Why Didn't You Kill Them?

Chu Lu suspected he was dreaming. Otherwise, how could he have run into something this absurd?

A dignified Mahayana Stage cultivator had actually been tortured beyond recognition by a bunch of Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators, her soul scattering into the wind.

Luo Qingdie: "Fight back? You can't fight back."

Chu Lu: "Why?"

At this point, the other group members also voiced their opinions.

Hua Honglian: "Fighting back really would be inappropriate."

Xu Liniang: "Too reckless."

Zhu Shanlin: "It would only backfire."

Liu Ruyue: "A bad move."

Chu Lu: "?"

Chu Lu was stunned. What was wrong with these people?

"Because think about it," Luo Qingdie said again. "I was framed, so what I should do is clear my name. If I kill her, wouldn't that just confirm her accusations?"

Chu Lu looked utterly baffled. "So?"

"Then I won't be able to clear my name! Everyone will still hate me!"

Chu Lu: "Then just kill everyone who hates you."

Luo Qingdie: "?"

Hua Honglian: "?"

Xu Liniang: "?"

Zhu Shanlin: "?"

Liu Ruyue: "?"

The Chat Group was instantly flooded with question marks.

"No, how could that work?" Luo Qingdie said. "Chu Lu, can you stop arguing for the sake of it? Think about it—if someone framed you and the county magistrate didn't believe you either, would you not gather evidence to prove your innocence, but instead kill both that person and the county magistrate?"

Chu Lu: "Yes."

The Chat Group was once again flooded with question marks.

Chu Lu continued, "Before I started cultivating, I ran a dyehouse business. Later, someone framed me and I lost everything, so I killed that villain and the county magistrate to get revenge."

Luo Qingdie: "? Wait, no—what happened after that? Killing people couldn't possibly have no consequences, right? Could you still go home? Could you still show your face in public? Wouldn't the authorities hunt you down?"

Chu Lu: "If the authorities could catch every wanted criminal, no one in this world would dare commit crimes. As for going home, I had no one to depend on and nothing to tie me down anyway. I could just leave for another place."

Luo Qingdie: "Right, right, that's it. You had nothing, so of course you could throw everything away. But I'm different. Everyone in the Inquiry Sword Sect is a senior brother or sister close to me. I don't want to leave."

Chu Lu: "They tortured you into that state, and you still call them close?"

Luo Qingdie: "Th-that was because Liu Yan'er bewitched them."

Chu Lu: "If they could be bewitched into doing that by an outsider, wouldn't it be better not to have masters, senior brothers, or disciples like that?"

Luo Qingdie: "Th-that's true. But we've been together for so long..."

At that moment, the other group members seemed to feel exactly the same way and hurriedly chimed in.

Hua Honglian: "Exactly, exactly. Feelings accumulated over countless days and years can't just be wiped away so casually."

Xu Liniang: "People's hearts are made of flesh."

Zhu Shanlin: "That's right, that's right. Could you really bring yourself to do it, Chu Lu?"

Liu Ruyue: "Easy to say, hard to do."

"What's hard about it?" Chu Lu said. "I just killed my own master."

Luo Qingdie: "??"

Hua Honglian: "??"

Xu Liniang: "??"

Zhu Shanlin: "??"

Liu Ruyue: "??"

"Why?" they asked in shock.

"That old bastard fooled me with a cultivation technique full of serious flaws, and he was always forcing me to fight the Wild Dog Gang, making me risk my life for him," Chu Lu said.

Luo Qingdie: "That's horrible!"

Hua Honglian: "So Chu Lu, you've had such a hard life too."

Xu Liniang: "But wasn't killing him inappropriate? Isn't that deceiving the master and destroying the ancestors, rebelling against one above you? It breaks the rules. Shouldn't you have endured the grievance, continued cultivating, and then died in front of your master?"

