Lin Bai's mind went completely blank.

He wasn't particularly bothered by an old man groping him a few times; no vital spots had been touched. What stunned him was the speed of a Nascent Soul expert.

In the blink of an eye, Dao Xu was beside him, his movement technique faster than Lin Bai's own Morning Flight combined with Curve Body Single Shadow.

One had to understand, even while sharing Qing Yu's Cultivation Level, Lin Bai couldn't react in time to Dao Xu's movements.

Is this a Nascent Soul expert? Too terrifying! It was fortunate Dao Xu had come to show affectionate concern; if it had been an attack, I would have been finished! The difference in our Realms is truly a vast chasm. Defeating someone above my level? That's just a daydream...

The people of Return to Dragon View were even more stunned than Lin Bai.

The abrupt reversal left everyone frozen.

Joy, panic, surprise... a myriad of expressions were fixed on their faces.

The air was eerily silent.

Only Dao Xu's concerned voice echoed.

What was happening?

Was everything Lin Bai had said true?

Was Dao Xu, the Master of Return to Dragon View, really an undercover agent for the Righteous Door?

An undercover agent who had risen to become the Master of a View?

What kind of joke was this?

If their Master was an undercover agent for the Righteous Door, then what did that make them? Members of the Heavenly Dao Sect or the Righteous Door?

Should they follow their Master and join the Righteous Door, or should they fight him to the death for the sake of Return to Dragon View?

"Master?" Qing Yu stared, his eyes wide with shock at his Master, who was showing such deep concern for Lin Bai. He was completely bewildered.

He had once believed himself to be the sinner of Return to Dragon View, that Lin Bai's words were slander meant to frame him. Yet, it turned out Lin Bai had been telling the truth!

But if you're a member of the Righteous Door, why did you put on that act in front of everyone just now? Were you toying with us all? Was that amusing? No. Master is definitely not an undercover agent for the Righteous Door. Otherwise, Lin Bai wouldn't have asked me so many questions about Return to Dragon View on our way here! Master must have fallen for Lin Bai's Charm Technique!

Daoist Qingyu suddenly understood everything.

He was about to call out and warn his junior martial brothers from Return to Dragon View, but the moment he opened his mouth, he clamped it shut again.

Dao Xu is the most powerful cultivator in Return to Dragon View. If even he couldn't escape Lin Bai's bewitchment, the others stand no chance. If I speak out and provoke Lin Bai's fury, my martial brothers will be the ones to suffer...

Cold sweat dripped down Qing Yu's back. He looked at Lin Bai with lingering fear. So, he had everything planned from the start. How terrifying! How did the Righteous Door cultivate such a monster?

"What the hell, what is this plot twist? The transition is too abrupt, completely illogical."

"It's the arrow. Dao Xu became like this after being shot by an arrow, just like those other Taoists who were hit."

"I figured it out long ago, just didn't bother saying it. Shopkeeper Lin developed the Arrow of Rejuvenation a while back; it's not surprising he'd come up with a Mystifying Arrow too!"

"Everyone knows it's the arrow's doing, but what's the point of the game officials orchestrating such a plotline?"

"Point? Wherever Shopkeeper Lin is, even logic shatters. And you're still talking about underlying meaning? The underlying meaning is that Return to Dragon View has been taken by Lin Bai, and the Beggar Gang's influence has expanded further."

"Maybe the game officials are just trying to demonstrate the power of Nascent Soul experts. I have to say, those three dragons Dao Xu conjured earlier were quite impressive!"

"Indeed. If the game had released a promotional video like that at the start, most players would probably have chosen to join Return to Dragon View."

"This crappy game doesn't even have introductions for the sects. Players have to figure everything out themselves. Such an anti-user design."

"This just proves it's a more sophisticated marketing tactic than promotional videos. The officials have won through technology and the unknown."

"All that buildup, and then Shopkeeper Lin casually fires an arrow, causing an instant collapse. What's the use of a promotional video like that? It only serves to highlight Lin Bai's power."

"Lin Bai is too much of a bug. He attracts many fans to the game, but undoubtedly, he's also the game's biggest flaw. If Lin Bai isn't nerfed, this game will inevitably head towards a dead end and completely lose its playability."

"You have to be able to play the game first. It's been longer than the usual interval between account slot releases since the officials last gave out 100,000 slots, and there's still no news about the next batch. This is the most headstrong game company I've ever seen. They're just leaving money on the table!"

"The open beta will be the biggest test for the game! Given its current popularity, once the open beta starts, at least tens of millions of people will enter the game simultaneously. That's when the servers' capacity and the game's computational power will truly be tested."

"If tens of millions of players enter the game, it will crash quickly. The officials are gradually increasing the number of beta testers, likely not to test bugs, but to conduct stress tests and calculate the balance values between players and NPCs. So, if this game is to continue operating, they will definitely limit the number of players to a fixed amount and will never have a full public launch."

"I'm fine, stop touching me," Lin Bai said, pushing Dao Xu away with a dark expression. Initially, the old man might have been genuinely concerned, but his later actions were definitely taking advantage of the situation.

