Mystery Is the Best Form of Deception

With Master… quite a history… the System is the biggest difference…

Instantly, a scenario appeared in Di Yao’s mind: Lin Shao and her Master were fellow disciples from the same sect. Later, the two fought over the System, and her Master won, using the System to cross the heavenly tribulation and become an immortal. Meanwhile, Lin Shao’s progress stalled, his heart became weary, and he lived in seclusion in a hidden paradise, no longer caring about the affairs of the Great Thousand World.

When the System appeared a few days ago, he sensed it, which was why he came out of seclusion with the intent to regain control of the System.

If that was the case, he and her Master might have a hostile relationship. Di Yao grew nervous; if the opponent was truly only one step away from becoming an immortal, his strength must be unfathomable, and her current situation was extremely dangerous.

But on second thought, Master had never mentioned to them that there was a surviving rival disciple from his sect or told them to be careful. With Master’s cautious nature, he could not have made such an oversight.

There was only one answer: the person in front of her was not from the same sect as her Master.

Di Yao could no longer figure out Lin Shao’s true identity, but she was certain that his strength was far above hers and that he had a significant connection to her Master and the System.

She tested him cautiously. “Did the Young Master think of competing for the System in the past?”

Lin Shao smiled. “The System is obtained by those destined for it. I am one without such fate, so why would I force the issue?”

For the sake of style, he deliberately used such an elegant way of speaking.

Di Yao breathed a sigh of relief. If Lin Shao was not lying, then he had not fought her Master for the System in the past, meaning there was no grudge. Thinking about it, given Lin Shao’s strength, if he truly wanted to harm her, he would have had plenty of opportunities; there was no need to waste words here.

He was sincerely looking to trade information about the System.

Refocusing her attention on the System, Di Yao found a point of doubt. The System she had seen on the overseas immortal island was a woman, but in Lin Shao’s words, the System sounded more like an object, a magical treasure, rather than a living person.

She sought verification from Lin Shao. “May I ask the Young Master, what is the essence of the System?”

Lin Shao tapped his finger on the tabletop and sighed. “Despite you spending a fortune in Liuli Hall, do you not even understand the most basic rules? I have already told you three pieces of information and received nothing in return, yet you want to keep asking?”

Di Yao was slightly startled and nodded with a hint of apology. “What does the Young Master want?”

‘I want world peace,’ Lin Shao joked in his heart. He did not know how much money this girl had left. Quoting too high might scare her away, while quoting too low would be a loss. He weighed his answer. “What I want is something you cannot give. You should look at what you have yourself.”

Finally, he added one more line. “My asking price is not high. You and the person behind you can certainly satisfy it.”

Lin Shao mentioned the “person behind her” because he felt the girl could not possibly produce over a hundred million silver taels on her own to bid on his poems. Most likely, the people in her family discussed it and provided the money for her to bid. In that case, the girl herself probably didn’t have much money, but those in her family did.

So his underlying meaning was: you can consider your family and tally up how much more money you can provide.

Di Yao was a bit surprised to hear about “the person behind her.” She was the ruler of the Great Shang, so who else could be behind her? Her gaze slowly drifted down to the scrolls on the table, and thinking of her Master, she suddenly realized.

‘Senior Lin’s meaning is that I cannot provide a reward that satisfies him, but I still have my senior and junior sisters behind me. I can ask them for help.’

For instance, her Second Senior Sister, the Lord of Spiritual Laws, had countless magical treasures; she could produce an Immortal-grade treasure. Or perhaps her Little Junior Sister, the Alchemy Saint, could certainly provide a Ninth-grade pill.

‘How ironic,’ Di Yao’s cheeks turned slightly red. As the Eternal Empress, she possessed the greatest wealth and prosperity in the world, yet she was of no use to a senior expert like Lin Shao. One could tell by thinking with their toes that he would not be interested in money.

But both Immortal-grade artifacts and Ninth-grade pills were works of heart and soul; if she could avoid troubling them, she would. Did she really have no item that could move Lin Shao?

