The modern world is like a sieve (2): 

Si Qi sat on the sofa, looking at the snacks in front of him that were clearly delicious. There was none of the curious and naive look he had shown earlier; instead, he acted reserved and said, “Thank you.”

Then he picked a pudding that gave off the scent of milk, taking small bites, slowly and gracefully enjoying it.

Chu Feng had known Si Qi for many years. Even if Si Qi only blinked, Chu Feng could guess what this little fellow was thinking.

Seeing him act shy, pretending to be reserved in front of him, Chu Feng felt like laughing. He couldn’t help but reach out and rub Si Qi’s head. Watching Si Qi—who had never been treated with such intimacy before—reveal eyes like a startled fawn, Chu Feng’s smile grew wider. Sitting across from him, he said, “If you like them, all these snacks are yours.”

Si Qi coughed lightly and whispered, “I am not particularly fond of these indulgences of appetite…”

He was worried that the man in front of him would think he was greedy, childish in personality, someone who only liked to eat.

Whether in the cultivation world or in the modern world, from Si Qi’s memory, people always preferred dignified and unfathomably powerful figures.

Chu Feng did not expose him. He had arrived in this world more than half a year earlier than Si Qi, and had been waiting every day for Si Qi to appear.

To better help Si Qi complete his mission, he had even specially created this department, the Bureau of Traversers, so that the country’s leaders would be aware of the existence of traversers beforehand and better prepared to deal with their arrival.

He knew that with Si Qi’s personality, it was impossible for him to act like the original host, breaking laws and committing crimes. He just hadn’t expected Si Qi to go even further than he had imagined—seeking out the authorities directly upon arriving.

In other words, on the very first day he came to this world, Si Qi had actively sought him out.

Thinking of this, after not seeing Si Qi for over a hundred days, Chu Feng couldn’t stop the smile at his lips from widening further, leaving the three subordinates beside them glancing at one another, silently muttering in their hearts.

Perhaps Chu Feng’s gaze was too warm, leaving Si Qi unable to withstand it.

Si Qi put down the small spoon in his hand and said to Chu Feng, “You said you wanted to see me?”

Chu Feng nodded and invited, “I hope you can join our department.”

The three subordinates behind him opened their eyes wide, hearts pounding like drums.

What? Recruit this traverser into their ranks? Wasn’t that far too dangerous?!

Their leader had never done something like this before…

Chu Feng said, “The traversers I dealt with before were either violent and impossible to communicate with, or their values clashed completely with ours, so I could only set them aside to be dealt with coldly. But you are different. Your ability is extremely strong, and you treat us kindly. I hope you can become a partner in our department. I will also be your support, making sure you live in this world free of worries, without any trouble.”

The subordinates were shocked, thinking their leader’s words were far too hasty. They had barely known him for a few minutes—wasn’t this going too far, too fast?

Si Qi also thought Chu Feng’s words were too warm, almost overwhelmingly so. But he did not dislike this closeness. Pretending to stay calm, he said, “You want me to fight for you?”

Although a cultivator unprepared could not withstand dozens of missile strikes, when it came to conventional weapons or other traversers, handling them was nothing difficult.

Perhaps Chu Feng valued exactly this point, and that was why he treated him so attentively. After all, in the cultivation world, mortals also looked upon immortals with such attitudes—eager, awestruck, revering them like gods…

Si Qi was even prepared that if Chu Feng invited him into the Bureau, he would face dangerous traversers again and again, fighting on the front lines.

Although he disliked fighting, if it was this man who asked him, he would not refuse to help…

But Chu Feng merely smiled and said, “In this world, strength is not measured by force alone.”

Si Qi looked confused. Chu Feng explained, “You know, hot weapons are very powerful. Even a child too weak to truss a chicken, if holding a single button, could easily kill the bravest warrior.”

Si Qi recalled the original host’s fate, nodded, but still didn’t understand what Chu Feng’s purpose was in saying this.

Chu Feng looked at him, eyes gentle. “Hot weapons were created by countless scientists, relying on the knowledge in their minds, exploring the unknown, searching for the hidden key buried in the universe’s laws, little by little piecing them together.

“And you, are the one who holds countless such keys.”

Si Qi looked bewildered, still half comprehending.

