"Besides, our Guixi Sect has held the virtue of modesty since ancient tis!
Long ago, there was the tale of Kong Rong yielding the pear, a story passed down through the ages. That is the virtue of deference!
As your senior brothers and sisters, it is only right that we follow the example of the sages and let you, our Little Junior Sister, go first!
This is only natural. By following after you, we demonstrate the camaraderie and fellowship of our Guixi Sect!"
"It’s just a few wrong answers,"
he said, patting his chest in assurance,
"Answer with confidence! I’m here for you. We absolutely won’t mind if you get them wrong!
In fact, doing so is a testant to your devotion to the Path!"
The surrounding disciples chid in:
"That’s right, Little Junior Sister! It’s just a few wrong answers. We don’t mind!
Don’t hold back just to be modest for our sake! Hurry up and answer!"
"Yes, yes! How could we common folk dare to show off our ager skills before a true talent like you, Little Junior Sister? Please, write your answer!"
"If you hadn’t answered wrong first, we wouldn’t have known the correct answer.
There’s a mysterious providence at work that allows us to get it right. We’re all counting on you, Junior Sister!"
"Hurry up and answer, Little Junior Sister!"
Faced with wave after wave of "sincere" urging, listening to this chorus of demons, Su Ling’er nearly crushed the folding fan in her hand.
’Have you no sha!’
’Do any of you have any sha?!’
’How can you be so utterly shaless?!’
’You’ve managed to make "letting soone else turn in their test first" sound so noble and refined!’
’And what’s this about a reward!’
’What "Kong Rong yielding the pear"?!’
’What "letting go first"?!’
’The only reason you can get it right is if I get it wrong first, isn’t it!’
’We’re just natural enemies, aren’t we?!’
’Oh... that’s right. We *are* natural enemies.’
’I’m an undercover agent for the righteous path, and you’re Evil Cultivators from a demonic sect. We’re irreconcilable!’
Her cheeks puffed out in anger, making her look like a little hamster.
But she also knew that if she delayed any longer, she would likely anger this group of Evil Cultivators.
’Since it’s humiliating whether I get it right or wrong, I’ll just answer from the heart!’
She stopped trying to guess the demonic way of thinking and simply followed her own convictions.
’When companions are in danger, one must naturally step forward to shield them. This is the essence of chivalry and the practice of the Great Dao!’
She wrote a "one" on the paper and then tossed her brush down.
The result was announced.
The answer was "four."
’Of course! Of course it is!’
’I knew this demonic sect would ultimately choose the fourth option: to shield themselves with their companions!’
’Isn’t that just using your companions as human shields, as cannon fodder, as tools to buy ti?!’
’It makes sense. They casually disregard the lives of their own sect mbers, so why would they care about companions they t in so secret realm?’
’This is their true nature!’
’This demonic sect is rotten to the core!’
And so, she burst into another round of tears, weeping so heartbreakingly it could move heaven and earth.
Just then, the elder on the stage made a new move.
With a wave of his hand, a cloth pouch appeared, and he gave it a gentle toss.
The pouch sailed through the air in an arc and landed on Su Ling’er’s low table.
CLANG.
’What does this an?’
Su Ling’er stared at the pouch on the table, stunned.
’I didn’t even get the answer right. What are they giving ?’
’Could it be... poison for to commit suicide?!’
Su Ling’er instantly imagined what would be inside when she opened the pouch with a trembling hand.
’A packet of arsenic?’
’Or maybe a handful of deadly pills?’
’Or so even more sinister toxin, specifically used for experints on disposable subjects?!’
’And Senior Brother will force , in front of all these demons, to end my own humiliating life with my own hands...’
’No, no, I can’t bear to think about it any further!’
"Little Junior Sister, hurry and open it!"
Lin Qingfeng’s voice was full of encouragent.
"This is a reward from the sect for your enthusiastic participation in this grand event!"
’A reward? Who are you trying to fool!’
