Master, What Dao Do You Cultivate?-Chapter 3: The Loving Master and the Filial Disciple

Neither spoke along the way.
Ji Qinglin glanced at the girl silently following him, his mind filled with doubts.
If I time-traveled to the future and met someone who understood an old hometown joke, even if I didn’t burst into tears like a long-lost brother, I’d at least be a little surprised, right?
But this girl? Completely unfazed.
Did she really just answer by accident?
No—she’s probably just cautious. I should start with a light topic.
"So, what landed you in prison?"
Mad voice:
What kind of conversation starter is that?! Good looks wasted on a dumb mouth.
Cold voice:
…
"Illegal immigration."
Her answer was as short as ever, and she didn’t even bother lifting her head.
Illegal immigration?
Common enough. A third of Bangkok’s population were outsiders.
But the emotionless tone of her response made it uncomfortable to listen to.
Ji Qinglin smirked slightly, then pressed the light shock button on the remote in his pocket.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, the girl jerked violently, legs squeezing together as if barely keeping balance.
Her almond-shaped eyes flashed with anger as she glared up at him.
Meanwhile, Ji Qinglin pretended to panic, reaching out to help her up while apologizing.
"Oops, oops! Total accident. Forgot I had the remote in my pocket."
Mad voice:
Bullshit! Let me kill him!
Cold voice:
Quiet. We’re in no position to fight right now.
Mad voice:
Don’t tell me you’re actually into this kind of “training”?
Cold voice:
Shut up.
Ji Qinglin leaned in close, lowering his voice.
"But now, I assume you’ll answer properly. Your file only lists a prisoner number—what’s your real name?"
Surprisingly, this simple question made the girl hesitate, looking visibly troubled.
Thinking she was deliberately resisting, Ji Qinglin casually shifted his hand in his pocket, fingers hovering over the remote like he was about to press it again.
Sure enough, the girl grabbed his arm.
"Wait! I… I’m Yu Ye."
Yu Ye?
That sounded way too much like she just randomly picked it from the "Imperial Jade Liquor" line earlier.
Oh, right—she was an illegal immigrant.
People like her usually ditched their past identities, so this wasn’t a big deal.
Ji Qinglin didn’t expose her lie and simply continued.
"Oh, Yu Ye. So that means… clear, sticky, delicious liquid—"
Before he could finish, the girl snapped her head up and glared at him again.
Mad Yu Ye:
Pervert!
Cold Yu Ye:
Scoundrel!
Realizing her made-up name sounded a bit off, she immediately corrected herself.
"I mean Yu Ye—as in a gentle and tranquil night."
"Well, well. You finally strung together more than two words this time."
Yu Ye, now aware that her prisoner-like demeanor had been inappropriate even as a candidate disciple, understood why Ji Qinglin had deliberately teased her.
So, she said nothing.
"Alright, Yu Ye, let’s go back to the earlier question. That line—‘Imperial Jade Liquor’—how did you know the next part? Have you seen it somewhere before?"
"I never saw it before. It just… came out instinctively."
Ji Qinglin pulled out the remote, placing his hand directly on the shock button.
"I’d like to hear the truth."
But this time, Yu Ye didn’t even flinch.
She stared directly into his eyes.
Though her face was smudged with dirt, making her features unclear, her red lips and willow brows lacked color, but those almond eyes—clear as a still pool of water, bright and piercing.
"I am telling the truth!"
Seeing her resolute expression, Ji Qinglin hesitated for three seconds.
Finally, he put the remote back in his pocket.
Whether she really didn’t remember, or was just playing dumb like he once did—he had plenty of time to find out.
Cold Yu Ye:
Hmph. I suppose he’s barely—
"Ah~!"
Yu Ye hadn’t even finished her mental approval when Ji Qinglin pressed the light shock button again.
With no warning, her entire body tensed up, a sudden weakness spreading through her legs as she squeezed them shut once more.
Mad Yu Ye:
To hell with “barely”! This guy’s a straight-up sadistic pervert!
Ji Qinglin added, "That one was just to remind you—speak naturally to your soon-to-be master, understood?"
Seeing Yu Ye’s brows furrow again, cheeks puffing in frustration, yet reluctantly nodding, Ji Qinglin tapped his forehead.
"Look at me, already forgetting the most important question—Yu Ye, do you even want to be my disciple?"
"Relax, your soon-to-be master is a firm believer in democracy. If you don’t want to, I’ll send you back right now. How about it?"
Hearing the word “prison”, Yu Ye immediately shook her head and bowed.
