Volume One, Chapter 55: He Has Not Come to Sing, but to Ascend the Throne

"Borrowing Five Hundred More Years from Heaven."
As soon as the link to the song appeared, the spectators initially felt nothing special about it. Their first reaction was—
What the hell, writing and recording a song in two hours, this guy is some kind of monster, that’s just phenomenal.
Not only the onlookers, even Sun Tao behind the computer was utterly dumbfounded.
I said I wanted to compete with you, but you’re not playing fair; I’d barely spoken, and you already had a finished song.
How am I supposed to play along with this?
Still, Sun Tao held onto a sliver of hope—what quality could a song have if it was made in such a short time?
With a pinch of luck, he clicked on the song link.
A grand, thunderous chorus erupted, as if legions were charging right before his eyes.
In the next moment, Jiang Yu’s voice poured from the speakers.
“Along the gentle curves of the land’s rise and fall,”
“Galloping across the beloved Central Plains, the northern lands, and the southern rivers,”
“Braving the icy blades, snowy swords, and storms with loyal companions,”
“Cherishing the golden years bestowed upon me by heaven.”
As his voice rang out, in the first two lines, everyone seemed to glimpse a young man’s boundless love for his country and his lofty ambitions. It was as if he were declaring:
I want the entire world.
The following lines embodied the trials and bloodshed required to build a great nation.
But what truly shocked the netizens was Jiang Yu's singing.
His earlier works—“Bare Face,” “Why Not,” even “Don’t Bite Me”—could be described as fresh and youthful, but after “You,” and now “Borrowing Five Hundred More Years from Heaven,”
the style, the voice, they seemed like two different people.
The boldness in his singing compelled listeners to keep going.
Sun Tao's face turned pale; this caliber of song was beyond his ability.
Now he finally understood why Jiang Yu could reach heights in such a short time that he himself could never attain in a lifetime.
“To live with courage, fearing no hardship,”
“Boldness unchanging, year after year,”
“There’s bitterness and sweetness in life, good and evil divided,”
“All for the dream of tomorrow.”
The lyrics were extraordinary—was this really written and produced in two hours?
Even those who’d never heard of Jiang Yu were becoming fans.
At that moment—
In a luxurious office, a distinguished middle-aged man, appearing no more than fifty, listened quietly to the song.
A staff member walked in.
“Director Chen, the approval for our ‘Han Dynasty’ project has come through. We can start selecting the theme song and casting actors.”
The man opened his eyes, a smile at the corner of his mouth. “No need to rush the casting, but as for the theme song, I already have a suitable candidate.”
The staff looked puzzled.
The director gave a little laugh. “Listen to this song—see if it fits.”
With curiosity, the staff listened intently. This director was the most meticulous in the country, demanding perfection for every project, whether theme song or cast.
Actors were screened over and over, theme songs revised countless times.
Yet, unexpectedly, he was actively recommending a song.
Driven by curiosity, the staff listened closely.
After hearing it, he was stunned.
It wasn’t just suitable—it was unbelievably perfect.
The director smiled again. “See if there’s any way to contact this singer; I’d like to discuss the rights to this song.”
“Understood, I’ll look into it right away!” The staff ran out, elated—not only was the theme song settled so quickly, but with that done, everyone’s workload was significantly reduced.
...
The song continued.
“See the iron hooves steam ahead, traversing the rivers and mountains,”
“I stand at the eye of the storm, gripping the revolving sun and moon,”
“May peace and happiness reign in this world of mortals,”
“I truly wish I could live another five hundred years!”
...
“I truly wish I could live another five hundred years!”
The climax finally arrived.
Listeners felt as if they saw warriors battling on the field, and, more so, a sovereign whose aura was so commanding, it seemed he sought to rule even the sun and moon.
This was the true bearing of an emperor.
Originally, the phrase “I truly wish I could live another five hundred years” was a plea to heaven—
Yet when Jiang Yu sang it, it felt as if he were informing heaven: “I’m coming back for five hundred more years!”
“My scalp tingles—if Jiang Yu stood before me, I think I’d kneel right away!”
“I’m already kneeling. My mom just asked why I’m kneeling while listening to music!”
“What the hell, how does Jiang Yu do it? How can a single voice transform so much?”
“I dub it the Emperor’s Voice!”
“Those who know think you’re singing; those who don’t think you’re ascending the throne!”
For a moment, the entire internet was in an uproar.
Jiang Yu’s follower count began to skyrocket, from six hundred thousand all the way to a million.
Fans left messages in droves.
“A million fans group photo!”
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu switched to his outlaw handle.
Turkey-Flavored Crunch: “‘You’ and ‘Borrowing Five Hundred More Years from Heaven’ are the most heroic songs I’ve ever heard—highly recommended! @Sun Tao, old rascal, did you learn anything? I’m going to keep up the challenge—see you in a week!”
With people like this, you had to stomp them out directly!
Jiang Yu immediately switched back to his main account.
“Thanks for the promo, brother. I’m a big fan of ‘Zhu Xian’ as well—looking forward to your new work! By the way, hurry up and update, you lazy author.”
Book fans rushed in upon hearing the news.
“That lazy author is Jiang Yu’s fan too? These two songs are so good, I’m playing them on repeat!”
“Wow, Jiang Yu and the lazy author are interacting! Are they really best buddies?”
“Lazy author, you can take a break these days—I’m going to loop the songs for a while.”
Once Jiang Yu finished his post, he didn’t bother with anything else.
As for whether Sun Tao would release his own song to fulfill his promise, Jiang Yu didn’t care and couldn’t be bothered.
He’d crush Sun Tao’s confidence with his outlaw handle when the time came!
After Jiang Yu finished releasing the song, Su Ling walked in, staring blankly at him.
She had personally witnessed a musician create lyrics, music, and effects—all in less than half an hour.
Even the accompaniment composer had never had such an easy task.
After Jiang Yu put down his phone, he noticed Su Ling looking at him as if he were a monster, leaving him at a loss. “Auntie, what are you staring at?”
“How did you grow such a brain? I used to think Xiao Yu’s trust in you was blind, but now I realize—you’re a prodigy!”
Jiang Yu scratched his head, embarrassed.
After speaking, Su Ling stood up abruptly. “No, wait a moment, I’m going to draw up the contract now—I must keep you here! S-contract, I’ll personally agree to all your terms. If the shareholders object, I’ll take them on myself!”
“This…” Seeing Su Ling bustling about, Jiang Yu couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Just then, the phone rang.
Caller ID: “Idol Two and a Half Years” program team.
“Hello, Mr. Jiang Yu, the show is about to start filming. Please check in at the designated hotel in the next couple of days.”
Because the Military Day program had been postponed,
Jiang Yu had almost forgotten he still had a show to do.
“Alright, I’ll check in at the hotel tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, some rejoiced while others worried.
At this moment—
Starlight Entertainment.
Li Gang slammed his cup onto the floor.
“Damn it, how could Jiang Yu get on the Military Day Gala?”
Even he couldn’t get his own artists onto such a show, but Jiang Yu made it, and even trended online!
And those songs, “You” and “Borrowing Five Hundred More Years from Heaven”—how could he write such masterpieces?
That Sun Tao was useless; during their quarrel, Li Gang had lent a hand behind the scenes, or else it wouldn’t have escalated so quickly.
But Sun Tao still lost in the end.
Was there no way to deal with Jiang Yu?
Li Gang lay back in his chair, powerless, thinking for a long time, then picked up his phone and called Yan Ming once more.
“Hey, brother Yan, about what we discussed last time…”