The "provocation of the rules" that Chu Ge felt was a relatively serious matter.
Qiu Wuji's public declaration of "I'll smash my head in," a departure from her character and a "book collapse," was perceived as "inappropriate" by the author. However, the book's content remained unchanged; what changed was the real world, which manifested as interference from the Heavenly Dao.
Just like the battle with the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord, it was a self-correction of the out-of-control plot.
As Chu Ge stared, Qiu Wuji also sensed something.
It was a Heavenly Dao law descending upon her, seemingly suppressing her "disrespect" and her "ego."
Others didn't have this direct feeling, but they could sense a pressure like dark clouds obscuring the sun, like a harbinger of impending heavenly tribulation.
Someone was overjoyed, shouting sharply, "Qiu Wuji, what secret deeds have you done to incur heavenly punishment?"
The crowd was in an uproar.
This really did seem like heavenly punishment, or at least a harbinger.
Qiu Wuji's long hair fluttered as she looked up at the sky.
It was as if she could feel a pair of eyes watching her coldly from the clouds. Qiu Wuji glared back, her face hard.
Then that coldness turned to astonishment, then to a doting smile, and vanished with a "whoosh."
The rain stopped, and the sky cleared.
Everyone: "???" Was even the heavens avoiding her?
City Lord Xie of Cloud City stood up, laughing heartily: "I speak my mind! Who says Qiu Wuji has to speak a certain way? What a joke! Sect Leader Qiu's words resonate deeply with me!"
Qiu Wuji, sword in hand, clasped her hands in a slight bow, saying nothing more.
Her gaze remained fixed on the horizon, on the clouds where the smile had disappeared.
It looked like cotton candy…
…Chu Ge regained his focus. Before him was still the computer screen; there was no misty green mountains, no Qiu Wuji.
This feeling was truly strange.
Yeah, it was a double standard, wasn't it? Others couldn't deviate from the "heavenly way's setting"—it would cause problems—but she could.
That was her insistence, and also Chu Ge's wish. Let's work together until the day we break free from the "Heavenly Dao."
Speaking of which, does this count as seeing her? We haven't spoken, so it can't really be called a "meeting," more like "gazing from afar"?
One thing that's giving Chu Ge a headache is that this part of the plot focuses on Qiu Wuji. Within a few chapters, the timeline might not even advance by an hour, let alone seven days like before.
This means that it seems unlikely he'll see her again until this part of the plot is finished.
It's only been one night and one morning since she left… and the longing in Chu Ge's heart is still uncontrollably growing.
Sigh, the more he gazes from afar, the more he misses her, imagining her sweet presence beside him.
Should he speed up this part of the plot with a burst of updates?
But he's afraid that updating too quickly will affect the quality… His brain is a bit stiff from writing all morning; if he writes Qiu Wuji poorly, that would be a real loss.
He needs to move around a bit and rest.
Right, thinking about it, there's something I forgot… Chu Ge scratched his head for a while before finally remembering he'd forgotten to return the bicycle… If he didn't return it, he'd lose the deposit. Ninety-nine yuan a night was already expensive enough; did he really want to spend another two hundred and ninety-nine yuan on a beat-up bike?
He might really consider buying a new one. He'd ask Qiu Wuji's opinion when she came over—whether to get a bicycle or a small electric scooter, that way everyone could move around more freely.
He rode the bicycle to the place he'd returned yesterday and checked his phone. It wasn't lunchtime yet, so he subconsciously followed yesterday's route back to the old town area, to see where they'd fought yesterday.
The nightclub doors were open, and police were coming and going, seemingly searching and seizing various items.
A passerby chatted nearby: "Have you heard? This place's involved in drugs."
"Yeah, I heard. They took a whole bunch of people away last night."
"I also heard some people are really unhappy with the city bureau's operation this time, saying it was unauthorized or something..."
"Uh, let's not talk about that... what they're unhappy about is hard to say." Chu Ge paused slightly, a sigh escaping his lips.
Lin Wuyang's words, "Their Qixi Festival, our Qixi Festival," still echoed in his mind.
Zhang Qiren's words, "Lin Wuyang is just a section chief, he can't do anything," also surfaced in his mind.
In truth, if Zhang Qiren hadn't broken a taboo by suddenly handing Lin Wuyang a knife, Lin Wuyang would have had a hard time even succeeding in this operation.
Even if he had succeeded, there was no guarantee of reward.
The phone rang, and Chu Ge answered casually, "Who is it?" Lin Wuyang's slightly tired voice came through: "Was that you who blocked the alleyway last night?"
"Uh..."
"According to their description, the drawing...it looks like you. Considering your relationship with Zhang Qiren, I'm pretty sure it is. So, you're doing Zhang Qiren's work?"
