Chapter 27.1: Old classmate’s funeral.

Chapter 27 Part 1

The days with no work were comfortable and relaxing.

Xi Jia hadn’t cooked for a very long time. Ever since Ye Jingzhi came to stay last month, he would always make time to cook each meal no matter how busy he was. Ye Jingzhi’s technique was really good. The simple home-cooked dishes became tasty in his hands. Xi Jia’s taste had been changed by Ye Jingzhi. The next day when he personally cooked a meal, he noticed that the taste was very ordinary.

Ye Jingzhi had also previously made these few dishes that Xi Jia had just made. When he lived alone, he never felt that the food he made was not good. However, everything shouldn’t be compared. After comparing with Ye Jingzhi’s food, Xi Jia actually felt that the food was hard to swallow.

At the dinner table, the young man in charge of cooking held his chopsticks, absentmindedly poking at the rice in his bowl. Across from him, Master Ye ate very earnestly as if he was eating some exotic delicacies.

Watching Ye Jingzhi so focused on eating, Xi Jia felt embarrassed, “……Master Ye, my cooking is not that good.”

Ye Jingzhi grabbed a large chopstick full of vegetables onto his bowl, and he somewhat blankly looked up at Xi Jia, “Very delicious.”

Xi Jia, “Ah?”

Ye Jingzhi’s gaze was sincere and didn’t seem like he was lying. Xi Jia suspiciously grabbed a slice of lotus root with his chopsticks and chewed for a bit. Although he ate it, he became terribly thirsty, clearly he had added too much salt.

Seeing Ye Jingzhi still lively eating, Xi Jia asked probingly, “Master Ye, you really think it’s really good? Better than yours?”

Ye Jingzhi seriously answered, “Very good, better than mine.”

As they spoke, Ye Jingzhi had already refilled another bowl of rice. In the past, Ye Jingzhi only ate a single bowl of rice each time. This time, he ate a bowl at lightning speed and wanted another bowl. If it’s just to show Xi Jia, he didn’t need to act to this degree. But he truly finished eating all the dishes and didn’t even leave a single grain of rice in the rice cooker.

Xi Jia, “……” Oh no, is there something wrong with Master Ye’s taste……

Towards the end of the meal, Xi Jia simply lowered his bowl and chopsticks and merely watched Ye Jingzhi eat. Master Ye didn’t really eat in an elegant and refined manner. It wasn’t like he was wolfing the food down, but he seemed to be eating very happily. If you made a whole table of food and there’s someone happily eating non-stop, you would feel very good overall.

Xi Jia propped up his chin with his hand, his voice carrying a trace of a smile, “Master Ye, how about I continue to cook tomorrow?”

Ye Jingzhi’s chopsticks paused in the air. He slowly raised his head to look at Xi Jia. After a long time, he asked, “You would still cook for me?”

Xi Jia nodded.

The corners of Ye Jingzhi’s lips slightly raised up a bit, saying no more.

After the meal, Ye Jingzhi refused to let Xi Jia wash the dishes. He stood in the kitchen, staring down at the sink and carefully washing every surface of the bowls and chopsticks until they’re sparkling clean. Xi Jia didn’t decline either and sat on the sofa, watching TV.

This kind of life was very ordinary with no major twists or turns. Just like any pair of ordinary cohabitants, if you were responsible for the cooking, then I would be responsible for washing the dishes. Everything was incomparably ordinary, but his heart couldn’t help but become warm.

While he was watching TV, Xi Jia involuntarily changed his line of sight, looking at the person standing in the kitchen. From his angle, he could only see Ye Jingzhi’s back, his body lean, tall but thin. This person once suffered a lot, perhaps more than what he had suffered.

In fact, living like this with Master Ye, it didn’t feel that bad?

This thought flashed though Xi Jia’s mind. He immediately creased his brows, throwing out this unrealistic idea.

Withdrawing his line of sight, Xi Jia heard an urgent voice come through from the TV, “At the moment, we have already arrived at the scene in S City’s Qiuhu District. Today, at 1:32 in the morning, the police received a report that there’s a homicide case in Qiuhu District. The crime site is extremely tragic and violent. Let us follow the reporter to take a look at the actual situation……”

Xi Jia looked at the TV, only to find that he had accidentally changed the channel to S City’s local channel.

On the TV screen, a young reporter was in the middle of conducting an interview. He stood in a newly built high-end residential area. Many residents saw the TV station’s camera and continuously gathered around. The reporter had just asked a question and these onlookers started to discuss very fervently.

