Chapter 5: The Deadly Cycle - C Language Cultivation

"You hit the nail on the head," Wang Anquan said to the old man Huo. Lin Xun: "?" As soon as Wang Anquan finished speaking, Zhao Jiagou chimed in, "Our Lin Xun has exceptional talent in algorithms, what we call 'root bones are exceptional.'" His fluency in Chinese allowed him to understand the meaning of "root bones are exceptional." Once Zhao Jiagou finished, Wang Anquan continued, "Indeed, he also harbors some energy, recently vexed with the lions." The way these two were bantering, it resembled a comedic performance. However, Lin Xun was aware that was not what the old man Huo meant. It was certainly related to the crawling program inside the old man Huo, which implied he wasn't just an ordinary old man. The old man's beard seemed to bristle as he glared sternly at them, "Ignorant children! Speaking nonsense!" He then waved Lin Xun over with a gentler tone, "Little Lin, come here." Lin Xun approached the old man. With hands behind his back, the old man scrutinized him from head to toe once more, stroking his beard, "Indeed, a genius seen but once in a century..." Then he suddenly shifted the topic, "Little Lin, to which school do you belong?" Both Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiagou wore expressions of utter confusion. Lin Xun: "I... don't know what you're talking about." Huo Elder's eyes widened, "Impossible!" Lin Xun: "I really don't know." Huo Elder frowned, "Then... have you never practiced cultivation?" Lin Xun frowned slightly, realizing that this might truly relate to the events he encountered last night. Perhaps he could glean some information from Grandpa Huo. He ventured to ask, "Do I have some kind of special quality?" Huo Elder replied, "I just used my divine sense to examine your body." Lin Xun thought, maybe he used a crawler program to extract information from me. Huo Elder continued, "Your bones and meridians are a rarity among us, and you possess a lingering aura in your body, as if you've already introduced qi into your body — do you truly know nothing of this?" The semi-literary way of speaking made Lin Xun a bit uncomfortable, but he understood and replied, "I truly know nothing of this." "Without cultivation, you're already at the Qi Refining stage! A true prodigy!" Huo Elder praised, "All of my disciples have become accomplished and gone their separate ways. It’s been a long time since my knees had space to fill. Would you be willing to become my apprentice?" Lin Xun: "Become your... apprentice?" Huo Elder nodded, "I am Huo Qingshan, the 19th generation sect leader of Wuji Sect, known as 'Qingshan Immortal,' and I'm at the Nascent Soul stage. Little Lin, destiny has brought us together. Follow me, and your cultivation will progress swiftly!" Lin Xun: "Hold on." He fetched his laptop, opened a search engine, and typed in "turboc," showing the blue interface screenshot to Huo Elder, "Do you recognize this?" Huo Elder squinted and leaned in, "What’s this? I've never seen it. You young folks always play with these odd things, wasting time on cultivation!" Clearly, Huo Elder didn't recognize the programming interface. Lin Xun closed the laptop, took a deep breath, and asked, "Well, Grandpa Huo, you mentioned I have qi within me. Where did you see it?" In his mind, he thought, there's no qi inside me, only a 'helloworld.' Huo Elder replied in an obvious tone, "Of course, the qi is in your dantian." Lin Xun glanced at Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiagou, who were staring, bewildered, as if their materialist worldview was being questioned. Lin Xun asked, "How do I begin cultivation?" "This is simple. You've already introduced qi into your body. Join my sect, and I'll immediately teach you foundational techniques. Once you establish this foundation, you'll have truly entered the path of immortality, shedding your mortal form." Lin Xun realized he was encountering ideas contrary to the materialist worldview. If the blue space he experienced last night hadn't existed, he wouldn’t have believed in such things and would have thought the old man’s mind was at fault. But at this moment, he remembered the progress bar stuck at eighty-five percent. Lin Xun said, "Master." Huo Elder laughed warmly, "Good child! Good child!" He reached into his pocket, and out came a small blue book, its binding incredibly simple, like a pamphlet from a cult. "Take this book and cultivate earnestly! Once you've established your foundation, you'll become an official inner disciple of Wuji Sect. In less than three years, I'm sure you can do it. If you have any questions, feel free to call me, and I'll help resolve them!" Lin Xun accepted the little blue book, with slightly yellowed pages reading "Establishing Foundation in a Thousand Days" on the cover. This was all too fantastical—not only was the materialist worldview threatened, but he had suddenly acquired a master. Lin Xun took a moment before finally saying, "Thank you, Master." Huo Elder laughed heartily, "Off I go! Today has brought me an apprentice!" With that, he left without checking the room or needing Zhao Jiagou's help, walking out in a dignified manner. Suddenly, Lin Xun remembered something and opened the window, calling out to the departing Huo Elder, "Master, what about our rent?" Huo Elder replied, "Dear disciple, now that you've joined Wuji Sect, this shabby place is yours!" Sincerely, Lin Xun said, "Thank