In the courtyard living room.
Jiu Qing and Qiu Ci sat facing each other, each with a luxurious herbal foot soaking bucket in front of them, looking at each other in dismay.
They were not soaking their feet in ordinary goji berries; instead, Jiu Qing had prepared a celestial broth, which was quite a beneficial treat for mortals.
This was one of their few shared activities over the past two years.
However, today’s usually relaxed and pleasant foot soaking session felt as though they were awaiting a judge’s verdict.
The atmosphere was awkward, tense, and silent.
Qiu Ci opened his mouth, completely torn and unsure of how to speak. Aside from the other factors, the most important issue was that he could not remember the contents of the marriage contract.
What if he had actually read the contract before signing it, only to back down now that it was time to fulfill his obligations? Wouldn’t that make him a fraud who tricked someone into marriage?
After a long while, Jiu Qing finally broke the silence.
“Am I ugly?”
Qiu Ci stared blankly. “Huh?”
What was that even supposed to mean? Who would dare call such celestial looks ugly?
Qiu Ci was completely dumbfounded.
Jiu Qing continued, “When mortals reach a certain age, most of them find a suitable partner to spend the rest of their lives with. I checked, and the minimum age for finding a partner around here is eighteen. When you rejected me that day, could it be because you think I am ugly?”
“Uh, no.” How was Qiu Ci supposed to explain this?
Should he say he originally wanted to treat Jiu Qing like a father? Suddenly shifting roles felt really awkward.
Putting it that way was completely inappropriate either. Although he had no idea how many years Jiu Qing had actually lived, looking at Jiu Qing’s face, he appeared to be in his early twenties, right in the prime of his youth.
Jiu Qing seemed a bit troubled. “Can we not try it tonight?”
With a splash, Qiu Ci pulled his feet out of the foot soaking bucket, ready to bolt at any moment.
“You said you wouldn’t force me.”
Jiu Qing nodded. “I am asking for your opinion. Dual cultivation is also beneficial to you. Since you do not think I am ugly, why not give it a try?”
Qiu Ci closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “My opinion is, absolutely not!”
Besides, this wasn’t even a matter of whether someone was ugly or not. Qiu Ci once again felt that his mortal train of thought and a god’s way of thinking were simply on completely different wavelengths.
Silence fell once more.
Just as he was trembling with anxiety and preparing to slip away, Jiu Qing let out a sigh.
“Alright, it is getting late. Go back to your room and rest. I will handle the matter on the internet; you do not need to worry.”
With that, he vanished in a flash right in front of Qiu Ci.
With a complicated mix of emotions, Qiu Ci hurried back to his bedroom, slammed the door shut, and couldn’t help covering his backside.
Phew, thank goodness. His chastity was saved for another day.
He couldn’t understand why, even though he knew Jiu Qing was immensely powerful, knew he was a deity, and knew everyone who met him found him terrifying, he always felt nervous whenever he saw him.
It wasn’t quite fear, just pure nervousness, as if he owed the man something in a past life.
Never mind, he wouldn’t think about it anymore. After washing up, Qiu Ci lay down on his three-meter-wide bed and pulled out his phone to check the online backlash.
Though he looked calm on the surface, his heart was still somewhat unsettled.
When he first met Jiu Qing two years ago, Jiu Qing sent him to school. But after discovering his goldfish-like memory, abandoning all hopes of a normal education, and realizing that graduating smoothly would already be a miracle, Jiu Qing asked him shortly afterward if he wanted to debut as a star in the entertainment industry.
He didn’t even hesitate and agreed right away.
Though he didn’t know what Jiu Qing’s intentions were, having been abandoned by five successive foster families before turning sixteen and then being kicked out of the orphanage, he firmly believed that whatever Jiu Qing did was for his own good.
Indeed, his past two years in the entertainment industry had been the happiest two years of his eighteen years of life.
All of this had been given to him by Jiu Qing.
Thinking of Jiu Qing inevitably stirred up another wave of complicated guilt and clutter.
Forget it.
He wouldn’t think about it anymore.
The online condemnation on Weibo was still ongoing.
With a fan base of over twenty million, he had lost more than a million followers in just half a day. Countless fans had turned into casual onlookers or haters, and a massive wave of anti-fans and paid trolls hired by rivals flooded the comment section.
At the same time, the mom-fans and older-sister-fans who believed in and supported him were sparing no effort to defend him against the black PR.
