Chapter 281: Acquaintance

Lin Xueru glanced at him, lowered her head, and said, "Yes!"

Before leaving, Feng Du carefully reminded her twice, "Your father is the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Evolution Sect; even if he doesn't like you, there's no reason to let others bully you."

"No matter who comes to provoke you, just strike them back; if everything is already prepared for you, you won't let anyone bully you. That would be your own problem—got it?"

Got it.

This time Lin Xueru truly remembered.

The worst-case scenario she had imagined didn't occur; although her biological father didn't step forward to back her up directly.

But from Feng Ling's attitude, even if her father still dislikes her, he still won't let others arbitrarily bully her.

Unless… she can't stand up for herself.

And that's enough.

Lin Xueru gauged her situation, and no longer felt the same nervous unease as when she arrived.

She sat on a stone bench, idly rubbed the black bag for a while, then took off a green sachet from her waist.

The sachet was also a storage pouch, a gift from Elder Lu, and looked far prettier than the black bags the servant disciples had brought.

Lin Xueru pulled a dagger from the sachet, then made a small incision on her fingertip and pressed it onto the black bag.

The black bag sucked up the drop of blood from her fingertip, and soon Lin Xueru saw a mountain of items piled inside.

Honestly, it wasn't an exaggeration: even the dowry she'd saved over ten years in the mortal realm didn't amount to this much.

Lin Xueru considered herself someone who had seen the Crown Prince in a few grand occasions, yet this time she was truly stunned.

It wasn't until the steward of Mount Changbai arrived with over twenty outer disciples that she gradually came to her senses.

Looking at the outer disciples behind the steward, whose aura far surpasses that of ordinary mortal youths, Lin Xueru once again realized the difference between the cultivation world and the mortal world.

She took a deep breath, forced down the rising panic in her heart, and with a steady expression looked at the steward and asked:

"How many of these people can I keep?"

The steward wore a perfectly timed smile, "It depends on Senior Uncle's needs; if Senior Uncle thinks all twenty‑three are suitable, then keep them all."

Lin Xueru slightly furrowed her brows; Mount Changbai has its own servant disciples, so tasks like running errands don't require these outer disciples.

Moreover, according to Elder Lu, compared with servant disciples, only outer disciples can be called formal disciples of the Heavenly Extreme Sect.

Servant disciples are essentially in an employment relationship with the Heavenly Extreme Sect and are protected by sect regulations.

But once they leave the sect, unless they're on official business, hardly anyone pays attention to their lives or deaths.

Outer disciples are different; once they join the sect and receive the sect's Fish Talisman, their birth and death are recorded in the register.

After death the sect may even investigate whether they died unjustly and grant generous compensation to the outer disciple's relatives.

Of course, Lin Xueru remained skeptical about that part.

Because there are so many outer disciples: the Heavenly Extreme Sect has over 400,000 members, with outer disciples making up eighty percent.

Each year a considerable number of them die from various accidents.

How could the sect's Law Enforcement Hall investigate the cause of death for every outer disciple daily, and still afford the generous compensation for each?

Nevertheless, none of this concerned Lin Xueru; she scanned the twenty‑three outer disciples behind the steward.

In her mind she quickly selected the seven she deemed keepable—those whose eyes showed a hint of obsession and whose faces bore a yearning to stay.

Having some desire for her allows her to better manipulate them.

"Just those seven. Steward, do you have any other suggestions?"

Lin Xueru listed the seven she chose to the steward in one breath; seeing a hint of hesitation on his face, she barely pressed her lips together and added, "I'm a newcomer, feel free to speak up."

The steward finally relaxed, pointed to a green‑skirted girl nearby and said, "She was sent by Venerable Yunfu's family; they want her to stay by Senior Uncle's side."

Her father has a family behind him?

He hadn't heard Elder Lu mention that.

Curiosity flickered in Lin Xueru's mind; looking at the nervous green‑skirted girl, she gave a faint smile and said, "If that's the case, let her stay as well."

And so, the green‑skirted girl who hadn't been chosen stayed.

After the steward left, Lin Xueru began asking each of them their names and specialties.

The green‑skirted girl was the only one among the eight not selected by Lin Xueru, so she acted very proactively, probably hoping to make a good impression on Lin Xueru.

"Elder Uncle, I'm Lin Yunyan, fourteen this year, at the seventh layer of the energy‑refining stage, with water‑wood dual spirit roots, proficient in Water Alchemy and Talisman Crafting."

After speaking, the green‑skirted girl stared nervously at Lin Xueru.

The Lin family is just a small clan; they rose thanks to Venerable Yunfu. Once news spread that Venerable Yunfu had a daughter, the Lin family hurriedly sent her over, hoping to please Yunfu's daughter.

She was just too nervous; when Lin Xueru looked at her, she lowered her head, which Lin Xueru took as a sign she didn't want to stay.

Since she wasn't sincere about staying, Lin Xueru wouldn't force her, to avoid future trouble.

"Alright, next."

In truth, hearing that Lin Yunyan could refine pills and craft talismans genuinely pleased Lin Xueru.

But she didn't like her overly meek demeanor, which made her feel as if she were bullying her.

"Senior Uncle, I'm Lu Feiyu, fifteen years old, with gold‑wood‑fire‑earth four spirit roots, just graduated from the Silk‑Body Hall, and plan to pursue the path of a weapon‑refining disciple."

After speaking, the blue‑robed youth pressed his lips together, looking at Lin Xueru with a hint of nervousness.

He was probably afraid his four spirit roots would disappoint the delicate and beautiful Senior Uncle.

Yet Lin Xueru merely gave him a gentle smile; whatever she thought inside, at least she didn't show her true feelings on her face.

Thus the blue‑robed youth's gaze toward Lin Xueru grew even more admiring.

……

When all eight outer disciples finished their introductions, Lin Xueru ultimately kept only Lin Yunyan and Lu Feiyu; the others were told to find servant disciples and secure a place to stay.

"Senior Uncle"

Lin Yunyan hadn't expected to be kept, and two pink flushes instantly rose on her face.

Lu Feiyu, who was beside her, also would not yield, clenching his hands tightly and staring at Lin Xuerou without letting go.

Only when Lin Xuerou frowned uneasily and looked over did Lu Feiyu realize his rudeness; his face turned pale, and he hurriedly bowed his head to apologize, "Elder Uncle, forgive me, it was Feiyu who was rude."

Lin Xuerou gave a light "Hmm" and asked, "I want to go see other places tomorrow; do you have any recommendations?"

Cultivation matters must be taken seriously, but the environment should be scouted in advance; otherwise, when you set out later you won't even know where the place you intend to go is, and that would be amusing.

Lin Xuerou doesn't like that feeling of being out of her control.