Chapter 5 – The Journey Is Difficult

Qiu Wuji was so angry that even the quiet room was on the verge of exploding. But she couldn’t break through the boundary again in such a short time.

“Come here!” echoed the voice of a furious Qiu Wuji in the mountain where the sect was located. “Go to the sect’s secret treasury and get the Xuanwu Crystal and the Chaotic Space Needle. We need the Mist-returning Formation of Heaven and Earth!”

The elders of the sect were scared and turned pale. “Master, are you trying to pass the tribulation? It’s not time yet!”

“Why not? I’ll do it whenever I want!” Qiu Wuji shouted with gritted teeth.

Wasn’t it all about ascending to immortality?

Was there a difference between the immortal world and that strange world of typing with a board?

While Qiu Wuji was busy planning to break through the boundary again, Chu Ge naturally couldn’t sleep that night.

He didn’t know if his writing still had the ability to affect her thinking while she was in her state of seeing reality.

Regardless of whether it could affect her, she should still notice it, right?

That one sentence that he posted made him feel like he had opened Pandora’s box. It was nerve-racking and exciting at the same time. He couldn’t fall asleep no matter how much he tossed and turned.

Whenever a gust of wind blew, he wondered if Qiu Wuji had appeared, and he would break out in a cold sweat, only to find out that there was nothing there.

Fortunately, she couldn’t come out at any time she wanted.

He stayed up until after two o’clock in the morning, and he couldn’t lie still anymore. He got up and continued typing. He had rushed to post the previous chapter, and he hadn’t even checked it for typos. He had also forgotten to promote Zhang Qiren’s chapter. Zhang Qiren’s chapter was going to be released at noon today, and it was only right to help a friend promote it. He should post another chapter in the morning and promote Zhang Qiren’s work at the end of it.

However, when he opened his computer, he sat there stupidly for a long time. His mind was a mess, and he didn’t know how to continue the story.

The entire plotline had collapsed, and he had written a pile of crap.

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Ge opened the review section. He had been afraid to look at it before because he thought that the sudden change in the female lead’s personality would provoke criticism. But when he finally looked at it, he was dumbfounded.

Most of the reviews were positive… but this kind of praise made Chu Ge feel uncomfortable.

“That’s right! A woman like Qiu Wuji shouldn’t think of a low-level disciple. I thought her character would be ruined, but luckily it’s been salvaged.”

“Exactly. We can’t just open the harem so quickly. It’s better to conquer her slowly.”

Chu Ge couldn’t help but switch to a different account and reply, “Why do you say it’s so fast? Even if they get together in the end, it’s just a setup to pave the way. They haven’t fallen in love yet. Nothing has happened.”

“That’s true… But since the author is a harem writer, people always feel like it’s going to happen sooner or later.”

“Yes, it feels like it’s happening too fast.”

Chu Ge was getting frustrated: “Assuming something has already happened when it hasn’t and saying it’s too fast, what if it doesn’t happen?”

“How is that possible? Haven’t you read the author’s previous works… do you want to bet whether it will happen or not?”

Chu Ge: “…”

If it was before, Chu Ge wouldn’t dare to make this bet.

Of course, it had to happen…

But now…

He looked up and thought for a long time, and suddenly started laughing.

He felt that if the relationship between Qiu Wuji and the protagonist was not written, it might be a good thing… his original thoughts seemed to have gone astray.

Isn’t the most important part of storytelling creating suspense, making people unable to guess what will happen next? Now everyone has already assumed what will happen. Where’s the suspense?

The main story-line might still be okay, at least there’s no suspense in the romantic story-line anymore, only the process is left, which is not ideal, like walking on one leg.

Since Qiu Wuji didn’t want him to write it the original way, why not reset the outline and completely deviate from everyone’s guesses? It’s not like he can’t come up with other stories.

The worst consequence is just to fail, it’s not like he hasn’t failed before.

After half a night of frustration, Chu Ge’s worries disappeared as he laughed out loud and replied with two words: “Let’s bet.”

Without waiting for a reply, he went offline.

The bet is not important.

What’s important is breaking free from the prison he created for himself.

Just like Qiu Wuji!

Chu Ge directly posted a single chapter: “Sorting out the plot, taking a day off, and promoting the book.”

