YA Ch115: Birth

Hua Wenyuan flicked his sleeve and sat down on the dragon throne.

Master Yao, as the head of all officials and holding the position of prime minister, knelt and presented the Imperial Seal.

The emperor received the seal, and following the prime minister, all the officials performed three kneelings and nine kowtows, shouting, “Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!”

Sitting on the throne, Hua Wenyuan gazed indifferently at the vast land stretching out beyond the palace walls.

He had fought across the world, driven out the invaders, changed dynasties, and ascended to the throne… At this moment, he was still very young, and by modern standards, he was still a youth.

A flock of wild geese flew across the sky. From this high jade stairway, there was no need to look up; with a glance, he could see them. He instinctively reached for his bow, but his hand only touched the cold, heavy dragon head carved from gold. Suddenly, he laughed.

“If not for being forced by circumstances, he would have preferred to be a young general, killing enemies in war, hunting in his leisure time. Or, better yet, doing nothing at all, living as a carefree young lord riding through the streets of Yuanzhou City. But now, with the power of the world in his hands, thinking about these things feels indulgent,” Lu Yu recited the novel’s lines with dramatic flair, playing the narrator’s role.

The viewers immediately reacted.

【Get off the stage, you old hack! Who asked you to narrate? It’s ruining the moment!】

【He’s supposed to narrate! Didn’t he write this?】

【Wahhh, my general… From now on, he’s trapped on this dragon throne, gaining the world but destined for eternal loneliness.】

【Why cry? Being an emperor is awesome—drunk on a beauty’s lap, ruling the world when awake.】

Some viewers were fired up, feeling a vicarious thrill as if they themselves were ascending to the throne. Others were reflecting on the sacrifices made along the way—the loyal ministers who took their own lives, the generals who fought in bloody battles, and Lord Shen, who had fallen on that snowy night just before dawn.

“All rise,” Hua Wenyuan raised his hand and then laughed loudly. “Bring me my bow.”

The intricately carved dragon bow was handed to the emperor dressed in his ceremonial robes. He drew the bow fully, and the arrow with a red tail feather pierced through the clouds, hitting two wild geese with one shot. The geese, side by side, fluttered and struggled in the air before slowly falling. A bodyguard quickly ran to retrieve them and found that the geese were still alive, only their wings injured.

Master Yao, pleased, said, “On the day the emperor ascends the throne, he personally shoots down two wild geese—this is a most auspicious sign. It will be remembered as a beautiful story when he proposes to the empress in the future.”

Hua Wenyuan casually tossed the bow to the guards and stood with his hands behind his back.

On the live broadcast screen, a line of bold, powerful characters appeared: “He would draw his bow like a full moon, gazing northwest, to shoot the heavenly wolf.”

At this point, the simulated world of the novel came to an end.

【Ahhh, so handsome, so handsome, so handsome!】

【He’s an emperor and still a young general, full of spirit, unchanged!】

【Congratulations on wrapping up Hua Wenyuan’s story! Ahhh, when is the Hua Wenyuan AI assistant coming out? I’ll buy it immediately!】

Just then, the system notification popped up: “The Hua Wenyuan AI assistant beta version is now online, available at a limited-time 20% discount, with a bonus animated chibi desktop figure of Hua Wenyuan.”

Today’s finale had already drawn more than 30 million viewers online, and this announcement instantly caused a surge in purchases. Even the powerful Ba Jiao system momentarily lagged due to the overwhelming demand.

The live stream transitioned into a highlight reel of the best moments, and the external hosts focused on promoting merchandise.

Meanwhile, the simulated novel world continued, though it was no longer being broadcast. Lu Yu exited briefly to check the stream, confirming that the feed had switched over, then exchanged secret signals with Lao Yang before re-entering.

In fact, the story of “Shooting the Heavenly Wolf” was far from over. The original novel still had chapters about expanding territories and overseas conquests, with Hua Wenyuan eventually reaching the far western lands, almost becoming a world hegemon. These purely thrilling plotlines were beloved by readers, but as an audiovisual production, they couldn’t show this without causing controversy.

So, the live broadcast ended with his ascension to the throne.

