Chapter 192: City Lord, Please Go Ahead

【Path to Fame: Have ten thousand people acknowledge your Weapon Refinement level (Completed); Reward: Earth Heart Fire (can be extracted at any time)】

【Path to Fame: Tailor-make a weapon for a person of prestige, and have this weapon recognized by the world; Reward: Intermediate Dharma Treasure Theory】

【Turn two people of prestige into a CP (Completed); Reward: 5 Moon Elder Red Threads (already issued)】

【CPs need hype, love needs to be proclaimed; create a love story between the CP you have forged that is enough to make the world yearn for it; Reward: Moon Chasing (Target: two or more people; Moon Chasing can banish one person, forcibly separating them)】

……

Lin Bai helped a Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Shadow Sect named Xuan Hong upgrade his Blood-Sucking Sword, and a notification that the task was completed appeared abruptly in his mind.

Lin Bai was overjoyed.

As expected.

Every task has a shortcut to follow.

To have ten thousand people acknowledge his Weapon Refinement level, if he relied on burying his head in smithing and selling weapons, he didn't know how long it would take to finish.

But by putting on such a show in public.

Even if his Weapon Refinement level was not as good as the masters at the Spirit Tool Pavilion.

But in the eyes of the common people, since he could gorgeously upgrade the weapons of those cultivators who could fly through the sky and burrow into the earth, then he was a genuine Weapon Refinement master...

After all.

True Weapon Refinement masters are high and mighty; they either study their Skills or practice Weapon Refinement. Who would be as down-to-earth as him, performing Weapon Refinement for commoners on the street?

According to the trends of modern society, he was a folk Weapon Refinement expert who excelled at hype.

Helping commoners upgrade their kitchen knives would never be acknowledged by a true Weapon Refinement master...

Regardless, at this moment in the eyes of the people of Qian City, he was a famous Weapon Refinement master.

As for the next task, Lin Bai decided to put it aside for now; after all, he didn't rely on Dharma Treasures to fight, and the rewards from the Yuelao System were more compatible with his combat style.

The five newly obtained Moon Elder Red Threads were enough for him to deal with potential Incarnation Realm experts or even higher-level cultivators.

And the reward for the system's new task, Moon Chasing, which targets two or more people and banishes one, was also a good Skill for group battles!

After all.

The system didn't say it could only be used once. As long as there were more than two enemies, he could keep making the opponents chase the moon until only one person remained.

In this battle against the Evil Five Sects, Xin Shang and the others hid in the sect's formation, perfectly countering Cupid's Arrow. If he had Moon Chasing, no one would be able to block his arrows again.

The rewards from the Yuelao System were actually combo Skills; they were too suitable for him.

If not for the fact that the rewarded items were too few, with just the Yuelao System alone, he could achieve "Let the World Be Full of Love"...

……

Suddenly.

The Beggar Sect Disciples in the square were in a commotion.

There are no secrets among players; the matter of 【Lao Mi】 clubbing the City Lord finally leaked out.

To keep it a secret, 【Lao Mi】's task was only known to a few high-level members of the Beggar Sect. The news suddenly spreading caused an uproar among the players.

……

"Lao Mi is crazy, why offend the City Lord at a time like this?"

"It was so hard to gain a foothold in Qian City..."

……

In private chats, almost all the players were complaining about 【Lao Mi】. They couldn't see any benefit from this incident. Having adapted to the current rhythm of the game, most players did not want unexpected situations to occur.

After all, the status of a Beggar Sect Disciple was equivalent to a job for them, and a well-paying one at that.

"What happened?" Lin Bai asked, knowing the answer.

"Shopkeeper Lin, I don't know what kind of madness has gotten into Sect Leader Lao. While interviewing the City Lord, he suddenly attacked him," a Beggar Sect Disciple said. "Please, Shopkeeper Lin, prepare early. If it really comes to it, we'll just replace the Sect Leader. We can't let him ruin the bright future of the Beggar Sect!"

"Exactly."

"Gugao Laoren would be more suitable as Sect Leader than him."

The Beggar Sect Disciples who didn't know the truth chimed in one after another.

