Chapter 466 - 447: Harvest and the Next Cycle
"I was wrong! I was really wrong! I’m willing to compensate you! I have money! I’ll give you all the money I’ve embe... oh no, saved up over the years!"
The fat manager clutched Lin Qingfeng’s pant leg, his face a mess of snot and tears. He even tried to wipe it on the hem of Lin Qingfeng’s robe.
Lin Qingfeng pulled his leg back in disgust.
"Money?"
He chuckled, then pointed over the fat manager’s head toward his junior sister, who was still "bobbing" in place behind him.
"Look at my maidservant. You people made her quite angry just now."
"I’ve always been a democratic person. Whether you live or die, go ask her."
"If she nods, I’ll spare your life."
Hearing this, the fat manager felt as if he’d been granted amnesty.
He frantically turned his head to look at Su Ling’er not far away.
The young maidservant didn’t look very old and had a slender frame.
’She looks rather psychotic, but there should be a chance, right? I should still have a hope of survival, right?’
’If I just cry a little more wretchedly, really sell the misery, and spin a more convincing tale about my eighty-year-old mother and three-year-old child at home, maybe I’ll still have a chance to live?!’
The fat manager gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain from his broken leg and crawled toward Su Ling’er on all fours, leaving a long, dark red trail of blood on the floor.
"Miss! My lady! Oh, merciful goddess!"
The fat manager crawled to Su Ling’er’s feet and, regardless of what she was doing, began kowtowing violently, his head thudding against the floorboards. THUD THUD THUD.
"Please have mercy! I was forced to do all this! The last two directors of the other exhibition halls were forced to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff because they wouldn’t cooperate! I had no choice!"
"If I didn’t do as I was told, I would have died too!"
"I beg you, please put in a good word with Mr. Lin and spare my worthless life!"
At this moment, Su Ling’er was in her idle state during the [Combat Round].
It wasn’t her turn to act yet, so the system determined she could only perform the default idle animation.
Thus, Su Ling’er remained in her sword-wielding stance, feet planted on the ground, her shoulders rising and falling in a bizarre rhythm.
HUFF—PUFF—!
HUFF—PUFF—!
She lowered her gaze to the sobbing figure at her feet, a stampede of wild horses already rampaging through her mind.
’You’re asking me? Do I look like I can talk? Okay, fine, I could talk before, but that wasn’t what I meant to say. No, wait, there were things I said that I controlled myself!’
’Eldest Brother, are you messing with me?’
’I can’t even open my mouth or blink my own eyes right now. How do you expect me to answer?’
’Eldest Brother, if you don’t want him to live, just say so! You’re making it seem like I’m the heartless one who’s hell-bent on killing him.’
’Then again, you deserve to die, so what if I’m hell-bent on killing you? But could I just stab you with my sword and get it over with?’
𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
’And...’
’You Evil Cultivator, can you stop wailing at my feet?’
’You’re blocking my line of attack! How am I supposed to cooperate with Eldest Brother’s special training now?’
"My lady! Say something! All you have to do is nod!"
When the fat manager saw that Su Ling’er was ignoring him, merely waving the still-dripping longsword over his head while constantly panting, his heart flooded with panic.
’What’s with this maidservant?’
’Why isn’t she talking?’
’Why are her eyes fixed on my neck, her gaze shifting as if sizing up the best angle to strike?’
’And this huffing and puffing sound... is she building up her anger? Or is she desperately suppressing a bloodthirsty impulse?’
He recalled the girl’s stiff movements from before, how she had bizarrely enjoyed stabbing the guards full of holes, one strike after another. It was like a cat toying with a mouse, tormenting its prey before finally killing it.
’Could it be...’
’This lady is a psychopath?’
’She enjoys watching her prey struggle for its life at her feet, savoring the thrill of holding power over life and death?’
’That must be it!’
"Merciful goddess! My lady! Stop playing with me! I beg you, stop playing!"
Staring at the longsword before his eyes, the fat manager’s mental defenses instantly shattered, and he broke down, sobbing hysterically.
"If you want to kill me, just make it quick! Don’t scare me like this, bit by bit! My heart can’t take it!"
Su Ling’er was also roaring internally.
’You think I don’t want to kill you? I want to hack you to pieces right now!’
’I wish I could just run you through with my sword this instant, you greedy dog!’
’But I can’t control my own body!’
’Do you think I want to play this humiliating game of poke-poke? I’m not a psychopath.’
’I’m starting to think Eldest Brother is being overprotective. This complete takeover of my body... can this really be effective as training?’
’Or maybe...’
Su Ling’er looked at her Eldest Brother’s composed back, and an idea flashed in her mind.
’Is Eldest Brother testing my composure?’
’Faced with an Evil Cultivator with no Cultivation begging for his life on his knees, faced with this kind of distraction, can I maintain my focus and keep my breathing rhythm steady?’
’That must be it!’
’Eldest Brother is telling me to eradicate evil completely, but before I swing my sword, my mind must be calm and my breath must be even!’
Just as Su Ling’er was frantically trying to rationalize things to herself, Lin Qingfeng’s leisurely voice drifted over.
"It seems she doesn’t want to forgive you."
The fat manager’s whole body trembled upon hearing this.
He was filled with despair as he saw the "psychotic" maidservant in front of him still repeating those deep breaths.
’Since there’s no reasoning with this madwoman, and compared to this neurotic, psychotic, crazy girl, Lin Qingfeng actually seems much more normal.’
’I’ll just have to keep begging the master, who at least seems a little more normal!’
The fat manager was about to crawl back to hug Lin Qingfeng’s leg.
But Lin Qingfeng had already lost his patience.
He tried to extend his Divine Sense outside the auction hall, only to find a void.
