CHAPTER 75: 075 DENG CANCAN KILLS MASTER TO PROVE DAO

The progress of the 70-year-long Inner Strength mission of the Everything has Shortcomings System was still less than half.

A breakthrough at the last moment was out of the question.

The Players had organized such a huge siege, clearly determined to deal with him. He could hide for a while, but not forever.

He had to face them head-on this time and crush their arrogance.

Even ants in large numbers could kill an elephant.

Lin Bai only had one life. Even though his strength far surpassed the Players, he still had to take some precautions.

After all, Players could be resurrected.

In this game, there was no rule preventing participation after dying in battle. He would face a most brutal and relentless assault.

Players had spending power, and so did he. Ultimately, wars were a test of economic strength...

Unfortunately, time was too short; he hadn’t refined any Pill Medicine to quickly restore Inner Strength. Otherwise, he could have toyed with them endlessly.

...

Most female Players were unaware of the boss siege plan.

Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice were excluded.

Dumbelldore was responsible for the most critical part: the poisoning. What a virtuous and capable Disciple he has!

This trashy System that loves to make me a mentor...

After wandering around Jiamucheng for half a day, Lin Bai had figured out all their plans.

Now, Jiamucheng was mostly filled with newbie Players. None of the first or second batches of beta testers were in the city; they were all at West Mountain, rushing to level up.

It wasn’t morning, so rushing to West Mountain wouldn’t guarantee finding anyone and might also alert the enemy. Therefore, as evening fell, Lin Bai quietly returned to the Chef’s Divine Food Stall, willingly walking into the trap.

「The night was Jimmy Navada’s family’s domain.」

Seeing Lin Bai enter, Song Ling greeted him with a surprised and pleased expression, "Big Brother Lin, you’re back?"

"Mm," Lin Bai smiled and nodded. "Where’s Little Deng?"

"He’s upstairs practicing. Should I call him down?" Jimmy Navada asked, somewhat formally. Ever since Lin Bai had demonstrated Palm Thunder in front of them, Mr. Song felt much less at ease around Lin Bai.

"No need, let him practice," Lin Bai said, waving his hand.

For the past few days, he had neglected his Disciple’s moral education, and Dumbelldore’s Inner Strength feedback had consistently been 15%.

Even so, over time, he had accumulated more than a year’s worth of Inner Strength from Dumbelldore, enough for three or four Dragonfall Palm strikes.

Since he’s practicing, let him. The more his Inner Strength increases, the more resources I’ll have.

「Nothing happened during the first half of the night.」

The Chef’s Divine Food Stall operated as usual. A few female Players came to "check in," and four or five young masters from wealthy families tried the Dreadful Mansion dining experience, contributing a wave of Emotion Value to Lin Bai.

After the third watch, the flow of people outside the restaurant gradually thinned.

Lin Bai walked to the entrance.

Through the hazy night, he could clearly see the faintly shimmering names hidden in the darkness.

If locals were to launch a sneak attack, Lin Bai, caught off guard, might indeed suffer a loss.

But even if Players wore black and were masked, as long as their names floated above their heads, they were like fireflies in Lin Bai’s eyes—completely unable to hide.

Crazy Man, Bitter Melon Vine, Well Does Not Move, Silver, Lazy Cancer Endless, Artifact Refining Master, Lonely Old Man, Lumberjack No.1...

Some were familiar, some were strangers; there were at least a hundred or so.

...

A contemptuous smirk touched Lin Bai’s lips as he turned and went back into the Chef’s Divine Food Stall.

Everyone was in position. Dumbelldore came downstairs and, seeing Lin Bai, feigned surprise, "Master, why didn’t you say anything when you returned?"

"I saw you were practicing and didn’t want to disturb you." Lin Bai glanced at him with a smile. "Little Deng, your Martial Arts have improved considerably while I’ve been away!"

"It’s all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master." Dumbelldore gave a shy smile, naturally picked up the teapot from a nearby table, poured Lin Bai a cup of tea, and respectfully placed it before him. "Master, please have some tea."

