Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

’That’s slander! I could sue you for defamation!’

Then, Lin Qingfeng calmly replied, "Ling’er, you’re being a little unfair to me."

"Ahem," he cleared his throat and explained gently, "I didn’t do anything. He was the one who insisted on making me his boss. I merely saw that Wenxuan is an exceptionally bright kid with a good head on his shoulders, so I told him some heroic tales I’d heard about the ’Nine Streams Sect’ from my early days of roaming the lands. I also happened to give him a few biographies and storybooks left by our predecessors. That’s all."

"That’s right!" Su Wenxuan nodded vigorously from the side. "The Nine Streams Sect is the world’s greatest righteous sect! I’m going to join the Nine Streams Sect like Boss and become a great hero who rights wrongs and upholds justice!"

"A great hero?"

Su Ling’er felt her vision go dark. She looked at him feebly, her eyes filled with a desperate plea to be spared. "M-Mr. Lin... are you sure... that what the Nine Streams Sect does are all heroic deeds to uphold justice? This kid is still young, please don’t... don’t play this kind of joke on him..."

"But of course." Lin Qingfeng picked up his teacup, gently blew on the floating leaves, and spoke with his gaze lowered. "The members of the Nine Streams Sect may come from all walks of life, but their actions are always chivalrous, punishing the wicked and promoting good. This is beyond question."

Su Ling’er’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

’Chivalrous deeds? Punishing the wicked and promoting good? You mean poking someone’s laughter acupoint so they laugh until they twitch? Or do you mean taking over my family’s guest rooms, forcing the construction of that bizarre building, and throwing in a racetrack for good measure?! Does any of the bullshit you’re spouting have anything to do with what you people are actually doing?!’

She took a deep breath, suppressing her urge to break down. She began to patiently coax her younger brother, trying to rescue the family’s only young shoot from the demon’s clutches.

"Wenxuan... stop thinking about all this nonsense. The outside world is a dangerous place... You’re the only heir of the Su Family. You should just focus on your studies, earn a title, and become a court official. That’s the proper path... Listen to your big sister, won’t you?"

"I don’t want to!" With a stubborn expression, Su Wenxuan darted behind Lin Qingfeng and made a face at Su Ling’er, clearly having accepted this "amiable big brother" as his protector.

Su Ling’er watched her brother hide behind the fiend. ’A lamb to the slaughter!’

She didn’t dare reach out and grab him, so all she could do was look up at Lin Qingfeng. "Mr. Lin! Please... please go easy on him... stop... stop teasing him, will you?"

"Ling’er, you are mistaken," Lin Qingfeng said, shaking his head with a solemn expression. "Every trade has its master. Studying to become an official is a proper path, but so is being a chivalrous hero. Wenxuan has such aspirations. As his elders, we should be encouraging him. How can we just suppress him? Don’t you get it?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Su Wenxuan nodded frantically behind Lin Qingfeng.

Su Ling’er: ...

She closed her eyes.

’I’m tired. Just let it all burn. This family is beyond saving.’

And so, the meal ended amidst all the bickering.

...

「Meanwhile...」 In the shadow of the locust tree across from the Su Mansion, a figure tilted his head back, his neck growing sore.

’What’s going on? Why hasn’t the Su Family’s Immortal returned from the heavens? I’ve been staring my eyes out, and all I’ve seen are the silhouettes of a few birds.’

Dinner ended on a lively note, filled with the war of words between Su Ling’er and Lin Qingfeng, and Su Wenxuan’s occasional righteous interjections.

After dinner, Mr. Su watched the cheerful group with a rare smile on his face. He set down his teacup and said to Su Ling’er, "Ling’er, you’re not home often, and it’s your friends’ first time in Anhe City. It’s still early. You should take them out for a walk, let them stretch their legs and see the sights of our city at night."

