The light from the Memory Stone slowly faded. Su Lingâer felt dazed, her very soul reeling from an unprecedented shock.
She looked at Lin Qingfengâs satisfied expression and felt her understanding of the world had been completely redefined yet again.
âIs this the world of demonic Evil Cultivators?â
âThe stories were rightâthey only ever showed the tip of the iceberg.â
âWithout experiencing it firsthand, it was impossible to imagine that a sect with such... peculiar logic could actually exist in this world.â
Lin Qingfeng put away the Memory Stone and patted her shoulder approvingly.
"Not bad, Junior Sister. You did very well."
"Youâve rendered a great service to the sect today. Hurry back and get some rest. Youâve still got work to do tomorrow."
Su Lingâer gasped at his words.
âWait, I just rendered a great service, and youâre already thinking about making me work tomorrow?â
âSo this newly-crowned "Holy Daughter" is supposed to turn right around and go back to tilling the fields for this demonic sect?â
â...Alright, I should have known this would happen.â
Mentally exhausted, she started to turn and head back to her room. But just as she did, both she and Lin Qingfeng froze.
Not far away, under a large tree, Wang Xiedi was in a full kowtow, "worshipping" piously in her direction.
In reality, he had just fallen and was scrambling to get back up.
And when Wang Xiedi saw them both turn to look at him, he was instantly petrified!
âWhat should I say? How do I explain this? What do I do? Who am I? Where am I?â
Lin Qingfeng put a hand to his forehead and shook his head, an expression on his face that said he couldnât bear to watch.
Su Lingâer felt her vision go dark.
In her mind, the image of Wang Xiedi at that moment perfectly overlapped with the figures of the thousands of fanatical Cultivators she had just seen worshipping on the light screen.
âThat seals it!â
âHe really is one of them!â
The two of them instinctively huddled together, lowered their voices, and began an urgent discussion.
Lin Qingfeng leaned in and whispered, "When did our junior brother get here? Did you notice?"
Su Lingâer also lowered her voice, shaking her head. "I... I didnât either."
"But Junior Sister, being stuck with a junior brother like him, youâll have to be extra careful from now on."
"This must be hard on you, Junior Sister."
The Senior Brotherâs tone carried a hint of sympathy.
"Having a pervert watching you all the time... it really takes a strong Dao heart to endure."
Hearing this, Su Lingâer nodded in deep agreement. "It certainly is hard on me, Senior Brother."
She immediately seized the opportunity, putting on a vulnerable expression.
"In that case, Senior Brother, seeing as my mind has suffered such a great shock and I need to rest and recover... can I... not do my chores tomorrow?"
"No way! Out of the question!"
"You are the sectâs Holy Daughter, a pillar of our community! How can you slack off and retreat over such a minor setback?"
"Thatâs unacceptable, Junior Sister!"
"And think about it, in the future, when you take new disciples out to gain experience, are you going to back down if you run into some weirdo?"
"There... probably arenât that many perverts out there, are there?"
"Iâm just giving you an example!"
"Besides, a Senior Brother like meâso normal, so wise and valiant, with such an extraordinary bearing, so understanding and considerate of his juniorsâis a rarity."
Su Lingâer stared at her Senior Brother in utter disbelief.
âAre you sure youâre not one of those weirdos?â
âBecause Iâm not feeling any of that.â
Meanwhile, the Senior Brother saw Su Lingâerâs look of disbelief and started grumbling to himself.
âHey, hey, hey!â
âWhatâs with that look, Junior Sister?â
âYou donât actually think Iâm not normal, do you?â
âNobody knows what a normal person is better than me!â
âIâm so normal! If anyoneâs the weirdo, itâs you, Junior Sister!â
âJust think about the sect gate incident! How many times did you jump back and forth?â
âYou even got so angry killing a bug that you coughed up blood!â
âAnd you have the nerve to suspect Iâm not normal?â
âSigh... The world is a cold place, and people just arenât what they used to be.â
âItâs tough being surrounded by weirdos.â
The Senior Brother couldnât be bothered to argue with her anymore. With a flicker, his figure vanished into the night.
