Although the woman who had brought ruin to the country had temporarily returned, Chu Ge's writing time wasn't exactly plentiful.
Because he had more things to do.
Running, push-ups, and the like were still going on. It was his physical constitution; he wasn't aiming for perfection, but with all that excess fat, even running left him breathless—talking about cultivating martial arts was a joke.
He meditated twice a day, morning and evening. Now, his meditation wasn't just about circulating energy; it was aligned with the flow of energy in the Golden Bell Shield technique. He was also practicing the Golden Bell Shield, using it as the fundamental method.
Thinking about this brought tears to his eyes. How did things turn out like this without him even realizing it?
Luckily, he hadn't set this up to require virginity… Chu Ge had always felt that the concept of virginity was unscientific. Men don't have a hymen; wouldn't overflowing semen count as losing virginity? Isn't it the same thing? Why couldn't he perform sexually?
It doesn't make sense, does it?
Author's Note: Found a great website, all serialized here: PUQUTXT.COM
Besides circulating his cultivation techniques, he also needed to temper his soul. He couldn't let someone easily control his mind and become his dog, could he? Not to mention anything so serious, Chu Ge didn't want his thoughts read for all to see; that wasn't a pleasant feeling.
His meditation time had more than doubled.
Besides that, he also needed to practice his movement techniques. He couldn't just be a punching bag, could he? At least he needed to be able to escape if things went wrong.
His movement techniques, in the short term, focused on agile maneuvers. Outdoor practice wasn't necessary; indoors was fine. Things piled up everywhere? Even better! He needed to be able to stroll leisurely through complex spaces.
Chu Ge wandered around the room, even his pajamas exuding a carefree, leisurely, and ethereal aura… He felt his style was becoming even stranger.
Walking on the water with the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), then roaring with the Golden Bell Shield—what kind of style was this? Chu Ge didn't even think about how to best train offensive techniques in the future; instead, he was thinking about which combination would be most effective...
All the various training methods combined took about three hours. Although it wasn't as long as his previous part-time job, it seemed to get longer and longer as he progressed. At Qiu Wuji's level, a single meditation session could last for months or even years—how would he write then?
Forget it, that's probably a change that only happens after decades of training. At least he couldn't reach that level while writing this book, so it shouldn't be a problem.
On the contrary, as he practiced, his mental state improved, and his writing became smoother, increasing his efficiency.
Before, updating 10,000 words a day was considered breaking a record; now it's considered normal.
Two days passed quickly as he practiced and wrote. Qiu Wuji hadn't returned yet, but a classmate reunion had.
Chu Ge straightened his clothes, looked at himself in the mirror, and vaguely felt he didn't recognize the person.
He was still so handsome... um...
His energy and spirit were so much better; his posture was upright, and his eyes were bright.
If Gu Ruoyan had this same energy and spirit when they went on their blind date, would her reaction have been different? Whatever, why think about it? It was Qiu Wuji who brought all this to the forefront.
…
"Eh? The great writer is here so early." The hotel for the gathering was pretty good, but unfortunately, Lao Hong booked late and could only get a table in the main hall.
There weren't many people attending the gathering, but at least there were two tables. Private rooms weren't easy to book, so the main hall was fine; no one really cared.
When they found their table, Lao Hong was already there, with his wife—because his wife was also everyone's classmate. It was a little early, and only about half the people had arrived. They were all praising Chu Ge, saying, "Damn, you're getting more and more handsome! I never noticed back then!"
Chu Ge ran a hand through his hair. "Men get more charming with age. Don't you regret not pursuing me back then?"
"Get lost," Old Hong laughed. "Back then you were too aloof—actually, you still are. You never participate in activities, never play basketball or football, you're always either in internet cafes or hiding in your dorm reading novels, like you don't exist. Who would pursue you?"
Someone else laughed, "That's how it is with writers."
Everyone laughed.
Chu Ge smiled slightly. Their laughter was still teasing, even a little sarcastic. Before, it always made him feel a little uncomfortable. For example, back then, weren't there just as many of them spending their time in internet cafes? Weren't we all the same? Why did everything we did become special just because I wrote a book? They'd bring up my being a writer all the time.
But now he really felt it didn't matter anymore.
She said it was great.
What's it to you? He didn't say anything, simply taking his seat: "Wu Yang didn't come?"
Old Hong replied, "The head of the municipal bureau, he's incredibly busy. He said he might have to work overtime and couldn't come today, but then he said he was free this afternoon and could come."
A classmate asked, "Isn't it a problem for a civil servant to be openly hosting a banquet and sitting so conspicuously in the main hall?"
Another female classmate said, "Outside of the eight-hour workday, it's a weekend classmate reunion, it's perfectly normal. You always overcomplicate things for civil servants. Police officers are people too, as long as they don't come in uniform."
This female classmate was named Zhang Manli, also a civil servant, reportedly in the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Chu Ge's mind started racing again, wondering if the Civil Affairs Bureau could be of any help with Qiu Wuji's identity... He sighed, "Persistent social maneuvering, for my Qiu Wuji, I'll risk it all."
Just as he was about to offer a few flattering words, a sudden premonition struck him, a feeling he didn't even know he had.
So he turned to look at the hotel entrance.
Lin Wuyang was entering.
Almost simultaneously, another group parked their car outside, and some people got out.
Lin Wuyang subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Zhang Qiren, who was just getting out of the car.
Zhang Qiren was taken aback, seemingly surprised to bump into Lin Wuyang here. Their eyes met for a few seconds, and Zhang Qiren gave a polite smile: "I didn't expect to run into Section Chief Lin here. Section Chief Lin, are you here for dinner?"
Lin Wuyang slowly said, "Don't tell me this hotel is yours too?"
"Oh, no, no, I'm just here to treat a friend to dinner. Section Chief Lin, please don't misunderstand, my family doesn't have much money."
"Regardless of what kind of 'friend' you've invited," Lin Wuyang coldly turned and entered the lobby, "A reasonable amount is fine..." His words seemed both mocking and warning. Zhang Qiren didn't reply, only smiling as he watched him enter the lobby.
Then his gaze sharpened slightly, finally revealing surprise—he saw Lin Wuyang smiling broadly as he walked towards one of the tables in the lobby. A familiar face sat at the table, also looking at him with surprise.
Chu Ge.
His eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Zhang Qiren turned to look at his underlings behind him, then glanced down at his expensive attire. A strange heat rose to his face; he seemed embarrassed that Chu Ge had seen him like this.
Others would be elated to see their old friends with their wealth, but he, with his money, felt ashamed to see Chu Ge. Zhang Qiren pondered his own feelings, then chuckled self-deprecatingly and shook his head.
"Big Brother?" one of his underlings asked, puzzled.
"Oh, nothing." Zhang Qiren composed himself, a smile returning to his face. "Big Ears, keep an eye on what they're saying at this table, be careful."
One-Eared Underling chuckled, "Got it, it's Section Chief Lin."
Zhang Qiren smiled, glanced at Chu Ge again, and turned to go upstairs.
His QQ was flooded with messages from Chu Ge: "Zhang Qiren, so your so-called 'fallen from grace' home is actually inheriting billions?!" He pulled out his phone, glanced at it, and sighed softly.