Seeking High and Low

Night had fully fallen, and neon lights lit up the entire city.

Chu Ge lay alone on the sofa, face down. He had not moved in an hour.

Qiu Wuji had disappeared.

She had already stayed a long time on this visit and was probably on the verge of returning anyway. After pouring out so much magical power to cleanse and strengthen Chu Ge's physique, she naturally could not remain any longer.

She had been straddling him when she abruptly vanished, leaving her underwear and stockings scattered across his back. Her bra landed right over the back of his head. The sight was utterly ridiculous.

But Chu Ge was in no mood to find any of it funny.

Inside him, the circulation through his meridians that Qiu Wuji had guided him through before leaving still continued. That wisp of magical power remained in his body like a fuse, slowly traveling through his meridians. It felt so real.

It also marked the beginning of Chu Ge's cultivation.

He could actually practice a cultivation method he had made up out of thin air-he had only invented a name and its effects, then copied a few lines from Daoist scriptures as filler. The world had developed and perfected it on its own, turning it into a genuine method.

Qiu Wuji's cultivation leaned somewhat toward sword cultivation, supplemented by mystic arts, making it considerably more comprehensive than that of other sects specializing in particular fields. In the book's original setting, her sect had stood for ten thousand years, and Qiu Wuji herself had swept across the world. Over the ages, the Scripture Pavilion had amassed countless new techniques created by the sect's successive generations of geniuses, as well as all sorts of useful knowledge from elsewhere. This foundation had originally been established for the protagonist's convenience.

Now it seemed he was the one reaping all the benefits.

Superpowers like walking through walls were merely individual special abilities. Put plainly, they could be considered a single mystic art of the Immortal Dao... practicing just one mystic art...

Perhaps some individual abilities were extraordinarily powerful. If there really was an ability to manifest anything one imagined, for instance, that would be more badass than any immortal technique.

But overall, however he looked at it, it felt like... if he had an entire cow, they only had a single hair, or at most a horn. Something like that.

This was not an ordinary person encountering a supernatural world. It seemed to be the opposite.

He alone possessed a cultivation path.

He could imagine Qiu Wuji's disdain. She did not think much of other people's isolated abilities at all. The fact that she had not charged straight into the wall-walker's hideout really was a concession to his wish to avoid trouble.

He just did not know how far the spiritual energy in the real world could support his cultivation. He did not expect to reach Qiu Wuji's level, but if his cultivation advanced, would his influence over the world in the book become more controllable?

For example, could he force Qiu Wuji to stay here forever?

Having grown increasingly accustomed to her presence, Chu Ge now hated these separations more and more. Even more frightening was the thought that she might leave and never return.

Because that was entirely possible.

Why did Qiu Wuji want to come to this world? To understand a completely new world, something immensely tempting to a cultivator at the very pinnacle.

But what about when she became increasingly familiar with it, until she was no different from a modern person?

Would she still have any reason to stay here? This was only a world with sparse spiritual energy. However captivating it might be, it surely could not mean as much to her as a true place of cultivation.

For the first time, Chu Ge began to regret helping her understand the world so selflessly. Perhaps he should have made her take it slower, much slower...

He stared blankly into space for a long, long time before finally grabbing the bra off the back of his head and getting to his feet.

Of course I can't do that. It's precisely because I treat her with goodwill that she responds in kind.

She knows.

Chu Ge let out a breath. This time, he did not wash her clothes for her. He carefully gathered them up and put them in her room.

I haven't eaten today... don't want to. Time to write!

Make her even more badass!

Ten thousand words today!

Inside the world of the book.

Qiu Wuji stood by the window, gazing at the moon.

This was her favorite pose, the loveliest scene decreed by Chu Ge's pen.

But today, she stood there for only a few seconds before suddenly turning away and sitting at the table to brew a pot of Immortal Tea.

It was as if she deliberately wanted to distinguish herself from the Qiu Wuji he wrote. Chu Ge's worries were not unfounded. Her return this time had, in fact, been somewhat intentional.

No matter how many excuses she found-"the situation was urgent," "it was only to heal him," "there was nothing improper about it"-the fact remained that willingly allowing their bare skin to touch was deeply wrong.

