arts novels in this rental shop. The rest were either not very good or not martial arts at all.

He was facing a book shortage.

Reading was addictive, and a day without a book felt unsettling.

So Tao Lao San hesitated and asked, “Is ‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero’ any good?”

The shopkeeper didn’t answer immediately but countered, “What do you think of ‘The Four Great Constables’?”

“Great. The best martial arts novel I’ve read this year.”

“Then it’s probably good. I haven’t read ‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero’ yet, but since it’s by the same author as ‘The Four Great Constables,’ it shouldn’t be bad. You can flip through it at the bookstore first and buy it if you like it. Or wait a bit—I’ll keep an eye on it. A lot of people have been asking about it lately. If it turns out to be really good, I’ll buy it right away without waiting for the complete set.”

Tao Lao San nodded and then asked again, “Are a lot of people asking about it?”

“Quite a few. Many regular customers here have told me to get it.”

Curious about ‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero,’ Tao Lao San left the rental shop. This time, he hadn’t found a martial arts novel that held his interest. He had already read the classic works by the old masters, and the styles of the currently popular authors didn’t suit his taste. Only the recently emerged ‘Four Great Constables’ had impressed him.

But now he had finished that series too.

“Guess I’ll check out ‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero’ at the bookstore. If it’s really good, I might skip a couple of meals… or just stand in the bookstore and read it through.”

Money was tight for Tao Lao San—after all, he was just a poor student, and book expenses were a significant burden.

The bookstore was just across the street from the rental shop. A quick crossing brought him there.

It was a small shop, about the size of a single room, with bookshelves lining three walls. Two shelves stood back to back in the center, and near the door was a small table for discounted books, along with piles of various magazines in boxes.

As Tao Lao San entered, he saw a man placing a book on the counter to pay.

The book had a brownish-gray cover, with the title ‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero’ written in flowing calligraphy. It was adorned with an ink painting of a man wearing a felt hat, drawing a bow and aiming at a large eagle.

“Is this the book?” The thought circled in Tao Lao San’s mind.

He quickly found the shelf with ‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero’—not that it took long. At the bottom of the shelf stood or crouched seven or eight people, each holding a copy and reading intently.

Compared to other sections of the store, this little corner was bustling with excitement.

“Is it really necessary to be this dramatic?” Tao Lao San muttered, then pulled one of the three remaining copies from the shelf and began to read alongside them.

Opening the book, the first page was pristine white with just three lines of text.

The first line read: “Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero.”

The second line: “By Tan Zhang.”

The third line: “Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House.”

Turning the page revealed a preface written by Tan Zhang himself.

“I had no intention to write a preface, but the Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House requested one, so I put pen to paper with some simple words. At sixteen, I have little life experience to share, but I can talk about my childhood love of reading. I have thoroughly read the ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ ‘Water Margin,’ ‘Journey to the West,’ ‘Dream of the Red Chamber,’ and ‘Investiture of the Gods.’ I have also dabbled in Tang and Song poetry, the Twenty-Four Histories, and Buddhist and Taoist scriptures.”

“My greatest joy, without a doubt, has been reading martial arts novels—blades flashing, heroes roaming the jianghu, tales of romance and chivalry, secret martial arts manuals. The thrill surpasses that of reading classic literature by a hundredfold. Reading about the jianghu’s colorful world, I found myself weaving stories in my mind, partly through imagination, partly through research. After much effort, I finally began writing ‘The Four Great Constables.’”

“Since its serialization, ‘The Four Great Constables’ has brought me many rewards. Both simplified and traditional editions have been published. With a comfortable life, I naturally continue writing martial arts novels as my career. Now, in the evenings, sipping tea and tapping the keyboard, each chapter that takes shape fills me with emotion, like a dream: I am not truly a writer—I am merely a student.”

“To the students among my readers, I offer encouragement: The sea of learning is boundless, and hard work is the boat; the mountain of books has a path, and diligence is the way. Whether in study or work, accumulation and effort are the cornerstones of success. I often feel my writing lacks strength; I cannot fully express what I think and feel. This is because my foundation is still weak, and I must keep learning.”

“To read ten thousand volumes is to write as if inspired by a deity. I am far from that realm—by tens of thousands of miles—but I know that a scholar must be broad-minded and resolute, bearing heavy responsibilities on a long road ahead. Writing, for me, demands courage and diligence. Whenever I reflect on this, it feels like climbing Mount Tai. Mount Tai is mighty and high; without great determination, one cannot reach its summit. But at the peak, gazing upon all lesser mountains below, one’s spirit soars.”

“Following this feeling, inspiration struck, and I decided to pause ‘The Four Great Constables’ to start a new book, ‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero.’ The story of this eagle shooting is like the climb up Mount Tai: how a humble and insignificant person struggles through the jianghu, how he upholds his character, stands with a clear conscience, and ultimately ascends to become a great hero.”

“A great hero is one who serves the country and the people.”

“The hero I wish to write about is simple and upright, filial and diligent, patriotic and caring. His character may not be perfect, but he must have the power to inspire those around him and remain true to this throughout his life! Through this novel, I want to show that the jianghu is not just a chaotic underworld but also home to true heroes.”

“‘Legend of the Eagle Shooting Hero’ consists of forty chapters, over 1.2 million words, published in eight volumes. I hope you and I can share a cup of hero’s wine and have a good dream together.”

“July 14, 2002, Tan Zhang, at my hometown in Changfenggang Town, Hefei.”