After the ceremony, the officials left in an orderly fashion. Ming Yan asked Lu Yu, “Why did he shoot the geese at the end? Was he preparing to marry the empress, or was he trying to prove he hadn’t lost his youthful spirit?”

This scene was something Lu Yu had deliberately altered for the live broadcast. In the original novel, after the smooth ascension, the emperor issued a series of decrees and began governing diligently.

Lu Yu, looking mysteriously profound, replied, “To tie everything together.”

Ming Yan: “Huh?”

Lu Yu, smug, said, “Didn’t your elementary school teacher ever teach you how to write essays? The conclusion must tie back to the main theme. Hua Wenyuan drawing his bow and shooting arrows was meant to echo the novel’s title—gazing northwest, shooting the heavenly wolf!”

The story had begun with archery and now ended with archery, thus coming full circle.

Ming Yan shook his head, smiling, and drew a bouquet of flowers, dragging Lu Yu, who had his tail playfully raised, toward the rear hall.

Hua Wenyuan had already taken off his imperial crown and changed into his regular clothes.

Ming Yan handed him the flowers, and Lu Yu clapped his hands. “Congratulations on wrapping up!”

Hua Wenyuan held the bouquet and said expressionlessly, “The coronation is over. So, what now? If I leave with you, will this world disappear?”

Lu Yu shook his head. “Of course not. The world will still exist, but it will stay frozen in this moment. When you return, it will start running again.”

Hua Wenyuan frowned. “It sounds like I’m observing the world as a child would.”

A child’s perspective, where the world revolves around them—when they wake, the world moves, and when they sleep, the world stops.

“That’s exactly it. The protagonist is the center of the novel world,” Lu Yu nodded. “Oh, by the way, there’s an extra chapter on Monday. You’ll have to come back for a relaxed, slice-of-life episode. The extras serve as backdoors to the world, so you can come back anytime and hang out.”

In all three of the novel worlds, Lu Yu had left extra chapters in the simulation, allowing the characters to return. When Lu Dongdong and Shen Baishui were resting, their consciousness would come back to play in the extras.

“Now, come with me to the new world,” Lu Yu extended his hand, flatly offering it.

Hua Wenyuan looked at him, then at Ming Yan, who smiled encouragingly, and slowly placed his hand in Lu Yu’s palm.

The next second, they both disappeared.

Lu Yu took off his helmet, walked into the control room, and picked up the intelligent assistant wristband glowing with a flowing light. This was Hua Wenyuan’s data source—the new character.

Having just entered the AI world, Hua Wenyuan would need some time to process the data and adapt to the AI assistant system, so he remained silent for now.

In the livestream, the outside host was shouting hoarsely, “Our merchandise is sold out, family! The presale links are unavailable, even the presales are sold out. The factory’s production queue is now booked for the next three months, and extending that any further would be too long. We’ll urgently find a new factory and try to restock as soon as possible.”

“The beta version is safe to purchase, folks. Once the official version is released, you can update directly without any extra charge.”

“We also have a spinoff episode of “Shooting the Heavenly Wolf” coming on Monday, so don’t forget to tune in. There will be giveaways too…”

In the operations department, the business department, and even the finance department, everyone had gathered, eyes glowing with excitement. As Lu Yu came out of the control room, he thought he saw a pack of hungry wolves staring at a huge pile of meat.

Ming Yan chuckled, “Everyone has worked hard this past month. Hold the line for the final shift, and there must be no mistakes today.”

“Yes!” Everyone responded in unison, brimming with happiness.

The sales volume for Assistant Xiao Yuan far exceeded expectations. The original target was to reach 80% of Assistant Xiao Bai’s sales within three months, but here they were, on the first day, already surpassing Xiao Bai’s total sales at the time the target was set!

Not only was the debt crisis resolved, but their year-end bonuses would also skyrocket.

Lu Yu firmly attached the new AI watch face to the strap and wore it on his right wrist.

Ming Yan gave his outfit a complicated look and said, “You’re wearing two AI watches…”

Lu Yu rolled up his sleeves, flexed both arms in a bodybuilding pose, and said, “This is called ‘left hand holds the yellow, right hand lifts the blue,’ how fitting!”

