"But Skycraft Pavilion dominates the Central Plains, and its strength is formidable; this Young Master knows it all too well. You can escape for a moment, but not for a lifetime."

Returning home to continue my game, I felt that my 12 Merit Points (Plucking Feathers from a Flying Goose-1) might have been wasted—how come it seemed like even Young Master Mu himself had no way to escape? In fact, even I couldn't think of a way to escape.

Skycraft Pavilion surrounded him from all directions, and with the Slovenly Taoist, a high-end combat power, restraining him from the side, it meant that as soon as Young Master Mu left the house, he would inevitably plunge into a deadly battle where he would either turn to the dark side or perish.

Young Master Mu: "Now that this Young Master has been framed by a villain, if I do not clear my name, will I not live in constant anxiety, ostracized from all beings, wandering without support, displaced, and eventually follow the path of using resentment for power and blood for nourishment, shedding the blood of all beings to alleviate my endless solitude... It would be better to kill joyfully now and let my demonic blood dye the blue sky!"

System notification: "Young Master Mu's factional tendency is skewed towards the evil factions!"

As Young Master Mu was about to veer towards radical corruption, Maid Xiao Suo clasped her hands together, her eyes emitting endless Starlight, looking at Young Master Mu with an admiring gaze, and said passionately, "Young Master! I believe you must have a method to turn the situation around! Let's spare them for now. Once Young Master's divine skills are accomplished, we can ferret out the villain behind the scenes, skin them, break their bones, steam them, braise them, coat them in breadcrumbs, and deep-fry them to finally quell the fury in your heart! Revenge of the Demon Lord, from dawn till dusk!"

Maid Xiao Suo's words appeared to align perfectly with Young Master Mu's thoughts, and he slowly nodded. "Xiao Suo, you silly girl, you do make some sense."

At this moment, Ren Suo saw a skill light up in his skill bar:

"Demon's Heavenly Eye: By tracing Traces and grasping more leads, the Demon Lord can uncover more details of events and even directly perceive the source of causality through the threads of destiny, gaining Insight into all truths."

This was indeed the most capable protagonist I had ever seen, skilled in combat, Healing, Scouting, and even in tracking down culprits; truly the template of a real protagonist. Apart from a certain elementary student from a detective comic who had been to Hawaii, I figured there probably wasn't anyone more omnipotent than this protagonist.

System notification: "After Xiao Suo's persuasion, Young Master Mu's mood improved, and the skew was corrected."

Nevertheless, Young Master Mu sighed again. "This Young Master indeed possesses great power to survey the earth and understand the world, knowing global affairs with a single leaf. Even if I slay the villain behind the scenes to vent my spleen, I already bear countless resentments and am accused by the Six Major Factions, unable to return to a peaceful life, only to roam the world under the name of the Demon Lord... Then let the people of Skycraft Pavilion know, the Demon Lord Must Not Be Insulted!"

However, Young Master Mu still had his worries. Even if he were to kill the villain behind the scenes, he would still bear the label of the Demon Lord's heir, ultimately facing discrimination and Fear. This way, he would still have to confront the Martial World under the name of the Demon Lord—what difference would it make from now?

Therefore—

System notification: "Young Master Mu's factional tendency is again skewed towards the evil factions!"

At this moment, Maid Xiao Suo shook her head vigorously, grasping Young Master Mu's hand and said, "Young Master, since you do not wish to follow the path of the Demon Lord, spreading terror throughout the world and wielding the Supreme Scepter, why not wash away the accusations, show yourself with an unblemished identity, confront the Six Major Factions directly, proving the rumors false? You could then hide in plain sight, lurking within the Righteous Path, roaming the world carefree, deceiving the masses—it suits you, Young Master!"

Young Master Mu blinked, nodding slightly. "Dispelling the rumors, proving my innocence, and slapping the Six Major Factions in the face to then hide again within the Righteous Path... This plan does indeed sound amusing. Xiao Suo, you are not dumb today."

In the skill bar, another skill lit up:

"Demon's Might Rises: The Demon Lord can purify and absorb the Power of Resentment he carries, turning it into his own Cultivation without being blinded by the Power of Resentment. Once the Power of Resentment is completely purified, the Demon Lord can disguise himself as an ordinary person, deceiving the world and living carefreely behind the scenes. Current Power of Resentment: 346,241"

At the same time, the system notification: "After Xiao Suo's persuasion, Young Master Mu is very comfortable, and the skew has been corrected."

And in the upper right corner of the game screen, two mission prompts popped up simultaneously:

"Demon Lord Must Not Be Insulted: While escaping, find a way to look for clues of the mastermind behind the scenes, drag them out, and kill them!"

"Demon's Lifetime of Carefree: During the escape, safely absorb the Power of Resentment and finally confront the Six Major Factions with a pure body to clear your own name!"

In the top left corner, besides the Health Points bar and Inner Qi bar, a new "Resentment" bar was added. When Ren Suo hovered over it with the mouse, a game tip appeared:

"Resentment: The Demon Lord carries a tremendous amount of Filthy Resentment. When circumstances deteriorate, he is extremely susceptible to being eroded by the Power of Resentment, tilting his alignment towards evil.

