The Great Wei Music Bureau

Chapter 460 The Origin of Will (Page 12)

Last time, we talked about how Li Yi wanted to ask Little Corpse Girl how she tamed Li Danshan and Tu Xiu. We wondered what use this knowledge would be for him. Could it be used to deal with the Gu God? Let's not speculate. Let's read on and see what's going on.

To learn from Little Corpse Girl, the talented Li used all his skills, preparing not only a BBQ of demon meat but also three of his best home-style dishes: stir-fried lamb with scallions, scrambled eggs with onions, and braised bok choy with mushrooms. (Onions and bok choy had already been introduced to China by this time, where they were called "Hu Cong" and "Hu Cai," although Hu Cai was mostly used for oil extraction.)

These three dishes are all of type A+B and are not difficult to make. Moreover, the dishes are not particularly innovative. However, since he was asking for a favor, he naturally had to show his sincerity. Therefore, Li Yi used his ultimate cooking technique!

You have to understand that there is no MSG or chicken essence in this era, so the dishes cooked in it are not as fragrant. Although Li Yi is a time traveler, he is not a chemistry major, so he naturally does not know how to extract MSG. Fortunately, he can make a substitute for chicken essence.

Li Yi first stir-fried the dried shrimp in a pan until they could be crushed with a pinch, then cut the shiitake mushrooms into strips and stir-fried them to the same degree. He then mixed and crushed the two together. This is a substitute for chicken essence, which our talented Li calls "Seven Mile Fragrance".

Putting everything else aside, once the vegetables are cooked and this fragrant herb is added, it really does smell like it travels for miles. Just smelling it makes your mouth water! Suddenly, Little Corpse Girl appeared, ignoring the oil fumes and heat, and put her face close to the pot, her saliva almost dripping into it. Luckily, Li Yi covered the pot lid in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"My goodness! What dish did you make? It smells so good!"

"Hey, hey, hey, how could you, a dignified elder of the Witchcraft Cult, do something so unbecoming of your status! Go back and wait here obediently!"

"No, this dish smells amazing! I can smell it even from inside the house!"

Tu Xiu asked in confusion, "Does it smell good? I can't smell it."

Little Corpse Girl scoffed, "Nonsense, you're dead! It would be a miracle if you could smell it!"

"No, then can't you think of a way to let me smell it too!"

"No, if a dead person can breathe, then they're not dead! Go back and stay put! Don't cause trouble here!"

Li Yi shook his head and laughed, "You're the one who's causing trouble! You two go back and wait!"

As Tu Xiu walked back, he asked in surprise, "The Three Sages said that a gentleman should cultivate benevolence. When it comes to animals, seeing them alive, he cannot bear to see them die; hearing their cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh. Therefore, a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen. How could he, a Confucian and Taoist, know how to cook?"

"That guy isn't just a follower of Confucianism and Taoism; common sense doesn't apply to him at all! Ah, we're going to have a good meal tonight!"

Just then, Lanze, who had been working hard all day, finally returned. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he smelled a delicious aroma. Seeing the little zombie girl looking impatient at the table, he immediately smiled and said, "Which chef did you hire to cook this? It smells so good!"

Tu Xiu chuckled, "He's not a cook, he's your lover!"

"Him? Wasn't he researching ways to deal with the Gu God? How come he has time to cook? Does he have a solution?"

At this moment, Li Yi arrived carrying a large tray of food and wine, and said with a smile, "No, but you all need to balance work and rest, right? You've all worked hard with the supply disruption, so I've personally cooked a meal to reward you! Come, come, three small dishes, a plate of roast meat, and this fine wine..."

Little Corpse Girl picked up her chopsticks to start eating, but Li Yi stopped her.

"What are you doing! Didn't we already agree on this?"

What did you agree on?

"Your man asked me for advice on how to tame that stupid bull and this shrewd man, on the condition that he treats me to a good meal!"

"That's right, then we need to make things clear, don't go back on your word after you've finished eating!"