Su Lingâer stood silently in place for a moment.
Once she confirmed that her Senior Brotherâs aura had completely vanished, she turned her gaze to the still-petrified junior brother.
Su Lingâer: "Wang Xiedi! Tell me the truth... are you a mole sent by the Dawa Sect to our Guixi Sect?"
Wang Xiedi: "Miss Su, what if I told you this is all a misunderstanding? Would you believe me?"
Su Lingâer: "What do you think?"
Wang Xiedi: "I think you believe me!"
Su Lingâer: "..."
...
Meanwhile, Lin Qingfeng had already returned to his residence.
He leaned back on his cold jade bed and opened the player forums.
His fingers flew across the light screen as he submitted a post with an incredibly sensational title to the sectâs board, simultaneously sharing it to the world channel.
Ashen Heaven Official Forums >> World Channel >> Discussion Area
[SHOCKING] Guixi Sect Achieves Major Diplomatic Breakthrough! Dawa Sect Formally Submits Today!
OP: [Guixi Sect] Lin Qingfeng
#AshenHeavenGameEventOriginalPlan!
#VideoForProof #WeAreTheTrueSuperiorSect #DawaSect #GuixiSect #WaWeiXFeng
Fellow Daoists, please excuse the display.
Since its founding, our sect has always been good to its neighbors, winning others over with virtue.
Just a moment ago.
Our fellow Daoists from the Dawa Sect were captivated by the supreme grace and profound Daoist truth of our sectâs Holy Daughter, Su Lingâer. Several thousand cultivators from their entire sect spontaneously held a grand pilgrimage ceremony, formally expressing their utmost respect and their desire to pledge allegiance to our sect.
Enough talk. Letâs get straight to the video!
As of today, the Dawa Sect is the first friendly subordinate sect of our Guixi Sect. Let it be known!
[Video: Dawa_Sect_Mass_Pilgrimage_Welcoming_the_Guixi_Holy_Daughter.mp4]
The moment the post went up, it blew up the entire forum.
1F: [Palu Sect] ImJustABlackHeartedCapitalist!
HOLY SHIT! Front row! Looking at how they act, they might as well hang out with spirit beasts all day like we do!
2F: [JustEatingMelons]
I just finished the video and my mind is blown... The Dawa Sect and the Original Criticism Sect truly live up to their reputation as a pair of "geniuses," even outside their usual circles!
3F: [Guixi Sect] Shi Gandang
Senior Brother is mighty! The sect is awesome!
4F: [Dawa Sect] Wa Wei X Feng
Lin Qingfeng, stop twisting the facts! What does this have to do with your Guixi Sect?! Donât you dare lump our actions in with your filthy sect politics! @Lin Qingfeng
5F: [Dawa Sect] LongLiveDawa
The Guild Leader is right!
6F: [Guixi Sect] Yan Buliu
LMAO, sheâs the Holy Daughter of our Guixi Sect. Isnât worshipping our Holy Daughter the same as worshipping our sect? The logic is flawless. To our brothers from the Dawa Sect, weâre all one big family now. Just remember to hand over any magic treasures to our sect first, and weâll handle the distribution!
...
ăMeanwhile, in the direction of Qingxu Temple.ă
Daoist Xuanyuan stared toward the east.
The Celestial Furnace Sectâs moveâpulling the rug out from under himâhad pushed him to the brink.
"Wang Xiedi..." he muttered to himself,
"You... must accomplish something..."
He pinned his hopes on the Heart-Connected Fruit he had just sent out, praying that this investment would be the last.
And back in the NPC residential area within the sectâs heartland, Wang Xiedi and Su Lingâer had also finalized their plan for the next step...