“It’s awful, really disastrous. Yesterday night, I was sleeping very well when I suddenly heard someone in the neighborhood quarreling. This couple would start fighting at the head of the bed and reconcile at the foot of the bed. It’s very common and we’re all used to it. They have been arguing for many hours!”

“Exactly! I heard them fighting around 11 o’clock and quarreled until 1 o’clock. That family’s woman took a knife and hacked the man to death. I personally saw it. When that man was carried out by the police, the face was completely covered in blood, everything was bloody!”

“It was too scary. Scared me to the point that I couldn’t sleep all night. I heard people say that man died particularly miserably. His eyes even fell out!”

Xi Jia listened for a while and wrinkled his brows, changing the channel to watch an entertainment show next.

Although S City is one of country’s relatively large prefecture-level cities, it was always peaceful, and major criminal cases rarely occurred. Last year, there was a drunk driving incident. The person involved drove a luxury car into a bus stop while under the influence of alcohol. Five people were killed at the scene. This matter had been uproar in S City and even entered the hottest searches on the Internet.

In that case, there were five who died; however, it was merely a DUI case and nothing more. This kind of case was discussed in S City for a while. It could be seen that life in S City was smooth and steady and the ordinary people were safe and peaceful. Criminal cases with evil and horrible nature rarely occurred.

Xi Jia wasn’t interested in caring about this case. He had just changed the channel when he heard a deep and low voice from behind him, “Is it a murder case?”

Xi Jia nodded, turning to look at Ye Jingzhi, “En, it should be a married couple fighting. The woman had killed the man in an impulse.”

Ye Jingzhi lightly gave an “En” and sat on the sofa. He sat on the single person sofa with his back completely straight as he turned his head to watch the TV.

A very common variety show was on the TV. There weren’t a lot of jokes, but Xi Jia was only casually watching. He watched for half an hour when he suddenly heard Ye Jingzhi asking cautiously, “Can I……sit by your side?”

Xi Jia slightly blanked, “?”

The tips of Ye Jingzhi’s ears slightly reddened as he explained, “It’s not very convenient to watch TV from where I’m sitting.”

Xi Jia suddenly understood and smiled, nodding, “Master Ye, you can sit anywhere. The sofa’s very big.”

Master Ye got permission, and he eagerly got up and sat down. The two of them were half a meter apart as they continued to watch TV. Ye Jingzhi’s gaze stayed on the TV screen for a while, and he turned his head to secretly look at Xi Jia for a while. Whenever Xi Jia slightly moved, he would immediately change his line of sight nervously. He didn’t know what he should do or what he should say.

After watching some TV, Ye Jingzhi turned again to sneak another look. He just turned halfway when Xi Jia clapped his hand, saying, “Oh, that’s right, Master Ye, Ziying told me yesterday night that he already knows the simplified Chinese characters in the elementary books. He probably only needs a few more days before he finishes the language textbooks. However, maths and English are a bit difficult for him, especially in English. He doesn’t know it at all. I want to buy a reading machine to send to him. Is that okay?”

Ye Jingzhi was startled and immediately turned his head away. After listening to this, he asked in confusion, “Reading machine?”¹

Xi Jia nodded, “Yes, a reading machine. The one where you can tap on anything you don’t know.”

Ye Jingzhi, “……Where you can tap on anything you don’t know?”

Xi Jia suddenly didn’t how to describe it. He thought about a commercial that he once saw. He leaned his head to look at Ye Jingzhi, imitating the little girl in the commercial, “It’s that one……so easy. Master Ye, you don’t know?”

Ye Jingzhi shook his head, “I’ve never heard of this kind of thing.”

Xi Jia might as well open his phone to search online for a picture of a reading machine. Facing it towards Ye Jingzhi, he explained, “……What I’m quite concerned about is that after burning it, can this reading machine still work? It’s an electronic and needs electricity, but can Ziying’s side use electricity? After burning it, can it recharge again?”

Ye Jingzhi said, “Tian Gong Pavilion once researched this kind of thing, using yin energy in place of electricity to power devices.”

Xi Jia asked in surprise, “Why were they studying this?”

Ye Jingzhi patiently explained, “Every year, the Celestial Masters Representative Assembly would always go on for 10 days and 10 nights. There are very few things that can be brought. Basically everyone’s phones would be out of battery by the last three days of the conference. The seniors of Tian Gong Pavilion wanted to research a method of converting yin energy into electricity. Afterwards, as long as you have a spirit stone to store some yin energy to bring over, you can play endlessly on your phone at the Assembly.”

