Zane's eyes flickered as he quickly ruled out the possibilities.
It didn't seem like Zhu Yuan—her personality didn't fit this room at all. Seth... even less likely.
The answer was already clear.
"Did Master bring me back home?"
Zane raised an eyebrow, then sat on the edge of the bed. He soon found his shoes, slipped them on, and after a quick adjustment, stood up and stepped onto the floor.
What had he been doing before this?
He remembered something about Dead End Hollow... and then...
What happened after that?
Zane frowned.
Did something go wrong, and that's why Qingyi brought him back?
He glanced around again, setting aside his confusion for now. He could just ask Qingyi directly later.
"Tsk, if this is Senior's room, something feels off... Hmm... Right, a bookshelf. With her personality, she drinks tea—she'd definitely read too..."
He mumbled a few words, then chuckled and shook his head. He really was a bit slow right now.
"Senior is an Advanced Automaton. She can access information directly from the network. Why would she need books..."
With a sigh, Zane opened the door and looked outside.
He spotted a figure sitting at the table, long black hair draped down, arms folded and resting on the surface. She looked like she had fallen asleep.
"Senior?"
Zane called out softly as he stepped out of the room. He was still somewhat puzzled by the situation but also curious.
What exactly was going on?
He walked around a bit and noticed another room with its door half-open. A quick glance showed that the decor inside was much more refined than the room he had woken up in.
There was even a bookshelf.
"There really is a bookshelf. Tsk, this must be Senior's room. So I was just in the guest room?"
Zane didn't linger. He quickly averted his gaze and turned around, just in time to meet Qingyi's bright eyes.
"Senior, you're awake."
"Did I wake you?"
Qingyi blinked, still looking a bit out of it, but once Zane spoke, her eyes flew open and clarity returned to her expression.
"Zane, you're finally awake!"
She shot to her feet, her voice full of relief as if a heavy weight had just been lifted. She let out a deep breath, then smiled and said,
"How are you feeling now?"
"I feel fine."
Zane nodded in response to her concern. His eyes shifted to a notebook on the table.
It must've been under Qingyi before, which was why he hadn't noticed it earlier.
Hearing his reply, Qingyi nodded slightly and said,
"Everyone's been worried about you. Now that you're awake, you should let them know you're all right. Wait here—I'll tidy up real quick!"
Before Zane could respond, she turned and walked into her room, shutting the door behind her.
Zane stood there, a bit confused.
Why the rush?
Still, he didn't dwell on it. His attention was drawn to the notebook Qingyi had left on the table.
She hadn't taken it with her when she left.
Now that was a problem.
Should he look at it?
On one hand, he was really curious.
On the other, it didn't feel quite right.
He blinked, his eyes locked on the notebook. It seemed to have some sort of pull, like it was calling to him.
He hesitated.
Maybe... just a peek?
As Qingyi's only disciple—her top student—it probably wasn't a big deal to look, right?
No, no... that's not right...
After a short but fierce internal debate, Zane stepped forward and casually brushed past the table.
With a light thud, the notebook fell to the floor.
Because of the angle, it landed open.
Zane froze for a second, then crouched down and reached for it.
It was just a notebook that had fallen—he was just picking it up.
But once he saw what was written inside, his expression stiffened. He quickly grabbed the palm-sized book.
"What is this...?"
He stared at the page filled with wild, unintelligible scribbles. A few stress lines popped up on his forehead.
He couldn't understand it at all!
And he had actually been thinking about learning calligraphy from Qingyi?
If this was her handwriting, what was there to learn?
How to draw talismans and become a Taoist priest?
Zane sighed silently and placed the notebook back on the table.
Well, one thing was certain—
When it came to writing, the best lock wasn't some fancy material or technique. It was making the writing so unreadable no one could make sense of it.
Just as he put the notebook down, Qingyi emerged from her room. Her hair was tied up, and she looked much more refreshed and tidy.
She glanced at Zane, then seemed to remember something. She walked into the room he had woken up in and pulled a coat from the wardrobe.
"It's clean. The weather's nice, but you still need to keep warm."
She handed the coat to him with a smile.
"Senior, with my constitution, I think it's pretty unlikely I'd catch a cold..."
Zane looked at the coat in his hands. The thin layer he was wearing seemed perfectly fine.
"I'm doing this for your own good, and you're still arguing with me?"
Qingyi frowned slightly, pulling out the classic "for your own good" line. Hearing that, Zane could only raise his hands in surrender and reluctantly put on the coat.
"All right, all right, you win, Senior..."
Seeing this, Qingyi crossed her arms and smiled, clearly satisfied with his reaction.
Once he was dressed, she straightened his collar, then said,
"Okay, let's go."
Qingyi pushed open the front door, and as Zane looked out, his eyes widened slightly.
So it hadn't been an illusion.
The trees, the flowers, the birds walking across the ground—everything was so peaceful and serene.
"This place is really nice, Senior."
Zane couldn't help but express his admiration. He truly liked it here.
"Haha, I think so too."
Qingyi smiled gently.
The two of them walked down the path shaded by trees. Maybe it was the atmosphere, but Zane felt inexplicably relaxed.
"By the way, Senior, you do have a bookshelf in your room, right?"
"As an Advanced Automaton, do you still need to read?"
Hearing Zane's questions, Qingyi, who was walking ahead with a light step, turned back to look at him. Her eyes shifted slightly.
"Zane."
"Let me ask you something."
"In your heart... what kind of person do you think I am?"