Silence Spoke Louder Than Words

"I heard that constable tell his subordinate that espers who want to live normal lives should be protected." Qiu Wuji appeared beside Chu Ge and accompanied him home, saying softly, "Your country has quite a human touch."

Those words dispelled most of Chu Ge's earlier worries. In good spirits, he laughed. "Of course. We call that putting people first. It makes sense, really. Most abilities aren't necessarily dangerous, and most people prefer a comfortable life. It's perfectly normal to want to live in peace. There's no need to make a big deal of it."

"Mm... their cultivation is strange. It's as though they train a single unusual power rather than follow a systematic path."

Superpowers and immortal cultivation were different, of course... but Chu Ge spotted the key point in her words. "They can train their powers?"

"Yes. There are obvious signs of training. The same ability can vary enormously in strength. Passing through a wooden door is different from passing through a wall, and the thickness of steel one can pass through matters too. At a certain level, an ability like that could undergo a qualitative change. For instance-ignoring defenses? Merging with the five elements? Those are all possible directions."

Chu Ge looked thoughtful. "Seems this so-called spiritual energy awakening has been going on for a while. A framework is already taking shape."

Qiu Wuji turned to look at him, then suddenly smiled. "Have you considered that you might have unknowingly awakened a power yourself?"

Chu Ge paused. "Could it be... manifesting my imagination?"

Qiu Wuji shook her head. "There's no way to know. If that really is your ability... would that not be the power of a god? It lies beyond my understanding, so I dare not speculate. Once you begin cultivating and can sense and control your own power, perhaps you'll know for certain."

"Mm." Chu Ge sighed. "But that sounds like it'll take forever. Forget getting started-I haven't even met the physical requirements yet. Getting into shape won't happen overnight."

Qiu Wuji lightly bit her lower lip and walked with her head lowered, offering no reply.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Chu Ge failed to notice anything unusual about her. Before long, they returned to the apartment. He glanced at the door across the hall and murmured, "That neighbor..."

Qiu Wuji said coldly, "Her ability can kill. It's no ordinary power, and now someone has their eye on her. She may bring us trouble. I'm wondering whether I should force her to leave..."

Chu Ge hesitated, recalling what Zhang Qiren had said: she had tried being a gaming streamer, but failed.

Perhaps she was someone who wanted an ordinary life too. She simply hadn't succeeded.

He sighed softly and lowered his voice. "It would be better if she left. But we should be strategic about it. If you go force her out, won't you expose your own extraordinary abilities? Then you'd have to wipe her memory again or something."

Qiu Wuji pondered for a moment and found it a headache too. "It really is awkward to handle... perhaps we should watch for now and wait for an opportunity?"

"Mm. It's not as if people will stumble into the wrong apartment every time. In theory, it's none of our business anyway." Chu Ge stopped dwelling on it and opened the door.

Once they entered the apartment and closed the door, both quickly felt as though all the turmoil outside had been shut away. Chu Ge exhaled contentedly and smiled. "That's what home feels like."

Qiu Wuji smiled faintly.

"It's still early. I'll write first, then exercise."

"Wait." Qiu Wuji asked, "First, teach me how to look up recipes or livestreams that teach cooking."

"Oh, I'll teach you to use Thousand Search first. From now on, you can search for any unfamiliar terms too. Like this..." Chu Ge leaned close to her, opened the laptop, and typed in "Qiu Wuji."

The first page displayed several poems containing those words, including the complete poem with the line, "Water follows the heavens into boundless autumn."

Qiu Wuji's beautiful eyes shone as she read.

This was truly a supreme magical treasure. Even the cultivation world had nothing like it.

You had something like this and never told me? I thought your computer was only for writing books! If I'd had this sooner, it would have saved me so much blind guessing!

Then again, they hadn't had the means before. His computer was his everyday tool, and he sat there all day as though he had put down roots. He couldn't spare it. Only now had things improved.

Chu Ge demonstrated a few more searches, such as, "How do you make egg fried rice?"

A whole host of results appeared instantly, along with video tutorials.

"This is practically a divine artifact." Qiu Wuji was delighted.

