023 Brain Overload

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She paid ten yuan and chose a spot in the corner of the internet cafe that was unlikely to attract attention. Qu Zhanyi opened a computer and began searching for information.

However, a few minutes later, the answers provided by the web pages left her disappointed. For common questions, the answers were diverse, superficial, and often riddled with obvious loopholes and errors—hardly enough to fool a "stranger" like her. As for the advanced questions, not even a shred of core information could be found.

After looking around, it wasn't a total loss. At least she now knew that systems and computers were likely similar to the smartphone she had previously stolen and dismantled. Their core operating principles were almost certainly the same. In other words, if she could master computer knowledge, she would be one step closer to countering the system.

Thinking of this, Qu Zhanyi felt much better. Aside from being time-consuming, this was not particularly difficult for her. Of course, the most pressing issue was increasing this body's brain capacity and computational power. After only two hours of reading, her brain felt swollen and painful from the overload, and by the time she recovered, she had forgotten most of what she had read.

Qu Zhanyi rubbed her temples, feeling a surge of irritation. "At this rate, how long is it going to take?"

If it were her previous life, she wouldn't be in a rush. But now, she was merely a mortal with a body that would reach its peak in just over a decade. To assimilate the knowledge accumulated by humanity over thousands of years and make it her own within such a short time, she needed an extraordinary brain.

Qu Zhanyi sighed deeply and asked the system again, "Is there anything that can develop the brain?"

[The host's moral value is too low to query this matter.]

"So, it does exist?"

[The system's current authority level does not allow for an answer to this question.]

Qu Zhanyi slammed her headphones onto the table and leaned back into her chair, lost in thought, trying to find a way to improve her mental capacity without relying on the system. In her past life, she had studied alchemy and secret arts, knowing the formulas for many immortal pills and elixirs—including those that strengthened the brain. But the key was the alchemy furnace and the ingredients. This place was clearly not suitable; from Yan Jiao Village to Que Luo Town, there wasn't a single spot with the right feng shui to set up a furnace.

"It seems I need to find a place suitable for cultivation..." Qu Zhanyi made up her mind and picked up the headphones again.

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This body's energy could no longer support further study, so she simply clicked on a movie to kill the remaining time. By lunchtime, Qu Zhanyi couldn't resist her hunger.

"Boss, one cup of instant noodles."

Watching *The Ring* while savoring her noodles, Qu Zhanyi felt a sense of satisfaction, experiencing the happy life of what this world called a "homebody." To celebrate, she even added sausages and an egg—luxuries Xu Xinyou had never dared to splurge on.

When she left the internet cafe, it was already 7:15 PM. Looking at the gray, overcast sky, Qu Zhanyi felt a sense of melancholy, not knowing where her true home was. She wandered back to the classroom. During the half-day she had skipped, subtle changes had occurred in the classroom. On her desk, a set of brand-new textbooks was stacked neatly, and all the necessary school supplies had been prepared for her.

"No matter which world it is, 'survival of the fittest' remains the truth!" Qu Zhanyi sighed softly and opened a new textbook. With Xu Xinyou's memories combined with her own knowledge, the material became simple and easy to understand; she could scan ten lines at a glance without any effort.

Two days of peaceful life passed. Friday finally arrived. On her way home, Qu Zhanyi sent Xu Xinqi away and, stepping through snow that reached the top of her feet, returned to the place where she had been reborn. In the sheltered mountain hollow, there were over thirty graves of various sizes, with willow and locust trees scattered among the old and new mounds. The only running water flowed from east to west and was already polluted. She had been reborn at the source of that water, sandwiched between two willows and three locusts.

Qu Zhanyi stretched and commented, "This place is truly suited for me."

She had originally wanted to find clues, but in terms of feng shui, this was a "nine-death" location. If she hadn't truly been reborn, she would never have believed that someone could borrow a corpse to return to life here. "Could it be that the heavy snow obscured something?"

Filled with doubt, Qu Zhanyi carefully noted the feng shui layout of the hollow, intending to return and examine it more closely after the snow melted.

"Number 17, why was I reborn in this girl's body? Is there something special about her?"

[The host's moral value is too low to query this matter.]

Having heard the same answer dozens of times, Qu Zhanyi felt her temples throbbing. Suppressing her anger, she asked the useless system, "Then what *can* I query right now?"

[The host's current moral value only supports queries regarding basic knowledge of this world.]

"Just shut up. You never have anything pleasant to say."

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Having said that, she grabbed a handful of snow and packed it into a snowball, throwing it wildly to vent some of the frustration building up inside. Once she had let it out, she trekked back through the snow. The silver-clad mountains left her mood somewhere between bad and neutral.

When she returned home, Xu Xinqi had already prepared dinner. Looking at the poorly presented food on the table, she couldn't help but complain, "Little brother, can you make it look a bit better?"

Xu Xinqi, confused, replied, "It looks fine! There's meat, cabbage, mushrooms, and dried radishes—that's four dishes already."

"I mean, you could slice the meat thinly, lay it over the greens, and arrange it piece by piece in the bowl."

Xu Xinqi looked at his sister with a look of disbelief. The thought of her being "possessed" surfaced again, but he quickly suppressed it. Qu Zhanyi scolded him indignantly, "What's wrong with that? I've already lowered my standards so much, and you still can't do it?"

Xu Xinqi felt a bit guilty, fueled by the lingering regret of not having protected his sister well and his lingering suspicions about her. He promised, "I'll try..." Seeing his sister's expression darken, he immediately corrected himself, "I will make the food look better."

Qu Zhanyi didn't continue to make things difficult for him and picked up two slices of lean meat. The taste could only be described as "terrible"—fishy, gamey, and with a faint "sweaty" odor. Yet, her mouth wouldn't stop; she forced her hands to keep feeding her slice after slice. The reason was likely that "Qu Zhanyi was the one making the judgment, but Xu Xinyou was the one craving the meat." Due to long-term malnutrition, this body had an intense desire for the fat and protein in meat.

The siblings finished three dishes, one soup, and half a pot of rice, then sat on the creaking old chairs, burping. At this moment, she felt even more repulsed by that bowl of "authentic" meat. After a moment of thought, she asked Xu Xinqi, "How much money do you have left?"

"Nine hundred and fifty yuan. Are you out of money?" Xu Xinqi took out all the money from his pocket, counted it carefully, and handed it to his sister.

Qu Zhanyi found it hard to believe. She had only taken one hundred yuan from the sale of the ducks. Because she had no experience managing money and didn't want to be a miser, she had let Xu Xinqi act as the accountant. But he was almost *too* qualified!