CHAPTER 114: 114 RULES

"[Crisis in Big Bro’s Business: The Beggar Gang faces the danger of being disbanded. Please assist Big Bro in overcoming the current crisis; Reward: 30 Qi Yun.]"

A new task suddenly popped up from the Chief Supporting Role System.

Lin Bai was left speechless.

Big Bro? Who doesn’t know that I’m the real boss now! After roasting the Players and then the natives! The System really wants to push me into complete isolation!

However.

That 30 Qi Yun reward looks really tempting.

Lin Bai couldn’t possibly ignore a System task and rely solely on his own hard work to maintain some interpersonal relationships...

The Supervisory Immortal Office is clearly a set-up. The System is right. The Beggar Gang’s crisis is his crisis.

The Players are broadcasting live. Once the Beggar Gang disbands, it will be difficult for him to form another gang, and he’ll even lose his bodyguards.

Lin Bai stopped in his tracks. "Junior Sister Jiang, what if the Chosen Ones don’t want to be managed by them?"

"..." Jiang Qingqin looked at Lin Bai in surprise, as if she had never expected him to ask such a question.

"The Beggar Gang can develop on its own. Why should we find a group of managers for ourselves?" [Lonely Old Man], who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, couldn’t help but say. "We know going to the Supervisory Immortal Office will lead to trouble, so why should we ask for it?"

"Does the Supervisory Immortal Office give us money?" [Lumberjack No.1] asked. "They don’t give us money, they don’t give us cultivation manuals, and we’re not planning to leave the Beggar Gang. Why should we go to the Supervisory Immortal Office?"

"Exactly, we’re not going! The Beggar Gang will develop on its own!" [Bitter Melon Vine] said.

Instantly, all the Players voiced their opinions.

Game Players craved freedom and loathed any rules imposed on them, unless those rules brought them benefits.

Moreover, the NPCs from the Blood Shadow Sect, Hundred Flower Valley, or that Morning Yuan Sword Sect they had encountered were all effortlessly suppressed by Lin Bai. These Sects held no attraction for them at all.

Since that was the case, why bother going to the Supervisory Immortal Office to look for trouble when they were still weak? With that time, they might as well try to wheedle some Skills out of Lin, the Storekeeper, then go rob money and resources, and eventually sweep through all the other Sects.

Most importantly, they were still bound by advertising contracts! Two fists are no match for four hands; if Lin, the Storekeeper, couldn’t withstand the pressure and let several major Sects disband the Beggar Gang, they wouldn’t be able to afford the breach of contract penalties.

...

"You all..." Jiang Qingqin looked at everyone in astonishment. After a moment, she said, "But if you want to embark on the path of cultivation, you’ll inevitably have to deal with these Cultivation Sects. The Spirit Artifact Pavilion controls the refining of Magic Treasures in the Cultivation World. The Medicine King Valley manages the trade of Pill Medicines. The Morning Yuan Sword Sect’s sword Cultivators possess unparalleled attack power. And behind the Return to Dragon View is the Heavenly Dao Sect, the progenitor of Dao Cultivators. If the Beggar Gang Disciples offend these Cultivation Sects from the very beginning, I’m afraid they’ll find it difficult to take even a single step outside..."

"So, to survive, we must act according to their rules?" Lin Bai asked with a smile.

Jiang Qingqin saw the disdain in Lin Bai’s eyes. She hesitated for a moment, then explained, "The Righteous Door has long remained secluded from the world. Perhaps your master never told you about these things. In the current Cultivation World, the Seven Righteous Sects are supreme, and most other Sects are essentially offshoots of these seven. Therefore, although there’s frequent competition among Disciples of various Sects, they generally operate according to the rules established by the Seven Righteous Sects. Master said that rules create order. Otherwise, the Cultivation World would revert to its former state, with Sects scheming against each other and fighting to the death, and no one would know peace."

A mature and vast interest group indeed! I suppose only the Players can break their monopoly.

Lin Bai once thought Players would bring disaster to their lives. But now, he had to rely on the Players for his rise. He didn’t know whether he should feel fortunate. Sighing inwardly, Lin Bai changed the subject. "What about Hundred Flower Valley? What are your specialties?"

"Wood-based Spells and the arts of Shaping and preserving youthfulness," Jiang Qingqin said, puffing out her chest proudly. "With these two skills, most female Cultivators are willing to choose Hundred Flower Valley. Our Sect has survived among all the others thanks to our large number of female Cultivators and the diplomatic skills of our Elders."

"The art of preserving youthfulness?" Lin Bai subconsciously glanced at Jiang Qingqin’s face.

"Don’t look at me," Jiang Qingqin said, giving Lin Bai an annoyed look. "One is only considered a true Cultivator after reaching the Golden Core stage, and the first opportunity for Shaping comes only after Core Formation..."