【Gugao Laoren】 was standing right next to Lin Bai. He stepped forward and reached out to press down: "Everyone, say less and listen to Shopkeeper Lin's arrangements."

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

The onlookers were in an uproar. The long queue dispersed quickly; they no longer cared about Weapon Refinement.

Although they looked up to cultivators, the City Lord was their local official, directly related to their lives. Since the Beggar Sect Leader had offended the City Lord, they naturally didn't want to get involved with the Beggar Sect anymore, in case they were accidentally harmed!

The cultivators of the Evil Five Sects were also shocked by this sudden news.

They looked at each other; what was going on?

Was Lin Bai going to have a conflict with the official authorities?

Was the Justice Alliance about to collapse?

Those who were sharp-witted quickly ran back to their stations to report the situation to their leaders.

"Everyone, stay calm." Lin Bai took the opportunity to put away the Blacksmith Six-Piece Set, used Wind Riding to float up, looked around at the whispering crowd, and said, "Fellow villagers and folks, I intended to do some practical things for everyone, but who would have thought such an unexpected situation would occur.

Later, I will go to the City Lord's Mansion to understand the situation personally. If Lao Mi is guilty, let the City Lord punish him. However, the City Lord is wise and mighty; I presume he will not implicate the entire Beggar Sect because of one person's fault. Therefore, please continue your business with the Beggar Sect as usual; there is no need for concern. As for the voluntary Weapon Refinement I promised, I'm afraid it cannot continue. I am truly sorry. Once the Beggar Sect's affairs are settled, I will find an opportunity to make up for it."

"Shopkeeper Lin, please go ahead." In the crowd, a wealthy man said loudly, "If the City Lord blames you, we will naturally go and plead with the City Lord for the Beggar Sect."

This past month.

The people of the Beggar Sect had been throwing money around in the city, and many wealthy families had long shifted their business focus to the Beggar Sect, so they naturally wouldn't watch the Beggar Sect fall just like that.

Besides.

They understood the nature of the Heavenly Descended, knowing they would not perish, and were happy to jump out and play the good guy at this time.

"Many thanks."

Lin Bai cupped his hands to him, held the little fox, and floated leisurely toward the City Lord's Mansion.

To be honest.

He also wanted to know what the effect of "Pan Jinlian's Bamboo Pole" was, and whether it would take effect on players?

This was the first time he had used a system item on a player.

And a player is, after all, nothing more than a piece of code, with their true self in the Real World; heaven knows if his system items could affect a player!

Only if he could affect players would he truly have the confidence to gain a foothold in this world.

Of course.

It might also invite more disasters.

After all.

If a game player runs into trouble while playing the game, it is a disaster for any game company that makes a living for profit...

When giving "Pan Jinlian's Bamboo Pole" to Lao Mi, Lin Bai hadn't thought that much.

Perhaps he had thought about it, but he had been suppressing his impulses...

This was not his first time challenging the bottom line of the game officials, but undoubtedly, this was highly likely to be the most serious one.

In short, Lin Bai was somewhat uneasy at this moment, his mind filled with wild thoughts.

If Pan Jinlian's Bamboo Pole really affected Lao Mi, would the game officials directly dispatch anti-virus programs to attack him, just like in The Matrix?

Or would they simply erase him from the backend?

Or perhaps, through this incident, he would learn some truths about the game world.

Strictly speaking, this was the first real confrontation between the system behind him and the game officials, a contest of technology...

"Master, has something gone wrong with the Love Stick?" The little fox felt Lin Bai's seriousness, poked her head out from his embrace, and asked timidly.

"It's nothing." Lin Bai rubbed the little fox's head and smiled.

As he spoke, he took all the ripe Temperament Fruit from the tree and tossed them into his mouth all at once; he had just performed voluntary Weapon Refinement and farmed quite a bit of favorability, ripening several fruits.

Before any unpredictable changes occurred, he simply ate all the Temperament Fruit; what if there was a chance to be kicked out of the game and return to Earth?

It would be a waste not to eat them.

The little fox smacked her lips and said nothing; she dared not ask for things Lin Bai did not give her.

Lin Bai smiled, took out a Spirit Fruit, and brought it to her mouth.

