Making My Own Galgame

Her gaze instinctively fell on the still-glowing token in Gu Chengming's hand.

Oh.

Now she remembered.

That was her personal token, with the highest authority to bypass the formations around her cave abode.

She reacted with incredible speed, adjusting her demeanor almost instantly.

She hurriedly smoothed her hair, then sat upright and put on her usual cool, detached expression.

With a swift flick of her right hand, the storybook that had flown away vanished in an instant, tucked into her Storage Ring.

Then she gave a light cough and spoke as steadily as she could:

"What brought you here?"

Though she appeared calm on the surface, Yu Wenqiu was so mortified inside that she wanted to bang her head against the wall.

She had finally found an excuse to skip work and spend a lovely afternoon lounging at home, only to forget about the token and get caught red-handed in her own house!

There was nothing shameful about reading storybooks, but it would still sound rather bad if word got out.

And besides... the storybook she had been reading was one of those widely circulated in the marketplaces, popular tales about the tangled romances of talented scholars and beautiful women. It even had a few scenes that weren't suitable for children.

If people found out, how could she go on being a Sect Elder?!

Gu Chengming pretended not to have seen her panic. He raised the token in his hand and smiled.

"Your disciple has finished redeeming a Cultivation Method and has come to return the token and thank you, Elder."

Yu Wenqiu breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he was only here to return the token.

She took it from him and asked with feigned composure, "Mm. Since you're here, I might as well ask: what Cultivation Method did you choose?"

Gu Chengming answered honestly, "To reply to Elder, your disciple chose a copy of Hundred Bones Echoes."

"Hundred Bones Echoes?"

Yu Wenqiu paused, puzzled. Why had he chosen such an obscure Body Refining Technique?

That thing was famous for being torturous. Most people couldn't keep practicing it.

But with her mind full of ways to get rid of him as quickly as possible, she didn't dwell on it. She merely nodded.

"Mm. Body Refining is hard, but it's good for building a solid foundation. Since you've chosen it, practice diligently and don't give up halfway."

With that, she lifted a nonexistent teacup, making a show of seeing him off.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries. Yu Wenqiu's eyes kept wandering, and it was clear she had no interest in chatting with him. She only wanted to hurry back and continue reading.

Gu Chengming suddenly asked, "By the way, when your disciple rudely interrupted you just now, Elder Yu seemed engrossed in reading... May I ask what sort of storybook you were reading?"

"!!"

The nonexistent teacup in Yu Wenqiu's hand nearly fell to the ground. She sprang upright, eyes darting as she stammered out a denial.

"You must have seen wrong. I was practicing a special Cultivation Method!"

Even she didn't believe that kind of "the silver's buried right here" excuse.

Gu Chengming seemed to have anticipated her reaction. He didn't call her out, but smiled and went along with it.

"I see. This disciple's eyes must have deceived him. But..."

He paused, then changed the subject.

"I also wanted to thank you for your generous help last time. If you hadn't kindly helped me out, I might never have gotten this Cultivation Method."

"If Elder Yu ever wants a change of pace after your usual cultivation, and feels like reading a storybook to pass the time... I happen to have a few Unique Copies that aren't sold in the marketplaces. I could bring them to you to look over."

"Unique Copies?!"

Yu Wenqiu's eyes lit up at those two words.

Ordinary storybooks were easy enough to find in the Mortal World beyond Wenjian Sect.

The problem was, as a Sect Elder, she had no good reason to go down the mountain. And she couldn't very well ask a disciple to buy such things for her; it would ruin her image.

Whenever she wanted to "restock," she had to sneakily disguise herself, dress up as an ordinary Rogue Cultivator, and slip down the mountain.

It was a hassle, and she had to stay on guard the whole time in case someone recognized her.

Now that she'd heard Gu Chengming had some "private stock," and Unique Copies that couldn't be found on the market at that, she was instantly intrigued. Her embarrassment had already flown to the ends of the earth.

But she soon realized she'd let her excitement show.

"Ahem!"

Yu Wenqiu coughed hard twice, trying to salvage a little of her dignity as a Sect Elder.

"Mm... Well, the Cultivation Method I've been practicing recently has indeed reached a bottleneck. I need to enter the Mortal World and undergo the Mortal Tribulation. But I've lived in the mountains for so long that I've long since forgotten the Aura of the Mortal World. I hadn't expected these mortal storybooks to contain such profound truths of the Mortal World, enough to help me catch a glimpse of them."

She glanced at Gu Chengming and spoke as if the matter were of little importance.

"...If you really do have some, you can bring them here. I suppose I can look them over for you."

Gu Chengming watched her try so hard to hide how much she wanted them behind a heap of excuses.

Elder Yu really was surprisingly easy to read.

He cupped his hands and replied, "Yes, this disciple understands."

Then he tactfully took his leave, no longer disturbing the Elder's "cultivation."

As he walked out of the courtyard, he faintly heard a sigh of relief behind him, followed by the sound of something heavy dropping back onto a hammock.

Homemade GALGAME

To be honest, Gu Chengming didn't actually have even half a storybook in his hands.

But writing storybooks wasn't really difficult for him.