"Yes, Father." Su Ling’er agreed obediently. All she wanted right now was to escort this great deity out of the Su Mansion, lest he have a sudden whim and really lead her foolish little brother away to become a beggar.

So, the group once again rose noisily and headed for the Su Mansion’s main gate.

...

「Night had already fallen.」

In the shadow of the locust tree across from the Su Mansion, the figure slowly stretched his neck, which was so stiff it had nearly gone numb. His joints made a faint, cracking sound.

’What’s happening?’

He had been looking up since sunset, waiting until the sky was filled with stars. He’d stared so hard his eyes ached. In the vast, dark sky, besides a few birds returning late to their nests, not even the hem of an Immortal’s robe had fluttered past.

’The Su Family’s Immortal... Is it possible she’s not coming back tonight? Or... did she already leave?’

The thought was like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head, making the figure’s heart clench.

’No... that can’t be! Those fools from the government can’t find the truth, but an Immortal... an Immortal must have a way!’

’This is my only hope! My last resort! If I can’t even find this Immortal... then the injustice she suffered... doesn’t that mean...’

Just as doubts swirled in his mind and he was about to give up on his vigil for the night— "CREAK—"

Not far away, the Su Mansion’s vermilion-lacquered main gate was pushed open from within. The sound of several young people laughing and talking drifted over clearly.

The figure’s pupils contracted. His whole body tensed in an instant! Holding his breath, he stared fixedly at the gateway.

And there she was, the person he had been waiting so desperately for—Su Ling’er. She was laughing and chatting with a few friends as she... just walked out of the main gate like a normal person.

’She... walked out? She didn’t fly back using Sword Control... she just... walked out the front door?’

The figure froze completely, his mind a total blank.

’When did the Immortal return?! To come without a shadow and leave without a trace... invisible to mortal eyes—that is the true power of an Immortal! The case the government can’t solve must be child’s play for her!’

’She can do it... She can definitely do it!’

This thought instantly ignited all the hope that had been building up inside him!

Mu Ling steeled himself, no longer caring if he was being rash. He shot out from the shadows in a single bound. With a THUD, his knees hit the stone slabs as he fell to the ground before Su Ling’er and her companions!

He ignored the sharp pain shooting up from his knees. Still kneeling, he shuffled forward a few steps on his knees, raised his hands high above his head, and cried out in a desperate, choked voice, "Immortal! Oh, Immortal! I beg you to find justice for my fiancée! Qinyao... there’s no way she would have taken her own life! I implore you, Immortal, please uncover the truth!!"

This sudden turn of events startled Su Ling’er and her friends, who all halted in their tracks. Su Ling’er looked closer and recognized the crazed man before them as Mu Ling, the storyteller from the Yuelai Inn.

’What’s he doing here? And... he’s saying An Qinyao didn’t kill herself? How does he know that?’

"Mr. Mu? Please get up. You can tell me what’s wrong." Filled with confusion, Su Ling’er instinctively stepped forward to help him up.

However, Mu Ling didn’t seem to hear her and remained firmly on his knees. He kowtowed, then pulled out a pile of items he had prepared, emptying them from his robes. With trembling hands, he pushed them all toward Su Ling’er’s feet.

It was a few crumpled silver notes, a house deed with his name on it, some scattered pieces of silver, and even a land deed... it was his entire life’s savings. "Immortal... I know you probably have no use for these worldly possessions... but-but this is everything I have!"

Only Lin Qingfeng’s gaze landed on Mu Ling with great interest as he sized him up.

In his vision, a series of entries invisible to anyone else appeared clearly.

[Mu Ling]: Four-Element Pseudo Spirit Root (Wood, Water, Metal, Fire). Prospects on the path of immortality are grim. Dull aptitude, lowest-grade constitution.

[Storyteller]: (???)

[System Prompt: Specific information for this entry can be viewed after he has been initiated into a sect.]

’Oh? Finally found someone with entries! Looks like this man has definitely been wronged!’