Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

Su Wenxuan and Su Wenjing appeared on the path, skipping along.

"Big Sister! Boss! You’re back so soon!"

When the two little ones saw their sister, their faces immediately broke into happy smiles. They spread their arms, about to rush toward Su Ling’er.

"Stop!!"

Su Ling’er let out a sharp, curt cry!

The two children stopped in their tracks instantly. The smiles on their faces froze, replaced by confusion and bewilderment. They didn’t understand why their sister would use such a harsh tone to stop them from approaching.

"I-it’s so late," Su Ling’er stammered, feeling a pang of guilt as she met their innocent eyes. Steeling herself, she put on her best ’big sister’ voice. "You’re just little kids. Why aren’t you in bed already? You won’t grow tall if you stay up like this!"

"But... but, Sister," Su Wenjing said, shaking her little head with a wronged expression. "It’s still early. It’s not our bedtime yet, and we don’t have anything to do..."

"Have you finished all your homework?" Su Ling’er immediately found a new line of attack.

"We’re done!" the two children replied in unison, a hint of pride in their voices.

"If you’re done, why don’t you study ahead?!" Su Ling’er’s face remained stern. "The tutor is teaching a new lesson tomorrow. What will you do if you don’t understand it?"

Su Wenjing pouted, clearly uninterested in the suggestion.

Just then, a mischievous grin spread across Lin Qingfeng’s face, the kind that reveled in chaos. He cleared his throat and was about to speak. "Well, since you have nothing better to do, why don’t I quiz you on your studies? I just so happen to have a copy of the *Three Years of Science Examination and Five Years of Simulation*. The problems in it are quite fascinating..."

Upon hearing those words, Su Ling’er’s pupils trembled violently!

’Three Years... Five Years... Simulation?!’

’Is Eldest Brother really going to inflict that terrifying mental torture on a pair of kids?!’

"That’s horrible! Simply horrible!" So terrified she forgot all her manners, Su Ling’er shot her hand out and clamped it firmly over Lin Qingfeng’s mouth.

She stared at Lin Qingfeng, her eyes pleading with a look that screamed ’For the love of god, have a heart!’. "Please! Don’t say another word! I’m begging you, I’ll call you my own brother!!!"

"They’re just kids! They can’t handle that kind of ’hellish training’! It’ll turn them into idiots! I’m serious, they’ll become idiots!"

’Eldest Brother might not kill people left and right like some traditional Evil or Demon Cultivator, but his constant torment is its own kind of suffering!!!’

Looking at the two children, her mind raced. Finally, she came up with a desperate, last-ditch idea.

"Go read some storybooks!" she said, her tone softening. "Don’t you like reading storybooks? Even cultivation stories are fine!"

Su Wenjing’s eyes lit up instantly. She asked tentatively, "...Can we really?"

"Yes, yes!" Su Ling’er nodded eagerly.

"Then... can we read the storybook for *The Nine Schools Gate*?!" Su Wenxuan asked, his face now also full of excitement.

"Yes! Read whatever you want!" All Su Ling’er wanted now was to get these two little troublemakers out of her hair. "I think I put them on the third shelf of the second bookcase on the west side of your study. Hurry up and go read! Go on, shoo! Oh, and don’t mess around with those Communication Whistles I gave you! Only use them if you’re in real danger!"

"Mm-hm!" Upon hearing this, the two little ones let out a cheer. All their earlier hurt feelings were forgotten as they joined hands and happily ran off toward their study.

Watching their retreating backs, Su Ling’er, Wang Xiedi, Mu Ling, and Li Chunfeng all heaved a collective sigh of relief. Only then did Su Ling’er finally let go of the hand covering Lin Qingfeng’s mouth, shooting him an annoyed glare.

"Ling’er, what was that for?" Lin Qingfeng rubbed his face, the picture of innocence. "I just saw they had some free time from their studies and wanted to help them reinforce their learning. It’s for their own good, you know. And this stuff is genuinely useful."

