Chu Ge rushed back to his rented apartment and immediately started working on his document.
Why wait? He needed to quickly update and bring Qiu Wuji over!
"Update Assistant reminds you, Chu Ge has updated Chapter 3 for today." Someone casually mentioned in the group chat, but no one paid it any mind. Some continued reading, others chatted in the group.
Chu Ge's third update is quite common now, usually around 3,000 words per chapter, totaling 10,000 words in three updates—almost a daily standard. This is much better than some short, weak chapters of 2,000 words each, totaling two chapters…
If those short, weak stories had a protagonist, the writer would probably pin their dreams of 10,000-word updates on that protagonist…
However, Chu Ge's third update today came a bit early; it's only mid-afternoon.
"Won't Chu Ge update a fourth time today?" someone suddenly asked.
"You're overthinking it... That guy's a Golden Alliance member who doesn't even update regularly, as steady as a rock."
"Is the Golden Alliance bigwig in the group? I never see him pop up."
"Someone dug it up, he used to be a writer, several books flopped, his new book was abandoned and he ran away, then suddenly he started giving away a lot of rewards... Probably went home to inherit billions and came back to reward other writers."
"Holy light!" Chu Ge glanced at the group chat, feeling incredibly strange.
He said Lin Wuyang was radiating holy light, while others thought Zhang Qiren was radiating holy light.
However, behind the scenes, these two were actually a light and a shadow, constantly clashing.
Speaking of which, the new readers attracted by Zhang Qiren's Golden Alliance were quite a few. The group chat was full at two thousand people, so Chu Ge had to hold a super annual meeting to expand the group to three thousand.
Just to expand the group, he spent so much more money; capitalists really don't care about the rules when it comes to making money.
While uploading the chapter, I glanced at the data; the average daily subscriptions were over nine thousand, and the ten-thousand-subscription badge was just around the corner.
But I felt absolutely no excitement. I don't know why… Maybe it's because my pursuit has changed. If I have any expectations for results now, it's that they confirm my previous guess: the more people read a book, the higher its global presence—it's a mutually reinforcing cycle.
"Ugh, whether Golden Moe is in the group or not has nothing to do with me. Why hasn't my Qiu Sect Leader been active these past few days? Waaaaah, Qiu Qiu, I want Qiu Qiu…"
I want Qiu Qiu too!
Everyone's so in sync; they all want Qiu Qiu, not Qiu Wuji.
Chu Ge closed the group and continued writing.
Qiu Wuji's alliance was originally a clandestine one, but due to the presence of a traitor, it had long been an open alliance. Qiu Wuji didn't care, suppressing dissent with swift and decisive action, uniting with City Lord Xie and others to forge an alliance and discuss a grand plan to deal with the Fire Prison Sect.
Actually, there were traitors within traitors, those who outwardly supported the alliance but secretly plotted to stab it in the back.
Qiu Wuji was initially unaware of the book's plot, only harboring suspicion towards all attendees. After a series of subsequent events, the mole was finally discovered by Qiu Wuji, who then orchestrated a scheme reminiscent of Jiang Gan stealing the book, allowing the mole to deliver incorrect information to Yan Qianlie.
However, having actually read the outline, Qiu Wuji knew better than anyone that the mole already knew. If she didn't want to follow the plot, she could simply kill the mole with a single sword strike, or have the mole transmit incorrect information beforehand—wouldn't that change the plot?
Chu Ge was methodically advancing the plot, her mind already wandering to the world within the book.
What would she do?
Qiu Wuji did nothing.
Even her previous inappropriate remarks in public, "breaking character," had already caused "Heaven to attempt correction." If the predetermined trajectory were to be altered again, Qiu Wuji strongly suspected it would genuinely affect Chu Ge—she had suspected this before. If the plot were thrown into chaos, at best the book would malfunction, at worst Chu Ge herself would be in trouble.
The specific form it would take was still unknown, but Qiu Wuji dared not try again.
A vague, unwanted thought crept in: her breaking free from the Heavenly Dao and becoming an independent adult was essentially in conflict with Chu Ge, a variable within the Heavenly Dao, something the Heavenly Dao should eliminate.