In short, the comment section had descended into absolute chaos.
Among them, a high-ranking fan with the username Dictionary was furiously arguing with the trolls and haters. Every time Qiu Ci faced negative publicity online, this Dictionary account was always charging at the very front lines.
Over time, Qiu Ci developed a very deep impression of this prominent fan.
Well, how should he put it? Whenever he saw that username, he felt that no amount of negative news was anything to be afraid of. At that moment, he realized he wasn’t fighting alone.
Qiu Ci had originally wanted to post a direct explanation on Weibo, but Su Yu had stopped him beforehand.
In situations like this, it was better for the principal person involved to stay out of the fray, especially since his goldfish-like memory condition was so bizarre that countless doctors had failed to diagnose any cause; it was simply a natural affliction.
A forced explanation would only be spun by others as a publicity stunt.
Therefore, even if he were to explain, he had to wait until the netizens calmed down a little bit first.
I wonder how Jiu Qing plans to resolve this matter.
Wait, why was he thinking about Jiu Qing again? Qiu Ci blinked, then put his phone down, wondering where Jiu Qing had gone.
In the western courtyard of the same ancient residence.
The room was unlit, save for the blue glow emanating from a computer screen and the frantic, clacking sound of the keyboard.
Sitting in front of the computer, Jiu Qing wore a stern expression, completely different from the demeanor he had when soaking his feet with Qiu Ci. The computer light reflecting off his pale skin made his gaze even darker and more enigmatic.
Jiu Qing stared intently at the screen, specifically at the comment section under Qiu Ci’s Weibo post, and then at the username Dictionary.
The name Dictionary was originally just a fan name created by Qiu Ci’s fandom, but as soon as this Dictionary account appeared, it aggressively and dominantly renamed the fandom title to Ci’s Dictionary.
The mom-fans and older-sister-fans were too angry to speak out, but there was nothing they could do because the Dictionary tycoon possessed immense financial power, single-handedly outperforming dozens of their dedicated fan clubs combined.
Moreover, he flexed in every possible aspect: spending money, putting in effort, and most importantly, arguing with anti-fans.
Netizens affectionately bestowed upon him the title of Land-based Keyboard Immortal.
“Look, the Keyboard Immortal has arrived.”
“We, the subjects of Ci’s Dictionary, respectfully welcome the Keyboard Immortal. His keyboard aura spans thirty thousand miles, and a single keystroke chills nineteen states.”
“With the Keyboard Immortal taking the field, I can finally sleep in peace. Sob sob, I have an exam tomorrow.”
Jiu Qing ignored the cute remarks of these little fans. With a fierce look in his eyes, he used spellwork to control the keyboard, typing away so furiously that the mechanical keyboard looked as though it was about to spark.
This typing speed was much faster than any programmer or web novelist.
Dictionary V: Haters and spammers, shut your mouths. Normal people are allowed to speak.
Dictionary V: How much are trolls paid per comment? I will pay double, so go back and check on your master’s ancestors.
Dictionary V: You can offer constructive criticism if Ah-Ci is lacking, but you have no right to point fingers.
Dictionary V: I am not chasing after a celebrity; whose mother am I chasing? Come here and call me daddy.
Dictionary V: Deflected.
Dictionary V: Get lost.
Jiu Qing was right in the middle of his fierce scolding when a figure suddenly materialized in the darkness. He glanced at the shadow out of the corner of his eye and ignored it.
The dark figure simply stood behind him, completely silent.
After a long while, the shadow seemed finally unable to hold back, speaking in an unfriendly tone, “Is this really how you suppress trending searches? Do you think the commotion isn’t big enough yet?”
Perhaps the haters had finally been terrified into silence by Jiu Qing’s octopus-like typing speed, as the comment section had indeed quieted down considerably, with many trolls even deleting their comments and leaving. Jiu Qing finally relaxed a fraction.
“What business is it of yours?” Jiu Qing retorted unceremoniously. “Why don’t you do it yourself?”
The dark figure walked around from the side, and under the faint glow of the computer screen, his true appearance was finally revealed.
He wore a dark green Republic-era long gown, stood tall and straight, and possessed handsome, gentle facial features. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses and sporting a trimmed mustache, he radiated the scholarly aura of a refined intellectual.
