Xuan Jiâs guess was spot on.
She had just turned and ran a short distance when she heard a loud âboom,â and a big hole appeared in the roof of the Sect Masterâs house as junior martial uncle screamed while spiraling into the sky.
Xuan Ji shivered and continued running as fast as she could.
She couldnât help but feel amazed. How did junior martial uncle appear behind the Sect Master so silently and effortlessly? This ability was too exaggerated. Was this the power of the Heavenly Dao?
Qiu Wuji shouted angrily at the hole in the roof, âWho gave you permission to barge into my room! No manners!â
Chu Ge, who had reappeared with a âwhoosh,â smiled mischievously and said, âXuan Ji has already run away; no need to pretendâ¦â
Qiu Wuji ruthlessly stepped on his toe, âWhoâs pretending? Youâre not allowed. Not allowed!â
âAlright, alright, I wonât.â
âI wasnât watching Ximen Qing! I was checking if there was anything significant in the underlines!â
âRight, right, youâre checking the underlines.â
Qiu Wuji glared at him for a while, but she couldnât do anything about him. She just sighed and lowered her voice, âAccording to your previous idea, âQiu Wujiâs discipleâ is just a cameo in the book, a character that exists only to fill a role, and everything you do here is beyond the storyline. The current period is a crucial plot point for us book characters, and there should be no involvement from you. Your arrival at this moment is ill-timed and will disrupt the plot. It will be difficult to justify any of it later.â
âUs book characters,â this phrase made Chu Ge want to laugh a bit. âSo now youâre being exclusive, and Iâm an outsider, right?â
Qiu Wuji snorted, âThatâs right. Itâs already generous that I didnât say you were a demon from another domain. Our affairs should not be interfered with by you!â
âYou guys are really something, all of you have become so independent and have your own ideas, hmm, very imaginative.â
Qiu Wuji was defiant, âYou guys? Who else is more imaginative than me, treating the Heavenly Dao as an outsider?â
âMy son,â Chu Ge grinned. âOne is my wife, and one is my son, theyâre both extraordinary.â
âWhoâs your wifeâ¦â Qiu Wuji replied instinctively but her mind was still drawn towards Chu Geâs âsonâ. âYou⦠You saw Chu Tiange?â
âYeah.â
âYou actually saw him.â Qiu Wuji pouted. âSuch an interesting scene, and I didnât get to witness itâ¦â
Chu Ge reminded her, â⦠this is the Sect Masterâs account.â
âOh,â Qiu Wuji quickly straightened up and put on a serious expression. âWhat did you say to him?â
âNothing much, itâs just the âcloneâ and âpuppetâ concept that you locals love to imagine. While others may imagine that I am the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, Chu Tiange thinks of himself as my incarnation.â
Qiu Wuji widened her eyes. âNow that you mention it, it does seem to make some sense. Heâs your manifestation and projection, so saying heâs your clone or incarnation isnât entirely wrongâ¦â
âYeah, I also think itâs somewhat like that, but the nature is not exactly like creating a clone, growing up on Earth, and then being taken back, hahaha, thatâs quite a wild concept.â
Qiu Wuji countered, âHow do you know itâs not?â
âI tested him with two widely known Chinese cultural references. If he didnât know one, thatâs okay, but if he didnât know both, itâs highly unlikely. Even you know about it.â
âWhat do you mean, even I know⦠which reference?â
Chu Ge said, âMy lady~â
Qiu Wuji: ââ¦?â
Chu Ge said, â⦠Thatâs the one.â
Qiu Wuji said, â⦠Are you sure youâre not taking advantage of me?â
âNo, I used this to test. You see, even someone whoâs only lived on the real Earth for a little over half a year knows about it.â
âIndeed. And itâs quite commonly heard while walking on the streets. The aunties in the neighboring square still dance to it.â
âIn recent years, itâs become less common. According to his age setting before he crossed over, it was everywhere. Thereâs no way he wouldnât have heard of it.â
They both closed their mouths at this point.
