Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

Mu Ling choked back a sob, his forehead striking the cold ground with a dull THUD, THUD. "I’m begging you... Please, help me find the truth and get justice for Yao’er!"

Watching from the side, Wang Xiedi’s brows furrowed. He couldn’t help but ask, "Sir, isn’t a life-and-death matter like this supposed to be investigated by the government? What... what did they say?"

"The government?!" He reacted as if he’d just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, yet tears streamed down his face. "The government took one look at a so-called suicide note, the fact that the doors and windows were sealed shut, and a few other details upon entering, and they rashly concluded that Yao’er hung herself because she missed her deceased mother! What did they investigate?! Who did they even question?!"

"How could she have killed herself... How could she have hung herself... It’s all my fault... It’s all my fault for not looking after her... The day before it happened, I had just given her that jade bracelet... I saw her smiling so happily... She said she was going to sew a new set of clothes for me with her own hands the next day... I even promised her that after we married, I’d take her to Mount Wanyou outside the city to see the sunrise she’d always wanted to see..."

This man, who had once been the life of the teahouse with his easy laughter and conversation, was now crying like a helpless child.

"If... if only I hadn’t left that night... If I had just stayed and talked with her a little longer... I failed to protect her. I promised I’d take care of her for the rest of her life... But I... I don’t even know how she died!!"

"Immortal Maiden..." He lifted his face, stained with tears and blood, and looked at Su Ling’er with pleading eyes. "This worthless life of mine... it doesn’t matter if I die... I should have gone with her!"

"But I can’t! I can’t let her go just like that, with her death shrouded in mystery! I’m begging you... please, use your Immortal Technique and tell me... who killed her! As long as you can find the truth... I, Mu Ling, will repay your immense kindness in my next life, even if I have to be a horse or an ox!"

In the quiet night, Mu Ling’s voice was piercingly mournful...

Su Ling’er and Wang Xiedi were still at a loss for what to do, but Lin Qingfeng stepped forward before them.

He clapped his hands together, his expression even more filled with grief and indignation than Mu Ling’s as he declared, "I could tell at a glance that there is a great injustice here! It must be that the Anhe Government Office handled this perfunctorily and showed a callous disregard for human life!"

Hearing this, Su Ling’er stared at her Senior Brother in astonishment.

’Wait... Senior Brother, you... you haven’t seen anything. You haven’t been to the scene of the crime, you haven’t seen the body. How can you be so sure there’s an injustice based on just a few words from him?’

"Uh... how did you determine that...?"

"Silence, my friend!" Lin Qingfeng waved his hand dismissively. "I, your elder brother, have been a merchant for many years, traveling far and wide. I’ve seen more of the world than you’ve seen years of your life! I have at least that much discernment! Just look at this gentleman’s grief-stricken expression! Listen to his heart-wrenching cries! And look, he’s even pulled out the deeds to his house and land, his very livelihood! How could such genuine emotion be fake?!"

’Are you kidding me? It’s not every day you find an NPC with a unique tag. If I don’t manage to recruit him into the sect after all this, I’ll make my Junior Sister eat the pyramid on the spot!’

(Su Ling’er: ???)

Outwardly, he pretended to think for a moment before beginning a serious analysis. "Besides, as he said, one day she was overjoyed, having just made plans to watch the sunrise with him after their wedding, and the very next day she suddenly hangs herself? Does that sound logical? Li Chunfeng, what do you think of this matter?"

Li Chunfeng, repeatedly drawing and sheathing his sword, said, "Mm... I also feel that there’s something suspicious about this!"

"See! What did I tell you!" Lin Qingfeng immediately turned back to Su Ling’er, looking smug. "The eyes of the people are sharp! Ah, Ling’er, a disciple of an immortal sect like you, who only knows how to cultivate, would naturally not understand the ways and reasoning of us in the mortal world!"

The corner of Su Ling’er’s eye twitched. ’Wait a minute... Senior Brother, that rolled off your tongue a little too easily, didn’t it?! Are you still playing the part of a rich merchant? Are you addicted to acting or something?! But what does the murderer have to do with being a merchant? There’s no connection, right?!’

"Therefore!" Seeing that the time was right, Lin Qingfeng waved a hand behind him. "Ling’er, you will not interfere in this matter for now! I, your elder brother, will personally find the real culprit and demand justice for this gentleman today!"

’My future commission!’

"Come, sir, that line about being a horse or an ox in the next life? You can say that to me now. From this day forward, I will take up the cause of your injustice!" After speaking, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, ready to receive the man’s tearful, grateful prostration.

However, the scene he had imagined of the man immediately kowtowing in gratitude did not occur.

Mu Ling remained kneeling firmly on the ground, continuing to kowtow to Su Ling’er. "Immortal Maiden! Immortal Maiden! You organized the ’Heaven-Ascending Run’ and built this immortal palace. Your Divine Techniques are vast! This humble one only trusts you! This matter... if the government is truly obstructing things, I’m afraid this big brother..."

The profound, expert expression on Lin Qingfeng’s face instantly froze. ’Didn’t I fucking do all of that?! Damn you, Junior Sister, taking credit for my work just when I’m trying not to lose my commission!!!’

Su Ling’er and Wang Xiedi could only look at their Senior Brother, speechless...

The corner of Lin Qingfeng’s mouth twitched. He immediately put on an even more enthusiastic expression, crouched down, and clapped Mu Ling on the shoulder. "Sir! Don’t be afraid! I have wandered the martial world for many years, and in my life, the people I respect most are righteous and passionate men like yourself!"

"A mere Anhe Government Office is nothing to me! I am taking on this case of yours, and that’s final! Even if the Jade Emperor himself is backing them, I’ll still poke a hole in their sky for you!"

Seeing Lin Qingfeng putting on such a strenuous performance, Su Ling’er and Wang Xiedi quietly began a private voice transmission. Li Chunfeng used his Inner Strength to join the conversation.

[Su Ling’er]: Wait... what is Senior Brother doing? Why doesn’t he just show off his power a little? Why is he putting on a melodrama?

[Wang Xiedi]: Exactly! Is Senior Brother actually afraid of the government? Does he have some other concerns?

[Su Ling’er]: Could it be that Senior Brother is trying to act out one of those stories about an official investigating in disguise?! Is he afraid that if he reveals his identity, all the hidden flies and dogs will catch wind and scatter, and then the game will be over?! That’s the only reasonable explanation I can think of.

[Li Chunfeng]: Oh, wow, isn’t that a great thing?! It means Senior Brother doesn’t want to use his status as a Cultivator to lord it over mortals. Instead, he wants to use mortal methods to resolve a mortal matter.

[Su Ling’er]: Hmmm... I guess that makes some sense. Even though Senior Brother walks the demonic path, if he really has that kind of principle, then it’s truly a blessing for mortals. But I have a feeling his goal is something else entirely...

[Wang Xiedi]: I get that feeling too.

...

Listening to this "merchant," who claimed to be a friend of the Immortal Maiden, make such sweeping promises, Mu Ling felt not a shred of joy. Instead, a deeper unease washed over him.

He looked at Lin Qingfeng’s "supremely righteous" appearance, but his heart was pounding with anxiety.

’This big brother... from his clothes and appearance, he’s just an ordinary traveling merchant... The government has already closed Yao’er’s case. Trying to reopen it now is no different from slapping the government hard across the face!’

’Only an Immortal with vast Divine Techniques could do something like this! If a mortal gets involved, wouldn’t they just be dragged into this mess for nothing?! I’ve already failed Yao’er; I absolutely cannot implicate an innocent, kind-hearted person!’

’If he really loses his life over my affairs, then not even ten thousand deaths could absolve me of the blame!’

At this thought, Mu Ling stopped caring about who was an Immortal and who wasn’t. He frantically waved his hands at Lin Qingfeng and panickedly refused, "No, no, no! Big Brother! You mustn’t! You mustn’t! This humble one appreciates your kind intentions, but for something like this, you... really... you really shouldn’t go this far! There’s no need to throw your own life away for my trivial problem!"

Hearing these words, which came straight from the heart, the smile on Lin Qingfeng’s face gradually stiffened.

’Wait... this isn’t how the script is supposed to go! I organized the competition and built the pyramid, all so I could get a commission without revealing that I was the one performing the immortal miracles, right? And it was also a convenient way to let my Junior Sister farm some local reputation points.’

’So how did it end up with everyone only recognizing her as the "Immortal Maiden," while I, the real mastermind—no, I mean, the real expert behind the scenes—have become some innocent mortal who needs protecting?! Uh...’

Lin Qingfeng felt a headache coming on, but he couldn’t just stand here and waste time.

He looked at Su Ling’er’s troubled expression and decided to go with the flow. He sighed and said to Mu Ling, "Fine. Since you do not trust me, sir, we’ll let Ling’er take charge of this matter."

Su Ling’er found it strange that her Senior Brother seemed to be racking his brain about something, but since Mu Ling had specifically requested her and her Senior Brother had also assigned her the task, she spoke up. "Alright, I’ll take this case. However, I’m not entirely sure what to do. What should we do now? Should we go to the An Mansion to examine Miss An’s body?"

She then added with some hesitation, "But I don’t think Mr. An will agree to let outsiders like us disturb Miss An’s body... If we were to look at it secretly, wouldn’t that be inappropriate...?"

"There’s no need for such trouble!" To everyone’s surprise, Mu Ling suddenly cut her off. He wiped the tears from his face, a look of grim determination flashing in his eyes, and said hurriedly to the group, "Distinguished Immortals, please wait here for a moment! This humble one will be right back!"

Without waiting for a reaction, he turned and ran toward a dark alleyway nearby, his figure disappearing into a hidden corner.

Su Ling’er and Wang Xiedi watched, bewildered. "What... what is he going to do?" Then, looking in the direction Mu Ling had disappeared, the group gave a light sweep with their Divine Sense.

The next moment, an extremely strange and incredulous expression appeared on the faces of Su Ling’er, Wang Xiedi, and Lin Qingfeng all at once.

Wang Xiedi couldn’t hold it in and blurted out, "Wait... why do I get the feeling this guy isn’t a storyteller, but a professional grave robber?!"