CH 123

Outskirts, nighttime.

The chilly wind stirred, casting eerie shadows from the trees.

Although there was silence all around, with only the faint sound of the wind brushing past his ears, Chu Ge still felt as if there were accompanying background music, like the opening theme of a horror movie.

Suddenly, the tree shadows around him spread out, and Chu Ge could even imagine the sound effect of a “whoosh~” in his mind.

Inescapable, the next moment the tree shadows engulfed Chu Ge, capturing him.

Moon Shadow hesitated and glanced at Qiu Wuji, wondering if it was really necessary to continue fighting with someone so weak.

Qiu Wuji stood there with her arms crossed, smiling slightly, without saying a word.

Moon Shadow felt that it would be enough to just grab this black ball and throw it in front of Sister Qiu Wuji. She reached out her hand and the shadow carrying Chu Ge moved in front of her.

Just as she was about to throw the black ball to Qiu Wuji, her expression changed.

The black ball suddenly swelled up, and golden light burst out from within. With a loud “bang,” the tree shadows enveloping Chu Ge shattered completely, and a shining fist struck toward her chest.

Moon Shadow’s heart skipped a beat.

She couldn’t tell at all before that Chu Ge had any special abilities. Although she had heard that he was invulnerable, she thought it just meant he had tough skin and didn’t pay much attention to it. But she didn’t expect this punch to be so powerful, almost as strong as the fighter who nearly killed her on the arena.

Moon Shadow had extensive combat experience. She twisted her waist lightly and evaded the punch.

At the same time, Chu Ge’s own shadow suddenly grabbed his foot.

He was caught off guard and was about to fall forward, but his steps mysteriously turned, not only stabilizing himself but also following Moon Shadow closely. He turned around and threw another punch.

Moon Shadow was truly surprised this time. Was Chu Ge really this powerful?

She had initially planned to go easy on him, but now it seemed that continuing to hold back might not guarantee her victory. Her expression became uncertain.

She pushed and tried to block Chu Ge’s attack, while the shadows around her transformed from their previous entangling state into sharp blades, piercing toward him from behind.

A radiant golden light shone on Chu Ge’s back as he used a golden shield to withstand the shadow’s thrust. At the same time, he deftly twisted his wrist and grabbed Moon Shadow’s wrist, giving it a twist.

She withdrew her hand and attempted a counterattack, and the twist didn’t land solidly. Her left hand had already sliced towards Chu Ge’s neck.

Chu Ge reached out and grabbed…

“Stop!” A strong gust of wind blew, and Qiu Wuji swiftly intervened, separating the two.

Both combatants paused their fight. Chu Ge finally felt a burning pain on his back; he had been scratched by the previous shadow thrust. His attempt to forcefully restrain his opponent had been effortlessly resolved. It was clear that he had lost this round.

Moon Shadow looked at him with a hint of admiration and curiously asked Qiu Wuji, “Sister, he hasn’t been counted as defeated yet. Judging from his hand movements, he still had a follow-up grappling move. Why did you call it off?”

Chu Ge also felt puzzled. He believed he could continue fighting… But if the master said to stop, there must be a reason. He would just listen to her.

Qiu Wuji wouldn’t tell them that it was because if they continued with their current style, they would inevitably end up with their arms entangled and bodies pressed closely together. It just didn’t look comfortable at all. Did she have to wait until they were hugging each other to stop?

On the surface, Qiu Wuji maintained her masterly demeanor, hands behind her back as she gazed at the moon, and calmly said, “Sparring is only meant for honing skills, and we stop when we’ve made our point. Chu Ge has already been injured. Must we still determine a winner? Chu Ge, do you know where you went wrong?”

Chu Ge honestly replied, “I overestimated my defensive abilities and underestimated Moon Shadow’s subtle techniques.”

Moon Shadow twitched her mouth and thought to herself, What’s so special about my subtle techniques? I was the one who underestimated your subtle techniques! How could someone who relies on brute force and being impervious to weapons suddenly resort to delicate grappling? It’s ridiculous! I almost fell into your hands!

Qiu Wuji nodded, “That’s right. Now you’ve learned to reflect on yourself, and that’s progress. With more battles, your experience will become richer, and gradually, your mistakes will decrease. By then, you will be able to handle yourself in this world… under normal circumstances, without me worrying too much.”

She paused for a moment and turned to Moon Shadow, saying, “Thank you for showing mercy.”

Moon Shadow replied, “It was just a practice match, of course.”

“I’m not referring to the previous holding back for the sake of restraint. I’m talking about the final strike… If it were a life-and-death battle, your strike wouldn’t have been a palm to the neck but a shadow blade slashing the throat, right?”

Moon Shadow fell silent.

She felt that Qiu Wuji’s gaze was penetrating, as if nothing could be hidden from her. She was even more formidable than her own instructor…

Qiu Wuji patted Chu Ge’s shoulder and said, “That’s enough for today. You have about a third of Moon Shadow’s level. Go home and apply some medicine.”

“Oh.” Chu Ge hopped onto his electric bike, and Qiu Wuji naturally sat behind him. They rode off together, making a buzzing sound.

A third of Moon Shadow’s level… It seems like it’s not too bad after all…

Moon Shadow, left behind in the outskirts, stood there dumbfounded, expressionless. Did the two of them just forgot that there’s someone else here?

How did I never notice before that you two are so lovey-dovey!

