Chu Ge knew she'd be stunned by this thing, but he still showed it to her anyway. Of course, there was a hint of revenge and a touch of wicked humor in it. Did she really think he was some pushover?
Talking about it openly made him feel much better, and it also helped him sort out his relationship with her.
Being attracted to her was one thing, but that didn't mean he was a suck-up. Anyway, they should be clear about the situation and deal with things as they are. She's made him so frustrated with his writing that he doesn't know if he should just give up, and then he's still supporting her for no reason and getting beaten up by her. He's not brain-dead.
If you want to die, go ahead and kill me. Let's see if your world still exists.
Chu Ge went to write with a refreshed mind, feeling much clearer.
Outside, Qiu Wuji's hand was trembling as he held his phone. His worldview had indeed been severely shaken, almost as shocking as discovering that his world was written by someone else.
Those young girls openly walking the streets with their bare arms and long legs exposed—that's one thing, but even demonic sect witches do that.
Openly showing sex scenes on TV—that's another thing, since there's no actual sex, and the area below the neck is still covered.
But this?
Only three places are covered, yet everyone's seen from head to toe! And you're still writhing around for others to see, as if afraid they can't see clearly!
Qiu Wuji's world does have things like tube tops, corsets, and bellybands—all sorts of "inner protection." Based on a certain creator god's perverse sense of humor, it's described in great detail, even specifying the patterns of bellybands. But none of them are exposed for others to see!
Judging from Chu Ge's tone, this is perfectly normal!
What kind of world is this? No wonder he, a grown man, writes these things; he's seen it all before!
He wouldn't be trying to coax me into dressing like this for him, would he?!
A hint of murderous intent flickered in Qiu Wuji's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. He had said beforehand… "Some things might make you feel uncomfortable, but that's normal."
No one would think that's normal!
But… Qiu Wuji glanced at Chu Ge's retreating figure as he typed, and sighed softly.
He was right… Had he been too presumptuous?
Judging from his communal living space, the simple furnishings, and the way he diligently wrote and ate, he was clearly not well-off; he might even be struggling to support himself. This was just adding another person to the family out of nowhere…
At least in Qiu Wuji's mind, you have to pay for lodging and food. How could he so easily take advantage of his things?
The more he didn't want Chu Ge to be greedy, the more he needed to be independent, right?
Qiu Wuji thought for a moment, then finally stepped into the room and stood behind Chu Ge, saying, "I'll pay for your food and lodging." Chu Ge, engrossed in studying the plot, didn't turn around and said, "I noticed you changed your clothes. Were they illusions, or did you bring them out with your primordial spirit stored in a storage ring? If it's the latter, be careful with your dealings. Don't mess around with treasures; bringing some ordinary gold and silver to exchange for money might be okay. Don't take too much; keep a low profile." Qiu Wuji was silent for a moment: "Without a primordial spirit stored in an object… I probably can't bring anything. The clothes and sword are illusions." Chu Ge turned around in surprise: "Then how will you pay for your food and lodging? Will you conjure up a piece of gold to scam people? Or will you find a job?" Qiu Wuji said with a straight face, "Robbing the rich to help the poor..."
"No, that's illegal in this world... Oh, actually it's illegal where you are too, but over there you you're above the law, here you're worth 500,000."
Qiu Wuji: "..." Chu Ge stroked his chin: "How about you livestream your sword dance? Guaranteed to be a hit."
"Livestream?"
"Well, it's just street performance, just a different medium. People can watch it from home. Like watching TV, only live."
Qiu Wuji said expressionlessly: "Then you might need a patch, Qiu Wuji's forehead got hit by a hammer—that doesn't fit your so-called logic, it probably won't work."
Chu Ge froze.
Right, the Qiu Wuji in his writing is incredibly proud and aloof, how could she possibly perform for people?
Besides, she couldn't find a proper job either. You don't even have an ID card, what kind of job can you find? Even livestreaming requires an ID card, writing a book on Qidian requires an ID card and a bank card...
Thinking about it, it seems like the only option is to rob?
A top-tier cultivator, seemingly oblivious to how to make money in a modern city.
Chu Ge hesitated. "Actually, you could write online novels like me. You could use my ID and bank card to run two accounts, but the income would go directly to my account. I don't know if you'd be willing."
"ID card...something like a travel permit or sect life token?"
"That's right. Like in your sect, you can't move an inch without a life token. You need it to pass through the teleportation arrays between peaks, and even to pick up a daily quest in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. You know the consequences of not having it better than I do. It's similar here. It's fine if you only interact with me, but once you need to interact with others, you can't do anything."
"What if I transform into one or steal one?"
"...Can you do that with your sect's life token?"
Qiu Wuji was silent for a moment.
"If I write books like you, and the money goes to your account, that's not important...I don't need money. I'm just spending money on your food and lodging, and I have a clear conscience. But the problem is..."
She paused.
"Will I get paid just by writing?"
Chu Ge froze again.
Does writing guarantee money?
Zhang Qiren's empty room was a blatant mockery.
Even he himself didn't know when he'd have to pack up and leave this industry to find a factory job. Qiu Wuji was a cultivation genius, but that didn't mean she was a storytelling genius. On the contrary, her orthodox thinking, strictness, and disdain for lies meant she wasn't particularly good at storytelling.
Unless he himself patched things up, oh dear, Qiu Wuji was actually quite good at making up stories.
It just felt so strange.
Qiu Wuji seemed to guess what he was thinking and said calmly, "I don't need you to impose your abilities on me... Qiu Wuji has traversed the world; I don't believe I don't have a way to earn money and survive. I just haven't thought of it yet."
Chu Ge nodded, "Hmm, I believe that... Then let's look slowly. I'll help you with some advice."
Qiu Wuji looked at him for a while, then suddenly asked, "Are you so eager to help me find ways to make money so you can supplement your own expenses?"
Chu Ge calmly said, "That's one reason. I don't deny that I'm not well-off and can't support another person. There are two other reasons; do you want to hear them?"
"Please tell me."
"So that you know I'm not obligated..." "I'll lick your boots for free. Unless you return to the world in the book, you must put in your own effort to live here permanently. That's the second point." Qiu Wuji hesitated to ask what the word "lick" meant; it sounded really harsh, but the meaning didn't seem to imply genuine licking. So she asked, "And the third point?"
"The third point... Qiu Wuji who can live independently in this world is the Qiu Wuji who has truly transcended the existence in the book." Chu Ge took a deep breath: "I've said it before, this is the path I seek. Perhaps you think I'm just saying nice things, but this is the truth." Qiu Wuji stared at him intently, then suddenly smiled.
Chu Ge's heart skipped a beat again.
He couldn't remember if he had ever seen her smile before? Perhaps there had been a cold smile or a half-smile?
This seemed to be the first time she smiled, like ice melting, snow thawing, flowers blooming, the whole room filled with fragrance, truly radiant beyond the human world.
But then Qiu Wuji said softly, "Take me to buy a set of clothes for this world... consider it a loan." Chu Ge looked at her smiling face and knew that this had actually stirred Qiu Wuji's pride in "conquering life's problems" and "integrating into this world."
Why can't I live independently in this world, why must I hide myself?
Why must I live under someone else's roof, eating and sleeping on their property?
The Creator God believes that I must detach myself from the book and integrate into this world to be a real person, to follow His Way. Is that so difficult? Of course I can.