I Became an All-round Artist

In the following days, Xue Liang continued to study under Lin Yuan every day. Naturally, he also took on the responsibility of preparing Lin Yuan’s dinners. If Xue Liang’s cooking skills were to be measured in ability points, it would easily exceed 600. As for Jian Yi? Negative points, definitely.

Still, Jian Yi hadn’t given up. He helped Xue Liang in the kitchen every day, trying to learn how to cook. This, however, made the hierarchy even more confusing. Xue Liang was Lin Yuan’s apprentice, but now that Jian Yi was learning to cook from him, it felt like Jian Yi had inadvertently become Lin Yuan’s grand-disciple.

Well, they decided not to dwell on it too much.

After each lesson, Lin Yuan would check Xue Liang’s progress. He could clearly see that Xue Liang’s composition abilities were steadily improving. At this rate, reaching the level of a gold-level composer was only a matter of time.

Meanwhile, it was already October, and in the neighboring Qin Province, the latest volume of The Executioner’s Tale had just been released. The story world of The Executioner’s Tale had fully unfolded by this point. The debate between Team Biyao and Team Xueqi was growing more intense, with both characters amassing large and loyal fanbases. This enthusiasm from the readers fueled even more love for the novel. Every time a new volume was released, readers eagerly dove into the latest developments.

However...

In this volume, Zhang Xiaofan discovers that the person responsible for the massacre of Caomiao Village was none other than Puzhi, the monk who once saved him and Lin Jingyu. Consumed with rage, Zhang Xiaofan begins his descent into darkness. Readers were gripped by this turn of events.

It was a climactic moment: the Ghost King arrives, and the legendary sword Zhuxian finally appears. The readers’ excitement reached a fever pitch at this point. But no one expected that the first person the Zhuxian Sword would strike at was Zhang Xiaofan himself. Now fully consumed by demonic energy, Zhang Xiaofan was seen as a grave threat by the head of Qingyun Sect. Zhang Xiaofan’s fate seemed sealed—he was as good as dead.

The readers' emotions were now completely stirred up.

Then, a plot twist occurred that left every reader utterly shocked. As the Zhuxian Sword slashed toward Zhang Xiaofan, a figure dressed in green suddenly stepped in front of him.

"Spirits of the Nine Netherworlds, gods and demons of all realms, I offer my blood and body as a sacrifice. For love’s sake, I shall descend into the depths of hell for all eternity, with no regrets…"

It was Biyao!

In this critical moment, Biyao sacrificed herself, using her own life to block the deadly force of the Zhuxian Sword. With her soul about to be torn apart, she stood as a shield for Zhang Xiaofan against the sword’s terrifying power.

Suddenly, the howling winds swirled around Biyao, forming a massive vortex. The graceful and beautiful woman was lifted into the air by the force of the winds, meeting the glowing multicolored sword head-on. In that moment, she was the sole light in the universe.

As the unstoppable sword fell, the heavens echoed with its mighty sound. And amidst it all, a delicate figure began to descend slowly from the sky. The world fell silent. Zhang Xiaofan reached out to grasp something, but caught only emptiness. All that remained in his hand was a small, unburnt piece of green cloth.

"Why are you so foolish... I never even got the chance to tell you that the person I saw in that ancient well... was you."

Zhang Xiaofan’s heart broke, and he was filled with utter despair.

At that moment, the readers were thrown into a frenzy.

Many erupted into expletives.

Biyao… was dead?

Countless fans found it impossible to accept this. The shock was overwhelming. Whether they supported Biyao, Xueqi, or were even a part of the smaller “harem” faction, all readers were now pouring their emotions into online forums, venting their grief and rage:

"Chu Kuang, you bastard!"

"Give us Biyao back!"

"I cried. I’ve always been a Xueqi supporter, but Biyao... I won’t say anything bad about her ever again."

"Chu Kuang should be punished!"

"Someone hand me the Zhuxian Sword. I’ll kill Chu Kuang first!"

"AAAAAAAAH, I’m crying my eyes out!"

"Biyao’s dead? Chu Kuang really killed Biyao?!"

"My favorite character in the entire novel was killed by Chu Kuang."

"The person Zhang Xiaofan saw in the Moonwell was Biyao... but now she’ll never hear him say it. I’m a grown man and I bawled my eyes out!"

This was a massive uproar among The Executioner’s Tale readers. As the uproar spread, Biyao’s popularity skyrocketed, surpassing Lu Xueqi for the first time in a landslide victory.

On the night of the volume’s release, Chu Kuang’s comment section was completely overwhelmed. Readers flooded the forums with two clear demands:

First, Chu Kuang was unforgivable for killing Biyao.

Second, they wanted Biyao back.

The first came from their outrage at Biyao’s death, while the second reflected their desperate hope for her resurrection.

After all, nothing could be worse than ending a chapter on a cliffhanger—except killing off the readers' favorite character. Chu Kuang had now done both of these unforgivable things.

Even the publishing house, Silver Blue Library, was shocked by the scale of the backlash. The fantasy department editors stared in disbelief as countless new posts flooded the official website’s comment section with each refresh.

"I knew it!"

"I knew this volume would cause an uproar before it even came out."

"We should’ve tried harder to get Chu Kuang to change it."

"When has Chu Kuang ever listened to his editors?"

"No one can change Chu Kuang’s decisions. He’s always been such a willful author."

"Is this going to tank sales?"

"The readers are in open revolt!"

For the first time, Silver Blue Library’s editorial team was witnessing such an intense reaction. The scene that unfolded that day would be etched into their memories for years, filling them with a deep sense of unease.

Yes, almost all of The Executioner’s Tale readers were outraged. Even the staunchest supporters of Xueqi were devastated by Biyao’s death, let alone the readers who loved Biyao.

You could tell from the way the readers addressed the author. They used to respectfully call him "Teacher Chu Kuang," even when they joked about his cliffhangers. But this time, things were different.

Chu Kuang was no longer "Teacher"; he had become "Chu Kuang the Old Scoundrel" in the eyes of the readers.

As many pointed out:

It wasn’t the Zhuxian Sword that killed Biyao—it was Chu Kuang the Old Scoundrel!

Now that the volume had been published, there was no turning back. Readers could only hope that Biyao would somehow be resurrected in future chapters. After all, this was a xianxia (fantasy) novel, and Biyao’s revival wasn’t entirely out of the question.

In the days that followed, countless fans eagerly awaited Chu Kuang’s response.

But there was none.

Lin Yuan had logged into his social media account, carefully observing the readers’ reactions from the Qin Province side. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to respond—it was just that he knew their hopes were in vain.

Although future chapters of The Executioner’s Tale would see Zhang Xiaofan and the Ghost King Sect make countless efforts to revive Biyao, by the novel’s conclusion, she would remain dead.

All that would be left for the readers was a small, unburnt piece of green cloth...

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