Lin Bai calmly glanced at the teacup before him, then gestured to Dumbelldore. "Don’t just stand there. Come, sit. Let’s talk. For the past few days, I’ve been busy with Alchemy and have neglected you. Now, your Inner Strength has reached a proficient level, and your conduct is mostly satisfactory. Speaking of which, it’s about time I taught you the Dragonfall Palm."

"..."

Dumbelldore, still holding the teapot, felt his expression shift slightly. He instinctively glanced at the teacup in front of Lin Bai and cursed inwardly, Damn it!

[Resentment from Dumbelldore +1]

Lin Bai picked up the teacup from the table.

Dumbelldore watched as Lin Bai raised the cup to his lips. He opened his mouth but said nothing.

A crowd was waiting for him outside. Things had progressed to this point; he was already riding a tiger and couldn’t get off.

Dumbelldore stared at Lin Bai, his heart filled with anguish. Why couldn’t he have said this earlier or later? Why did it have to be today? If only he’d mentioned it half a day sooner, things wouldn’t have reached this state!

[Resentment from Dumbelldore +1+1+1]

...

"Haha, I can feel Deng Cancan’s struggle even through the screen..."

"This is ridiculous! He was just about to betray his master, and then Martial Arts gets handed to him on a silver platter. Sharing it with a bunch of Players? No way, keeping it all for himself would be way cooler."

"What a plot twist! Congratulations to Deng Cancan for personally sabotaging his own future. He truly lives up to the title of ’Most Miserable Player in History’!"

"Just waiting to see Deng Cancan kill his master to achieve his Dao!"

"Hahaha, he must be so conflicted!"

...

In the words of Lonely Old Man, taking down Lin Bai was a grand spectacle, highly significant for the Players of Jiamucheng, and it was meant to be live-streamed for everyone.

Moreover, Lin Bai was famous, so all revenue generated from the participants’ live streams would go directly to them.

Therefore, Dumbelldore had started his live stream from the very beginning, intending to ride the last wave of Lin Bai’s popularity.

However, he had never imagined that Lin Bai would choose this exact moment to impart Martial Arts to him, instantly putting him in the most awkward situation imaginable.

"Sit, sit!" Sensing Dumbelldore’s emotional shift, Lin Bai wore a gentle smile. The teacup paused midway to his lips as he said kindly, "Tonight, let’s forget the master-disciple hierarchy. Keep me company for a while, let’s have a heart-to-heart talk..."

"Yes, Master." Glancing at the teacup in Lin Bai’s hand, Dumbelldore carefully sat down in a nearby seat.

"Little Deng, I know you harbor some resentment towards your master in your heart." Lin Bai looked at Dumbelldore, his gaze softening further. "However, it has always been said that strict teachers produce exceptional students. The Jianghu is treacherous. If I am not strict with you, you will suffer when you venture out into it in the future. It’s better to suffer a little under my tutelage than at the hands of outsiders. At least, as your master, I will not harm you..."

As he spoke, he once again brought the teacup to his lips.

"..." Dumbelldore’s eyes followed the teacup, his regret palpable.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to stop him.

The moment he had personally offered that poisoned cup, his master-disciple relationship with Lin Bai had been irrevocably severed.

Lin Bai would never forgive him.

And if he stopped Lin Bai from drinking the poisoned tea, not only would he gain no favor with Lin Bai, but the crowd outside wouldn’t forgive him either.

He’d picked up the sesame seed only to lose the watermelon! What on earth had he done!

Just as the teacup reached his lips, Lin Bai seemed to feel an itch on his neck. He set the cup down on the table, scratched his neck, and then, as if forgetting he was about to drink tea, looked at Dumbelldore and said, "Little Deng, you are the head Disciple of the seventeenth generation of the Righteous Door. Strictly speaking, the assets of the Righteous Door will all be yours to inherit in the future. After all this time, I still haven’t told you about the history of the Righteous Door. Today, I’ll tell you all about it..."

