With a single sentence, Jiang Qing completely let her guard down, her goodwill towards Lin Bai skyrocketing. She wriggled free from Lin Bai's embrace, wiping away her tears. "Lin Bai, although you are skilled in martial arts and insightful in many things, you are too naive when it comes to human nature. Perhaps it's due to your long training in the Righteous Door Sect. You should learn to be more cautious and not trust people so easily," she said.

Lin Bai chuckled, "My master always scolds me for the same thing, but it's just the way I am; I can't change! There's a saying I find quite nice—'a fool may have a fool's luck.' On the contrary, you shouldn't think so negatively of others."

"Do you have any idea what she did while you were in danger?" Jiang Qingqin looked at Lin Bai, sighing softly, "My master cannot deal with those who descended from heaven and hopes for your assistance. She's using your reputation to appease those divine beings and wants to find out about their nature from you. But I don't plan to let you go; she's just taking advantage of your innocence. Remember, in the future, do not tell her anything about the Righteous Door Sect or those powerful secret techniques. Even if you want to share them, only share them with trustworthy people..."

Jiang Qingqin went on and on, advising Lin Bai as if he truly didn't understand worldliness.

No wonder. Since Jiang Qingqin had known Lin Bai, all his actions had been exceedingly direct. Whether it was simply expressing affection, being forthright with Jiang Yuru, or retaliating when targeted at the job fair—even to the point of killing without considering the consequences—he never took any detours. It wasn't surprising she perceived him this way.

Thinking about it, a normal person wouldn't have dared to do the things Lin Bai did.

"Alright, in the future, if I have any powerful secret techniques to share, I'll only tell you," Lin Bai looked at the truly naive Jiang Qingqin and agreed.

"You don't have to tell me everything either," Jiang Qingqin's tears turned into laughter. "We can discuss it…"

One feigned simplicity, one truly naive.

Lin Bai and Jiang Qingqin continued chatting happily, both enjoying the conversation.

「Return to Dragon View.」

Dragon Breath looked at the few players brought back by Qing Lin and Qing Shui, utterly speechless. He suddenly felt the game's deep malice towards him. How could there be such stupid NPCs in the world?

Did you not see them dressed in Beggar Gang attire?

Why is Lin Bai so shrewd, his plans almost flawless, while the NPCs he encounters are one dumber than the next?

This time, they've really messed up!

Looking at the smiling Beggar Gang disciples opposite him, Dragon Breath took a deep breath and, attempting a private chat, said, "Guys, the Beggar Gang already has thousands of disciples; you won't stand out if you join. Why not join Return to Dragon View? Currently, it's just a few of us, so all the sect's resources can be poured into us…"

"So it was your idea?" Iron-Headed Immortal looked at Dragon Breath with an odd expression. "You're trying to ruin Return to Dragon View, aren't you!"

"Don't you know about how Lin, the Storekeeper, single-handedly stood against the five major sects?" Mountain Tiger said. "Who gave you the confidence that Return to Dragon View can defeat Lin, the Storekeeper?"

"Return to Dragon View has more than 180 Golden Core cultivators," Dragon Breath said calmly. "Back then, when Lin, the Storekeeper, fought the five major sects, he would have undoubtedly died without the help of the Beggar Gang disciples. If Return to Dragon View had killed Lin Bai, we would've gained enormous fame..."

"You said it yourself, Lin, the Storekeeper, was aided by Beggar Gang disciples. Back then, there were just over sixty disciples present, but now, there are nearly 3,000!" Iron-Headed Immortal said. "With over 3,000 disciples chanting tongue twisters, Lin, the Storekeeper's Palm Thunder could probably plow Return to Dragon View flat, right? Forget 180 Golden Core cultivators; even twice that many wouldn't be a problem! Dragon Breath, take my advice: become an inside man in Return to Dragon View and defect to the Beggar Gang."

"Exactly! Return to Dragon View doesn't stand a chance of winning," Daluo Golden Immortal said. "Moreover, killing Lin Bai means ruining the future of 3,000 Beggar Gang disciples. What's the point of gaining fame if you can't handle the revenge from 3,000 Beggar Gang players? Will Return to Dragon View sacrifice itself to protect you from the Beggar Gang until all 3,000 of them quit the game? I think you're the one who's not thinking clearly…"

"Precisely," Mountain Tiger chimed in. "If you kill Lin Bai, you'll be hunted by the 3,000 members of the Beggar Gang. If you fail to kill him, you'll still be hunted by them. It's a lose-lose situation. Why throw your life away for Return to Dragon View?"

The players took turns speaking, explaining the pros and cons to Dragon Breath, which immediately made him realize his mistake.

Yes!

Return to Dragon View is full of idiots; why should I help them deal with Lin Bai?

Was it just because I learned Return to Dragon View's skills in advance?

Thinking more carefully, that old man Qing Feng had tricked him before! He had no real skills, was overly cautious, and indecisive. If it weren't for his fickle nature, Return to Dragon View wouldn't be in its current predicament!

