Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

Qi Yuan stroked his chin, adopting the pose of a seasoned scholar analyzing a complex problem.

“Fairy Qin, in cases like yours, the standard prescription is social interaction. Mingling with others typically alleviates the symptoms.”

He paused, looking her up and down. “However, your personality is naturally aloof. Even when you do interact with others, there is a barrier—a stiffness that prevents genuine connection. As a result, standard socialization won’t be effective.”

Qin Lingxue nodded repeatedly, her face earnest. “Fellow Daoist Qi, you are absolutely right. Since I was young, I have preferred silence. Dealing with people… it is not my fortitude.”

Qi Yuan looked at her thoughtfully. “I believe you need to cultivate a genuine hobby. Something to anchor your humanity.”

Qin Lingxue’s beautiful eyes lit up with hope. “What do you suggest?”

Qi Yuan’s tone became solemn. “The classics, for example. Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, flower arranging, or the tea ceremony. These arts refine the spirit and nurture the emotions.”

Qin Lingxue blinked, the light in her eyes dimming slightly. “I have tried all of those. Unfortunately… they had no effect on the sword’s influence.”

“I see.”

Qi Yuan tapped his chin, pretending to think deeply. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head—a terrible, wonderful idea.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Have you ever tried… reading novels?”

“Novels?”

Qin Lingxue looked confused. Her life consisted of cultivation and comprehending the Sword Dao. She had never heard of such trivial entertainment.

“Novels are stories circulated among the mortals,” Qi Yuan explained patiently. “However, many cultivators use them to refine their Dao Heart and comprehend the vicissitudes of the Red Dust.”

He leaned in closer. “The characters in these stories experience joy, anger, sorrow, and ecstasy. If you can immerse yourself in their narratives, your emotions will resonate with theirs. It could be exactly the shock therapy you need.”

“So that is how it works… Lingxue has learned something new!”

Qin Lingxue looked intrigued. “Fellow Daoist Qi, this method sounds promising. Do you happen to have any of these ‘novels’ on you? I would like to borrow a few to try.”

“Of course.”

Before he could answer, she produced a heavy pouch of Spirit Stones and pressed it into his hands. “I cannot let Fellow Daoist Qi help for free. Please accept these high-grade Spirit Stones as a rental fee.”

Qi Yuan stared at the heavy pouch, then at the innocent girl. He fell into a deep moral dilemma.

He did have books. A lot of them.

The problem was, they had all been confiscated from a certain unscrupulous Little Grass Spirit.

There wasn’t a single serious book in his inventory. They were all… illustrated. The kind with vivid descriptions of “dual cultivation” and breathless nights. The kind that would make a brothel madam blush.

If he handed these over, his reputation as a righteous Holy Scion would be incinerated instantly.

But…

He looked at Qin Lingxue. She was truly pitiful. If she lost her emotions completely, she would be no different from a walking corpse.

Those books might be rated 18+, but for a blank slate like Qin Lingxue, they would be an emotional nuclear bomb. The sheer shock might actually jumpstart her freezing heart.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. For stubborn illnesses, one must administer strong medicine!

I’m doing this to save a life!

After a brief internal struggle, Qi Yuan’s conscience lost the battle against his chaotic nature. He gritted his teeth.

“To be honest, I do have a stash,” Qi Yuan said, his expression grave. “But I must clarify—these were confiscated from a mischievous brat. They have absolutely nothing to do with me personally.”

He waved his hand, dumping a pile of thread-bound booklets onto the table. Some were old and yellowed; others looked brand new.

“Let’s be clear,” Qi Yuan declared solemnly. “I have been too busy with my cultivation to check the contents. I cannot guarantee they will be useful.”

He lowered his voice to a whisper. “If you feel uncomfortable while reading, please stop immediately and destroy them. Do not force yourself.”

Qin Lingxue looked at the pile of books with curiosity. Out of politeness, she didn’t flip through them immediately. Instead, she swept them into her storage ring and bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your righteous assistance. Lingxue is endlessly grateful.”

