Chapter 42: Believe in the Power of Science

"Master."

"Why do you walk around with that stern face all day!?" Wen Jinge grew irritated at the sight of Qiao Yu’s gentle, yielding nature. It was so much more pleasing when Lu Wei inhabited this body! Back then, he truly looked the part of a second senior brother who could handle things on his own. When Qiao Yu used it, he seemed just like a child, his presence much diminished.

"Master, there is something I do not understand." Realizing his master was angry, he hurriedly knelt to seek forgiveness. "Master, is the demon within me sealed by you?"

"Who else could have done it but me?" Wen Jinge stood up, not even sparing him a glance as she headed for the door. As for the explanation, "Nonexistent" had returned.

"Hurry! Hurry! How is it that whenever I’m gone, you drop your act? If this goes on, you really will get electrocuted."

"Electrocuted?" Wen Jinge suddenly stopped, her eyes lighting up. "Will there really be electrocution?"

"Nonexistent" shuddered. Why did her host seem so thrilled at the mention of 'electrocution'?

"Come on, tell me—is it really electrocution?"

"Yes… yes. Heaven’s wrath, divine anger, heavenly tribulation, thunder rolling…"

"Good, make sure to strike me then!" Wen Jinge turned back, walked over to Qiao Yu, and, under Nonexistent’s bewildered gaze, her voice softened, taking on a hint of coquettishness as she nudged Qiao Yu’s hand with her foot. "My shoes are dirty."

Neither Wen Jinge herself, nor Song Ren, nor Song Qian had ever treated him like this before. Even though shoe cleaning was hardly a dignified chore, the fact that she asked made him feel as if his position in his master’s eyes was shifting.

Still, a master must maintain her cold dignity; only strict teachers produce worthy disciples.

"I—I’ll clean them for you, Master."

Wen Jinge made a sound of assent and changed into new shoes. Seeing her disciple so flustered by this small task, she felt a pang of emotion. What kind of person must he be to take even this minor hardship as a sign of favor?

"Tonight, come find me outside my room. I’ll teach you something. Don’t let anyone see."

"Why—" He wanted to ask why, but the icy look in his master's eyes made him swallow the question. "Very well. I won’t tell anyone."

"You’ve triggered the OOC mechanism."

"Just triggered?"

"Yes, just triggered." Nonexistent couldn’t understand why she sounded disappointed. "Aren’t you afraid of electrocution?"

"Maybe the dose is wrong!" she muttered. "Looks like I’ll have to up the stakes."

Before Nonexistent could say more, Wen Jinge had already dashed off.

"Brother Qiao, we're going to the Outer Mountain for a meal. Aren't you coming?"

These days, Liang Si had been helping Ai Fengling guide the new disciples at Lingxiao Peak, so the little kitchen on the mountain was useless—the four of them couldn’t cook.

"I…" He paused in his shoe washing. "No, you all go on. I’ll come by later."

"Shall we bring you some?" Of all Wen Jinge’s disciples, only he and Wang Xi lacked tragic backgrounds, and senior brother Yuan Qingling, though younger, felt protective of them.

"No, that’s alright." Master disliked the smell of cooking smoke on the mountain.

Last time, Wen Jinge had sent him to deliver a message to the Outer Mountain. While eating outside, he’d overheard every word of Wen Jinge’s conversation with Liang Si.

He had always been stronger and possessed keener hearing than most. He knew that his master had only taken him in and kept her guard up because of some inexplicable dream.

His master didn’t truly dislike him—she just didn’t know how to interact with him.

He wished he could tell her, to promise her he’d never harm her, but he didn’t know what guarantee he could offer.

Now that their relationship had finally become less strained, he couldn’t risk provoking her again.

"I’m not hungry," Qiao Yu said. "You all go. Oh, by the way, Senior Brother is at Lingxiao Peak too. I’m not sure if he’s eaten—maybe you can bring him something as well."

Wang Xi frowned slightly; she thought her second senior brother seemed a bit foolish today, but she didn’t dwell on it. "Brother Qiao, Master said to go see her in her room once you’re done."

"Alright."

Qiao Yu took a deep breath and scrubbed the shoes even harder.

"Could you give me a heads up before you do something? I’m really nervous."

If Nonexistent had a physical form, it would have been shrieking at Wen Jinge right now, desperate to tear apart her soul and take over the body itself.

"You’re an AI. If an AI develops emotions, it must be eliminated."

Nonexistent paused. "…Really?"

"In our world, that’s how it’s judged."

"…Fine, just don’t get yourself killed."

"Alright." Wen Jinge leaned on the soft divan and continued flipping through her book. She’d spent over a month devouring the library’s volumes at lightning speed; finally, only a hundred or so remained. The spirit spring needed just one last influx of resources to be complete, so she needed to finish quickly and head down the mountain to make money.

"Get myself killed… in this life… Hmm? Finished washing?" She sat up from the divan, glanced at the book in her hand, and shoved it at Qiao Yu. "An introductory book on Buddhist cultivation. Give it a look. You can take your time with the others, but for now, learn how to keep your mouth shut!"

"Master, your shoes are clean."

"So fast?"

"I—I cleaned them thoroughly."

"I told you to talk less, not to stay silent. Understand?"

"Yes, Master, I understand." He kept his head lowered, but then caught a whiff of something fragrant. He looked uncertainly at the tray of food in Wen Jinge’s hands—one meat dish, one vegetable, and a soup, all much better than the fare at the sect’s dining hall. "This is…"

"Who else on the mountain needs to eat besides you?"

"Master…"

"The little kitchen at Lingxiao Peak made it. Your senior brother just had someone bring it up. If you don’t eat, it’ll get cold." She yawned as she spoke and collapsed onto the bed, drowsily turning her head just as Qiao Yu was staring at her. Caught in the act, he hurriedly devoured the meal. "It’s… cough, it’s delicious."

"No talking while eating, no talking while in bed."

"Yes, I have learned, Master."

"Clean up when you’re done. The others don’t get such treatment."

"Thank you, Master…"

"OOC warning! OOC warning! OOC warning!"

"Host has triggered a warning! Triggered! Triggered! Electrocution! Heavenly tribulation!"

Wen Jinge sprang up from bed like a carp leaping from water. Qiao Yu thought he’d done something wrong and was about to speak, but then saw his master, all smiles and gentle, say, "Eat slowly, don’t choke, alright?"

Qiao Yu: …

A gust of wind swept by, and his master had vanished, while the peak was left in a swirl of flying sand and stones.

Thunderclouds blanketed the summit of Ten Thousand Fathoms Peak, yet someone below was beaming with delight. She stood in the freshly dug pit, right above the millennium-old profound iron coffin, and sighed, "Ah, poor Qiao Yu. The more I look at him, the less I want to play the villain. Would it really be so bad to just raise a good child?"

With each word that betrayed her villainous persona, the thunderclouds above grew thicker.

"Don’t—don’t dig your own grave!"

"How is this digging my own grave? This is called realizing the true meaning of life!"

Lightning crashed down, but Wen Jinge remained unscathed. The seven demons, now reduced to nothing but heads serving as coffin nails, suddenly opened their eyes, their gazes all converging on the black coffin.

"How can you be unharmed?" Nonexistent, who’d already half-fled, rushed back in disbelief.

"We have to believe in the power of science. Isn’t a lightning-attracting talisman just a lightning rod?"