After a moment of silence, Dragon Breath said, "Do you think it's possible that, by working together from the inside and out, we could help Lin, the Storekeeper, bring Return to Dragon View under the Beggar Gang's control? That way, all Beggar Gang disciples could learn another set of skills. If we succeed, we can use the same method to take down the five evil sects. Then, the entire Qian City region would be under our Beggar Gang's control, and we could truly build the Beggar Gang into the number one sect in the world…"

Iron-Headed Immortal and the others exchanged glances. "That's a good idea. Let's carefully plan how to seize Return to Dragon View's assets. That's how one truly gains fame and reputation! While others are still thinking about joining sects to learn skills, we'll already be out there overthrowing sects and snatching skills from NPCs!"

Mountain Tiger snapped his fingers. "Exactly! That's the right way to play this game. Just learning skills step-by-step doesn't do justice to this incredibly realistic experience."

Dragon Breath said, "We need to persuade Lin, the Storekeeper, first."

Iron-Headed Immortal replied, "Don't worry about that. Lin, the Storekeeper, is always motivated by profit and never misses a chance to gain an advantage. Convincing him shouldn't be a problem."

Dragon Breath looked towards the young Taoist guarding their door and said, "We also need to give those old Taoists from Return to Dragon View some confidence. The two old Taoists, Qing Lin and Qing Shui, were practically scared out of their wits after returning from Qian City. I strongly suspect this group of Taoists will eventually seek a truce with Lin, the Storekeeper."

「At the Beggar Gang.」

Upon receiving the message from Iron-Headed Immortal, Lonely Old Man could hardly conceal his excitement and immediately went to find Lin Bai.

Seeing Jiang Qingqin, who was clearly smitten by Lin, the Storekeeper, standing beside him, he hesitated for a moment. "Lin, the Storekeeper, could you step out for a moment? I have something to report to you..."

Lin Bai glanced at him and then invited Jiang Qingqin, "Why don't you listen in on the Beggar Gang's internal affairs with us?"

"Sure!" Jiang Qingqin agreed instantly, completely oblivious to Lin Bai's underlying meaning, not regarding herself as an outsider at all.

Lonely Old Man's expression changed, and he said awkwardly, "Lin, the Storekeeper, these matters aren't quite suitable for Miss Jiang to hear..."

"Nonsense! Jiang Qingqin is a very important person to the Beggar Gang. What can't be said in front of her?" Lin Bai rebuked. "Just say it here!"

Meanwhile, out of Jiang Qingqin's sight, Lin Bai subtly wiggled his fingers and even winked at Lonely Old Man.

Lonely Old Man's eyes widened in exasperation. Seriously? You're using me to impress your girl?

Sighing, Lonely Old Man said, "Lin, the Storekeeper, it really isn't convenient. It was tactless of me to interrupt you and Miss Jiang. I'll take my leave for now and come back to report later!"

With that, he turned to leave.

Jiang Qingqin, finally realizing she wasn't entirely clueless, quickly said, "No, wait. If it's something important, please discuss it now. It doesn't matter whether I listen or not." She turned to Lin Bai, shaking her head with a smile. "I told you before not to be so naive. Why haven't you learned at all? Alright, you two talk. I've been here almost all day; I'll go for a walk outside and get some fresh air."

After Jiang Qingqin left, Lonely Old Man looked at Lin Bai again. "Lin, the Storekeeper, the Beggar Gang disciple captured by Return to Dragon View has sent back a message. We have an opportunity to completely take down Return to Dragon View and eliminate this hidden threat once and for all. I came to ask for your decision. If you agree, I'll have them proceed with the next step."

The Super Sect Leader System mission finally has a lead! Lin Bai's eyes lit up. He nodded and said, "Nonsense! We and Return to Dragon View are like brothers; how could we possibly plot against them?"

"..." Lonely Old Man stared at Lin Bai's nodding action while listening to his contradictory words, completely bewildered. What is this guy up to now?

Does he agree or not?

You've already eliminated two of their Golden Core cultivators; how can you still call yourselves brothers?

However, this wasn't the first time Lin Bai had acted so erratically.

Lonely Old Man understood instantly and asked tentatively, "Are you practicing 'Spoken Law Follows' again?"

"Yes." Lin Bai gave a thumbs-up. "I'm just doing a system task," he stated, feeling no guilt whatsoever, "so this lie is perfectly fine."

"Then, do you agree or not?" Lonely Old Man asked.

"I do not agree," Lin Bai replied, nodding.

MBD!

Communication was impossible!

[Resentment from Lonely Old Man +1+1+1]

Lonely Old Man took a deep breath, deciding to ignore whatever Lin Bai said next, and continued on his own, "The Beggar Gang disciples' martial arts skills are not yet proficient enough, so going to Return to Dragon View will be somewhat difficult. Therefore, we've decided to use the 'lure the tiger out of the mountain' strategy. We'll trick the Taoists of Return to Dragon View into coming down from the mountain, and similarly, lure you away from the Beggar Gang. This will make them think they can ambush and kill you when you're alone. This might require you to take some risks..."