"Little Junior Sister, whatâs wrong?"
Lin Qingfeng looked at Su Lingâerâs confused expression, feeling a bit puzzled.
âIâm not wearing a mask or any weird costume today. What scared you so badly?â
âDidnât I just kill a red-named mob that spawned for the event?â
âI got 400 contribution points in one go. This is a great thing!â
âOh... I get it. She canât see the contribution points or anything, so she probably doesnât see the benefit of what just happened.â
âBut what was she so scared about?â
âWas it her first time seeing a scene like this? Was she frightened by the power of the Thousand Threads Seeking Karma Spell?â
âShe saw the supreme technique I taught her had such power and was completely stunned?â
âSigh. As expected of a novice girl, her Dao heart is still weak!â
âHer will may be firm, but sheâs far too timid. Getting this scared over something so small... Little Junior Sisterâs Dao heart needs a lot more tempering!â
As for Su Lingâer, her mind was in absolute chaos.
Seeing the strange looks from the surrounding disciples, coupled with Lin Qingfengâs all-seeing gaze, she was so frightened she subconsciously shook her head again and again.
âAs long as this fiend doesnât expose me to my face, it means I still have a chance to live!â
âItâs fine!â
âI have to calm down!â
She stammered out an explanation:
"N-nothing... I... I just... I just saw how amazing that Thousand Threads Seeking Karma Spell is!
When I used it, I didnât even know where it shot off to..."
"Mm."
First Senior Brother nodded.
âJust as I thought. Little Junior Sister was simply stunned by the supreme technique I taught her.â
He took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Su Lingâer to block everyoneâs probing gazes, and once again assumed the air of an enlightened master.
"Little Junior Sister, you did very well."
He stood with his hands behind his back, his black robes swaying gently in the night breeze.
Su Lingâer found her entire line of sight enveloped by her First Senior Brotherâs figure. At this particular moment, he was standing right in front of the sickbed, blocking the light from the lantern.
The lanternâs orange-red glow outlined his silhouette in a bloody halo. At his feet lay a pool of wet blood, and beside him was the corpse, still in three pieces, that no one had cleaned up...
The backlighting effect, combined with everything around him...
Although First Senior Brother was trying his best to appear gentle and project the air of a peerless master, in Su Lingâerâs eyes, that red glow outlining his silhouette...
âIf his eyes were glowing red right now, heâd look exactly like a life-reaping demon that just crawled out of the Nine Netherworld!â
And then she heard this "demon" continue speaking in his gentle voice:
"The Great Dao is formless, and fortuitous encounters are unpredictable.
That strike of yours just now, under my guidance, unintentionally contained the principles of the Celestial Dao, eliminating a great hidden danger for our sect. This is a great merit."
Lin Qingfeng looked at his Little Junior Sisterâs deathly pale face. The lingering fear and terror in her eyes didnât seem fake, and he began to mutter to himself inwardly.
âIâm telling you that youâve performed a great service!â
âWhat kind of reaction is this?â
âIs my Little Junior Sisterâs feedback module broken?â
âShe gets scared when I praise her?â
âThis... Iâll have to have a long talk with customer service after I log off. What the hell is this?!â
âMy current gaming experience is terrible!â
"Why do you look so unhappy, Little Junior Sister?"
Su Lingâer stared blankly at her First Senior Brother, her heart a tangled mess.
âI earned merit?â
âEliminated a hidden danger?â
âSo did they figure out that I was the one who released that insect?â
âDid he figure out the insect was connected to me?â
âIs this some new kind of test?â
âOr... are they planning to continue this game of cat and mouse with me?â
Her heart hammered against her ribs as if it were about to break free at any moment.
âNo, I canât panic!â
She thought of her hundred-plus Contracted Spirit Insects. Although she had already foreseen her tragic future, as long as just one of them could escapeâjust oneâshe still had hope!
âAccording to my plan, dozens of insects were supposed to take flight simultaneously from different locations, scattering in all directions!â
âIn a situation like that, theyâre bound to miss a few, right?â
âAs long as one succeeds, the Sect Leader can come to my aid and I can return to the righteous path!â
âIâm still waiting to undergo a Washing Marrow and ascend to immortality. I absolutely cannot die here!â
âWhether theyâre playing cat and mouse with me or not, I have to play along!â
At this thought, Su Lingâer took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and plastered a surprised and happy smile on her face.
However, she felt like she was about to grind her own molars to dust.
"R-really? First Senior Brother?"
She looked at the bizarre scene around them and began to make excuses for her earlier panic.
"J-just now it was because... all the senior brothers suddenly looked at me, and... and this... senior brother in three pieces...
Besides, First Senior Brother, didnât you notice?
When you were standing there against the light, you looked like... like a..."
"A... uh... glowing red..."
She didnât dare say the word "demon," so she could only express it euphemistically:
"Like... an esteemed senior who has succumbed to cultivation deviation...
Even though you are still as wise, powerful, and considerate of your juniors as ever, First Senior Brother, but...
But the way you looked just now, combined with everything around us, it really left your junior sister... at a loss..."
âOh, heavens!â
âPlease let me get back alive!â
The little person in Su Lingâerâs heart was about to cry as she prayed incessantly.
âYou fiend, you killed my Contracted Spirit Insect!â
âAnd youâre forcing me to thank you!â
âIâll thank all eight generations of your ancestors for this!â
But on the surface, all she could do was put on a pitiful and helpless act, gazing up at her First Senior Brother with wide, watery, adoring eyes.
Only then did First Senior Brother realize that his positioning was indeed not very good.
He had accidentally stood against the light, and on top of that, the fresh corpse was still lying behind him, and the pile of bloodstains on the sickbed hadnât been wiped away...
âNo wonder, no wonder Little Junior Sister reacted that way.â
âI get it, I completely get it!â
Seeing his Little Junior Sister recover from her fright and reveal such a "sincere" and happy smile, he nodded in satisfaction.
So, he gave some instructions to the disciples in the sect channel.
[Lin Qingfeng: Everyone, spread out! Look at you all, suddenly staring at Little Junior Sister. Look how scared youâve made her?!]
[Lin Qingfeng: Also, someone deal with that corpse named âJiâ right away! Whoever needs materials, drag it off. Donât leave it in Little Junior Sisterâs sight!]
[Lu Wu: Iâll take the corpse. Itâll be a good medicinal catalyst.]
[FlameWolfIsTheCoolest: The legs are mine. Iâll take them back to feed the sectâs absolute coolest Flame Wolf.]
[SacrificialSpiritSwordIsCoolest: Bullshit! The Sacrificial Spirit Sword is the coolest!]
Several disciples hurried forward. Each took a piece, either storing it in their storage bags, planning to use it to fertilize plants later, or feeding it to their spirit beasts. In the blink of an eye, the "three-piece corpse" was divided up completely.
After giving his instructions, First Senior Brother looked at his Little Junior Sister again, only to see her still looking at him with an adoring expression, her big eyes sparkling.
âMm, thatâs right. This is the reaction she should be having. Iâll spare customer service then.â
âAfter we cure a few more people, Iâll take you to the Inquiry Golden Autumn Spirit Gathering event to get some experience and farm some contribution points.â
âA First Senior Brother like meâso considerate of his junior sister, so skilled at guiding others patiently, so wise and powerfulâis a rare find in this world.â
âJunior Sister, youâd better cherish a senior brother like me!â