Chapter 104: Underwater

The night grew darker.

The two of them, who had planned to go to the sea later, didn’t feel much awkwardness sharing the same room. Qiu Wuji just turned on the TV and watched without paying any attention to Chu Ge.

Chu Ge, on the other hand, leaned against the head of the bed and played with his phone, chatting with friends in the group and joking around.

It was just a way to pass the time.

Today was probably the first time Chu Ge had come up with an excuse to feign illness and take a day off. Even though he didn’t do it himself, it was the assistant miss… Well, let’s just consider it as if he did it himself. He felt somewhat guilty towards the readers, but it was worth it for this.

If he didn’t come out, how could he see the adorable Qiu Wuji like this?

Her disheveled hair still hadn’t been tidied up, and there was still a trace of lingering anger on her face. She watched TV with a sulky expression, and who knows if the images on the screen were actually registering in her mind…

At this moment, the group chat was also discussing relationship problems:

“Wuwuwu, I acted like a dumb guy today.”

“What happened? What’s the unhappy thing? Share it with us to lighten the mood.”

“My junior asked me to help her choose a computer, so I made her a list. Today, she said she would treat me to a meal to thank me. I told her that if she has the money to treat me to a meal, she might as well add 200 and get the 1060 TI. I was a bit concerned about the previous configuration because the graphics card was a bit lacking…”

Blue Pill: “I think if you go with an i7, the 2060S should be better.”

“??? Did I ask you guys about graphics card configurations?”

“Isn’t that what we were discussing?”

Chu Ge laughed uncontrollably.

Come to think of it, he used to be just as clueless about these things. He really didn’t know how he managed to write harem stories.

At least now he knew that when a junior invites you to dinner, it doesn’t necessarily mean genuine gratitude. Isn’t that a bit better than these bunch of fools?

He stole a glance at Qiu Wuji… emmmm, it seems he hasn’t made much progress either. He still had no idea what she was thinking. At least he didn’t dare to approach her even though they were sharing the same room… He definitely wouldn’t survive if he did.

HandsomeFace: “You two straight guys, stop arguing. I think I’ll consult Brother Chu more in the future. With all the girls he has written about, he must be an old harem master, right?”

Chu Ge: T_T

The friend who missed out on a junior is crying, “When will I ever have a pretty lady get close to me…”

HandsomeFace: “I don’t care if she’s pretty or not, as long as she’s a girl.”

Blue Pill: “I don’t care if she’s a girl or not, as long as she’s pretty.”

HandsomeFace: “???”

Wan Zijun shrank back in fear in the hospital room, keeping a safe distance from Panda’s bed.

Panda sneered, “As long as you don’t write ‘pretty’ on your face, do you think someone would be interested in you?”

Wan Zijun: “…”

Meanwhile, Chu Ge was laughing uncontrollably while looking at his phone. Reading the silly chat conversations with his group of friends was the biggest source of entertainment for him apart from being close with Qiu Qiu.

“Ding ding ding,” a private message suddenly came through.

Chu Ge recognized the familiar avatar and quickly opened the message to reply, “Hello, Editor-sama, what instructions do you have?”

Chu Ge hurriedly responded, “I’m available now.”

“No rush, first send a candid photo of your daily life, and I’ll send you the interview questions for you to review. We’ll publish the interview later.”

“Understood!” Chu Ge selected a photo from his phone’s album that he was satisfied with and sent it over, feeling even better about his mood.

He could visibly see himself walking on the path of success.

Qiu Wuji glanced over with a sidelong glance, “Are you done being silly? We should leave now.”

Chu Ge jumped up, “Yes, ma’am!”

He didn’t know if his behavior of laughing at his phone for one or two hours in this “hotel room” atmosphere where they were sharing the same space could be considered as less than decent. Qiu Wuji didn’t seem angry, and her previous sulky expression had even subsided a bit. Most likely, his behavior for the past hour was the right move.

Going overboard is not good. Being shameless and continuing to pester would probably cause resentment. Things are fine as they are now.

Under the cover of a dark night and strong winds, the two of them sneaked out of the hotel dressed casually and headed straight to the beach.

The coastline was long, and it would be too easy to go around the direction with shops. Chu Ge regretted not knowing it earlier. If he had brought swimwear with him, they could have snuck in without buying tickets.

Hiding behind a rock to avoid the patrolling staff, Qiu Wuji peeked her head and glanced at the beach they had visited earlier.

“The castle is still there!” The sand castle they made…

Chu Ge didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “What should we do now?”

Qiu Wuji turned to look at him, “Can you dive?”

“… I can hold my breath for about a minute.”

“Then you can squat up there and be a competent cheerleader. Why ask?”

“I was thinking of this practice. Can I use some water avoidance technique or something?”

Qiu Wuji looked him up and down, reluctant to admit it, but he could indeed use the water avoidance technique. It wasn’t a high-end skill in his setting.

