Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 381 Immersed in the Stone Realm, When Will You See Me Again?

Time flies, the years are like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye, another 30,000 years had passed within this space of the Sky-Mending Stone.

Compared to the outside world, these 30,000 years are actually just a few days.

The reason for such a large time difference between the two is that the space of the Heaven-Mending Stone is in a state of near-absolute separation from the outside world, which is different from the separation of the myriad worlds.

Even though the worlds are far apart, they are still influenced by a greater will and rules. Due to their mutual influence, the time difference between worlds is often still within a 'reasonable' framework.

The most typical example is "a day in heaven is a year on earth". This is not only a way of expressing the difference between heaven and man, but also an explanation of the maximum time difference between the two worlds in the conventional sense.

However, the space within the Heaven-Mending Stone is absolutely unconnected to any other world; its independence is almost absolute, and therefore its concept of time is also absolutely free.

Secondly, there is a large amount of creative energy that has nowhere to go. It is impacted by the energy of the mortal world, so it changes from inertia to activity and flows in the Heaven-Mending Stone. Now it is under the control of Qiu Chuji. Thus, driven by Qiu Chuji's instinct, this creative energy has become a catalyst for the rapid flow of time.

Unfortunately, this consumption is still an 'internal cycle', and the Qi of Creation is not non-renewable.

Therefore, even if Qiu Chuji burned for millions of years in a very short period of time, it was merely storing the Qi of creation within the Heaven-Mending Stone in a different form.

Without introducing sufficient real consumption and resistance, the creative energy within the Heaven-Mending Stone will never truly decrease.

When Qiu Chuji dispersed his primordial spirit and created countless spiritual entities, he actually consumed a large amount of the Qi of Creation by shaping more real souls and their destiny trajectories, causing the entire Sky-Mending Stone to truly enter a state of reduction.

This reduction is not only due to the increased cultivation and strength of the beings within the Heaven-Mending Stone space, but also because of the shaping and independence of their souls.

The Sky-Mending Stone offered no resistance to this reduction.

Because it is the stone used to mend the sky, originating from the goddess Nuwa, its purpose in creating life and souls is one of the reasons for its existence and appearance.

Unconsciously, Qiu Chuji stood at the 'height' of the goddess Nuwa and exerted control over the sky-mending stone.

It was his own willingness to sacrifice that earned him this unique fortune.

As time flowed by, life forms were born and died in the space of the Sky-Mending Stone. The souls that were created also reincarnated between life and death, gradually forgetting their ancient memories and completely integrating into their new lives.

They regarded everything in the space of the Sky-Mending Stone as everything.

There is no concept of sun, moon, and stars here, only simple day and night. Civilization was born here, progressing from primitive society to slave society, and then from slave society to feudal society.

By this time, society had developed to a point that closely resembled the modernity in Qiu Chuji's understanding, and much of what he remembered was presented in an 'original' way.

Some stories we've seen and the wonderful performances we've witnessed have been recorded in various forms.

In fact, if someone with similar experiences to Qiu Chuji came to this space and saw the civilization and world here, they would find everything familiar.

Many things seem familiar, yet there are subtle differences.

At this moment, Qiu Chuji's main consciousness had already dispersed into the crowd, becoming increasingly empty. Perhaps if this continued for tens of thousands of years, his true self would completely dissipate.

After all, even the most resilient Yang spirit is still just a Yang spirit, not a Great Luo Primordial Spirit.

It is impossible for something to return completely from the memory of a being after endless years.

If Qiu Chuji's primordial spirit were to completely disperse, then his powerful physical body would also melt into this space, becoming nourishment to propel this space into a great world.

It can be said that, in the current situation, Qiu Chuji and the Heaven-Mending Stone are in a state of mutual consumption.

Qiu Chuji needed the transformative energy of the Heaven-Mending Stone to completely elevate his physical body, while the Heaven-Mending Stone also needed Qiu Chuji's primordial spirit to fully activate its potential and transform into a vast world.

