Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

’The so-called righteous path doesn’t seem to be so great, and this demonic sect... well, its internal dynamics are definitely what you’d expect from one.’

’But the way Eldest Brother and some of the others acted... it didn’t match the image of evil cultivators I had in my mind. A strange feeling lingered within her. Since entering the city, he hadn’t killed any ordinary people—at most, he’d just played a few pranks.’

But no matter what, she didn’t want either of them to step into the quagmire of cultivation.

"You two, stop daydreaming about this stuff. Eat your dinner. Later, I’m going to confiscate all those cultivation novels in your rooms."

"What?!"

Su Wenxuan and Su Wenjing both cried out in shock. Her younger brother, Su Wenxuan, dropped his chopsticks on the table and shot to his feet, his face a mask of indignation.

"But why, Sis! It took me forever to save up my allowance to buy those novels!" Her younger sister, Su Wenjing, felt her eyes well up with tears. She grabbed Su Ling’er’s sleeve and shook it back and forth.

"Please don’t, Sis! I still want to read the story of the Sword Immortal, Li Xiaobai! He hasn’t even defeated the great demon king yet!"

"Yeah!" Su Wenxuan chimed in. "You’re an Immortal now, Sis, so why won’t you let us read them anymore? You used to love them more than anyone!"

Seeing the hurt and angry expressions on her siblings’ faces, Su Ling’er sighed inwardly.

’These novels are poison,’ she thought. ’They paint cultivation in such a beautiful light, filling these two kids’ heads with fantasies. They think it’s some glorious path filled with swift justice, thrilling feuds, and romantic adventures.’

’How could they possibly know that the path is paved with skeletons and schemes? If they let their guard down around cultivators because of these stories, they could be doomed beyond redemption.’

She looked at her siblings’ pouting lips and felt a pang of helplessness. But then she remembered the bloodshed in the canyon, and her heart hardened once more. She reached out and patted her sister’s head.

"Wenjing, the stories in those novels are all lies."

"When you’re a little older and have a better understanding of the world, I’ll give them back. But for now, I can’t let you be misled by those unrealistic dreams."

Su Wenxuan and Su Wenjing were still pouting, their faces sullen, but seeing the unyielding look in their sister’s eyes, they didn’t dare argue further. They just sat back down in a huff, angrily jabbing at the rice in their bowls with their chopsticks.

After they had eaten their fill, the family dispersed.

Su Ling’er carried a lantern, leading Lin Qingfeng through a covered walkway toward the quarters arranged for him. The rain had stopped, and droplets clung to the banana leaves outside the corridor, shimmering in the lantern’s glow.

"Seriously, was that necessary?" Lin Qingfeng asked from behind, breaking the silence as he watched her silent back. It brought back some unpleasant childhood memories. "They’re just reading some novels. Don’t you think confiscating all of them is a bit much?"

Su Ling’er stopped and turned. The lantern light illuminated her serious face. She offered Lin Qingfeng an apologetic smile. "My apologies, Eldest Brother. I just... I don’t want them to bring shame to the Guixi Sect."

"The Cultivation Realm in those novels is depicted so shallowly. How could they ever capture even a fraction of the magnificence of a person like you, Eldest Brother?"

"If they read that rubbish and start thinking all Immortals are stuffy and pedantic, what if they meet a true hero like you someday but fail to recognize your greatness? Wouldn’t it be terrible if they accidentally caused offense?"

"In the novels, the righteous path is the righteous path. Immortals are portrayed as ethereal and noble, slaying demons, vanquishing evil, and cherishing all life. And the demonic path is the demonic path—its followers do nothing but evil and slaughter the innocent indiscriminately."

"This simplistic dichotomy gives those who have never entered our world a false sense of security. They start to believe that as long as someone is from a so-called ’righteous’ sect, they are inherently trustworthy."

She thought of Mr. Huohua from the Celestial Furnace Sect, remembering the vile look on his face.

"Take that elder from the Celestial Furnace Sect we met in the canyon. In the novels, someone of his status would be an ethereal, compassionate senior. But in reality? The moment he opened his mouth, he demanded a life for a life."

"Besides, they don’t have Spirit Roots, so they can’t enter the Cultivation Realm. It’s better they learn to maintain a healthy dose of awe and suspicion toward all unfamiliar, powerful beings. After all, the aftershocks from a cultivator’s battle can destroy an entire street in an instant. In their eyes, the lives of mortals are likely... insignificant. If my siblings were to encounter someone like that, instead of a true hero like you, Eldest Brother, it would be best for them to run as far away as possible."

"So... it’s better to take the novels away, to keep them from developing a dangerously narrow view of the world."

Lin Qingfeng listened to her explanation and raised an eyebrow.

’Well now... why do these words sound so pleasant?’

