CH 157

While the little flame was unsure of what to do, it felt something in his heart, sensing someone’s arrival. Its divine sense was still sharp; after all, it was an elemental spirit.

The little flame swiftly darted and hid in the rooftop drain, secretly observing the approaching individuals.

A young man with a lazy smile walked ahead, followed by a middle-aged man with a stern and solemn expression.

Despite the relatively hot weather and many people wearing short sleeves, these two seemed a bit peculiar. The young man was dressed in traditional Tang dynasty attire, while the middle-aged man wore a black suit — if anyone familiar with these outfits saw them, they would probably think it would be more appropriate if the two swapped clothes?

However, Yan Qianli couldn’t discern this, but he did find both of them quite charismatic, especially… they both had some spiritual fluctuations. Could they be cultivators of this world?

The young man in Tang dynasty attire approached the railing, leaned on the handrail, and gazed at the city from afar. He leisurely said, “So many people have met their downfall in Nanjiang, yet you still insist on going to Nanjiang. Truly, you’re crazy.”

The middle-aged man in the black suit stood sternly beside him, and together, they looked down at the cityscape for a while before he slowly spoke, his expression grave, “You, Zhong Yi, loiter around Nanjiang all day doing nothing. Don’t tell me it’s just for fun.”

If it were Chu Ge here, he would have recognized that the young man in Tang dynasty attire was actually Zhong Yi. Hearing the other’s words, Zhong Yi smiled faintly, “You and I are ultimately different.”

The middle-aged man in the black suit sneered, “How are we different? Aren’t you the one suspecting that the origin of spiritual energy lies in Nanjiang, hence staying here to uncover clues?”

“Whether I am or not, I’m only seeking the truth and pursuing results,” Zhong Yi said nonchalantly. “But what about you, Du Lianfeng? What are you here for?”

The middle-aged man, addressed as Du Lianfeng, smirked coldly. “Is this your grand design, the reason behind ruining my Five Elements Group?”

Zhong Yi replied, “I won’t deny that when I cooperated with Zhang Qiren to target the Wang family, we did have intentions towards the Iron Anvil group. But it was clearly not the main reason…”

Du Lianfeng sneered, “Then what was it? Were you really trying to combat the crimes of the Wang family?”

“Why not?” Zhong Yi also began to sneer. “The reason it wasn’t targeting the Iron Anvil group is simple. They aren’t worthy of my deliberate designs.”

“You!” Du Lianfeng clenched his fist.

Zhong Yi seemed indifferent and said casually, “Your Five Elements Group stationed in Nanjiang, gathering those who could walk through walls and cross waters, lurking everywhere to spy and search for clues like flies attracted to dog excrement. Are you really searching for the source of abilities, or are you looking for treasures for yourself? You know it well.”

“Are you not?” Du Lianfeng sneered. “Which incident doesn’t have your shadow? The Wang family’s affairs even provoked national security, leading to subsequent troubles for the others. Who else but you could have filed those reports?”

“That’s right, I filed those reports to have them killed, not because I wanted to,” Zhong Yi said nonchalantly. “That’s the difference.”

Du Lianfeng fell silent for a moment and slowly said, “So, you’re saying that as long as we’re not involved in those messy affairs and solely focused on seeking the truth, you won’t interfere?”

“Why should I interfere if you’re not causing trouble? I’m not a policeman, and I’m not investigating your old cases, am I?” Zhong Yi replied.

Du Lianfeng laughed, “You’re getting anxious.”

Zhong Yi paused for a moment but didn’t argue.

Du Lianfeng sneered again, “Today, the so-called revival of spiritual energy abruptly became denser. I can even sense that this spiritual energy is likely emanating from Nanjiang. You’ve been observing here for a long time, yet you haven’t observed a damn thing!”

Upon hearing this, Yan Qianli thought, Are you calling this spiritual energy, which is even worse than my fart, denser? Did you spend your previous days in a cesspool?

But Zhong Yi slowly said, “If I can’t observe it, so what? I’ve never considered this something that can be understood within a few years.”

Du Lianfeng sneered, “Of course, you don’t experience pain, which means your body’s tissues can’t stop functioning… You won’t age, you have endless time.”

However, a touch of sadness appeared in Zhong Yi’s eyes, and he whispered, “That may not necessarily be true.”

His voice was as soft as a mosquito’s, unheard by Du Lianfeng, but Yan Qianli heard it, and he thought, This seems to be getting interesting…

Du Lianfeng said, “Zhong Yi, I won’t hold grudges against you for the previous times you spoiled my plans. How about we cooperate?”

