Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

"Why did I have to go through five hundred tedious trials just to find another path, while Mr. Wang... as soon as he arrives, he..."

Su Ling’er didn’t finish, but the sense of injustice in her words was plain to see.

Lin Qingfeng stood in the hall, his hands clasped behind his back. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he slowly paced to the entrance and gazed out at the clouds swirling in the sky.

He, too, was wondering what to do. ’How am I supposed to explain this?’

’I can’t just tell her, "You did the main NPC questline for the entire sect by yourself five hundred times, so of course the following NPCs don’t have to do it again."’

’No, that would be too undignified. It completely goes against my image as an enlightened master!’

He could sense Su Ling’er’s indignation and knew he had to find a way to make her accept the situation wholeheartedly.

’Forget it, I can’t make anything up. I might as well be honest.’

’I’ll just dress it up a bit, make it sound more profound. My junior sister is so insightful, she’s sure to connect the dots on her own.’

And so, with a soft sigh, he adopted the weary and compassionate expression of one who has seen it all.

"Junior Sister, you see only the surface, not the fundamental truth."

"Are you familiar with the saying, ’One generation plants the trees, and the next enjoys the shade’?"

"Your five hundred trials back then seemed tedious, but in reality, you were paving the way for those who came after.

You, with your own devotion and toil, have paved a smoother ’foundational path’ for our sect.

It is because of your sacrifice that the great Dao of our sect now flows more smoothly. Naturally, those who follow can bypass much of the drudgery and face the true path of cultivation directly."

"All the hardship you endured has become part of the sect’s very foundation.

This is an act of great merit and a testament to your magnanimity.

Junior Sister, you should be proud of your contributions, not fixated on such petty matters."

As Su Ling’er listened, a storm raged in her heart.

’One generation plants the trees?’

’The next enjoys the shade?’

’I plant the tree, and he enjoys the shade?’

’What a "foundational path"! What a "sect’s foundation"!’

She was instantly "enlightened"!

’This was the classic rhetoric high-ranking members of a demonic sect used to brainwash low-level disciples!’

’They package ruthless exploitation as "sacrifice" and "merit," forcing the victims not only to endure injustice but to be grateful for it!’

’And he’d said it all for both her and Wang Xiedi to hear, which just confirmed her suspicions—they wanted to use this blatant favoritism to plant a seed of jealousy in her heart and create an irreparable rift between them!’

’What a vicious scheme! What sinister intentions!’

While Su Ling’er was ranting furiously in her mind, her face was a picture of tearful, sudden enlightenment.

"Senior Brother! I’m enlightened! It was I... I was being too narrow-minded! I understand now. My sacrifices... they were all worth it!"

Wang Xiedi, who had been listening from the side, was completely baffled. All he wanted to do right now was redeem himself in his senior sister’s eyes.

[Wang Xiedi]: Senior Sister! Don’t you worry! I swear I won’t let you suffer in vain! Let me do all the dirty, tiring work from now on!

[Su Ling’er]: Shut up! You lost the fruit, little junior brother, now go get your mission!

[Wang Xiedi]: ...

...

Ultimately, they both received a mission from the Task Elder: to till three plots of the medicinal fields in Hundred Herbs Valley.

In Hundred Herbs Valley, Su Ling’er used her Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation to till the medicinal fields. With her Spiritual Power, her hoe flew with astonishing efficiency. Meanwhile, in the plot next to hers, Wang Xiedi was struggling, both hands gripping a hoe taller than he was. He grunted and strained against the stubborn earth, his disciple robes quickly becoming soaked with sweat.

[Su Ling’er]: Wang Xiedi, slow down. Don’t exhaust your Spiritual Power.

[Wang Xiedi]: Senior Sister, don’t worry! I can handle it! After all the hardship you went through, what’s a little exhaustion for me!

To prove himself, Wang Xiedi mustered all his strength, channeling his remaining Spiritual Power into the hoe and bringing it down with a mighty swing!

"CLANG!"

With a muffled clang, the hoe struck something hard.

Su Ling’er’s heart skipped a beat. She watched as Wang Xiedi, his curiosity piqued, tossed his hoe aside and began digging at the spot with his bare hands.

Soon, a ghastly white bone was exposed to the air.

[Su Ling’er]: Mr. Wa! Don’t move! Get back!

The moment she saw the skeleton, she felt her blood run cold.

’Iron-clad proof!’

’This was undeniable proof!’

’These demons really do slaughter people indiscriminately! They bury the bodies right in the medicinal fields as fertilizer!’

’So this is the truth behind their so-called "Human Origin Soil"?!’

But Wang Xiedi seemed not to have heard her telepathic warning. With a trembling hand, he brushed the dirt off a decaying wooden plaque beside the bones.

Frantic, Su Ling’er ignored the potential danger and leaned in for a closer look. She, too, made out the line of text.

"For professional-grade skeletons, accept no substitutes for ’Wang’... Only 300 Spirit Stones. A brother’s gotta make a living! I buried this in the right place, didn’t I?"

’Depraved!’

’This is utterly, completely depraved!!!’

Su Ling’er felt the world spin around her.

’To willingly sell your own life and bones to a demonic sect as fertilizer, just for a measly three hundred Spirit Stones to support your family!’

’And to leave a wooden plaque before dying, worried you might have buried yourself in the wrong spot and inconvenienced the buyer!’

’Just how terrifyingly complete is this demonic sect’s brainwashing? How twisted have they made people’s minds?!’

Just as the two were reeling from the shock, Lin Qingfeng’s figure suddenly appeared before them. He glanced at the skeleton.

’I knew it. That fellow Wang still buried it in the wrong place.’

’No wonder his work is so much sloppier than ’Ji’s’!’

"Alright, alright, stop staring. It was just buried in the wrong spot. What’s the big deal?"

He picked up the skeleton and waved a dismissive hand.

"Get back to work! Can you bear the responsibility if a triviality like this delays the great work of the sect?"

This cold, dismissive attitude toward human life ignited a fire in Wang Xiedi’s heart, and he started forward to confront him.

With lightning reflexes, Su Ling’er grabbed him and pulled him back.

[Su Ling’er]: Wang Xiedi, are you crazy?! Do you want to die?!

"Respect the dead! Senior Brother—"

"Exactly! Respect the dead! He wanted to die, so shouldn’t you respect his wish?"

Lin Qingfeng cut him off casually,

"I’ll find a spot with good feng shui to bury him later. Now, get to work."

Overwhelmed by absolute power, Wang Xiedi could only swallow his anger and return to his struggle with the soil.

...

Meanwhile, Lin Qingfeng watched Wang Xiedi’s slow progress and compared it to Su Ling’er’s post-Foundation Establishment Stage efficiency, a headache forming.

’Sigh. This Wang Xiedi... his Spirit Root, devotion, willpower... he’s a complete and utter good-for-nothing in every conceivable way.’

’Giving him any of the sect’s Cultivation Techniques would be a total waste.’

’Is there even a Cultivation Technique out there designed for such a special specimen?’

’Then he had an idea. For someone like Wang Xiedi, the Dawa Sect was the only answer.’

’Besides, Wang Xiedi is a perfect fit for their sect. If I could sell him for a good price, that wouldn’t be so bad!’

And so, he swiped his finger through the air. A screen of light unfolded, displaying a friend list.

His finger scrolled down the list, finally stopping on the name of the Dawa Sect’s leader.

After a moment’s hesitation, he tapped open the chat window.

[(Guixi Sect) Lin Qingfeng]: Yo, you there? I found your long-lost mom!

A moment later, the other party responded.

[(Dawa Sect) Wa Wei X Feng]: ?