Chu Ge warned her, "Don't believe everything you find here. It isn't authoritative, just information from different people. Use it as a reference."

Qiu Wuji said, "I can judge for myself."

Chu Ge gave her a doubtful look before moving on to the next lesson. "For livestreams or videos... hmm, let's start with Little Bilibili. See, you do this..."

Qiu Wuji sat in front of the computer while Chu Ge stood close beside her, teaching her. They were so near that each could smell the other's scent.

Yet neither seemed particularly conscious of it. Being this close already felt perfectly normal.

Even Qiu Wuji's reason for looking up recipes had become rather odd by now. She had given Chu Ge all the money she had seized. Not only had she paid for several months of room and board, she had fully repaid the cost of her phone and computer too. She no longer needed to cook for him in lieu of rent.

But both of them had forgotten that.

Only after the lesson ended and Chu Ge returned to his room to write did he realize that their positions had offered a perfect chance to sneak in a little contact. He could have held her hand to guide the mouse, for instance. With her attention on learning, she might not even have noticed...

Ugh, I'm such an idiot.

Meanwhile, Qiu Wuji watched Chu Ge leave, opened the search bar, and thought for a long while. Her first search wasn't for recipes. Instead, she slowly typed with one finger, "Can WeChat transfers leave no trail?"

The results made her frown. They only explained how to delete traces from a phone, not how to prevent the police from investigating through other means. It seemed best to trust Chu Ge. Most likely, the transfers could be traced.

There went her source of income.

After thinking for a moment, she entered another query: "What should I do if the female lead comes out of my book?"

The first result was the very same question posted by an anonymous user, without a single word changed.

The most upvoted reply beneath it read: "Fifty yuan, shipping included, and I'll take her off your hands."

The anonymous poster seemed to have lost his cool and replied, "Do you cut keys? Because you're not worthy of a damn thing."

Qiu Wuji checked when the question had been posted, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upward.

That anonymous poster was probably writing in the room next door. Just look at how worked up he had gotten.

It turned out they could cross paths here too.

She thought again, then searched for one last thing: "Where is the Divine Miracle Nightclub?"

She had extracted that name from the Wall-Passer's mind. Even Chu Ge had no idea when she had done it.

Thousand Search Maps displayed an address in the same city, and Qiu Wuji silently committed it to memory.

Chu Ge wasn't keen on her getting involved in such matters. Then she wouldn't go there directly. Surely she could find a suitable opportunity to discreetly investigate a little.

Still, this computer was fascinating. It truly was like a kaleidoscope containing all the myriad worlds.

Qiu Wuji eagerly scrolled down the page, her eyes gradually growing fixed.

Because her search terms included "nightclub," some very strange things appeared on the page. Sex slaves, training, and the like-all terms used by demonic sects.

This really was a demonic realm.

For some inexplicable reason, Qiu Wuji clicked one. An enormous security warning popped up on the screen, frightening her into closing the entire browser. Surely the computer wouldn't burn up?

Never mind. She would watch cooking videos instead.

Qiu Wuji opened the video website and searched for a video. As she watched, she began to stare blankly again.

Why were they all wearing bikinis in these videos?

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Are you really teaching people to cook? Honestly...

Qiu Wuji watched the video, her gaze wandering, her thoughts drifting who knew where.

Perhaps someone like him, accustomed to living in this environment, really did find all this perfectly normal...

Early evening.

Chu Ge wrote another chapter and a half, then came out to stretch, planning to go for another run.

He had already run that morning. Since he had only just resumed exercising, he probably shouldn't run too much, but the moment he had free time, he still wanted to keep training, regardless of whether it would help.

He supposed he felt a sense of urgency now.

He took off his outer shirt and was about to step onto the treadmill when he suddenly noticed something was off.

It was past five. Was Qiu Wuji still in her room?

As though she had heard him moving around outside, Qiu Wuji hurried out, looking a little flustered. "Ah, I lost track of time. I should make dinner."

Chu Ge smiled understandingly. Everyone had been there. "Who would've thought our Sect Master Qiu would get so absorbed in the internet that she couldn't tear herself away?"

"Who says I did?" Qiu Wuji stubbornly denied it. "I was merely learning a few more dishes."

