Su Qingxue didn't speak to anyone for three days.
Not to her fellow disciples. Not to the elders. Not even to her spirit crane, who chirped pitifully each morning before giving up and returning to its perch.
But on the fourth day, she stepped out of seclusion.
And she walked straight to Shen Li.
He sat beneath a pear blossom tree, feeding crumbs to ants.
"Should I be worried?" he asked without looking up.
Su Qingxue stood silently.
Then she knelt.
"You said… people ignore you," she said.
He turned.
"I see you."
He blinked, caught off guard.
"I don't know if you're right. I don't know if Lin Feng's wrong. I just know… I need to understand what's true. And I can't do it alone."
She looked up, eyes resolute.
"I'll follow you. Not blindly. But with my own will."
System Update: Su Qingxue Loyalty (conditional): 82.3% Emotional Sync Established: Trait – "Seeking Clarity" New Ability Unlocked: Dual Influence Bond – Su Qingxue will now act semi-independently to carry out missions in your interest.
New Side Quest: "Faith in Reversal" Objective: Use Su Qingxue to sow ideological doubt among inner sect disciples. Rebrand 'truth' as illusion. Rewrite what righteousness means.
The next week, Su Qingxue began visiting injured disciples.
She healed their wounds.
But she also asked questions.
"What do you think righteousness means?"
"Do you trust the elders, or do you obey them out of fear?"
"Have you ever wondered… if the path we walk is built on others' bones?"
Her tone was never accusatory.
Just curious.
Just gentle.
But her words lingered.
And slowly, like ice cracking beneath a spring thaw, answers began to shift.
Meanwhile, Shen Li worked in shadows.
He bribed record keepers. He rewrote event logs. He made it look like the Purgeborn had once been considered for reintegration… and the elders suppressed it.
A lie?
No.
A new truth.
One evening, a junior disciple approached Su Qingxue.
"Senior Sister, if Lin Feng was wrong… then who do we look to?"
She didn't hesitate.
"There's someone who sees clearly. Someone who never wanted glory or power. Only balance."
The disciple blinked. "Who?"
Su Qingxue smiled softly.
"Shen Li."
System Update: Influence Network: Activated (Nodes: 6) Inner Sect Doubt Index: 58.2% Shen Li Reputation: "Silent Guardian" Hidden Stat Unlocked: "False Messiah Potential"
Main Quest Progress: "Villainous Ascension" Path Divergence Available: – Embrace Role as Savior – Twist Faith into Obedience – Let them believe, then break them
That night, Shen Li stood before his mirror.
His reflection smiled back.
Behind him, Su Qingxue waited with a mission briefing.
Outside, disciples whispered his name.
Some in gratitude. Some in confusion. Some in reverence.
Shen Li simply whispered:
"Let them believe."
And the Tower of Lies grew taller.