Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

172: Lin Jingyu’s mockeryQin Yue trembled slightly with rage, overwhelmed by the heartache and fury of being utterly betrayed and slandered.

She pointed at Liu Lili, her voice laced with sharpness and anguish due to her extreme anger:

”Liu Lili! Miaoling Pavilion believes we treated you well—we saved your life, taught you skills, and gave you resources. It would have been fine if you had just left peacefully!

Yet you dare to twist the truth like this in public and slander the Dange! Who gave you the audacity!”

She had to stand up to protect Miaoling Pavilion’s reputation; this was her duty as the Shopkeeper.

Liu Lili shuddered at Qin Yue’s furious reprimand, a flash of instinctive fear crossing her eyes. After all, the residual prestige of Qin Yue as the Shopkeeper still lingered.

But when the corner of her eye caught sight of the aggressive Li Duoduo beside her, that fear was immediately suppressed, replaced by a reckless, devil-may-care courage.

She forced herself to straighten her back and retorted stubbornly:

”I... I’m telling the truth! You were suppressing me! My... the burns on my hand haven’t fully healed, but you... you forced me to practice Alchemy day and night...”

She began fabricating specific ”evidence,” though it was full of holes, needing anything to support her stance at that moment.

Her voice grew softer the more she spoke, her eyes flickering. Clearly, she knew she was twisting logic and had no real ground to stand on.

But she took a deep breath and looked at Li Duoduo beside her.

With the backing of Daling Pavilion in her heart, her tone became forceful.

Li Duoduo was even more smug, crossing her arms and looking down her nose at Qin Yue, displaying an arrogant attitude that screamed, ”What can you do to me?”

The surrounding onlookers whispered and pointed, their gazes intersecting on the Miaoling Pavilion group, making the scene even more chaotic and embarrassing.

Lin Jingyu sighed inwardly, knowing that Qin Yue was muddled by anger and, in her heartache, had fallen into the opponent’s messy trap of self-justification.

To deal with this kind of rogue behavior involving defamation, one couldn’t follow the opponent’s rhythm; they had to jump out of the circle and strike at the core issue.

Arguing with a lunatic only drags you down to their level.

The goal was to directly and ruthlessly shred the opponent’s face and mouth.

He took a step forward, shielding Qin Yue and Yun Momo. His voice was clear but carried an icy chill, instantly overriding the surrounding noise:

”Heh heh, what a tremendous joke! Only your Daling Pavilion would pick up a faithless, fawning ingrate like a treasure and still be self-satisfied about it.”

With his first sentence, he defined the situation, nailing Liu Lili to the pillar of shame while simultaneously mocking Daling Pavilion for being desperate.

”It seems your Daling Pavilion truly lacks decent talent if you specialize in recruiting this kind of trash? Tsk tsk, this discernment, this scope—it’s truly eye-opening!”

His words were like cold knives, fast and accurate, stabbing directly into Li Duoduo and Liu Lili’s lungs. Attacking a person is less effective than attacking their judgment and the power behind them; that is the cruelest method.

Liu Lili’s face instantly turned as pale as paper, devoid of color. Lin Jingyu’s words were like a sharp knife, peeling away all her self-deceptive masks, forcing her to face her despicable choice nakedly.

Lin Jingyu’s gaze was sharp as a sword, locked firmly onto Liu Lili. His words were like blades, relentless, every syllable hammering into the hearts of the onlookers:

”Eating from the bowl, then cursing the cook! How can such a shameless person exist in this world!” He quoted a widely circulated proverb, instantly resonating with the surrounding Cultivators, many of whom nodded secretly.

”Miaoling Pavilion saved your life when you were in danger, taught you the Alchemy skills necessary to make a living when you were lost, and provided you with resources on your cultivation path to help you Break through!

It would have been enough if you hadn’t repaid the favor, but instead, we raised an ungrateful ingrate who repays kindness with enmity?”

He enumerated her debts of gratitude clearly and logically; every sentence was like a heavy hammer blow.

”Go out and ask around!

Outside this Southeast Market Town, how many Loose Cultivators fight until blood flows, even paying with their lives, just to obtain the most basic Alchemy Legacy!

You, a mere Qi Refining Fifth Layer, what are you without Miaoling Pavilion’s appreciation and cultivation? You could die a hundred times and probably wouldn’t even touch the edge of a Pill Furnace!”

He elevated the perspective, placing it against the grand backdrop of the Xiuxian Realm, instantly making Liu Lili’s complaints appear utterly ridiculous and insignificant.

”Momo is kind-hearted. She saved money and resources herself, prioritizing Medicinal Pills for you to help you Break through your Bottleneck. Yet, in your mouth, they became worthless scraps of charity?

Has your conscience been eaten by a dog? Or was your heart black to begin with?”

He spoke up for Yun Momo, contrasting her kindness sharply with Liu Lili’s malice, stirring the onlookers’ sympathy and their disgust toward Liu Lili.

”You refined some Medicinal Pills for Miaoling Pavilion, exerted a bit of effort, and now you think you’ve done a great service and repaid all debts?

You calculated that account shrewdly! You truly are an ungrateful ingrate who cannot be tamed, selfish to the extreme!”

This final summary completely ripped away all of Liu Lili’s remaining modesty.

”Oh, I see now. Perhaps it’s because you, the ingrate, have a cheap life, thinking you aren’t worth much, and thus believe the grace of being saved and cultivated is nothing special.”

This single sentence was even more devastating.

Compared to Liu Lili’s earlier angry accusation that Miaoling Pavilion considered her cheap,

it immediately made people realize that she was the one who felt cheap.

This barrage of clear, reasoned, and devastating condemnation left Liu Lili speechless, trembling all over, her lips quivering, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.

Because everything Lin Jingyu said was the truth.

There was not a single fabrication.

Lies do not harm the body; the truth is the swift blade.

Lin Jingyu used the weapon of language to completely shatter all her pretenses.

The surrounding crowd nodded in agreement, their gazes toward Liu Lili filled with contempt and disdain. The whispers were almost entirely focused on condemning her ingratitude.

”He’s right! This Liu Lili is truly trash...”

”Heh heh, that’s normal. If a man is not for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him, right?”

”People from Daling Pavilion, those who know, know. How many of them are truly loyal and devoted...”

Public opinion instantly reversed, and the fire was now burning Daling Pavilion.

Li Duoduo’s face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. She stared intently at Lin Jingyu, this brat who repeatedly ruined her plans and made her lose face, fire practically spitting from her eyes.

She took a step forward, no longer deliberately restraining her Ninth Layer of Qi Refining pressure, which subtly radiated outward, carrying blatant intimidation as it pressed toward Lin Jingyu:

”You sharp-tongued little bastard! What good is winning with words, huh?”

”The Xiuxian Realm ultimately relies on strength and background! Might makes right!

You, a mere Qi Refining Fourth Layer waste, once you step outside the Tianfa Pavilion, I could crush you with a single finger! Those who only know how to run their mouths die the fastest!”

Unable to win the argument, she resorted to direct personal threats, attempting to reverse the decline using the absolute gap in strength.

This was the lowest, but often the most effective, tactic.

After all, everyone fears death, and given Daling Pavilion’s vast influence, making a Qi Refining Fourth Layer Cultivator vanish without a trace would be exceedingly simple.