Back home, Qiu Wuji seemed exhausted as he slumped onto the sofa, grabbing a small pig-shaped cushion and hugging it, resting his chin on it in deep thought.
Chu Ge also leaned back to rest, asking, "What exactly did you find down there? You seemed so lost in thought."
"First of all, there's no source of spiritual energy in this mine at all, at least I can't find it."
Chu Ge didn't seem to care: "If you can't find it, then it probably really isn't there... So what if it's not? It's not our mine."
Qiu Wuji hesitated for a moment: "But, your father..."
"Hmm?" Chu Ge stared.
"Uncle... Oh dear, what happened to your father!" Qiu Wuji grabbed his collar. "Has it been too long since I've beaten you up, making you forget how weak you are now?" Chu Ge raised his hands in surrender. "No, no... What happened to my dad?"
"There's a special stone there. It looks no different from other stones, just fragments of rock, scattered everywhere."
"And then?"
"Then my earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows one to escape from a rock) couldn't merge with it, and it broke apart." Qiu Wuji hugged the pig-shaped pillow again, lost in thought. "No matter how you analyze its composition, it's just a stone, but it's definitely not a normal stone; its structure must be subtly different."
"The last time I heard something so reasonable was last time..."
"Mine is... this stone..." "It's very likely conjured up. The person who conjured it probably didn't really understand the composition and structure of stones; they just simulated it and left it there. That's why it's subtly different from a normal stone, preventing me from integrating with it." This time, it was Chu Ge's turn to widen his eyes: "Creating something from nothing? Or a transformation technique?"
"Why don't you ask your mother?" Chu Ge hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "I can ask about other things, but if it's something that clearly involves SSS-level confidentiality, asking would only put the old lady in a difficult position."
"You...you're just too considerate of others..."
"It's not just others..." Chu Ge said softly, "I think, combined with my abilities, we can completely judge the manifestation of illusion ourselves, with a probability as high as 90%." Qiu Wuji agreed. To imagine a stone there, and then a real stone there...it's mostly related to one's own spiritual sea, constantly monitoring and judging the changes in spiritual energy at that location.
If this ability is high enough, it's truly terrifying.
Heaven knows what he can manifest? SS...that's the assessment.
"If that's really the case, and my father intentionally wanted to hide his abilities, then probably no one in the world could guess. It's too unpredictable; he can mislead us however he wants," Chu Ge said. "Only we can guess based on our own circumstances, so there's even less reason to say anything. If we reveal anything, it would be a real disaster for my father." Qiu Wuji nodded, too lazy to dwell on it.
Actually, she wasn't interested in what abilities Chu Ge's parents possessed. Perhaps she could glean some insight into Chu Ge's abilities from them? But Chu Ge was right beside her; why look elsewhere? Besides, she wasn't interested in anyone else's abilities in this world.
Even if illusion manifestation was incredibly powerful… Qiu Wuji had her own unwavering path; her sword path, her immortal path, was unique. Reaching the level of Creation, she could create something from nothing, create the world with a single thought, even more directly than they could.
It was just a pity. She had initially thought this mine was a catalyst for observing the revival of spiritual energy, but it turned out that even SSS-level experts had already taken notice; there was nothing more to see.
In theory, it's rare for a state-run investigation to miss any secrets that others can uncover on their own. Whether it's Zhong Yi, Du Lianfeng, or anyone else, it all seems like a waste of effort.
Investigating the source of spiritual energy is less meaningful than focusing on one's own cultivation, figuring out when one can manifest their true form, or even getting Chu Ge inside.
Turning to look at Chu Ge, he was also leaning back on the sofa, deep in thought.
Qiu Wuji asked, "Are you still thinking about this? I feel like it's not really that significant anymore. How spiritual energy is reviving—what does it have to do with us? We just happened to have the opportunity this time, so it's nothing to worry about."
"No, I've long since stopped thinking about it. It's my parents' business; why should I care so much? They'll tell me sooner or later."
"...Then what are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about Cai Zhijian."
Qiu Wuji smiled, "I feel like you're still suspicious of Cai Zhijian...but I don't see any flaws. I went to the bottom of the mine and didn't sense any spiritual fluctuations from him. He doesn't have that ability."
