Knowing that Qiu Wuji was just being coquettish and that nothing was wrong, Chu Ge wasn't in a hurry.
He leisurely updated the chapter, chatted in the group for a while, and told everyone that there might be fewer updates today as he needed to organize the outline.
Then, amidst everyone's support and understanding… the author went to the "Black Room" (a term for a dark room in China, referring to a dark room for work).
It had been a while since he'd been there… He'd previously thought Zhong Yi was a regular in the Black Room, but later found out that wasn't the case. Zhong Yi was elusive; the real regulars were Chef Jin and his wife, who ran a restaurant nearby, and Panda, who ran a gold-making studio there.
After being abused by Rong Fu, Chef Jin and his wife had less of an interest in ripping off their competitors and more of an interest in exercising. The first thing he saw was the couple jogging, seemingly very diligent. Seeing Chu Ge appear wearing the Three-Child Mask, the couple waved to greet him, and Chu Ge waved back, not wanting to disturb their workout.
Panda, on the other hand, gave Chu Ge a disparate look… The fat man's eyes swept over Chu Ge, then he glanced at his earlier message in the group chat: "It's only right that Chu Ge organizes the outline; it's fine if he doesn't update today."
Panda silently retracted the message and replaced it with: "Short, short-lived Chu Ge is inhuman."
"Panda, are you the only one here?" Sanwa poked his head in: "Where's Zhong Yi?"
Panda deliberately left the group chat open, letting the author see the expectant messages, and glanced at him sideways, saying: "Brother Zhong doesn't come around often… Sanwa, are you free? Coming here in broad daylight, do you have work to do?" "Chu Ge stroked his chin behind his mask: 'Isn't slacking off at work normal? You're watching me more closely than a capitalist!'
Panda swallowed his anger: 'How did you manage to say that while looking at my screen?'
'Huh? You were AFK yourself, chatting in an unrelated book club to slack off, give it back to me.'
Panda: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ You call this an 'unrelated book club'! Damn you…
Oh, right, isn't this group Cao Ge…
Forget it, I probably can't beat this guy's impenetrable face when it comes to thick skin. Panda rolled his eyes and said: 'You…'" "Haven't been here for a while. I thought your workouts were just a few days' enthusiasm that quickly faded. What brings you here today?"
"To test my mental strength. Is that machine fixed yet?" Panda perked up: "That's it? We'll be done quickly and leave tomorrow, right?"
Chu Ge said: "Since I'm already here, of course I'll work out for a bit before leaving."
Panda almost punched him in the face.
Chu Ge looked at him strangely: "Fatty, something's off today. You seem eager to get rid of me. Did you meet up with a girl? There's no need to hide it from me, brother. I'll check it out for you."
"No need..." "Alright." Panda said irritably, "As a Qiuqiu fan, I would never betray Qiuqiu." Chu Ge almost stumbled.
Seeing that he finally reacted, Panda's mood improved, and he said with a smile, "Go up and test it, I'll help you turn the instrument on and off." Panda wasn't quite sure why the machine broke down last time, and thought to himself that this guy was playing the invulnerable card game, and his mental strength was already at least one star... He, on the other hand, was a three-star expert; he'd see what kind of mental communication method he could use to torment him.
So he wouldn't update!
"Beep!" Panda started the instrument.
Chu Ge skillfully put on his helmet, this time with experience, knowing to focus his mental energy and avoid projecting it into the book's world, simply using his own mental power to resist the machine's electromagnetic pressure.
Panda watched in disbelief as the machine's stars lit up one after another.
Three stars, four stars, five stars… six and a half stars, almost seven stars before stopping.
Panda was dumbfounded.
This machine only measured twelve stars, meaning the strongest known mental power was twelve stars!
And this muscular brute had actually reached almost seven stars right before his eyes?
"How is it?" Chu Ge asked, removing his helmet… He took off his helmet and peered out: "Not even seven stars? Still a bit weak..." Panda's lips twitched, suppressing the urge to punch someone: "Yes, I still need to work harder. Maybe focusing on work increases mental strength?" Chu Ge wholeheartedly agreed: "Fatty, you're working so hard at gold farming, your mental strength must be very high, right?" Panda remained expressionless.
Just then, Zhong Yi arrived and pulled Chu Ge away upstairs: "Zhang Qiren has gone to Japan, did you know?"
Chu Ge nodded: "Yes, about the day before yesterday, he sent me a WeChat message before he left."
"Although the Wang family case..." "It's not over yet, but it's clear the tree has fallen and the monkeys have scattered. Now Zhang Qiren's brother, Zhang Xiaoren, is practically the local big boss, all the rage and incredibly powerful. Are you interested in getting to him?" Chu Ge sized up Zhong Yi: "Did you suggest Qiren go abroad?"
"Yes."
"To deal with the Zhang family later?"
"Not really... On the other hand, if the Zhang family falls, Zhang Qiren might actually escape unscathed abroad." Chu Ge thought for a moment, then sighed and said, "I won't get involved in this... Now Yueying is in Nanjiang. With her around, the Zhang family is nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs. It all depends on you..." "How far do you want to go?" Zhong Yi nodded: "Okay, you get some rest. I'll ask the others in the Black Room if they're interested in getting involved." Chu Ge said he could train since he was already there, but he didn't actually intend to train, so he was about to take his leave.