"[Bitter Melon Vine] said in the team voice chat, "A Sect full of beauties! Players looking for romance will probably choose to join this Sect."

"[Well Does Not Move] chuckled. "I bet Hundred Flower Valley will end up full of men."

"[Silver] said, "Female Players will likely choose this Sect too. After all, character creation in games is novel at first, but over time, people always become dissatisfied with their appearance."

"[Not Settling For Less] said, "Hundred Flower Valley doesn’t sound like it has any powerful combat Skills!"

"[Crazy Man] asked, "Do they need any? How many female Players join games to fight? As for Hundred Flower Valley, didn’t you hear her mention the Elders’ diplomatic skills? Being beautiful is enough; through marriage alliances, the Sect can secure its place in the world. Otherwise, why would she deliberately approach Shopkeeper Lin? I don’t believe in love at first sight..."

...

There are indeed many cunning individuals among the Players.

Hearing the Players’ private chat, Lin Bai smiled faintly. "Thinking about it, the Beggar Gang really doesn’t need anything from them. In that case, we won’t go to any Supervisory Immortal Office. Junior Sister Jiang, please feel free to do as you wish!"

"Lin Bai, you can’t do this..." Jiang Qingqin’s expression changed drastically, and she said in a panic, "If you take the Beggar Gang Disciples away, what about me? This time, when we went to the lower four cities to pick up people, I brought back the most. If you don’t go, the five Sects’ harvest from this trip will be zero."

"Then just continue to bring Chosen Ones from the basic cities!" Lin Bai looked at Jiang Qingqin teasingly. "There are plenty of Chosen Ones. Find more experts to escort them, or simply bring them from Jiamucheng back to your Sects. Isn’t that better than scheming for the few people in my Beggar Gang?"

"The Chosen Ones, whose meridians are all open, only appear in the basic cities. The Sects under the Seven Righteous Sects wouldn’t dare to openly send people to recruit all the Chosen Ones under their banners," Jiang Qingqin said. "Otherwise, if it provokes a misunderstanding with the Evil Sects, it could lead to disaster..."

"In other words, you don’t dare to provoke the Evil Sects, but you dare to provoke me?" Lin Bai chuckled. "Junior Sister Jiang, and to think I’ve always considered you a friend, even taught you the cultivation method of Spoken Law Follows, and arguably saved your life on the way. This time, you haven’t sold me out completely, have you?"

"I..." Jiang Qingqin was tongue-tied. "I had no choice... I could only tell the truth..."

Lin Bai said, "Then just keep telling the truth."

...

"So domineering."

"Shopkeeper Lin is mighty!"

"That’s the kind of fearless spirit we need!"

"Don’t be afraid, just confront them!"

"We’re your backing!"

...

The private chat buzzed again.

Jiang Qingqin looked at the unfazed Lin Bai and said anxiously, "Lin Bai, the Righteous Door establishing the Beggar Gang in Jiamucheng and intercepting all the Chosen Ones in a city was already against the rules. I’m doing this for your own good. Taking a step back will open up new horizons for you. You’ve already offended the Blood Shadow Sect, and now you’re opposing the Seven Righteous Sects. Do you want to make an enemy of the entire world?"

"Junior Sister Jiang, I asked you to tell the truth, not to exaggerate." Lin Bai frowned. "My Beggar Gang just wants to develop peacefully in the mundane world, with no intention of invading the Cultivation World. The way you put it makes me sound like some great Devil’s Head. Are the Seven Righteous Sects so tyrannical now? If we don’t act according to your wishes, does that mean we’re making an enemy of the entire world?"

"I... I didn’t mean that..." Jiang Qingqin was dumbfounded, but she clearly couldn’t out-argue Lin Bai. She said anxiously, "The leaders of the major Sects are all waiting for us at the Supervisory Immortal Office. If we don’t go, they’ll think the Beggar Gang looks down on the Seven Righteous Sects. Anyway, it’s very complicated. I won’t harm you."

"Junior Sister Jiang, I won’t make things difficult for you either." Lin Bai looked at Jiang Qingqin and smiled. "The Beggar Gang members have already arrived in Qian City and won’t be going anywhere for the next few days. I’m not an unreasonable person. If the Sects at the Supervisory Immortal Office can persuade my Beggar Gang Disciples to join them, they are free to go. But if they use violent means or coercion, I, Lin Bai, will definitely stand up for them. The Righteous Door doesn’t look for trouble, but we never shy away from it..."

[Resentment from Jiang Qingqin; +1+1+1]

"Targeting even a group of beggars, the magnanimity of the Seven Righteous Sects is truly limited. Their actions are so constrained and ungraceful, they’re not even up to par with those Evil Sects." Lin Bai sneered contemptuously, looked at Jiang Qingqin, and shook his head. "Junior Sister Jiang, take my advice: stop practicing Spoken Law Follows. With your disposition, you’ll never succeed..."