Chu Ge's face turned a deep purple.
Yep, that really was why I wrote you. There might even be an explicit side story someday.
Because I originally projected myself into the protagonist. I was the one who wanted to do that with you.
Even if she beat me to death over it, I couldn't claim I was innocent.
But now... I can't project myself into him anymore.
He couldn't feel that protagonist's joys and sorrows, or any of his sensations, while Qiu Wuji stood before him, alive and real. The two experiences weren't remotely on the same level.
Now, if I were to write you doing that, your partner could only be the Father God who created you...
Those thoughts flashed through Chu Ge's mind, but of course he didn't dare say them aloud. He instantly assumed an air of righteous indignation. "What are you talking about? Look, I've already written two or three hundred chapters. Have there been any scenes like that? I'm a staunch writer of pure romance. There are just a few more romantic partners, that's all! I firmly condemn this sort of smut!"
Qiu Wuji stared coldly at him, not believing a single word. And since when was having "a few more partners" something to proclaim so proudly? Suppressing the urge to punch him in the face, she said coolly, "I think I can go out for a walk. I don't have to sit here foolishly waiting for you to explain everything. If I look and listen enough, I'll understand naturally."
Expressionless, Chu Ge closed the steamy movie and clicked on an absurd anti-Japanese war drama at random.
Boom! The flames of an artillery bombardment cast a red glow into Qiu Wuji's eyes.
Her pupils contracted slightly. "This... is this acting, or...?"
"It's acting, but things like this really do happen. And this is only depicting a war from years ago. Today's magical artifacts are much more vicious. So, do you still think you're strong enough to run roughshod over this world?" Chu Ge said helplessly. "You might fare a little better if your original body came over, but even then, fitting into the world normally would be difficult. You'd probably have to hide in some mountain and cultivate in seclusion. With this split-off soul of yours, and the way you don't fit in anywhere, I'm afraid one slipup will get you arrested as a walking five hundred thousand. By then, it'll be too late even to cry."
"What is a walking five hundred thousand?"
"A spy. An infiltrator. You understand those, right?"
Qiu Wuji understood. So this world also had wars between different nations.
She grew a little worried.
As Chu Ge had said, she was completely out of place here. Didn't that make her look exactly like a spy? If her original body came over, her cultivation would allow her to roam the skies without fear, but what could she do with this body? If one of those steel cannon barrels fired at her, she really might not withstand it...
The Heavenly Realm really is the Heavenly Realm. Even without spiritual energy, it's this powerful.
Chu Ge sneaked a glance at her. Had his bluff worked? How was she to know that cannons weren't used willy-nilly? Never mind cannons-ordinary police officers generally didn't even carry guns, and even those with guns had no ammunition.
Then again, it wasn't entirely a bluff. If things really escalated, she genuinely wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"Hah!" On the television, a burly man grabbed a Japanese soldier and ripped him in two with a sharp tearing sound, sending blood spraying everywhere.
Qiu Wuji's eyes widened. She instinctively took half a step back and nearly adopted a defensive stance.
Magical artifacts are one thing, but their physical cultivation is this powerful too?
This world is terrifying!
What's even more terrifying is that you're tearing people apart just to put on a show! And considering how you let people watch you casually have sex, is this the Immortal Realm or the Demon Realm?
Chu Ge glanced at her expression and could barely keep himself from laughing. All of a sudden, she was adorable...
"That's right. Immortal or demon, it's only a thought apart. You can think of this place as the Demon Realm." With a perfectly straight face, Chu Ge told her, "It's dangerous outside. Don't wander around with your current body. We can talk about that when your original body gets here." Qiu Wuji very much wanted to declare that she had nothing to fear, but in the end, the words never left her lips. She only said, "I don't want to watch this anymore. I want to read history."
I'll first learn how this world came to be. That's called knowing yourself and your enemy.
You can tear people in half. Do you think I can't?
Stubborn tsundere... Chu Ge saw right through her little scheme, but naturally didn't expose her. He sat back down at the computer and searched for Five Thousand Years of Chinese History, figuring it would be suitable for giving Qiu Wuji a basic understanding. The results all seemed to cost money. Chu Ge sighed. Copyright protection was getting better and better for everything these days, so why couldn't webnovels get the same treatment?
