'He knows full well that "avatar" just lost control and killed someone! Isn't he afraid this one will suddenly fly into a rage and attack too?'
'Or... is he absolutely confident he can subdue it?'
'Besides, would a mighty expert like that really use supreme Divine Techniques just to manage the sect's mundane chores? If he were truly that powerful, would he let a disciple drive him to the point of repeatedly smashing his head against a tree?'
'His explanation is just a front to hide his own guilty conscience! He's trying to cover up the sect's evil practice of refining living people into puppets!'
She clenched the hem of her robes, the cold sweat on her back nearly soaking through her clothes.
'No, I can't let him see my suspicion and fear! As an undercover agent, my first priority is to survive!'
Su Ling'er took a deep breath, forcing all her emotions down. When she looked up, her face had already shifted to an expression of pure adoration.
"Wow! First Senior Brother, so that's how it is! This little junior sister was too ignorant! You're so amazing!"
As she spoke, the little junior sister tapped her head shyly. "Ehehe~"
Then she lowered her head and started tapping her index fingers together in front of her, the very picture of shyness and curiosity.
Seeing this, the weight in Lin Qingfeng's heart finally lifted:
'Thank goodness. This high-level but idiotic NPC just overreacts a bit. Her thought process is simple, so she's pretty easy to fool.'
'Maybe... I can even train her to be the guide in charge of bamboozling future newcomers?'
Su Ling'er, on the other hand, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness. I managed to get through that. He's not suspicious, is he?'
In this "harmonious" atmosphere, Deacon Qian Buyu, who was sitting behind the desk, was woken up by the noise.
He slowly lifted his eyelids, glanced at Su Ling'er, and then, as if following a set program, pulled out a form.
And when Su Ling'er's gaze fell upon the form, she froze once more.
It listed all sorts of bizarre questions:
[Name:] [Gender:] [Age:]
[Height:] [Weight:]
[Hobbies:] [Special Skills:]
[Marital Status:] [Do you have a crush?]
[Life Ambition:]
[Detailed List of Personal Assets (including but not limited to Spirit Stones, magic treasures, medicinal pills, heavenly materials, earthly treasures, etc.):]
'What... what is all this?! Do demonic sects really ask for this much detail when recruiting disciples?!'
Su Ling'er asked in a small voice, "First Senior Brother... this registration form, why... why does it ask about such... mundane things? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with cultivation, does it?"
Lin Qingfeng immediately put on a stern face. "Junior Sister, you are mistaken! This is the method of 'cultivating within the mortal world'! If you don't understand the world of mortals, how can you transcend it? If you don't even know your own height and weight, how can you possibly measure the heavens and the earth? This is the first lesson our sect is teaching you!"
Su Ling'er was still a bit dazed. "But... but marital status... does that count too?"
Lin Qingfeng's eyes widened as he spoke with a heavier tone, "Why all the questions! Just fill it out! The Dao cannot be spoken; to speak of it is to lose its truth! If you ask again, your Dao heart will be thrown into chaos!"
This was actually a partnership he'd struck with the "Yin Yuan Pavilion" guild, which specialized in the path of matchmaking. By collecting information on new members, he provided data for their big-data matchmaking service in exchange for Spirit Stones. This little form was a crucial revenue stream for the sect.
Of course, there was a small bug. Aside from the game ID, which had to be real, the other fields were purely for show. Even if you put "Attack Helicopter" in the gender field, Deacon Qian Buyu would accept it without a second thought.
Now, it was Su Ling'er's turn. Unaware of any of this, and in fact risking her life on this undercover mission, she took a deep breath. The first step of any infiltration was to hide one's identity.
Qian Buyu asked impassively, "Name?"
Su Ling'er thought for a moment and came up with the most common name she could think of. "My name is Li—"
She had barely uttered the single word when something unexpected happened.
The drowsy-looking Qian Buyu before her suddenly snapped his eyes open, a sharp light flashing within them. "You! Your name is false!"
Su Ling'er's heart trembled. 'How does he know? Does he know I'm using a fake name? Or can he really read minds?'
As her mind reeled in panic, Lin Qingfeng spoke softly, "Junior Sister, how could you forget your own name? Don't worry, think carefully. This needs to be put on record."
'Don't tell me this game generates character names on the spot?'
'So the NPC doesn't have a name until you ask, and then it generates one in real time? I bet the data stream was just running a randomizer, and she spoke before it was finished.'
But to Su Ling'er's ears, this was the First Senior Brother coordinating with the elder to intimidate her from two sides!
She didn't dare hold onto any more wishful thinking and could only state her real name sheepishly, "This disciple's name is Su Ling'er."
Only then did the sharp light in Qian Buyu's eyes fade, and he returned to his half-dead state.
After this experience of being seen through in an instant, Su Ling'er could only answer the subsequent interrogation with a mix of truths and lies.
Then, Qian Buyu asked a question that surprised her. "What is your gender?"
The question left Su Ling'er completely stunned. She subconsciously glanced down at herself. While her chest wasn't exactly what you'd call magnificent, there was no way she could be mistaken for a man.
'What does he mean by that? Can someone who looks like me really be mistaken for a man?'
'I have distinguishing features, you know! Even Evil Cultivators should have some sense of reason!!!'
She puffed out her cheeks and looked poutingly at Lin Qingfeng. "First Senior Brother, do I have to say this too?"
Lin Qingfeng coughed twice. "AHEM, Junior Sister, it's just part of the procedure. Don't worry about the details. The path to immortality is right before you. Go on, tell him."
"Female," Su Ling'er replied resignedly, having no other choice.
"Age, sixteen..." When asked about her height and weight, Su Ling'er's head began to throb. "First Senior Brother, you even have to ask about these things?"