The more Resentment, the more the Demon Lord's power is significantly enhanced when casting any Martial Arts.

Consuming Resentment can be used to recover physical strength, speed up learning other Martial Arts, or drastically strengthen the power of Martial Arts.

Current Filthy Resentment: 346,241.

Already Purified Resentment: 5,322."

Playing until now, I finally had a basic understanding of the game's mechanics: As Young Master Mu escaped, he had to investigate clues about the mastermind while purifying the Filthy Resentment on himself. The ultimate goal, of course, was to kill the mastermind and then confront the Six Major Factions to restore his innocence openly. The relationship between 'Filthy Resentment' and 'Purified Resentment' should be similar to that between fertilizer and rice. Naturally, you can't eat fertilizer, but when it's used to cultivate crops that are then processed into rice, it can become nutrients absorbable by humans. Just now, while fighting, Young Master Mu directly used Filthy Resentment for healing and restoring mana. Theoretically, that was no different from eating excrement while fighting—no wonder his alignment was tilting towards evil! Anyone forced to eat excrement to heal and restore mana during a fight would be driven mad. Therefore, "Inverted World" is a very orthodox martial arts game storyline: an awesome protagonist, powerful enemies, detective-like plots, and a show-off reversal at the end...

This time, Young Master Mu was finally utterly persuaded. "That's right... This Young Master must not let that mastermind behind the scenes escape. This Young Master also needs to use his plot against me to become stronger by using the Power of Resentment he made me carry. Finally, I will find him, completely crush him, and then prove my innocence in front of the Six Major Factions, letting the whole Martial World know that all these fools of the Six Major Factions have been deceived!"

Young Master Mu looked at Ling'er. "Ling'er, now that I have no way to ascend to heaven or enter the earth, can you help me?"

The maid, Xiao Suo, also spoke. "Sister Ling, being a reincarnation of 'Godly Escort,' could you help the Young Master to escape thousands of miles, far from the encirclement of Skycraft Pavilion and the Sanctuary?"

What!? So, this Sister Ling isn't just for fanservice but is also an important functional NPC?

Ling'er slowly nodded. "It's possible. Recently, Ling'er has made some gains in martial arts. This is a 'Godspeed Talisman' created by Ling'er. As long as Ling'er operates her Divine Skills, for the Young Master, even the farthest lands are just a step away. So, Young Master, where do you wish to go?"

Young Master Mu took the 'Godspeed Talisman' and said, "This Young Master needs to go to places that have suffered Heavenly Calamities or other major disasters to pursue the traces of the mastermind, while concealing my identity and acting secretly to increase the difficulty for the Six Major Factions to find me. Thinking it over, Yingzhou might be a good choice."

Ling'er: "Ling'er has been to Yingzhou twice. This is not difficult."

Maid Xiao Suo looked out the window before saying urgently, "People from Skycraft Pavilion have arrived! Young Master, hurry!"

"Okay."

"I also want to go with the Young Master!"

Ling'er seemed very surprised. "Xiao Suo, why do you want to follow Young Master Mu? Skycraft Pavilion acts justly and will not involve you. Plus, Xiao Suo, your strength is weak, and following Young Master Mu will distract him, as he'll have to take care of you."

Maid Xiao Suo shook her head emphatically. "No, the Young Master's journey is extremely dangerous, and Xiao Suo must stay close to take care of him! Miss Ling'er, the Young Master needs me!"

The game screen popped up with two options: 'Let Xiao Suo follow' and 'Do not let Xiao Suo follow'.

The 'Do not let Xiao Suo follow' option was fine, but when I hovered my mouse over the 'Let Xiao Suo follow' dialogue bubble, a series of prompts popped up next to it:

"If Maid Xiao Suo follows Young Master Mu, it might trigger the following game content:

* Xiao Suo's persuasion (prevents Young Master Mu's alignment from skewing toward evil).

* Xiao Suo's assistance (although Xiao Suo is weak, silly, and cute, she is proficient in Healing skills, Defensive Martial Arts, and some Strange Abilities, and can act on behalf of Young Master Mu).

* Xiao Suo's secret intelligence (Xiao Suo can provide help during critical game decisions).

If Maid Xiao Suo follows Young Master Mu, the following game content will be mandatorily triggered:

* Xiao Suo's combat support (you can equip Xiao Suo with abilities and props in the 'Equipment Interface', turning Xiao Suo into a usable combat power, fighting alongside Young Master Mu)."