Speaking of which, what’s their relationship? They clearly look like a married couple no matter how you look at it, but just now, Qiu Wuji’s tone when reprimanding him didn’t sound like a wife, more like a master. If you say they’re master and disciple, who has such a master and disciple relationship? Look at the way this small electric scooter carries her with flowing long hair, it’s sickeningly sweet!

Moon Shadow sulkingly used her shadow movement to run away, thinking of sending a message to Sister Gu Ruoyan. Chu Ge’s martial arts can be set aside for now, but his superpowers should be quite obvious, almost invulnerable… What kind of potential should he be evaluated with?

…………

Meanwhile, Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji had already arrived home. Upon seeing the neighbor’s door, Chu Ge suddenly remembered, “Oh, I forgot to call Moon Shadow to come back with us…”

Qiu Wuji, on the other hand, was quite cheerful and entered the house with a smile, saying, “You did well.”

Chu Ge thought she was referring to his performance in the fight, so he followed her inside and said, “I think I did much better than when we first started fighting.”

Qiu Wuji nodded, “Indeed, not bad… You even knew how to use underhanded tactics, feigning weakness and intentionally trapping yourself, then launching a surprise attack. That’s more like what the protagonist in your books would do…”

Chu Ge stroked his chin, “Is my protagonist so shady? No wonder it’s popular.”

Qiu Wuji glared at him, not amused. “You’re proud of yourself even though you’re covered in wounds like a sieve! Lie face down on the sofa, I’ll apply the medicine.”

Chu Ge took off his shirt and lay on the sofa, sighing, “Moon Shadow can still break through my defenses. This Golden Bell Shield isn’t that amazing after all…”

Qiu Wuji applied the red medicinal liquid and said, “Be content. Her Shadow Stab didn’t hold back much, considering she knows you’re impervious to weapons. So, only having some superficial flesh wounds is already quite good.”

“Ouch… it hurts…” Chu Ge grimaced, “Hey, I don’t know why, but these past two months, I’ve been getting injured like drinking water. Do others who are just starting out get injured as frequently as I do?”

“One reason is that you’re inexperienced. Some of the injuries before could have been completely avoided… The other reason is that you learned the Golden Bell Shield.”

“How can you explain this second reason? Isn’t the Golden Bell Shield supposed to prevent injuries? Why am I getting injured more frequently after learning it?”

“Because you have the ability to be impervious to weapons, naturally relying on it in battles, you tend to consider evasion less and choose to confront head-on more. As a result, you are more prone to injuries compared to others. It’s inevitable,” Qiu Wuji explained earnestly. “It’s better for you to forget that you have the Golden Bell Shield. If you can dodge, then dodge. When someone finally manages to land a hit on you and realizes it’s ineffective, do you think their mentality will hold up?”

Chu Ge chuckled, “Makes sense. I like being sneaky like that.”

“Being sneaky with the female protagonist you wrote?” Qiu Wuji’s tone was cool.

Chu Ge: “…”

Qiu Wuji continued, “Of course, your performance today, fighting through the pain to seize an opportunity for victory, was good. When it’s necessary, you should act accordingly. The specific choice of strategy in different situations requires instinctive reactions formed through long-term experience. The dynamics of a battle change in an instant, and if you need to think before deciding, it will be too late.”

“Then should I continue to challenge Moon Shadow tomorrow?”

Qiu Wuji pouted and took a while before saying, “You should spar with me instead. Moon Shadow’s fighting style is quite limited, and it’s not very meaningful to keep practicing with her. But I can simulate various fighting styles to help you become proficient in different approaches.”

Chu Ge felt like Qiu Wuji was starting to taste something… Could it be jealousy?

She’s even jealous of a fight. It’s like she can hold onto this grudge for thousands of years! What if it were Gu Ruoyan standing there instead of Moon Shadow?

Qiu Wuji actually asked about Gu Ruoyan, “That Gu Ruoyan of yours…”

“Hey, it has nothing to do with me. Don’t use those terms loosely.”

Qiu Wuji nodded in satisfaction, “You mentioned that she collects information on people with superpowers and compiles publications, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“What do you think she would evaluate you as? Will she consider the fact that you’ve…”

“There’s nothing between me and her.”

“…Well, how much do you think she would rate you?”

“How would I know…” Chu Ge pondered lazily. “She should first figure out what abilities I actually have. Even I’m not sure, so who can evaluate me?”

…

“Directory Of People With Special Abilities”:

Name: Chu Ge

Occupation: Internet writer

Ability: Invulnerability to weapons

Gu Ruoyan paused her pen, furrowing her brows slightly, and put a question mark in the margin before continuing to write.

Level of development: Moderate, can withstand slashes from a multiple daggers without injury.

Nature: Combat

Potential evaluation: B

After the B, Gu Ruoyan drew even larger question marks, three in a row.

If it were the traditional invulnerability to weapons, B would already be an overestimation. How can one withstand modern firearms when they can only resist cold weapons? Unless you can upgrade to indestructibility, being invulnerable to blades and guns alone is indeed average in modern times.

However… is it really just invulnerability to weapons? How to explain the performance with Rong Fu who supposedly copied his ability and became mentally unstable?

Gu Ruoyan felt that even indestructibility couldn’t explain it.

However, regardless of the source of the information, the consolidated description was only these four words: invulnerability to weapons… No matter how wrong it seemed to Gu Ruoyan, she could only write based on the known information.

If even the type of superpower is in doubt, the potential evaluation is better left unread.

What’s even more confusing is the woman beside Chu Ge… There is still no information about her abilities. What exactly is her power?