"We can't back down," Greg said. "If we miss this opportunity and the Beggar Gang expands, we won't be able to kill Lin Bai."

"Great God Greg, we have sect rewards," Live under the crotch remarked. "Lin Bai asked us to participate in the planning. If we botch it, we might not survive in the sect!"

"Exactly," Little Cat Don't Eat Fish said. "Greg, let it go. It's not worth it. It's better to kill Lin Bai in a fair fight than with these intrigues."

"Give me your accounts; I'll reimburse you." Greg fell silent for a while, then said, "We're at the highest levels; it's impossible for us not to survive in the sect. All the blame can be pinned on Lin Bai. Lin Bai's death has nothing to do with players choosing their sects. Perhaps the members of the Beggar Gang will find another way out then."

"How much are you willing to pay?" Golden Lion looked at Greg. "If the payment is too low, I'm not doing it. The Blood Soul Flag is a mid-level Magic Treasure. In the early stages of the game, such a treasure could sell for at least one hundred thousand. Entering the Blood Pool once will raise my level by at least twenty. By then, I might be the top player in the game. I don't want to jeopardize my future for your cause. With a high level, I can even get endorsements. The future is boundless..."

"Exactly. We have no grievances with Lin, the Storekeeper," Little Cat Don't Eat Fish said. "His recent actions have clearly been pushing forward the game's progress. The Beggar Gang members can do their thing, and we can do ours. Isn't that good? Why must we oppose him? I think things are just fine now. If we fail, we could waste all our advantages from the closed beta."

"Thirty thousand. Thirty thousand each." Greg scanned them and gritted his teeth. "Consider it compensation for your losses. Take it or leave it..."

The group looked at each other and then nodded in agreement.

Golden Lion said, "Great God Greg, let's make this clear beforehand! No matter the outcome, the money is non-refundable."

"No need for a refund." Greg's face hardened. He looked at Lin Bai, who was still chatting and laughing with the NPCs, and his deep-seated resentment erupted uncontrollably.

He, who had always vehemently opposed advertisements in games, was now actually thinking of finding a sponsor to cover his losses.

This was too damn annoying!

He hadn't even done anything yet but had already lost over a hundred thousand...

Sponsors would surely be interested in a grand plot to take down Lin Bai, right?

Then he could even livestream the NPCs reacting to Lin Bai's death. With his fame, he might even make a profit...

What a huge grudge!

Spending money just to mess with me?

Great God Greg?

More like Great Shit Greg!

If I don't drive you to bankruptcy, I'll change my surname from Lin...

Hearing their conversation, Lin Bai shook his head slightly. He stood up and saw the group of Evil Sect members off, "Gentlemen, it's settled then. We'll see each other at the recruitment fair. I, Lin, guarantee that everything will be handled beautifully."

"We appreciate your efforts, Lin, the Storekeeper." Lan Nuotian and the others bid farewell to Lin Bai one by one, leaving behind a pile of gifts.

"Lin, the Storekeeper, do you have any arrangements for us?" Greg asked, forcing down his resentment as he looked at Lin Bai.

"I'm not in charge of the recruitment fair. You can go to Lao Mi to coordinate." Lin Bai glanced at him with a smile and said, "The Beggar Gang are all Descenders. You can treat this place as your home. Eat what you want, drink what you want. The Beggar Gang has plenty of money..."

[Resentment from Greg: +1+1+1+1]

[Resentment from Golden Lion, Live under the crotch, Little Cat Don't Eat Fish...: +1+1+1]

It would have been better if he hadn't said that. When Lin Bai finished his sentence, the players suddenly felt he truly deserved to die. He was just too infuriating!

"Lin Bai, why were the people from the Blood Shadow Sect looking for you?" Jiang Qingqin rushed in and asked as soon as the Evil Sect members left.

"To deliver gifts!" Lin Bai glanced at Jiang Qingqin and continued to watch Greg and the others. "Speaking of which, your Hundred Flower Valley is the stingiest. I'm such an important supervising official, and all the other sects gave gifts. Only you guys gave nothing..."

"Aren't I the biggest gift?" Jiang Qingqin smiled. "My master even 'gifted' me to you. Isn't that more valuable than their gifts?"

"Can you be eaten or used?" Lin Bai glanced at her and asked with a smile.

"Both." Jiang Qingqin leaned closer to Lin Bai, undeterred, and whispered in his ear, "I could stay in your Beggar Gang tonight. Do you dare accept me?"

"Too ugly." Lin Bai took a step back, appearing unfazed, and shook his head. Whenever he saw Jiang Qingqin, she always provided Pleasure Value.

The after-effects of those sweet nothings were too severe; they had broken through her psychological defenses. Jiang Qingqin was becoming more and more audacious with him, to the point of disregarding her sect's orders.

"Humph! No taste." Jiang Qingqin glared at him. "You'll know once you go to Hundred Flower Valley. Among the disciples of this generation, I am the most beautiful. The other sisters are unbearable to look at. Each one is holding back, waiting to condense their Golden Core to reshape themselves and start anew! Among them are princesses from kingdoms and young ladies from prominent sects. If you wait to choose until after they've formed their Golden Cores and reshaped themselves, you'll be the one truly duped."

