Chapter 25: I Wouldn't Be This CEO Even If I Were a Dog!

Yun Zhi needed to rush to complete Mu Xue’s commission and could not afford to linger with Ziji for too long.

She pretended to reach into her small bag, but in reality, she retrieved the storage ring that Lu Ziji had asked her to pass on from her personal space. She placed it in her palm and held it out. "Here! Take it!"

Ziji looked at the girl’s fair, delicate palm and carefully took the storage ring from her hand. He lamented that in this world without spiritual energy, he had become a mere mortal, unable to use spiritual power to retrieve objects from a distance.

Ziji had been adopted by the Wanxuan Immortal Sect only days after his birth. The sect had poured all its resources into raising him; the six Supreme Elders were all his masters, and the Sect Leader along with the various Peak Masters and Elders were practically his seniors. In the cultivation world, if Ziji came within five meters of any young woman and spoke more than a few words, he would inevitably be lectured in turns by his masters and his two dozen seniors upon his return. They would tell him that he was born to face a great calamity, destined to save the cultivation world, and that he must hold the world in his heart, harbor compassion for all living beings, and remain free of selfish desires and romantic attachments.

But how could a person truly be without selfish desires? Ziji harbored internal resistance toward the responsibilities and shackles the sect had imposed upon him. He even developed a rebellious streak; whatever his masters and seniors forbade him from doing, he would insist on trying. For instance, while they wanted him to focus solely on cultivation and avoid excessive social interaction, he enjoyed hiding his identity and true cultivation level, acting arrogantly when out, and picking fights whenever provoked.

Ziji knew his masters disliked him getting too close to anyone, but this level of contact was usually tolerated with a few verbal reprimands. However, contact with women was the exception. Once, out of curiosity about a junior sister’s self-created sword technique, Ziji had paused to watch her spar with her own junior sister for a while. The very next day, both the junior sister and her companion were dispatched on an external mission, not to return for at least three to five years. Although these missions offered generous sect contribution points, few were willing to take them because the spiritual energy at these outposts was far less dense than in the sect. Only disciples who had hit a bottleneck or those being punished for wrongdoing would take such tasks.

Since then, Ziji had developed the habit of giving young women a wide berth. He wouldn't even challenge female disciples when he felt an itch for a sparring match, terrified that his masters and seniors would mistake it for romantic interest. It wasn't just the endless nagging that bothered him; Ziji didn't want the female cultivators' otherwise smooth paths to immortality to be disrupted because of him.

Now that his soul had transmigrated to this modern world, the shackles that had been placed upon him were gone. Yet, he felt incredibly lost and bewildered. What? This body was a top-tier academic and a business tycoon? Those were all jobs that required using one's brain! For someone like Ziji, who had spent the last twenty-four years—aside from learning to read and memorizing scriptures—practicing swordsmanship, tempering his body, and solving problems with force, this was a massive headache.

Receiving Lu Ziji’s memories was one thing; understanding the theory was another. But for Ziji to actually perform work that required intellect and scheming... he would rather be a sword cultivator whose sole duty was to slay demons and save the world. It was easier! Asking Ziji, whose "cunning" was practically non-existent, to play the role of Lu Ziji, who had eight hundred hidden agendas, was harder than saving the world! He simply couldn't pull it off.

Ziji had woken up around six o'clock last night. After an examination, the doctor told the Lu family that his health was excellent—no different from a normal person, perhaps even healthier, and that he could run twenty laps without issue. Less than an hour after he woke up, his cousin, Lu Ziping, had three huge cardboard boxes of documents brought to his bedside overnight. Ziji, out of curiosity, picked up one document to read. Good heavens, unless he specifically tapped into Lu Ziji’s memories, it was like reading a heavenly script! It was filled with dense text and incomprehensible charts.

Lu Ziping said joyfully, "Great! Big Brother, you're finally awake and healthy! Look, these are the documents the CEO needs to handle personally over the next few days. I’ll return this position to you tonight!"

Ziji: ...?!
*Pupil dilation.jpg*
No dog would want to be this CEO! He hadn't read this much text in his entire twenty-four years, let alone in a few days. Ziji performed an on-the-spot act of having a headache and needing to lie down. After being scolded by Elder Lu, Lu Ziping finally took those three terrifying boxes away.

