At Twin Pearl Peak of the Sun Moon Sect, the air was crisp and the scenery pleasant. Immortal cranes often soared and wheeled nearby, and every so often, the roar of the guy from the neighboring peak drifted over: "Who the hell let the immortal crane crap here?!"
After returning from Black Tortoise City, Jiang Lin sat inside his little thatched hut, staring forlornly at the newspapers he had brought back, one after another.
NC Shocking Department:
[Shocking! The demon maiden's lovestruck face was actually the doing of Flower-Picking Thief Jiang Lin? Read on... That day, Jiang Lin's deeds with the monkey demon maiden in the Secret Realm...]
Old Wave Headlines Department:
[One man's lewd might over hundreds? Flower-Picking Thief Jiang Lin actually guarded Black Sword Bridge alone and unleashed the forbidden sword art—Extreme Tyrant Sword—before countless female cultivators?!]
Wutong Province Black Tortoise City Penguin Highlights News:
[What caused the Secret Realm to collapse?! Whose hands does the so-called Dragon Soul lie in? Why was Fairy Lin so lost and troubled after leaving the Secret Realm? Did Flower-Picking Thief Jiang Lin really challenge Fei ZhuLiu and Zong Hao Sect alone? Was the Flower-Picking Thief's lewd might simply too great, or were the two sects just too weak? Next, the Penguin Highlights Department will take you into the cultivator interviews. Tomorrow at the beginning of the Chen hour, we'll see you all there!]
Jiang Lin set down the newspaper he had brought back from Black Tortoise City and rubbed his face deeply. Why had things turned out like this?
He clearly hadn't done anything in the Secret Realm. How had it stirred up so many moths?
And that monkey demon maiden—he only remembered treating her to a banana... How had even that turned into a scandal?
As for that Extreme Tyrant Sword nonsense, guarding Black Sword Bridge alone? What the hell? He had never even gone there. Guard it, my ass...
Wait! Could someone have impersonated him?
Jiang Lin rose and paced back and forth inside the little thatched hut.
"Forget it. I'll watch the Mirror Flower Water Moon interview first."
He checked the time. It was almost the Chen hour, so Jiang Lin hurriedly took out the Mirror Flower Water Moon scroll he used to prop up the corner of his table (taken from Sword Origin).
The Mirror Flower Water Moon scroll was a tool much like those used to watch live streams. Jiang Lin vaguely remembered carrying a sack of rice up to the second floor back then, after which that old granny had given it to him.
As long as one put spirit stones into the Mirror Flower Water Moon scroll, it could produce images.
Some Agricultural School cultivators specialized in live-streaming themselves trying all sorts of bizarre herbs and meats through the Mirror Flower Water Moon. There were also otaku cultivators from the Mohist School who taught you step by step how to build mechanical men, as well as Yin Yang School cultivators who performed divinations online.
Of course, most of the content consisted of beautiful female cultivators from various mountain sects painting or practicing calligraphy in the Mirror Flower Water Moon. The more open-minded ones even danced with swords and such.
In any case, the content being broadcast was all bright and gaudy. The fees varied depending on the content, with the price mainly set by the streamer.
Some of the technical Mirror Flower Water Moon streams cost a little more: five Low-Grade Spirit Stones for half an hour of viewing. Once, Jiang Lin had wanted to see whether that Mohist guy could really build a Gundam, and from beginning to end, Jiang Lin had spent a full two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones (two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones).
As for beautiful female cultivators' live streams, the price was a little cheaper, but their income was by no means small. Jiang Lin remembered that one sect patriarch had rewarded a female cultivator who was live-streaming a Landscape Painting with a High-Grade Spirit Stone. The girl's hands had trembled at the time, and her voice had become especially coquettish as she thanked him for the donation.
That time, Jiang Lin had also gotten carried away and rewarded her with one... Low-Grade Spirit Stone. Not only had he received no thanks, but his master had seen it too and sulked angrily for most of the day... She had even refused to eat...
After that, Jiang Lin never dared watch beautiful-girl live streams again. He stopped watching even the technical ones. After all, he had no money...