"Don't worry! I, a dignified..." Little Corpse Girl stuffed a large mouthful of stir-fried mutton with scallions into her mouth, her eyes instantly sparkling with happy light, though her mouth was greasy from eating. She casually grabbed Tu Xiu's arm, wiped her mouth with his sleeve, and continued, "I, a dignified elder of the Witchcraft Cult, will definitely keep my word!"

Li Yi poured a glass of wine for Little Corpse Girl and handed it to her, saying with a smile, "That's good, eat as much as you want! Lan Ze, you eat too, but don't let her eat it all!"

After tasting the three dishes, Lan Ze laughed and said, "You have this skill? Why didn't you cook for me before?"

"I need your help! Little Corpse Sister, as long as you don't hold back, I'll give you the secret recipe for Seven Mile Fragrance!" Li Yi casually took out a small bottle and placed it on the table. Naturally, it contained Seven Mile Fragrance. He then said, "With this, you can enjoy this delicious treat every day from now on."

Little Corpse Girl downed the wine in one gulp, then slammed her hand on the table and said firmly, "It's a deal!"

After a hearty meal, Little Corpse Girl patted her round belly and said with a pained expression, "I can't eat anymore, I really can't eat anymore! Ugh!"

Lanze casually handed her a cup of tea and laughed, "Look at you, so pathetic, like a starving ghost reincarnated."

"I've never had such delicious food before!"

Lanze leaned back in his rocking chair, looking at the sunset and smiled, "The food and drinks are good, but I always feel like something is missing."

Li Yi casually conjured a guitar from his qi and said with a smile, "Just tell me what song you want to hear."

"You can sing it however you like."

Li Yi smiled and plucked the strings, casually playing "The Most Romantic Thing" (the lyrics were slightly modified to fit the plot):

Sitting back to back on the steps, listening to music and talking about our dreams.

I hope you become more and more gentle. You hope I keep you in my heart.

I said I wanted to give you a romantic dream. Thank you for leading me to paradise.

Even if it takes a lifetime to complete, as long as I tell you, you will remember it forever.

The most romantic thing I can imagine is growing old with you.

Collect every bit of laughter along the way, to reminisce about later while sitting in a rocking chair.

The most romantic thing I can imagine is growing old with you.

Even when we're too old to go anywhere, I will still cherish you like a treasure in my palm.

After the song was finished, Lanze was naturally very happy, but Xiaoshimei and Tuxiu couldn't stand it.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you really have no shame. Aren't you ashamed to sing such a disgusting song!"

"Oh my, you intellectuals are so sour!"

"Pshaw, what do you two know! This is called romance!"

"I can't stand you! Come on! I'll teach you my method now!"

Little Corpse Girl got up and left. Li Yi smiled at Lan Ze and then followed her...

Upon reaching the edge of the cliff, Little Corpse Girl took out a talisman from her sleeve and handed it to Li Yi, saying, "This is how I tamed them. I call it the Obedience Talisman."

Li Yi took the talisman and examined it carefully. He had learned about the Miao people's talismans when he and Little Corpse Girl were researching the Three Corpse Brain Soul Pill. Their talismans were closer to those from the time of the First Sage Cangjie. The head and tail of this talisman were not particularly special; the difference lay in the runes in the middle.

Most runes describe what to do and how to do it, but Little Corpse Girl's runes are composite runes. Although she doesn't recognize all the Miao script, she recognizes the characters that represent thunder magic.

"What's the purpose of the lightning in this talisman?"

"You know that my method of controlling corpses does not use Gu but rather spirit and Qi. Therefore, it is necessary to lock the original soul or a part of the remnant soul in the corpse. Inevitably, some will not obey."

Li Yi asked in surprise, "Isn't it all about turning family members into zombies? How come you can encounter someone who doesn't obey?"

"There are no low-level zombies, of course. The disobedient ones are all high-level zombies with considerable combat power. As strong individuals, even remnant souls have a strong sense of self. Getting them to obey orders is not so easy."

"Self-awareness? I see. Then what's the principle behind your talisman?"