He was perfectly happy to pay for it, though. He opened a used-book website and ordered a set, adding a set of A Brief History of China while he was at it. "We'll have to wait for the books to arrive. That'll probably take two or three days. Nothing we can do for now."
Qiu Wuji watched him work with curiosity. "Doing that gets someone to deliver books to you? Sending thoughts over ten thousand miles? Delivering messages by flying sword?"
"No... well, it's the Demon Realm, right? Of course it has its peculiarities." Something suddenly occurred to Chu Ge, and he asked, "Can you memorize a book's contents with a sweep of your divine sense now? Technically, your cultivation is at Qi Refining. Normal Qi Refining cultivators haven't developed divine sense yet, but you had divine sense before you formed your body, so I don't know how that works."
"If there aren't too many words, I should be able to." Qiu Wuji asked curiously, "Why do you ask?"
Of course, Chu Ge wanted her to stay a little longer, leaning against the windowsill and leisurely reading a book. If she finished it with one sweep of her divine sense, wouldn't that ruin the mood?
At that thought, Chu Ge's gaze began to wander.
It was almost one in the morning. A man and a woman, alone together in an apartment.
She wasn't watching the movie anymore, and the books he had just ordered hadn't been shipped yet. With such a long night ahead, what were they supposed to do?
Qiu Wuji glanced sideways at him with her beautiful eyes, a faint, knowing smile on her face.
Chu Ge shrank back awkwardly, telling himself to forget about the long night. But if she really could stay for a while... wouldn't this two-bedroom apartment be just right?
Oddball, this really isn't me ditching the old for the new...
Then Qiu Wuji said, "Skimming it all in one gulp like that would defeat the purpose of reading history. Once the books arrive, I'll read them slowly... I see you have a spare room here. I'll stay here for the next few days... hm, sorry for the trouble."
??? You can even answer before I ask now?
Chu Ge was both delighted and puzzled.
From what he knew of her, she shouldn't be this proactive about sharing a home with a man. He had thought he would have to talk himself hoarse persuading her. What had gotten into her? Was her earlier remark, "If I'm going to find someone, it should be the Creator God," taking effect? Or was he just that devastatingly handsome?
A mischievous glint flashed through Qiu Wuji's eyes. Finally, you failed to guess what I was thinking for once, didn't you?
This time, I'm the one who can read you... With those little schemes of yours, you want me to stay here with you, don't you? You're working out how to coax me into it right now, aren't you?
What is there to coax? What's wrong with staying here? We'd only be in neighboring rooms, not the same one. How is that so different from staying in adjacent rooms at an inn? It's only a matter of what's in people's hearts.
Besides, I'm not afraid of you. You're not the one who can tear people in half. If you dare get handsy, I'll beat you to death.
She said serenely, "What is that expression for? Those who cultivate the Dao have no concern for affairs between men and women. If not for a certain lecherous Father God secretly pulling the strings, I, Qiu Wuji, would have had only the gentle breeze as my companion and the bright moon as my partner. Now we're merely living in neighboring rooms, each pursuing our own path, with clear hearts and open minds. Why should that trouble us?"
With that, she walked straight into the second bedroom.
Chu Ge called after her, "There's no bedding in there."
But Qiu Wuji sat cross-legged on the bare bed, closed her eyes, and entered meditation without another word.
Dazed, Chu Ge returned to his own room, gave himself a quick wash, and flopped onto the bed.
His mind kept turning over the fact that a breathtakingly beautiful woman was living with him, right next door... The heat stirring inside him was simply beyond words.
Fine, you're pure and openhearted, and I'm a filthy creep. Happy now?
Still, how long has it even been, and I already can't predict what she's thinking? Is my skill lacking, my conception of her not complete enough? Or is a woman's heart a needle at the bottom of the sea, something a male author can never fully grasp?
Chu Ge tossed and turned all night, losing sleep once again.
For the first time in his life, Chu Ge was "living together" with a woman-and she was the heroine he had written.
Thanks to Letters and White Doves for the 10,000 tip, and Reader151226154506050 for the 1,500 tip~
(End of chapter)
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