Relax Home.

—

Walking around Curie's place and seeing many kinds of wonders, Tian Xing started adopting the varied perspectives of modern people. Observing the ceiling fan, which clearly used a circuit board model for its mechanisms and featured a simple refrigeration cycle characteristic of an AC unit, he couldn't help but be impressed at how cultivators—or more accurately, artisan practitioners—were able to incorporate such technology into their daily lives using their expertise without adhering to the conventional methods of creating this tech.

Particularly when he saw how the array nodes and array lines were arranged, and how the fan's circuit board was constructed, Tian Xing raised his hands in surrender, acknowledging that collective intelligence truly is superior to that of a single person. Although he could accomplish the same feats, he was impressed that these immortals—known for their stubborn ways—were willing to adapt to something useful while maintaining their roots as array masters or artifact artisans. This gave him hope for future generations of cultivators, demonstrating they are not just simple-minded.

Continuing to walk around the living rooms, leaving the three girls to chat among themselves, Tian Xing entered the area where the patient would be healed. Upon seeing a large acupuncture meridian chart in the middle of the room, he felt truly satisfied and content, realizing that his people were not stubbornly clinging to their old ways but were instead adapting modern and advanced understandings to enhance their ancient knowledge. Previously, they—and he, as a normal cultivator—recognized only 351 acupuncture points. Now, there were 150 to 200 billion points, similar to the neurons in the body, reflecting this new understanding.

As he looked at the open spirit scrolls detailing the known meridian pathways, Tian Xing laughed out loud. Now that they understood acupuncture points to be neurons, his people were able to identify many more spiritual roots, constantly updating their knowledge. Using modern and advanced understanding to refine their ancient sciences, they made their civilization flourish, able to identify many seeds of immortality.

However, remembering how people from outside were willing to become Asura's subordinate just to achieve longevity, Tian Xing sighed. It seemed poverty persisted no matter how good the situation was. Despite this extensive list of spiritual roots, some people still couldn't cultivate.

Thinking for a moment about whether he wanted to increase the number of cultivators, Tian Xing's mind wandered to the ordinary mortals who lived happy lives without worries, as the sky was already held down by the immortals. This left only the truly ambitious who wanted to become cultivators, rather than remain ordinary mortals. Because of this, he decided to withhold, for now, the knowledge of Wan Shi Tong Dao to create their own Spiritual Roots from the given Dao template, since it was Mei Li's discovery to begin with.

As for allowing them to understand the Dao as he did, they just needed to become researchers, since comprehension was essentially a science of skill that someone could develop based on their dexterity in applying it to their respective energy. For now, seeing that mortal life was content with no threats to their survival except from the gods, Tian Xing decided not to lift people out of a different kind of poverty—a poverty viewed from another perspective as a luxury not necessary for daily survival.

So, just waiting for others to discover the secret that everyone can cultivate for themselves, Tian Xing finished his reflection just as Curie finished talking with Ying Yue. Looking at Curie with complicated emotions, he took a deep breath and asked, "So? What will your decision be? Do you want to enter this household despite knowing the restrictions? Are you ready to become mine forever and do whatever I command, like a puppet with no will of your own, following only my words and desires?"

Giggling, knowing that his truthful words were not as harsh as they sounded—in fact, they were sweet in her perspective—Curie answered, "Yes, master. Until my first suicide, which is very far, far, far into the future, to the point where even I think that person won't be myself anymore, I will do whatever master wants me to do."

Caressing her master's handsome face, which confirmed the saying she had always heard that a cultivator's skin was smooth like jade, Curie proceeded to remove his sad and conflicted emotions by lifting the edges of his cheeks. Seeing him smile, even if assisted, Curie smiled as well and said, "Moreover, master, you don't need to be sad and conflicted anymore. I've already decided that a life with you in the future is more beautiful than my current one. So, cheer up, okay?"

Allowing Curie to play with his face, forcing him to smile, Tian Xing still shook his head. "No, it's okay. Just let this fact and the thought that I might be torturing your true spirit be. Maybe because of that, I can feel at ease, accepting that I am a true manipulator—a devil in the skin of a righteous person in your life, my flower."

Stunned at truly experiencing her master's truthful words that had often brought tears and discomfort to her sisters, Curie pinched her master's cheeks hard until they puffed out like a balloon. Understanding that her master wanted to embody the Tao by following the 81st chapter of that popular scripture, Curie was satisfied playing with his face for a while.

Shaking her head, Curie then said, "Oh master, my wise master. Rather than saying we are tortured in spirit, Curie instead wants to ask, why do you always want to torture your spirit yourself, master? Why do you always say things that, in reality, we won't experience, not even for a second, because of how much adoration and love you have for us all? Don't you think you've hurt yourself enough, master?"

Hearing Curie's reasoning, Tian Xing unknowingly felt like his heart was being sliced by a razor blade thousands of times over with the truthfulness of her words. Letting out a breath filled with heartache, which somehow had a sense of true relief mixed in, Tian Xing chuckled at the absurdity of the situation.

So, in response, he started to pinch her cheeks as well and playfully argued, "But it's the truth! Because—"

Shaking her head and giggling, Curie interrupted, "Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good. Master, oh master, you are very predictable."

"Hey... I did not... I am the highest in terms of Tian Ming Dao, so there is nothing..."

"Oh really? But to Curie, it seems master's emotions can be read like a book, that... Here, like this. So..."

"Well, in front of you, my flower, it's better for me to... So I can relax completely and focus my cunning mind elsewhere..."

"So does this mean in front of all of us, master is truly master... Hehehe, Curie thinks it would also be tiring if there were no home to relax in... Because..."

"Talking about the Commonwealth, how are the Minutemen from your world doing? Are they...?"

"They are all alright... Preston even became the personal guard of the Celestial Kings..."

"Wow? Truly? Fifty of them are able to cultivate? How about...?"

"Yes, master... As for the Brotherhood of Steel, sadly they have prejudice against Chinese people and thus..."

"Well, for Curie's sake, I will make sure they can survive in the spirit stone mines and be able to buy their freedom..."

"Master, I don't even know them..."

"But they are still people from your world, so..."

"If the reason is just for Curie's peace of mind, then I thank you, master. You..."

—