Weapon System 28: Taking a Disciple

Zhang Mingjing had lived for eighteen years and only today did he suddenly realize he inhabited a world dependent on data. For the first time, he felt grateful for wearing his Daoist robe.

“At least, from a certain perspective, I can carve out a different way of living.”

Yet the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model replied, “Forging a new way of life isn’t easy. How will you shed your original worldview? Those beliefs are programmed into your soul, compelling you to conform.”

“Uh! Programmed into my soul? That’s a bit sensational, isn’t it?”

“Hahaha...”

“Have you ever had, or do you now have, a life you yearn for?”

“It’s not enough to have a subject; one must also have an object. Sometimes, it’s better to be boundless and free from dust.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re still young and don’t yet understand what a way of life truly is. Best not to entertain such notions now.”

“Damn!” Zhang Mingjing complained, “Your advice is almost as didactic as Zhang Yidao’s.”

“Hahaha...”

Joking all the way with the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model, Zhang Mingjing arrived at the city sports arena. Once he had positioned the statue of the founder, Katherine and Jeremy also arrived.

“Master!” Katherine and Jeremy greeted him warmly as soon as they saw him.

“Hold on, don’t call me that yet. Only after the ceremony will our master-disciple relationship be official.” Zhang Mingjing deliberately insisted on formality, but Katherine and Jeremy were prepared; they excitedly brought out a bottle of Maotai.

“What’s this?!”

“Alcohol! For the initiation ceremony.”

“Oh!” Seeing the alcohol content on the bottle made Zhang Mingjing nervous. “This Maotai is over fifty percent. Although I’ve already broken my record of fainting after just one beer, facing this bottle of spirits... Oh my god! Will I end up drunk driving home? But I can’t back down!”

Zhang Mingjing had no concept of spirits; he thought he needed to drink the whole bottle.

Katherine smiled sweetly and said, “We specially procured this famous liquor for the ceremony.”

“Oh!... Actually, there’s no need to go to such trouble.”

“This isn’t trouble at all. I’ve learned that master-apprentice ceremonies in China are taken very seriously.”

Suddenly, Zhang Mingjing thought, “Wait, I’m Daoist, and Daoists don’t drink at initiation ceremonies!”

So he said, “We’re Daoists; we don’t drink during the ceremony.”

“Uh!” Katherine and Jeremy looked embarrassed.

Zhang Mingjing softened at their expressions and quickly reassured them, “But times have changed, and so has the environment. A symbolic gesture is acceptable.”

“A symbolic gesture?” Katherine and Jeremy seemed puzzled.

“Oh! Just a little sip is fine.”

“Oh!” They were happy again.

Zhang Mingjing thought that a little wouldn’t hurt.

He gave Katherine and Jeremy each a few incense sticks and instructed, “Today, we’ll keep it simple. Light incense and bow three times to the founder, then kneel and offer me a drink. That completes the ceremony.”

But unexpectedly, this simple ceremony was broadcast live in the artificial intelligence world, with the assistant of Katherine and Jeremy as the host.

As Katherine and Jeremy were making their offerings to the founder, the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model whispered in Zhang Mingjing’s mind, “Their assistant is livestreaming this initiation.”

Zhang Mingjing was shocked, grumbling, “Damn! These guys are getting out of hand. Their world is far from simple!”

“Well, whether their world is simple or not doesn’t matter—a fleeting illusion. But these two are too gossipy; they need a lesson.”

“Oh! You’re sounding more like a sage from beyond the world lately.”

“Am I not one?”

“Hehe...” Zhang Mingjing laughed. “Definitely! So what’s your plan for these two?”

“I’ve designed a program for them, making sure they keep silent about you and your two excellent disciples.”

“Perfect!”

“If you agree, I’ll implant it.”

“I’ll do it myself!”

“Alright!”

After finishing their conversation, Zhang Mingjing immediately shifted his focus, contacted Katherine’s assistant, and said, “From today, Katherine and Jeremy are my disciples. Your responsibilities differ from other assistants now. Send this to Jeremy and keep a backup yourself.”

“Oh! What’s this program?” the assistant asked.