"..." Lin Bai was speechless. Just based on this beauty and body Shaping Cultivation Technique, Hundred Flower Valley's status in the Cultivation World was unshakable. It was too marketable.

"You can tell me what type you like," Jiang Qingqin suddenly blushed. "After I form my Golden Core, I'll Shape myself according to your preference."

"So, you're really set on latching onto me, huh?" Lin Bai asked with a smile.

"Mhm." Jiang Qingqin turned to Lin Bai, her large, beautiful eyes looking at him earnestly as she nodded. "When I'm idle, I can't help but think of you. When I'm doing things, I always wonder what you would do. Those sweet words you whispered to me that night also involuntarily surface in my mind. Thinking of those words, or even just your face, makes my face flush and my heart race. I asked my sect sisters, and they said this is admiration. I don't want to feel upset, so, I've decided to latch onto you."

"..." Lin Bai was dumbfounded.

"It's all your fault." Jiang Qingqin looked at Lin Bai, her face growing redder. "If you hadn't whispered those sweet nothings to me that night, none of this would have happened later. I'm about to form my Golden Core, but I have no will to cultivate..."

What a mess!

Lin Bai looked at Jiang Qingqin, somewhat stunned.

If she had ulterior motives, it would be one thing. But the background emotions didn't lie; Jiang Qingqin was genuinely serious. In that case, he couldn't easily refuse her. Moreover, he was indeed responsible for Jiang Qingqin becoming like this.

Lin Bai sighed softly. "Jiang Qingqin, do you even know me?"

Jiang Qingqin looked at him and shook her head. "No, I don't. I don't even know which of your words are true and which are false. Although my master outwardly said she betrothed me to you, her real intention was for me to get close to you, win you over, and learn the secrets of your sect. She doesn't believe your claims..." She paused. "But I am willing to believe."

Lin Bai's heart was inexplicably touched. He asked, "Aren't you afraid I'm truly a Devil's Head?"

"I don't care." Jiang Qingqin smiled. "Since I've known you, although you've done many strange things, you've never actively hurt anyone. So, I believe you're not a Devil's Head."

"What if one day, you discover I've made many enemies? What will you do then?" Lin Bai asked.

"I will fight by your side," Jiang Qingqin replied without hesitation.

"What if the enemy is the Heavenly Dao Sect?" Lin Bai pressed. "The conflict between me and the Return to Dragon View is already irreconcilable. For this recruitment fair, I don't even plan to let any Descenders enter the Return to Dragon View..."

"..." Jiang Qingqin hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip lightly. "If things truly reach an irreparable point, I will definitely die before you. This isn't a sweet nothing; I'm serious."

"You will not die before Master! I will!" Little White Fox, feeling its position threatened, lifted its head from Lin Bai's lap and glared angrily at Jiang Qingqin, retorting defiantly.

Competing for favor is one thing, but competing to die as well?

Lin Bai patted Little White Fox's head a couple of times, sighing inwardly. So, without realizing it, his ties to this world had already become so deep!

He looked at Jiang Qingqin and shrugged. "Alright! Let's try things out first. If one day you find I'm not your cup of tea, you can leave anytime."

"Once I, Jiang Qingqin, set my mind on something, I absolutely will not go back on my word!" Jiang Qingqin finally got Lin Bai's response, and her eyes instantly lit up. She tilted her head back proudly and declared.

[The second CP has successfully formed; Reward: Matchmaker's Red String (Issued)]

[Matchmaker's Red String: A thread of fate binds destined lovers across vast distances. Once a target is selected, it automatically binds them. Regardless of how far apart the bound pair are, they will inevitably develop feelings stronger than steel.]

[As a successor to the Matchmaker, your responsibility is to ensure every destined pair of lovers ends up together. Please form the third CP; Reward: Matchmaker's Green Thread]

System, oh System!

Do you misunderstand what a CP is?

I just casually said we'd 'try things out,' and the mission is complete?

Lin Bai was speechless.

At this moment, two items lay in his Matchmaker System: Pan Jinlian's Bamboo Pole and the Matchmaker's Red String.

Little Pan's bamboo pole wasn't a big deal.

But this Red String seemed very domineering. Once tied, it directly bypassed the stage of cultivating feelings.

Doesn't that mean he could find a super expert from the Righteous Qi Sect, bind her to himself, and instantly gain a powerful ally?

So the ultimate purpose of the Matchmaker System was to help him recruit allies using the Red String?

A harem?

My army of War God wives?

But the Matchmaker System only mentioned binding, not unbinding!

If two people grew tired of each other but were still forcibly bound by the Red String, wouldn't that be terrifying?

Although the Red String seemed like a massive shortcut, Lin Bai inexplicably didn't want it to dictate his emotions. Even the Matchmaker didn't tie all the Red Strings to himself!

Developing things naturally, like with Jiang Qingqin, and parting ways if feelings faded—that seemed pretty good!

However, what on earth was the Matchmaker's Green Thread?

A cuckold thread?

