Chapter 126: Beauty without Soul

“Do you...” Gao Yang cautiously pondered every word. “Have it too?”

Qing Ling frowned. “Have what?”

Gao Yang paused. “Huh? Didn’t you say you knew what I was doing?”

Qing Ling was getting tired of Gao Yang’s cryptic response. “I know you were cultivating, but I don’t know what thing you’re talking about.”

Gao Yang relaxed. So it was a misunderstanding.

“Wait, give me a moment.” Gao Yang closed his eyes.

[Access granted.]

—System, why did Lie Detection go wrong?

[It did not.]

—What do you mean? Is it because you're meant to help me cultivate that Qing Ling was considered telling the truth?

[I am what I am.]

—Then Lie Detection was wrong!

[It was not wrong.]

—Wait, wait.

—I got it now. From Qing Ling’s perspective, she didn’t lie when she said she knew the truth because she truly believed I was cultivating.

[Correct.]

—Ah, I’ve been curious about this. Can I use Lie Detection on myself?

—For example, can I say, ‘I’m going to be safe today’, and the Talent will tell me that I told a lie, meaning I will run into danger today? Can I tell my fortune like that?

[The test will not work.]

[Lie Detection can only detect if the Target has said something they do not mean. It cannot be used to tell fortunes. The result of the test has no bearing to the objective truths.]

—Alright, I get it now. Even if a mad man claims to be God, Lie Detection will tell me that he didn’t lie as long as he truly believes so.

[Correct.]

—Ugh, there’s a reason the Talent is lower on the list.

—Fine. That’s it for now.

[Access ends.]

Gao Yang opened his eyes and saw Qing Ling staring at him with an irritated look. “Were you cultivating again?”

“No.” Gao Yang smiled. “Just resting with my eyes closed.”

Qing Ling wouldn’t let it go. “You haven’t been training recently, yet you’ve gotten a lot stronger. How do you explain that?”

“My Talent leveled up,” Gao Yang made an excuse. “People get stronger when their Talents level up.”

A cold glint flashed through Qing Ling’s eyes. She grabbed Gao Yang’s hand and tightened her grip.

“Oww!”

Sharp pain shot through Gao Yang’s fingers. She was gripping him hard enough to break bones.

Gao Yang inhaled deeply and resisted her with some force, just enough to prevent injury while not attracting her attention.

Qing Ling met Gao Yang’s eyes. “Replicate, Fire, and Lie Detection won’t improve your strength and speed. Wu Dahai is a good example. His Electricity is powerful, but he’s weak in everything else. You’re different. Your strength, speed, and build have all gotten better. You must have been cultivating in secret.”

Gao Yang felt a little wronged.

That’s because I’ve increased my stats, but I can’t tell you about my system, can I? You may not believe me anyway.

“Will you let go of me already?” Gao Yang wasn’t sure what to do.

“No.” There was a trace of defiance on Qing Ling’s face. She looked like a child throwing a tantrum. “I’m not letting go until you tell me the truth.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you.”

Qing Ling let go.

Gao Yang sighed and shook his numb hand. Then he built upon Qing Ling’s story, “To tell you the truth, I have been cultivating.”

“Tell me how.” Qing Ling’s eyes lit up.

Gao Yang was speechless. She really was obsessed with leveling up.

“It’s not that easy, Qing Ling.” Gao Yang started bullshitting again. “Everyone grows stronger in different ways. Cultivation is the right path for me, while training is yours. It’s best not to do what doesn't suit you.”

“I want both,” Qing Ling said like it was obvious. “Then I’ll be able to cultivate while I rest.”

“It’s best that you don’t get your hopes up.”

“I won’t know until I try,” Qing Ling insisted.

“Alright. Then I’ll teach you a cultivation method.”

Resigned, Gao Yang decided to teach her the ‘cultivation method’ he had given Wang Zikai. After a few tries without results, she would give up on it herself.

“Listen to me: the path that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging path. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name...”

Qing Ling frowned. “Isn’t that just

Tao Te Ching

?”

Shit! Aren’t you a student athlete who never studies? Why do you know that?

Turns out only an idiot like Wang Zikai would be this easily fooled.

“Ahem, that’s true, but just keep listening. What follows is different.” Gao Yang had no choice but to improvise.

My sincere apologies, Mr. Laozi.

“The nameless, the origin of the primordial. The named, the ancestor of all there is...”

Gao Yang only got a couple sentences out before Qing Ling quickly lunged at him and covered his mouth. At the same time, she lifted the thick curtain to cover the two of them with her other hand.

In the dim, narrow corner, Qing Ling was almost on top of Gao Yang. The two of them met eyes, exchanging breaths.

Slowly, Qing Ling let go of Gao Yang’s mouth and made a gesture to hush him. Gao Yang nodded softly.

Click.

There was the sound of a key inserting into lock and turning. Then the door opened, followed by footsteps.

“Why would you have the key?” asked a girl.

A boy said with an excited voice, “During our lab class in the afternoon, our teacher gave the key to me.”

“Ah.”

“It’s quiet, isn’t it? There are only the two of us...” The boy spoke like the male lead of a cheesy drama. “This is a world for only us.”

“Go away,” the girl said in a coy tone. “I’m not gonna be in a world with only you!”

“Come on, follow me. There’s a place there...”

Their footsteps drew close.

Gao Yang’s heartbeat quickened, feeling unreasonably nervous.

This wasn’t a big deal. Worst-case scenario, he would be caught getting intimate with Qing Ling, which was not even worth mentioning compared to the real crises they had been through.

Then the footsteps and voices got even closer. There was only a cabinet separating them.

“Will we stay together in college?” The girl sounded sad all of a sudden.

“Of course.”

“I don’t believe you. My mom told me that the day a man can be trusted is the day a pig learns to fly.”

“I’m not those scums who go through girls like clothes.” The boy’s tone grew angry. “Do you know Gao Yang, from the next class?”

“I do.”

“He got together with Qing Ling immediately after his childhood friend died!”

“What, are you jealous?”

“Jealous? Why would I be?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t know? You had been pining after Qing Ling for the longest time and only turned to me because you knew you didn’t have a chance.”

“Who said that? That’s not true at all!”

“It is true! You always talk about her every time we chat...”

“What? I was talking about Gao Yang.”

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“But then Qing Ling was brought up! I don’t get it. Why do all the boys like her? Yes, she’s pretty. Yes, she’s got a great body and fair skin. But underneath that beautiful appearance, there’s no soul!”

“Yes, yes, she doesn’t have a soul.”

“You boys only care about looks! I’m disappointed!”

“Enough already. Would you stop making something out of nothing?”

“Making something out of nothing? Fine, let’s break up! Go look for someone who won’t do this!”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant. Listen...”

The argument was followed by quick footsteps and then the sound of the door being slammed.

Soon, the lab room quieted again.

Qing Ling lifted the curtain and got up from Gao Yang’s arms, sorting her messy clothes and hair.

Gao Yang sat up too and awkwardly straightened his shirt.

“Um, don’t take it personally,” Gao Yang said just to have something to say. “You have a soul.”

“A soul will only slow down my blade.” Qing Ling straightened her posture and looked at him seriously. “Let’s pick up where we left off.”

“Pick up what?” Gao Yang was lost for a moment.

“Teach me the cultivation method.”

Gao Yang almost blacked out. She was still on that?!