She had already wondered whether she should return when she went shopping that morning. Coming back was for the best. Why should the formidable leader of a sect go there to cook for him? Why should she put up with him without beating him, knowing full well that his mind was constantly full of lewd thoughts?

In any case, she had paid him back now. A weight off her shoulders.

But... I'll have to go over again eventually, won't I... That world has only just begun revealing its true face. I only just learned to surf the internet. Am I really going to run away like this?

Computers are so much fun.

I wonder whether that fellow will be in danger without me around, now that he's gotten involved with people who have superpowers.

There's a pretty girl living right across the hall. Will he get any ideas?

After a while, these thoughts left her agitated and no closer to an answer. But there was one thing she could be certain of:

Both Chu Ge and she herself wanted her to break free of the influence of his writing and become a truly independent person.

That was the path they shared. That much was certain.

How could she break free?

Changing her own temperament was probably impossible. Qiu Wuji knew that if she deliberately went around killing people and became a bloodthirsty monster, it would most likely count as a change. But she simply did not want to do that.

Changing major events had already proven ineffective; the world would correct itself. Besides, she was cautious about truly altering the course of major events. Otherwise, would killing Chu Tiange with a slap not settle everything? She dared not try it, afraid something would go wrong.

What, then, could she try?

Could she carry out unusual events that would never have happened in his book, beginning on a small scale and gradually influencing the whole world?

Qiu Wuji pondered for a long time, then suddenly transmitted her voice to a neighboring peak. "Elder Zhou, please come to the main peak. I have something to discuss with you."

Before long, Elder Zhou, his hair and beard snowy white, arrived in the reception room. Qiu Wuji brewed tea with her delicate hands and smiled. "Our earlier analysis suggested that the Vermilion Bird Firefeather is most likely in the hands of the Flame Prison Sect of the Demon Sect."

"Indeed," Elder Zhou replied. "Sect Master, are you planning to..."

"I intended to challenge Yan Qianlie, staking our sect's Great Void Fire against his Vermilion Bird Firefeather. Yan Qianlie is violent and arrogant, looks down on women, and has long coveted our Great Void Fire. I am eighty percent certain I can persuade him to accept this wager."

Elder Zhou considered this. "Your reasoning is sound, Sect Master, but those of the Demon Sect have no honor. Even if you win the wager, you may not obtain the Firefeather. Besides..."

He hesitated. "Yan Qianlie is infamous for his ferocity. Are you truly certain of victory, Sect Master?"

Qiu Wuji smiled. "How will I know whether I can win without fighting him?"

Elder Zhou: "..."

This was the plot Chu Ge was currently writing. He had only written the opening, but Qiu Wuji had read the outline. She would resonate with the "Heavenly Dao Pact" and establish an agreement with Yan Qianlie, then achieve victory after an extraordinarily grueling battle. It also involved schemes on Yan Qianlie's side, a war between the sects, participation by other sects, and turmoil stirred up by every faction. Chu Tiange would have plenty of chances to shine, too. It was a sweeping, turbulent storyline with a rich ensemble cast, and it was very exciting.

Perhaps Chu Ge had received praise from his editor because the opening of this storyline already looked promising?

Qiu Wuji herself was determined to obtain the items needed for the Four Symbols Formation-they were essential to her ascension. Previously, it had been about ascending; now, they might have something to do with passage between the two worlds. Whether her original body could cross over might depend on them, making them even more important than before.

So she would certainly pursue the plot in that direction. But could she change the way she went about it?

For instance...

She lowered her voice, her expression growing serious. "The Flame Prison Sect's branches and affiliates form layer upon layer, spread throughout the world. Elder Zhou, please devote some effort over the coming days to identifying important ones in advance, and plant agents to bring them under our control in secret. Also, quietly contact Corpse Yin Mountain. Yan Qianlie killed the Boneless Elder's son..."

Elder Zhou's eyelids twitched violently as he listened.

Why has the Sect Master's whole style changed? Is this really the proud, otherworldly Qiu Wuji?

Sect Master, are you planning to embark on a path of conquest?

Meanwhile, Chu Ge was furiously typing at his computer: "Qiu Wuji said calmly, 'A single sect's strength is ultimately limited, and we face constraints at every turn. If the tide of the world is mine to command, why should I not stand at its summit and look down upon all beneath heaven?'"

(End of chapter)