"What history?" Dumbelldore stared at the teacup Lin Bai had placed on the table, his expression conflicted, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"The Righteous Door may not be well-known, but it has a history spanning tens of thousands of years, tracing back to Ancestor Sky Remnant. Our Sect has produced a continuous stream of talent, excelling in Martial Arts, Daoist techniques, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining. Though we are a Hidden Clan, every member is a peerless expert capable of dominating their era. Over these millennia, we have collected countless Martial Arts techniques and Pill Medicines." A flicker of yearning crossed Lin Bai’s eyes as he habitually picked up his teacup again. "What I, as your master, can teach you is limited. In the future, when I take you back to our Sect, with your qualifications as The Chosen One, you could casually learn any Martial Art from the Sutra Depository and become a master capable of dominating an era..."

...

"Holy Crap!" "Holy Crap!" "Holy Crap!" "He’s really a hidden NPC!" "Great God Deng, hurry up and poison him!" "Absolutely can’t let him live!" "Is what Lin, the Storekeeper, saying true or false?" "Can someone who studied history in the game please explain if the Righteous Door even exists in the Immortal World?"

"Dumbelldore, just kill yourself already! Let me take Lin Bai as my master!" "Deng Cancan gets demoted again! From now on, please call him Deng Stupid!" "Hahaha, love to see it!" "Destroying his own future with his own hands!" "This is killing me! Sending a rocket to comfort Deng ’Has-Eyes-But-No-Pupils’ and his wounded heart!"

...

On the bullet screen, a flood of "Holy Crap!" comments scrolled past.

[Regret from Dumbelldore +1+1+1+1+1+1+1]

Watching the scrolling comments, Dumbelldore’s heart was bleeding. He was so full of regret, it felt like his insides were turning green. He had already made ninety-nine prostrations; why couldn’t he have held on just a little longer?

How could he have been so possessed as to agree to their plan to poison Lin Bai?

NPCs only had one life. No matter how many items they dropped upon death, could it possibly be more than the treasures hidden within a Hidden Clan?

The netizens were right; he truly was the biggest idiot in the world!

Even a screen full of rockets couldn’t soothe his wounded heart.

CLICK!

Dumbelldore shut off the live stream and closed his eyes in despair.

As soon as Lin Bai had spoken those words, Dumbelldore knew his account was finished.

Witnessed by tens of thousands of live stream viewers, Dumbelldore had become synonymous with stupidity.

Even if he were to become the number one player in the world in the future, he would never be able to shake off this label.

He betrayed Lin Bai, and in the end, got absolutely nothing...

How did playing a game lead to him being scorned by everyone!

So tired! My heart feels so heavy!

It’s all Lonely Old Man’s fault! If he hadn’t lured me, I wouldn’t be in this mess...

A flash of anger flickered in his eyes. Dumbelldore gritted his teeth and snapped his eyes open. "Master, don’t drink the tea!"

"Why not?" Lin Bai looked at him, puzzled.

"The tea is poisoned." THUD! Dumbelldore dropped to his knees. "Master, your Disciple is guilty! I shouldn’t have conspired with outsiders to harm you..."

Then, his face ashen, Dumbelldore hurriedly spilled out Lonely Old Man’s entire plan.

Jimmy Navada and his family stared wide-eyed in unison.

Lin Bai remained silent.

After confessing everything, Dumbelldore stood up, a bitter expression on his face. "Master, please allow me to call you ’Master’ one last time. I know that from the moment I offered you that poisoned tea, I lost all right to be your Disciple."

He picked up the teacup, looked at Lin Bai in anguish, and choked out, "Tonight, I will give my life back to you, Master. Please forgive this Disciple for the mistake I’ve made. Master, as long as you don’t leave the Chef’s Divine Food Stall, those people outside can’t harm you. They’ll disperse by tomorrow. If there is a next life, I hope I can still be your Disciple..."

Next life? You, a master-slaying traitor, still thinking of deleting your account and starting over? Even if you change your face, I’d still recognize you. You’d just end up getting tricked by me again. Are you here to play a game or to be tormented? With this IQ? Perhaps Candy Crush is more your speed!

[To acknowledge one’s mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. Disciple’s conduct has improved. Inner Strength feedback increased to 30%.]

MBD! What kind of judging criteria is this?

The notification in his mind left Lin Bai stunned. His morality points weren’t depleted, and his ’power bank’s’ output even increased?