Chu Feng pulled a folder from the drawer under the coffee table, clearly prepared long in advance, and opened it before Si Qi.

Si Qi looked at the strange numbers and symbols on the paper, utterly lost.

Chu Feng said, “Here are dozens of problems our scientists have worked on for years without breakthroughs. Can you use your divination, ask the heavens, and calculate the answers?”

The three subordinates behind them jolted.

Only then did they finally understand what their leader meant by “strength is not measured by force alone.”

If Si Qi could divine Chu Feng’s long string of digits, then naturally he could also divine answers that had always existed but had not yet been discovered by present-day scientists.

It was like asking a modern person for the bureau chief’s phone number, or Newton’s three laws. The latter might even be easier.

Divination was similar—it was just like that.

And imagine: if, before nuclear weapons had been invented, Si Qi had divined the formula for nuclear fusion; if, during the era of smallpox, he had divined the method of vaccination…

What is “common knowledge” in the future is a treasure of immeasurable value in the past!

No wonder Chu Feng said Si Qi was the one holding the keys. To glimpse the future through heaven’s laws—of course he was! Absolutely!

To be blunt, even if Si Qi was a cultivator who could overturn seas and grasp the stars, so what? As long as humans mastered enough knowledge, they could cross mountains, level seas, even reach the distant galaxies!

Because knowledge is the greatest power!

Now, looking at the thick folder before Si Qi, the three subordinates’ breathing grew uncontrollably heavy.

If Si Qi could write out the answers, then Huaguo would instantly leap across decades, even centuries, of struggle, grasping the core codes of cutting-edge technology…

They looked at Si Qi, who had taken out a divination compass, calculating with his fingers while writing down complex formulas with a brush. Their eyes burned with fervor, nearly overflowing.

The first page of answers was written out. Chu Feng told a subordinate to send the content via encrypted channel to the aerospace department.

The subordinate, holding the still-wet ink-stained page, fingers trembling, suppressed the urge to shout, saluted Chu Feng and Si Qi with deep respect, then carefully escorted the paper away.

Ten minutes later, the subordinate returned.

Half an hour later, a call came directly from the national aerospace department to Chu Feng.

Then followed calls from the communications bureau, physics institute, national leadership… The content Si Qi had written in mere tens of minutes shook half of Huaguo’s academic world.

The cultivator Si Qi, who might once have been viewed with suspicion and fear—as though he were a walking nuclear bomb ready to explode within the country—suddenly became the most precious treasure of the nation’s top scholars.

No one dared to touch a hair on his head. Instead, everyone stayed vigilant against anyone who might try to harm him.

Si Qi no longer needed to worry about living well in this world.

Because Chu Feng had already prepared, long in advance, a carefully crafted gift for his long-lost lover.

To protect him, to free him from worries.

…

Si Qi had played a trump card from the very beginning, and the subordinates no longer dared say “a traverser isn’t fit to join our department.”

With Si Qi’s abilities, anything the department wanted to do would be smoothed over by countless hands eager to help.

At this moment, how could they not bind Si Qi tightly to them, rather than let him slip away?

The subordinates gazed at Si Qi with fiery eyes, then looked at Chu Feng, silently urging their leader to seize the chance and secure him.

Chu Feng did not disappoint them.

He said to Si Qi, “You’ve just arrived here, and there’s much you’re unfamiliar with. I’ll guide you, little by little.”

Si Qi knew he carried the original host’s memories. Many things the host had encountered in modern society were not strange to him.

But hearing this man say “I’ll guide you, little by little,” Si Qi found himself unable to utter any refusal.

His thoughts were a tangled mess, but outwardly he forced himself to remain calm, saying, “I’ll trouble you then, Director Chu.”

Chu Feng smiled, glanced at the clock, told his subordinates “off work,” and gestured for Si Qi to follow.

He led Si Qi to the nearby dormitory building.

“The dorms here are usually two to a room. If someone prefers living alone, that’s fine too.” Chu Feng smiled at Si Qi. “I’ve always lived alone, but now I can stay with you.”

Before coming, Si Qi had never imagined he’d be living with this man. Hearing this suddenly, his heartbeat stumbled.

Seeing his reaction, Chu Feng teased, “Do you prefer living alone? That’s fine too. But since you’re still unfamiliar with many modern things, it would be better to stay with me for now.”