The accumulation of Negative Emotion was much faster than Positive Emotion; nowadays, there were so many Spirit Fruit that he couldn't finish them all, so it didn't matter if he let the little fox have a taste.

The little fox's Loyalty had already been maxed out, so he wasn't afraid she would betray him.

He had eaten too many Spirit Fruit and could no longer feel any changes in his body; he didn't know if he had reached the limit and become immune.

"Thank you, Master." The little fox was overjoyed and swallowed the Spirit Fruit as if flying; she had been coveting Lin Bai's fruits for a long time.

The Spirit Fruit entered her belly.

The little fox couldn't help but let out a comfortable cry, and immediately after, she let out a surprised "Eh?": "Master... no, Master, can this fruit... can it... refine the Spirit Soul?"

Refine the Spirit Soul?

Lin Bai was stunned for a moment; did people in this world call adding Spirit "refining the Spirit Soul"?

"What is the use of refining the Spirit Soul?" Outside the City Lord's Mansion, Lin Bai stopped his steps and asked; his knowledge regarding cultivation was still too lacking.

"You don't know?" The little white fox asked back in surprise.

"I cultivate the laws, and my knowledge of cultivation matters is only superficial." Lin Bai gave a universal excuse.

"Mother once said that above the Transformation Realm, one needs to cultivate the Spirit Soul to resist the Yang Thunder during Tribulation Transcendence. The higher the degree of Spirit Soul refinement, the greater the chance of successfully transcending the tribulation." The little white fox looked at Lin Bai with envy and said, "Once the Spirit Soul is refined to a substantial state, even if the tribulation fails, one can still survive in the world in the state of a Spirit Soul, or cultivate into a Yin Spirit, or be reborn through reincarnation. There is also direct Soul Possession..."

"I see!"

Lin Bai was stunned.

These days, he didn't know how many Spirit Fruit he had eaten; logically speaking, his Spirit Soul refinement should be extremely high!

Soul Possession?

Reincarnation?

Could it be that the Emotion System still harbored methods for him to be reborn?

Sure enough.

His exploration of these systems was not deep enough!

"Yes," the little white fox said, "Any pill or heavenly treasure in the Cultivation World that is beneficial to refining the Spirit Soul will attract many great experts to fight over it. Master, you actually eat such fruit like candy; if those great experts knew, they would definitely be jealous to death..."

Suddenly, the little fox realized something and became nervous, "No, Master, you must never let them know that you have heavenly treasures for refining the Spirit Soul, otherwise, it will definitely invite a fatal disaster."

"Don't worry, these fruits were all sent to me from afar by the ancestor of the Righteous Sect; they wouldn't be able to snatch them even if they wanted to." Lin Bai reached out and touched the little fox's head, smiling.

The little fox hesitated for a moment and said, "Master, don't give me any more fruit to eat. Xiaobai can't help you with anything anyway, and if I eat the fruits your sect gave you for refining your Spirit Soul, I would feel even more sorry for you, Master."

"It's fine, the Righteous Sect has plenty of these fruits." Lin Bai smiled and willfully took out another fruit, placing it by the little fox's mouth. It was just a Spirit Fruit; as long as he farmed Negative Emotion, he could have as many as he wanted. Giving them to his pet wasn't a waste, and besides, it could increase the favorability of fox-type creatures.

"I don't... mm... eat!" The little fox had wanted to refuse, but the moment she opened her mouth, a fruit was already stuffed into it.

The fruit melted upon entering her mouth.

By the time she wanted to spit it out, it was already too late.

The little white fox looked up at Lin Bai with teary eyes and choked with sobs, "Master, why are you so good to me? Even my mother wouldn't treat me like this!"

Because you won't betray me!

Lin Bai thought to himself with Belly-Defamation, then smiled gently: "You are my Disciple; if I'm not good to you, who would I be good to? Master is going to be the man who becomes the Heavenly Dao; as my Disciple, you are too weak, and I can't afford to lose face like that."

"..." The little fox was stunned for a moment, her little expression quickly becoming serious, "Master, don't worry, Xiaobai will definitely work hard on cultivation and will not hold you back."

While the two were talking.