you, Master!" As Huo Elder walked into the distance, Lin Xun closed the window and looked at his two roommates. They exchanged glances, silent in an awkward pause. Wang Anquan picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Is that Brother Huo? This is Xiao Wang, Wang Anquan from Building C in Chaoyang Community." "About that... your father just came to collect rent from us... yes, that's it. I was wondering... if Grandpa Huo... is everything fine with him mentally?" "What? No issues? Um, Brother Huo, when you have time, maybe you ought—" The call went dead. Wang Anquan raised his phone toward Lin Xun, "He hung up on me." Zhao Jiagou scratched his head, "Maybe Grandpa watched too many cultivation dramas?" Wang Anquan said, "He's too old for that, isn't he?" Zhao Jiagou added, "But listen to the stuff he was saying..." Lin Xun cleared his throat. Both looked at Lin Xun and the "Establishing Foundation in a Thousand Days" in his hand. "Here's the thing," began Lin Xun, placing the book atop "C Primer Plus" while sitting on the couch, fingers intertwined on the table, contemplating at length before speaking, "Grandpa Huo might be having issues... or maybe not." Wang Anquan said, "That's no different from saying nothing at all." Ignoring him, Lin Xun continued, "Recently, I also encountered something a bit out of the ordinary." Zhao Jiagou asked, "What kind of thing?" Lin Xun replied, "It's hard to say for sure—I haven't completely figured it out yet. Once I do, I'll let you both know." "Does it relate to what the old man was saying?" Wang Anquan asked. Lin Xun said, "Somehow connected." He tucked both books away, "I will figure this out. For now, let's forget what happened." Wang Anquan blankly said, "Okay, forgotten." Zhao Jiagou echoed, "Forgotten as well." "Alright." Lin Xun picked up his phone, "Time to call Dongjun to confirm the contract." It was 9 a.m., and Dongjun would typically be at Galaxy by now, not very busy. Lin Xun accessed the contact labeled "idol" in his phone. It wasn't Galaxy's number, nor Assistant Ruan’s, but Dongjun’s personal contact information. Seeing those words, he hovered his finger over the screen, paused, unable to press down. Eventually, he refrained, setting the phone aside and slumping back on the couch. Wang Anquan teased, "Cowardly, aren't you?" Zhao Jiagou questioned, "What's the difference between you and a salted fish?" Lin Xun conceded, "I just can't." Just then, in a flash of motion not fitting his build, Wang Anquan snatched the phone from the table. Lin Xun protested, "You!" He reached to grab it back, but it was too late. Wang Anquan held the phone high, thumb poised over the call button, mere moments from pressing it. "You're an adult, Lin Xun." Wang Anquan advised, "Next time, make the call yourself." Then, he pressed the button and handed the phone back to Lin Xun. Taking a deep breath, Lin Xun steeled himself, "You'll see." After four rings, Dongjun’s voice came through, "Hello." Nervously, Lin Xun began, "Hello, Dongjun, I am..." his voice caught briefly. "Lin Xun?" Dongjun asked. "Yes, it's me, Lin Xun." "Good morning." Dongjun's voice was gentler, perhaps due to signal processing, "Have you made a decision?" "We've discussed it and decided to accept your help," Lin Xun relaxed a bit. "I'm glad to collaborate with you," Dongjun casually replied, "When would you be available to sign the contract?" "I can go over anytime. Whatever's convenient for you." "This afternoon is fully booked, so it would have to be in the evening. Would that be a problem, Mr. Lin?" "Not at all." "I'll send you the location and time shortly." "Alright." "If you have any other requests or comments, especially regarding funding, feel free to mention them." Lin Xun intended to respond with "I have no comments," but noticing Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiagou's frantic gestures, he changed his reply, "I'll consider it." "Then I won't disturb you further, Mr. Lin. Looking forward to our cooperation." "Looking forward to it too," Lin Xun answered. After hanging up, he noticed Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiagou staring at him intently. Wang Anquan whispered, "I can go anytime." Then Zhao Jiagou added, "Whatever's convenient for you." "Not at all." "Alright." "I'll consider it." "Looking forward to our cooperation." Lin Xun remained expressionless, "Do you guys have any comments?" Wang Anquan said, "I dream of the day when Xun Shen talks to me like that." Lin Xun remarked, "If you develop a language at the level of glax, I can talk to you like that forever." Wang Anquan winced, "Tsk." With that topic concluded, they began their day's work. Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiagou both opened their laptops. Meanwhile, Lin Xun looked at the two books, picking up the "Establishing Foundation in a Thousand Days" that Huo Elder had left for him and began to flip through it. As soon as he opened it, the classical Chinese text struck him, causing his eyes to become vacant. He confirmed it was simplified Chinese, arranged horizontally. However, even so—what meaning did it hold? Starting from the first line, he read a few sentences before his eyes glazed over. He looked up towards Wang Anquan but quickly abandoned the idea of seeking help from him—Wang Anquan's literacy was similar to his own, and the intense years coding had caused quite a decline. Finally, he said, "...Jiagou, can you come over here?"