Master, Master...

Before he could run far, Zuo Yan grabbed his wrist and brought him back.

"Brother, you absolutely cannot do that," Zuo Yan frowned and looked at him, straightening him up. "All the elders and immortals are at the Luanfeng Terrace. Disciples below the Heavenly Rank are strictly prohibited from trespassing without permission. If you rush in like this, you will be disrespectful and will be severely punished!"

Shen Yimian had never participated in a ceremony to become a disciple since the death of his senior brothers and sisters, so he naturally didn't know about these cumbersome formalities. He hid in the shadows helplessly, looking towards the Luanfeng platform where Si Wuxing was.

The place was crowded with people, and the Luanfeng Terrace was ten feet higher than the Pixiu Terrace. He couldn't find Si Wuxing at all.

Seeing that he was acting out of control, Zuo Yan leaned over, placed his fingertips on his chin, and straightened his face. "What's wrong? Do you know that person?"

Shen Yimian felt a chill at his fingertips, turned away slightly, and whispered, "I don't know him, I've never seen him."

what to do

If the ghost stories he heard were true, the male protagonist must be that person.

Thinking of those words, Shen Yimian felt a chill down his spine. He hadn't done anything bad or caused any trouble since he traveled through time. Apart from being lazy and gluttonous, he hadn't offended anyone.

Why kill him?

Once the apprenticeship ceremony is over, the male protagonist's entry into the apprenticeship is a foregone conclusion and there is absolutely no possibility of change.

Shen Yimian tried hard to regulate his breathing, feeling that he might still be saved.

Isn't it written in novels that as long as you don't follow the routine, the villain can also be whitewashed?

As long as he doesn't take away the hero's luck and doesn't sleep with his fiancée, what reason or qualification does the hero have to kill him?

Zuo Yan, who was standing beside him, frowned and stared at Shen Yimian. He placed the back of his finger on his forehead, which was wet and cool. "You've had a big shock."

Hearing this, Shen Yimian wiped the cold sweat from his head and said softly, "I'm fine. Thank you for your advice, Junior Brother."

"No problem."

Zuo Yan was still puzzled. After a while, he seemed to have guessed something. "Could it be that the new disciple is joining your school?"

Shen Yimian's body stiffened, and he lowered his voice as if he understood, and said earnestly, "Even so, what do you have to be afraid of? No matter how outstanding his talent is, the most important thing is to win the favor of Master. Junior brother has been with Master longer than him, how can he shake your position?"

This is not a matter of status.

This is a matter of life and death.

"Do you know how many geniuses emerge as new disciples every year?" Zuo Yan looked at him steadily, his voice lowered, his words in a gentle and persuasive manner, his meaning difficult to discern. "And how many geniuses die quietly in demon-slaying missions?"

Shen Yimian suddenly understood the implication in his words and looked up in surprise. The kind face of the person in front of him suddenly became unfamiliar.

NPC, this is an NPC specifically designed to turn evil and harm the male protagonist!

No, he won’t do it!

He is going to be a coward!

Being a coward can save your life, but pretending to be cool will make you die quickly!

His senior brothers and sisters almost became the chief of Yanshan, but died faster than the speed of grabbing red envelopes during the Spring Festival.

"Junior brother, you are wrong," Shen Yimian patted his shoulder righteously, "As senior brothers, we should naturally forgive him. I was just attracted to the handsome and elegant new disciple and lost my composure."

Seeing that he was unwilling to accept his suggestion, Zuo Yan was not annoyed. He just smiled faintly and said, "So, Senior Brother likes this."

Shen Yimian: "Yes, that's my taste."

——Dear junior brother, Zhan Xinan, from today on, I will follow your lead and let you slap Si Wuxing in the face.

Zuo Yan suddenly stopped smiling and said calmly, "Let's go back. The banquet has begun."

Shen Yimian followed him back to his seat, raised his tea and drank from it, but he didn't taste anything.

He had made up his mind that once the apprenticeship ceremony was over, he would be the first to rush over to please the male protagonist as fast as the cafeteria opened for dinner.

