To all friends who cherish this book

In the last update, I mentioned at the end that there would be an extra chapter tonight. First of all, I want to thank everyone who stayed up to this hour.

“As with all things strange, there must be something unusual behind them.” Perhaps many of you have already guessed it—this book is about to go premium. I have some heartfelt words to share, and I hope all those who enjoy this story will take a moment to read them.

Going premium means the book will be behind a paywall, and inevitably, that means some readers may leave. To everyone who has liked this book, whether you choose to stay or move on, I am deeply grateful that you have accompanied me thus far.

I’m not one for melodrama, nor do I intend to elicit sympathy. I have no particularly special life experiences; I’ve simply been walking the path of online literature for eight years now, which makes me a fairly seasoned author. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed moments of glory and endured times of obscurity; I’ve risen and fallen, tasted hope and despair. But I feel fortunate that, throughout all the ups and downs, I never gave up.

For every book, I dedicate immense time and effort to crafting the outline and gathering reference materials. This one is no exception. Before officially uploading, I spent over five months preparing. So please, read with confidence and don’t worry about the story being left unfinished.

As for whether I’ve written well so far, or whether you enjoy it—that, I can’t say. Perhaps you already have your answer in your heart. For those who find the story engaging, I trust you’ll continue this journey with me. For those who don’t, I am nonetheless grateful for your time.

Once the book goes premium, there will be a fee. This is an old topic, and I assure you, it’s not expensive—less than fifty cents a day, not even enough for a cigarette. Yet each day’s content takes me a whole day to write. I sincerely hope for your continued support.

In terms of the plot, the main direction is now set, and the protagonist will soon head to the city where the treasure is hidden. This arc won’t be long, as it needs to tie in with previous developments, but I am very satisfied with how it turned out—full and exciting, in my opinion. Once the protagonist leaves the city, the final mystery of the "Book of the Yellow Springs" will be unveiled. I promise that the upcoming plotlines will be even more thrilling and unexpected.

That’s all I’ll say on that—anything more and I wouldn’t know what else to add. Let me just share what it’s felt like writing novels these past eight years.

When I first started out, I was young and brash. I still remember my old QQ signature: “If it’s not my turn to shine, I won’t boast; when it is my turn, I’ll shine the brightest!” My favorite saying at the time was, “Today I have nothing, but in ten years, I’ll have the whole world!”

Eight years have passed, and much of that youthful edge has been worn away. I’ve grown more settled. Yet lately, I’ve been seeking that old “wildness” again. Writing this book, whenever I think of what’s to come, I feel a surge of passion. I believe that sense of wildness may be returning!

As always, I hope everyone who enjoys this story will continue to support me. Let’s keep being wild together!

If you’d like to contact me, you can add me on QQ, WeChat, or follow my official public account. I’ll post extra stories, character illustrations, and introductions there. I’ve never used a public account before, so this is my first time—my popularity isn’t high yet, so if anyone knows the ropes, I’d appreciate your help in spreading the word. The numbers and links are in the book’s introduction and at the end of chapters, so feel free to check them out.

That’s all for now. Once again, thank you all. Now, on to the ubiquitous recharge instructions!

Recharge instructions: Here are the detailed steps and important notes for recharging on Black Rock:

1. Before recharging, you must log in to your Black Rock account. Black Rock supports one-click login. As long as you have a QQ, WeChat, Baidu, or Sina Weibo account, you can use any of them for one-click access.

2. After logging in, click on [Recharge] at the top of the homepage and follow the prompts to complete the process.

3. Specific recharge methods: Black Rock supports eight types: [Online Banking], [Alipay], [WeChat Pay], [SMS Recharge], [Tenpay], [Mobile Top-up Card], [Game Points Card], and [PayPal]. Here are the details for each:

[Online Banking]: You must have online banking enabled. Major banks are supported. The rate is 1:100 (one yuan equals 100 Black Rock coins).

[Alipay]: If you have an Alipay account, you can use this. The rate is 1:100.

[WeChat Pay]: If you have WeChat with a linked bank card or balance, you can use this. The rate is 1:100.

[Tenpay]: Same as Alipay, also 1:100.

[SMS Recharge]: The rate is 1:40 (lower rate, and there can be a delay in processing sometimes).

[Mobile Top-up Card]: This is the fastest and most convenient. Black Rock supports three types: Mobile, Unicom, and Telecom cards. These can be bought at newsstands, convenience stores, or supermarkets. The rate is 1:85 (slightly lower because the carriers take a small fee).

[Game Points Card]: Similar to mobile cards, easy to buy. However, Black Rock only supports the following types: Junnet, Shanda, Conquest, Q Coin, 9you, YeePay, Netease, Perfect World, Sohu Changyou, ZongYou, Tianxia, and Tianhong. The rate is between 1:70 and 1:75. Make sure to buy only these supported cards!

[PayPal]: This is for overseas readers.

Additionally, for those using the “Black Rock Reading” iOS app, be aware that due to Apple’s policies, recharging via the app has a rate of 1:50 (half goes to Apple), which is not cost-effective. It’s recommended to recharge via the browser version and then log in through the app to read—this way, you avoid the extra fee.

PS: Once you’ve recharged, you can tip the author and subscribe to the work. If the book is already premium, I recommend enabling auto-subscription to save the hassle of subscribing to chapters one by one. Any chapters you’ve subscribed to can be reread for free.

That’s all for now. The new chapter will be delivered at midnight, and I’ll be releasing extra updates soon. I hope you’ll continue to support and subscribe—thank you all!