Glancing at each other for a while, Qiu Wuji sighed quietly, âItâs quite pitiful.â
Chu Ge felt a bit helpless, âFrom a different perspective, why should he feel pitiful? How many readers would want to be in his shoes?â
Qiu Wuji huffed, âThatâs why the way we locals think is different from you outsiders, the stinking demons from beyond the realm!â
Chu Ge didnât argue with her, âSo, I havenât told him the truth for now. Let him misunderstand it for a while; it wonât hurt. When he reaches a certain level of understanding in the future, heâll find it easier to accept.â
Qiu Wuji considered and agreed, âYes, at least letâs not complicate things in the current storyline.â
Chu Ge said, âSpeaking of the storyline, I think I can let you guys develop it yourselves, and Iâll just copy it from now on. What do you think?â
Qiu Wuji was stunned for a moment, and her eyes showed a glimmer of joy. âReally? Itâs not you writing it, but weâll take the lead?â
Chu Ge affectionately pinched her nose and said, âI knew youâd be happy about it.â
Qiu Wuji bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with tenderness. âAre you trying to ask for a reward again?â
Chu Ge extended his finger and placed it near her lips. âWhile I really want a reward, I donât want to turn this into some kind of exchange condition.â
âUgh,â Qiu Wujiâs expression changed. âWe do things and you copy them directly, and you act as if youâre sacrificing so much. But whoâs benefiting more and whoâs losing in the end?â
âIn that case, Iâll write it.â
âNoâ¦ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âThen give me a kiss.â
Qiu Wuji glanced around, leaned up on her tiptoes, and lightly pecked his lips. She then quickly stepped back. âThatâs it, this is your reward, donât think you can threaten me!â
Chu Ge cleared his throat with a satisfied smile. âItâs just an experiment, remember? If things donât go well later on, Iâll drop this idea.â
âWhat would be considered not working well?â
âFor example, if you canât even defeat the overseas forces.â
Qiu Wuji took a deep breath and her gaze grew resolute. âEven for the sake of our freedom, we wonât lose!â
âMasterâ¦â Xuan Jiâs trembling voice came from a distance. âIs it a good time to talk?â
Qiu Wuji instantly lost her temper and stomped her foot. âWhatâs not a good time? What do you think weâre doing here?â
Xuan Ji sounded somewhat helpless. âI⦠I didnât mean anythingâ¦â
âWhatâs the matter?â
âThe City Lord of Yunxiao City requests an audience.â
Qiu Wuji hesitated for a moment, and her gaze subconsciously turned to Chu Ge. Xie Jiuxiao came to visit here in the middle of the night, at a time when his own city was just attacked, and his situation was unstable. This didnât seem right.
âDid you write this plot?â
âNo, my plot was written only up to the point where Chu Tiange was battling the Nine-Headed Serpent. I didnât even specify the outcome of the battle. Everything from that point on is what happens on its own,â Chu Ge whispered. âLet him in; there may be important matters at hand.â
In less than a moment, Xie Jiuxiao hurriedly entered the room and, upon seeing Chu Ge, he couldnât contain his joy. âCreator God is here; thatâs even better!â
Chu Ge was puzzled. âSo, youâve come to see me?â
âI originally wanted to have Sect Master Qiu convey my message, but since Creator God is here in person, itâs even better,â Xie Jiuxiao said hurriedly and explained what the one-eyed giant had told him earlier. âThis matter is too important; I apologize for disturbing you, Sect Master.â
Qiu Wuji wouldnât blame him for that. She listened intently and then asked, âHow can you be sure that itâs a true command from the Heavenly Emperor and not something the one-eyed giant fabricated to make you obey?â
âI have questioned that as well. He said he would contact me again in the future, and weâll know then,â Xie Jiuxiao replied. âFor now, I pretended to agree, and I want to see what their reasoning will be.â
Chu Ge looked up, thought for a while, and smiled brightly. âWhether itâs the real Heavenly Emperor or a fake one⦠how could they possibly think they can get past all of my spies?â
Xie Jiuxiao chuckled. âCreator God, as long as you are aware of it. I will continue to report any developments to you.â
Chu Ge said, âIn the future, you donât need to come to the Sect to convey messages. In your own Yunxiao City, you have the altar for worshipping the Heavenly Dao, right? Meditate and call upon me, and I will respond directly when needed.â
Xie Jiuxiao bowed. âYes.â
Qiu Wuji asked, âItâs been said that the Nine-Headed Serpent that attacked Yunxiao City was injured and fled. Did you manage to track it?â
âIt took me this long to visit because I went to track it earlier.â Xie Jiuxiao whispered, âIâm ashamed that we didnât know for so long. It turns out that south of the Divine Continent, beyond the southern vast mountains, there is another volcano with a radius of a thousand miles, devoid of human presence. In the center, itâs extremely hot, with billowing flames and clouds of fire that obscure our observation from Yunxiao City. I suspect that inside that volcano is the legendary Flameheartâ¦â
Chu Ge slowly retreated without any signs of panic.
Qiu Wujiâs fingers creaked as she clenched them. âSo, after all this, it turns out the enemy has been hiding in the hands of Yan Qianli! Chuâ¦â
Turning her head, she realized that Chu Ge had already disappeared, running at the speed of light to save himself.
Xie Jiuxiao sighed in astonishment. âThe power of the Heavenly Dao⦠I couldnât even capture how he disappeared. Heâs truly powerful.â