Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

Lin Qingfeng stared at the line on his panel, [Demons Causing Chaos], and a question mark formed in his mind.

’What’s going on? Where are these demons? What chaos?’

’I just played a tower defense game in my own courtyard and fought off a wave of monsters who came looking to die. How did things escalate to this degree?’

’Are these people from the Imperial Court that sheltered?’

Lin Qingfeng’s gaze moved down, landing on the red-clothed young woman beside him who was refilling his tea.

Su Ling’er was still in an "autopilot" state.

Lifting the pot, pouring the water, setting it down again... while a bit odd, she still just looked like a maid with a few quirks.

’She didn’t even activate the demonized form of her Sword Refining Skill this battle. She didn’t transform at all. How does she look like a demon?’

Lin Qingfeng opened the battle statistics from just now.

[Heavy-Armored Infantry Kills: 321]

(Evaluation: Not even a meat grinder is this efficient.)

[Su Ling’er Kills: 110]

(Evaluation: For a handmaiden, killing this many is already quite impressive.)

[Sharpshooter Kills: 108]

(Evaluation: King Yama’s special express delivery.)

[Auto-Turret Kills: 76]

(Evaluation: Emptied three basic loads of ammunition. Pure suppressive fire.)

The data made it clear: his junior sister’s kill count was unremarkable.

And yet, those people from the Imperial Court somehow blew these results into a world-ending catastrophe.

’Are they out of their minds?’

’When it comes to brutality, aren’t the heavy-armored infantry who turned people into mincemeat far worse than her? When it comes to deviousness, aren’t the sharpshooters taking potshots from behind the walls more malicious?’

’If anything, shouldn’t I be the real mastermind, the one bankrolling this whole thing from behind the scenes?’

’But no, they went and pinned the whole shit-pot on my junior sister.’

’Wait, a pot of shit, you say? Oh, never mind then.’

Besides, Lin Qingfeng had a good idea why.

It was also possible that the [Rhythmic Executioner] title was doing its job.

’This title probably has a built-in mental corruption aura, twisting an account on autopilot into some psychotic monster who delights in slaughter.’

Lin Qingfeng looked at Su Ling’er and sighed heavily.

This sigh was filled with the senior brother’s concern for the future of the sect.

’The Guixi Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect, after all. Even if its methods occasionally (okay, frequently) stray from the path, we still have to keep up appearances.’

’The Guixi Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect! How could we produce such a demonic degenerate! Dammit! Our pure, innocent Guixi Sect is being dragged through the mud by this girl alone!’

’It’s all my junior sister’s fault! It has nothing to do with our sect, you hear me?! We must sever all ties!!!’

The "pure and incorruptible" (fame-chasing) Lin Qingfeng couldn’t help but sigh as he looked in Su Ling’er’s direction.

"Sigh~"

Su Ling’er, who was being controlled by the system to pour tea, trembled slightly.

Although she couldn’t control her body freely, her consciousness was clear.

’Why did Senior Brother sigh?’

’Was my rhythm half a beat too slow when I poured the tea just now? Or was the water temperature not up to Senior Brother’s standards for tea tasting and enlightenment?’

’Or... did Senior Brother think I was too slow in killing those hundred-odd Evil Cultivators, losing face for him?’

Su Ling’er was terrified, wishing she could rush out immediately and fight those Evil Cultivators who had no cultivation for several hundred more rounds to redeem herself.

But while his junior sister beside him was having a brainstorm, Lin Qingfeng’s attention had already been captured by the reward settlement popping up in the bottom right corner of his panel.

As the situation rating was violently yanked up from [Local Rebellion] to [Demons Causing Chaos], the system’s reward pool had also "inflated."

[Additional Special Rewards for Mission Success:]

[Free Attribute Points: 15]

[Reward Obtained: Medium-Grade Spirit Stones ×1000]

[Special Item Obtained: Weapon Promotion Stone ×1]

[Rare Consumable Obtained: Artifact Replication Order (Sword-type) ×1]

(Note: Can be used to forcibly copy an exclusive Cultivation Technique or special skill attached to a sword-type weapon, converting it into a learnable Skill Book.)

