CH 168

Even though they had caught the little flame and made him refine pills, it seemed like they had gone through a lot, but in reality, it was only noon. Chu Ge uploaded today’s chapter, along with Qiu Qiu’s autobiography from before, without forcibly counting them as two separate chapters. He took Qiu Wuji out for a meal.

Love, of course, was the biggest enemy of writing, and even the biggest enemy of cultivation.

Look at these two, making the little flame work hard to refine several furnaces of pills, and they didn’t even eat a single one before going out shopping… would Yan Qianli rebel if he found out?

The rain was still heavy. The two of them shared a large umbrella, closely leaning against each other, stepping on the road with one foot higher than the other.

The old Chu Ge used to hate this kind of rain and would be too lazy to go out in this weather. But Qiu Wuji quite liked it. How could an immortal fear the rain? Instead, the gentle rain made her feel the freshness of autumn. Occasionally, when her poetic inspiration arose, she could even recite a few lines of a poem about listening to the rain in a stone pavilion.

But now it seemed a bit different. Chu Ge really liked this rain because it allowed him to be close to Qiuqiu under the umbrella, feeling particularly intimate.

Qiu Wuji, on the other hand, began to feel uncomfortable. Walking together on the street like this felt awkward… She wasn’t strong enough to use spells casually on the street, which meant she couldn’t block the rain. Even such a big umbrella couldn’t stop the rain from drifting in at an angle, and before long, she felt her back getting wet.

“Why did you only bring one umbrella!” Qiu Wuji got angry.

“Because there’s only one umbrella at home…”

“…”

“Has the fairy fallen into the mortal world?” Chu Ge chuckled. “In the past, in the world of rivers and lakes, wandering alone in the mist and rain with a sword in your hand, have you never experienced that vast and boundless view by the water?”

…Your twisted reasoning is becoming more and more excessive.” Qiu Wuji said helplessly. “You can turn anything into a beautiful description, as if you’ve always loved the rain.”

“I used to dislike it, but now I have you.”

Qiu Wuji felt that what he said now wasn’t just twisted logic but also sweet words. That annoying straight guy who only made her want to punch him seems to have disappeared completely. Now, he speaks better than the protagonist in his own book. Although sometimes it feels awkward, she just loves listening to him.

Is it always this obvious for a man to make progress once he’s in love? Or is it because… he has experienced certain things and thereby connected the heavens and the earth, unifying the two major energy channels?

Just because he said it like that, Qiu Wuji also felt that there was nothing unpleasant about the rain. Walking in the rain was also a rare experience, especially for the first time holding an umbrella together with him and strolling through the empty streets.

There were pedestrians around, hastily walking under their umbrellas. Some rode small electric scooters, covered in raincoats, laboriously heading home.

When her mind settled, she looked at the world again, the irritability disappeared, and she saw a picturesque scene of mist and rain in the human world.

Qiu Wuji also saw other couples passing by, their shoulders soaked by the rain. She instinctively glanced at her own right shoulder. Clearly, her back was wet from the rain, but her right shoulder, by contrast, was refreshingly dry, perfectly sheltered.

She was taken aback and turned to look at Chu Ge. She saw that his left shoulder was already drenched. Because the entire umbrella was tilted towards her side, trying to shield her from all angles. Along with Chu Ge’s body, it was all her umbrella.

Qiu Wuji’s gaze became slightly hazy, and at this moment, she no longer found the rain annoying.

Because of you.

She discreetly looked around and quietly performed a spell with her fingers.

Suddenly, Chu Ge felt that the feeling of rain hitting his exposed left shoulder had disappeared. Though the heavy rain seemed to be hitting his shoulder, it was actually completely blocked by an invisible layer of Qi. It slid off his body, and his previously wet shoulder had dried without him realizing it, clean and refreshing.

“It’s not good for your body to be all wet. It can cause rheumatism,” Qiu Wuji said, bowing her head.

Chu Ge laughed.

Where does rheumatism come from in their current cultivation…

Sect Master Qiu’s little expression of concern for her boyfriend was truly adorable.

“Why are you laughing!” Qiu Wuji stepped over a puddle. “How much longer do you want to walk?”

Chu Ge replied, “I feel like we can walk for as long as we want.”

Actually, at this moment, Qiu Wuji also felt like they could walk for as long as they wanted.

The street was long, very long, shrouded in a hazy mist and rain ahead. At first glance, it seemed endless, as if they could walk until the end of time. Walking until the end of time would be quite nice.