The game's inclination was clear: having Xiao Suo follow offered a bunch of benefits, while not having her follow meant no benefits at all. The only issue was that if Xiao Suo followed, the game character 'Young Master Mu' in the "Equipment Interface" would be replaced by 'Xiao Suo,' and I could only equip the maid with ability items. However, this wasn't really a problem—I estimated that Young Master Mu's skills almost covered all the ability items I possessed. If anything, Young Master Mu was merely inferior in Healing, and I also had some odd Bond Ability. But equipping these abilities to Young Master Mu would be like gilding the lily, akin to chicken ribs. On the other hand, equipping Maid Xiao Suo with ability items would be like sending charcoal in snowy weather, as it would add extra combat power. Not to mention, Xiao Suo also knew a bit of Defensive Martial Arts and Healing skills. Equipping her with a few skills and letting her take the brunt when Young Master Mu was in danger would be perfect. On ordinary days, having Maid Xiao Suo warm the bed for the protagonist wouldn't be bad, possibly leading to some scenes not suitable for minors. However, I glanced at Xiao Suo and noticed she was flat-chested, feeling she probably didn't have much fanservice to offer... Ah, why not have a busty maid instead? Young Master Mu, what kind of taste do you have?

Thus, Ren Suo clicked 'Let Xiao Suo follow'.

However, Young Master Mu's thoughts popped up: "Do I really want Xiao Suo to follow? This journey might be one of no return, and Xiao Suo might be implicated. She was originally unrelated to this matter... Perhaps, it would be best for her to stay here."

Ren Suo clicked 'Let Xiao Suo follow' again.

Ling'er then said to Young Master Mu, "Xiao Suo has always stayed behind closed doors, a shy and inexperienced girl who has never encountered the hardships of the Martial World. Can you protect her?"

Ren Suo clicked 'Let Xiao Suo follow' for the third time.

Young Master Mu said to Maid Xiao Suo, "Xiao Suo, do you really want to follow me? I am a fugitive wanted by the Six Major Factions, accused of countless sins, resented by everyone. Do you still want to escape with me?"

Maid Xiao Suo asked, "So, did you do those things, Young Master?"

Three options popped up on the screen: 'Yes, I did it,' 'Guess?' and 'I didn't.'

The first option was arrogant, the second was asking for a beating, so of course, I chose the third option.

Young Master Mu: "I didn't do it. I am innocent."

Maid Xiao Suo: "Since you said it wasn't you, Young Master, Xiao Suo will cover her ears, close her eyes, ignore the accusations of the Six Major Factions, and help Young Master uncover the mastermind behind the scenes to clear your name!"

System Notification: "Gained Xiao Suo's Trust, Young Master Mu is in high spirits, significantly rectifying his deviation! Because Young Master Mu is in such good spirits, the speed of purifying the Power of Resentment has increased!"

Ah... I felt as if I'd been fed a mouthful of dog food... But this dog food seemed to have a familiar taste, as if I'd eaten it somewhere before. I thought for a moment about the couples around me: only Yu Kuangtu and Qin Lian, and Zhao Huo with his harem of A, B, and C. Had they ever fed me this kind of dog food? Unable to recall this specific brand of dog food, I stopped dwelling on it and clicked 'Let Xiao Suo follow' for the fourth time. Seeing the phrase 'Because Young Master Mu is in high spirits, the speed of purifying the Power of Resentment has increased,' I was even less likely to let Xiao Suo go now—apparently, she's a human-shaped buff!

This time, there were no more obstacles.

Ling'er: "If that's so... Ling'er wishes you a smooth journey. I will act as though I know nothing and will certainly not expose Young Master's whereabouts. As for you, Xiao Suo, I'll say you're staying at Sister Bai's place, and I doubt Skycraft Pavilion will care about your whereabouts."

Maid Xiao Suo and Young Master Mu both said, "Then we have to trouble Miss Ling'er."

Ling'er: "Between us, there's no need for the word 'trouble'. Xiao Suo trusts you, Young Master, and Ling'er does too."

"Then, I wish you a smooth journey and a safe return."

Two rectangular talismans lit up on Maid Xiao Suo and Young Master Mu, and then the two turned into light and escaped into the distance.

Ling'er, who had cast the spell, was so exhausted that she collapsed on the spot. Just then, people from Skycraft Pavilion broke in through doors and windows, not seeing Maid Xiao Suo and Young Master Mu's departure.

「Less than a hundred meters from Ren Suo in a straight line, inside Dong Chengling's family home.」

Even during the daytime, Dong Chengling had pulled down all the curtains, and the house was shrouded in darkness.

Sitting on a meditation cushion, Dong Chengling breathed smoothly. Her body showed no trace of sweat, and her clothes were clean and fragrant; she seemingly wasn't Cultivating the 'Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records'—a task that was more exhausting than rapidly running 10 kilometers.

Suddenly, Dong Chengling disappeared from the meditation cushion.

Three seconds later, Dong Chengling reappeared on the meditation cushion, but now she was drenched in sweat and collapsed onto the cushion, not wanting to move even her fingers.

"Three thousand kilometers round trip... success." Dong Chengling took a deep breath, revitalized her spirit, and sat up to start Cultivating the 'Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records' again.

Using awakened spells to knock on the door of the fourth transformation... feasible! Moreover, if I can advance to the fourth transformation through this, not only will my strength greatly increase, but my awakened spells can also be further deepened! Then, even without anyone's help, I can achieve 'Within Reach, Yet Worlds Apart'!

Thinking of something, Dong Chengling's lips curved up into a smile. "Then we can travel together anytime, anywhere..."

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