VAP - Chapter 15
Chapter 15: The Sleeping Beauty Whose Words Are Law (14)
Xing Qingcang was a young man with a refined smile. He wore a pair of fine, gold-rimmed glasses and had a scholarly, gentle air about him.
Anyone who didn't know him might have mistaken him for a scholar from some prestigious literary family, rather than a physics professor at Z University.
When Qi Jiu once again arrived languidly at the Azure Sky Martial Arts Hall, this was the person she met.
"Hello, Professor Xing." Qi Jiu sat down on a long bench in the hall and greeted him casually.
He sized her up for a moment before nodding gracefully. "Hello."
In truth, Xing Qingcang didn't take this young girl seriously at all.
He had indeed grown up in his father's martial arts hall, but he had little interest in the traditional martial arts that Master Xing had spent half his life practicing. He preferred physics, loved exploring the laws of natural science, and could even go two months without returning home for the sake of his research.
Compared to the magnificent world of science, even mentoring students seemed like a waste of time. That was why he had only taken on two students, adopting a hands-off teaching style that made him as elusive as a dragon.
This time, when Master Xing had come to him about taking on a disciple, he had been very reluctant at first.
What use would a girl who practiced martial arts have for him? It was true he researched physics, but his main focus was quantum technology, which had absolutely nothing to do with martial arts. She would be better off asking a random high school physics teacher for help than studying under him!
But this was a request from his old man—a man who had always been upright, strict, and never one to show weakness. Faced with Master Xing's earnest gaze, Xing Qingcang couldn't help but hesitate.
In the end, he agreed.
This so-called discipleship had no real meaning anyway. At worst, he would just hold the title of "teacher" and give the girl the contact information for his two students.
Whatever she wanted to ask, she could just ask them.
Having made up his mind, Xing Qingcang put on a refined smile. "You must be Qi Jiu, right? My father thinks very highly of you. He sang your praises to me."
Qi Jiu returned a perfunctory smile and chatted with Yue Du in her mind. "So this is the protagonist."
Yue Du said, "Yes. After the great outbreak of Esper Abilities, he'll be the type of protagonist who is skilled in both pen and sword. He can use his powers to fight in group battles or retreat to calmly conduct scientific research. The pillar of the team, the founder of the world-rebuilding effort—in short, that's his archetype."
Qi Jiu's expression turned pitying. "He must be really busy, then."
Xing Qingcang studied physics, not psychology, so naturally, he couldn't detect the girl's perfunctory attitude or her strange sympathy. He just assumed she was listless from lack of rest.
After a brief chat and some probing, Xing Qingcang finally determined that the girl's understanding of physics was at the level of an ordinary high school student. However, she seemed humble and eager to learn—perhaps because she truly loved martial arts?
Most importantly, she seemed easy to handle. Taking her on as a student wouldn't interfere with his research.
Professor Xing was very satisfied.
"Well then, I'm your teacher now. Don't be so formal. In the future, if you have any academic questions, you can ask your senior brother and sister. Here is their contact information..."
At the exact moment he finished the first half of his sentence, a crisp notification sound rang out in Qi Jiu's mental space.
"Ding—"
"Congratulations, Host, for successfully becoming Xing Qingcang's student. The first main quest is complete. Reward: 500 points."
The same voice also sounded in Yue Du's ears, with an additional sentence: "System 0996 assisted the Host in completing the mission. Awarded 250 points. Please continue your efforts."
Qi Jiu whistled happily in her consciousness.
"Alright, since the mission is complete, there's no need to stay here and chat with him." The young miss was delighted and said decisively, "Make my phone ring now, can you do that?"
Of course, no problem.
Beside the snow-white temple, Yue Du's eyes flickered with the faint blue light of data as she manipulated Qi Jiu's phone, making it play its default ringtone.
The phone hadn't even rung for two seconds before Qi Jiu picked it up, put it to her ear, and feigned an answer. "Hello?"
"Mhm, that's right."
"Okay, I understand..."
"I'll be right there, wait for me."
Then, pretending to hang up, she said apologetically to Xing Qingcang, "Sorry, someone's looking for me. Let's talk next time."
Unaware of the truth, Professor Xing could only say, "Alright. Be careful on your way."
After exchanging contact information with Professor Xing, Qi Jiu leisurely left the martial arts hall.
Seeing her usual listless demeanor, Yue Du asked thoughtfully, "The mission's done. Do you want to go back? I can book the plane tickets."
Qi Jiu raised a hand to cover her red lips and let out a small yawn. "No rush. We'll deal with it tomorrow."
She didn't seem to have any intention of taking a taxi back to the hotel. With her hands in her pockets, she strolled along slowly.
The weather was a bit gloomy. Yue Du activated the system's built-in weather forecast and said, "It's going to rain in half an hour. You should take a taxi back."
Qi Jiu was unconcerned. "Getting caught in the rain once in a while feels nice."
Yue Du disagreed. "Getting wet in this weather will make you sick."
"Have you ever seen me get sick?"
"...No."
"There you go, then. I have a strong immune system."
Before Yue Du could argue further, Qi Jiu was already lost in a fantasy. "Get caught in a light rain now, then go back and soak in a nice, comfortable hot bath, and then wrap myself up in my blankets—just thinking about it is wonderful."
Yue Du pressed a hand to her forehead. "You can take a hot bath and lie in your blankets without getting rained on."
Qi Jiu stopped in her tracks.
Just as Yue Du thought she was about to come up with some twisted logic, she saw the young miss slowly slap her own forehead in a moment of sudden realization. "Oh, right."
Yue Du: "..." As long as you're happy.
After taking a taxi back to the hotel, Qi Jiu did indeed take a hot bath.
Before she took off her clothes to get into the water, Yue Du had already turned off the full visual feed, leaving only the audio channel open.
First came the brief splash of entering the water.
Yue Du sat by the lake in the mental space, hugging her knees. Hearing the faint sound, she somehow found herself picturing Qi Jiu soaking in the bathtub.
Her legs crossed, her jade-like skin submerged in the clear water, the rising steam tinting her magnificent face with a faint blush...
An inexplicable thought popped into Yue Du's mind:
Speaking of which, even if I turned on the external visual feed now, Qi Jiu wouldn't know, would she?
Of course, it was just a thought. Realizing what she was thinking, Yue Du felt a bit exasperated with herself, inwardly sighing at how utterly immoral the idea was.
This self-mockery lasted only a moment before her thoughts gradually shifted to more serious matters.
Just as she was seriously contemplating what the next main quest would be, Qi Jiu suddenly called her name.
"Yue Du?"
"What is it?" Yue Du responded.
The sound of splashing water came from the outside world, completely irregular—sometimes loud, sometimes soft. The Host was probably just playing with the water.
Along with the splashing, Qi Jiu's casual question rang out. "Those points... can I give my points to you?"
Yue Du immediately understood what she meant and frowned. "You can, but there's no need."
Qi Jiu gave a half-smile. "How is there no need?"
"The items a System can purchase are different from what a Host can purchase," Yue Du said calmly. "Most of the things useful for missions can only be bought by the Host. A System can only buy things for its own use, like bodies, special data, and so on. Giving me the points wouldn't be very useful. It's better for you to keep them."
"Is that so."
Qi Jiu's eyes were closed, and Yue Du thought she wasn't going to say anything else. Just as she was about to return to thinking about the mission, she heard her Host say, "I'm gifting you 400 points. No problem, right?"
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