Qi Yuan waved his hand, his expression strange. “No need for thanks. I just hope… you don’t come after me with the Abyssal Frost Sword later.”

Teaching the ice-cold, nun-like Young Sword Master of the Abyssal Sanctuary to read smut… There probably wasn’t another person in the entire cultivation world with the balls to do this.

Oh well. I’m just too kind-hearted.

“Why would you say that?” Qin Lingxue was stunned. She shook her head firmly. “Although my virtue is shallow, I am certainly not the type to repay kindness with enmity!”

Meanwhile.

The Boundless Void.

Silence reigned here. It was a realm of profound darkness, broken only by the distant, colorful shimmer of the chaotic starry sky. There was no up, no down—only the abyss.

Compared to the stable realms within the world, the Boundless Void represented the ultimate danger. Ordinary cultivators avoided it like the plague.

Whoosh!

Two figures materialized from the ink-black darkness.

They were men clad in identical black robes that seemed to drink the surrounding light. Their auras were obscure, blending perfectly with the void.

“This is the place.”

The speaker was a tall, thin cultivator with a sinister, vulture-like face. His skin was pale, drained by the frigid void winds. He glanced at a star compass in his hand.

“According to the intel, the Slaughtering Daoist’s remnant cave abode is hidden inside that spatial nebula ahead.”

His voice drifted through the vacuum, sounding like a ghostly whisper.

The middle-aged man beside him nodded, greed flashing in his eyes.

“Correct. The restrictions on this cave abode limit entry to no more than three Nascent Soul cultivators. We are both at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. If we join forces, we can force our way in.”

The middle-aged man turned to his companion. “Junior Brother Jin, same rules as always. No fighting over the treasure inside. We split everything fifty-fifty once we’re out. Agreed?”

“Agreed!”

Junior Brother Jin nodded without hesitation. The two exchanged a look, then transformed into streaks of black smoke, plunging into the swirling nebula ahead.

Moments after they vanished, two other figures silently emerged from the shadows where they had just stood.

“Senior Brother Tu, are we really just going to let those demonic cultivators get a head start?”

Zhuang Qingyun looked at the nebula with worry.

“Junior Brother Zhuang, you worry too much.”

Tu Ruoxu shook his head, his expression calm and arrogant. “Demonic cultivators are reckless and greedy. They are the perfect candidates to serve as cannon fodder.”

He sneered. “I deliberately leaked the location of the Slaughtering Daoist’s tomb to attract them. We need them to scout the path and trigger the defensive mechanisms.”

“Once those idiots have exhausted the traps, we will stroll in and pick up the pieces. It saves time, saves effort, and eliminates the risk.”

Tu Ruoxu’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “As for their lives… Heh! They are evildoers with blood on their hands. If they die, they die.”

Zhuang Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief, smiling in admiration. “Senior Brother Tu is thorough indeed! This junior is impressed.”

Tu Ruoxu nodded slightly, clasping his hands behind his back. “If my calculations are correct, that Holy Scion of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary should be contacting us right about now.”

“Really?”

Zhuang Qingyun hesitated. “But Fellow Daoist Qi refused us so firmly last time. I don’t think he’s the type to change his mind…”

Buzz.

Before he could finish his sentence, the top-grade transmission talisman in Tu Ruoxu’s sleeve began to glow.

Tu Ruoxu activated it, and a clear, cheerful male voice echoed from within.

“Fellow Daoist Tu! I’ve thought it over. I have decided to join you two in exploring that place after all.”

“No problem at all,” Tu Ruoxu replied, his voice calm and welcoming, though his eyes gleamed with triumph. “We welcome you with open arms, Fellow Daoist Qi. I will send you the spatial coordinates shortly. Let us meet in seven days.”

The transmission cut off.

Zhuang Qingyun stared at his senior brother, jaw dropped in shock.

“Senior Brother Tu… you truly are a god!”