Who is Fanchen? Sihuo didn't know.
Even Fanchen's true identity, Sihuo, hadn't met them before either.
And yet, just because of the poem "I Have a Pearl", this veteran who had been lurking in silence for years was finally drawn out into the open.
Immediately, he made a post: '"This Morning, Dust Fades, Light Emerges, The Full Story of the Fanchen Incident."'
As a veteran of the Supernatural Forum, even while lurking, Sihuo had always kept an eye on its goings-on. Though he hadn't been directly involved in the Fanchen Incident, he had witnessed the entire course unfold. And precisely because of his lack of involvement, he could offer a more objective perspective.
Sihuo wrote: "A single 'Strange Tales' series has stirred the entire Supernatural Forum, and now, as things draw to a close, let's go back and sort through it from the beginning. To avoid being accused of bias, let me start with the hard evidence."
"I've compiled a list of over 200 accounts that were involved in the Fanchen Incident. At first glance, these accounts may not raise suspicion, because on the Supernatural Forum, they've all hidden their settings and scrubbed their posting history. But as a veteran here, did they really think hiding their info meant I couldn't find them? That just because I couldn't find them here, I couldn't find them anywhere?"
"One by one, I traced these accounts. I discovered that not only were they registered on the Supernatural Forum, but they also had accounts on a range of other forums and websites. What's more, their posting times were eerily synchronized."
"Yesterday, someone exposed a celebrity on Forum One, and instantly, over 200 sockpuppet accounts swarmed in."
"The day before that, someone stirred up drama on QingTian Forum, and once again, those same 200+ accounts flooded in."
"There were supporters, haters, shills, trolls; it was all there."
"By now, I'm sure everyone has figured out what these sockpuppets are really for."
"Online manipulation."
"Heaven's net may be wide, but not a single thing slips through."
"These so-called hidden hands of the internet thought they could act unseen, but in the vastness of the web, if you look carefully, you'll still catch traces."
"And now, allow me to reveal the most critical piece of evidence."
"Although these 200+ sockpuppets used IP-masking software to disguise themselves, and though they appeared to be from different users, unfortunately for them, whether due to a lapse in operation or laziness from constantly switching IPs, I found that over 20 of these accounts logged in from the same IP. Another 50 came from a certain housing complex in the Magic City. More than 30 shared IPs originating from an apartment in Yanjing."
"With pictures and IP logs, this is the truth behind these sockpuppets."
Once he'd laid out the hard evidence, Sihuo decided to get a little personal, or perhaps, just a bit reflective.
Sihuo wrote: "I don't remember when it started, but a newcomer writer caught our attention, the author of 'Strange Tales', Fanchen. I'd never heard of them before. For a while, I even suspected it was a famous writer hiding behind a pen name. But after some digging, I realized that Fanchen was a genuine newcomer."
"For a new writer to rise, they must endure immense trials. Suppression, challenge, temptation, countless geniuses have fallen at these gates."
"Where there are people, there will be conflict."
"And where there is conflict, there will be a world of intrigue."
"The Supernatural Forum might look like just a discussion board, but in reality, it mirrors the world of the real-life paranormal community."
"In this world, one exits the stage as another enters. For a time, it's a chaotic swirl of demons and gods. There are gentlemen here, and there are petty men."
"Whether Fanchen, the author of 'Strange Tales', is one of the latter, I can't say. But those who constantly hurled abuse at 'Strange Tales' and Fanchen, they certainly weren't open-minded people. Of course, if that was the extent of it, just two camps with different opinions, then it would have been no more than a literary spat. Heated words, maybe, but easily brushed aside."
"Unfortunately, the world of the Supernatural Forum has never been just about people clashing with people."
"For many, it's a battle of reputation. But for certain business interests, it's a battle over profits."
"The 'Fanchen Incident' was, in truth, a conflict over commercial interest."
"When suppression failed, one group switched tactics and began showering Fanchen with over-the-top praise, attempting to ruin him by praising him to death."
"This method is far more insidious than suppression."
"Ordinary authors, or even slightly talented ones, usually fall at the suppression stage. Only the truly gifted make it past that to face the next challenge: being praised to death. But even the most talented may fall. When you're raised to the peak without the strength to stand there, the fall will shatter you. Remember Sanyue, the paranormal master of old? Have you seen him since?"
"I haven't posted anything in seven years."
"Seven years watching the storms of the Supernatural Forum, I thought I had grown immune to it all."
"But I never imagined that legends still exist in this world."
''Words so powerful they pierce the clouds and shine against the stars and moon.'' That was a line Fanchen wrote in 'The Ghost Mocks the Scholar.'
"But I'd say, Fanchen writing itself has already broken free of its vessel, soaring seven or eight zhang high."
"Only now do I understand, "
"'Fanchen, Fanchen, when the dust fades, light is born.'"
"That is what he meant by 'This morning, the dust fades, and light emerges.'"
"Those so-called buried geniuses, maybe they weren't geniuses after all."
"Only those who weather the storm, who pass test after test and still emerge roaring, only they are truly born to greatness."
"Luckily, Fanchen survived."
"Even when others tried to praise him to death, even when he cried out 'I am the best in the world', I didn't feel a shred of annoyance. Perhaps that's a writer's backbone. Or their pride. Or maybe, it's the kind of brash confidence that comes only from true talent. Or perhaps, that is the brilliance that dares to rival the sun and moon."
"I know that Fanchen's brilliance is not far from rivaling the vast moonlight. And I believe that pearl he polished free of dust and grime will shine across all of Huaguo lands. I await that day…"
June 20, 2015, Sihuo, old-timer of the Supernatural Forum.
…
The appearance of Sihuo, a veteran of the Supernatural Forum, completely wiped away that last trace of Fanchen's so-called arrogance.
Perhaps the post had some bias in Fanchen's favor. But with thorough reasoning and a series of damning revelations, even those who had held some resentment had no words left to say.
So it turned out Fanchen had been suppressed.
And it turned out Fanchen had been targeted with toxic praise.
But now, all that, both the suppression and the false praise, was retreating like a receding tide.
Writers may mock one another, but writers also understand right from wrong. Many authors, after some reflection, could only sigh: Fanchen's boldness was forced by circumstance. And besides, he truly was a rare talent, better than us. A person like that was destined to soar someday.
As for the onlookers, the ones who had merely enjoyed the spectacle from the sidelines,
The past few days on the Supernatural Forum had been a rollercoaster of drama, a true spectacle.
Not only had they watched a riveting show, but from the depths of that drama, a few masterpieces had been born, each earning widespread praise.
''Song Dingbo Captures a Ghost.''
''The Ghost Mocks the Scholar.''
And finally, that bold and carefree declaration from Fanchen,
"Hahahaha, hahahaha!"
Across the forum, countless die-hard fans of Fanchen burst into joyous laughter: "Fanchen, congratulations, today, you've truly become 'dust fades, light emerges."
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