But playing the victim could only last for a while. After all, the doctor had declared him fit enough to run twenty laps. For Ziji, running fifty laps was a breeze, but being the CEO of the Lu Corporation was outside his professional scope, and he had absolutely no desire to learn it.

At six this morning, Ziji took the Lu family’s private jet to Z City. He hadn't originally wanted to find Yun Zhi so quickly, as she could be considered the first young woman he had ever had physical contact with. It was a first in his life! And besides, no master or senior would scold him for it now.

Ziji felt conflicted. On one hand, his long-ingrained habits made him feel psychologically uncomfortable being too close to young women. On the other hand, there was a budding sense of rebellion—he didn't need to save the world in this lifetime! He could do whatever he wanted! He could have desires, and he could indulge in romance! Lu Ziji even urged him in his dreams every day to fall in love and overcome the "love trial"! He had no intention of overcoming any such trial. In his heart, women were almost synonymous with trouble. But, interacting with women normally—perhaps that was worth a try.

Most importantly, the excuse of having business in Z City to see Yun Zhi allowed him to escape the "996" work schedule, which was far harder than slaying demons! Let his cousin Lu Ziping shoulder the heavy burden of being the Lu CEO; don't even think about dumping it on him!

Looking at Yun Zhi, who was close by, Ziji thought silently: The girl is actually quite pretty. She was no less impressive than the ethereal female cultivators of the immortal world, and she possessed an extra touch of vitality and spirit.

Ziji took the storage ring from Yun Zhi in slow motion, ensuring his fingers didn't touch her palm, and breathed a sigh of relief. Yun Zhi found it quite baffling. This "Master Ziji"... he had even less of the air of a cultivation expert than the uninhibited Lu Ziji! He was so hesitant just to take a storage ring. With the other party having lost his spiritual power, she could no longer feel any awe, nor could she treat him like a grand expert.

Yun Zhi said, "I have something to attend to now. If you don't have any urgent matters, could you stay in Z City? Leave your phone number, and I'll contact you when I'm done." She continued, "There are two things: first, I’d like to ask about the reward the Lu family gave me—how should I use that mutton-fat jade dragon ornament? Second, I’m planning to take the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, and I’d like to ask you to watch over me."

Yun Zhi figured that since Ziji had become Lu Ziji, he would likely be very busy in the future. Either he would be busy digesting Lu Ziji's memories and obediently going to work, or he would be busy playing cat-and-mouse with the Lu family to avoid work. Regardless, she had to ensure he settled the reward Lu Ziji had promised her! As for the storage ring in his hands, if there was anything useful inside that he was willing to give her, she would accept it; if not, she wouldn't ask. After all, she had basically decided to give up on the commission of convincing Ziji to fall in love! If Lu Ziji himself couldn't be persuaded, her efforts would be useless and only make her annoying.

Yun Zhi could sense that Ziji was reluctant to interact with her and had only come because of the storage ring. She added, "I’ll be done with my business in two or three hours. It won't take up too much of your time."

Ziji felt that while he didn't like interacting with women, Yun Zhi seemed acceptable. After all, she was the only person in this world who knew he wasn't Lu Ziji, but Ziji from the cultivation world. Even Elder Lu only thought he had a second personality. Ziji casually slipped the storage ring onto his pinky finger; it automatically shrank to fit perfectly.

"The business you're busy with has something to do with the special talismans in your bag that are emitting traces of ghostly energy, right?"

Yun Zhi: ...
Suddenly, she felt that Ziji was indeed worthy of being from the cultivation world—even without his powers, his eyes were as sharp as ever.

Yun Zhi admitted it openly: "Yes, it’s a commissioned task." She didn't know how Lu Ziji had introduced her to Ziji, but since her own soul was from another world, this minor anomaly didn't seem like much.

