Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Is Abbot Fangzheng here?” A voice sounded outside the monastery.

Monkey opened the door and saw a man standing by the door with a dejected look. When he saw Monkey, he pressed his palms together and said, “Hello, Venerable Jingzhen.”

Monkey pressed his palms together. “Patron, is there something?”

“Venerable Jingzhen, can I meet Abbot Fangzheng? I… I’m plagued by some matters…” The man lowered his head, looking depressed. His eyes were filled with confusion.

Monkey said, “I’ll ask Master. I’ll check to see if he’s asleep.”

“There’s no need to. I have time. Patron, please come in and have a seat.” Fangzheng’s voice sounded.

The man nodded gratefully and walked in.

Monkey did not close the door. This was also the monastery’s rule. When visitors came, the door could not be closed.

The moon hung high in the sky, the stars shining brightly. Under the moonlight, the bodhi tree swayed in the wind, emitting rustling sounds. Through the gate of the courtyard, one could see the Heavenly Dragon Pond, which looked like the starry sky, as well as the ancient bell and drum towers.

In the monastery, Fangzheng and the man sat opposite each other under the bodhi tree.

Monkey brought over two cups of tea before sitting by the side without another word.

Fangzheng had been observing the man in front of him. The man looked to be in his twenties. He had delicate features, but his brows were tightly knitted. It was as though there was a knot in his heart that could not be resolved.

However, what truly surprised Fangzheng was the man’s attire.

The man was dressed in a suit. It was obvious that he had just bought a new suit. It was very new and very fitting. The workmanship was very particular, and one could tell that it was from a famous brand.

There was a red flower in front of the man’s chest. A tiny ear of wheat was hung under the red flower, and there was a red note on it. On it was the word: “Bridegroom!”

There were some confetti on the man’s head. His hair was waxed, but it still couldn’t maintain his tidy hairstyle. Instead, he looked especially disheveled.

Upon seeing this, Fangzheng had some guesses. However, Fangzheng did not say a word and just sat there quietly.

The man did not say anything. His eyes were filled with chaos, as if his mind was in a mess. He had a lot of words to say, but he did not know where to start.

The two of them sat there in silence. Perhaps they could sense the calmness of the monk opposite them as he looked at Fangzheng.

Looking into Fangzheng’s eyes that were as calm as the starry sky, the slight smile was like the warmth of the sun. Feeling the faint warmth, the man’s heart finally calmed down…

An hour later, the man sighed and said, “My name is Yu Nian. I’m 29 years old this year. I’m a web novelist. Master, do you know what a web novelist is?”

Fangzheng thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t know.”

Yu Nian smiled bitterly. “Indeed… Master, have you read web novels?”

Fangzheng said in surprise, “You wrote web novels?”

Yu Nian nodded. “Yes.”

Fangzheng was immediately intrigued as he said with a smile, “This Penniless Monk admires people like you. Your imagination is just too fantastic. Furthermore, the speed at which you write is shocking.”

After being praised by Fangzheng, Yu Nian’s mood improved.

After all, this person in front of him was Abbot Fangzheng; he was famous across the entire country! It was not an exaggeration to say that he was a famous celebrity. Few people would not remain unfazed after receiving his praise.

Yu Nian said, “It’s still okay. For this job, I have to think of the plot all day, even in my sleep. As for speed, after writing millions of words a year, anyone can become fast. It’s why we call ourselves ‘Writing Dogs.’”

“You’re being humble.”

Yu Nian shook his head and said, “This industry of ours is very difficult. We have to face the computer almost all day. We have to think about the plot while eating, sleeping, and using the toilet. Once we come up with a plot, we have to quickly jot it down or start writing. The only thing that is worth being gratified is that I’m the few that managed to survive. My income is not bad. I can rely on writing to make a living…”

Fangzheng asked in surprise, “Is your profession very profitable?”

Yu Nian shook his head and said, “How should I put it… I’ve been writing for ten years. Last year, my monthly royalties were 1,200 yuan. After deducting the taxes, it was slightly more than a thousand yuan.”

Fangzheng said, “How is that possible? Hasn’t the tax been raised?”

Yu Nian continued to shake his head and said, “It’s different. Writers usually don’t earn money, so it starts from 800. It’s all thanks to the Internet. Otherwise, for a traditional writer in the past, it’s already very impressive to be able to get about a hundred yuan every month. Even now, I know that many traditional writers don’t earn money from their creations. Occasionally, they would send it out, and they would only earn five to ten yuan for their manuscripts.

“The advantage of web novelists is that we can sell them on the Internet and earn money. Therefore, our days are better than them…

“However, the requirements for online writers are too low. As long as one wants to write, they can write with a computer.

“So, the number of web novelists is frightening. It’s almost reaching eight million!”

Fangzheng jumped in fright when he heard that. “Eight million? That many? But… Why does This Penniless Monk feel that there aren’t many web novelists?”

Yu Nian said, “The barrier of entry for web novelists is too low. As long as they post their books on online literature websites, they are counted. But among the eight million people, there might be about five to six million people who wrote on a whim. After writing a few chapters, they would no longer write or be irregular in their posting. These people don’t earn a single cent, and they basically wasted their time. Furthermore, they don’t have readers. It’s basically a flop.

“Who would announce to the world that their books were a flop? So they will usually hide.”

Fangzheng fell silent and continued asking, “What about the rest?”

Yu Nian said, “Out of the remaining two plus million people, two million are probably unable to sign a contract. It’s like they make products, but the supermarket doesn’t allow them to sell them.”

Fangzheng instantly understood…

Yu Nian said, “The remaining few hundred thousand people can sign a contract, but signing the contract doesn’t mean that they can monetize it. Those who can actually have their work monetized are even fewer. Others may not know, but most of the authors that I know can’t get their works monetized. Even if I overestimate it at 200,000 people monetizing their work, out of these 200,000 people, another 100,000 people are unable to earn much from monetization. For example, I earned 900-1000 yuan per month. Then the remaining tens of thousands will be able to earn a few thousand yuan. A few thousand people can earn tens of thousands every month. Not more than a thousand people can earn 100,000 a month. Probably less than a hundred can earn hundreds of thousands and more.”

After Fangzheng heard that, he was left speechless. “This… isn’t the probability too low?”

Yu Nian said, “That’s right, the chance of success is too low. The value that the entire online literature industry creates every year might not even be as much as a variety show… So, the web novelist doesn’t have much influence on this world. The world doesn’t pay too much attention to us. We are considered the kind of people that are often forgotten.”