Zhong Yi looked into the distance, his voice slightly hoarse as he replied, “I have my own path, and I won’t cooperate with you… If you’re seeking the truth, I won’t stop you. But if you cause trouble…”

He slowly turned around and left the rooftop, saying, “There’s a place for you in Nanjiang Prison.”

Du Lianfeng’s expression turned fierce as he watched Zhong Yi’s figure recede. He clenched his fist tightly, seemingly both wary and apprehensive, but eventually he slowly relaxed his grip.

It was only long after Zhong Yi had left that Du Lianfeng smirked, “Just seeking the truth? SSS is involved, when would it be your turn to interfere! You’ve deceived yourself about what you truly desire.”

Yan Qianli silently compared them and felt that the person before him resembled himself more, but Zhong Yi clearly had more secrets. After pondering for a moment, he quietly followed Zhong Yi.

By keeping an eye on this Zhong Yi, perhaps he could uncover the secrets of this world?

Surely it wouldn’t be like he would run into both Qiu Wuji and the Creator God of the Heavenly Dao by simply following a random person, right?

…………

Meanwhile, Chu Ge had reached a crucial juncture in his life.

Ever since he discovered the significant benefits of expanding the sense of existence and realism through distribution channels, Chu Ge had been contemplating copyright adaptations.

However, he had no relevant channels and didn’t know how to find them. Moreover, in theory, it was the web novels platform that handled the copyright operations, so it seemed meaningless for him to search for them on his own. But he also heard that he had some connections of his own… It was unclear, as he had never acted as a big shot and was completely bewildered by these high-end matters.

Just as he was planning to seek advice privately from a familiar member of the big shot’s group, the editor’s message came through:

“Chu Ge, we’re promoting your copyright, so please fill out these forms.”

Chu Ge looked at the plethora of forms sent to him, including “IP Information Form,” “Anime Information Application Form,” “Film and Television Production Information Application Form,” “Game Adaptation Evaluation Application Form,” and many more. He felt ecstatic!

Unfortunately, poor Chu Ge had no idea that many people had filled out these forms, and the chances of his forms being lost in the sea of submissions were quite high. It was still a long way off from actually securing the copyright. In fact, many authors who successfully sold their rights hadn’t even filled out these forms…

Chu Ge thought that having the forms delivered to his face was at least a step forward, right?

With great excitement, he clicked on the various forms and filled them out rapidly.

They even required an outline? No problem, he already had an outline, he could simply copy and paste!

Filling in the highlights? He began to praise lavishly, showcasing his elegant writing style, well-developed characters, and thrilling plot twists… and the main theme – Qiuqiu who is so adorable!

Qiu Wuji sat silently on the side, watching Chu Ge’s excessive excitement, and she couldn’t help but feel happy for him. Way back when she first arrived, Chu Ge had pointed at the TV series and said, “The day our books are adapted for the screen…”

Though he spoke casually and calmly, Qiu Wuji could sense the deep longing hidden within those words. She never expected that this opportunity would come so soon.

After struggling for a good half an hour, Chu Ge sent the forms back to the editor all at once. He even added a joke, saying, “Word files are large, please bear with it.”

He thought he might receive a scolding from the editor for speaking without thinking due to his excessive excitement. However, the editor responded unexpectedly, saying, “Even if it’s big, it’s still Microsoft’s.”

Chu Ge: “?”

“The editor department has heard about Short Ge’s reputation…”

“It’s a misunderstanding, Your Majesty Editor. I am clearly long and thick…”

The editor went silent and didn’t reply to his remark. But the fact that they responded to his joke and even teased him back indicated that the editor was in a good mood, right?

With a cheerful expression, Chu Ge thought to himself and pulled Qiu Wuji beside him, wanting to say, “Mission accomplished, give me a kiss.”

Seeing his behavior, Qiu Wuji was not pleased and pressed his face away, asking, “I see that you have a good relationship with the editor. But I’ve heard others say that the editor doesn’t pay attention to people.”

“Who told you that…”

“Many members in the writing group have mentioned it. Some of them are authors too.”

“Emmmm…” Chu Ge felt embarrassed to tell her that he hadn’t actually spoken to the editor for several months. In front of his girlfriend, he always wanted to appear knowledgeable about everything.

He replied earnestly, “They don’t understand the tricks of communicating with editors. In the future, when you have an editor, remember this: if you call her ‘Editor Bigshot,’ she won’t remember you. But if you say, ‘Hey, that flat-chested editor,’ she’ll remember you for a lifetime.”

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