Di Yao rested her chin on her hand, her brow furrowed in a look of great distress. Seeing this, Lin Shao muttered in his heart: ‘Is it possible her family didn’t support her spending money on the poems? Did she act willfully and use the money she saved since childhood to bid? Now that her savings are gone, she has no money on hand and can’t ask her family, which is why she’s so troubled.’

‘Actually, I really don’t want much. Since you’re so pretty, even ten thousand, a thousand, or even a hundred silver taels would do. I’ll tell you a little first, and you can come find me for the rest when you have money later.’

Just as Lin Shao was about to lower his requirements, Di Yao suddenly thought of something. After a moment of hesitation, she took off a red jade pendant tied to her waist and handed it to Lin Shao.

“This jade pendant was personally made by the Immortal Venerable. It has the effect of dispelling misfortune and gathering blessings, and it can also block one life-threatening disaster for the wearer.” Di Yao looked pained. “What does the Young Master think?”

Lin Shao took the jade pendant. It was a coiled azure dragon, finely crafted and lifelike, crystal clear, with an excellent, smooth, and delicate feel. It was a top-quality handicraft.

As for the “dispelling misfortune and gathering blessings” or “blocking a life-threatening disaster” that the girl just mentioned, Lin Shao smiled and said nothing. If this jade pendant was truly made by the Yuanshi Immortal Venerable and had magical effects, how could the girl wearing it have spent such a large sum to buy his copied poems and then personally hand the pendant over as a reward?

‘She’s already had such bad luck, yet she talks about gathering blessings. Gathering misfortune is more like it!’

However, the craftsmanship of this jade pendant was truly not bad. As a handicraft, it should sell for a good price, which was fine. Let it be.

Accepting the jade pendant, Lin Shao nodded. “It is barely acceptable.”

Di Yao breathed a sigh of relief, while her awe of Lin Shao’s identity grew significantly. A jade pendant personally made by her Master was only “barely acceptable” in his mouth; then her sister’s Immortal-grade treasure and her junior sister’s Ninth-grade pill would probably also be only “barely acceptable” in his eyes.

“If you want to exchange for more information in the future, you can find me at Guyue Residence on the antique street in the capital. I will stay in the capital for a short while.”

‘Guyue!’

The corner of Di Yao’s eye twitched. Before Master became an immortal, his Daoist title was Master Guyue. Lin Shao named his residence Guyue; she did not know if it was to commemorate her Master or if there were other reasons…

She knew she didn’t have the right to ask right now, so she nodded to indicate she understood.

Lin Shao had already planned what to say. First, the System was likely created by a high-level existence. In the Great Thousand World, the highest existence was the Heavenly Dao, the laws of all things. Since the girl had no way to verify it anyway, he spoke slowly.

“The System is the Heavenly Dao.”

Di Yao recalled that on the overseas immortal island, the woman by the crystal coffin also called herself the Heavenly Dao and the System. Senior Lin was equating the System with the Heavenly Dao; the System was a product of the Heavenly Dao’s consciousness.

The System could only be obtained by those with fate, and even someone like Senior Lin had to give up if they lacked that fate. Master was valued by the Heavenly Dao; he truly lived up to being the chosen one!

Seeing Di Yao listening very seriously without a hint of doubt, Lin Shao secretly rejoiced that speaking in riddles was indeed effective. He then combined the characteristics of a system being able to issue rewards and punishments and spoke slowly.

“The System is a double-edged blade.”

A double-edged blade has both benefits and drawbacks. Master used the System to fight the heavenly tribulation and become an immortal—that was the benefit. Master gave up his body to reincarnate to escape the System—that was the drawback… Di Yao’s expression was solemn. With Senior Lin confirming this, Master’s sudden fall was definitely related to the System. She just didn’t know exactly what happened back then to make even her Master, an immortal, so wretched.

Seeing Di Yao’s expression turn serious, Lin Shao felt a bit nervous, fearing she might notice something was wrong. He planned to end the topic after giving the final piece of information.

A system would automatically deactivate after the host’s death. Since the transmigrator senior, the Yuanshi Immortal Venerable, had been dead for over a thousand years, the System must have died long ago as well. He would tell her directly that the System was gone, to prevent her from being scammed by someone claiming to have a system in the future.

He paused and said calmly.

“The System is dead.”