the book’s goddess

Chapter 5: The Difficult Path

Qiu Wuji was so furious that her meditation chamber was nearly destroyed, but at the moment, she really had no way to break through the boundary between worlds again.

"Someone, come here!" Her voice, filled with rage, echoed through the sect's mountains. "Go to the sect's treasury, retrieve the Xuanwu Phosphor Crystal and the Chaotic Void Shuttle. Prepare the Great Reversing Heaven and Earth Formation!"

The sect elders turned pale with fright. "Sect Master, are you... are you attempting to ascend? It’s not the right time yet!"

Qiu Wuji gritted her teeth. "Who says it’s not the right time? I’m ascending right now!"

Isn’t it all the same?

What’s the difference between the immortal realm and that strange world with the square-keyed typing artifact?

While Qiu Wuji was busy planning her boundary-breaking attempt, Chu Ge naturally had a sleepless night as well.

He wasn’t sure if, with Qiu Wuji now "seeing through the truth," his writing would still have the ability to influence her thoughts.

Whether it influenced her or not, she would probably notice it, wouldn’t she?

When he published that last chapter, it felt like he was opening Pandora’s Box. He was both nervous and excited, constantly imagining Qiu Wuji bursting out in rage to kill him. No matter how he turned or shifted in bed, he couldn’t fall asleep.

Even a random gust of wind in the night made him think Qiu Wuji might have appeared, frightening him into a cold sweat. When he looked around, there was nothing there.

Thankfully, it seemed like she couldn’t just appear anytime she wanted—otherwise, he’d be as good as dead!

By 2 AM, unable to stay in bed any longer, he got up and sat back down to write.

The last chapter had been published in such a rush that he hadn’t even checked for typos, let alone remembered to include a promotional mention for Zhang Qiren’s new book. Zhang Qiren’s novel was going live at noon, and as a friend, Chu Ge had promised to help promote it. He figured he should publish another chapter in the morning and add a shout-out at the end.

But when he turned on his computer, he sat there blankly for ages. His mind was a complete mess, and he had no idea how to continue the story.

The entire outline was in shambles—what was there to write?

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Ge decided to open the comment section of his novel. He hadn’t dared to look before, assuming readers would be furious over the drastic shift in the female lead’s character. But when he checked, he was shocked.

The comments were overwhelmingly positive... though the kind of positive feedback he saw left him feeling a bit conflicted.

"This is how it should be! A woman like Qiu Wuji being interested in some lowly disciple? I was worried her character would be ruined, but thankfully, it’s back on track."

"Exactly. The harem shouldn’t progress too quickly—it’s more satisfying to conquer them slowly."

Chu Ge couldn’t help but respond with a secondary account: "How is it too fast? Even if I hadn’t written that plot twist, the female lead was only thinking about the protagonist as a setup. It’s not like she’s fallen in love—there’s nothing substantial yet!"

"That’s true... but since the author writes harem stories, anything like this feels like it’s about to happen. Anyway, she’s bound to join the harem eventually."

"Yeah, it just feels like it’s moving too fast."

Chu Ge was so annoyed he almost laughed out loud. "You guys assume something has already happened before it actually has, and then complain it’s too fast? Come on. What if she doesn’t join the harem at all?"

"No way. Haven’t you read the author’s previous works? Want to bet whether she joins or not?"

Chu Ge: "..."

In the past, Chu Ge wouldn’t have dared to take that bet.

Of course, she was originally supposed to join the harem...

But now...

He looked up, lost in thought for a moment, before suddenly laughing.

He realized that writing Qiu Wuji completely separate from the protagonist might actually be a good thing. Maybe he’d been approaching this all wrong from the start.

The most important aspect of storytelling isn’t suspense—keeping readers guessing about what will happen next? Now, everyone already assumed they knew how the story would unfold. They’d even "pre-purchased" the outcome in their minds. Where’s the suspense in that?

The main storyline might still work, but at least in terms of the romantic plotline, there was no suspense left—only the details of how it played out were interesting. That wasn’t necessarily bad, but it wasn’t ideal either. It was like trying to walk on a broken leg.

Since Qiu Wuji refused to follow the original outline, Chu Ge figured he might as well rewrite the entire plan. This was his chance to escape everyone’s expectations. It wasn’t like he couldn’t come up with a different story.

At worst, the novel would flop. It wasn’t like he hadn’t failed before.

The frustration that had haunted him all night suddenly disappeared. Chu Ge laughed out loud and typed two words in reply: "Let’s bet."

