Daoist Priest Li

'Weasel01: That friend of yours should be yourself, right?'

'Weasel01: I checked your posting history. Two days ago, a user with the ID "Super Strong Super" made a post recruiting people to deal with a Xenomorph. You signed up in the replies and revealed that you had a Card. After that, a giant nest of unknown creatures was discovered in Jiangkou City. User "Super Strong Super" has remained offline ever since and never appeared again.'

Feng Ling was surprised.

As expected of a reposting big shot—he was extremely sensitive to information from all angles. In such a short time, he had tracked down her activity on the Forum.

Feng Ling carefully composed her reply:

'Bean Paste: Yeah, I signed up.'

'Bean Paste: What should I do now? I'm so scared T﹏T'

The big shot quickly replied:

'Weasel01: Don't be afraid. Pack your things now, then get to Yunhai City as soon as possible.'

'Bean Paste: Go to Yunhai City?'

'Weasel01: Yes. Yunhai and Yanjing are currently the safest cities in the country. The strongest Supervision Warriors are concentrated there, suppressing Xenomorph activity. Your IP address is in Qingjiang City, which is closer to Yunhai City, so I suggest you go there to lie low.'

Feng Ling thought for a moment.

She could not go to Yunhai City. She had to find the Maze.

She could not just leave her 29% Corruption Value unattended.

'Bean Paste: Is there any other way? Yunhai City is so expensive. I don't have any money—I can't afford food or a place to stay, sob sob sob...'

An ordinary person who saw such a reply would probably lose their temper: Was money more important than your life?!

But this Forum big shot was exceptionally patient.

'Weasel01: Don't cry. It's fine if you can't go to Yunhai City. First, go reply to your post and say that you've decided to join a friend working at the Yunhai City branch of the Supervision Bureau. That could serve as a bit of misdirection.'

Feng Ling frowned slightly.

Did that mean... Xenomorphs also browsed the Exo-Star Forum?

It was certainly possible.

Xenomorphs had powerful learning abilities. Those that had logged in early and lived in the human world for more than half a year had already learned how to use phones and computers. If they happened to discover the Exo-Star Forum, registered accounts, and lurked there, it would not be all that strange.

Following Weasel01's suggestion, Feng Ling returned to the post she had just made and left a reply at the bottom:

'Bean Paste: (^▽^) Thank you all for your concern! I've already discussed things with a big shot, and I'm heading to Yunhai City to take refuge right away!'

After replying, she switched back to the private chat and found that Weasel01 had sent several more messages:

'Weasel01: Is it convenient for you to tell me what information the Xenomorphs have learned about you so far?'

'Weasel01: Do they know your exact address?'

'Weasel01: Try to find a safer place to live. If money is tight, I can lend you some. It isn't much, but it should cover a few days of rent.'

Weasel01 even sent over his phone number and told her to add him as a friend so he could transfer the money.

Feng Ling was a little bewildered.

She knew this person was a good man. After all, gathering, organizing, and reposting information required a great deal of time and effort. Being able to persist at it selflessly for more than half a year was already admirable.

But she had not expected him to be good enough to directly send her money.

That made Feng Ling wary. Could this person be... some creepy guy?

He was asking her to add him now. Would he ask for photos next? Videos? Some deeper kind of exchange?

Feng Ling scrolled back through her old posts.

Her online persona was a little fragmented. She liked using reduplicated words and memes, and her profile also listed her gender as female and her age as twenty. It was easy for people to mistake her for an innocent young girl. Perhaps attracting shady old creeps was only natural?

Feng Ling bit her lip, feeling rather troubled.

Am I judging a gentleman with the heart of a petty person?

What if he really was a pure good person without even the slightest impurity?

Forget it.

Rather than keep guessing, she might as well add him and see what was going on.

She entered his phone number into her contacts, added him on WeChat, and tentatively sent a "Hello."

There was no response from the other side.

After waiting a full two minutes, a transfer notification suddenly came through.

"He's really giving me money?" Feng Ling's eyes widened in surprise.

She opened it and found 1,350 yuan inside.

Feng Ling: "..."

What kind of number was that?

She had seen people transfer 1,000, or 1,500, or even 1,314. But she had never seen such a strange amount as 1,350.

'Sanqing Palace—Daoist Priest Li Qing (Blessings, Fortune-Telling, Talismans): This is all I have for now. Take it for emergencies.'

Feng Ling was startled again.

She had been so focused on the transfer amount just now that she had only noticed how strange this person's name was!

'Aisha: Are you Weasel01?'

'Sanqing Palace—Daoist Priest Li Qing (Blessings, Fortune-Telling, Talismans): You're Bean Paste, right? Tap to accept it.'

That WeChat name made Feng Ling's eyes hurt just looking at it, so she changed his contact name herself: Daoist Priest Li.

Daoist Priest Li sent a long voice message.

Feng Ling tapped it open.

His voice was unexpectedly young, calm and gentle, with several clear birdcalls in the background.

Daoist Priest Li: "Take the money and rent a place outside. Stock up on food and water. Don't go out for the time being. If you run into any difficulties in daily life, contact me anytime. I'll do my best to help you figure something out. You don't need to rush to pay me back either. Don't be afraid. Xenomorphs aren't actually as omnipotent as people say online. As long as you protect yourself, you'll be fine."

Feng Ling: "..."

It seemed she had really misunderstood him...

Daoist Priest Li: "But the safest option is still to go to Yunhai City. Prices there are indeed a little high, but you could try applying to become an Inspector. That way, you could afford the living expenses in a big city and have some security as well. From what I understand, some clerical staff within the Supervision Bureau receive quite good benefits. Since you have a Card, it should give you an advantage when applying."

Feng Ling thought, He wants me to interview for a clerical position because my fragmentation makes me look so weak and pitiful, like I can't fight. He's surprisingly considerate.

But it really was strange. Why did a Taoist priest know so much about Xenomorphs and Cards?

Was it simply out of interest? Or was there another reason?

Even Su Yuqing and Zhou Diao did not know about the Hidden Boss. She had posted it on the Forum, and everyone questioned her. Yet this Taoist priest alone believed her. Why?

Could he really be some gullible innocent who believed everything people said?

No...

That was not right.

No, no, no.

Feng Ling tilted her head, propped her cheek on one hand, and thought about it seriously.

She could think of only one possibility—

This Taoist priest named Li Qing could see the Player Forum.

Because he could see the Player Forum, he knew the Players were preparing to take action against the Hidden Boss.

Because he knew the Players were going to act, the moment she made her post, he believed her and transferred money to her without hesitation!

Feng Ling suddenly developed a strong interest in this person.

Interesting. This was far too interesting.

Careful in his work, helpful to others, generous with his money, expecting nothing in return, possessing knowledge of Xenomorphs and Cards far beyond that of ordinary people, and possibly holding a special Card ability that allowed him to see the Player Forum.

What kind of person would someone like that be in real life?

Feng Ling wanted to ask him for a photo, have a video call and chat, and even meet offline for some deeper exchange.