Xi Jia, “……”

Xi Jia had once heard about this Celestial Masters Representative Assembly. At that time, he thought the people of the Xuanxue world were quite serious. They would actually gather together every year to conduct a high-level conference. Later, he found out from Pei Yu’s mouth that this Assembly was purely just for face. Even the Assembly’s chairperson, Cengxiu-zhenjun, promised at the meeting last year, “Fellow daoists, fret not, as long as this poor daoist is alive, the Celestial Masters Representative Assembly will be cancelled!”

Once these words were spoken, he received countless applause. Even Master Ye clapped quite approvingly.

Therefore, one couldn’t hold any hope for this group of unreliable quack mystics. They would only refresh your lower limit again and again.

Xi Jia silently criticized in his heart for a long time before asking, “Then, did the problem get solved?”

Ye Jingzhi first nodded before shaking his head again, “At that time, Tian Gong Pavilion internally posted a reward, whoever solved the problem of converting yin energy into electricity could earn 100 points. Afterwards, the eldest senior brother of Tian Gong Pavilion, Fellow Daoist Measurement, set up a research group to solve this problem, but……”

“But what?”

“But, there’s no senior who would actually use this method to play with their phones at the Celestial Masters Representative Assembly.”

Xi Jia asked, “Why?”

“Because while the yin energy can be converted into electricity, it consumes a lot energy. The yin energy of a hundred year malicious ghost can convert to 1 kilowatt-hour at most, and the conversion efficiency is very low. No senior could find that many malicious ghosts or yin energy. So, after Fellow Daoist Measurement got the reward, the research was set aside by Tian Gong Pavilion.”

Listening to Ye Jingzhi’s words, Xi Jia constantly changed his expression. After a long time, he asked, “……Do you think it’s possible to set up electricity for the Mausoleum?”

Ye Jingzhi, “……”

Xi Jia thought for a bit again, “It’ll be better to connect a network to the Mausoleum or else Ziying will only play on the reading machine forever.”

Ye Jingzhi, “……”

The more he thought, the more he felt it was feasible. Xi Jia had already moved, planning to buy a plane ticket to Chang’an and immediately set up electricity for the Mausoleum. But Ye Jingzhi uttered a reminder, “There’s no electric power company who could set up electricity for the Mausoleum. It’s over 300 meters underground.”

Xi Jia, “……”

After mulling it over for quite a while, Xi Jia asked, “Then is it possible to ask the people of the Xuanxue world for help, dig a hole to the Mausoleum, and set up the circuits?”

Ye Jingzhi, “……” After a moment, he reminded, “The gate of the Mausoleum, we can’t enter……”

Xi Jia, “……”

In other words, the Mausoleum couldn’t be connected to the electrical lines or the Internet. Ziying forever could only read until it’s “so easy” on the reading machine for a few days and then burn another reading machine for him?

Looking at Xi Jia’s fretful expression, Ye Jingzhi hurriedly thought of a method, “I’ll go ask Fellow Daoist Measurement and see if he can improve the efficiency of converting yin energy into electricity.” After he finished speaking, Ye Jingzhi took out his phone and was about to find his friend for help; however, right when he just took out his phone, Xi Jia suddenly realized, “Wait a minute, yin energy can be converted into electricity? Master Ye, you just said that Tian Gong Pavilion had to give up on the project because they couldn’t find that much yin energy?”

Ye Jingzhi nodded his head, “Yes, the yin energy of a hundred year malicious ghost is only enough to convert into one kilowatt-hour.”

Xi Jia silently took off the relic around his neck.

Bang!

The pitch-black and rich yin energy shot up from the floor. In the next second, there was already no trace of Xi Jia in front of Ye Jingzhi, only a jet-black big black ball remained. Ye Jingzhi drew two spells above his eyes without delay, sealing his Yin Yang Eyes and seeing his family’s wife again.

Xi Jia slightly smiled, “Master Ye, how much electricity do you think……my yin energy can convert to?”

Ye Jingzhi, “……”

Translator’s Addition: Portable Charger C+?

Translator’s Notes:
¹ 点读机 Reading machine – a learning tool/toy to help kids learn to read, a book/tablet with pen. You can tap where you don’t know the words and it’ll explain to you. Something like LeapFrog products if you’re familiar with them. In China, there’s a brand of these that teaches English and their commercial catchphrase is “Tap anything/anywhere you don’t know…So easy!” So easy is originally in English. ↵