Lin Qingfeng’s slightly disdainful expression instantly vanished.

’A thousand medium-grade Spirit Stones?’

’And an Artifact Replication Order that can copy weapon skills?’

He picked up his teacup again, gently blew away the foam, his movements so elegant it was as if the person who had been complaining earlier wasn’t him at all.

’Actually, on second thought, those people from the Imperial Court might be blind, but they sure know how to sweet-talk.’

’A demon, you say? Fine by me.’

’As long as the price is right, forget being a demon. If you asked me to be Thanos, I’d even snap my fingers for you just to liven things up.’

’Pah! No, that’s not right! What demon? This is pure slander against our righteous sect and its disciples! It’s a conspiracy born from the collusion between the demonic path and this evil dynasty!’

’How is my junior sister bringing shame to the sect?’

’She is clearly sacrificing her own reputation to illuminate her senior brother’s wallet! And she used herself as bait to draw out the real Evil Cultivators!’

’What kind of spirit is this? This is the spirit of fearless dedication!’

The way Lin Qingfeng looked at Su Ling’er changed.

’She’s no psychotic demoness; she’s clearly a money-making prodigy who lays golden eggs. A perfect match for me, indeed.’

"Well done."

Lin Qingfeng rose, walked to the edge of the terrace, and stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

It was dusk.

The setting sun bathed the manor, which had previously witnessed such slaughter, in a golden hue.

’That fat steward, flying the banner of Nabo Garden benefiting the common people, was in reality a greedy extortionist.’

’That City Lord, who was supposed to be a father to his people, took bribes, deliberately distorted the truth, and forced good people into prostitution.’

’And that so-called "Ghost Hand" Mr. Wang, who publicly auctioned off the goodwill of others as bargaining chips in the underground black market.’

’Each and every one of these acts was monstrous, devouring people without spitting out the bones.’

’When they exploited the common folk, no one called them demons.’

’When they drove people to ruin and death, no one called it an era of chaos.’

’Now that they’ve kicked an iron plate and gotten their heads chopped off, they start wailing and crying, taking the moral high ground to condemn their opponents as "demons."’

’How absurd this world is.’

’If it weren’t for my money-is-power ability, if I were a free-to-play player, I’d probably be a pile of dried bones at the foot of the city wall by now, dismissed in the history books as just another "rebellious peasant."’

Lin Qingfeng tilted his head back, gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, leaving Su Ling’er with a view of his desolate and proud back.

He shook his head gently, his voice low, filled with three parts helplessness and seven parts pity:

"Sigh~ I had no intention of vying for power, but alas, the common people suffer. You foul demons have truly brought me much trouble."

Those words, combined with the afterglow of the sunset, were just short of having "great, glorious, and correct" written all over him.

Behind him, Su Ling’er’s pupils contracted sharply.

She stared at his back.

She... was enlightened!

’So Senior Brother’s earlier sigh wasn’t because he was dissatisfied with the tea, nor was it because he disdained my heavy-handed slaughter.’

’He was lamenting the corruption of this world!’

’He was pitying all the living beings oppressed by similar circumstances!’

’Despite possessing the power to suppress anything with a wave of his hand, he was willing to bear the false accusation of being a rebel just to uproot the cancer of Jinnan City.’

’What magnanimity!’

’What spirit!’

’Good and evil, immortal and demon—in Senior Brother’s eyes, they are nothing but passing clouds.’

’He is throwing himself into the fray, carving out a bloody path toward a hidden light in this unwinnable game set up by the Demon Venerable!’

Su Ling’er felt her blood boil, and even her stiff body, controlled by the game, seemed to fill with strength.

’Is this Senior Brother’s Dao?’

’Even if spat upon by ten thousand people, even if the whole world becomes his enemy, he will hold true to his heart. "Though thousands upon thousands of men may oppose me, I will go on!"’

...

Just then, the surrounding scenery shattered again and began to shift rapidly, while the text before Lin Qingfeng’s eyes refreshed continuously.

[The old fogey of an emperor summoned several "great righteous experts" who were enshrined by the imperial family overnight.]