"As long as you're fine, that's all that matters. Xiao Bai is truly handsome!" Dao Xu gazed at Lin Bai, mumbling with a foolish grin, a stark contrast to the domineering and cool figure he had been moments before.

"..." Lin Bai was speechless.

Dao Xu retracted his aura. The pressure on the Little White Fox instantly vanished. Hearing Dao Xu call out "Xiao Bai," she thought he was calling her and poked her head out from Lin Bai's embrace.

She glanced curiously at Dao Xu. Seeing him staring intently at her master, her eyes darted around for a moment before she decisively buried her head back into Lin Bai's chest.

Dao Xu's fervent gaze made Lin Bai somewhat uncomfortable. What he felt most relieved about right now was that Cupid's Arrow didn't bind both parties.

Otherwise, being unknowingly paired with an old Taoist would be worse than death.

However, because Cupid's Arrow of Love only caused one-sided infatuation, the fifth couple mission from the Matchmaker System remained uncompleted.

Lin Bai hadn't obtained the Arrow of Resistance yet; he only had seven Arrows of Love and Pan Jinlian's Bamboo Pole left.

To rid himself of Dao Xu, his only option was to seal him into a Card.

But there were perhaps only two Gold Edge Cards capable of sealing a Nascent Soul cultivator.

If he failed, it would be game over.

At this critical juncture, Lin Bai didn't want to gamble. He preferred to act with certainty.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Bai ignored the stunned crowd from Return to Dragon View and turned to Dao Xu, a bashful smile on his face. "Dao Xu, I understand your feelings..."

The Little White Fox poked her head out again. She blinked, looking from Lin Bai to Dao Xu, not daring to make a sound, terrified of disrupting Lin Bai's use of the Charm Technique.

Her opponent is a Nascent Soul expert. If I interfere and Master's Charm Technique fails, it will be my fault.

However, the fact that Lin Bai, a human, was so proficient in the fox demon's Charm Technique made the Little White Fox feel a sense of kinship, and her admiration for him deepened.

"Xiao Bai, would you be willing to stay with me at Return to Dragon View?" Dao Xu's eyes lit up with joy as he eagerly interrupted Lin Bai, his fists clenching unconsciously. "If you stay, all the resources of Return to Dragon View will be at your disposal, and I will do anything for you!"

Upon hearing this, the Taoists of Return to Dragon View suddenly realized their Master wasn't an undercover agent for the Righteous Door; he was likely under Lin Bai's charm.

Daojing was the first to react. He channeled his energy and shouted at Dao Xu, "Senior Brother, wake up! Lin Bai is our enemy! If he continues to bewitch you, Return to Dragon View will be doomed beyond recovery!"

"Master, wake up! Lin Bai is an expert at Charm Techniques! Senior Brother Qing Yu fell for this trick, which is why he was defeated!"

"Martial Uncle, don't hesitate! Kill Lin Bai to break his Charm Technique!"

"Senior Brother Qing Yu, stop aiding the wicked any longer!"

"I heard that the Charm Technique can be broken if disturbed! Let's all charge forward, tear Lin Bai to pieces, and save our Master and Senior Brother!"

"Don't be rash! You are no match for Lin Bai. Confronting him will only lead to more casualties!" Knowing he couldn't harm Lin Bai and fearing the others might provoke him, Qing Yu shouted anxiously.

He was not in control of his own actions. If Lin Bai controlled him into slaughtering his own sect members, he would be haunted by regret for the rest of his life.

Amidst the clamor, Dao Xu frowned, spun around to face the agitated crowd, and bellowed, "Silence! I have not been bewitched. I am still the Master of Return to Dragon View, and I will resolve the crisis facing it. If any of you harm Lin Bai, don't blame me for being merciless!"

[Joy from Dao Xu: +1 +1 +1]

The joyous emotions Lin Bai received from Dao Xu's mind were in stark contrast to his stern expression.

Lin Bai's heart skipped a beat.

Something's wrong! Recalling the description of Cupid's Arrow of Love, the person hit by it will become madly infatuated with the first person they see. Madly infatuated? Two people were hit by the Arrow of Love before. One fell for Lady Hua Xi, the other for Qing Shan. The one who fell for Qing Shan chose to die for him. The other, infatuated with Lady Hua Xi, was sealed into a Card by me and never released. They acted that way because their abilities were insufficient. However, Dao Xu possesses Nascent Soul cultivation and is completely beyond my control. If he does something crazy out of love, I'll struggle to handle it...

SWOOSH!

Thinking of the terrible consequences, cold sweat instantly beaded on Lin Bai's forehead.

Damn it, this Arrow of Love is truly disastrous! Cupid is indeed less reliable than the Matchmaker. That damn brat, so young and inexperienced, can't do anything properly!

After mentally cursing the unreliability of Cupid's Arrow, Lin Bai quickly began to think of countermeasures.

Dao Xu, having presided over Return to Dragon View for many years, still possessed considerable authority.

The agitated crowd from Return to Dragon View instantly fell silent.

Dragon Breath and the other players watched the rapidly changing situation. They were live-streaming, excitedly chatting in private, watching the on-screen comments, and speculating on what would happen next.