’I know she’s just sucking up to me, but that’s a damn clever angle. And she managed to prop me up as a "true hero" in the process.’

’Not bad. This girl has a bright future!’

Lin Qingfeng nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed. What kind of Cultivation Realm is that? It’s just stuff to fool children."

The two continued to walk in silence along the walkway. Su Ling’er held the lantern, but her thoughts began to drift. ’Eldest Brother always so boldly declares that the Guixi Sect is righteous. It was the most absurd joke I’d ever heard.’

’But... the things I saw today in Anhe City have filled me with fresh confusion.’

’According to the novels, an Eldest Brother from a demonic sect leading disciples into a mortal city should have been a disaster. Massacring the populace, refining souls, abducting young boys and girls... all of that should have been par for the course. I had even prepared myself to fight to the death.’

’And yet, Eldest Brother and his followers did none of that.’

’They even went around begging like paupers, but they didn’t kill a single innocent person. Well... their behavior did cause a bit of a commotion, I’ll admit.’

’This stood in stark contrast to the cruelty I’ve seen within the sect, where my fellow disciples’ lives are treated as disposable.’

’Could it be... that the ’demonic’ nature of the Guixi Sect is directed only at its own members?’

’Or perhaps, in their eyes, mortals are simply too weak to be worth the effort to kill?’

’Whichever it was, it meant the Guixi Sect wasn’t a group of Evil Cultivators who existed solely to commit evil and slaughter, as I’d first thought. At least for ordinary people, they wouldn’t have to live in constant fear of being murdered out of the blue...’

This caused the fissure in her heart to widen just a little more.

Lin Qingfeng, for his part, was unconcerned. He followed Su Ling’er to a standalone courtyard.

Su Ling’er pushed open the courtyard gate. "Eldest Brother, you can rest here tonight. This is the best guest room in the mansion."

Lin Qingfeng craned his neck to peek inside, then turned back to Su Ling’er. "Guest room?"

"Shouldn’t I be in the master bedroom? Why’d you bring me here?"

Su Ling’er froze. ’Wait... aren’t you a guest?! If not the guest room, where else would you stay? Does he want to sleep in my parents’ room?!’

This comment, which was perfectly in line with a player’s logic and yet remarkably restrained, completely shattered Su Ling’er’s perception. After all, it was commonplace for a player to take over the master’s space without so much as a question. The original owners could count themselves lucky if they weren’t thrown out onto the street or killed outright.

Lin Qingfeng looked at her dumbfounded expression and continued, "Sigh. The world is cold, and people’s hearts are colder! All that praise I heaped on you at dinner, and you won’t even give me the master bedroom."

His words gave Su Ling’er a headache. ’It’s so hard having to come up with new lies every single day!’

"Oh! How thoughtless of me!"

"For someone of your status, Eldest Brother, even making this entire Su Mansion your personal palace would be an injustice!"

"It’s just... my parents are mortals, after all. They’re rather traditional, and asking them to give up their room would surely upset them and cause unnecessary trouble."

"Eldest Brother is always so understanding of mortal customs, and your heart is as vast as the ocean. Surely you wouldn’t stoop to bickering with mere mortals... right?"

She blinked her big, innocent eyes, which now seemed to be filled with twinkling stars. Seeing her act, Lin Qingfeng couldn’t help but laugh.

’This Junior Sister of mine isn’t the least bit impudent anymore. She’s become quite the sly one. Still... being buttered up like this feels damn good.’

"Fine, fine." Lin Qingfeng waved his hand dismissively, putting on a magnanimous air. "I wouldn’t want to disturb the old folks."

"Besides," he continued, "this guest room has its own ’Way.’ It is situated in a corner of the estate, the ’position of the guest,’ which aligns with the etiquette that ’a guest comes from afar.’ It also aligns with the principle that ’the Way must not disturb the mundane.’"

"I shall deign to stay here and experience the life of a mortal."

"Eldest Brother is truly noble!" Su Ling’er immediately gave him a thumbs-up, her face a mask of adoration. "To see worldly splendor as fleeting clouds and be content with any situation—that is the state of a true Immortal! I have learned a valuable lesson!"

This latest round of flattery sent a pleasant warmth spreading through Lin Qingfeng’s entire body.

’She’s providing some top-tier emotional validation. As the "big boss," I can’t be too stingy, can I?’

He fumbled around in his sleeve. He had originally planned to give her something random, but now he decided to up the ante.

"Alright, that’s enough. Any more flattery and I’ll float right up to the heavens."

Lin Qingfeng smiled and shook his head. He pulled two items from his storage pouch and tossed them to Su Ling’er.

One was a neatly folded piece of light gauze.

The other was an azure Jade Pendant, carved with simple patterns.

"Since you’ve got such a silver tongue, these are for you."