???
'What is she talking about?'
Lin Qingfeng's face was a mess of question marks.
'What just happened?'
'What did I even do? I just saw you standing there like a wooden post and gave you a little tap. That's all, right?'
'You're the one acting strange. What kind of reaction is this?'
'I'm the one who should be asking what's gotten into you!'
Meanwhile, Su Ling'er's mind was in turmoil.
'This fiend's Body Technique is so bizarre! I didn't even notice when he got close!'
'That was no simple touch. It must have been some kind of vicious, evil art that I couldn't see through!'
'Did he plant some kind of mark on me?'
'Or... did he place some kind of vicious curse on me?'
The thought that she had just entered the demonic sect's gates only to be subjected to some unspeakable treatment filled Su Ling'er with grief and indignation. The rims of her eyes immediately reddened.
'I've come this far to uphold the righteous path, shouldering the great responsibility entrusted to me by my sect...'
'Must I suffer such humiliation for this?!'
Seeing the red-robed girl's eyes well up with tears, Lin Qingfeng felt a major headache coming on.
'This is bad.'
'Is this NPC's code bugged?'
'How can a single pat trigger a crying scene? Are game physics engines really this sensitive now?'
'Calm down. I have to stay calm!'
'This is a quest! Recruiting new members is a quest issued by the sect!'
'For the contribution points, for the sect upgrade, for a ticket to the Demon Suppression Ceremony, and most of all, for the chance to go out and explore the world...'
'Endure!'
He took a deep breath and forced his lips into a smile again.
"Junior Sister, please don't misunderstand. I called out to you several times, but you didn't answer. I thought you'd disconnected—oh, I mean, that your spirit had left your body. That's why I tapped you."
Su Ling'er stared at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.
'Like hell I believe you! These are clearly the lies of a fiend!'
'What does he mean I didn't react? He clearly used some evil art to cloud my senses before sneaking up on me!'
'How terrifying...'
'Utterly terrifying!'
'This whole sect radiates pure evil, from the inside out!'
She subconsciously took another step back, increasing the distance between herself and Lin Qingfeng.
She repeated a mantra in her mind:
'He's an Evil Cultivator!'
'I'm a spy!'
'Endure!'
The two locked eyes, a battle of a hundred silent volleys already waged in their minds.
The air was thick with a dead silence.
Lin Qingfeng had already cursed this NPC's designer ten thousand times over in his head.
'The script is bugged again, isn't it?'
'Why are you just staring at me? It's just a tutorial quest! Why is it taking so long to load?!'
'Fine!'
For the sake of the contribution points and the future of the sect, he, the senior brother, decided to be the one to break the stalemate.
He suppressed his annoyance and put on a gentle smile once more.
"The Sect Leader told me to take you to Mr. Qian at the Knowledge Hall to complete your admission procedures. Follow me. From now on, I'm your senior brother. My name is Lin Qingfeng."
Su Ling'er subconsciously nodded upon hearing his words.
She watched Lin Qingfeng's retreating back, his silhouette gradually merging with the image of the Abyss Demon King from the storybooks. A purely physical shudder ran through her.
But she kept telling herself she couldn't back down.
'Not yet. I can't back down yet!'
'For the Sect Leader's promise! For the future that comes with Washing Marrow! For the great path of Foundation Establishment!'
'And more importantly, to enact justice on Heaven's behalf!'
'I, Su Ling'er, will fight you and this den of demons to the death!'
...
Lin Qingfeng led the way, with Su Ling'er following behind.
She kept her head lowered, carefully controlling her steps to maintain what she deemed a safe distance, her mind racing all the while.
'No, I can't be this passive!'
'I'm here to spy and gather intelligence. I have to be proactive!'
'This senior brother before me is eerie, but he doesn't seem to be on guard against me. This is my chance!'
Su Ling'er gave herself a silent pep talk. Then she looked up, doing her best to sound like a naive and curious young girl, new to the world of cultivation.
"S-Senior... Brother..."
"Hm? Is something the matter, Junior Sister?"
"I-It's just..."
Su Ling'er pointed a finger first toward the sect gate, then at the Spirit Grass at their feet.
"Why is it so different inside the sect gate compared to outside?"
"Oh, that."
Lin Qingfeng visibly relaxed when he heard the question.
'She finally asked a normal question. The NPC has stopped bugging out. I was honestly afraid she was going to ask some deep philosophical question like, 'What is the nature of the Dao?' I'd have had to make something up on the spot.'
He cleared his throat and began his explanation.
"You see, Junior Sister, while the land outside the sect gate is part of the world, it isn't our sect's domain. Simply put, the sect's BUFF (which the NPC automatically translates as 'blessing') doesn't extend out there."
"Besides, 'heavenly materials and earthly treasures belong to the worthy.'"
"If we left them outside the sect's bounds, it would just invite others to covet and pilfer them. Wouldn't that be giving away our sect's fortune to outsiders for nothing? So, naturally, we had to move everything within the sect's territory."
"This way, all the resources produced are for our own use, and they even get an extra boost from the sect's BUFF (blessing)."
At this, Lin Qingfeng sighed with a hint of regret.
"It's a shame our sect's level (rank) is still too low. Otherwise, I'd love to enclose this entire Luohai Peak within our borders."
"If we could do that, how could we let a single opportunity slip by? You must understand: a mighty river is formed from single drops that are never lost. To claim all fortune for oneself—that is the very foundation of our sect."
"You still have a lot to learn, Junior Sister!"
Lin Qingfeng looked at Su Ling'er with a self-satisfied expression, proud of how he'd creatively applied that bit of wisdom he'd picked up on the forums.
Su Ling'er was completely bewildered.
'Blessing? Rank?'
'An Evil Cultivator sect cares about things like that?'
But as she followed the logic of his words, the horrifying meaning behind them began to surface.
'When he said the "blessing doesn't extend," he meant the polluting influence of their demonic arts isn't wide enough yet!'
'When he said he was "afraid of them being pilfered," he meant they can't let righteous Cultivators have even a sliver of a chance to thrive!'
'So they use their evil arts to plunder all life and spiritual treasures from the outside world, hoarding them here! That way, all the benefits are theirs, and their evil techniques even receive "extra nourishment"!'
'His regret about the "rank being too low" means he wishes their demonic arts were even stronger, strong enough to drain the entire mountain into a barren wasteland!'
'And that final line...'
'Every last drop of benefit must be seized for themselves, never letting outsiders have any of it. That is the very foundation of their sect...'
'This...'
'Isn't this a demonic manifesto, one that treats plunder and pillaging as the natural order of things?!'
'This truly is an evil, demonic sect!'
'A den of ravenous beasts with tyranny and greed etched into their very bones!'
'And she... a poor, weak, and helpless disciple of the righteous path...'
'...was about to join their ranks today!'