"You are not allowed to talk about the Taoist."
The three A Piaos seemed to have their vital points struck, emitting shrill cries simultaneously. They revealed their fearsome ghostly faces and rushed towards the door.
Black mist permeated the air, and a ghastly wind blew intermittently.
An icy chill engulfed him head-on. Lin Bai shivered, instinctively stepping back.
A flash of white light.
An invisible barrier blocked them all inside.
Witnessing the gnashing and clawing A Piaos, Lin Bai exhaled lightly. Well, the old Taoist was a good man; he at least gave me the courage to confront A Piaos face-to-face.
However, the Spell trapping the A Piaos also served as a wake-up call for Lin Bai.
This world indeed has Immortals. Given the growth rate and characteristics of Players, they will eventually master these wonderful Immortal Laws and Martial Powers. Unless I choose to hide my identity. If I actively participate in System tasks, I'm bound to become the most conspicuous among the NPCs. I know my personality; I'm destined not to live an obscure life. The future holds many hardships; I must never cease to strive!
「...」
The three A Piaos were panting heavily, their eyes filled with rage as they glared at Lin Bai, as if they wished to tear him to pieces.
Ah, how I miss the negative emotion tasks! Day one!
Lin Bai looked at the three A Piaos, seething with indignation. Well, they're still just deluded fans.
Little A Piao clawed and gnashed its teeth. "Evil man, you are not allowed to talk about the Taoist! He is our family's benefactor..."
"Benefactor?" As long as they can't get out, it doesn't matter how fiercely they act, Lin Bai thought, unconcerned. He stood outside the door, treating it like watching a live-action horror movie. "The saying goes, 'All the world's a-bustle for gain.' You were business people before you died; you should understand this truth. A Taoist who takes it upon himself to slay demons and exorcise ghosts was invited to get rid of ghosts. Yet, he went against common decency, willingly letting a large area lie desolate for ten years, just to keep you here. If you say he's compassionate, I find that hard to believe."
"Don't assume everyone is like you. Just because you're not a good person, does that mean there are no good people in the world?" the female A Piao retorted.
"It's always 'us' versus 'them.' Whether a person is good or bad isn't determined by what they say, but by what they do." Lin Bai smiled. "If he truly sympathized with you, why didn't he perform the rites to help you pass on, to let you reincarnate and be reborn? For three wandering spirits, wouldn't that be the best outcome?"
"The Taoist kept us here to guide us onto the path of cultivation, to eventually help us become Immortals," Little A Piao stated.
"And that's precisely the problem." Lin Bai snapped his fingers. "If he wanted to guide you onto the path of cultivation, why didn't he take you with him and teach you personally? Why did he instead cast a Spell to trap you here for ten years?"
"He used an Immortal Technique to prevent us from harming people," the female A Piao argued, her voice much quieter now.
"Then why didn't he seal this shop completely? Why does he still allow the living to come in and out? Could it be that he intentionally left a loophole for you to become fierce ghosts?" Lin Bai sneered. "Let me ask you, when he was supposedly guiding you onto the path of cultivation, did he actually teach you any cultivation methods?"
The three A Piaos were dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.
"I really don't know if you're naive or just plain foolish. The old Taoist dangled an empty promise before you, and you willingly stayed imprisoned here for ten years because of it." Lin Bai shook his head. "Honestly, I can't see a single good thing about him."
The male A Piao said viciously, "The Taoist has no reason to harm us. His powers are vast; he could have easily destroyed us, yet he let our family of three remain..."
Lin Bai glanced at him. "Allow me to correct you: you're already dead."
"Fine, even if we're already dead." The black mist around the male A Piao pulsed. "Tell me, what benefit could he possibly gain from doing this?"
"Benefits? During that fire, everything around was burned to the ground, yet only your shop remained unscathed. That in itself is very strange." Lin Bai continued, "Perhaps there's something wrong with this building, or maybe it's an issue with the feng shui here. I don't know anything about cultivation, but putting myself in his shoes, for a Taoist to forsake a chance at widespread Fame, keeping you here must serve a greater purpose than simply destroying you..."