After all, the world he'd lived in during his previous life had an immensely developed culture industry. Novels, comics, games, and movies had flourished in every direction, full of wild ideas.

Compared with the relatively limited, formulaic storybooks of this world, the tales in his head were practically an attack from a higher dimension.

He had always been a man who kept score, giving kindness for kindness and grudges for grudges.

Since she had helped him when he was down, even if it had been no more than a casual gesture, he had to acknowledge the debt. Naturally, he ought to give something in return.

And besides...

Gu Chengming stroked his chin as an interesting idea suddenly came to him.

Since she liked storybooks so much, might she also like GALGAME?

Think about it: weren't these so-called traditional storybooks just low-spec GALGAMEs without choices, interaction, or anything but a single, linear plot?

If he could create an "Interactive Storybook" with branching choices and multiple endings, maybe he'd gain a fellow fan.

The idea immediately excited Gu Chengming.

Coming up with a story that suited this world's tastes while incorporating elements of GALGAME would be easy for him.

With that in mind, Gu Chengming hurried back to his room, laid out paper and brush, and began planning.

He decided to start with a relatively safe story that could still showcase its "interactivity."

The protagonist would be a Servant Disciple of low birth who accidentally obtained a mysterious Ancient Ring. Living inside it was the Remnant Soul of a powerful being who had lost its body.

As the story unfolded, the protagonist would face all sorts of choices. When bullied by members of the sect, would he swallow his anger or borrow the Remnant Soul's power to strike back? While exploring a secret realm, would he save an injured junior sister or keep the treasure for himself?

Each choice would lead to a different branch of the story and might even affect the ending.

Gu Chengming wrote furiously, vivid characters and turbulent scenes pouring from his brush.

But just as he reached the protagonist's first major choice—

"Should he accept the Remnant Soul's bargain and trade ten years of his life for a burst of power?"

The Clear Heart Art, which had been dormant inside him, suddenly stirred.

[The Clear Heart Art quietly watched you plan your storybook.]

[It had only glanced over out of boredom, but unexpectedly found itself drawn into the story you were writing.]

[It was quite interested in the tsundere Remnant Soul character, sensing a hint of kindred spirit in it.]

[Your mind suddenly cleared, as though a sweet, cold spring had flowed through your heart. Your tangled thoughts fell neatly into place, and your mind became calmer than ever.]

[The Clear Heart Art automatically completed one cycle.]

[Clear Heart Art Favorability +2]

"Hm?"

Gu Chengming stopped writing, surprised by the change within him.

There were benefits like that?

He hadn't expected that this little book, written to repay a debt of gratitude, could also help him win over the aloof Clear Heart Art.

As the Clear Heart Art circulated on its own, Gu Chengming felt his thoughts grow astonishingly clear.

The parts where he'd been stuck now felt as if someone had opened up his Ren and Du meridians. Inspiration gushed forth like a spring.

It was as if someone had given him an "Inspiration Buff." The words came naturally, and he couldn't stop writing.

The next few days were exceptionally productive for Gu Chengming.

He practiced the Huiyuan Sword Art at the Training Ground as usual during the day, then returned to write storybooks by lamplight late into the night.

His schedule was packed, but he didn't feel tired at all. If anything, he was full of energy.

He had the Clear Heart Art to thank for that.

Whenever Gu Chengming reached an exciting part or came up with a clever twist, the Clear Heart Art would circulate on its own like an eager fan following a story, bubbling with excitement.

Cool currents of energy flowed through his body, instantly dispelling his fatigue and keeping him at his sharpest and most alert.

He never experienced the mental exhaustion, dizziness, or muddled thoughts that usually came from staying up late to write.

As a result, the first part of the storybook turned out exceptionally well.

In just a few days, Gu Chengming had finished the first volume's initial draft.

It covered the protagonist obtaining his Golden Finger, making his first impression, and facing his first Life and Death Crisis.

Of course, to capture the essence of GALGAME, Gu Chengming had placed three different choices at key moments.

Though the limits of paper meant he had to write the three branches in separate booklets, making what was essentially a "Single-Path GAL," it was still an incredibly novel format in this world.

After writing the final character, Gu Chengming let out a long breath and put down his brush.

At that moment, another prompt appeared in his mind:

[The Clear Heart Art finished reading the entire first volume.]

[It thought your story was incredibly interesting, especially the design that let readers choose their own fates. It was a stroke of genius.]

[It was reluctant to stop and couldn't wait to find out what fate awaited the protagonist after he made his choice.]

[The Clear Heart Art urged you to hurry up and write the rest of the story. Don't leave it on a cliffhanger.]

[Clear Heart Art Favorability +5]

Gu Chengming glanced at his panel.

With the first part of the storybook complete, the Clear Heart Art's Favorability had quietly reached 20 points.

It still needed another 10 points to reach "Friendly."

But before starting on the second part, he needed to take the finished first part to his real "client," Elder Yu Wenqiu, and let her look it over.

After all, that had been the reason he'd written the storybook in the first place.

As for the Clear Heart Art...

It didn't seem to object.

It had been the first to finish the initial draft and had enjoyed the privilege of reading it before anyone else.

Now it only wanted to see the second part as soon as possible. It didn't care at all about the little matter of Gu Chengming showing the book to someone else.