A Calculated Deception

The air seemed to solidify, and the rustling bamboo leaves suddenly grew unnervingly distinct.

Lin Mo parted his lips, but his throat felt constricted, unable to utter even half a syllable as he stared at Li Xin with utter disbelief.

‘You—’ After a long moment, Lin Mo finally found his voice, though it was hoarse. ‘Are you saying… it’s fake? The recording stone you mentioned is a fake?’

The exhilarating sensation of having stumbled upon a treasure vanished instantly, and all the elaborate plans that had bloomed in his mind withered away in a single moment.

‘Yes, yes…’ Li Xin hunched her shoulders, her voice barely a buzzing whisper. ‘I don’t know anyone else at all. I just noticed her little movements earlier, which made me want to trick her… I honestly… didn’t expect it to work… but then—’

Her voice dwindled with each word, eventually dissolving into an indistinct mumble. A thick mist began to gather in her eyes, blurring her vision.

Moreover, she was growing afraid.

Clearly, Personal Disciple Lin had heard their argument and intervened.

The desire to obtain a secret weapon against Qiu Yue… had only led to a fake.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for Lin Mo’s furious shouts and recriminations.

‘Grandma’s warnings echoed in her mind: ‘In this world, human hearts are cold and indifferent. If there’s no profit to be gained, who would spare you a second glance?’

‘If you lose your value, who would bother to humor you with a smile?’

‘If you sow suspicion and resentment, yet possess no power or influence, then when the other party becomes overbearing and tyrannical, who can you blame but yourself?’

‘Outside, she was still a young lady of a prominent family, but here, she was merely a Yi-grade disciple.’

‘But…’

‘Haha,’ a very short burst of laughter erupted, then quickly escalated, no longer brief but truly uninhibited, echoing through the silent forest.

‘Hahahahahahahahahahaha—’

The laughter made Li Xin even more uneasy. ‘Personal Disciple Lin?’

She called out tentatively, unconsciously shuffling backward.

Grandma’s warnings continued to reverberate in her heart, fear steadily gnawing at her.

Yet, upon closer inspection, there wasn’t a trace of rage or madness on that face. His peach blossom eyes curved upwards, brimming with bright amusement, even sparkling with a hint of tears at the corners.

‘Brilliant! Li Xin, Young Lady Li!’ Lin Mo slapped his thigh, his tone overflowing with undisguised admiration and surprise. ‘Truly… indescribably brilliant! This quick wit, even if it hasn’t yielded much fruit right now, your move was nothing short of ingenious!’

‘With that single move, you not only made Lu Ping’an implicitly admit to the poisoning, but in her emotional outburst, she inadvertently divulged the most crucial intelligence.’

‘Qiu Yue used the bait of ‘family revitalization’ to lure her into becoming a pawn.’

‘This establishes a motive, and now we can clearly define our course of action: finding evidence of the poisoning and implementing countermeasures.’

Lin Mo rose, his hands clasped behind his back, and paced two deliberate steps. At that moment, a gentle breeze swept in, causing his sleeves to sway softly.

‘You are truly formidable!’

Yet, in Li Xin’s eyes at that moment, Lin Mo, though clearly a woman, exuded an extraordinary dashing and heroic aura—a quality Li Xin had never perceived so vividly in anyone before.

Devoid of the delicate reserve typical of young women, he instead exuded a profound sense of unrestrained spirit and chivalry.

‘Handsome’—Li Xin had never conceived that such a quality could manifest so strikingly in a woman.

Li Xin was flustered by Lin Mo’s sudden praise, a faint blush spreading across her pale cheeks. She quickly shook her head, trying to explain, ‘No, I didn’t… Oh, right, Personal Disciple Lin, do you… have some sort of grudge with that Qiu Yue?’ Li Xin deftly changed the subject.

Despite the maiden’s fragile appearance, Lin Mo detected the caution lingering within her heart.

Clearly, Li Xin did not entirely trust him at this moment.

If he failed to present a truly convincing stance, his strategy would backfire.

He needed to give Li Xin ample reason to believe that he and Qiu Yue were irreconcilable enemies.

‘A grudge? It was more than just a grudge; it was hatred—if not a blood feud, then at least deep-seated resentment.’

‘But, he couldn’t reveal that.’

‘That was Lin Mo’s hatred, not Lin Wan’er’s.’

‘Lin Wan’er needed a different narrative. However, Lin Wan’er’s identity was fabricated, and he couldn’t withstand scrutiny, though fortunately, Li Xin currently had no means to investigate.’

‘Lu Ping’an’s words just now would undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on Li Xin’s heart. It was his own oversight that had led to the current situation—henceforth, Li Xin’s conduct would likely become more cautious.’

Therefore, turning her to his side required not only a sincere lie—a ‘kill or be killed’ lie involving Qiu Yue—but also… fanning the flames.

Lin Mo’s smile gradually faded, replaced by a slow, heavy solemnity that spread across his face, eventually settling into an expression of profound pain.

There was no need for deliberate acting; he merely had to recall his own painful past, suppressing the circulation of the Bright Jade Profound Yin cultivation technique, and the effect would be achieved.

‘I imagine you’ve heard about what happened on the day I participated in the disciple-recruitment ceremony,’ Lin Mo said softly.

Li Xin nodded.