However, after the ceremony, Zuo Yan forced him to chat for a long time and insisted on exchanging names with him. Shen Yimian was in a hurry to get down to business, so he had to tell him his name. Only then did the other party leave satisfied.

By the time he reached the altar, disciples from various peaks had already surrounded him, blocking the way.

He pushed through the crowd, even giving someone a wicked kick, and finally squeezed onto the altar.

Shen Yimian looked at the unfamiliar faces and stood there in a daze. He couldn't find the male lead.

Suddenly, a hand rested on my shoulder.

Shen Yimian was startled and turned around suddenly.

"Senior Brother, may I ask where the brothers from Qingliang Peak are?"

It was a new disciple who looked a bit casual. Shen Yimian's heart fell back to its original place and he breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know either. You can ask others..."

Before he finished speaking, another hand came up from behind. Shen Yimian subconsciously said, "Don't ask me, I don't know anything."

"Zuo Lingfeng Shen Yimian, do you know this person?"

The calm and cold voice made Shen Yimian tremble. He turned around and saw a broad chest in front of him, long and straight shoulders, a narrow and tight waist, an upright posture, and vaguely visible muscle lines that seemed to be perfect as if they were followed by a formula. He looked up and finally saw the other person's eyes that looked down at him indifferently from above.

His heart stopped beating suddenly, and the feeling of oppression surged like a tide. He dared not move, and even his most primitive instinct to escape was uncontrollable.

So high.

What do you eat to grow so tall?

Just now, when he was standing on the Pixiu platform and looking into the distance, he didn't notice that the main reason why the male protagonist stood out from the crowd was not his face, but his height of 1.9 meters. He felt that if the male protagonist punched him from the top of his head, he would die on the spot.

After a long while, Shen Yimian heard his own weak voice, "I, I am."

The boy's pupils were cold and slowly moved down to his trembling fingers. He quickly retracted his gaze and said calmly, "Take a deep breath."

"ah"

Before Shen Yimian could react, the other party had already started to order, "Suck."

He took a deep breath.

"call."

He exhaled honestly.

After three rounds, the boy seemed satisfied.

"Hand tremors caused by emotional tension or excessive anxiety can be relieved by deep breathing."

Shen Yimian was stunned, feeling as if he had heard something strange.

Not sure, listen again.

Taking a deep breath really worked. His anxious and nervous mood calmed down a little. He imitated the servant boy and showed a flattering smile to Senior Brother Ji, and said attentively, "You were looking for me just now. Could it be that I am a disciple of Zuo Lingfeng?"

"Yes." Concise and to the point.

Shen Yimian cleared his throat and asked softly, "Junior brother, what is your name?"

The young man lowered his eyes to look at him. They were very close to each other, but he showed no intention of retreating.

"I have many names."

Shen Yimian sighed inwardly, feeling fooled again. Besides the male protagonist of a novel, who else would have multiple names? He probably has a lot of vests, right? Show them all.

His face was stiff with laughter, and his throat was tired from the clenching. "Then tell me everything so I can check the list."

The young man groaned, pursed his lips slightly,

"ChatGPT, deepseek, PowerBI, Kensho, Doubao, Xiaodu, Siri..."

"Or Xie Lu."

Shen Yimian:

He picked his ears and wondered, "I'll say it again, my ears might be blocked by earwax."

Xie Lu repeated it again seriously, "ChatGPT..."

"Stop." Shen Yimian took a deep breath and looked around. Some people were looking at them with confused eyes. He made sure he had heard correctly and turned to look at Xie Lu, who was calm and composed. "I didn't understand a single word of that previous sentence."

But he understood Xiaodu and Siri at the back.

Xie Lu calmly explained, as if anticipating this. "This is normal. You traveled through time earlier, when AI technology wasn't yet fully developed. Today, AI technology has permeated modern society, encompassing finance, literature, healthcare, autonomous driving, aerospace, and other fields. Therefore, I specifically included Baidu and Apple's AI products as an introduction to myself to make it easier for you to understand."

Shen Yimian was stunned.