She reached out and tapped Chu Ge’s forehead, “I’ll teach you the water avoidance technique, but your current cultivation can’t support it for long. Don’t dive too deep, just come up when it’s about time.”

“Got it.”

The two of them bypassed the rocks and ran towards the sea, gradually sinking and disappearing.

Chu Ge’s experience was quite novel and exciting. This kind of diving, where the water was separated and there was air… It was a feeling that only existed in the imaginary immortal techniques, but he was actually experiencing it firsthand. It was an experience second only to the feeling of the female protagonist jumping out of the book and being close to him.

Those previous golden bell shields or something, they didn’t give him this mysterious feeling.

The drawbacks were also apparent. One was that his energy consumption was a bit fast. His cultivation at the Qi Refinement stage couldn’t support it for too long. The other was even more dangerous—he couldn’t withstand the force in the sea. The undertow almost carried him dozens of meters away.

Qiu Wuji grabbed his arm and scolded, “Deadweight.”

Chu Ge helplessly said, “You’re my master, shouldn’t you guide and encourage me? This tone is like that of an evil stepmother…”

“Hmph, who said you have a say in how your master speaks? Have you never seen a master who abuses their disciple?”

Chu Ge kept silent.

It’s as if I’m not your master, hmph… Let me see how I’ll educate you when we get back home.

Qiu Wuji didn’t say much either. She held Chu Ge’s arm and swiftly dived towards the seabed.

She could sense where the spiritual energy was most abundant. They weren’t far from it, which is why even the few seashells washed up by the tide were imbued with that energy.

She could even discern that these things weren’t always here. They should have originally been in the far sea and slowly moved closer to the shore over the years. In a little while, they might be washed ashore and obtained by someone lucky enough.

That was a common story in the world of cultivation… Qiu Wuji could imagine that in this era of emerging abilities, whether in the mountains, the sea, or even in one’s own land, there must be a group of fortunate people who were at the forefront of these abilities. She didn’t think it was too late now. Since she was here, she might as well help Chu Ge seize this opportunity. It would be a win-win situation, and it would also benefit her own cultivation.

Qiu Wuji squinted her eyes slightly, pinpointed the exact location, and pulled Chu Ge swiftly towards it, slicing through the waves like a swordfish in the sea.

“It should be right here.”

When they arrived, there was a relatively large reef standing on the seabed. Qiu Wuji pushed it lightly and confirmed that it could be moved. “It seems that this reef was pushed by the waves and has trapped something. Otherwise, it would have surfaced long ago.”

Chu Ge asked, “So, if we push it aside, we’ll find it?”

Qiu Wuji examined the reef and said, “It will take some effort.”

Chu Ge bravely said, “Let me give it a try.”

He tried to push it but found that he couldn’t exert enough force.

Being underwater, he had nowhere to exert force. The soft and muddy seabed couldn’t provide any support. How could he move such a large reef in the empty space?

Qiu Wuji chuckled and said, “Even if there were a place to exert force, your strength isn’t enough… You’re the Third Brother, not the eldest.”

Chu Ge: “…”

“Let me do it. I told you to be a cheerleader.” Qiu Wuji let go of Chu Ge’s hand and placed her delicate hand on the reef, closing her eyes.

As she said, it would take some effort.

The strength of this body primarily lay in her extraordinary spiritual consciousness and cognitive experience. In terms of pure physical strength, it was insufficient. Moving such a large reef required utilizing various understandings of the Five Elements’ techniques, such as using hydraulic force to push it.

Qiu Wuji focused her mind, and the surrounding seawater gradually surged. She formed a continuous pushing force and slowly moved the reef. Sweat appeared on her forehead.

As the reef moved aside slightly, the spiritual energy below became more vigorous. Faintly, the radiance of something shimmering like a bead could be seen.

Qiu Wuji said with some effort, “Go and pick it up…”

Before the words had fully left her mouth, a sense of danger surged in her heart. “Someone’s there!”

At that moment, a sharp water arrow attacked her from behind. Simultaneously, the waves surged, sweeping away the brilliance beneath the reef.

Hydrokinesis?

Qiu Wuji’s first instinct was to redirect the force she used to move the reef to protect her back.

However, at the same time, she realized that she was already enveloped in a warm embrace. Chu Ge held her tightly in his arms, using his own back as a solid shield against the water arrow.

With her vast experience, Qiu Wuji didn’t have time to think about anything else. She immediately shifted her focus and, with a loud “bang,” the figure hiding behind the distant reef was propelled upwards by the immense force of the seawater, revealing a scuba gear-clad person.

In the next moment, an electric net crackled to life, and the person let out a miserable scream, quickly fleeing into the distance.

A brilliant pearl, with its radiance flickering, floated in the water. Qiu Wuji extended her hand, and it was already in her grasp.

It was a beautiful counterattack and treasure acquisition.

However, Qiu Wuji didn’t have the mind to examine the treasure in her hand. She just lowered her head and whispered softly, “That’s enough… How long are you going to hold me like this…”

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