"No, no! Disciple Yu Ye will obey Master’s teachings!"
Mad Yu Ye:
Honestly, the prison feels safer than this guy.
Cold Yu Ye:
Don’t say things just to vent. This guy may be insufferable, but at least he’s better than rotting in jail.
After gathering some basic information, Ji Qinglin was just about to take Yu Ye back to his general store—
When a figure silently emerged from the alley ahead.
The person was completely covered in black, so much so that Ji Qinglin mistook them for a shadow at first.
Their entire body was pitch-black—no visible face, features, or even gender.
Only upon stepping closer did two red dots appear where the eyes should be.
The figure stopped a short distance from Ji Qinglin and Yu Ye, and a voice, grating and metallic, echoed from its mouthpiece.
"Target confirmed."
Then, its arms unfolded, revealing two blades glowing red.
Phantom Blade!
Ji Qinglin recognized the figure instantly.
Through his freelance work, he had encountered the Puppet Club—a murder-for-hire syndicate that accepted anonymous contracts.
Their puppet assassins were mechanized killers, equipped with weapon implants and installed with swordsmanship or blade combat modules.
Yu Ye, realizing the danger, immediately shifted into a combat stance.
Ji Qinglin was still processing the situation, so he glanced at Yu Ye and asked,
"Is it after you?"
Mad Yu Ye:
No way… they actually tracked me down?!
Cold Yu Ye:
I don’t think it’s the same people who were after me before…
Seeing that Yu Ye didn’t answer, Ji Qinglin felt he had guessed right.
Young people these days… always getting into trouble.
And if you’re gonna cause trouble, at least clean up the mess so they don’t come looking for revenge.
If Yu Ye was a walking disaster, he might have to reconsider this whole disciple thing.
With that thought, Ji Qinglin stepped aside.
Yu Ye frowned.
"Master, what are you—"
"You haven’t formally paid respects as my disciple yet. Technically, we’re not master and student."
"So your problems are your own to deal with."
Mad Yu Ye:
(ꐦÒ‸Ó) WTF?! This bastard is next level scummy. I told you prison was safer!
Cold Yu Ye:
Forget it. Focus on fighting. It’s not like this has anything to do with him…
But to everyone’s surprise, the black-clad assassin suddenly turned its head—
And looked straight at Ji Qinglin.
"Target locked. Executing elimination."
The moment those words were spoken, both Ji Qinglin and Yu Ye froze.
After a brief hesitation, Yu Ye took a step to the side, putting distance between herself and Ji Qinglin.
"Master, I think you have a point. We should all handle our own problems."
"Huh?! I’m your master!"
"Yes… but I haven’t performed the disciple’s formal rites yet."
Mad Yu Ye:
Pfft, karma hit fast!
Cold Yu Ye:
I just want to distract the opponent. I’ll jump in to help when the fight starts.
Mad Yu Ye:
Help with what? Wouldn’t it be better to just watch them fight? If that old bastard dies, we can escape immediately.
Cold Yu Ye:
Don’t be stupid. Even if they don’t kill witnesses, if we escape after he dies, we’ll definitely be blamed for his murder.
Whoosh—
The puppet assassin had no interest in their touching master-disciple moment.
In a flash, it charged straight at Ji Qinglin.
Judging by the speed, its legs were likely enhanced with a Swift Stride or Wind Walker module.
Without a second thought, Ji Qinglin immediately retreated—right next to Yu Ye.
Mad Yu Ye:
Damn, this bastard’s trying to use her as a meat shield!
Yu Ye didn’t overthink it—this was life or death. She instinctively prepared to strike back.
But before she could step forward, Ji Qinglin’s left arm shot out, pressing firmly on her shoulder—
At the same time, his fingers locked onto her collar.
Physical contact was the only way for him to bypass his phone’s self-defense mechanism.
Yu Ye was shocked, but she also noticed something—
The Ji Qinglin who had been all smiles, eyes curved in amusement just moments ago—
Now had his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze ice-cold.
"Stay close."
The words were emotionless, but before Yu Ye could react, the puppet assassin had already closed in.
Fortunately, Ji Qinglin had already raised his right hand.
Yu Ye didn’t see what happened next—
She only felt a barely perceptible tremor.
Then—
The puppet assassin, mid-leap, its blood-red blades poised to unleash a Water-Splitting Strike—
Suddenly glitched, as if its power had been cut off.
Its movements distorted—
And with a heavy thud, it crashed to the ground before them.
(note: Mad Yu Ye and Cold Yu Ye are Yu Ye's inner voice)