Chapter Ninety-Two: Kill the Disobedient

Luo Xiaomi thoroughly enjoyed the gaze of adoration that had gathered upon her.

Sure enough, she was still the little fairy who could charm countless men senseless.

Even in this foreign world, she could still make her way.

And on top of that, she could use this as a stepping-stone, build a formidable reputation in time, and when she needed the resources for cultivation, would there not be legions of starry-eyed admirers ready to place them in her hands with a single wave?

...

Just now, Su Ji'an had communicated with Zhao Qianxue mainly to get a brief understanding of the movements of the players he had sent to Cold Mountain City.

That way, he could distribute the follow-up missions according to circumstance.

After hearing from Zhao Qianxue about the negative behavior of the player known as Little Lamb Lover, he received a series of alerts.

[Player Little Lamb Lover has left Cold Mountain City without authorization and attempted to travel west of Lingxiu Village in search of immortal fate. Should this be judged a mission failure?]

Su Ji'an's expression darkened. This was the first player to act on his own initiative.

Though he had long anticipated such incidents, it had only ever been a matter of sooner or later.

But this sort of unhealthy trend could not be indulged.

This fellow was a classic case of having eyes higher than his abilities.

Without another moment's hesitation, Su Ji'an directly marked the mission as failed.

This time, he would be made an example of, and the punishment would be announced to all.

[Player Little Lamb Lover treated the mission with negligence, abandoned his post, and caused losses to the Immortal Guest House. The mission is judged a failure. Punishment: deduction of fifty years of lifespan, to be carried out immediately.]

[Mission reward: none.]

[Mission penalty: none.]

As soon as this announcement went out, it stirred up a storm.

The player channel was filled with shock.

Ruo Shui was even more shaken with lingering fear.

Su Ji'an did not implicate the other three workers because of this incident.

He also issued them additional missions, rewarding them with the Evergreen Art and five Spirit-Opening Pills.

Whatever the case, the players still had to grow as quickly as possible.

Though it was inevitable that they would harbor ulterior motives, a backstabbing traitor would find no foothold in his hands.

Besides, all the players were under his control. No matter how high they rose, they would still be his hired hands.

Disobedient ones would be killed.

It was as simple and brutal as that.

Su Ji'an suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He had once considered creating a beginner's crash course for the players, and now the idea had finally found its form.

After briefly introducing the world and the points of caution, the matter of Little Lamb Lover ought to be recorded as well, compiled into a handbook for later players to read.

If anything similar happened afterward, he could simply add it in.

Still, better to present it as a system notice.

Otherwise, if some idiot leaked it, it might invite trouble for him.

While Su Ji'an was mulling this over, there was new movement from Ji Xian.

[Player Ji Xian has reached the target location and buried the beacon on the spot. Mission completed.]

Su Ji'an had been waiting for this for a long time. He immediately took out ten display screens, which were paired with the beacon.

Each screen showed two red dots, one large and one small: the former marked the beacon's position, while the latter marked the position of the screen's holder.

Then Su Ji'an assigned the ten new players the missions he had already prepared.

[The Righteous Path Alliance and the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion are locked in battle in the west. All cultivators on both sides have perished. Follow the guidance on the display screen immediately, and you are certain to gain something at the place where they fought.

Mission hint: The magic treasures of both sides were badly damaged in the battle. More than ninety percent are no different from broken scrap, but the treasures that remain surrounded by spiritual resonance are certain to have survived.

Focus on searching for the storage rings scattered across the battlefield.

After completing your exploration, you must immediately head to the nearby Lingxiu Village, find Su Ji'an's home, and offer him everything you obtained. You may well receive unexpected rewards.

Before leaving, destroy the display screen in your possession on the spot.]

[Mission reward: display screen, beginner-level Evergreen Art, five Spirit-Opening Pills, and a very large sack.]

[Mission penalty: deduction of fifty years of lifespan.]

Su Ji'an withdrew his gaze. The excitement had been watched; it was time to return to Lingxiu Village.

It would not matter if he lingered a little longer, but he had no real interest in supervising the cleanup himself.

Moreover, the mastermind behind it might well send someone from the Righteous Path Alliance to sweep the battlefield.

Even if the Righteous Path Alliance did not come, someone else surely would.

After all, the wealth left behind was no small matter.

"This makes it far too easy for someone else to pick the peach," Su Ji'an thought suddenly, recognizing a serious hidden danger.

Cultivators in this world seldom had any sense of righteousness.

If others came to collect the spoils and saw this scene, they would surely make a move to seize them.

Or if the Righteous Path Alliance arrived, the result would be the same.

After a moment's thought, Su Ji'an had an idea.

He only needed to add a group mission.

No need to hurry, though. It would be better to issue it when the ten players were nearly at the target point.

...

Several li outside Cold Mountain City.

Little Lamb Lover could no longer bear the body that had been nearly spent like a lamp without oil, and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Just moments ago, he had gone from thriving to withering in the blink of an eye. Now his hair was white and his face gray, though his spirit seemed still rather lively.

"Damn it!"

Little Lamb Lover's mouth twitched again and again, his expression twisted beyond recognition.

It was too late to regret it now; everything was already beyond saving.

Then, as if grasping at the last straw, he hurriedly opened the player channel.

Little Lamb Lover: "Is Senior Ouyang Feng here? Is Senior Holy Lord here? Whoever can save me, I am willing to serve you as my master. From now on I will run errands for you, serve at your side... in short, my life is yours."

"Poor guy. Thanks, brother, for testing the waters with your own body so we could avoid the mine."

"A good man!"

"Farewell, good man. I'll burn incense for you someday."

Little Lamb Lover only felt his rage surge to his chest, his blood pressure soaring at terrifying speed.

These damned bastards were pouring oil on the fire, killing him with words.

...

At this moment, Su Ji'an had already set off back with Li Ling'er. Now that he had told her of his identity as a cultivator, there was no need for him to be overly restrained.

He immediately scooped up Li Ling'er and leaped down from midair, causing her to cry out in fright again and again.

In the blink of an eye, they landed safely.

Su Ji'an could not help but laugh, while Li Ling'er was still shaken.

He glanced at the player channel and saw that the ten Blue Star players he had newly summoned were filled with unprecedented enthusiasm for the mission.

Li Ling'er looked a little resentful as she said, "You big bad guy, you nearly scared me to death just now. Could you at least have said something in advance? You could have let me prepare myself."

Su Ji'an smiled. "Next time, I will."

On the way back to Lingxiu Village, Li Ling'er could not help but ask about Su Ji'an's past.

Su Ji'an had been thinking of asking Li Ling'er to keep his secret anyway, and now was the perfect opportunity to tell her.

After thinking it over, he let out a soft sigh and slowly said, "What I once wanted was to join an immortal sect, and then one day rise above the crowd. By then, I would also be able to marry your Sister Zhao in great splendor.

"But who could have imagined that just as I had barely stepped onto the threshold of the immortal path, my sect would be wiped out by hostile forces. I nearly lost my life that day. Since then, I have had little interest in the immortal path."