Ming Yan burst into laughter.

“Ding!” The AI on his right hand displayed that data had been fully read, and Hua Wenyuan had awakened.

Lu Yu grabbed Ming Yan’s hand and said, “Let’s go home, quickly.”

When they got home, Lu Yu eagerly placed the watch face into Hua Wenyuan’s balloon body.

Although Hua Wenyuan eventually ascended the throne as emperor, the general public still mostly recognized him as the Red-Clad General. Clearly, Lu Dayu also thought the young general looked cuter, so the balloon body was customized as a “General Ball.”

The General Ball, dressed in a red outfit, suddenly lit up its eyes and floated steadily into the air.

The two of them watched in anticipation, like they were looking at a newborn child, full of joy. The Merman Ball and President Ball also gathered around, curiously observing their freshly baked little brother.

Hua Wenyuan scanned Lu Yu and Ming Yan, blinked his electronic eyes, and said, “Is this the so-called higher-dimensional world you mentioned?”

Lu Yu nodded. “Yep, this is our home. I’m Father, he’s Dad, and these are your two older brothers.”

Hua Wenyuan was startled, glanced at the two balloon people, and said, “You turned my two elder brothers into AI as well?”

In “Shooting the Heavenly Wolf,”  Hua Wenyuan had two brothers who died young and never appeared in the story, only being represented by tablets in the ancestral hall.

Lu Yu scratched his head. “More or less.”

When Lu Dayu originally arranged for Hua Wenyuan to have two off-stage brothers, it was probably a hidden Easter egg, treating the protagonists of the previous two books as the older brothers in this third book.

Lu Dongdong raised his trident. “I’m the eldest, Lu Dongdong, and this is your second brother, Shen Baishui.” As he spoke, he poked the President Ball, who was standing with his arms crossed.

Hua Wenyuan looked at the half-human, half-fish balloon person for a long time, speechless. He quickly searched the internet with his AI and immediately understood the situation. Raising his hand, he cupped his fists and said, “So, you’re also characters from books.”

He held a small bow in his left hand and was still able to cup his fists. He did indeed seem more advanced than his two brothers.

Shen Baishui flew around him in a circle, sneering, “This kid really does look a bit dumb.”

Hua Wenyuan squinted his eyes.

Lu Yu laughed and pulled the General Ball over, holding it under the arms and lifting it up. “Come on, call me Father.”

Hua Wenyuan didn’t look at him, only lowered his head to fiddle with his little bow and arrow, and indifferently said, “Second Uncle.”

Lu Yu: “…”

Ming Yan stifled a laugh. “That’s what you get for giving yourself random roles. Now the kid won’t acknowledge you.”

Lu Yu let go and sighed lightly.

The President Ball sneakily floated over. “Right, he’s not fit to be our father. He’s just some guy who writes books. Come on, call me big brother.”

Hua Wenyuan floated farther away and said, “Why am I the third brother? Based on the timeline, I’m from the ancient past, you’re from the modern era, and he’s from the future. Therefore, I should be the elder brother.”

Lu Dongdong quietly watched the two of them, slowly floating farther away, then suddenly charged over. First, he slapped Shen Baishui with his fishtail, sending the President Ball flying, and then slapped Hua Wenyuan on the butt with his tail.

Dongdong waved his trident. “You need to respect Father.”

Hua Wenyuan flipped midair, rose higher, and shot an arrow straight at Lu Dongdong. The suction cup at the tip of the arrow hit the Merman Ball’s forehead perfectly. Using the arrow’s recoil, the General Ball returned to Lu Dongdong’s side, using his bow to block the incoming trident.

Shen Baishui was bouncing around, cheering, “Fight! Fight!”

As the arrow retracted, Hua Wenyuan turned, shooting another arrow at the President Ball, which dragged him over just in time for Lu Dongdong to smack him with his fishtail again.

Shen Baishui: “???”

The house descended into utter chaos.

___

Author’s Note:

President Ball: Stop fighting already! QAQ The one getting hurt is me, the president! (said in a soap opera heroine’s tone)