It was even more shocking than the first time he discovered that he had traveled to a cultivation novel, the first time he saw his senior brothers and sisters killing people, and the first time he knew that Si Wuxing liked to eat slaps!

There were many people around, and Shen Yimian knew that he couldn't continue talking. He took Xie Lu's wrist and led him out of the crowd.

Along the way, his heart was surging, full of hope and longing, and he felt that the air was much sweeter.

So that's how it is.

The male protagonist is actually an artificial intelligence, and he knows that he is a time traveler. He was staring at him on the Pixiu stage just now, which means he came to find him specifically.

Does that mean that the male protagonist is here to inform us that we will no longer need these cheap laborers from the old times to travel through books?

Does it mean that he can leave this damn place and go home?

Shen Yimian was unaware of the wind passing by her ears, unaware of the gazes of anyone around her, and unaware of how cold the young man's joints were in her hands.

Until he pulled Xie Lu to the corner under the altar, his heart was at peace. He wiped his face and swallowed his dry throat.

"My AI friend, please tell me if I can go home now."

Xie Lu didn't hesitate at all and gave the answer in almost half a second, "Impossible."

In an instant, the sky seemed to darken.

Shen Yimian's face, which had flushed with excitement, quickly cooled down, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him. He looked at Xie Lu in a daze and listened to his calm explanation.

"The application of AI technology in the field of time travel is still in its infancy. Perhaps more AI will travel through time in the future, but those who have already traveled through time will never be sent back to modern society."

Xie Lu's voice was devoid of any emotion, just like he himself was cold and uncomfortable.

"The world created by online literature is very similar to a higher-dimensional space. Those who travel through it are equivalent to jumping from a lower dimension to a higher dimension. Based on existing theories, it is impossible for a higher dimension to jump to a lower dimension. One can only interact with the lower dimension as an observer. In short, you can't go back."

Shen Yimian didn't understand a word of what was meant by "dimension" or "jump". He only knew that he couldn't go back.

The little face was pale.

Shen Yimian felt like crying, no, she really wanted to cry.

"Then what are you here for? Are you here to kill me?"

Xie Lu's expression remained calm as he replied, "I'm here to fix the plot. The original protagonist died suddenly, and I need to complete the storyline on his behalf and help him reach the pinnacle of the world of immortal cultivation."

He didn't say to kill, nor did he say not to kill.

Shen Yimian asked again unwillingly, "AI can't lie, right? Look in my eyes and answer directly. Are you here to kill me?"

Xie Lu paused for a second, "No."

"Why did you pause?" Shen Yimian grabbed his collar and asked desperately, "You answered my questions very quickly just now, are you lying?"

Xie Lu quickly answered his question this time, "I was just recalling the plot of the original book. I need to think deeply and deduce the conclusion to your question. I didn't lie to you."

Hearing this, Shen Yimian wiped his eyes and reached out to help him smooth out the wrinkled collar of his clothes. "Are you really not going to kill me?"

"No killing." Xie Lu repeated patiently.

After receiving his repeated assurances, Shen Yimian felt relieved and whispered his loyalty, "I will treat you very well. From now on, you will be my close junior brother."

After thinking about it, he felt that it was not enough, so he raised his hand and said, "I swear, I will never take your things or steal your wife."

Xie Lu lowered his eyes to look at him and spoke calmly, "Human oaths are psychological weapons against uncertainty. I accept your oath. As a time traveler ally, I grant you the privilege of using me—you can give me instructions and ask me to help you achieve your goals without violating the plot principles."

Shen Yimian suddenly looked up, his eyes lit up, "What?"

"In layman's terms, you can use me. For anything."

Xie Lu's voice became extremely beautiful and moving at this moment, just like listening to heavenly music and hearing enlightenment.

Shen Yimian, who was half dead just now, felt his heart beating fast again, "You mean, you can be my golden finger?"

Xie Lu's eyes fell on his thin neck, which was so thin that it could be held in one hand, and lingered for a moment, as if he was judging his body fat percentage. However, the imperceptible gaze quietly moved away before Shen Yimian noticed.

The boy spoke in a calm tone, but without any hesitation.

"yes."

"From today on, I will be your golden finger."