Just those two words were enough; Chu Ge's slight ache vanished instantly, as if rubbed by a gentle hand.
Qiu Wuji was indeed a reasonable and grateful woman; it was worthwhile to instill so many good qualities in her.
Chu Ge comfortably went to pour water, casually asking, "How's the Poison Hand Demon Lord's matter?"
"Still poisoned. I feel the important events will self-correct according to the direction you wrote."
Chu Ge paused in pouring water, frowning thoughtfully.
After a moment, he finished pouring: "Is the poisoning uncomfortable?"
"Not bad, the cure is quick." Qiu Wuji's smile deepened.
This was a question that none of the sect members, including Chu Tiange, had ever asked, not even the most loyal elders and disciples.
This had nothing to do with whether he wrote it or not. Beyond his predetermined role, the character should have her own actions, yet no one had asked this question.
Because others treated her as a powerful sect leader, omnipotent.
Did he treat her as a life form he created? "I have a responsibility to help you."
Or...a woman?
I don't know, but it feels strange. A feeling...of someone caring?
A little embarrassed and annoyed, yet also a little warm.
Chu Ge sat on the sofa with a water glass, drinking and pondering: "So, the plot I wrote, at least in important events, is an inescapable destiny for you. If I had written that the Poison Hand Demon Lord died at your hands instead of his soul escaping, he would have died."
Qiu Wuji asked, "Why did you write him escaping?"
Chu Ge smiled awkwardly: "Such strong villains are meant to be stepping stones for the protagonist. Killing them early and then creating another one is unnecessary."
Qiu Wuji rolled his eyes.
Chu Ge also noticed that Qiu Wuji's expressions were much richer and more vibrant than before.
Qiu Wuji sighed, then lazily sat down opposite him, leaning back on the sofa. "So you're our destiny, huh? Aren't you smug?"
Chu Ge thought for a moment, lost in thought, then shook his head. "Perhaps I'm destiny in your world… but on a larger scale, no. Just like I don't know why you came out, or whether my book will be a flop."
He paused, then smiled. "Our meeting has destiny, but that destiny isn't me."
Qiu Wuji was taken aback, but said nothing. Chu Ge suddenly said, "I was thinking about something earlier..."
"Hmm?"
"Can I practice your cultivation method? I clearly don't know any cultivation methods; I made them up. How can I possibly create one for myself to cultivate immortality?"
Qiu Wuji also found this interesting: "Then I'll teach you? If our physical structures are the same, you can definitely learn it. The main problem is that the spiritual energy in this world is very thin, so even if you practice, it won't be very effective."
Chu Ge nodded: "Perhaps this barrier of spiritual energy is a patch to prevent me from becoming too overpowered?"
Qiu Wuji chuckled: "You've written so many books, you don't think you're one of the characters in someone else's book, a patch..."
"No nesting dolls," Chu Ge said seriously, then laughed: "Just kidding. We don't even know if we can practice it yet, let's try it first?"
"Hmm..." Qiu Wuji imparted a section of the technique, then... "Did you write this technique?" "No, this world probably just a product of my nonsense. I copied some content from Daoist scriptures, like the Seven Signs of the Cloudy Bookcase, I don't know if that counts..."
"The Daoist scriptures of this world... I want to see them."
"I've bought materials on this stuff, all kinds of Daoist scriptures. Don't be fooled by the fact that they're just text; converted to PDF and saved, they're over ten gigabytes. I have them saved on my computer."
Qiu Wuji didn't understand what "PDF" or "over ten gigabytes" meant for the moment, but it sounded like a lot, so he wasn't in a hurry and went back to the main point: "What I just taught you was the mental cultivation method. Now I'll teach you the method of circulating qi. You must memorize it carefully; even a slight deviation will cause problems, as you should know. Our sect's cultivation method is the most righteous and upright, with the Twelve Primary Meridians as the main focus and the Extraordinary Meridians as supplementary, which is..."
"Wait, wait, wait..." Chu Ge asked cautiously, "Where exactly are the Twelve Primary Meridians? How do I circulate qi?"
Qiu Wuji's eyes widened.
Silence.
You wrote this! You wrote our cultivation method using the Twelve Primary Meridians!
And then you ask me where the Twelve Primary Meridians are! "I thought you knew everything after reading several gigabytes of Taoist scriptures, and you ask me where the meridians are! Is this the kind of person who created our world?"
Qiu Wuji really wanted to hit him.
"Don't say I'm being unreasonable and bullying you! I'd beat you up no matter who it was!" Qiu Wuji finally couldn't hold back and flipped Chu Ge onto the sofa, giving him a good beating: "Where, where, where, tell me where!"
Chu Ge covered his head and took the beating. This time, he didn't feel any pain. She was pressed against him, her fragrance lingering... um...
Qiu Wuji stopped hitting him, and after a while, he felt tired of hitting her too. He got up angrily, snorted, and went to the balcony for some fresh air.
He immediately saw his clothes hanging outside, fluttering in the wind.
Qiu Wuji stared blankly, mouth agape, at his wrinkled stockings swaying in the wind, feeling as if they had been caressed in his hands...
And those underwear... they had all been taken off directly from his hands. It looked so lewd. A blush quickly crept onto her cheeks.
She hadn't expected this when she left; the intimate clothing she'd just been wearing was now in his hands… and she had no idea what he'd done to her…
And she couldn't even ask what he'd done? After all, it looked like he'd just washed it for her; was he really going to beat her up for a good deed?
Qiu Wuji hesitated for a long time, his lips moving for a while before he finally managed to utter, "You don't need to wash my clothes anymore. I… I'll do it myself."
Chu Ge also came out and peeked in, his face darkening slightly.
What was with those crumpled stockings? It felt like he'd done something to them. Chu Ge was sure he hadn't done anything like that.
Did he have a fetish for things?
Oh no, he was going to get beaten up again… Chu Ge cautiously backed away.
Qiu Wuji glared at him for a long time, but didn't hit him. Instead, this thought crossed his mind: Living alone together, a man and a woman, is it really okay to just say it's all innocent and platonic?
"Yes, no problem, as long as my conscience is clear."
She took a deep breath: "I can conjure these clothes myself from now on. Last time I was confused and didn't figure it out... I could have saved this money."
"It's not that you didn't figure it out, it's that you deliberately wanted to try out this world's lifestyle." Chu Ge had retreated into the living room, but his voice was still responding: "So why use conjure again? Just fully integrate into this world."
"You're not happy about saving money? I said it was a loan, but I don't know when I'll pay you back."
"My royalties arrived today, I'm not in such dire straits. I should say, earning over ten thousand a month is better than most people's lives, as long as I can maintain it."
Qiu Wuji finally couldn't help but sneer: "I think you just want to have real clothes so you can do something!"
Chu Ge exploded: "I! Am! Not! A! Pervert!"
Actually, he himself didn't know if he wanted to do something. Logically, he didn't want to at all, but he vaguely felt... without tangible objects to see and touch, if everything was conjured, would he still be a real person? The day she left her clothes was far more impactful than her previous disappearance. Then it felt like a dream, but this time it was the pain of parting.
Thankfully, she returned quickly, as if she'd just gone on a business trip.
This time, she was more vibrant, more like a fairy depicted in a two-dimensional style, now fully and three-dimensionally descended to earth.