A system notification popped up: [Current scene is limited to the auction house interior.]
’So it really is a stripped-down version of the trial.’
Lin Qingfeng glanced around. He had already taken everything worth taking. Even if he looted the local auction house again, there didn’t seem to be anything good left. Staying any longer would be a waste of time.
’Feels like Junior Sister has had her fill of killing. She’s already taken down several people.’
’As for interrogating this fatso?’
’No need.’
’He’s just a background character who only knows how to cry pathetically. The little bit of grease in his belly probably isn’t even worth my pocket change.’
More importantly, he had already made the system record his entire route of actions from the start until now.
’Next time I restart, I’ll just turn on "auto-pilot," have the system handle all my previous choices, and just go through the motions. Once it gets to the auction stage, I can come back online.’
Thinking this, Lin Qingfeng glanced at his junior sister, still going "HUFF—PUFF—," and then at the fat manager scrambling on the floor.
’That’s about enough.’
’It’s time for this farce to end.’
Meanwhile, Su Ling’er was still trying to decipher her Eldest Brother’s sacred intentions.
’Since Eldest Brother hasn’t ordered me to attack, does that mean... he actually wants to reform them?’
’Does he want them to see the error of their ways in the face of their fear of death?’
’Is that why he’s so "mercifully" stalling for time?’
’As expected of Eldest Brother. Even when facing scum who are rotten to the core, he’s still willing to give them a sliver of hope...’
Just as Su Ling’er was marveling at her Eldest Brother’s magnanimity...
The next instant.
Lin Qingfeng’s will tapped lightly in the void.
[End Combat]
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
The dozens of black-clad guards, who had been standing in the distance maintaining their "breathing exercise" poses, all spat out blood as their breathing ceased in unison.
Their bodies lost all support and collapsed.
The sound of gushing blood echoed in a chorus through the spacious hall.
As for the fat manager who was still kowtowing on the floor, he didn’t even have time to scream.
But before those guards died, their eyes revealed only relief.
’That psychotic madwoman finally got tired of playing. She’s finally giving us a quick death.’
Su Ling’er: "..."
She stared at the corpses littering the floor, her newly formed "Theory of Eldest Brother’s Merciful Reformation" instantly crumbling to dust.
’What happened to reformation?’
’What happened to seeing the error of their ways?’
’Eldest Brother, if you’re going to clear the field, could you give your little junior sister a heads-up first? You’re going to scare me to death! If you could have acted sooner, why didn’t you? Good heavens! You nearly scared me to death!’
’And...’
Su Ling’er looked down at the unblinking eyes of the dead guards.
’What’s with that look in your eyes?’
’Why did you all think I was a psycho, even in death?’
’I’m not! I didn’t! Don’t talk nonsense!’
With all hostile targets dead, the trial finally ended.
The settlement screen appeared before Lin Qingfeng.
[Trial Complete]
[Day 1: You bathed the underground auction house in blood. The City Defense Army outside heard the screams but did not dare to enter and investigate. After hearing from the guests who fled, they have a basic understanding of the situation.]
[A rumor spreads: The maidservant beside the Lin Family’s young master is a female devil who enjoys killing people by lingchi, slicing them one cut at a time in rhythm with her breathing.]
[Day 3: The higher-ups, who were originally preparing to condemn you, withdraw the arrest warrant overnight after learning that "Ghost-Hand Mr. Wang" was killed instantly and dozens of elite guards were "tortured to death." They send a silk banner and compensation money, congratulating Mr. Lin for ridding the people of a menace by eliminating the corrupt fat manager.]
[Year 10: Riding the fame from this battle, you experience a meteoric rise, eventually becoming the National Preceptor.]
[Meanwhile, your maidservant, Su Ling’er, becomes the "Ghostly Nightmare," a name that makes everyone in the martial world tremble with fear.]
[According to rumors in the martial world, before killing someone, this woman forces her opponent to perform a wicked breathing ritual with her. She then slices them to death one cut at a time. Her methods are so cruel that even members of the demonic cults feel inferior.]
[Settlement Rewards:]
[Su Ling’er has obtained the Title: [Rhythmic Executioner] (While this title is equipped, you can more easily control malicious auras such as resentment, bloodlust, ghostly energy, and yin energy. Your resistance to them is higher, but you are more likely to be misunderstood by others as a psychotic fiend).]
[Lin Qingfeng has gained Renown: +15 (From effectively restraining the female devil).]
Looking at this absurd settlement screen, the corner of Lin Qingfeng’s mouth twitched.
’Rhythmic Executioner?’
’What kind of name is that?’
’I kind of want it myself. Junior Sister really lucked out.’
He turned around and looked at his foolish little junior sister, who was looking around blankly with her sword drawn.
"Sigh."
Lin Qingfeng let out a long sigh, looking deeply grieved.
’Oh, Junior Sister, look at you.’
’I’m a perfectly upstanding, righteous Immortal, and you’ve completely ruined my reputation.’
’Only an understanding Eldest Brother like me would be willing to spoil you like this. If this were any other orthodox immortal sect, they would have disposed of you as a heretical demon long ago.’
’Sigh, you should count your lucky stars for having such a great Eldest Brother like me.’
Meanwhile, Lin Qingfeng began to have the system take over so he could go offline. He set a reminder for the system to notify him when the auction was about to begin.
’Hmm, well, the system will be managing things before I come back online. Even if I oversleep, it’ll probably only loop a few hundred times. I’ll just wait for the reminder and log back in when it’s about to reach the auction stage.’
With that, a thought crossed Lin Qingfeng’s mind, and he selected [Restart].
BOOM—!
The world shattered for a second time.
Time flowed backward.
The world... rebooted.