Chapter 13 How utterly embarrassing! I never imagined that our affection harbored such deceit...
I don't know if every spiritual being has this ability, or if only she, with her spiritual power, can do such a thing.
Chu Jue leaned more towards the latter, since Fang Zhiyi had never mentioned this to her when explaining the topic to her.
If such an extraordinary method of spiritual cultivation existed, Fang Zhiyi would not have forgotten it.
Regarding the difference between mental strength and spiritual energy, Chu Jue currently believes that mental strength is significantly stronger than spiritual energy.
Spiritual energy is like a low-powered version of spiritual energy, so it can be absorbed by spiritual energy, but her spiritual energy cannot be absorbed by spiritual energy in return.
There should be a conversion ratio between the two; it's not a one-to-one ratio.
For example, right now, her mental strength of less than 300 easily defeated what was said to be a high-level spiritualist.
...Well, whether it was because he was too bad or something else, Chu Jue couldn't tell.
The system notification that Chu Jue had been eagerly awaiting finally sounded.
[Main quest progress updated, merit points +310]
Current total merit points: 431
Main Quest (Advanced) Required Merit Points: 431/5000
Previously, the initial quest could be unlocked with 100 merit points, but I didn't expect that the merit points required to advance to the next level would reach 5,000.
Moreover, judging from this progress, there might be intermediate, advanced, or even final stages in the future... If she levels up 20 at a time, how long will it take her to save up enough to complete the main storyline? It seems like an eternity.
Chu Jue sighed.
However, this time it's 310 more?
Chu Jue was a little confused about the calculation of this value. He glanced at the records and found that the values given by the previous thirteen people were not the same, with the overall fluctuation controlled within the range of 15 to 28.
But the last spiritualist gave her 30 directly.
It seems that the values provided by different people really do vary in quality, but it's unclear how this quality is determined.
Chu Jue poked the system, hoping for an explanation. Receiving no response of familiar numerical symbols, he realized the Merit System was playing dead again.
The side quests are relatively simple.
Without needing a system prompt, Chu Jue knew that her mental strength limit had also increased after she dealt with the opponent who had absorbed that spiritual energy.
[Side Quest - Mental Strength Repair - Progress Updated, Maximum Mental Strength +41]
[Current Limit: 273/9999+]
While it doesn't offer as much potential as a puppet, it's still pretty good. Unfortunately, this man is probably quite poor and doesn't have a puppet with him.
She glanced down and saw another line of large, golden words radiating joy:
The main quest (beginner level) has been completed, and rewards have been distributed.
It seems the previous reward has been credited to my account.
Chu Jue was very curious about what rewards the system would give out; this was the first time she had ever seen the system pop up something useful.
She clicked on the details with great interest—
Main Quest (Beginner) Rewards Unlocked: [Merit Point Detection Function] Now Available
Merit value detection?
Chu Jue looked around and examined the corpse on the ground. A line of bold text floated above the corpse's head.
Current merit points: 0
Does this mean the corpse has zero merit points? Or does it mean that Chu Jue can currently obtain zero merit points from it?
After all, according to the system's calculations, Chu Jue had already taken 30 merit points from him at the moment of his death.
It seems we need to get some other samples for comparison.
Unfortunately, there was no one around at the moment. Chu Jue sat next to the corpse, waiting for his companions to come and regroup.
She discovered that the detection function could be turned on in automatic recognition mode. After selecting to turn it on, the value "0" was directly displayed on the other person's corpse.
Chu Jue: ...
If it's all 0, what's there to detect...? Chu Jue suggested to the system: when the other party's value is 0, it can be ignored.
The system ignored it.
Chu Jue even tested herself, but didn't see any value above her head. However, the sample size was too small, and the "0" in front of her was meaningless. She continued to harass the Merit System, but still received no response.
Soon, the remaining three people, Er Gou and Er Gou, who had been separated, successfully met with Chu Jue.
Fang Zhiyi, who was leading the group in a playful spree, noticed the corpse on the ground and her eyes lit up: "We were right, this official didn't go through the main entrance."
After ordering takeout on the way, Yun Qiandu, who was already carrying the boxed lunch, sighed: "I even waited at the gate for a while, and only realized he had sneaked out when I heard some noise here."
