Teach Me How to Kill You

"..."

There was no response.

The crimson orb began playing dead.

Those who believed themselves supreme could never admit fault—not in this lifetime—but if it kept stubbornly denying everything, it would only look like impotent rage.

Silence was its final defiance.

Qin Yi sat on the edge of the earthen kang bed, looking inward at the motionless crimson orb inside his skull, thinking of the black armor from the memory fragment.

This thing should have something to do with his family background, shouldn't it?

Meng Peijiu had been able to plant a remnant soul inside him. His family probably could have done the same.

But if that was really the case, it was simply too hellish.

Ordinary people could barely endure a cold, a stomachache, or a toothache, let alone a child. Put anyone else in his place, and this orb would probably have trained them into a dog within an hour.

He could not make sense of it, but he did not need to for now.

In the silence,

After careful thought, Qin Yi weighed his words, then suddenly spoke, murmuring to the crimson orb as if talking to himself:

"Actually, I never wanted our relationship to become this stiff. After all, we're both inside the same body now. You're the tenant, and I'm the owner..."

[Insolence!! You...]

The moment it heard the words "I'm the owner," that grand, ethereal voice exploded in his mind. Yet it stopped halfway through its sentence.

It had been shocked.

Qin Yi leaned back slightly, bracing himself with both hands behind him. His calves dangled over the edge of the kang bed, swaying lightly as he continued in a soft child's voice:

"...You're the tenant, and I'm the landlord. But I don't particularly care about that, either. You should be an existence of very high standing, so as long as you offer sufficient return, I don't mind interacting with you from the position of an inferior.

"It could be master and disciple—you as the master, me as the disciple. If that does not satisfy you, it could be ruler and subject—you as the sovereign, me as the subordinate. Even if you want to be my adoptive father or adoptive mother, that would be fine. I do not care much about any of these relationships, and I am willing to adopt different humble attitudes according to your needs."

Qin Yi was not lying. Every word was true.

Because of his brain ailment, he had no material desires and had never sought advancement. The higher one climbed, the greater the chance of encountering danger, and his sole desire was to stay alive.

As long as there was a stable social order, Qin Yi could work for someone his entire life. His four years in Yellow Bamboo Town had constantly validated his philosophy of survival.

His old employer had provided a stable environment, so he naturally sheathed all his sharp edges and had never considered stirring up trouble. His scheme to bring Ruan Su into his old employer's notice had merely been for the sake of earning more silver and attempting to treat his brain ailment.

At this point, Qin Yi gently shook his head.

"But look at your unruly, arrogant temperament. You do not seem like a wise ruler or virtuous king—perhaps you cannot even be called moderate..."

[Bastard!! What do you know? You know nothing...]

The explosive roar rang beside his ears. This time, the presence inside his skull did not stop speaking after being shocked, and its voice carried an almost crazed killing intent. [You dare... dare pass judgment here upon my deeds with such reckless words...]

"..."

After hearing that, Qin Yi realized he might have fallen into a fixed pattern of thought.

In an ordinary world, a violent and arrogant temperament was practically synonymous with an inability to achieve great things. But in this world, where individuals possessed personal might, powerful beings truly did not seem to need humility to win over the masses. Others would gather around them of their own accord, bowing and scraping.

With that thought, Qin Yi drew a deep breath and said quietly:

"I'm sorry. I apologize for my prejudice."

[Hah...?]

The tearing pain he had expected did not come. Instead, he received an apology, and the ethereal voice carried a trace of astonishment.

Qin Yi paid it no mind and continued speaking to himself.

"But no matter what, the fact remains that you make me feel unsafe. If I interact with you from a lowly position, then with your arrogant, controlling nature that knows no reverence, I fear you will force me to carry out your ideas every day from now on. That is disgusting. It means I will have to take risks and clean up after your sudden whims."

At this point,

Qin Yi let out a long breath of foul air and chuckled.

"If you were a little less convinced that you alone reigned supreme, or had a little more reverence, I would not choose to risk restraining you. After all, as you can see, I have only just begun cultivating. I am indeed selling what I have just learned, and I am not very confident."

After a long silence, the crimson orb spoke again.

[As a child not yet one Year Star old, whether in talent, capability, or state of mind, you are truly beyond mortal ken. This method of controlling subordinates is likewise both firm and flexible. I acknowledge you. But if you wish for me to forget the humiliation from before, merely trying to win me over is far from enough.]

This time, it spoke with more restraint, though Qin Yi did not know whether that was forced compromise or heartfelt sincerity.

Qin Yi chuckled softly when he heard that.

"No, you misunderstand. I have no intention of winning you over. I only said all this because I wanted to ask you a question."

[Granted.]

"How can I kill you?"

[...]

Silence.

The crimson orb did not answer.

Qin Yi continued unhurriedly.

"To me, just as you cannot forget the humiliation from before, I likewise cannot trust you. With my current cultivation and circumstances, I cannot monitor you at every moment. In those gaps, you could make me lose control of my body at any time.

"Your existence is a nuisance in my daily life.

"To solve that, I will conduct all kinds of experiments on you from now on, until I create a method that can restrain you at all times, or even destroy you."

The boy's voice was calm, as though he were merely stating a fact. The crimson orb did not mock his ignorance, only listened in silence.

"To you, such research should count as humiliation. It should be even more unbearable than killing you outright."

At this point,

Qin Yi's childish voice took on a note of sincerity.

"So please teach me how to kill you."

[...]

Several breaths of silence passed.

The crimson orb squirmed slightly. Its ethereal voice drifted over, granting the boy's request.

[Very well.]

"Please speak plainly."

[Kill yourself.]

"..." Qin Yi frowned, but did not shock it.

The crimson orb's voice was slow and ethereal.

[I reside in the gap between your Spirit Realm and Soul Realm. The vessel sustaining me requires you as its carrier. Once you die, your Spirit Realm and Soul Realm will collapse together, and I will naturally disperse like duckweed adrift without water.]

Qin Yi slowly exhaled and shook his head.

"There is no other way?"

[At least, you cannot do it as you are now.]

"I see..."

Qin Yi sighed softly and said in a faint voice, "Then I can only offend you often in the days to come, Tuanzi."

[Ah... Tuanzi?]

The crimson orb seemed to freeze for a moment, then its lowered voice carried a trace of anger once more. [Brat, I have a name. I am called Tūnyáng...]

"Is that important?"

Qin Yi cut it off, rose, and walked to the square table. He picked up a brush and dipped it in ink.

"You reside in my brain, and only I can hear your voice. You and I are destined to be enemies. When the time comes, I may speak respectfully of you, yet use you in my hands to study cultivation. Do you not think that would make you look even more pitiful? So... let bygones be bygones, and let them scatter with the wind."

[You...]

"I mean no offense. I am only stating a fact. If you have another opinion, you may refute it."

[...] Tuanzi fell silent.

Seeing that it no longer spoke, Qin Yi began compiling and extracting cultivation methods from the restored translated edition of Nine Songs. At the same time, he said with a soft laugh:

"Still, I have revised my opinion of you somewhat."

[Oh?]

"You are not entirely without reverence. At least, you know how to show it toward those you acknowledge."