Trust

Qiuyue stood before Niu Chang, wearing an innocent expression. She had decided to be her usual self in the end.

Niu Chang smiled kindly and asked, "What were you thinking just now?"

Qiuyue paused for a moment before responding to his question. "Well, I... I don't really think about things."

As she struggled to give a proper answer, Niu Chang continued to inquire, "So you were thinking about nothing?"

Under the gentle prodding of Niu Chang, Qiuyue felt a tinge of guilt and could only nod meekly.

'How can I tell my savior that I've been dwelling on inappropriate thoughts about him while trying to process my memories?'

"Impressive!" exclaimed Niu Chang, his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Qiuyue.

"Huh?" Qiuyue, not understanding what was impressive, felt even worse than before.

"To think that you can reach such a profound state of thinking nothing," Niu Chang remarked appreciatively, his tone void of mockery. "Emptying your thoughts and freeing your mind from any form or shape, reaching a higher level of consciousness."

Only then did Qiuyue realize what her savior meant by "impressive." Having already lied and now facing further misunderstanding, she felt overwhelmed.

'How did it come to this? Shouldn't my savior just brush it off and discuss why he called me here? Who is at fault here?'

For the first time, Qiuyue found herself needing to use her brain to solve complex problems with no clear answers.

Naturally, Niu Chang was merely joking with her. It was almost impossible for someone to truly think about nothing, as it would be akin to achieving enlightenment. In the world of cultivation, such a state would bring great improvement to anyone.

Pressured by her own conscience, Qiuyue felt her brain overheating. Eventually, she gave up.

"Savior, I was wrong. I wasn't thinking about nothing or achieving what you described. I just..."

Her next words got caught in her throat. 'How can I admit that I was thinking inappropriate thoughts behind his back?'

'What should I do? Should I lie again?'

"Just what?" Niu Chang prompted, urging her to continue.

"I... I was just thinking about you, Savior," she finally mustered the courage to lie outright, convincing herself that it was the truth.

"Oh," Niu Chang's expression shifted slightly. "Is that so?"

Qiuyue nodded repeatedly, trying to convince him.

'Tsk tsk, what a good girl. Now you want to try the art of deception? Mixing truth and lies?' Niu Chang thought to himself, his enhanced senses capturing the subtle changes in Qiuyue's body that revealed her inclination to lie.

"Random eye movements, tense muscles, sweating, and an increased heart rate," Niu Chang listed her changes one by one. "Do you know what these signs indicate?"

Still caught up in her desperate attempt to deceive, Qiuyue could only shake her head.

"These are signs of someone lying against their own conscience, signs that their body subtly rejects. Now tell me, why did you lie to me?" Niu Chang lectured.

"Waaaaa..." Qiuyue's cover was immediately blown, and she cried out loudly like a baby, reaching out to Niu Chang.

Contrary to attracting sympathy, her miserable appearance stemmed from feeling bad about herself.

She didn't dare approach Niu Chang directly and instead wept before him.

He opened his arms and said, "Come here."

"Waaaa... Savior, please forgive me." She immediately jumped into his arms, seeking solace and healing her wounded heart in his embrace.

Due to their size difference, their position appeared quite odd to any onlookers.

After waiting for Qiuyue to calm down, Niu Chang gently combed her hair, and finally, her tears ceased.

"Are you finished?" Niu Chang continued to pat her head.

Qiuyue, with her face buried in his small chest, didn't raise her head, only nodding.

"It's okay. You can cry more if you want," Niu Chang added.

He waited a few more minutes until Qiuyue began to lift her face from his chest.

Her eyes were still wet and red, giving her a pitiful look.

"I'm sorry, Savior, for lying to you. I once again dwelled on my memories without your permission," she openly admitted her wrongdoing.

She didn't dare meet his gaze while apologizing.

"Qiuyue," Niu Chang called her name in the most subtle way, causing her body to shiver.

"Waaaa..." she let out another cry.

"I know I was wrong, Savior. Please punish me. Please! Please don't leave me!" She mistakenly believed that Niu Chang's gentle approach meant he had decided to abandon her.

'Tsk tsk, if I hadn't read stories or psychology books, I might have made a mistake here. Qiuyue is just a little girl, and everything that happens now will shape her future personality.'

"Don't worry, I won't abandon you," Niu Chang assured her, reaching out to gently caress her left cheek.

Qiuyue, closing her eyes as she wiped away her tears, opened them to see Niu Chang looking the same as always, a kind smile on his face.

"You won't abandon me?" Qiuyue whispered, grasping onto that glimmer of hope.

"I won't, and I never will in the future," Niu Chang shook his head. "Now tell me, why do you think I would abandon you?"

With tears welling up in her eyes once again, she replied, "Because I lied to you and broke my promise."

"Is that all?" he asked, as if it were unimportant. "Do you think I would abandon you for such trivial matters?"

Qiuyue hadn't given it much thought and simply answered, "No."

"That's right. I'm not that kind of person. Now cheer up," Niu Chang said, placing her left hand on her other cheek and playfully squishing her face like a dumpling.

He continued to play with her cheeks, even though they weren't as squishy as he had expected. It at least alleviated his boredom.

"Hahaha," he let out a hearty laugh.

Somehow, Qiuyue found solace in his actions and smile, and a smile began to bloom on her pitiful face. Soon, she joined in, laughing as well. "Hahaha."

"Do you feel better?" Niu Chang let go of her cheeks and asked.

"Yes," Qiuyue nodded, adding, "Thank you, Savior."

She said it casually, but the weight behind her words was worth a thousand words of thought that she was feeling right now.

"That's good," Niu Chang agreed with a nod. He continued his therapy and counseling, educating her on how to be a proper follower.

He asked about her thoughts, her reasons, and so on.

In the end, he helped improve her perception of him.

"Since the issue has been resolved, we can forget about your punishment," he said. "Instead, let's play a game!"

Now that he understood the cause, Niu Chang naturally chose to address it.

"Erasing your memories would be pointless. So I will help you process them while we're here."

They sat side by side, and Qiuyue began sharing what she had seen in her memories.

Niu Chang listened attentively, offering her guidance on how to handle these memories.

Time seemed to slip away, and before long, Qiuyue had fallen asleep.

'This endless flow of vitality and qi from the system is truly something. I don't feel tired at all.' Niu Chang stretched his stiff body, even though it was physically impossible. He did it just because.

He delved into his mind to check the results of various tasks he had assigned to the Celestial Astrolabe.

The Celestial Astrolabe itself wasn't a powerful AI technology. It could only analyze and provide output based on the given input.

For instance, the skill Niu Chang had asked it to create and had the system accept as a legitimate skill.

'The Celestial Astrolabe will take into account my past interactions with the system, record them, set various parameters, and then begin brute-forcing its way into the system. In doing so, it gathers data on how the system reacts. Based on these interactions, the Celestial Astrolabe is finally able to create a module that allows it to generate a skill without starting from scratch.'

'In the end, it's just a skill, not a true living being with its own free will. If it had the ability to think for itself and help me without any input, everything would be pointless. The technological singularity would occur, where the Celestial Astrolabe generates various insights about the truth of the world, and I transcend the limits in one step.'