Si Qi, hearing this, reluctantly agreed, saying with guilt, “You’re right. Let’s do it that way.”

It wasn’t that he wanted to live with this young man—he just had to adapt to modern life… yes, that was all!

Chu Feng brought Si Qi to his residence. Inside, the lighting was bright, the decor refreshing, exactly the type Si Qi liked best.

He showed him his room and explained the use of each piece of furniture.

Then he led Si Qi to the bathroom, patiently teaching him, step by step, how to use body wash, the showerhead, and towels.

The bathroom was separated into wet and dry areas, but the shower stall was small. With two grown men standing inside, even a small step backward would bump one into the other’s arms.

As a cultivator, Si Qi had keen hearing and sight, his five senses unusually sharp. At this moment, his attention drifted toward the man speaking. His nose picked up the grassy, woody scent on the other’s body—whether it was cologne or body wash, he wasn’t sure. His ears were filled with that magnetic, sensual voice… as if his entire being was enveloped by the presence called Chu Feng, leaving him faintly uneasy.

His thoughts were scattered, and his gaze fell on Chu Feng’s Adam’s apple, which moved slightly as he spoke, then shifted down to his collarbone.

Chu Feng’s collarbone was beautiful—straight, masculine, exuding strength, and made all the more alluring beneath the fabric covering it.

Instinctively wanting to see more clearly, Si Qi released his divine sense from his mind. But caught off guard, he suddenly saw a detailed outline of a male body.

Completely unprepared, Si Qi felt his cheeks burn instantly, hurriedly withdrew his divine sense, and broke out in a fine layer of sweat on his back, guilty and flustered.

His extraordinary memory etched that fleeting image deep into his mind, impossible to erase. He tried desperately to push it away, silently reciting a calming mantra.

As the main god, Chu Feng naturally sensed Si Qi’s divine sense just now. He raised a brow, noticed Si Qi’s unease, and said with deliberate meaning, “When you bathe, if you forget how to use it, just recall how I did it earlier.”

Si Qi’s heartbeat quickened. That sentence made it impossible to calm down—recall? Recall what? Why would he need to recall while bathing?!

Now every time he bathed, wouldn’t he unconsciously think of this again?!

This man was far too malicious. Every word he spoke left Si Qi restless, not knowing how tormented he was at this moment!!

Chu Feng watched with a grin as Si Qi’s ears grew redder and redder, not exposing him, his mischievous pleasure fully satisfied.

Si Qi like this was truly adorable.

Blank and unknowing, led by him bit by bit, every new thing he touched would bear Chu Feng’s imprint.

Just imagining it put Chu Feng in an excellent mood.

Raising a child (crossed out) guiding a lover like a blank slate was far too amusing. No wonder in past worlds, Si Qi had always enjoyed teasing him—this was indeed addictive.

With that in mind, Chu Feng deliberately said, “By the way, I didn’t expect someone would suddenly move in, so your bed doesn’t have sheets or quilts yet. Tonight you can just sleep with me.”

Si Qi, who had finally calmed a little, felt dizzy again.

This, this, this—how could he take advantage so easily?!

No, how could he think like that? He was supposed to be a dignified cultivator! How could he share a bed with someone he’d only just met? That was far too unreserved!

Seeing Si Qi speechless, Chu Feng teased, “Of course, if you feel embarrassed, we could put on sheets now. But I don’t have any new ones here, only ones I’ve used before. With your sharp sense of smell, even if I washed them, you’d still notice my scent on them, wouldn’t you? After all, sheets are in direct contact with the body, and you’d be lying on them all night…”

Si Qi imagined lying all night on bedding carrying Chu Feng’s scent… He lowered his head, flustered, muttering, “I… I don’t need to sleep tonight…”

Chu Feng shook his head. “That won’t do. Sleep is very important for people.”

Si Qi whispered, “Even if cultivators don’t sleep…”

Ignoring his excuses, Chu Feng, always decisive, directly made the decision: “Here’s what we’ll do. Tonight you’ll sleep with me. Tomorrow I’ll have logistics prepare new bedding, towels, a toothbrush, and everything else for you. Tonight, just stay in my room. As for bathing… just wash in my bathroom. Otherwise, carrying toiletries back and forth would be troublesome.”