"Sure, sure." Chu Ge smiled. "I look forward to trying your new skills."

Qiu Wuji hesitated. "You're running again?"

"Yes. I feel like time waits for no one."

"Has the soreness gone away?"

"No. It's worse."

Qiu Wuji pressed her lips together and fell silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Don't run. Come sit here."

Chu Ge: "?"

Qiu Wuji said calmly, "I'll treat you and improve your circulation."

Chu Ge: "!!!"

"What's with that expression?" Qiu Wuji said stiffly. "You feel a sense of urgency. Do you think I don't? In fact, the progress you were worrying about earlier can be accelerated considerably. Not only can I heal you and improve your circulation, I can also open your eight extraordinary meridians and nourish your internal organs. You could begin cultivating straightaway. It's only a mortal body. How much effort could conditioning it possibly take?"

Chu Ge gaped. "Then why did you make me run and exercise for two whole days..."

Qiu Wuji turned her head aside. "I intended for you to start from the beginning and build a solid foundation. If it comes too easily, you may become impatient and flighty, which would harm your state of mind later."

Chu Ge glared at her in exasperation for a long while, then suddenly thought of something and asked, "Would it shorten the time you can stay in this world?"

Qiu Wuji froze, then forced herself to say, "No."

"Don't hide it from me. It definitely would." Chu Ge turned to leave. "Forget it. I don't want it. I'll train on my own."

"You're so tiresome!" Qiu Wuji suddenly flew into a rage. She grabbed Chu Ge, flipped him over, straddled him, and gave him a beating. "Keep pretending! You clearly want it, yet you insist on looking so righteous! I don't want you playing the good guy! Saying one thing and meaning another is the most irritating thing of all!"

"Holy shit, help! Ow, ow, ow!"

Her delicate fists rained down on his back, then, at some point, became slender palms gently stroking him.

His cries of pain gradually turned into moans.

Vast, pure immortal spiritual energy seeped through his skin in fine threads, soothing his muscles, smoothing his meridians, and regulating his organs.

Chu Ge felt as though he were immersed in the Immortal Realm's Jade Pool, so comfortable that he floated among the clouds, ready to ascend to heaven.

To be fair, there really wasn't much suggestive about it. A balloon picture would have been racier... even a visit to a legitimate massage parlor involved more provocative contact. But intimacy existed in the heart.

Dusk deepened. With no lights on, the room held only a man and a woman, their figures dim in the fading light.

Her fair hands gently caressed his bare back, her subtle fragrance quietly stirring the senses.

In that moment, silence spoke louder than words.

The City Bureau.

Lin Wuyang, who had been working overtime until now, stood up to stretch. A knock came from outside his door. "Hello, Section Chief Lin. I'm Gu Ruoyan."

"Come in, President Gu." Looking relaxed, Lin Wuyang handed her a printed document. "The materials you requested are mostly complete. I've already sent the electronic copy to your email."

"Thank you very much. I appreciate your hard work, Section Chief Lin."

"It's part of the job. Once your editorial office finishes compiling the registry, it will also serve as an important reference for our internal records."

Gu Ruoyan examined the document in her hands, then suddenly smiled. "Surely there's still an omission here, Section Chief Lin?"

Lin Wuyang replied frankly, "We can't possibly know everything. We happened to catch the Wall-Passer today and pried the identities and abilities of some of his accomplices out of him. That was enough to give you a reasonably complete report. Learning more will take long, painstaking work, and new people could appear at any time."

Gu Ruoyan shook her head with a smile. "I don't mean them. I never expected a complete account of those people."

Lin Wuyang asked curiously, "Then what do you mean?"

Gu Ruoyan smiled. "You yourself, Section Chief Lin."

Lin Wuyang: "Uh..."

Gu Ruoyan picked up the pen on the desk and added a section at the bottom of the document.

Esper Registry:

Name: Lin Wuyang.

Position: Section chief of the Nanjiang City Bureau Special Affairs Section.

Ability: Forced truth-when activated, it makes the other person speak the truth.

Development level: Minimal.

Type: Support.

Potential assessment (provisional): B.

This chapter ran longer... there really won't be any more today, sob...

(End of chapter)