[These elders from prestigious sects could tell at a glance that the Demonic Qi and red eyes in the Memory Stone were added later. The Evil Cultivator seemed to be only a low-level one, though she gave off the impression of being a psychopath. But they saw something else: the donated magical swords, dice, and paintings at Nabo Garden seemed to have some interesting origins.]

[The great experts exchanged a look of tacit understanding. Since the emperor wanted a demon exterminated, then this had to be a demon. And not just any demon, but a world-ending fiend not seen in ten thousand years. So they seized the opportunity to make an exorbitant demand, asking for half of the national treasury’s Spirit Stone resources for the "extermination effort."]

[They spouted nonsense like "If this demon is not eliminated, the nation will fall!" and "The Demonic Qi has already tainted the dragon veins!" Combined with Su Ling’er’s [Rhythmic Executioner] title and the emperor’s own incompetence, the intimidation effect was multiplied. Thus, the emperor ordered an army of one hundred thousand to descend upon the city.]

[Enemy of the State—Activated]

As the light and shadows shifted, dark clouds gathered over Jinnan City, pressing down on it.

One hundred thousand of the Imperial Court’s elite troops stood in formation, the scraping of their armor merging into a grim, murderous torrent of sound.

In mid-air, hundreds of Cultivators in Daoist robes of various colors hovered, their sleeves fluttering as they looked down upon the lone city.

The leading elders were wreathed in spiritual light, their expressions solemn and dignified, pushing the impressive aura of a prestigious righteous sect to its absolute limit.

This force was more than enough to flatten half a province.

Below the city walls, the white-haired old Grand Tutor rode forward from the ranks.

This man was the court’s most famous orator, a master of the Confucian cultivation path. He had once used a single "Memorial to Denounce the Rebels" to verbally abuse three of his political rivals until they vomited blood and died.

He prepared to lead with a thousand-character diatribe, launching a preemptive strike to inflict mental damage and negative status effects on Lin Qingfeng’s forces.

"You brat from the Lin Family! You feed on the emperor’s bounty, yet you do not think of repaying his grace! Instead, you..."

He had barely started his tirade.

VMMMM—!!!

A sound suddenly erupted, drowning out the Grand Tutor’s voice. The high-frequency vibration even startled the warhorses in the front ranks, throwing them into chaos.

On the city walls, thirty-six massive, bronze Vast Righteous Qi Amplification Arrays activated simultaneously.

Behind Lin Qingfeng, the Krypton Gold Confucian Cultivation Group took a step forward.

Their robes were whiter than snow, their wide sleeves fluttering.

They took a deep breath, the vast righteous qi surging in their chests, and then shouted, "Silence, you shameless old scoundrel!"

"I saw your white hair and beard and thought that as the Grand Tutor, you would surely have some grand words to offer before our two armies!"

"Little did I know you would spew such vulgarities! You have sullied my ears!"

"In my view, the real traitors causing chaos in this world are you beasts in human clothing!"

The Confucian Cultivation Group recited in unison: "In the hallowed halls of the court, rotten wood serves as officials! Within the palace walls, beasts feed on the state’s coffers!"

"Men with the hearts of wolves and the deeds of dogs swagger in power, while fawning sycophants hold the reins of government!"

"And you so-called immortal masters! What Dao do you cultivate? What heart do you refine?"

"You call it ’pure cultivation,’ but in reality, you are traitors to the nation! You call it ’slaying demons,’ but in reality, you are pillaging!"

"You steal the good fortune of heaven and earth, yet you do not think of giving back to the people. Instead, you aid the wicked, feeding on the flesh and blood of the populace to fatten yourselves! You treat the people like grass and the nation’s laws like a child’s game!"

"Your mouths are full of righteousness and morality, but your bellies are full of thievery and debauchery!"

"You spineless dogs, yapping madly in broad daylight! How dare you prattle on here?!"

"I have never seen such a brazen and shameless person!!!"

The crowd: "!!!"

The Grand Tutor: "???"

’I... I had only just started?!’

’Where are my classical allusions? Where is my moral high ground? How did you say everything there was to say before I could even catch my breath?!’