“…” Si Qi’s face was now so red he couldn’t show it to anyone, unable to say a word.

If he hadn’t experienced it himself, he’d never believe he could be so shy in front of someone.

Was this really an ordinary human? Not some powerful cultivator from the Hehuan Sect?! How could someone naturally exude such charm the moment they appeared?!

It was terrifying!!

The next morning, Si Qi slowly awoke in Chu Feng’s arms. Realizing his situation, he trembled slightly, not daring to look at the man beside him.

He carefully climbed out of bed, refusing to recall the anxious, chaotic struggle in his mind the night before, or how he had gradually inched into Chu Feng’s embrace as he slept.

It was unbearably embarrassing.

Sitting up, covering his face with one hand, Si Qi questioned his life. The man beside him stirred awake at the movement. Seeing his beloved right next to him, Chu Feng naturally leaned over, pressed a light kiss to Si Qi’s forehead, and with a still-husky morning voice, said, “Morning.”

Si Qi’s pupils shook, his body stiffened, and his face flushed scarlet. “You—you—you—you, what are you doing?!”

Chu Feng blinked and smiled. “What? Didn’t you know? It’s a custom here. In the morning, when you wake up, you give the person beside you a good morning kiss.”

Si Qi stammered, “I-is that so?!”

He racked his brain, trying to recall the original host’s memories, but couldn’t think of such a detail.

“Of course,” Chu Feng said with perfect composure. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask others—”

“How could I ask something like that?!” Si Qi blurted, no trace of his usual calm, celestial demeanor. “If you say it’s so, then… then it is…”

He couldn’t very well say Chu Feng was kissing him just to take advantage.

That thought made his heart pound even faster, even more uncontrollable.

He wanted to tell Chu Feng to stop this habit that didn’t exist in the cultivation world, but then he thought—what if Chu Feng really did stop? Heart pounding, he silently shut his mouth, hurriedly jumped out of bed, and rushed to the bathroom to wash up.

Chu Feng followed lazily behind, smiling at Si Qi’s averted gaze in the mirror. “You’re not holding the toothbrush correctly,” he said.

He reached from behind, adjusting Si Qi’s wrist, his body half enveloping him. Feeling his closeness, Si Qi flushed again.

And Chu Feng, still serious-faced, asked, “Are cultivators always this easy to make blush? The higher your cultivation, the faster you blush?”

Si Qi: “……”

Now he was certain—the serious, decisive man in front of him was, in truth, a terribly wicked rascal!

He was doing this on purpose!!

After eating breakfast Chu Feng cooked himself, Si Qi followed him back to the Traverser Bureau headquarters.

The materials Si Qi had written yesterday had, after spreading overnight, shaken the entire Huaguo academic world.

Countless white-haired elders, treasured by the nation, had flown or taken trains overnight to rush before Si Qi.

If it had been the old Si Qi, he could have easily handled the flood of questions from top intellectuals across every field, answering them smoothly one by one.

But now, with only the original host’s memories and no other knowledge, once he wrote down the answers, whenever the scholars anxiously pressed for details, asking why such-and-such must be one way and not another, Si Qi calmly looked back at them and patiently asked, “What does that mean?”

The great scholars froze, stunned that someone who had written such stunning answers hadn’t even understood the questions. They looked at him with despair, as though they had lost billions.

No, even if they really had lost billions, they wouldn’t feel so bad.

“As long as we have the answers, we can work out the process from there,” a state leader quietly comforted them.

The national treasures looked at Si Qi’s ethereal, otherworldly appearance, then at the pages of elegant brush calligraphy beautiful enough to fetch a fortune at auction, and sighed. Clearly, Si Qi wasn’t the type to understand chemical formulas or mechanical principles. Reluctantly, they held his hand, telling this youth who could have been their ancestor’s ancestor’s ancestor, “Thank you, little one,” before leaving, both regretful and satisfied.

Before leaving, knowing he liked snacks, each elder brought bags and bags of local specialties and treats, piling them before Si Qi.

It seemed people in this world were truly different from those in the cultivation world. Mortals who met a cultivator not only showed no fear but even dared open snack packages and shove them into his hands. Truly, truly…

Impossible to resist!

Expression blank, Si Qi watched the elders depart while chewing spicy beef jerky, unable to stop.