"Qiuqiu, maybe you haven't seen anything similar over there..." "My imagination might be limited, but I'm a writer." Chu Ge said absentmindedly, "My imagination might be a bit far-fetched and not necessarily reasonable, but I can actually conjure up some things right now... even if it's purely speculative."
"Listen to me," Qiu Wuji said with interest, "Maybe I can offer some advice?"
"I'm thinking, could it be that the connections Mengmeng saw are actually manipulated by certain people?" Chu Ge said, "Look, Cai Zhijian works in film and television, right? He's a director, he manipulates the actors' every move... and then, plop, he pulls them down..."
Qiu Wuji: "?"
Your imagination is a bit exaggerated. Even our cultivation-style puppetry doesn't work like that... using such ethereal connections? That would be invincible... and you're even forcibly linking it to directors, short video directors aren't puppeteers...
Wait, that's precisely because I always think about cultivation, my thinking is limited. Maybe what Chu Ge is thinking actually has some merit?
"Mainly, I feel he has a motive," Chu Ge murmured. "Zhu Mengmeng is his wife, so he has a share in this mine, right? But ultimately, the mine belongs to Old Zhu. Old Zhu doesn't like him, and Zhu Mengmeng is a playboy; their relationship is only superficial. He might not have had a chance before. This time, the opportunity has just arrived… as long as Old Zhu dies…" Qiu Wuji's eyes widened slowly.
Chu Ge continued, "Look, Zhu Mengmeng wanted to get back together with him, and he half-heartedly reconciled, but Old Zhu still doesn't like him... Just then, outsiders caused trouble. If Old Zhu really died, we'd only suspect Du Lianfeng's group, no one would suspect him... So he deliberately intervened when Zhong Yi and Du Lianfeng were fighting, misleading Zhong Yi into thinking it was Du Lianfeng's men, and then turned around and controlled Old Zhu to jump... Heaven knows you had pre-arranged defensive spells, causing him to fail at the last minute."
Qiu Wuji asked, "You've always had this suspicion?"
"Not that clever... If Old Zhu really died, when we confronted Du Lianfeng, we wouldn't have had so much talk; we'd probably just go straight to war." "Murder, misunderstandings can't be cleared up. But Old Zhu didn't die. Du Lianfeng summoned Zhu Mengmeng, uttering a bunch of threats, which ironically proves they didn't intend to kill Old Zhu. This time, Zhong Yi and I both feel something's wrong..."
Qiu Wuji said, "Zhong Yi thinks it might be other enemies targeting him."
"Yes, that's his first reaction," Chu Ge murmured, "But I just feel like there aren't that many third parties. Is it possible that the third party is among us? It's unlikely to be Zhong Yi, since it's not you or me, so who could it be? And you just happened to see that Cai Zhijian has superpowers, yet he's been hiding them." Qiu Wuji couldn't help but laugh, "With you saying that, I'm starting to think it's..." "Him."
"Very meticulous, isn't it?" Chu Ge said, hands on his hips. "There are even more details to add."
"Which ones?"
"For example, he's been trying to win me over... He's being way too concerned about whether I can sell my copyrights. Do we even have that kind of relationship? If Zhu Mengmeng had suggested it, asking her husband to help us out, that would be normal; Zhu Mengmeng hasn't said a word, all she's thinking about is giving cars and houses, but Cai Zhijian himself has brought it up repeatedly..."
"Unsolicited kindness, surely there's something fishy going on? Isn't that a bit too much like suspecting someone of stealing from their neighbor?"
"Plus, his unusual familiarity with that mine." Chu Ge said, "I might be suspicious of my neighbor, but until we figure out why Old Zhu jumped off the building, how can I be too cautious?" "It's not an exaggeration to be cautious, otherwise there will be a next time." Qiu Wuji nodded in agreement: "What do you plan to do? Force him to slip up?"
"If it really is him, he will definitely slip up on his own." Chu Ge smiled: "Today, Old Zhu is going to sell the mine to the state... While Du Lianfeng and his group haven't boarded the plane yet, there's still a chance to shift the blame. Let's keep an eye on things tonight; we might find something." Qiu Wuji looked up and thought for a long time, feeling that Chu Ge's analysis made more and more sense. He couldn't help but sigh softly: "I can conclude that the spiritual energy in this mine will dissipate completely in five years at most. It's laughable that a group of people are rushing to it, exhausting their resources..." The two looked at each other, both feeling quite ironic.