The next morning.
Lu Zhiyun sat dazedly on the plaza of Qingluan Peak, gazing in a trance at the drifting clouds rolling through the mountain wilds.
According to Lin Shu’s instructions, today she could finally begin her journey as a cultivator and prepare to draw spiritual energy into her body.
But there were still some things she couldn’t figure out.
She must have been poisoned yesterday, right?
So why did that evil cultivator say this poison would be a great help to her?
How could being poisoned possibly help anyone?
Could it be that fiend slipped her yet another new drug?
Lu Zhiyun began to retrace her steps, her mind stringing together the events of the previous day, probing each tiny detail.
A moment later, she understood!
She understood it all!
From the very beginning, she’d fallen straight into his trap.
That dinner had been nothing less than a “Hongmen Banquet”!
And it was a “Hongmen Banquet” tailored just for her!
If you looked at it from a bystander’s perspective, it would seem like nothing but a perfectly ordinary, heartwarming scene—Senior Brother taking Little Junior Sister out, only to accidentally run into the evil chef-shishu.
But from Lu Zhiyun’s point of view, it was riddled with flaws.
According to the script, once Lu Zhiyun drank the poisoned tea and expressed her loyalty, Lin Shu was supposed to trust her.
But Lin Shu didn’t—he set up a second test: Pei Yun Peak!
From the start, Lin Shu knew Lin Yingxue would be making that particular dish on Pei Yun Peak, and deliberately lured her there!
In this round, Lin Shu’s acting could be called that of a truly qualified evil cultivator!
His flustered panic at Lin Yingxue’s sudden appearance, his cautiousness in the face of two bowls of poison-laced food—it was all played out to perfection!
But what he didn’t realize was that his only flaw was how composed he was when inviting her to choose a bowl for him.
It was as if he was certain Lu Zhiyun would choose, and not just choose, but would willingly eat.
Think about it: if a gentle Senior Brother was caring for a new Junior Sister, would he ever ask her to eat something poisoned?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
This was all an evil cultivator’s test!
If yesterday Lu Zhiyun had thought this was just a simple obedience test, then she’d only been at the second layer.
Lin Shu had always been standing at the very top, watching her.
Both bowls were poisoned—no matter which she ate, she’d be poisoned!
What Lin Shu wanted was for her to eat—eat, and even if poisoned, he’d save her; but if she refused, she’d lose his trust, and what awaited her would be utter ruin.
Thinking carefully, there had been clues since the moment she entered the sect.
Lu Zhiyun had heard that disciples on the main peaks around her had begun cultivation as soon as a week after the Ascension Ceremony; many were already at the Qi Refining stage.
Only she was still learning how to brew tea, and even when she met Lin Shu for the first time just yesterday, he hadn’t mentioned cultivation at all.
The only turning point was after she woke from eating that bowl of poison—only then did Lin Shu truly trust her and prepare to teach her cultivation.
Heh!
At this, Lu Zhiyun revealed a deep, meaningful smile.
The demon is clever, but the way of righteousness is cleverer still!
That evil cultivator probably never expected she’d stumble her way into seeing through his schemes!
His Excellency the Imperial Preceptor is still watching over her!
Oh, and as for that Lin Yingxue-shishu, she couldn’t let her guard down either!
From the moment Lin Yingxue gave her those extra glances at the Ascension Ceremony, to concocting those incredibly well-disguised poisoned dishes, and then saying things like “you’ve recovered well” out of nowhere.
It was hard for Lu Zhiyun not to suspect she might be in cahoots with Lin Shu.
But according to the Imperial Preceptor, there was only one evil cultivator.
Could it be Lin Shu’s claws had already reached into the upper echelons of the Tianque Sect?
Thinking this far, Lu Zhiyun felt the weight of her responsibility even more!
“I will definitely fulfill my mission and root out the evil cultivator!”
Lu Zhiyun vowed in a whisper.
***
Lin Shu was sitting in the tree above Lu Zhiyun’s head, silently nodding in approval as he listened to her.
He’d arrived here half an hour earlier to wait for Little Junior Sister, but just as she appeared, a set of system options had popped up.