Zhu Shanlin: "Right, right, right. And it had to be at the critical moment when enemies broke in. You stood in front of your master and used every last thread of your strength. Then you fell to the ground, looked at your master in agony, and slowly reached out your hand—but breathed your last halfway through, your hand falling as well. Then your master would look utterly pained and shocked, as though he had suddenly realized something."

Liu Ruyue: "Regretting it for the rest of his life."

Looking at that entire wall of text, Chu Lu fell silent for a moment. In the end, he squeezed out one sentence: "Are you people insane?"

Yet they all replied in unison: "Isn't that the proper development?"

Hua Honglian: "Then you were reborn."

Xu Liniang: "Your master was reborn too."

Zhu Shanlin: "You were utterly disappointed and wanted to leave, while he came to his senses and wanted to keep you."

Liu Ruyue: "You fled, he pursued; even with wings, you could not escape."

Chu Lu: "?"

He said, "No, how are your brains built? Why does this all have such a..."

Chu Lu thought it over, then complained, "female-fiction flavor?"

"What is female fiction?" they asked together again.

"Never mind that," Chu Lu said. "Anyway, following your line of thought, what should Luo Qingdie do?"

Hua Honglian: "Try to move her with love? If that doesn't work, gather evidence first."

Xu Liniang: "Exactly. She must have left traces behind."

Zhu Shanlin: "Set a trap and expose her true face."

Liu Ruyue: "Let the truth come to light!"

"But what if it doesn't work? What if, even with ironclad evidence, those people Liu Yan'er has already won over still choose to believe her blindly?" Chu Lu asked.

They all declared, "Then dig out your bones beforehand to prove your innocence!"

Chu Lu could not help rolling his eyes. He directly @'d Luo Qingdie and said, "See that? None of these people are reliable. Just listen to me. I killed my master, and now I'm the Sect Leader. Life is comfortable. That's the right way. Unlike these idiots—after being reborn, they still want to dig out their bones. What was the point of being reborn, then?"

Luo Qingdie: "I understand. Thank you all for your advice. I already know what to do."

Chu Lu let out a long breath. At last, I've guided her onto the right path.

Luo Qingdie: "I'll work hard to find the evidence and expose her true face!"

The other four praised her in unison.

Chu Lu: "?"

"Have you gone mad?" Chu Lu cursed.

Luo Qingdie: "Chu Lu, I appreciate your kindness, but your method really won't work."

"Why not?"

"Our situations are different."

"How are they different?"

"It's hard to explain. It's complicated."

"Then explain it slowly."

"It's subtle too."

"Then break it apart and explain it in detail."

"Aiya, anyway, it just can't be explained clearly. Unless you can come over here and see it with your own eyes, you won't understand."

Chu Lu crossed his arms and stared at the Chat Group screen, feeling his blood pressure soar.

He could tell that it was not that she could not explain it—she simply could not articulate it and was stubbornly putting on a tough front!

—Aaaah, I'm so angry. I want to punch her through the screen! Your fellow disciples deserve to die, and you stupid idiot deserve to die too!

At that moment, a window suddenly popped up in the Chat Group.

Strong emotional fluctuations detected. Chat Group mission activated.

Mission content: Travel to World Seven Female Fiction and, without offering any explanation and relying purely on violence, help Luo Qingdie fulfill her wish—avoid her tragic future, achieve revenge, and still retain her spotless reputation.

Mission reward: Unlock the Transcoding Function.

Warning: Once you accept this mission, you will automatically become the Group Leader and receive a World-Crossing Talisman and one Beginner's Gift Pack.

Chu Lu looked at the window that had suddenly appeared, and his expression abruptly calmed.

He typed quickly: "Didn't you just say that as long as I came to your place, I'd understand?"

Luo Qingdie: "?"

Chu Lu: "Then I'll come over and take a look."

Luo Qingdie: "Huh?"

Chu Lu fiercely pressed confirm!

Mission accepted.

Obtained the position of Group Leader.

Obtained a World-Crossing Talisman and a Beginner's Gift Pack.

Traveling to World Seven Female Fiction.