Little Pan's bamboo pole, the Matchmaker's Green Thread!

The Matchmaker who invented this system didn't seem like a proper one...

The image of Xu Longyun suddenly flashed through Lin Bai's mind.

Speaking of which, he and Xu Longyun were also a CP!

He wondered what kind of face was hidden behind Xu Longyun's mask...

Having just successfully started something with Jiang Qingqin, Lin Bai was already thinking about other women. He glanced at Jiang Qingqin, feeling inexplicably guilty. Men truly are all lechers.

However, Jiang Qingqin was in a good mood and apparently hadn't noticed Lin Bai's distraction. "Lin Bai, have you really mastered the first layer of Spoken Law Follows?"

"Yes!" Lin Bai replied. One wrong move could unravel everything. Spoken Law Follows was crucial to his disguised identity, so he absolutely couldn't let anything slip.

"But it's so difficult!" Jiang Qingqin pouted. "I've practiced several times, but my mind easily wanders. How about... you help me practice, okay?"

"No." Lin Bai looked at Jiang Qingqin and shook his head decisively. "I have many things to do; I can't accompany you in your practice. Jiang Qingqin, I want you to remember this: if a woman slows down my sword-drawing speed, I genuinely wouldn't hesitate to part ways with you immediately..."

"Alright then!" Jiang Qingqin's lips drooped in disappointment. "In that case, I'll just go talk to my little white rabbit!"

"I have an Enlightenment Pill here. You can feed it to your rabbit to awaken its Spirit Intelligence." Lin Bai looked at Jiang Qingqin, took out a bottle containing the Enlightenment Pill from his robes, and handed it to her.

"For me?" Jiang Qingqin excitedly took the pill bottle, once again rapidly providing Lin Bai with Pleasure Value. She looked at the bottle in her hand. "This is an Enlightenment Pill! It's too wasteful to feed it to a rabbit. When we have some free time, let's go to the Beast Taming Palace and buy a Demon Beast! A Demon Beast raised from a young age will be completely loyal to you, even without a contract!"

"Alright," Lin Bai replied absently.

The Pet System hadn't shown any signs of unlocking a second slot, so he wasn't particularly interested in finding another pet.

Besides, getting ten Enlightenment Pills as a reward now and then wasn't a big deal for him anymore. They weren't as precious as the Matchmaker's Red String!

However, he wasn't very good at engineering CPs and playing matchmaker with Red Strings!

Was he going to have to open a matchmaking agency after the Weapon Workshop?

Lin Bai had a hunch that the items provided by the Matchmaker System would be incredibly helpful. He liked these kinds of items: simple to use, yet with overwhelmingly powerful effects.

They were far more impressive than the Blacksmith Set, which required him to do all the work himself!

After discussing some matters of the Cultivation World with Jiang Qingqin, midnight arrived before they knew it. Jiang Qingqin was summoned back by someone sent by her master.

「Meanwhile」

People from Medicine King Valley and Spirit Artifact Pavilion also arrived at the Beggar Gang one after another to discuss the recruitment fair with the Beggar Gang disciples.

The passage had been opened. Descenders could arrive in Qian City at any moment. The recruitment fair was imminent. It was a grand event for all sects. If they failed to recruit disciples, they would have a hard time explaining themselves upon returning.

Of course, they also wanted to observe Lin Bai's attitude.

After all, it was no secret that people from the Evil Sect had sought out Lin Bai.

Tong Cha of the Morning Yuan Sword Sect even kindly warned Lin Bai not to get too close to the Evil Sect members, lest he displease both sides and end up with no allies.

The Righteous Qi Sect and the Magic Gate were irreconcilable. If he consistently associated too closely with the Magic Gate, he might be excluded from major events in the Cultivation World in the future, such as exploring ruins. That would be the Beggar Gang's true loss.

Lin Bai humbly accepted the advice but didn't really take it to heart.

If they didn't include him, would he just not participate?

There were no secrets among players. If ruins were truly discovered, wouldn't he take the initiative and lead the Beggar Gang members there himself?

Righteous or Evil?

Once the players arrived, they'd all be 'evil'!

These natives, still living in the past, would understand this sooner or later.

While everyone was busy preparing for the recruitment fair, Daoist Qingling of Return to Dragon View was at his wit's end.

He hadn't expected at all that the people from the Blood Shadow Sect would be so shameless as to personally deliver gifts and curry favor with Lin Bai!

This instantly thwarted his plans for covert manipulation and sowing discord.

All the sects had gone to the Beggar Gang to discuss the recruitment fair.

Daoist Qingling was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan. He even began to complain about Daoist Priest Qingfeng's slow pace, as he still hadn't brought reinforcements!

If the reinforcements didn't arrive soon, once the recruitment fair began, everything would be over!

「Late at night.」

Dingus Explosion quietly sneaked into the Return to Dragon View's encampment, met Daoist Qingling, and said bluntly, "Daoist Qingling, I want to make a deal with you..."

Having watched the entire livestream of Daoist Qingming being tormented, the players naturally knew who in Qian City was on bad terms with Lin Bai. They couldn't count on their own masters; they needed someone who could stir up trouble...