This complementarity existed from the beginning; we cannot only see the benefits Qiu Chuji gained from the Heaven-Mending Stone while ignoring the risks involved.

So, setting aside those metaphysical aspects, simply looking at it, it's a contest and race between Qiu Chuji and the Stone that Patches Up the Sky.

If Qiu Chuji regained his true self and broke the stubborn stone before his primordial spirit was exhausted, then he had completed the taming of the Heaven-Mending Stone.

If Qiu Chuji still fails to rediscover his true self after exhausting the last bit of his original consciousness, the Heaven-Mending Stone will win this round, transforming itself into a Heavenly Dao, and a new Great World will unfold.

In a sense, all the beings in this world are Qiu Chuji's 'descendants'.

However, he could not revive among these 'descendants' like Da Luo.

······
"Hahaha! Dude, I'm hot!"

Have you seen the short video I just uploaded to TikTok?

"In less than sixteen hours, I got over 1.2 million likes and tens of thousands of comments. Game developers have already contacted me to help promote their games. They offer tiered pay based on the video's popularity, with a minimum of 15,000 and a maximum of 100,000. This money is rightfully mine. Don't just stand there like an idiot. Take advantage of this opportunity and earn some retirement money through your own efforts. Otherwise, with all the hard work you've put in over the years, I'm afraid you won't live past forty, or if you do, you'll be paralyzed."

"Let's not be stubborn. We can only continue to pursue our dreams if we have money. What's the point of talking about dreams if we can't even survive?"

After the big-nosed guy across from her started rantting, Qiu Chuqing pulled her phone away a bit and logged into her short video account on her computer, finding the latest video posted by the big-nosed guy's owner.

"36D Zhen Huan vs. Pink Male Godzilla"?
What the hell is this?

Upon clicking in, Qiu Chuqing felt that his worldview had been severely impacted, even affecting his facial features. His appearance, which originally had the average looks of a certain reader, had now declined to the level of a middle-aged Daniel Wu.

The graphics are rough, the models are abstract, and the most ridiculous thing is the content. To describe it simply with the word "crazy" would be an absolute insult to the 15,000-year-old civilization of China.

This little thing is so cute, even a dog would feel like it's been slapped twice, its head would be spinning.

Opening the comments section, the most upvoted comment was, "If I encountered something that was just averagely bad, I would definitely swipe away immediately, but this is so ridiculously bad that I have to give it a thumbs up."

The comments below are mostly similar, primarily consisting of gimmicks and secondary attacks.

Qiu Chuqing wasn't looking at those things. He knew the other party's true skill level, and that this was definitely intentional.

This guy's real name is Ni Daye, and his online name is Daye Luziye. He studied advertising design in school. After graduation, he followed Qiu Chuqing and plunged into the world of anime and manga, starting to create works. Originally, Qiu Chuqing was responsible for the script and original artwork, while Ni Daye was responsible for making simple animations of some parts and then promoting them online.

However, he couldn't even afford to eat his own food, let alone pay his electricity, water, and gas bills.

So in less than half a year, Ni Daye went from being a full-time employee to a part-time employee, then to an occasional part-time employee, and finally became a mere spectator. Although he still kept in touch with Qiu Chuqing, their collaborative working relationship had long since ended in tacit agreement.

Qiu Chuqing felt no resentment towards Ni Daye for running away halfway; she only felt apologetic.

After all, the promised future could not be fulfilled, and even the dream could not be upheld. It was he, the leader, who should have been apologizing.

Snapped!
Lighting a cigarette, Qiu Chuqing continued to watch the short video repeatedly, analyzing its merits.

Seeing that Qiu Chuqing was watching intently, Ni Daye knew that his old friend was already interested, so he didn't say anything more and took the initiative to hang up the video call first.