Jiu Qing glanced at him sideways, his tone teasing. “What? Started playing cosplay recently? Did your snake run away again?”
The man in the long gown, Wei Sinian, was so infuriated that his mustache trembled three times. He reached into his robes and whipped out a tortoise shell, hurling it straight at Jiu Qing’s head.
Without even raising a hand, Jiu Qing merely flicked two fingers, and the incoming tortoise shell instantly curved mid-air, landing with a loud thud and raising a massive bump right on Wei Sinian’s forehead.
Wei Sinian let out an ouch. His scholarly composure instantly vanished as he pointed at Jiu Qing, cursing and gesticulating wildly.
Ignoring him, Jiu Qing went right back to being a land-based Keyboard Immortal.
The combat effectiveness of this batch of haters was truly pathetic. Tsk.
He hadn’t even unleashed his true strength yet.
After finishing his tirade and catching his breath, Wei Sinian demanded, “Tell me, are you even reliable?”
“The trending topics will drop by tomorrow morning.”
That was why he wanted to rant to his heart’s content before the topic faded from the hot searches.
“How are you going to drop it?” Wei Sinian currently operated under the identity of a director, making him half a person in the entertainment industry, but his mindset and methods were quite traditional, rendering him rather inept at handling online crises.
Jiu Qing raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that Better the Black Tortoise than the fox. “It is very simple. Renowned director Wei Sinian’s wife has run away from home again.”
To make Qiu Ci’s negative news die down, directly scrubbing the trending searches was prone to triggering a rebellious backlash from onlookers and haters. The best method was to cover the incident up with a fresh piece of gossip.
As for Wei Sinian’s wife, she was none other than the snake who was inseparable from him.
The Xuanwu divine beast consisted of a tortoise and a snake combined into one entity. Ordinary people assumed they were a single body, but in reality, the tortoise and the snake were husband and wife.
It was just that recently, the snake seemed to have hit menopause; her temper was quite fiery, and she had run away from home several times.
Wei Sinian was so mad he nearly choked. As the majestic Xuanwu divine beast, he could neither beat this fox nor win against him in a verbal argument.
With a heavy thud, he tossed a stack of project proposals onto the desk. “Bai Ze asked me to bring this to you. It is that variety show proposal we discussed before.”
Only then did Jiu Qing take the matter seriously, carefully reading through the variety show proposal from start to finish.
After a long pause, he asked, “Is this all of it?”
Wei Sinian rolled his eyes at him. “It has been thousands of years. Whatever could be preserved, aside from what you have stashed here, everything else left in the outside world is basically in this proposal. Fortunately, Bai Ze’s sensory abilities are still intact.”
Jiu Qing scoffed softly. “Indeed, Bai Ze is much more reliable than you.”
Wei Sinian let out a huff, then asked, “Are you two actually going to pull this off? My script is still waiting for Qiu Ci to start filming.”
The script had been personally written by Bai Ze, and Wei Sinian was the director. One could say this script was tailor-made specifically for Qiu Ci.
However, since they currently possessed mortal identities, they had to follow normal human procedures to avoid unnecessary trouble.
“Rest assured,” Jiu Qing said solemnly. “After two years of observation, Qiu Ci’s only issue in this lifetime seems to be his memory. According to our plan, as long as we can.”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Wei Sinian understood anyway.
Having only memory issues in this lifetime was already a much better situation than their previous attempts.
He sighed. “What about your end? Ah-Ci has turned eighteen. According to human rules, he is of age to find a partner. Have you two started dual cultivation yet?”
At this mention, Jiu Qing’s expression turned somewhat peculiar and bashful. “He is not willing.”
“Hmph!” Wei Sinian bristled, blowing his beard and staring wide-eyed. “I knew you were unreliable. I should have just let Bai Ze handle it.”
As soon as those words fell, the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees in a fraction of a second. Jiu Qing’s face turned as cold as frost. “Anyone who dares covet even a shred of him will meet a miserable end.”
A lump formed in Wei Sinian’s throat, accompanied by the agonizing heartache of watching a fine head of cabbage get ruined by a pig. “I knew this lecherous fox had harbored evil intentions toward him from the very beginning.”
“So what if I did?” Jiu Qing stated each word with deliberate precision. “In this entire world, aside from me, no one is worthy of dual cultivating with him. Hah, Bai Ze possesses mere semi-divine power; what capability does he have? What qualification does he possess?”
