Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

While the City Lord was putting on his one-man show, Su Ling’er had already fled far away.

A streak of sword light cut across the sky. Su Ling’er was performing Sword Flight, her sleeves rustling in the wind.

Her destination: Qingxu Mountain.

’How long has it been... since the Sect Leader sent me to the Guixi Sect as an undercover agent? I can’t even remember clearly myself... After the Sect Leader died, is Qingxu Temple... still even there?’

’I want to go back and see it, just once. To see my former home, and the past that holds all my memories of when I first started my Cultivation...’

...

「Meanwhile, in the rear garden of the Su Mansion in Anhe City.」

Inside a gazebo, the siblings Su Wenxuan and Su Wenjing sat on either side of Lin Qingfeng. Their eyes were wide with adoration and curiosity as they listened to his tales of a martial world they had never even heard of.

Lin Qingfeng had long since reverted to his original appearance. He now held an old, worn-out storybook he had produced from who-knows-where, his expression solemn and his voice full of passion.

He was telling the story of the "Nine Streams Sect."

"...It is said that years ago, when foreign invaders came and our lands were shattered, in that moment of crisis, the Nine Streams Sect emerged from obscurity and put out a call to arms!" Lin Qingfeng slammed his hand on the stone table, his voice booming like a great bell. "What are the Nine Streams? The three religions and the nine schools of thought—all are welcome in my sect! We roam the four seas, free as the Nine Streams! As the saying goes, ’Do not scorn the Nine Streams for their poverty and low birth, for the poor and lowly have never been easy to bully!’"

(Ten thousand words omitted here...)

"In that battle, the heroic predecessors of the Nine Streams Sect, in their fight to protect our homeland, were almost all killed on the battlefield! When famine struck after the war, it was the Nine Streams Sect again who opened their granaries to feed the masses! Remember: what is death in the face of gratitude? Heroes have always risen from the common folk!"

This passionate story made Su Wenxuan’s blood boil with excitement, and his little face flushed red.

"I want to join the Nine Streams Sect too!" He leaped up from the stone stool, waving his small fists and shouting, "I want to be a great hero of the Nine Streams Sect! Boss! Let me join!"

Lin Qingfeng’s story had planted a seed called the "Nine Streams Sect" in his young heart, filling him with boundless admiration.

Meanwhile, although Su Wenjing was also listening with great interest, she still muttered under her breath, "But... I still think the stories about Cultivation are better. I still want to be a cultivator..."

Just then, led by a servant from the Su Mansion, Wang Xiedi and Li Chunfeng walked through the moon gate and into the rear garden.

Seeing Su Wenxuan’s excited expression, Lin Qingfeng smiled with satisfaction. He reached out, patted Su Wenxuan’s head, and said in a deadpan voice, "Good! You’ve got ambition! Since you’ve accepted me as your boss, I won’t hide it from you—the current Sect Leader of the Nine Streams Sect and I are sworn brothers. Today, I shall accept you into the sect on his behalf!"

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist and, from out of nowhere, produced a brass rat mask painted with colorful lacquer, which he handed to Su Wenxuan.

"Put this on. From this day forward, you are a member of the Nine Streams Sect!"

"WHOA!!!" Su Wenxuan let out a cheer. He took the heavy mask with both hands and carefully placed it on his face. "Boss! I’m a member of the Nine Streams Sect now! I’m going to be the Sect Leader of the Nine Streams Sect someday!"

Lin Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself: ’Perfect. The sister is a guide for the Guixi Sect, and the brother will be here in the mortal world, carrying the banner for my Nine Streams Sect. Perfect!’

He solemnly patted Su Wenxuan’s shoulder and said, in a tone as if he were entrusting an entire kingdom, "The future of the Nine Streams Sect rests on your shoulders to carry it to greatness!"

Su Wenxuan puffed out his small chest and replied loudly, "Boss! I definitely will!"

Wang Xiedi, who had just walked into the courtyard, happened to see this exact scene. He was instantly dumbfounded, his mind buzzing.

’Wait... Eldest Brother, what are you doing now?!’

’Nine Streams Sect? Hold on! That name... Why does it sound like I’ve heard the senior Evil Cultivators in the sect mention it before? HISS—th-this couldn’t be the old name for the Guixi Sect, could it?! How could you just hand it over to a child?’

’He’s just a kid!!!’