The little zombie girl casually opened a special bag, inside which were many silver nails arranged by size. She then began to explain the principle behind the obedience talisman. While creating zombies, she accidentally discovered that silver nails could be used to forcibly lock disobedient souls inside the corpse. Later, through manipulation, she discovered that lightning and silver nails could be used to influence their consciousness and even change their thoughts.

During the demonstration, Little Corpse Girl conducted lightning through the four silver nails, ultimately altering the instinct of a Shadow Gu, causing it to bask in the sun until it died. It's important to know that insects have very small brains and do not possess complete self-awareness; their behavior follows biological instincts. Yet, Little Corpse Girl was able to change this instinct!

As night fell, Lanze lay on the bed, looking quite content, while Li Yi attentively massaged her.

"Hmm, it's really comfortable. You know so much."

"This is just to reward you for working so hard! You don't usually get this kind of treatment!"

Li Yi's hands slid down from Mei's back and pressed on Lan Ze's lower back. For some reason, as he was doing so, static electricity suddenly started to form. Everyone knows that static electricity is directional, and not both parties can feel the current.

This time, Li Yi only heard a snap and wasn't shocked by the static electricity. But Lan Ze on the other side was a different story. She clutched her waist and screamed, then looked at Li Yi with a flushed face, leaving the latter somewhat at a loss.

"Uh, sorry, I've been pressing for so long, this static electricity just doesn't make sense!"

However, Lanze suddenly turned around, grabbed his neck, and pulled him onto the bed...

After their passionate encounter, Lan Ze nestled in Li Yi's arms and fell asleep. The talented Li Yi, however, was still wondering what had just happened—why had the usually reserved Lan Ze suddenly become so passionate? Li Yi looked down at the sleeping Lan Ze and reached out to stroke her face, only to be met with a static shock—this time, the shock traveled to Li Yi himself!

Logically speaking, the lightning strikes of the Longevity Tribulation should have been mere appetizers for Li Yi, who cultivated the Purple Lightning Bone Tempering technique. How could he possibly feel such a small amount of static electricity? Yet, it was precisely this tiny static electricity that instantly pierced through Li Yi!

A current of electricity struck his brain. The image of Little Corpse Girl using silver needles to conduct electricity and change the instinct of the Shadow Gu replayed in his mind in slow motion. He could clearly see the current flowing between the silver needles, forming an invisible force applied to the Shadow Gu. The Gu worm trembled as if it had been electrocuted, and then changed its instinct!

A high school physics concept suddenly flashed into Li Yi's mind: electromagnetic induction! Electricity generates magnetism! It was the magnetic field that altered the bioelectricity within the Shadow Gu's body, and bioelectricity is a fundamental element in forming conditioned reflexes. Changing a creature's conditioned reflexes alters its instincts! And these instincts are the foundation of consciousness!

Li Yi recalled the scene he saw when he first encountered the Heavenly Dao, which resembled the transmission of divine essence. He finally understood how the Gu God survived when his physical body was destroyed and his soul was missing, how the Gu God's will descended upon others, and the essence of the Gu God's will, or rather, all wills!

Countless conditioned reflexes form biological instincts, and a series of instincts constitute consciousness. The essence of conditioned reflexes is the conduction of electrical signals, and a series of electrical conductions form an electric current, which in turn generates a magnetic field. This is the essence of consciousness! When consciousness becomes strong enough, this biological magnetic field can, in turn, change the biological instincts!

Women are inherently gentle, but become strong when they become mothers; they do what they know is impossible; sacrifice and redemption; and many more—all these are manifestations of self-will changing instincts!

After figuring all this out, Li Yi suddenly understood! With a whoosh, he used his words to teleport himself to the entrance of the Enchanted Cave. He first bowed to the sky and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Heaven. This disciple understands!" Then he entered the cave.

Li Yi opened the barrier and released Li Nongxiang from the tie-dye bag. After setting up the Xuan Yu Jing Lei Array around him, he began a new experiment to test the effect of electromagnetic fields on consciousness.