While they live-streamed, showing the game's scenery and culture to their real-world audience, they could also analyze the unfolding situation through the bullet comments.

It could be said that every player had a think tank behind them.

Dao Xu turned back to Lin Bai, his expression shifting instantly. "Xiao Bai, I now understand the ins and outs of this matter. Let's not pursue who was right or wrong. Don't be afraid, I'm here to protect you th— Make a scene! The bigger the commotion, the better! That way, under the pretext of protecting Lin Bai, I can justifiably keep him by my side. Daojing, that idiot, he'd better not be intimidated by me!"

"Senior Brother!" Daojing stared at Dao Xu, unable to believe his ears.

The world plunged into dead silence once more.

Everyone, including Qing Yu and his wife, stared at Dao Xu in utter bewilderment.

Players like Dragon Breath were especially stunned, their eyes widening in disbelief. Even with countless players offering advice from behind their screens, none had anticipated Dao Xu would say such things.

Among everyone present, only Lin Bai knew what had just happened.

That's right.

He had used the Truth-telling Technique on Dao Xu.

Emotional feedback was too vague; the Truth-telling Technique allowed him to accurately grasp Dao Xu's true thoughts.

With the Arrow of Love in effect, he wasn't worried Dao Xu would fly into a rage and harm him.

Dao Xu froze for a moment, his face flushing crimson. He instinctively tried to explain, but what came out was: "Yes, that is truly what I think. A great fury for a beauty—what does it matter if a few people from Return to Dragon View die, as long as Lin Bai stays?"

"Master!" Daoist Qingyu stared blankly at Dao Xu, who was spouting nonsense, an inexplicable fear rising from the depths of his heart. Lin Bai is too terrifying.

Why did I say everything I was thinking aloud? Dao Xu looked dumbfounded. Trying to explain, he blurted out another truth, and his face turned pale.

The Taoists of Return to Dragon View had lost all thought of dealing with Lin Bai. They stared at Dao Xu, utterly bewildered and unsure what to do.

Dao Xu's face was beet red. He looked at Lin Bai. "Xiao Bai, let's go. I'll take you away from this place of turmoil. I don't know what's wrong with my body. After we've solidified our bond, we'll come back and explain to them."

HISSS!

Lin Bai sucked in a sharp breath.

The Arrow of Love is terrifying. To be so blinded by love as to lose all reason—that's enough to create a demon! Of course, I won't let Dao Xu just take me away. Who knows what might happen otherwise! He sighed. To think I'd have to use a seduction technique on an old Taoist at such a critical moment! What the hell is all this?! Damn that Matchmaker System! Oh well, Naruto did even more outrageous things. This is no big deal. Compared to the rewards, what's a bit of reputation!

Lin Bai looked at Dao Xu, an expression of pleasant surprise on his face. "Really? Uncle Dao Xu, are you truly willing to give up even Return to Dragon View for me?"

Dao Xu paused. "Naturally, it's true."

Lin Bai adopted a sorrowful expression and said apologetically to Dao Xu, "But I've done so many things to wrong Return to Dragon View, I even nearly destroyed its foundation. They must hate me to the bone. It will only implicate you. Uncle Dao Xu, you are the Master of Return to Dragon View. You mustn't tarnish your good name because of me!"

"What is reputation if I can be with you? I would even give up my position as Master of Return to Dragon View." Lin Bai's display of vulnerability gave Dao Xu an opening. He laughed heartily. "Xiao Bai, in all of heaven and earth, no one can stop us from being together. Come, let's leave this place."

"I don't want to go." Lin Bai fought back the urge to retch, a wronged look in his eyes. "Dao Xu, if we are to be together, then let us be together openly and honorably. I don't want to live under a cloud of infamy. Will you help me explain things clearly to them? Please? Besides, I also want to visit Return to Dragon View, to see the place where you cultivated and grew up."

"This?" Love truly makes one blind. Dao Xu didn't sense anything amiss. He turned to look at the disciples of Return to Dragon View, who stood motionless like wooden statues. "Alright, I'll take you into Return to Dragon View."

"They won't harm me, will they?" With his back to Dao Xu, Lin Bai's cold gaze swept over the assembled Taoists, even as his mouth uttered gentle words, subtly instigating conflict between Dao Xu and his followers.

"They won't. Whoever dares to harm you will be my, Dao Xu's, enemy," Dao Xu declared.

"Would you kill them?" Lin Bai pressed.

"I..." Dao Xu hesitated. Although infatuation had clouded his judgment, Return to Dragon View was, after all, his foundation. He still wished to avoid killing if possible.

"Whoever disobeys, just have them imprisoned." Lin Bai smiled faintly. "Dao Xu, if you were to actually kill them, I would, on the contrary, think less of you. This way is best. I most admire those who are loyal and righteous."

He squinted, looking at the now compliant Dao Xu, and mused inwardly, So this is what it feels like to be Su Daji. Toppling a sect with mere words and laughter is indeed far more efficient than resorting to battles and bloodshed! No wonder even Nuwa used this tactic against King Zhou. It's so damn effective...