Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

Chapter 153: Chapter 145: Did You Hear Any Sound?

One of the Guixi Sect disciples, who had already arrived at the cultivation grounds, held a long spear and ran the Jade-faced Mantis through with a single thrust.

Then, with a flick of his spear tip, he hooked the mantis’s corpse with a rope and dragged it back.

Only after doing all this did he notice Wang Xiedi standing not far away.

???

Uh...

"Oh! Wang Xiedi!"

The disciple scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn’t realize you had your eye on this one.

No worries, there are plenty of these Jade-faced Mantises. Take your pick, look all you want!

We still have to go fertilize the Spirit Plants, so we’ll be leaving now, leaving now!"

With that, he shot his companion a look.

"Let’s go, let’s go!"

"I told you there was something wrong with this junior brother!"

"If he sees us again and starts spouting some weird stuff, it’ll be a real pain!"

With a CLICK, the two Guixi Sect disciples dragged the mantis corpse and scurried away.

Only Wang Xiedi’s hand remained, frozen stiffly in midair.

He watched helplessly as Miss Mantis’s corpse was ruthlessly dragged away right before his eyes.

He had thought he was once again shouldering the responsibility lost when the mantis died, but now, that too had vanished.

...

In the distance, the players who heard Wang Xiedi’s cries stopped in their tracks.

"Sigh, look at you, so quick on the draw. You killed the one that junior brother Wang Xiedi had his eye on."

"How was I supposed to know? I’m in a hurry to turn in a quest! Let’s go! Let’s not get involved in his weird business!"

Around Wang Xiedi, the remaining Jade-faced Mantises seemed drawn by his crying. They swarmed him, chittering noisily.

The Heart-Protecting Mirror flashed with a faint light.

In Wang Xiedi’s eyes, all these insect faces seemed to change again.

’But it seems none of them are the one from before.’

The chittering of the mantises transformed into various calls in his ears:

"Junior brother Wang Xiedi!"

"Wang Xiedi!"

Countless complex emotions intertwined in these voices, overwhelming his sanity.

Wang Xiedi’s eyes rolled back in his head, and once again, he fainted dead away.

...

Under Su Ling’er’s guidance, the group finally arrived at the Sword Mound.

The feeling of being watched still hadn’t faded. Su Ling’er took a deep breath, forcing herself to ignore the perverted stalker under the tree, and began to introduce the grim, desolate place before them.

"This place is the Sword Mound of our Guixi Immortal Sect."

Just as Su Ling’er was speaking, she caught a glimpse of Li Chunfeng stiffening abruptly from the corner of her eye.

He looked around blankly.

In Li Chunfeng’s ears, the sound of sharp swords being drawn and sheathed echoed over and over.

"SHIIING... CLANG... SHIIING... CLANG..."

He subconsciously glanced around, but saw no trace of anything unusual on the others’ faces.

"Everyone, did you... hear anything?"

At his words, everyone froze.

"A sound? No, Feng, it’s very quiet here."

"Feng, are you sure you didn’t mishear? There’s nothing but the wind."

Su Ling’er didn’t dare to dwell on it. She immediately prepared to lead everyone away from this troublesome place.

"Alright, the Sword Intent here is chaotic and impure. We shouldn’t stay long."

"We’ll go to the Dining Pavilion for a meal first. The food there won’t cause turbid qi to accumulate in your body, so you can eat without worry. Afterward, I’ll take you to your living quarters to get settled."

"Oh, right. It’s best not to try some of the more... special dishes."

Su Ling’er was once again reminded of the horrifying memory of her Eldest Senior Brother forcing her to choose between eating the White Jade Dew Soup and the Abyssal Squirming Brain.

Su Ling’er quickly shook her head, trying to cast the unpleasant memory aside.

Everyone else nodded, but Li Chunfeng remained standing where he was, not moving an inch.

"Everyone, you go on ahead. I... I want to stay here a little longer."

"What?" freēwēbηovel.c૦m

They were all shocked by his words and turned to look back at him in unison.

"Mr. Li, you absolutely mustn’t!"

"That’s right, Mr. Li, don’t act on impulse!"

"This place is fraught with danger! You’re just a mortal. Without Miss Su here to protect you, the slightest stray fluctuation of Spiritual Qi or Sword Intent could kill you in an instant!"

"He’s right!"

Su Ling’er grew anxious as well. She recalled the bloody scene she had witnessed not long ago and urged him frantically,

"The last time I was here, I saw my Eldest Senior Brother casually strike down a fellow disciple who tried to ambush him!"

"If you run into people fighting here, you won’t even have a chance to escape! You’d be better off staying with us!"

"Is there somewhere specific you want to go? We could go with you, so we can look out for each other!"

However, Li Chunfeng slowly shook his head.

The sound of swords being drawn and sheathed in his ears grew clearer, more urgent, as if it were rushing him.

The anxiety and longing in his heart intertwined, growing ever stronger.

He had already missed the opportunity on the Asking Dao Ladder.

’I don’t want to miss even the faintest, most illusory possibility!’

’Besides, isn’t that Eldest Senior Brother from the demonic sect still watching Miss Su?’

’I can’t drag them down!’

The relaxed, optimistic smile returned to his face as he said to the group,

"There’s no need for that! If there’s real danger, wouldn’t you be putting yourselves at risk by coming with me? That would just be an inconvenience."

"If I am unfortunate enough to fall here, that would be a good thing!"

"It would mean that I, Li Chunfeng, as a mortal, shed my last drop of blood in pursuit of the immortal path. A worthy death, how glorious!"

"And if I don’t die and can rejoin you later, wouldn’t that be the best news of all?"

"It would just go to show how tough and lucky I am!"

"If you’re always cowering in fear, how can you even talk about Cultivation?"

"However, I still thank all you junior brothers and sisters for your concern!"

Su Ling’er looked at Li Chunfeng’s obstinate expression, knowing that any more persuasion would be useless.

A deep sense of powerlessness washed over her.

She took out several protective talismans from her robes and pressed them into his hand. This was perhaps the last thing she could do for him.

"Since your mind is made up, take these and keep them safe. If you run into danger... be careful."

She then took the locations of the Dining Pavilion and their living quarters, turned them into a Spiritual Imprint, and gently tapped it onto his forehead.

After doing all this, she felt as if she were bidding a final farewell to a dying man.

"Then... take care."

With that, Su Ling’er lingered no longer. She forcibly suppressed the unease and self-blame in her heart, and, leading the other disciples, turned and left the Sword Mound.

Even after walking a long way, she couldn’t help but look back.

She saw Li Chunfeng’s figure still standing in the same spot, seemingly waiting until they were far away. Then, he turned and walked alone into the depths of the Sword Mound...

...until he finally disappeared from her sight.

Su Ling’er pulled her gaze back, not daring to look again.

’Is this my fault?’

’Did I fail to notice the change in his state of mind after the Asking Dao Ladder?’

’Is the first of my fellow disciples in this demonic sect... going to fall like this?’