’Kid! Run! Do you think that’s a hero’s mask? That’s an admission ticket to a den of thieves! Your Eldest Brother is trying to raise you to be the leader of the Beggar Gang!’

He recalled the terror of being at the mercy of his Eldest Brother back at the sect. Now, seeing this ignorant and happy child, even though he could barely fend for himself, he wanted to act on his last shred of conscience and save the boy!

"E-Eldest Brother! Please, show some mercy!"

"This name, the Nine Streams Sect... isn’t it... isn’t it a bit too ’heavy’ for him? He’s just a child. Wh-what if in the future..."

’Eldest Brother, have a heart! Don’t trick the young master of a wealthy family into becoming a beggar!’

Only then did Lin Qingfeng slowly turn his head. Seeing Wang Xiedi’s ravaged expression and the equally dumbfounded Li Chunfeng beside him, he flashed a kind and friendly smile.

"Oh? So it’s my little Junior Brother and Mr. Li."

He glanced at Su Wenxuan, who was peeking out from behind him with half his head, glaring at Wang Xiedi. He then retorted with self-righteous confidence, "Junior Brother, you are mistaken. The moment I saw this child, Wenxuan, I knew he was a one-in-a-million prodigy of the Nine Streams Sect. How could he not be up to the task? I think he has the very spirit of the Nine Streams Sect of old! Wouldn’t you agree, Wenxuan?"

"Right!" Su Wenxuan immediately stepped out from behind Lin Qingfeng, planted his small hands on his hips, stuck out his neck, and shouted excitedly, "I will definitely carry the banner of the Nine Streams Sect! Don’t you look down on me!"

Watching the big one and the little one, Wang Xiedi felt a mouthful of old blood get stuck in his throat, and he almost spat it out on the spot.

’I offer my heart to the bright moon, but the moon shines on the ditch instead! Kid, I’m trying to save you!’

’Fine, there’s no getting through to them.’

In that case, he couldn’t be bothered with the Nine Streams Sect anymore. He was filled with grievances that had nowhere to go!

"Eldest Brother! Forget the Nine Streams Sect! You need to deal with me first!"

"Let me ask you something! The moment I entered the city, before I could even catch my breath, I was being chased all over the streets!"

"There were people crying and shouting that they wanted to marry me, people with knives trying to chop me up, and even people grabbing me, insisting on talking about some multi-million-dollar business deal! What in the world is going on?!"

"They were all shouting the name ’Wang Xiedi’! Eldest Brother... that name?!"

’I know it was you! It had to be you! No one else would pull something like this!’

Hearing this, Lin Qingfeng slowly raised his head, gazed at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, and said leisurely, "Alas, perhaps it is because you, Junior Brother, are so famous, naturally beautiful, and overwhelmingly popular."

"Popular?!"

Wang Xiedi was about to lose his mind. He plopped down on a stone stool, clutched his head with both hands, and slumped in defeat. "Big bro! My dearest brother! Just stop messing with me!"

"When you say that, can’t you... can’t you at least look me in the eye? Your guilt is written all over your face!"

"My life! Why is it so miserable... I just wanted to be a quiet nobody, so why did I become the entire city’s public enemy and national husband the moment I walked through the gates!"

"Eldest Brother, did you use my face to do anything else outrageous... no, I mean, earth-shattering? Can you just give it to me straight so I can at least die knowing why?"

"Alas," Lin Qingfeng rubbed his eyes and sighed deeply. "My eyesight hasn’t been very good lately, and the wind is especially noisy today. Perhaps some sand got in my eyes."

"Oh, heavens! Oh, earth! Why is my fate so bitter..."

Seeing Wang Xiedi’s utterly miserable, life-is-meaningless expression, Lin Qingfeng shrank back slightly.

’Seriously, is it that bad? How about I just give you the prize from the competition? You were the winner in name, after all. Besides, the Celestial Furnace Sect Heart Skill is pretty useless. It’s better for you to stick with cultivating your Myriad Aspects of the Mortal Realm.’

’And so, it’s happily decided!’

...

「On the other side, at Qingxu Mountain.」

The sword light faded, and Su Ling’er’s figure slowly descended before a mountain gate that was both familiar and strange.

The mountain steps were already covered in withered, yellow leaves. The RUSTLE they made when stepped on seemed exceptionally clear in the dead silence...