"To be honest, it was me. But I was just doing what I had to do, not because of Zhang Qiren. Hey, this is clearly a good thing, okay? Why don't you see it as me doing you a favor?"
Lin Wuyang was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "That's right, so I'm calling to ask you, not to take a statement. By the way, do you want to be recognized for your heroic act?"
"No...can you cover this up for me?"
Lin Wuyang smiled: "I misled you a bit; now even a dog wouldn't recognize who that portrait is."
"Thanks..." "Yes."
"The other woman, they couldn't even describe her properly, just said she was beautiful and cold, which is meaningless. I said...it seems you've been hiding a lot, shall we talk about it another day?"
"Wu Yang, why do I feel like you're radiating holy light now?"
Lin Wu Yang smiled wryly: "Come on."
Chu Ge said: "Did you get criticized?"
Lin Wu Yang sighed: "I was indeed a bit rash...it's not just the venue itself that's the problem, many of the gamblers that day were influential figures, and now the aftermath is very troublesome, the pressure on the bureau is quite heavy, I'm even a little regretful. Helping you cover up was also for this reason, no matter why you were there, you were ultimately doing a good thing, you shouldn't bear the trouble."
Chu Ge thought to himself that there were even more well-dressed capitalists in the stands that day, if you had barged in, you would probably have caused even more trouble.
So things are difficult, and that's why some people are fearless.
"Lin Wuyang is really doing well these days..."
But then Lin Wuyang said, "Criticism aside, the bureau supports me. It's not what you're all imagining. I'm still handling the case, and our bureau chief has taken on a lot of pressure for me."
Chu Ge hummed in agreement.
Lin Wuyang sighed, "The problem now is that we have far too few people with special abilities. Look at me, with my pathetic abilities, I can even be a section chief..." His words seemed to imply he wanted Chu Ge's help. Chu Ge remained silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I think you're not just fit to be a section chief, you should be the bureau chief."
"Hey..."
"When you have some free time, let's grab a couple of drinks."
Lin Wuyang hesitated, then said, "Okay." After hanging up, Chu Ge was also considering this matter... The chances of finding a person with special abilities through normal recruitment are extremely small. Finding one like Lin Wuyang is already difficult enough; most people with special abilities are probably scattered across various industries. Therefore, the authorities have been constantly searching for relevant individuals over the years. For example, Gu Ruoyan taking Yueying away is a typical case… and Zhong Buli, the unofficial person introduced by his mother, is probably another example.
But it seems this kind of search isn't easy… People with special abilities rarely show themselves to outsiders. Even if they do, they're more likely to use it for personal gain or to pursue their own freedom; fewer would choose to work and be constrained. Not to mention others, Chu Ge himself is like that.
That's why the "unofficial" system was created as a compromise, and also as a form of assessment and observation?
While thinking about this, his feet unconsciously followed the familiar path to the vicinity of the restaurant where he had supper last night. Chu Ge then felt a bit hungry. He wandered around and was surprised to find that there was only this one restaurant within two blocks.
Even with only this one restaurant, business wasn't good. Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji had beef noodles here last night, and the taste was indeed mediocre, so it wasn't surprising that business was slow.
Oh well, mediocre is mediocre. He'd fill his stomach first.
Chu Ge strolled inside, and before he could even speak, he saw the proprietress grabbing a young man by the collar: "You, surnamed Zhong, do you really think you're Zhong Li (a legendary figure associated with immortals)? Trying to dine and dash like that?"
The man was exasperated: "I only owed you three cents, how is that dine and dash? It was just pressing the wrong key on the nine-key key! Besides, I don't play mobile games, I don't know what you're talking about!"
"If you don't know what I'm talking about, how do you know it's a mobile game?"
"Because everyone who sees my name asks that, so naturally I know..." the man sighed. He sighed, "These days, kids think Li Bai is from King of Glory, and they call King Arthur a blonde girl with a cowlick. Yesterday, those two idiots... I said 'Chu Tian Qian Li Qing Qiu,' and they asked if I was a reader, saying it was a famous line from their Chu Da (Chu Ge). Good heavens! What am I going to do if this keeps up?"
Chu Ge: "..." The proprietress, hearing this, also felt a deep sense of worry: "Indeed... but no matter how much you worry about the future of the country or the collapse of the universe, you still have to pay me these three cents today!"
Chu Ge finally laughed out loud.
The proprietress then noticed Chu Ge standing by the door, and her eyes immediately lit up: "How many guests?"
"Originally one, now two." Chu Ge pointed to the man surnamed Zhong: "I'll pay his three cents, and I'll treat him to the meal too."