Thinking of his master, Jiang Lin rubbed his face again. He had thought he could spend more time with her after returning and cook her plenty of delicious food, but how had she ended up going into seclusion?
Forget it. She had broken through, after all. That counted as a good thing.
Still, after his master completely entered the Jade Purity Realm, would her mind return to how it had been before she was injured?
If it did, that would be a good thing too. But would she stop being so clingy? Would she become more distant?
Jiang Lin thought about it and felt a little disappointed. Actually, his master was pretty good like this—carefree, innocent, and adorable.
"Forget it. I won't think about it anymore. I'd better watch the interview."
Returning from his faintly sour mood, Jiang Lin spread out the Mirror Flower Water Moon and, with great reluctance, put two Low-Grade Spirit Stones inside. He channeled Spiritual Power into his fingertip and shot it into the Mirror Flower Water Moon.
The Spiritual Power scattered and wriggled into the scroll like tadpoles.
After several bursts of snowy static and television-like mosaic distortion, the image gradually cleared. The reporter from the Penguin Highlights Department was holding a cucumber-like amplification device that looked exactly like a cucumber and speaking into it. The interview seemed to have already been underway for a while.
Cultivator Reporter: "Senior Brother Ye, Senior Brother Zhao, I heard that Zong Hao Sect and Fei ZhuLiu Sect were surrounded by Flower-Picking Thief Jiang Lin alone in the Secret Realm, and that he even seized fragments of the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram. Is that true?"
Ye Liangchen: "Ridiculous! My Fei ZhuLiu Sect's Burying Love Ghost Fire did not earn its reputation by being a pushover! It was all Jiang Lin's sneak attack! Yes! He ambushed us!"
Cultivator Reporter: "Brother Zhao, what do you think?"
Zhao Hao: "Sigh... Unbelievable! Truly unbelievable! That Jiang Lin actually disguised himself as a woman and infiltrated my Zong Hao Sect, seducing my junior sister and ultimately causing a great disaster..."
Suddenly, Zhao Hao snatched the cucumber and shouted at the camera, "Jiang Lin! You lecher! I, Zhao RiTian, will never coexist with you! I—@#..."
"Let me say a few words." A monkey demon maiden covered in fur but with delicate, handsome features—perhaps because she had been single for too long—snatched the cucumber away. "Jiang Lin, thank you for the banana you gave me. It was really delicious. I've never eaten such a tasty banana before. Remember to come find me at Water Curtain Sect."
"Jiang Lin! Did you hear that?" Chen Jia appeared on the screen. "You have to treat Little Dragon Dragon well! If you dare bully her, I'll smash your chest in!"
"Jiang Lin, I'll come find you! No matter how far away it is, I'll come find you!" The girl in a veiled hat spoke softly from within the scroll. By the end, Xiao Xueli thrust her sword straight at the camera. "Don't think it's over just because you left!"
"Junior Brother Jiang... I... I..." As she spoke, Lin Qingwan's pretty face flushed slightly. She bit her cherry-red lips, as though furious from embarrassment, then drew her sword and pointed it at the camera. "Once I enter the Jade Purity Realm, I'll definitely come find you!"
"Jiang Lin! You actually used an explosion to trick me into being eliminated! I'm not done with you!"
"Jiang Lin! I'm going to seek justice for my senior sister!"
"Jiang Lin, are you watching? I like you. Come pick me~~~"
"Jiang Lin! You actually seduced my junior sister! I'm not done with you!"
"Jiang Lin, only the strong deserve beautiful women! Fight me!"
"Brother Jiang, I'm from the Brother Sect. Do you want to practice Purple Qi Comes From The East with me?"
For a moment, the scene descended into chaos. Jiang Lin hurriedly put away the scroll and rubbed his aching head.
"Papa... don't be sad... I brought you a flower..."
Wagging her plump little tail, Little Dragon Girl ran back in through the door, climbed onto Jiang Lin's lap, and sat on his leg. Her chubby little hands held a morning glory.
"It's fine... Baba just wants some peace and quiet..."
Peace and quiet?
Little Dragon Girl tilted her head to one side, her eyes blinking rapidly.
Who was Jing Jing?
Before you continue