They waited at different exits, hoping to catch their prey. Yun Qiandu even had time to report the progress to Ying Yi and witnessed Fang Zhiyi taking a leisurely stroll while slacking off.
"Let's go eat." Chu Jue's eyes were now filled with anticipation for lunch.
After finding a public table to sit down, Jiang Pan'er quietly recounted her experiences to Jiang Jingshu. Jiang Jingshu frowned as she listened, and then formally expressed her gratitude to Chu Jue.
Chu Jue readily accepted, listening as they continued their conversation about those unfamiliar topics. The other world constantly challenged her understanding, and though she didn't show it outwardly, Chu Jue felt a strange unease within.
The information we had received so far was already strange enough, but there were even more things that were hard to understand.
During lunchtime, Chu Jue abandoned her thoughts. She used her newly acquired reward to test several people, only to find that the bolded numbers above their heads were all 0.
This made it difficult for Chu Jue to understand the system's function for a while. No matter how he tested, the number of people he could detect was 0.
"This braised pork is too fatty," Fang Zhiyi muttered as she ate.
Jiang Pan'er looked at the two dogs and felt sorry for Da Huang, who could only eat dog food, because of the completely different lunch treatment they received.
"Big Yellow, I hope you develop intelligence soon, just like Fang Zhiyi, so that we can spend more and more time together."
She whispered to Big Yellow. She had only heard of the existence of spirit beasts before; this was the first time she had ever seen one.
Big Yellow barked politely, as if to say, "Don't worry."
Jiang Pan'er grinned; today was truly a peculiar day.
She left the environment she had long wanted to escape, and instead of the disappointment and confusion she had imagined, she was filled with hope for the future. Simply because she was now with Jiang Jingshu and Da Huang.
Although they seemed to have nowhere to go, Jiang Pan'er felt a sense of peace she had never felt before.
Jiang Jingshu could tell what she was thinking and comforted her, "It's okay, come back to the organization with me first."
"good."
As a fellow member of the organization, Yun Qiandu volunteered: "No problem, Sister Yun will take care of you! Although your Sister Ying may not seem as kind as me, she will definitely like you too."
She tugged at Jiang Pan'er's hand with sisterly affection, wanting to immediately upgrade herself to Jiang Pan'er's sister, but hesitated for a moment.
Although the name "Xiao Jiang" came out of my mouth, it still felt like I was calling Jiang Jingshu. Thinking about it carefully, calling her "Pan'er" or "Pan'er" seemed a bit... well, it didn't really sound like I was calling "herself."
"Little sister, what should I call you?" Should I just call you little sister?
As for "name," this was a question Jiang Pan'er had thought about long ago.
Ever since she learned that her mother and father had given her the name "Pan'er" (盼儿) because they were hoping for a son, she had wanted to change it.
She doesn't want to live her whole life under such a curse.
"Thank you, Sister Yun. Um... I'd like to change my name."
"Of course, what would you like to change it to?"
Jiang Pan'er thought for a moment, then said with a little embarrassment, "I also want to have a character with the female radical, just like my sister, and it also needs to be a character that represents how amazing I am."
Her name originally meant "expectation" for others, so why not change it to reflect her own "expectation"?
“Great, let’s think about it in that direction.”
"Actually, I've already decided." Jiang Pan'er chuckled twice. "I want to be called 'Jiang Tianjiao'."
"Jiang Tianjiao? Not bad, not bad!" Yun Qiandu was very supportive, putting down his chopsticks and clapping in the midst of his busy schedule.
Having already finished its dog food, Dahuang was standing next to its owner, its eyes gleaming with excitement.
She nudged Jiang Tianjiao's trouser leg, and after getting her fur stroked as she wished, her wagging tail was clearly excited for her.
Jiang Jingshu smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jiang Tianjiao."
Chu Jue nodded, picked up a piece of meat covered in sauce, and handed it to Fang Zhiyi: "Celebrating Tianjiao."
Fang Zhiyi was satisfied with her apprentice's responsiveness and said something good, which was rare for her: "Jiang Tianjiao sounds much better than Jiang Pan'er. You did a good job with the revision."
We can stop using the old names; they don't sound good. And those "xer xer" sounds so affected and childish.
"Thank you." Jiang Tianjiao covered her eyes. Although nothing had happened, she felt like she was about to cry again. She wasn't usually one to cry, but today she found it hard to control herself.
It seemed like she had experienced a day she would never forget in her life.
Fang Zhiyi originally wanted to swallow the tempting piece of lean meat, but seeing Jiang Tianjiao's tearful expression, she hesitated for a second and then threw the meat to Jiang Tianjiao.
"So greedy? You're even crying. Well then, I'll be merciful and give it to you, since I don't like it anyway."
It cries even while eating; dogs don't understand.
Although Jiang Tianjiao didn't need the meat, she was touched by the kindness of this unfamiliar spirit beast.
She mustered her courage, patted Fang Zhiyi's head, and said, "Thank you."
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tianjiao felt something was wrong as soon as she put the meat in her mouth, and spat it out immediately, her expression somewhat indescribable: "Sister Chu Jue, this is a piece of ginger!"
Chu Jue blinked: "Really?"
Jiang Tianjiao and Fang Zhiyi: ...
It's hard to tell from her appearance whether she did it on purpose or not.
Chu Jue certainly didn't do it on purpose; after all, the disguise of that piece of ginger was so perfect that no one would be able to tell the difference before it was even tasted.
Fang Zhiyi, however, was in the mood for acting: "Chu Jue, I never expected that our affection was tainted with deception."
Chu Jue: ...
For a moment, I couldn't tell whether she meant what she said or not.
Chu Jue was also a little curious about Fang Zhiyi's unpredictable and erratic thinking, wondering when she would realize that what she had said about the 12th star system in the distance was a real experience.
"You two have such a good relationship," Jiang Tianjiao said enviously. "I wish Dahuang could also cultivate into a spirit beast."
She couldn't even imagine how happy she would be if Dahuang could talk to her.
"No problem." Fang Zhiyi seemed to want to snap her fingers, but because the dog's paws weren't dexterous enough, she could only secretly make the sound effects.
“You can have your friend become my apprentice; I think she has great potential.” Fang Zhiyi began to paint a rosy picture, “My previous apprentice also went from an ordinary two-legged person to a spiritual being in one step.”
"Really? Really?!" Jiang Tianjiao's eyes lit up, momentarily forgetting that she had taken a bite of the fake meat. "Teacher Fang, you're amazing! Da Huang, come quick, come quickly, come and become my apprentice!"
Big Yellow let out a devout "Awooo," and the apprenticeship ceremony was completed between the white and yellow figures.
Chu Jue's feelings were complicated. Now she not only had a dog teacher, but also a dog junior sister. As the only human in the "disciple group," she felt quite out of place.
Fang Zhiyi had already begun to act as a matchmaker between the two: "Disciple, let me introduce you. This is your senior sister."
Jiang Tianjiao's eyes widened: "So Sister Chu Jue is Teacher Fang's student."
Chu Jue was the most powerful spiritualist Jiang Tianjiao had ever met, but she never expected that her teacher would be Fang Zhiyi! Teacher Fang is truly amazing. Since she said so, then Da Huang must be able to be too!
Chu Jue nodded and squeezed Da Huang's paw as well: "Welcome, Junior Sister."
Such a soft and bouncy feel is truly worthy of my junior sister.
"Awoo." Big Yellow stuck out its tongue, radiating happiness from its entire body.
After the group finished their meal, Yun Qiandu and the other two were about to return to 111. Upon learning that Chu Jue also had no plans, Yun Qiandu warmly invited her and Fang Zhiyi to come along as well.
"Sister Ying will be very happy to see you all," Yun Qiandu assured.
Chu Jue took the initiative to throw away the trash and found that the merit panel had not changed. She thought for a moment and said, "Wait for me." Then she went back to throw away the gatekeeper's corpse.
Unfortunately, after the test, Chu Jue discovered that neither the "Protecting the Environment Starts with Her" approach at any level would increase merit points.
Out of curiosity, Fang Zhiyi followed her for a while, clicking her tongue twice, and leisurely providing her with the following voiceover:
"How embarrassing! How incredibly embarrassing!"
Chu Jue: ...
She now suspects not only that the system was created by the designer, but she also suspects that Fang Zhiyi was the designer himself.
A note from the author:
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