Roughness and abstraction are just the surface; the essence is to satisfy people's need for fun in their increasingly fast-paced lives.

In short, it's about creating mischief.

To give a simple example, there are plenty of beautiful young ladies on short video platforms who can sing and dance well, and who are slim, tall, and fair-skinned. However, those who can truly stand out and taste the sweetness of popularity generally have one or even several good skills that make them famous.

In short, it's about having a good-looking appearance and an interesting personality.

Without a physical body, no one cares about your soul; and without a soul, your physical body will be easily forgotten. Of course, creating something out of nothing is not easy either; having a special skill can reduce the difficulty.

Exhaling a long puff of smoke, Qiu Chuqing made up his mind.

Then he quickly opened the animation creation software, and pulled out a large number of his painstaking original manuscripts from the folder. He began to scribble and delete. He had actually finished many of the things a long time ago, but he just hadn't made up his mind. He didn't want to compromise on some of the settings, but now... he had no choice!
Grandpa Ni's success was simply a push that gave him a boost.

Ni Daye's approach is characterized by its raw and abstract nature from beginning to end, so he doesn't need to think too much; he just needs to live well.

Qiu Chuqing was different. Firstly, he didn't want to compete with his brothers for food. Although there would definitely be many similar competitors online, it seemed that one more of him wouldn't make a difference. However, some things are not judged that way.

Moreover, Qiu Chuqing has never been one to simply follow the book. He will absorb good things, but that doesn't mean he will completely follow the direction and path provided by Ni Daye.

After reviewing the ten-minute animated short film again, Qiu Chuqing uploaded the video to Short Video. At the same time, she spent a lot of money, spending 500 yuan to buy Short Video Plus, hoping that after one of the two main characters was completely gender-bent into a big bear girl, it would bring a wave of popularity.

After all, society is just that realistic, and so is the world of anime!
Whoever watches over Xuezi gets the money.

After finishing a bottle of warm milk and eating two pieces of bread to fill his stomach, Qiu Chuqing went back to his bedroom to catch up on sleep.

He hopes that when he wakes up, his short videos will have gone viral, and major businesses will be contacting him, offering exorbitant prices for advertising collaborations.

Tonight, the stars and the moon are fine.

Only the extraordinary clamor of the wind could blow impossible miracles into the parched dreams of youth.

In his dream, he first encountered a female version of Hua Wuque chasing him, then a gender-swapped Duan Zhengchun, then a Little Dragon Girl with a beard, and a fairy who looked very beautiful, whose face was not big, but he inexplicably felt that his face was a bit big.

They were all questioning Qiu Chuqing, asking why he was vilifying them and why he couldn't let them remain as they were.

Qiu Chuqing opened his mouth to explain, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he suddenly froze. Because apart from the feminized Hua Wuque, which was his work not long ago, what were Duan Zhengchun, Xiaolongnu and all that?
He doesn't know!
Sit up in shock from dying!
Qiu Chuqing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He had forgotten much of the dream he had just had, but the feeling of palpitation lingered.

After a few deep breaths, the palpitation faded into a vague memory.

I checked the time and it was already noon the next day.

Qiu Chuqing opened her phone and looked at the short video she had posted yesterday.

Sure enough, although Hua Wuque was still dressed in white, the change in his character design, from squares to hearts, did indeed boost his popularity.

More people have liked, subscribed, and even paid to tip for more updates.

Qiu Chuqing didn't rush to update. After all, a mature creator needs to know how to maintain a good balance and understand what it means to whet the appetite.

He still wants to wait for the latest update to generate more buzz.

After changing her clothes, Qiu Chuqing went out and ran a few laps along the green belt of the community. Then she went up to another building in the same community and rang the doorbell on the nineteenth floor.

The woman who opened the door bore a striking resemblance to the popular actress Zhang Aiyi. She was wearing a white mini-skirt and a pale yellow shirt, with only light makeup.