‘I was once Qiu Yue’s personal maidservant, living day by day under her watchful eye. I know her true face all too well. Beneath that gentle facade lay a heart of unparalleled venom and cruelty. Her manipulation of people’s hearts was like a venomous snake’s coil. If your actions displeased her, at best, a bone-chilling spiritual pressure would crush you to your knees, making you vomit blood. At worst, you’d be sent to the ‘Reflection Chamber’ to listen to the agonizing screams of traitors being tortured all night, euphemistically called ‘courage training’.’

‘I once, with my own eyes, witnessed her smilingly splash boiling tea onto a maidservant’s face, simply because the tea was half a degree off the desired temperature… But the most terrifying aspect wasn’t even that. It was how she immediately spoke softly to the tea-splashed maidservant, “Alas, it’s a pity your meticulous work was ruined by the one who brewed the tea”—thus transferring the conflict between her and the maidservant, shifting their mutual hatred, making the maidservant and the tea-brewing maidservant strangers, like enemies.’

‘And that was just one example… Ten years… You cannot imagine how much I witnessed during those ten years. I chose an auspicious day and fled… I thought I could finally escape Qiu Yue’s clutches, but I never imagined that even after coming to the Xuan Nv Sect, I still couldn’t escape her!’

‘Fortunately, my root bone aptitude was exceptional, and I was valued by the Sect Master. She imparted a cultivation method to me, making me a successor of Bright Jade Profound Yin. Otherwise… Qiu Yue… She would absolutely have seized me… But now, she refuses to give up! She wants to ruin me! To reduce my cultivation technique compatibility to the lowest possible level! To strip away all my cultivation… so she can legitimately capture me! Torture me! Make my life a living hell!'”

At this, Li Xin frowned, raising a question: ‘But… won’t the successor of Bright Jade Profound Yin be protected? We received instructions to cover for your Bright Jade Profound Yin… Even if Qiu Yue wanted to capture you, wouldn’t she have to get past Grand Elder Qing You? Moreover, if you’ve entered Grand Elder Qing You’s tutelage, shouldn’t you be able to rest easy?’

‘One’s fate must always be held in one’s own hands! Relying on others will never lead to a good end! I once leaned on Qiu Yue, believing I could live peacefully in this chaotic world. But what was the result?!’

‘For ten years, I lived in constant fear!’

‘Moreover, I have no power or influence; I’m merely a maidservant by birth! But Qiu Yue?’

‘The family Qiu Yue relies on is an absolute behemoth!’

‘Instead of accepting a genius who may or may not mature, may or may not repay the sect, and might even perish prematurely, wouldn’t it be more reliable to accept a super aristocratic family with profound foundations?’

‘In the cultivation world, there’s never a shortage of strong cultivators; what’s lacking are resources and connections!’

‘Sacrificing me would not only please Qiu Yue but also delight the forces behind her!'”

Lin Mo’s words grew passionate, his emotions intense. He gave Li Xin no chance to ponder further, striking while the iron was hot, continuing to amplify Qiu Yue’s threat and terror, planting deep fear in the young girl’s heart: ‘Qiu Yue… is a fiend! She revels in manipulating people’s hearts, especially delighting in slowly luring others into ruin, watching her prey plunge into the abyss of despair with her own eyes!’

Lin Mo’s tone suddenly deepened, the chilling aura making the surrounding temperature seem to drop by several degrees. ‘This means… your so-called close friend, Lu Ping’an, has been nothing but a malicious puppet in her hands all along!’

Li Xin’s face instantly turned ashen, her body trembling uncontrollably.

‘Think about it,’ Lin Mo’s voice carried a cruel power that pierced through the mist, driving deeper fear into Li Xin’s heart. ‘That parting line from Lu Ping’an, ‘I will kill you,’ was it merely to scare you?’

‘At this moment, for the sake of wealth, for the revitalization of her family, for a mere verbal promise, she is willing to kill even you and Wei Qing, your childhood best friends!’

‘And what about Wei Qing? I don’t know what Qiu Yue said to Wei Qing, but Wei Qing, who originally had no connection to me, became aggressive towards me! Repeatedly causing trouble… Isn’t this just one of Qiu Yue’s tactics?!’

‘Qiu Yue plans every step meticulously; her heart’s viciousness and her cunning methods far exceed what you or I can imagine! Once she knows Lu Ping’an has exposed so much in front of you, she will never leave you, a potential fuse that could ignite at any moment! What will she do? Force Lu Ping’an to atone for her mistakes in a more extreme way—which means killing you? Or…’

Lin Mo sneered, ‘She might directly ‘clean house,’ making Lu Ping’an disappear completely with all her secrets, and then conveniently eliminate you, the witness? No matter which option, your name is probably already on her hit list!’

‘If nothing is done soon, they… will eventually die!’

‘Therefore, we need to unite even more!’ Lin Mo’s tone was decisive, imbued with undeniable force. ‘Only by overthrowing Qiu Yue, this mastermind behind the scenes, can we achieve a lasting solution. Save your friend, and my future!’

After this barrage of eloquent words, a clear answer gradually formed in Li Xin’s heart.

Li Xin took a deep breath, trying to suppress the fear in her heart. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palm, a slight pain bringing her back to her senses.

‘I… what should I do? How can I… become your informant?’

Lin Mo’s mind raced, and an idea already surfaced in his thoughts.

He looked at Li Xin, narrowing his eyes. Instead of stating it directly, he posed a question: ‘Are you willing to deceive your friend to save her life?’