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

Chapter 211: The Saint Sect Is the Force Qi Yuan Truly Pledges Allegiance To!

Shortly after.

On the outskirts of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary.

Inside a dark, secluded underground cave.

Qi Yuan arrived at the rendezvous point. He glanced around the cavern, but neither the old ginseng nor the gaggle of grass spirit dolls were anywhere to be seen.

Had they not arrived yet?

Just as he prepared to wait patiently, a sneaky, hushed voice echoed near his ear: “I ask you, what is the slogan of the Grass Spirit Gang?”

A slogan?

Qi Yuan paused momentarily, instinctively replying: “Overthrow human oppression. Spirit Grass shall never be enslaved.”

Then, the same voice whispered again: “What is the purpose of our gathering here?”

As if recalling something, Qi Yuan’s mouth twitched, and he answered with a helpless expression: “To pull off a massive heist at the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary.”

The next moment, the old ginseng, looking like a wealthy rural landlord, popped out of the dirt and hollered gleefully: “Come on out, little ones! He’s definitely our Deputy Gang Leader and Chief Strategist. His answers were so standard, he’s absolutely not some human impostor!”

“Yay! Big Brother is finally here!”

“Wow! So this is the Deputy Gang Leader? He looks exactly like a scary human! Terrifying!”

“Don’t be scared, he only eats meat, not veggies…”

…

As soon as the words fell, over a dozen plump, glowing grass spirit dolls popped out of the cavern walls and floor. They bounced around Qi Yuan in an excited, chaotic mob, chattering endlessly.

Amidst the deafening squeaks, Qi Yuan quickly noticed the Grass Spirit Gang had significantly expanded its roster. Several new faces bobbed in the crowd. Clearly, the old ginseng hadn’t been idle—it had recruited quite a few plant spirits.

Of course, this was absolutely a great thing.

Any plant spirit capable of shapeshifting and uprooting itself from the earth veins had to be at least a ten-thousand-year-old Spirit Grass.

Plants had an abysmally low chance of cultivating the Dao, making every ten-thousand-year specimen a priceless treasure—a literal Medicine King. Since he was already planning to herd them all into his own pockets eventually, adding a few more high-tier captives to the pile was pure profit.

Just as Qi Yuan was mentally counting his future fortune, one of the rookie grass spirits tugged nervously on the old ginseng’s root-beard.

“Grandpa Ginseng,” it squeaked timidly. “I heard humans are super deceitful. The Deputy Leader is a disciple of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary, but he’s leading us to trash the place. Isn’t this… a trap?”

Dead silence fell. The bouncing stopped. Over a dozen pairs of eyes slowly turned to stare at Qi Yuan.

It seemed none of them had ever considered this question before. Now, reminded by this new member, they all grew uneasy.

Even the old ginseng froze, its tiny beady eyes flickering with sudden suspicion.

Qi Yuan’s face darkened, nearly unable to hold back a curse.

Are you kidding me? Deliberately undermining me?

The other grass spirits were perfectly, wonderfully brain-dead. Why did you have to be so smart? Don’t you know the tallest blade of grass gets cut first?

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Right as the tension peaked, the Phantom Star Herb spirit—Qi Yuan’s closest little follower—marched to the front. It pointed a tiny green leaf at the skeptic and scolded: “I trust the Deputy Gang Leader! He’s a great person and would never lie to us! Need I remind you who invented our gang’s philosophy and slogan? The Deputy Leader! Who wrote our bylaws? The Deputy Leader! If he were a human spy, why would he work so hard to help us?”

This immediately resonated with many of the veteran members, who chimed in:

“Yeah! Phantom Star is right! The Deputy Leader isn’t a human spy!”

“Last time, the Boss said this is called ‘abandoning the darkness for the light’ and ‘turning against one’s own for justice’! You new guys don’t understand, so stop shouting nonsense…”

…

Seeing the situation growing chaotic, Qi Yuan took a deep breath and explained with a serious expression: “I was born a human, so it’s only natural you doubt me. But let me assure you, while I may be a disciple of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary, I am not one of them!”

He turned to the old ginseng, quickly pulled out a jade identity token from his robes, and said with utmost sincerity: “To tell you the truth, my real identity is a disciple of The Saint Sect. I was deployed to infiltrate the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary as a deep-cover agent to gather intelligence. Therefore, The Saint Sect is the force I truly pledge my allegiance to!”

Hearing this, all the grass spirits gasped in unison, utterly dumbfounded. The old ginseng’s eyes nearly bulged out of its wrinkled head.

“Deputy… you’re an undercover agent?”

At this moment, it felt like its brain was filled with mush, its CPU about to overheat.

“That’s right!”

Qi Yuan nodded heavily, his expression grave. “Undercover work is truly inhuman. On the surface, it looks glamorous, but behind the scenes, every day feels like a year. You live in constant fear, terrified that today is the day your cover is blown.”

“The pressure is immense. Not only that, but I have to play political games with the Sanctuary’s Inspection Hall. Every time I transmit intelligence, I’m dancing on the edge of a blade. One slip-up, and I lose my life.”

“After all these years undercover, I’m long tired of this precarious life. I constantly think about making the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary collapse sooner so I can escape this sea of suffering.”

“As long as we can turn this place upside down tonight, with this merit, I can retire successfully and return to The Saint Sect to live freely as a disciple…”

As he spoke, his eyes gradually grew moist.

This heartfelt, impassioned speech immediately stirred sympathy among the grass spirits. They all looked at Qi Yuan with pity:

What kind of life has the Deputy Leader been living? He’s truly pitiful!

Coming back to its senses, the old ginseng took the token from Qi Yuan’s hand. After confirming it was genuine, it couldn’t help but sigh: “Deputy Leader, I never realized you had it so tough. We really shouldn’t have doubted you earlier.”

The old ginseng’s education was limited; it couldn’t distinguish between Outer Sect Disciples, Inner Sect Disciples, or Legacy Disciples, much less the differences between tokens.

Moreover, plant spirits had no concept of righteousness or evil. To them, organizations like the Alchemy Saint Sect and the Alchemist Association, which constantly refined Spirit Grass into pills, were the most evil in the world.

After a moment of sighing, the grass spirits immediately perked up, eager and ready: “Since the Deputy Leader is innocent, what are we waiting for? Let’s go cause chaos at the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary and help the Deputy Leader escape his suffering sooner!”

“Deputy Leader, don’t worry! Tonight, we’ll turn the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary upside down and let them witness the might of the Grass Spirit Gang!”

…

Seeing the grass spirit dolls’ soaring morale, the old ginseng smiled in satisfaction, then turned to Qi Yuan: “Deputy Leader, you’re quite familiar with the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary’s internal layout. You’ll command this operation. Where do you think we should raid first?”

Qi Yuan had been waiting for exactly those words. He nodded confidently and calmly analyzed: “In my opinion, our first target should be the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary’s spirit herb garden. Several ten-thousand-year Medicine Kings are imprisoned there.”

“Our most urgent task is to rescue those Spirit Grass brethren. This will not only strengthen the Grass Spirit Gang’s power but also deal a heavy blow to the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary. Why not do it?”

Hearing this, the old ginseng’s eyes lit up, agreeing: “The Deputy Leader is truly brilliant and cunning. I was thinking the same thing…”