"You've arrived?" The beautiful woman welcomed Qiu Chuqing in and knelt down to put slippers on him.

"Okay! Same as always!" Qiu Chuqing habitually accepted the tea offered by the other party.

Then, the two of them went into the bathroom together, showered and scrubbed, and then what happened was exactly what everyone was looking forward to!
After a while, the two lay on the sofa, with the TV playing the drama "The Stars in the Sky Are Shining Brightly" starring Zhang Aiyi.

Looking at the actress on TV and then at the beautiful woman beside him, Qiu Chuqing felt that calling the beauty next to him "Little Zhang Aiyi" was too unfair; she was clearly the older "Zhang Aiyi".

"I've been calling you number 888 for so long, but I still haven't asked your name!" Qiu Chuqing was unusually sensitive today. He never used to ask, because knowing your name would easily make him feel emotional.

He thought that number 888 must be thinking the same thing.

They admired each other, yet they disliked each other.

Number 888 used to work as a spa therapist at a club. She wasn't a real gigolo, but she got along exceptionally well with Qiu Chuqing, so she accepted his extra charge.

We've known each other for seven or eight years and have met many times, but we only talk about life and relationships and never really get involved in each other's lives.

This included exchanging names.

Number 888 is not an empty-headed technician. She is good at investing. Unlike many of her peers, she did not squander the money she earned at the club. Instead, she saved it all and used it to buy shops and invest in her younger brother's business.

Now that his younger brother's business has grown and his shops are thriving, he simply stopped working two or three years ago and now stays at home, occasionally accepting follow-up visits from some old customers.

Qiu Chuqing was the only one who could knock on the door at almost any time of day... which was also strong evidence of her admiration for him.

But they both knew perfectly well that Qiu Chuqing was bothered by the fact that No. 888's belt was a bit loose, and even if they were on good terms, he would still have to pay her. On the other hand, No. 888 was bothered that Qiu Chuqing was still dreaming at his age and that his income level was not good enough.

"Just call me Xiao Zhang!" Number 888 clearly didn't want to say it.

Qiu Chuqing didn't insist. He played with the hand warmer in his hand and watched the female protagonist on TV begin to turn evil after experiencing betrayal and deception. He felt increasingly strange.

I looked down and suddenly felt a moment of disorientation.

The face of number 888, which bore an eighty percent resemblance to Zhang Aiyi, was actually superimposed.

The way she looked up at herself was exactly the same as the way Zhang Aiyi, who had turned evil on TV, looked.

"Who are you?" The familiar woman suddenly seemed so unfamiliar, and Qiu Chuqing unconsciously tightened his grip.

"Ouch! Be gentle..." the woman said.

Qiu Chuqing was taken aback again, because women didn't usually answer like that.

He's a veteran basketball player, and his ball-handling skills are quite good. Even if he subconsciously increases the force, it shouldn't be like this...

"You...you wouldn't happen to be Zhang Aiyi, would you!" Qiu Chuqing knew that his statement was absurd, but at this moment, he inexplicably had such an intuition.

The woman laughed, her snow-white nightgown billowing as she exclaimed, "Yes! I am Zhang Aiyi!"

As she spoke, she stood up, looked down at Qiu Chuqing, and uttered Zhang Aiyi's famous line: "Kneel down! Propose! Say you love me!"

The tone, expression, demeanor, and actions were all exactly the same!
Qiu Chuqing felt as if the hairs on his body were standing on end.

He'd played this game with 888 before, but it was never this real.

No matter how similar they look, it's only superficial. Acting skills require long-term learning, experience, and cultivation to acquire.

888 people don't have that talent!

If she could imitate well, she would have made a living as a celebrity impersonator long ago!

With her mind reeling, Qiu Chuqing suddenly remembered the dream she had last night.

Faces overlapped in his eyes, and characters, real or fake, were reassembled in his mind.

He suddenly realized... that he seemed to have forgotten something more important!
(End of this chapter)