At this moment, Lin Heng's inner monologue gave the impression of an adolescent chatterbox, overly rich in thoughts.
He stood silently to the side, not feeling any strange glances.
"Alright. The three of you will come with me. As for you..." Meng Yutong glanced at the four of them, a hint of mischief in her eyes.
"Master, I can stay and watch the house. Someone needs to look after Qianyun Peak when you're gone."
"No. I plan to have you come along and see the world."
This, this can't be right!
Let him go along?
"Master, I'm just an ordinary person... What if I hold you back?"
"No worries, junior brother." Yun Yao stepped forward, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder with a cheerful smile, "Senior sister will protect you!"
The word "protect" was emphasized heavily.
Lin Heng's heart skipped a beat. According to the normal plot development, he shouldn't even have the qualifications to enter the secret realm.
"It's getting late. Yao'er, arrange a place for him to stay. You can familiarize yourself with the peak's affairs over the next couple of days."
"Yes, Master."
"Master, most of the rooms in the Disciples' Palace are still not ready. Perhaps Lin junior brother can stay with me for now."
Ye Tian stepped forward and suggested.
[Oh no, please don't! Brother Ye, I can't handle your enthusiasm. If I stay with you and you lose something, won't you blame it on me?]
[Let Master punish me, let Senior Sister think I'm a thief.]
[I remember this feels like a fake heiress plot!]
Lin Heng inwardly cursed. He had never seen such a brainless plot in novels before.
But the author of this novel was defying the heavens, capable of creating any scenario.
Meng Yutong and the other two women were taken aback. Did Lin Heng mean that Ye Tian would deliberately frame him for stealing?
How could that be possible?
Although they didn't know why Lin Heng held such hostility towards Ye Tian, they were well aware of Ye Tian's character. The two had no grievances, so why would Ye Tian frame him?
Meng Yutong waved her hand, "No worries, we can have more disciples help clean up."
"Alright then."
Seeing this, Ye Tian had nothing more to say.
After the four left, Meng Yutong sat at the round table, pondering for a long time.
What happened today was truly unbelievable. Even as a Void-Returning True Monarch, she had never heard of such a thing as hearing people's thoughts.
The human heart is treacherous and difficult to fathom.
In the world of cultivation, aside from soul-searching, there was no absolute technique to directly peer into the secrets of the heart, let alone hear inner thoughts.
After a while, she rose and spoke softly to a hidden compartment on the right side of the hall, "Go to the Astral Calculation Pavilion and check if anyone from the Purple Void Sect or Ballad of the Clear Moon is up to anything in secret... Also, investigate Lin Heng's past in the borderlands."
The hidden compartment trembled slightly, as if a door had opened, leaving a faint shadow.
"Lin Heng, who are you really? How do you know so much about me?
Even the Heavenly Mechanism Sect and Astral Calculation Pavilion's masters can't fully predict the future, yet you seem to know the trajectory of my life.
Peering into the heavenly way? Even the supreme beings of ancient times couldn't achieve that, so how could an ordinary person like you...
Ye Tian, will my good disciple really betray his master?"
***
Disciples' Palace.
Lin Heng was taken to a secluded courtyard with only a two-story pavilion and four ancient trees whose names he couldn't recall.
The courtyard seemed never to have been cleaned, with weeds everywhere.
"There! You'll stay here. I, your senior sister, live three doors down." Yun Yao stretched her arms, completely unaware of the graceful curve formed by the two prominent figures in front of her.
When you're just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
"Junior Brother Ye, shall we go?"
"Senior Sister, you go ahead. I'll stay and help Junior Brother Lin tidy up the courtyard."
"Well... alright then."
Yun Yao nodded, giving him a meaningful look.
Though she didn't believe Ye Tian would actually frame a fellow disciple, his actions now made it hard not to plant seeds of doubt.
[Tsk! There's no avoiding this disgusting trope, is there?]
[Then don't blame me, junior brother.]
"Haha, thank you, Brother Ye."
For the next while, Lin Heng, Ye Tian, and two servant disciples cleaned up the courtyard together. Being cultivators, they could manipulate objects from a distance, making the task swift.
***
After a while, most of it was sorted out, leaving only the bed to be made.
"Thank you, Brother Ye, and everyone!"
"Rest early, junior brother. See you tomorrow!"
Lin Heng watched Ye Tian's departing figure with a villainous smile.
As for what a villainous smile looks like, it's simple—it's not the smile of a protagonist.
Back in his room, after some searching, he finally found a dark green jade pendant at the corner of the side table.
Ye Tian had hidden it well. If you didn't lower your head, it would be hard to find. Even if discovered, it could be claimed as accidentally knocked off the table.
But Meng Yutong was so trusting that she believed whatever her beloved disciple Ye Tian said. Regardless, Ye Tian could always find an excuse.
Either accuse him of stealing or claim it was accidentally dropped.
"But... do you really think you can manipulate me? We'll see."
As night fell.
Lin Heng climbed a tree and picked a few fruits for dinner. Honestly, staying under the tree was cooler than being inside the house.
With a gentle breeze, it was incredibly pleasant.
[System Space]: Essence Stabilizing Pill *5
"Not bad, having a built-in storage bag saves me from needing a storage ring."
He took out an elixir, thought for a moment, and then retrieved the Heaven-Penetrating Compendium given by Meng Yutong, "With my extraordinary comprehension, I'm not in a rush to cultivate. The priority is to establish a solid foundation."
Purifying the body was just the first step; his current physical body was too weak.
If not careful, Ye Tian could easily kill him with a slap.
"If I can enter the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm, the Heaven-Penetrating Compendium will surely help me find some opportunities."
The Nation-Destroying Secret Realm was a place almost forgotten by time.
In this kingdom, from the king to the ministers, all were great cultivators above the Golden Elixir stage. Yet, such a powerful kingdom was wiped from history overnight.
Some say the king angered the heavenly way; others say an immensely powerful being erased them with a single hand.
Since then, the kingdom's ruins gradually evolved into the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm.
After organizing his thoughts, Lin Heng lay on the bed like a handsome reader and closed his eyes.
To be honest, the plot line was indeed following the book's progression: first recognizing one's roots, then apprenticing to learn skills.
However, the female lead's attitude towards him was entirely different. The mindless ridicule and suppression from the original were gone.
This wasn't a good thing; how could Ye Tian tolerate his harem getting close to him?
"No, for the sake of my life, I must stay away from these unlucky stars, or else Ye Tian's dog-like nose will sniff me out and cause trouble."
[Ding, main storyline begins:]
[(Positive) Main Quest: In three days, you will set out for the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm. Develop the story to cause Meng Yutong's cultivation to fall, allowing Ye Tian's betrayal to succeed. Reward Index: Supreme]
[(Negative) Main Quest: Use every means possible to obstruct the protagonist's betrayal. Reward Index: Unknown]
[Note: Reward Index is divided into Supreme, High, Medium, Ordinary, and Unknown. Unknown is a random and uncertain index, possibly with no reward.]
Lin Heng was startled by the system's voice and sat up abruptly.
"Finally, the crucial plot choice?"
Unknown is equivalent to random, meaning all four levels are possible. Given the clichéd random probability distribution, it's likely to draw ordinary or medium rewards.
By following the positive main quest, he would receive a supreme reward with 100% certainty.
Since the ultimate main quest is to survive until the end, as a villain currently struggling to protect himself, life takes precedence over women.
"My great master, I just want to say: your sacrifice... will be part of my grand plan!!"
It's not that the female lead can't be saved, but surviving is more cost-effective.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan