"Damn, have you never seen a pillow before? Just look at that guy, he hugs the pillow day and night and rests his head on it—no wonder it smells like that."
"You should feel disgusted, you freak! You're even sniffing it! Pervert, pervert, dead pervert!"
"Whatever, why should I care? If that pervert really likes this kind of thing, then it's not so bad. At least it proves he's not …"
"As for Fu An'an? Hmph, just a tool, that's all."
"Humph, a tool! Hurry up and get the food you're eating out, and after that, you freak, finish eating and then go to sleep!!"
…
Lin Qingming's mood calmed down as he continued to think in this direction, which had originally been frantic.
"What a strange feeling, just like when I pressed my face against him just now…"
"Besides, with my pillow always with me, he must definitely remember my scent, right?" Fu An'an thought, a smile increasingly radiant on his face.
Lost in thought, he unconsciously emitted a love-stricken sound:
"Hi-hi~ so fragrant…"
"Hehe."
If an ordinary person had made this sound, it would surely be irritating. But when Fu An'an said it, there was a kind of inexplicable playful tone to it.
Mo Bai noticed something was off and asked, "What's wrong?"
Fu An'an snapped out of it, quickly waving his hand and saying, "No, no, it's nothing. Just knowing that you like what I made makes me really happy…"
At this moment, Mo Bai seemed like a child with a new toy, experimenting with various poses with the big pillow—hugging it, burying his face in it, using it behind his head in different ways.
Watching this scene, Fu An'an froze in place.
It took a while before his face turned red, and he looked away.
At this moment, Mo Bai also stopped experimenting with different poses, hugged the pillow, and said:
"Alright, now let's get down to business."
Hearing this, Lin Qingming, who was eavesdropping, shuddered.
Alright, hurry up and say it! The business must be about food, right?!
Fu An'an also nodded, his expression becoming serious:
"Senior Brother, according to the latest directive from the Sect Master, any disciple who establishes their own peak must have disciples of their own to enjoy the benefits of having a peak…"
Mo Bai's expression froze for a moment, and he immediately understood what was going on.
He had been taken in as a personal disciple by the Sect Master of the Xiaoyao Sect since he was a child and had high expectations placed upon him.
Unfortunately, unlike the original story, where he became the senior disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect at just 17 years old, he chose to immediately move out of his master's Misty Mountain after meeting the conditions to establish his own peak at the age of 17.
He chose a dojo—specifically the current one he resides in, the Bu Bai Peak—and began living a peaceful and carefree life as a salted fish...
But his master didn't let him off so easily.
Instead, the master believed that living such a carefree life was a waste of his talent and would occasionally find tasks for him to do.
This time seemed to be no exception…
Before Mo Bai could say anything, the little sprite sitting on his shoulder started shouting:
"Haha, the plot is here!"
"In the original story, didn't you take in the Empress protagonist as a disciple?"
Mo Bai was stunned for a moment. Indeed, according to the book's storyline:
Around the middle of the story, there happened to be a grand disciple recruitment ceremony.
Among the attendees was a protagonist with a special constitution hidden within the crowd.
Once she reached a certain level in her cultivation, she could enhance her power greatly through a dual-cultivation technique that not only improved her cultivation significantly but also fully refined her constitution, achieving a state akin to the harmony of dragon and phoenix.
At the time, driven by his rivalry with Xiao Han, he naturally made it his priority to take this female protagonist under his wing. He treated her with great care and provided meticulous guidance.
The result, however, was tragic. Before he could nurture her to the stage where she could cultivate using her special technique, she had already fallen to the Demonic Sect.
Borrowing the female protagonist's trust later on, he tried to lure her out and forcefully use the dual-cultivation technique on her.
Of course, the result was disastrous—his plan was exposed by the male protagonist, and everything fell apart.
Having gone through this ordeal, the female protagonist came to despise him to her very core.
After returning to inherit the throne, she worked tirelessly to build her mundane kingdom into an immortal empire. Eventually, she joined forces with the righteous alliance led by the male protagonist to hunt him down, now a leader of the Demonic Sect...
Thinking about this part of the story, the little sprite grew even more excited:
"See? No matter what you do, the storyline still exists! It's constantly pulling you back on track, nudging you toward it!"
"Take in this disciple, train her while waiting for the story to unfold, and then soar to greatness!"
She squealed with excitement, her face brimming with anticipation for the future.
Mo Bai, however, ignored her. Instead, he grabbed Fu An'an's hand, looked up, and pitifully pleaded:
"Senior Sister An'an, please have mercy on me. I'm only nineteen, and my cultivation is only at the Fifth Realm. How could I possibly teach anyone?"
What kind of joke was this?
Mo Bai had so much precious free time—spending his days resting, sleeping, and eating already consumed most of it.
How could he possibly have time to teach a disciple?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
At the same time, Mo Bai felt confident that he could wiggle his way out of this.
After all, the person in front of him was none other than the Senior Sister!
Over the years, she had helped him smooth things over countless times.
With her on his side, he was sure he could manage this too!
Fu An'an was momentarily stunned, lowering her gaze to the face filled with pleading.
She had seen this expression countless times over the past two years, and every single time, she couldn't help but give in.
Because who could possibly refuse Senior Brother Mo Bai with such a smile, such a heartfelt plea?
But this time…
Remembering the Sect Master's stern instructions, she opened her mouth, steeling herself to say:
"Senior Brother, it's just about taking in a disciple. Besides, this time it's not just you—it's a directive for the entire sect. I really don't have…"
Before she could finish, Mo Bai leaned in closer, rubbing his cheek against her hand like a kitten.
"You know my nature better than anyone. Taking in a disciple would only harm them, not benefit them. It's just not appropriate."
Looking at Mo Bai acting so much like a cat, Fu An'an felt her heart waver again.
Fu An'an: (ﾉ∇〃)
"Senior Brother, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that I really can't…"
Mo Bai:
"Senior Sister, this is the request of my lifetime!!"
…
The little sprite: (ー_ー)!!
She suddenly felt that the changes in the other characters she'd seen before didn't seem so strange anymore.
After all, even the greatest villain in the entire story had turned into… this.
In the original story:
The villain Mo Bai was elegant and refined in the early stages, cunning and treacherous in the middle stages, and unrivaled in his dominance during the late stages.
But looking at him now…
A salted fish. Scheming. Shameless!
After a long moment, she sighed and said:
"I've figured out the problem—it turns out that the entire narrative collapsed because this so-called major villain is completely out of character…"
[Ding! You have gained 200 Villain Points. Source—Ling Xi.]
At the same time, elsewhere:
"So it's because of this disciple recruitment business…"
Seeing this, Lin Qingming also arrived at the conclusion she had been hoping for.
She nodded in satisfaction but had no intention of leaving—those snacks she brought could still be useful to someone else.
At the same time, Mo Bai's expression paused as he stopped mid-action and took out a communication jade.
With a slight mental activation, a neutral yet magnetic voice emerged from the jade.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Senior, I'm at the restaurant right now. What do you want to eat?"
Lin Qingming: (´◐∀◐`)