Deng Li Buduo walked out of the City Lord's Mansion, looking back every three steps, muttering to himself as he walked, not even noticing Lin Bai in the sky. Clearly, he was quite regretful that he couldn't witness the City Lord's love for Lao Mi firsthand.

The little fox opened her mouth to call out to Deng Li Buduo, but her mouth was pinched shut by Lin Bai, and at the same time, Lin Bai's voice rang in her ears: "No need to pay him any mind."

The little fox nodded cutely.

Not long after Deng Li Buduo left, two guards from the City Lord's Mansion flew in from the sky, holding Lao Mi captive; seeing Lin Bai, they couldn't help but pause, assuming a defensive posture.

One of them frowned slightly and asked with an expressionless face, "Is Sect Leader Lin planning to snatch someone from the City Lord's Mansion?"

Lao Mi's meridians were sealed; seeing Lin Bai, he opened his mouth wide but couldn't speak, so he impatiently cursed via private chat: "Damn it, even speaking is restricted? This shitty game is so inhumane."

Lin Bai gave Lao Mi a look to stay calm, then cupped his hands to the guards and said, "This brother has misunderstood. My subordinate is ignorant; I, Lin, have come to apologize to the City Lord."

"Hmph! Attacking a City Lord is a grave crime. If apologies worked, wouldn't anyone dare to come and assassinate the City Lord!" The guard snorted coldly, ignored Lin Bai, and carried Lao Mi straight into the City Lord's Mansion.

Lin Bai landed on the ground, explained the situation, and asked the gate guards to report his arrival; a moment later, he was also led inside.

……

Lin Bai arrived at the reception hall of the City Lord's Mansion.

Guo Yuan was reprimanding the guards who had made the arrest: "I told you to invite him here, not to arrest him. Look at what you've done! Why haven't you released the seal on Guild Leader Lao yet?"

The guards dared not delay and hurriedly released the seal on Lao Mi.

The moment the seal was lifted, the City Lord had already arrived in front of Lao Mi, grabbed his shoulders, and searched his body back and forth with his large hands, asking as he touched him, "Guild Leader Lao, my men were rude; did they hurt you anywhere?"

"Thank you for your concern, City Lord, I am fine." Lao Mi did not dodge; instead, he gave Guo Yuan a shy look, took two steps back, and said softly, "There are outsiders here, please mind the impression, City Lord."

The scholar and the guards were dumbfounded.

Lin Bai entered the room.

He happened to hear Lao Mi talking to himself: "Damn, what the hell? I actually felt my heart flutter from being touched by an old man? But he's just an NPC, right? No, that's not right. How could the Love Stick affect me? I like living people, like Gengmi.

Yes, it must be that my subconscious feels he is one of my own, which is why I have such thoughts. In front of so many people, the old City Lord actually made such an intimate gesture; the Love Stick is too overbearing. However, from another perspective, the old City Lord must have been quite handsome when he was young; he's much better looking than Gengmi..."

Little did he know.

While Lao Mi was talking to himself, his eyes were constantly stealing glances at Guo Yuan, casting flirtatious looks, yet he himself was completely unaware of it.

Damn!

It really worked.

And.

Overhearing Lao Mi's self-talk in the private chat, Lin Bai stumbled and almost tripped himself.

Especially when he heard Lao Mi actually trying to explain away this abnormal phenomenon, his heart pounded rapidly; damn, he had hit the jackpot!

Guo Yuan also realized at this moment that it was not the right occasion for flirting; he looked around, frowned slightly, and then looked at Lin Bai, saying, "Sect Leader Lin, I know you came for Lao Mi, but it was all a misunderstanding. We were just talking excitedly and Lao Mi accidentally slipped up, that's all. It's nothing major, Sect Leader Lin, please return!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Lao Mi and said, "However, I would like to borrow Guild Leader Lao from you to discuss economic issues throughout the night. I wonder if Sect Leader Lin is willing to let him go?"

A karmic entanglement born of lust at first sight!

Seeing the flirtatious exchange between Guo Yuan and Lao Mi, Lin Bai decided to fulfill this pair of lovebirds; although he really wanted to see what would happen between them at night, the thought that they were both men made him lose all interest, so he smiled and nodded: "As long as it's nothing, City Lord, please do as you wish."

(End of chapter)