As he continued trying to win over the A Piaos, Lin Bai's own thoughts began to crystallize. He felt his speculations were hitting the mark. Taking over this shop might mean facing not only the A Piaos inside but also that mysterious old Taoist who was keeping them like emergency rations. A casually cast Spell that could last for ten years... that Taoist must be far more formidable than I initially imagined, at least at a major boss level. However, luckily, only three years have passed. I still have at least seven years to grow. Seven years... enough time for many things to happen.
「...」
The A Piaos resumed their human forms.
The male A Piao's expression was conflicted, his voice somewhat hoarse. "We were just three ordinary people. In death, we're just ordinary ghosts. What could he possibly gain from us?"
"Who knows? I'm no Taoist." Lin Bai shrugged, his gaze sweeping over the three A Piaos. When it landed on the male A Piao, he said, "Maybe he plans on refining you into Magic Artifacts, something like a Ten Thousand Demon Banner."
His gaze shifted to the female A Piao. "Or perhaps he wants to harvest the yin energy you've accumulated over these years for his cultivation. For cultivation, nothing's too shameful for some!"
Finally, looking at Little A Piao, he finished, "Or maybe, he wants to steep you in wine..."
「...」
Every word from Lin Bai struck them precisely where they were most vulnerable; he was an expert at this. To be honest, I'm starting to miss those negative emotion tasks again.
Their faith crumbled.
The A Piaos' spirits were violently shaken, and the black energy around them began to roil uncontrollably.
"Why is this happening?"
"Why would this happen?"
"Daddy, Mommy, I don't want to be steeped in wine!" Little A Piao cried.
The three A Piaos seemed to lose their sanity. Their eyes became vacant, black fumes seeped from all seven of their facial orifices, and their faces began to contort, evolving towards a hideous and grotesque appearance.
Lin Bai was flabbergasted.
They're on the verge of turning into fierce ghosts! Is their mental fortitude really this poor? I knew it; becoming a fierce ghost can't be the only way.
"There is a solution." Everything I did before was just groundwork. This is my shop, after all; I can't just stand by and watch them become fierce ghosts. Since the A Piaos didn't respond, he continued, "You three, destiny isn't something to wait for others to arrange. Rely on a mountain, and it may crumble; rely on water, and it may dry up. Only by taking your destiny into your own hands can you see a brighter tomorrow... I know that learning the truth has caused you great pain, confusion, and even despair... But because of that, are you just going to give up on yourselves? What if that Taoist *wants* you to become fierce ghosts? You've been trapped here for three years. Why not give yourselves a sliver of hope? Three years have passed; don't you want to know the real truth even a little? Furthermore, even if that Taoist truly means you harm, don't you want revenge? Your daughter looks like she's barely a teenager. She hasn't even seen what this vibrant world truly has to offer..."
Perhaps it was the mention of Little A Piao, but the two adult A Piaos' emotions gradually stabilized.
The male A Piao looked at Lin Bai, his eyes brimming with despair, yet his demeanor had calmed. In a raspy voice, he asked, "How can we get revenge?"
Just as I thought. The Emotional System was right: learn to stir others' emotions, and you become the master of the world. It seems the System tasks can no longer keep up with my progress. That blasted System should just hand out all the rewards at once, then retire and make way for a new one.
Lin Bai inwardly preened, then smiled. "We can cooperate."
"Cooperate?" The male A Piao scoffed. "You have no idea how powerful that Taoist is..."
"You're all more powerful than me, yet you can't do anything to me. In fact, I can handle you quite easily." Lin Bai smiled confidently, pointing to his head. "Sometimes, intelligence is more important than Martial Power. There's always something to counter another. No matter how strong that Taoist is, he still has to live in this world; he's still a person. And all people have weaknesses. We have seven years to prepare. The prepared against the unprepared—that's more than enough time."
"You're just an ordinary human..." the female A Piao said.
Lin Bai hesitated for a moment, then decided to offer them a sliver of hope. "I'm a bad guy."
He gazed at the trio with an expression of pity and sighed. "It takes a villain to deal with a villain. Even if I'm still very weak right now, why not give yourselves a chance? Even if there are a thousand reasons to give up, as long as there's one reason to persevere, you should hold onto it!"