Ziji coolly shoved his hands into his pockets: "In exchange for you saving me, I don’t have anything else to do right now. I’ll go with you." He could sense that those two talismans contained dense ghostly energy, but there was no malicious blood-evil intent; they were likely the work of righteous ghost cultivators. However, since it involved things beyond the natural forces of this world, there might be danger. He walked forward a few steps and looked back to see Yun Zhi still standing there: "What are you dazed for? Let's go!"

"Don't worry, those two things you mentioned—even if they were promised by Lu Ziji, I will honor them." Even though Yun Zhi was working for Lu Ziji, the beneficiary was the current him.

Yun Zhi couldn't very well say that her task was simple and didn't need his help at all. What if he got annoyed and decided not to honor those "two things"?

Yun Zhi hailed a taxi and gave the name of a snail rice noodle shop in the old district of the West City. To have a legitimate reason to be in the old district where You Yue and Xun Zhanpeng lived, Yun Zhi had done her homework. The most reasonable excuse was the local cuisine. It just so happened that near the old residential complex where You Yue lived, there was a highly-rated snail noodle shop on a food review app, and many food enthusiasts would go there specifically to eat. After eating, wandering around the area to digest was perfectly logical!

Ziji got into the taxi from the other side. The cramped, narrow space didn't smell particularly fresh. It was completely different from the impression of "cars" he had gathered from Lu Ziji's memories. Ziji was currently curious about everything modern (except for being a CEO), and knowing he was an outsider, he didn't say anything rude. However, the way he glanced at the interior decoration of the car clearly showed his disdain.

Leaning over from across the seat, he whispered to Yun Zhi: "Not as good as flying on a sword."

Yun Zhi: ...
If you're so good, perform a sword flight for me right now! If you can't, shut up! But Yun Zhi only dared to think this; if she said it out loud, she might get beaten...

She took out her phone: "You have a phone, right? Let's add each other on WeChat."

Ziji pulled his phone from his pocket and skillfully navigated to the WeChat page: "Oh, scan me!" It was impossible to tell that he had only had the phone for less than a day!

Yun Zhi: ...?
How was he picking up mobile usage so quickly? After adding each other as WeChat friends, they exchanged phone numbers. Ziji slowly tapped on the 26-letter keyboard, sending a message to Yun Zhi.

After typing for several minutes...

He sent: "Phones are really fun but the characters here are all missing arms and legs and I have to relearn how to read"

He didn't even use punctuation.

Yun Zhi: ...
Ziji also became addicted to sending emojis.
*The world is so big, I want to go see it.jpg*
*Ergouzi, let’s go.gif*
*What’s wrong with you, speak up.jpg*
*Cat head: Why are you ignoring me.jpg*
*Panda head: Is it my indifference that leaves you speechless.jpg*
...

Ziji could play quite happily by himself, seemingly not needing any response from Yun Zhi. However, thinking about the "two things" she still needed him to fulfill, she couldn't completely ignore him.

Yun Zhi: "I'm going to eat snail rice noodles in a bit. Do you want some? If not, you can just watch me eat, or wait for me outside the shop."

Snail rice noodles were quite unique; not everyone could accept them. Those who liked them loved them, while those who didn't wanted to take a detour just from the smell. Yun Zhi figured that neither the top-tier wealthy heir Lu Ziji nor the cultivation genius Ziji had ever eaten snail rice noodles.

Ziji: ?
Ziji: "EAT!!!"
He had even learned how to use exclamation marks! What kind of person was this? He, such a powerful sword cultivator, was acting as her free bodyguard, and she didn't even want to include his share when eating!

Ziji: "You pay! I want three bowls!"

Lu Ziji had found him a special cultivation technique that didn't require spiritual energy but was used for tempering the body by those who entered the path through martial arts. That set of physical tempering movements was very simple for him, and when combined with "eating more"—absorbing energy from food—it could slowly strengthen his constitution. The tempering technique had the effect of accelerating digestion. At dinner last night and breakfast this morning, he had eaten the amount of two or three people. Ziji hadn't felt full yet, but seeing Elder Lu's worried face, he knew if he kept eating, the old man would probably call a doctor again, so he had to leave half-full.

Yun Zhi: "Fine, three bowls it is! You have to finish them all; no wasting food!"

Ziji: *Kitten nodding.gif*