Completing the promise to Zhang Qiren, all the last obstacles were cleared, and Chu Ge completely relaxed, stretching his muscles and walking out of the door.

The door of the neighboring room was closed, and the faint light leaked through the crack.

‘Zhang Qiren really stayed up until now and hasn’t slept yet,’ Chu Ge looked towards the door.

He understood this well. His new novel would be launched during the day, and the pressure at the moment was immense. It was quite normal to feel anxious and unable to sleep.

Furthermore, as writers, they were used to staying up late. The stillness of the night often brought deeper immersion and inspiration, so it was quite normal to write until late at night.

He knocked on the door and said, “Do you want to go out and eat something?”

Zhang Qiren replied in a muffled voice, “Just had instant noodles… Do you want some? Hey, come in and talk. What are you standing outside for?”

Chu Ge pushed the door and walked in, and he immediately saw Zhang Qiren chatting with someone on QQ.

“You’re so bold. I thought you were writing, but you’re just chatting with someone,” Chu Ge said as he walked over and glanced at Zhang Qiren’s screen. The chat box had a girl’s avatar. “What the f*ck, you still have the mood to flirt?”

Zhang Qiren replied indifferently, “Who knows if this is a guy or a girl? If you really care, you’ve already lost. It’s just to relieve some stress. Do you expect me to stare at the novel all the time?”

“Fair enough,” Chu Ge said as he watched Zhang Qiren ease his mind.

The girl on the other end of the chat was saying, “My mother passed away.”

Zhang Qiren took advantage of the situation and said, “Do you want me to come over and keep you company?”

“I have a boyfriend.”

“I have a mother,” Zhang Qiren replied and then blocked her, all in one breath.

Chu Ge  “…”

Zhang Qiren turned his head and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I know you just want some food… Oh no, I mean, you want to eat some late-night snacks. How about some fried chicken?”

“There’s no fried chicken at this hour. Let’s just eat some meat,” Chu Ge said as he walked out and smiled. “I didn’t realize you could read minds.”

“What mind-reading… I saw the single chapter you posted. It was fine in the evening, but suddenly you had to organize the plot. Did you have problems with the story? You came to my door at this time, it’s to chat about writing, isn’t it?” Zhang Qiren asked, chuckling.

Indeed, Chu Ge came to talk about the story with his writer friend. That was the initial purpose of sharing an apartment with a fellow writer. However, this was likely the first time in half a year that they had actually talked about something important other than giving each other opinions on their new books.

Zhang Qiren seemed to have realized this too and couldn’t help but find it funny. He put his arm around Chu Ge’s shoulder and said, “I have a friend who even promotes my chapter updates when I’m on hiatus… I think the meaning of sharing this apartment is more important than just talking about writing.”

Chu Ge also felt that having a friend who was eager to accompany him for supper and chat about ideas in the middle of the night was the most important meaning of being roommates with a similar profession.

The two of them arrived at a roadside stall outside the community. Instead of eating meat, they got some skewers and each ordered a bottle of beer.

“Let me tell you, even though I’m not great at these types of novels, I think you’ve really improved the way you’re approaching this book,” said Zhang Qiren as he clinked glasses with him, laughing. “Including when we were talking about the sister duo before, it’s not wrong to write what I like to read, but in the end, all I will remember in the novel is this. Now, with your new novel, all I want to see is when you finally push down that female sect leader. I’ve skipped all the plot about the protagonist struggling. Is that what you want?”

Chu Ge looked at the bubbles in his drink and asked, “So, I’ll just be a model?”

It’s easy to joke around, but if the novel doesn’t sell, he’ll have to consider a career change.

Zhang Qiren pursed his lips and felt a little sad.

After so many days and nights of torment, sitting in front of the computer for more than ten hours a day, suffering from cervical spondylosis, tenosynovitis, and sciatica, and having all kinds of problems, who would want to see their novels ignored and pitifully discarded?

Zhang Qiren was also anxious before when he first started writing. Who could be so carefree? Moreover, with Chu Ge’s already rising trend, how could he not be under pressure?

He could only reluctantly respond, “Look at me, not even dogs will pay attention to me, but I still persist in having no female lead.”

Chu Ge glanced at him.

Actually, he knew that Zhang Qiren didn’t have the talent to write good stories with female leads.