However, everyone still had goals.

Not far ahead was a real estate agency. Chu Ge stopped in front of the door, and Qiu Wuji, gazing into the distance through the mist and rain, unexpectedly felt a tinge of reluctance.

“Are you looking to rent or buy?”

The words of the female real estate agent instantly brought Qiu Wuji back to reality. Looking at the various price lists and notes plastered all over the walls, it felt like she had returned from the misty rivers and lakes of the book to the human world.

Chu Ge wasn’t considering buying a house for now. Although his income seemed impressive over the past two months, there was still a considerable distance to go before he could afford a down payment, so he skipped that option.

When it came to renting, they had some ideas…

Renting a larger place in the city, like a five-bedroom, three-living-room kind of place, didn’t seem quite suitable for the two of them. They weren’t planning to have a litter of piglets now, so what would they do with so many rooms?

Chu Ge thought of Wan Zijun’s type of small courtyard in the outskirts or even countryside, which seemed particularly suitable. Unfortunately, it was too far from the city, making daily life quite inconvenient.

What they could consider was a duplex-type apartment, with the upper floor arranged for cultivation and pill refining purposes, and the lower floor for daily living. It seemed quite suitable for the two of them. The location would still be in the city, around the third or fourth ring road, just like now—not too remote but also close to the commercial district, which was particularly suitable.

Qiu Wuji also felt that it would be best to stay in their current neighborhood. They were familiar with buying groceries here, and Mengmeng was nearby too. Moving to another location would require getting familiar with everything again, which would be troublesome.

With this consideration, their goal was actually quite clear, and they didn’t have to be overwhelmed with choices.

Unfortunately…

“Sir, the type of duplex you’re looking for, with a large single floor…” The real estate agent’s face showed a look of thinking you have too many requirements. “We don’t have listings for that type. There are very few rentals available like that. The ones that are easy to rent are small units. Even if it’s a duplex, the single-floor area is usually around fifty to sixty square meters, which is smaller than a regular house. You just don’t understand, you seem to think that choosing a house is as easy as picking groceries…”

Chu Ge looked at the agent’s impatience and smiled slightly. He noticed that he seemed to have improved his composure lately, as he didn’t feel any annoyance at all.

“Sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll go ask other agencies.”

“It’ll be the same wherever you ask.” The agent responded directly. “Tenants usually approach multiple agencies, who would only stick with one? If you’re not limited to this area, there might be options in other districts, but definitely not in this one.”

Chu Ge thought there was some truth to that and turned to Qiu Wuji. “Why don’t you ask Zhu Mengmeng if she knows anyone renting a place? I’ll also ask my classmates and friends.”

Qiu Wuji’s beautiful eyes remained fixed on the rental information on the wall. She pointed to one of the listings and said, “Is that one for 1,000? Is it the room that belongs to Moon Shadow?”

Chu Ge checked the community and room number and confirmed, “It’s really that one. It hasn’t been rented out after all this time? 1,000 is quite expensive. It’s a single-person apartment…”

Qiu Wuji said, “It’s actually quite suitable for us. It’s just a few steps away, separated from here. We can use it to store miscellaneous items and… for exercise, including your broken treadmill. Our daily living space would be freed up.”

“Oh…” Chu Ge applauded. “That makes a lot of sense. We might not even need to move, which would be much easier.”

Qiu Wuji added, “We might not even need to contact a real estate agent. I remember the homeowner posting rental information in the community. Wouldn’t it be better to contact the homeowner directly?”

After speaking, she glanced at the female real estate agent, her expression revealing her displeasure. Chu Ge didn’t feel unhappy himself, but Qiu Wuji was unhappy on his behalf.

Who is she to give a sour face to my boyfriend? Hmph.

Chu Ge seemed to understand her intention and gently rubbed her head, as if stroking a cat’s fur. Qiu Wuji wrinkled her nose and said, “Let’s go.”

Hand in hand, the two of them walked out together, with Chu Ge holding the umbrella. Qiu Wuji naturally linked her arm with his, and they walked side by side in perfect synchrony, entering the misty rain.

They didn’t even glance at the real estate agent from beginning to end, and it seemed like they weren’t even there to find a rental agency… After all, they didn’t do much at the agency, but neither of them felt like it was a wasted trip. They simply wanted to enjoy this autumn rain, to cherish the time spent together under the shelter of the umbrella, as they walked hand in hand through the ups and downs of daily life.

That was enough.

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