"They’re going to study for the civil service examinations and pursue official careers! They’re not supposed to be doing all that... other stuff! How could what you’re offering possibly be useful for that?!"

"How is it not useful?" Lin Qingfeng replied with the air of a seasoned veteran. "Ah, Ling’er, you’re still too young. The path of examinations and official careers might seem like a grand highway to success, but in the mortal world, it’s nothing more than a precarious, single-plank bridge."

"Forcing them to study all that material for rote memorization is like building a tower on sand. The foundation is unstable; one gust of wind and it all comes tumbling down. True skill isn’t something you can learn from books."

"But it’s the proper path for mortals to make a life for themselves and bring honor to their ancestors!" Su Ling’er couldn’t help but retort. "Studying for the exams to achieve success is one of the very few paths forward available to mortals!"

After listening, Lin Qingfeng clicked his tongue. An expression of profound regret appeared on his face as he let out a long sigh. "Ah, what a pity."

’Sigh. I just wanted them to experience the charm of the *Three Years of Science Examination and Five Years of Simulation*, to let them swim freely in an endless sea of problems and feel the sheer weight of knowledge! What a wonderful thing that would have been!’

Seeing his grief-stricken expression, Su Ling’er immediately grew wary.

’A pity? What was he finding a pity? Was he lamenting his missed opportunity to torture... no, *cultivate*... two promising young kids into "Test-taking Puppets"?’

’She looked at Lin Qingfeng’s "my intentions were pure" expression. ’Could it be? Is Eldest Brother a classic case of "I had to walk in the rain, so I’m going to destroy everyone else’s umbrella"?!’’

’He must have suffered immensely on his own cultivation path, so now he can’t stand to see anyone else have an easy time!’

’Eldest Brother... this heavy-handed ’love’ of yours is a blessing the Su Family just can’t handle...’ Su Ling’er wept silently in her heart, but her face could only muster a strained smile. "Eldest Brother is so farsighted. It is we mortals who are shortsighted."

And so, the group, carrying the wooden crate, finally returned without any further incident to the guest quarters with its... unique architectural style.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Mu Ling’s gaze was completely transfixed by the magnificent structure that rose up from the ground before him.

He tilted his head back, staring at the pillar that had seemingly "erupted" straight through the roof of the guest room, pointing toward the night sky. His face was a mask of shock and bewilderment.

He instinctively glanced at Lin Qingfeng, his eyes seeming to ask: ’My good sir, your house... was it, by any chance, struck by a meteor?’

However, Lin Qingfeng acted as if he hadn’t noticed the question. With a perfectly natural wave of his hand, he passed all the "credit" to Su Ling’er.

"Oh, this thing?" he said in a casual tone, as if discussing a common garden rockery. "No need to look at me, Mr. Mu. This is all Ling’er’s doing. She felt my guest room was too plain, so she took the trouble of building me a pyramid overnight to make me feel welcome."

"Huh?!" Su Ling’er’s eyes practically bulged out of her head. ’Big Brother, can I please object? You know perfectly well I’m not that incredible, right?!’

Lin Qingfeng turned and whispered to Mu Ling, "Mr. Mu, you just don’t know! Ling’er... she’s just a bit modest. I’ve seen her in action with my own eyes! I remember when we ran into that great demon at the Core Formation Stage. Things were looking dire!"

"She was the one who charged forward, time and time again, completely fearless. She single-handedly wore that great demon down until it collapsed! And then there was that time we met that Evil Cultivator, also at the Core Formation Stage. Again, it was her..."

"As the saying goes, ’The great Dao is in its simplicity; a heavy sword needs no edge.’ True masters never show off their strength."

Listening to this increasingly ridiculous boasting, Su Ling’er’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

’Eldest Brother was completely full of it, and he always loved pulling these heart-stopping stunts... But fine. If Eldest Brother wants to put on a show, then I’ll play along...’