[Go down and greet her immediately. +10,000 Root Aptitude]
[Leave right now and stand her up. +10,000 Spiritual Energy]
[Do nothing, wait until Little Junior Sister talks to herself, then greet her. +1 Random Attribute]
Though Lin Shu didn’t quite understand what [+10,000 Root Aptitude] or [+10,000 Spiritual Energy] meant, he’d always been good at multiple-choice questions.
Of course he picked option three!
Yesterday, after completing his choice, he’d gotten a [Speech Arts +1] attribute.
And he immediately felt his emotional intelligence had gone up by leaps and bounds.
His looks were already devastatingly handsome; handsome guys are always popular, but a handsome guy who knows how to talk? Even more so!
After hearing Little Junior Sister say “root out the evil cultivator,” Lin Shu leapt nimbly down from the tree, landing in front of Lu Zhiyun.
Lu Zhiyun, in the midst of picturing her glorious future—exposing the evil cultivator, winning praise from His Majesty and the Imperial Preceptor, becoming a heroine revered by all Great Qian—was startled out of her daydream by Lin Shu’s sudden appearance.
“S-senior brother, good morning!”
Lu Zhiyun hastily greeted him.
When—when did he get here!?
Lu Zhiyun didn’t dare imagine how much he might have overheard of what she’d just said.
To say “root out the evil cultivator” right in front of the evil cultivator himself—wasn’t that just asking for death?
Seeing Lu Zhiyun’s fearful expression, Lin Shu was bewildered.
Did he really look like such a bad person?
But since his junior sister was nervous, he naturally needed to comfort her.
Lin Shu was confident that, with his current skills, he could say exactly what would touch her heart.
Come! Let’s see what this [Speech Arts +1] can do! Little Junior Sister!
“Little Junior Sister, it’s good that you have such ambitions,” Lin Shu said lightly.
Not bad!
First, let her know he’d overheard her, then affirm her ideals—this way, she’d definitely relax a little, right?
Upon hearing this, cold sweat trickled down Lu Zhiyun’s temples.
Senior Brother was hinting at her!
On the surface, it was praise, but in reality—it was a warning!
Lu Zhiyun translated it as: “Little Junior Sister, you actually dare have such thoughts? Are you tired of living?”
Good thing she was clever and could read between the lines.
Lu Zhiyun took a deep breath, feigning calm as she replied, “Replying to Senior Brother… my abilities aren’t sufficient…”
A retreat for the sake of advancing!
Even she had to admire her own mastery of speech!
This answer was not only showing weakness, but also reassuring him that she had no power to achieve her ideals—he could just treat her as an insignificant bug!
Lin Shu pondered for a moment, instantly understanding her meaning.
Junior Sister was hinting at him!
She wanted him to hurry up and teach her how to cultivate—she was thirsting for knowledge!
Then his reply was simple!
“Heh! Don’t worry, Junior Sister. Lacking ability is a minor thing—Senior Brother is here to send you on your way!”
Embark on the path of cultivation! Become supreme in a lifetime!
Simple and clear—he was confident Little Junior Sister could understand.
Lu Zhiyun’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of doom shrouding her.
So he really didn’t plan to let her off?
If nothing unexpected happened, then soon, under his guidance, she’d use some inhuman method to draw spiritual energy into her body, then “accidentally” explode from it, ending her life in a way that only seemed dignified…
Fear, terror… all sorts of emotions made Lu Zhiyun bow her head lower and lower, her delicate shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
Lin Shu, seeing Lu Zhiyun so obviously excited to embark on the path of cultivation, was naturally pleased.
Look at her!
She’s so excited she can’t even speak!
She was truly passionate about cultivation, unlike his other juniors, who were all so lazy.
This [Speech Arts] attribute was really useful!
Lin Shu didn’t dawdle further.
He looked at Lu Zhiyun and said, “Little Junior Sister, let’s go!”
“I’ll show you how the other disciples of Qingluan Peak cultivate, and you can choose whichever method you like to draw spiritual energy into your body!”
She could choose?
Lu Zhiyun gave a self-deprecating, bitter smile.
This evil cultivator was actually humane enough to let her pick how to die…
Did she even have a choice?
Then, urged on by Lin Shu, Lu Zhiyun followed after him, her steps unsteady.
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