Knowing the truth of the matter, Wei Sinian decided not to argue further. His expression regained its composure as his tone turned heavy and slow. “This is the final lifetime.”
It sounded like a reminder, yet it also carried the solemn toll of a death knell.
“So what if it is?” Jiu Qing clenched his fist, and a surge of golden divine power rippled across his body. Outside, the sky instantly clouded over, and deep rumbles of thunder echoed through the winter air.
He declared, “If we still fail this final time, what harm is there in fighting heaven itself once more?”
Wei Sinian sighed. “Unreliable fellow. I suppose we experienced veterans still need to pass down some advice to you.”
While tapping away at his phone to transfer files to Jiu Qing, he nagged incessantly, “I told you to build a relationship with him earlier. Look at what you have actually done over the past two years!”
Jiu Qing scoffed mockingly. “Marrying a minor is illegal.”
Wei Sinian paused mid-action, marveling, “You really are becoming more human by the day.”
Jiu Qing remained silent, and once the file transfer was complete, Wei Sinian prepared to go back out to look for his wife.
“Do not forget to read those files. I collected and organized that romance reading material from Green Jinjiang with the utmost difficulty.”
Jiu Qing wore an expression of disdain, but after Wei Sinian departed, he honestly opened the file titled Jinjiang Good Husband’s Manual.
Deep into the night.
Qiu Ci slept soundly and sweetly in his warm bed. Hearing a few distant rumbles of winter thunder, he instinctively furrowed his brow. A moment later, he suddenly sneezed, pulled the quilt tighter around himself, and fell right back into a deep slumber.
Early the next morning.
The very first thing Qiu Ci did upon waking up was check his updates online.
The hot search tag that had been dominating the charts earlier had changed its title.
#Renowned Director Wei Sinian’s Wife Runs Away from Home Again and Again#
The previous trending topic regarding Qiu Ci had already sunk to the very bottom, and by afternoon, it would be entirely pushed off the charts.
Qiu Ci felt a complicated mix of emotions. Just yesterday, the entire internet was calling for his head, yet today even the comment section was remarkably quiet. If they had relied solely on his agency’s public relations team, things couldn’t have moved this fast; Jiu Qing must have intervened.
Before he could process his thoughts fully, his phone rang. It was his manager, Su Yu.
“Ah-Ci, we hit the jackpot!” Su Yu’s tone bubbled with irrepressible joy. “Although we haven’t signed the contract for the television drama yet, they called this morning to say the drama is still in pre-production and they aren’t in a rush to start filming.”
Su Yu wasn’t clueless; he could easily read between the lines of those subtle hints. He guessed that the formidable Lord Jiu Qing must have pulled some strings behind the scenes. This meant that as long as Qiu Ci resolved his current controversy before filming began, everything would be smooth sailing.
Tsk tsk, a national television station production! It was suitable for all ages, and it might even attract a wave of grandfather and grandmother fans for Qiu Ci.
At that rate, Qiu Ci’s career would reach even greater heights.
A smile crept onto Qiu Ci’s face. “That is good to hear.”
“Hahaha!” Su Yu was practically ecstatic. “That is not even the best part. A variety show reached out this morning, specifically requesting you as a fixed cast member.”
Qiu Ci was slightly surprised. In the two years since his debut, he had indeed appeared on quite a few variety shows to gain exposure, but those were always guest appearances; he had never served as a permanent cast member.
He asked, “What show is it?”
The top-rated variety shows already had their fixed lineups, so if he tried to squeeze in, he would probably invite another wave of scolding. However, if it weren’t a prominent show, Su Yu wouldn’t be this thrilled.
Su Yu explained, “Well, it is a brand-new variety show that has never aired before. I looked over the proposal, and it is actually quite meaningful. Furthermore, the show is scheduled for simultaneous broadcast across several television networks, complete with live streaming.”
Tsk tsk tsk, with an arrangement like that, his online traffic was bound to skyrocket.
Su Yu was grinning from ear to ear. “You should see if you want to take it. I think it is fantastic and worth accepting. Who knows, you might even be able to use the show to clarify the issue regarding your memory.”
Qiu Ci grew somewhat interested, but he didn’t rush to give an answer. “Send the proposal over so I can take a look first.”
Author’s Note:
Little cuties, keep those comments rolling and drop your bookmarks!
Red packets courtesy of the author.