In this sense, were they… enemies?
Chu Ge had been helping her all along, at odds with himself… This thought was strangely intriguing, and it left Qiu Wuji with complex emotions.
She looked at Lu Yuanzhang, the Sect Master of Tianyuan Sect, and after a long, hesitant process, finally uttered her prepared lines: "Sect Master Lu, you've worked hard. Please keep a close eye on the Fire Prison Sect's actions in Xiaofenmietian… The Fire Prison Sect's power is too great; it's not good for anyone." Lu Yuanzhang readily agreed: "Sect Master Qiu, rest assured, this is not a matter for Yunji Sect, but a matter for the righteous path!" Qiu Wuji smiled impeccably: "Wuji has always known of Sect Master Lu's noble character."
Thinking to herself, *I don't want to deal with these people anymore! I need to get this over with quickly so I can go into seclusion, damn it!*
Qiu Wuji knew that whether he glossed over it or not made no difference. Even if he glossed over it, she would still have to go through it, becoming part of the "plot outside the main storyline." Even though he wrote seven days later, she had actually lived through a full seven days; he had shortened the waiting time on the other side, but she couldn't.
*It's unfair! Why can't I shorten my time?*
"Hmm...actually, I could have stayed here and let my soul go out to play...
It's just that I only just returned, and my soul is still a bit tired, not enough to continue interdimensional travel. But that doesn't necessarily mean I need time to recover; there are other ways. We in the Cloud Realm Sect may not have them, but others do."
"Ah, Sect Master Lu, please wait a moment. I have a request."
Lu Yuanzhang, who was about to leave, asked curiously, "What is it?"
Qiu Wuji took out a lotus petal: "I heard that Sect Master Lu has a Rejuvenating Elixir that quickly restores a tired soul. While our Sword Sect has something similar, we're not very skilled at it, and the effect is poor. This is a petal from the Netherwater Green Lotus, quite miraculous, and beneficial to Sect Master Lu's cultivation. How about exchanging it for a bottle of Rejuvenating Elixir?"
"Sure thing, a small matter." Lu Yuanzhang chuckled, "Why say a bottle?" "I have three bottles on me, so I'll give them all to Sect Leader Qiu. However, Sect Leader Qiu, please note that the efficacy of this medicine will be greatly reduced if taken continuously."
"Thank you for your trouble, Sect Leader Lu." Qiu Wuji calmly accepted the three white jade bottles, watching Sect Leader Lu leave until he disappeared into the horizon, then suddenly grinned: "To gain my trust, I gave you two extra bottles. An inside man is still quite useful!" Outside, Chu Ge was frantically writing, striving for a massive update, unaware of this unexpected detail "outside the plot."
"Update Assistant: Chu Ge has updated Chapter 4."
"Holy crap?" The group chat exploded: "What expired aphrodisiac did Chu Ge take today to be so potent?"
"It's only evening, will there be Chapter 5 today?"
"Could this be an extra chapter for the previous 'Golden Moe' update?" Chu Ge rested briefly, rubbing his swollen head, glancing at the time—it was only a little past five—and thought to himself that he could still write a little more, add half a chapter after dinner, and he could really manage five chapters today.
"I'll do whatever it takes to finish this part of Qiu Wuji's story as soon as possible."
Just as he was thinking this, a huffy voice came from behind him: "Who gave you permission to eat the durian?"
Chu Ge rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating.
He turned around stiffly and saw Qiu Wuji standing behind him, wearing a shirt and jeans, hands on hips, her eyes flashing with malice: "You're the master, and I'm the master? You can decide the training method on your own now? Tell me how you want to punish me?"
Chu Ge blinked: "I think we should combine dynamic training with punishment, like using Master's foot to stomp on the spot where I rolled the durian before..."
Qiu Wuji grabbed him from the chair and glared at him.
Chu Ge looked at her gently and said softly, "That's good."
Qiu Wuji's lips twitched. She wanted to say that was disgusting, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, she said, "You're full of energy, writing extra chapters, aren't you? I'll teach you a lesson after I finish writing."
"Writing is nothing compared to my master! Even if the King of Heaven himself came, there would be no chapters tonight!"