Even the junior sisters were moved to tears. After hearing Jiang Beiran's tragic backstory, Li Fucheng was deeply touched. Wiping his tears forcefully, he said emotionally, "No wonder I felt an instant connection when I met you, Brother Wang!
To think we share such similar misfortunes. I... may I boldly call you Elder Brother?" As soon as Li Fucheng finished speaking, three options appeared before Jiang Beiran's eyes.
[Option 1: Agree. Reward: Spirit Attaching Imperial Technique (Mysterious Grade, High Tier)] [Option 2: Change the subject. Reward: Ghostly True Flower (Yellow Grade, High Tier)] [Option 3: Firmly reject. Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1] 'Impressive.
Truly worthy of a protagonist-template character—triggering two dangerous options in just a few sentences, completely on par with the pretty junior sisters around me.' Without hesitation, Jiang Beiran chose the third option and shook his head.
"I don't deserve to be called Elder Brother. As I said earlier, we're merely passing acquaintances. There's no need for deep connections. Let me offer you some sincere advice: don't invest too much emotion in someone you've just met, let alone bare your heart to them. You don’t even know my real name."
At Jiang Beiran's response, the people behind Li Fucheng were stunned.
'Seriously?
Even after the mood reached such a touching point, he still refused? And so coldly at that.' Not just Li Fucheng's companions, even the junior sisters who knew Jiang Beiran well were dumbfounded.
Though they knew their senior brother was usually aloof, he was generally approachable. This time, they truly hadn’t expected him to reject someone so firmly. Li Fucheng, too, hadn’t anticipated such a blunt refusal.
He was silent for a long moment. But after carefully considering Jiang Beiran's advice, he bowed respectfully.
"Fucheng has learned his lesson."
Pleased, Jiang Beiran nodded and leaned in to whisper in Li Fucheng's ear, "Meeting by chance is fate. Here’s a suggestion: if you want to grow stronger, martial arts aren’t the only path. The mysteries of arcane formations hold boundless potential."
With that, he retrieved a book titled the Book of Eight Palaces and Four Rivers from his Universe Ring and handed it to Li Fucheng.
"Give this a read. It might enlighten you."
Since he knew the other likely had a protagonist template and the System had assigned him to lend a hand, Jiang Beiran naturally wanted to foster goodwill. After all, he figured he’d encountered this young master of the demonic sect at his lowest point—soon, the man would probably stumble upon one fortuitous encounter after another.
Before Li Fucheng could refuse, Jiang Beiran stuffed the book into his arms and turned to leave, tossing back only, "We’ll meet again if fate allows." The five junior sisters, still somewhat confused, quickly followed their senior brother. Clutching the Book of Eight Palaces and Four Rivers, Li Fucheng watched Jiang Beiran depart with admiration.
"Brother Wang is truly an extraordinary man."
"He already said that wasn’t his real name," Tang Tingshuang pointed out beside him.
"A name is just a label," Li Fucheng replied before turning to her.
"Let’s go. We should find a place to treat your wound first." --- "Senior Brother, why did you come to rescue these demonic sect members?"
"Senior Brother, how did you know they weren’t from the Azure Cloud Sect?"
"Senior Brother, what did you give him when you left?"
No sooner had Jiang Beiran walked a hundred paces than the Yu sisters eagerly bombarded him with questions after shouting, "Reporting!"
"No comment," Jiang Beiran answered all three with four words.
"Ugh, Senior Brother, just tell me! I’ll massage your back!"
"I’ll rub your shoulders!"
"I’ll pound your legs!"
Seeing the three sisters about to make a scene, Jiang Beiran said, "I’ll count to three. Anyone who keeps making noise loses points."
"One."
Instantly deflated, the three sisters lined up neatly behind him. Satisfied, Jiang Beiran led his junior sisters out of the forest. The return journey was uneventful, and soon they arrived at the foot of the sect’s mountain.
"Before we go back, I have three rules for you."
Beneath the stone archway of the Heart Returning Sect, Jiang Beiran turned to face the five junior sisters. They all stopped and looked at him.
"First, you may share what you’ve learned, but don’t tell others what I did."
"Second, don’t recommend me for the Iron Seal position."
As he said this, Jiang Beiran glanced at Liu Zijin. 'He glared at me again... So scary, but also...'
Liu Zijin unconsciously pressed a hand to her chest—her heart was pounding too hard. Seeing her tremble fearfully, Jiang Beiran was quite pleased. His spiritually charged glare was clearly effective.
He continued, "Third, after returning to the sect, we’ll go our separate ways. Don’t seek me out unless necessary."
"What!?"
All five junior sisters exclaimed in unison. The first two rules, though odd, were acceptable—but the third was just too cruel.
"Of course, I have no means to enforce this. I only hope we can respect each other and part on good terms, so we don’t end up as strangers."
The sisters’ hearts sank again. So, in Senior Brother’s eyes, they were merely acquaintances—not even friends.
"Alright, I hope you’ll remember these three rules. Let’s return to the sect."
The atmosphere was heavy as they ascended the mountain. Though they hadn’t spoken much on the way back, the mood wasn’t as oppressive as it was now. In silence, they reached the summit.
Jiang Beiran led them to the pavilion where they had gathered before setting out.
"Return the straw hats, sandals, and scorched cloth to me."
The junior sisters showed no reluctance, knowing these items were anything but ordinary—perhaps even incredibly powerful. They obediently handed over the "Forgettable Three-Piece Set." Storing the set in his Universe Ring, Jiang Beiran retrieved the jade bottle they had seen earlier.
"Before we left, I promised to reward the best performer with a bottle of Hundred Flower Honey. Honestly, all five of you performed better than I expected—especially Junior Sister Liu."
He handed the bottle to Liu Zijin.
"You displayed leadership throughout the journey and were proactive in solving problems. Such qualities are rare. I hope you’ll maintain them."
"Ah? For me?"
Liu Zijin was stunned. She had assumed Senior Brother disliked her—never expecting such praise.
"Mn."
Jiang Beiran nodded, then glanced at the other four.
"I trust you have no objections?"
"None at all!"
The four shook their heads vigorously. Zijin had endured scoldings on their behalf the entire trip, leaving them deeply guilty.
"Then... I’ll humbly accept. Thank you, Senior Brother."
Liu Zijin received the jade bottle with both hands. Yet, strangely, though she had been praised, she didn’t feel particularly happy. Ignoring her conflicted expression, Jiang Beiran stepped out of the pavilion.
"Alright, let’s go. Time to report to the Law Enforcement Hall."
(End of Chapter)