Just as An Xiaoxiao was about to unleash her killing move in an instant, a warm, thick palm suddenly, with utmost naturalness and gentleness, landed on the crown of her head.
The hand even gently turned twice, as if petting a small animal.
An Xiaoxiao froze completely on the spot.
Her killing intent, spiritual energy, even her breath, all halted in that moment.
In her mind, the other party might have come to catch her in the act, to silence her, or perhaps to beg for mercy.
But she never, ever dreamed that the other party would reach out and pat her head?
What kind of attack was this?
Mental pollution?
Before she could react, a low, hoarse voice, carrying a kind of “I’ve seen it all” world-weary melancholy, whispered softly by her ear: “Worn yourself out, haven’t you? The rest… I’ll bury.”
After saying this, Lin Yue felt his old face had completely and physically died of shame.
Mortifying.
This was even more mortifying than stroking Chu Wanning’s chin yesterday!
Teasing an icy senior sister at least carried a bit of roguish charm, but coming out here in the middle of the night to say something like this to a junior sister burying a corpse was like a brain-damaged pervert on a blind date.
Clang.
The shovel fell to the ground, hitting Steward Sun’s ankle.
An Xiaoxiao slowly turned her head.
That face of hers, usually used to deceive people without batting an eye, was now filled with existential doubt.
Under the moonlight, Lin Yue’s figure appeared incredibly imposing—at least against the backdrop of that pile of fresh soil.
His calm expression (actually, he was too awkward to have any expression), paired with that considerate remark, sent An Xiaoxiao’s brain into a total shutdown.
“You… what are you doing here?”
An Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, her voice trembling slightly.
Lin Yue didn’t speak.
He just very naturally took the shovel, stepped into the pit, his movements so practiced it was heartbreaking.
While tamping down the soil like a skilled mason, he casually blurted out, “Passing by. Saw you weren’t digging it level. For burying this kind of trash, you need to go deep, and cover it with a layer of topsoil on top. Otherwise, the smell in a couple of days will be strong, attracting flies.”
An Xiaoxiao stood by the pit’s edge, watching Lin Yue laboring away at his “charitable work,” the corner of her eye twitching wildly.
She had originally been ready to cut this man into a thousand pieces.
But now, watching Lin Yue’s focused back, the killing intent in her heart was actually… scattered by a sense of inexplicable absurdity.
“You saw,” An Xiaoxiao stared at the back of his head, secret light beginning to gather in her palm again.
“Lin Yue, you should know, if an outer sect disciple disappears without reason and is discovered, the penalty is death.”
“You don’t talk, I don’t talk, who would know he’s missing?”
Lin Yue clapped his hands, jumped out of the pit, and gave An Xiaoxiao a “comrades-in-arms” kind of smile.
“Someone like Steward Sun, dying in the back mountains is an accident, dying in a pit is a blessing. Junior Sister Xiaoxiao, for this kind of dirty work in the future, just give me a shout. Your hands are for embroidery, not for shoveling shit.”
An Xiaoxiao was utterly bewildered.
In this soul-devouring, merciless Nine Heavens Sect, she had seen the greedy, the vicious, the hypocritically righteous, but she had never seen someone like Lin Yue… who not only didn’t report her, but actively offered to “work overtime burying the corpse.”
“What are you after?” she stared intently at Lin Yue.
“Peace of mind.”
Lin Yue added in his heart: And that damn ledger not making me explode on the spot.
In his sea of consciousness, the ledger let out an extremely pleased chirp:
“Mission accomplished! An Xiaoxiao Favorability Slot activated. ‘Netherworld Concealment Art’ distributed!”
A stream of icy energy instantly flowed through Lin Yue’s entire body.
He felt his aura become extremely faint.
As long as he didn’t take the initiative to act, even if he stood behind someone, the other person might not notice him.
This was a divine life-saving skill.
“Heh.”
An Xiaoxiao suddenly let out a light laugh.
She resumed that delicate, coquettish demeanor of hers, walked up to Lin Yue, and even patted the dirt off his clothes for him.
“Senior Brother Lin, you’re really interesting. Since you’re so eager to help, then this talisman… you can keep it.”
Between her slender fingertips, she held a dark red talisman paper.
With a light, quick motion, she slapped it against Lin Yue’s chest.
The talisman instantly merged into Lin Yue’s body, disappearing without a trace.
Lin Yue’s expression changed.
“What is this?”
“‘Heart-Linking Talisman,’ of course.”
An Xiaoxiao smiled, her eyes curving like a pure and innocent little fox.
“From now on, as long as I wiggle my finger, if Senior Brother harbors even a hint of ill intent towards me, your heart meridian will go bang… like a firework.”
“…”
Lin Yue cursed inwardly, but on his face, he could only force a smile.
“Junior Sister is very thorough in her considerations.”
“Naturally. After all, in this sect, there aren’t many people who can keep me company burying corpses.”
An Xiaoxiao clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head as she studied Lin Yue for a moment.
“I heard you have an assessment fight tomorrow? But you don’t even have a sword anymore. Are you going to fight people with a shovel?”
Lin Yue coughed awkwardly.
“This… no need for Junior Sister to worry.”
An Xiaoxiao pouted, as if thinking of something.
She rummaged through her small storage pouch and finally pulled out a pitch-black object.
Thud!
The object fell to the ground with a muffled sound, even making a small dent in the earth.
“I snagged this from Steward Sun. That old scum was trash, but this ‘Black Iron Heavy Sword’ is the real deal. Just a bit heavy, and the edge isn’t sharpened yet. If you don’t mind, take it for now to make do.”
Lin Yue looked down.
That was no sword; it was practically a flattened, raw iron pillar.
No ornate patterns, no agile sword energy, only a nearly primitive sense of heaviness and oppression.
But Lin Yue’s eyes lit up.
A heavy sword has no edge, great skill appears artless.
This kind of thing, relying purely on brute strength and hardness, was perfect for a freak like him who had just undergone marrow cleansing and bone tempering, with his physical strength skyrocketing.
“Thank you, Junior Sister.”
Lin Yue grabbed it with one hand.
The Black Iron Heavy Sword spun once in his grip, letting out a low, tearing sound through the air.
“Alright, see you later, Senior Brother Lin.”
An Xiaoxiao waved her hand, her figure flickering as she disappeared into the woods like a nimble wild deer.
Only a playful remark lingered in the night air:
“Remember to stamp the ground firm. If it rains and collapses, Steward Sun might catch a cold.”
Lin Yue looked at the ground, now perfectly flat again, then at the heavy sword in his hand that looked like a fire poker, and silently sighed.
“Each one more abnormal than the last.”
He said to the ledger in his mind, ‘What’s the next task? Don’t tell me it’s teasing another beauty?’
The ledger chuckled, characters rapidly dancing in his sea of consciousness:
“Don’t rush. Due to your outstanding performance today, An Xiaoxiao’s ‘indenture contract’ is half-signed. Remember to use this ‘slab sword’ to give those who look down on you a little shock.”
Lin Yue hefted the heavy sword onto his shoulder and strode purposefully towards the dormitory.
Since this debt couldn’t be avoided, he might as well stir up the Nine Heavens Sect’s outer court until it turned upside down.
As for the inner sect, that great calamity…
He’d worry about crossing tomorrow’s hurdle first!