Suddenly, he remembered something and grabbed Zhong Yi, asking: "Are you familiar with the Mountain Stream Tea House?"
Zhong Yi was taken aback: "Yes, why?"
"Is it reliable? Is there anything wrong with it?"
"No..." Zhong Yi smiled: "This place is alright, a respectable business, I often buy tea there. The fact that you're asking this means you've discovered their teaware..." "Interesting, isn't it?"
"Yes." Chu Ge breathed a sigh of relief. The mountain stream teahouse belonged to Zhu Mengmeng, Qiu Wuji's friend. Since the items sold there were imbued with spiritual energy, Chu Ge was a little uneasy, always worried that it might be some kind of shady character.
Zhong Yi was, after all, an unofficial member of the official staff, so his words reassured him somewhat.
So, that runaway woman was causing Dad a lot of trouble.
Hurry up and go home!
Chu Ge rode his electric scooter home, pondering that Panda's grief and indignation were premature. Actually, Chu Ge wasn't out slacking off; He wanted to test his mental strength, and also get some fresh air. Writing can't be done sitting in front of a computer all the time.
He did need to conceive a new volume's plot, revolving around the changes in the Nine Provinces' power structure after Yan Qianlie's defeat. In the short term, it would be a massive upheaval of righteous forces suppressing demons and demons rising up in resistance. There would be many stories, with Chu Tiange and others making significant contributions, and a group of demonic heroes emerging—a true ensemble piece.
Chu Ge got home, opened his document, briefly organized the plot and key points, and then started thinking about Qiuqiu again.
This new... A significant change in this volume's plot compared to the previous one is the reduction in Qiu Wuji's screen time.
She's now a high-ranking overlord, requiring less screen time, a character of legendary status.
Of course, she'll still occasionally make appearances, otherwise her fans would rebel. Her main role is that she needs the final piece of the Four Symbols Formation: the White Tiger's fangs.
The Black Tortoise armor plates belong to Qiu Wuji herself, the Azure Dragon scales were obtained during the battle with the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord in the Ten Thousand Snake Cave, and the Vermilion Bird Fire Feathers were recently acquired. The Four Symbols Formation only lacks the White Tiger's fangs, which are rumored to be the key element.
This item... The whereabouts of the item remain unknown, making it Qiu Wuji's primary objective for the foreseeable future. Of course, Chu Ge knows where the item is, but he doesn't want her to see this outline; otherwise, she could simply grab what she's looking for, completely disrupting the plot…
Furthermore, Chu Ge doesn't want to show her much of the plot in the future.
The battle with Yan Qianlie served as a wake-up call for Chu Ge.
Perhaps Qiu Wuji doesn't possess the blind confidence of "I'll definitely win if he writes it," and he's still quite serious in battle, but he inevitably carries a sense of "I've seen it all; I'm very familiar with his tricks." If any unexpected plot twists occur, like that white flame, it will catch her completely off guard. This kind of pitfall is easy to fall into again in the future because it's a matter of human nature… It's best to eliminate that possibility and prevent her from seeing it again.
Fortunately, the previous outline revision didn't properly organize most things, so this is essentially a rewrite. Qiu Wuji still doesn't know most things, so let her remain ignorant. Encrypt the document and forbid her from seeing it again.
And with Qiu Wuji's reduced screen time, it means she can spend more time here.
Hehe.
Plan works.
Die-hard tsundere girl. "Come back soon, I miss you..." Chu Ge finished organizing the documents, closed his eyes, and tried the Heaven-Shattering Earth-Shattering Technique again to locate Qiu Wuji's position.
Blood and fire illuminated the sky, the shouts of battle, curses, and screams fading into the distance. Chu Ge's consciousness swept across indifferently, like the ever-flowing Dao of Heaven, watching the joys and sorrows of all beings without a ripple.
His consciousness traversed mountains and rivers, entered the shadowy Cloud Ridge Mountain, passed through green hills and clear waters, and arrived at Qiu Wuji's secret chamber.
Qiu Wuji suddenly opened her eyes, her slender hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of her sword.
Then she watched helplessly as Chu Ge's illusory figure appeared... The two now stared at each other in bewilderment.
"It's you…" Qiu Wuji sneered.
"Going home." — Tiandao.
Qiu Wuji shoved Tiandao's illusory figure aside, her sword sheath lashing out at his backside with a series of sharp slaps: "Serves you right for spying on me!" Chu Ge, stunned by the preemptive strike, yelled, "Yan Qianlie is disrespectful to Tiandao? The one who most blasphemes against Tiandao in this world is clearly you, Qiu Wuji!" Enraged, Chu Ge had a sudden thought, trying to see if he could neutralize the laws of this space.
Qiu Wuji's eyes widened; she realized her hand, which had been slapping him, had suddenly lost its strength. The heavens, in a dramatic reversal, slammed down on the once-mighty Sect Master Qiu, his massive hand striking with a resounding "smack!"
The echo of the "smack" was crisp and clear, the sound rippling and bouncing.
The air fell silent instantly, both men frozen in place.
After several seconds, Chu Ge cautiously removed his hand from the spot, coughing dryly, and asked, "So, do you think it's better to hide here, or outside?"
Qiu Wuji flew into a rage.
The next moment, Chu Ge, sitting in front of the computer, had his ear grabbed: "You actually dared to spank me! You're disgusting!"