’How many have I even gotten right? And they’re rewarding ?!’
’Other than being the first to submit my answer every ti—which you forced to do—what damned qualification do I have to receive a reward?!’
But she knew she had no choice.
She reached out, her arm, clad in its red short sleeve, feeling as heavy as a mountain.
’Either way, it’s the chopping block for ...’
’Maybe... maybe it really isn’t poison?’
Steeling herself, she yanked open the drawstring on the pouch and peered inside.
The poison pills she expected were not there.
In their place were... Spirit Stones!
A pouch packed to the brim with Spirit Stones, shimring with an alluring luster!
She quickly counted them: one, ten, fifty, one hundred... a full two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones!
Two hundred!
Su Ling’er was stunned.
’Just like that... I can get two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones?’
’How much ti has even passed?’
’And they just handed over two hundred?!’
’And this was after I got practically every single question wrong!’
She rembered how she’d fought tooth and nail through several floors of the Demon-Locking Tower, only to earn a dozen or so Spirit Stones.
She rembered how she’d toiled sleeplessly in the dicinal fields, receiving nothing more than one low-grade Spirit Grass after another.
And now, just by sitting here, being forced by this band of demons to laugh and cry, she could get a full two hundred Spirit Stones!
’This is so much easier than grinding for Spirit Stones in the Demon-Locking Tower a dozen tis!’
A sense of bewildered shock, a mix of absurdity and ecstasy, instantly washed away all her fear and indignation.
’What demonic brainwashing conference?’
’What ntal torture?’
’I just have to not listen!’
’This little junior sister absolutely loves answering questions!’
And so, her subsequent answers beca extrely fast.
Every ti, she would race to be the first to submit her paper.
’After all, it seems like they give a reward no matter what the answer is, as long as you’re the first to respond!’
Seeing his junior sister’s enthusiastic cooperation, Lin Qingfeng couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.
’As expected, Spirit Stones really do move the heart!’
’Little Junior Sister has finally seen the light!’
...
For the eighth question, Mr. Qian on the stage slowly read aloud:
"You are within the sect and accidentally witness a fellow disciple reveal their true Cultivation, which is vastly different from their usual display.
To keep this secret, what is the best course of action?"
"One: Silence them by killing them, wiping the slate clean."
"Two: Use threats and bribes to make them swear a venomous oath never to speak of it."
"Three: Fabricate a plausible lie and pretend you saw nothing."
"Four: Approach them, feed them a Forgetfulness Elixir to make them forget what just happened, and tell them they simply fainted and you don’t know what happened either."
Su Ling’er listened to the question, her mind racing.
’It seems now that while this demonic sect’s logic is absurd, there might be a pattern to it.’
She imdiately chose the fourth option.
’The Forgetfulness Elixir makes them forget without causing fundantal harm.’
’And if the other person developed feelings or so other complication that could lead to entanglent, they could just forget it all. Perhaps that’s the best outco for both parties.’
’No matter what happened, the two of them could sever their karmic ties and avoid getting too deeply involved.’
’Yes, making them "forget their worries" severs karma and is a hundred tis more reliable than weaving a lie.’
She imdiately wrote down "four" and was once again the first to submit her paper.
A mont later, the result was announced.
"For this question, the correct answer is ’four’."
Su Ling’er froze for a second.
’Huh?’
’The answer wasn’t one?’
’This ti... I actually got it right?!’
She looked at the disciples around her; they had all chosen four as well!
’And those demons didn’t choose "silence them by killing them"?’
’I was so sure they would pick the first option!’
Holding her folding fan, she stood up once more.
Only this ti, her smile finally held a trace of genuine joy.
She mimicked the air of a dashing scholar, snapping her fan open with a SWISH and bursting into hearty laughter at the crowd.
...
「anwhile, beneath the wilderness.」
The earth was slowly disturbed as two Contracted Spirit Insects quietly burrowed out and took flight, their wings beating.
At the preset ti, the escape began once more!
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