Without waiting for a response, he logged out.

The stakes didn’t matter.

What mattered was that he had stepped out of the cage he’d built for himself.

—Just like Qiu Wuji had stepped out from under her sky.

Chu Ge went ahead and posted a single update: "Reorganizing the Outline, Taking a Day Off, and Promoting a Book."

With his promise to Zhang Qiren fulfilled, the last bit of lingering concern dissipated. Feeling completely at ease, Chu Ge stretched and walked out of his room.

The door to the room next to his was closed, faint light seeping through the cracks.

Sure enough, Zhang Qiren was still awake, working through the night.

Chu Ge understood. With a launch scheduled for the next day, the pressure must be immense. It would be hard to sleep with all that tension, and for writers, working late into the night often felt more productive.

He knocked on the door. "Want to grab something to eat?"

From inside, Zhang Qiren replied, "I just had some instant noodles... Want some? Hey, just come in already. Why are you standing outside?"

Chu Ge pushed the door open and saw Zhang Qiren chatting on QQ instead of writing.

"You’ve got some nerve. I thought you were working, but you’re just messing around," Chu Ge said, walking over to glance at Zhang Qiren’s screen. The chat box had a girl’s profile picture. "Holy crap, you’re flirting at a time like this?"

Zhang Qiren replied indifferently, "Who knows if it’s even a girl? If I take it seriously, I’ve already lost. I’m just relaxing. What, should I stare at my draft and go crazy?"

"Fair enough." Chu Ge sat down to watch him "relax."

The girl on the other side of the chat was typing: "My mom passed away."

Zhang Qiren: "Want me to come over and keep you company?"

Girl: "I have a boyfriend."

Zhang Qiren: "I had a mom." He sent the message, then immediately blocked her, all in one fluid motion.

Chu Ge: "..."

Zhang Qiren turned to him. "Don’t look at me like that. I know you’re just here for late-night snacks... or, wait, you want white-cut chicken, right?"

"White-cut chicken at this hour? Get real. Let’s just grab some noodles." Chu Ge laughed and started walking out. "Didn’t you just eat instant noodles?"

Zhang Qiren grinned. "You’ve got something on your mind. Even if I’d just eaten eighteen dumplings, I’d still go out with you for a snack."

Chu Ge raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t know you were so perceptive."

"Perceptive, my a*s. I saw your update. You were fine earlier, and now you’re suddenly reorganizing your outline. Clearly, you’re stuck on the next part of the story. Why else would you knock on my door at this hour?"

Of course, Chu Ge had come to discuss his story’s direction with his writer friend. That was the whole point of sharing an apartment with another writer. Yet this was probably the first time in six months they’d actually done so, outside of the occasional exchange of feedback on new books.

Zhang Qiren seemed to realize this too and chuckled, throwing an arm around Chu Ge’s shoulder as they walked out. "Having a friend who still helps promote my book even when they’re stuck on their own story... I think this shared apartment has been worth it, even more for the friendship than for the writing discussions."

Chu Ge agreed. Having a friend who was anxious about their own book launch but still willing to share a late-night snack and talk story ideas—that was what truly mattered.

The two of them ended up at a roadside stall near their apartment. Instead of noodles, they ordered some skewers and each grabbed a beer.

"To be honest, even though I’m not a great writer, I think changing your story’s direction is a good idea," Zhang Qiren said, clinking his bottle against Chu Ge’s and laughing. "Remember how we used to joke about writing twin sisters into the story? Sure, I’d love to read that, but in the end, that’s all I’d remember. With this book, all I care about is when you’re going to hook up with the sect leader. I skip all the protagonist’s struggles. Is that what you want?"

Chu Ge stared at the bubbles in his beer. "If it flops, I’ll just be a laughingstock."

Zhang Qiren pursed his lips, clearly feeling the weight of those words.

It’s easy to joke about flopping, but the reality of it is harsh.

After countless days and nights spent hunched over a computer for 10+ hours, enduring neck pain, wrist strain, and sciatica, who wants to see their work reduced to pitiful statistics that no one cares about?

Even Zhang Qiren, on the verge of his own book launch, was filled with anxiety. Who could truly be so carefree? Especially someone like Chu Ge, who had already started to see success—could he really let it go?

All Zhang Qiren could manage was a half-hearted response: "Look at me. My work’s so bad even dogs won’t read it, and I’m still sticking to no female lead."

Chu Ge glanced at him.

Deep down, Chu Ge knew that Zhang Qiren couldn’t afford to flop this time.