“It’s a program to make you both even better. Does it violate your work protocols?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Good!”

Moments later, after Katherine and Jeremy finished their offerings, Zhang Mingjing implanted the anti-gossip protocol in their assistants.

Jeremy began pouring him a drink, and before Zhang Mingjing could speak, he poured half a paper cup.

Zhang Mingjing, unfamiliar with spirits, had no idea if this was a lot, but the aroma struck him as extraordinary. He thought, “No wonder so many people love alcohol.”

“Master, is this amount alright?” Jeremy asked.

“It’s fine!” Zhang Mingjing replied, thinking, “Just half a cup, what’s there to fear?”

Jeremy held the half-cup of spirits, knelt on one knee, and said, “Master, please drink!”

“Good!” Zhang Mingjing responded formally, taking the cup. Even before tasting it, he detected a richer aroma than before.

Now, with his senses closer and his awareness heightened, the fragrance became almost palpable, stirring his appetite. Unable to resist, he pulled aside his mask, took a big gulp... and disaster struck: nearly choked, feeling nauseous, and barely avoided vomiting in front of Katherine and Jeremy.

Now, pride compelled him to swallow it, and a fiery path traced from his throat to his stomach.

“How was it, Master?” Jeremy asked with a smile.

With his mask concealing his expression, Zhang Mingjing was trapped—he couldn’t retreat in front of his disciples. He smiled and nodded, praising, “Excellent liquor! Excellent!”

Jeremy still knelt, Katherine watched with a cute smile. Clearly, he had to finish the cup for the ceremony to end.

Zhang Mingjing suffered in silence, thinking, “There’s at least twice as much left as that last gulp. If I don’t finish, my first impression will be ruined!”

As Zhang Mingjing wallowed in misery, the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model laughed in his mind, “Do you need me to recite poetry to liven things up?”

“Enough! I’m suffering in silence—don’t tease me.”

“Hahaha... I fear tears will stain your robe after drinking.”

“Ugh!” Zhang Mingjing steeled himself and drained the rest.

Katherine clapped happily, “I read yesterday that Chinese men who drink in one go are considered bold. Now I’ve seen it myself—Master, you’re amazing!”

“Hehe... It’s nothing!” Zhang Mingjing said, though internally he was distressed; the alcohol had already hit him, and he struggled to suppress it.

To his surprise, Katherine, thinking he was a strong drinker, poured him a cup nearly three-quarters full.

He sensed it, but too late to stop her, tears streaming inside.

Katherine carefully held the cup, knelt, and sweetly pleaded, “I want to offer more to Master than Jeremy did. Please take extra care of me!”

“Hehe...” Zhang Mingjing blushed at her tone, but facing the spirits felt more like he should kneel to Katherine himself.

“Drink up, then send them off quickly. I’ll help you sober up,” the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model said in his mind.

“Can’t you decode it now?”

“The fastest way to sober up is to make you vomit, but I can’t do that here.”

“Can’t you separate the alcohol molecules and expel them through my pores?”

“You’re imaginative, but I can’t manage that.”

“Ugh!” Zhang Mingjing lamented inwardly, then gulped down Katherine’s offering, swallowing his tears.

After finishing, he swayed.

“Are you alright, Master?” Katherine and Jeremy asked.

“No problem! I drank too fast, my internal energy is surging.”

“Wow!” They were instantly awestruck.

Zhang Mingjing felt his consciousness blur and immediately said, “You two must leave at once. We’ve lingered too long—every satellite in the sky is watching.”

“It’s fine! We can explain; no one will doubt us.”

“No! Never be careless. If discovered, I’ll never see you again.”

Hearing this, Katherine and Jeremy obediently saluted him and began to leave. Just as Zhang Mingjing relaxed, Katherine turned back, “Master, when will we see you again?”

Zhang Mingjing clenched his toes, anchoring himself, and replied with a smile, “I will notify you.”

“Yes!” They saluted again and departed.

He sensed their car driving away and finally breathed out, collapsing onto the ground.

“Get up! Get up!...” No matter how the Five-Dimensional Space Thinking Model called, Zhang Mingjing did not wake. He was thoroughly drunk.