The sun was high in the sky, and the crowd was growing larger.
The Guixi Sect disciples were gathering around, encircling Lin Qingfeng and Su Ling'er. Every gaze was fixed on the sect's first native NPC.
There was no malice in their gazes, but they held something that made her feel deeply uncomfortable.
It was the excitement of discovering a new toy, the burning intensity of a hunter spotting a rare prize.
Su Ling'er: 'Why aren't they paying attention to the two sect members who just died, or to the First Senior Brother who killed them? Instead, they're all focused on me, a brand-new disciple?'
'This is outrageous! All decorum is lost!'
'Two people just died, their bodies not yet cold... emmmm, although I guess there weren't even any bodies left. But not a single person is mourning the dead. Instead, they're all here gawking at a lone girl like me...'
'Just as I thought, there's not a single normal person in this entire sect!'
She forced a smile and recalled the etiquette she had learned back at the Su Family estate in the south of Anhe City, trying to make her posture appear more dignified.
"Greetings, Senior Brothers..."
"Hey, Junior Sister!!"
"Junior Sister, do you have a special background?!"
"Junior Sister, don't mind those two idiots, they've got screws loose!"
"Junior Sister, do you have a divine beast bloodline? Are you the type that starts out with a grandpa in your head?!"
"Junior Sister, do you have a hidden family? The kind that shouts, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river'?"
"Junior Sister, is your family sitting on a mine? Do you have a lot of Spirit Stones?"
"@!$!%!%..."
Although she could make out some of the words, it was too noisy, and some of the whispers were still indistinct to Su Ling'er.
'What on earth are they talking about?'
'What do they mean, "a live one"? What's this about east of the river, west of the river? I'm just a new disciple joining the sect. Why are they so excited?'
Su Ling'er lowered her eyes and circulated the minuscule amount of Spiritual Power within her. This power was the pitifully weak result of three years of arduous cultivation as an outer disciple at Qingxu Temple.
For Qingxu Temple, bestowing a Heart Method and providing three Spirit Stones a month was already an immense blessing. Though her Spiritual Power was faint, it now had a purpose.
A wisp of Spiritual Power coiled around her ears. Instantly, the surrounding din was filtered out, and the hushed whispers became crystal clear.
"Hey, hey, look. That's her, right?"
"Our sect's first live... *cough*, I mean, native disciple?"
"That's her, alright. First Senior Brother brought her back himself... By the way, what happens if she dies? Can she be revived?"
"Shh! Are you crazy?! Don't even think about it! First Senior Brother went through a lot of trouble to trick one into joining. Are you trying to scare her off?!"
BOOM—!
The smile on Su Ling'er's face froze.
The sounds of the world seemed to vanish, leaving only those few careless words echoing in her mind.
'Dies? Tricked?'
'What does that mean?'
'Weren't two deaths enough? Are they... planning to sacrifice me to the heavens as well?!'
She compared and cross-referenced these words with her own limited yet terrifying experiences.
"The sect finally has people joining..."
"The sect is about to rise..."
"Went through a lot of trouble to trick one into joining..."
'So that's how it is...'
'Their sect's development has hit some kind of bottleneck. To break through, they need a special "catalyst"—a "sacrifice"!'
'And I, the new "disciple"... am the sacrifice they've been waiting for!'
'And what about that phrase, "what happens if she dies"?'
'They never intended for me to live! I just joined! I just escaped death! You... how could you do this?!'
'The Celestial Dao is unjust! It is unjust!'
Horrifying scenes played out uncontrollably in her mind:
She was tied down tightly on a cold altar, surrounded by a circle of fanatical Evil Cultivators. They held their Magical Artifacts high, chanting incantations. And her life, her Spiritual Power, her very being—all of it would be greedily devoured and divided among them...
Though a river of tears was already flowing in Su Ling'er's heart, she forced an ugly smile onto her face.
She even raised a hand and gave a small wave to the figures around her, who had already become demons in her eyes.
'Bring it on!'
'For the righteous path, for all the people of the world! I, Su Ling'er... will sacrifice my life for justice today and expose your conspiracy!'
Just as she was immersed in this tragic, self-sacrificing fantasy, another conversation drifted into her ears.
"Stop talking nonsense. First Senior Brother tricked her into joining himself."
"You know how First Senior Brother usually is, all lazy and slacking off. When have you ever seen him meddle in stuff like this? Looks like he was really pushed into a corner this time."
"No kidding! After all, we've all spent so much money. If we can't even get into the 'Demon Suppression Ceremony,' that would be just pathetic!"
'Demon Suppression Ceremony?'
'What's that? Qingxu Temple never mentioned it. Could it be some kind of celebration where Evil Cultivators and demonic sects divide their spoils?'
'Or is it... that Qingxu Temple's status is so low, it doesn't even have the right to hear of such things?'
Su Ling'er's train of thought took a sharp turn.
She subconsciously looked up, her gaze falling on Lin Qingfeng's face, which held a trace of smugness.
'She understood...'
'I'm not going to be sacrificed to the entire sect... because, from the very beginning, I was his "war spoil" alone.'
'So my fate isn't to be a sacrifice, but a human cauldron!'
'Look at that self-satisfied expression! He must be coveting my virgin body, planning to use that vile art of Plucking the Yin to Supplement the Yang!'
'Sect Leader, oh, Sect Leader! You promised me the great path to Foundation Establishment, you promised me a bright future... could it be... that this is the price?!'
'This disciple's purity is in peril!'
Just as Su Ling'er's mind was in turmoil, and Lin Qingfeng was basking in the envious gazes of his guild members, the atmosphere in the square reached a delicate peak—
A sudden change occurred!
"Move aside! Move aside!"
The crowd was roughly pushed apart as a figure squeezed through.
It was an old Daoist with white hair but a youthful face, dressed in Daoist robes, and possessed a rather otherworldly air.
But his actions were completely at odds with his appearance. He staggered forward, his expression agitated, ignoring everyone, including Lin Qingfeng who stood at the very front.
He rushed straight to Su Ling'er and stopped, under everyone's dumbfounded gazes.
Something flickered in the old Daoist's cloudy eyes. With tears welling, he mustered all his strength and shouted at Su Ling'er:
"Mama—!!!"
Su Ling'er: "..."
Lin Qingfeng: "..."
The surrounding players: "..."
Time stopped. The air froze.
The proud, self-satisfied smile on Lin Qingfeng's face instantly shattered.
'Seriously?!'
'Since when did an edgelord like that sneak into my sect?'
'You must be a spy from another guild, sent here to cause trouble, right?!'