I Only Wanted to Stay Unseen, Until...

"Senior Sister Sun, it's just up ahead!" Pay Ling's heart wavered with unease. Gripping his Blade of Life Hater tightly, he ducked behind a nearby tree. Moments later, a loud voice rang out: "This time, we've got to catch that useless Pay Honine!"

"You're right! He's got to apologize to Senior Sister properly!"

"Just an apology? That way's too mercy! He should cough up all the benefits the Pay clan gave him and buy Senior Sister that Moonlit Nimbus Skirt!"

Amid a clamor of overlapping voices, five or six figures came into view—young outer sect disciples in their twenties, crowding around a girl in a pink gown.

The girl had a decent figure and a face with some charm, dolled up to look delicate and pitiful. Yet her demeanor oozed arrogance.

"Junior Sister Elaine, it's you? Elaine-chan?" Before Pay Ling could decide how to handle this, Pay Honine—having just clambered up from the dirt nearby—stumbled forward, his face a mask of sorrow. "Why'd you send that birdnix to attack my paper boat? You know I've spent all my spirit stones these past years buying perks and gears for you. This boat—my mom scrimped and saved for a whole year back home, saving fifty Dstones just to—"

Slap! Sun Elaine's hand cracked across his face before he could finish.

Pay Ling: "…"

The group with Sun Elaine cheered and clapped, some even egging her on to hit him again.

Pay Honine, publicly humiliated, didn't even get mad. Instead, he gazed at her mournfully. "Why you always be so harsh with me, you—"

"You got to tag along with Inner Sect Senior Brother Kinson Zheng on a mission, came back on True Successor Fairy Lith's Bone Tomb Vessel. How could you not bring me along?!" Sun Elaine cut him off with a petulant sneer. "I'm not in your heart at all, am I?"

"That's not true—"

She interrupted again. "Do you remember when you promised me I'd always come first? Well, guess what? Fairy Lith and your precious inner sect seniors are all I see now! You're so busy trying to impress them that you don't even notice when I'm standing right in front of you! Even after all this, I couldn't bring myself to hurt you directly, just took it out on your stupid boat!"

"And fine!"

"Go comfort your precious fifty dstones boat. It clearly needs you more than I do."

"You heartless, faithless jerk! Don't bother following me!"

The more she ranted, the angrier she got. She swung another slap—but this time, before it could land, someone grabbed her wrist from the side, holding it firm.

Pay Ling shot Pay Honine a speechless glance before turning to Sun Elaine with a flat tone. "My clan brother had spent all his spirit stones on perks on gears for you over the years—isn't that sincereness enough? You're not even married into the Pay clan yet. Isn't this a bit too shameless?"

Though he and Pay Honine weren't close—and this clan brother had even tried tripping him up with scheme when on the Bone Tomb Vessel—Pay Ling was new in the sect and still needed Pay Honine's help to settle in. He wasn't about to stand by and watch some gold-digger play her games.

"Ah! Who—" Sun Elaine, also at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, struggled but couldn't break free. Her expression shifted as she glared at Pay Honine. "The hell?! You're just gonna let your clansman bully me?!"

"Pay Ling, let go!" Pay Honine didn't disappoint her, immediately barking at him. "Don't you dare be rude to Elaine-chan!"

Then, turning to Sun Elaine with a fawning smile, he added, "He's a distant brother from a side branch. He's young and clueless—don't lower yourself to his level, Elaine-chan!"

Holy crap, how did I never notice what a clown this guy is?!

Pay Ling released her wrist. A flash of malice glinted in Sun Elaine's eyes as her fingers twitched, clearly itching to slap him too. But when Pay Ling looked up, meeting her gaze with an icy stare—recalling how he'd just spoken without a hint of deference—she faltered. She didn't dare follow through, instead unleashing her fury on Pay Honine. "You're the Pay clan's heir. How could you not discipline a side-branch brother? You think I don't see what you're doing!!!"

Pay Ling stood by patiently. Pay Honine groveled and placated Elaine for ages. In the end, he promised to skip cultivating for the next month and focus solely on crafting Fulu, Daoist talismans, for her as sincere apology. Watching this, Pay Ling finally understood why—despite decent talent, early entry into the Abyss Pit Sect, and yearly clan support—Pay Honine's cultivation had been so easily overtaken by his own.

CLOWN! 

Pay Honine's idiot cancer is incurable!

"Head that way out of the woods, and you'll hit a road," Pay Honine said offhandedly after he'd calmed Sun Elaine down, barely sparing his clan borhter a thought. "Follow it, go upstairs the mountain, find Ghost Shade Peak's Affairs Office. Pick a place to stay there. I live down in the southern mountain—look for the yard with the big dove tree if you need me. I'm walking Elaine-chan back now."

Pay Ling, already impatient, didn't need to be told twice. He turned and left.

Even after walking a distance, he could still hear Sun Elaine's deliberately loud whining. "I don't like that clan brother of yours. Don't help him anymore!"

Pay Honine: "Sure, sure, whatever you say!"

Pay Ling: "…"

Bro! You're a seriously damned clown!

Half an hour later, he reached the Affairs Office. The male disciple in charge listened to his request, gave him a once-over, then led him to a back room with a massive sand table. Smiling, he said, "Junior Brother, it's not the usual time for new disciples to join, so while there are places available, they're a mixed bag. Smart guy like you—ordinary places with thin spiritual energy might hold back your cultivation pace. You get it?"

"Thanks, Senior Brother," Pay Ling replied. He'd love a better spot, but with zero spirit stones in his pocket, he pretended not to catch the hint. "I come from humble roots. Any place to stay will do."

That disciple didn't give up. "Maybe a single D-stone? Some places seem similar, but live there long enough and you'll feel the difference. I'm not bragging, am familiar with in the Mountain area Ghost Shade Peak, from top to bottom—"

"How about you lend me a buck of Dstone, Senior Brother?" Pay Ling cut in after a moment's thought. "I swear I'll return—"

"Here, this spot," the disciple interrupted, pointing to a location on the sand table without another word. He cast a soul seal into Pay Ling's nameplate. "Done. You're set. Nothing else? You should go."

Seeing the disciple's attitude, Pay Ling braced himself for a rundown shack. But when he arrived, he was stunned. Though it was a bit isolated from the other houses, the area was lush with greenery, a babbling stream flowed by the door, and bees and butterflies danced about—a picture of serene mountain beauty.

The house itself was spotless, with bright windows and pristine furnishings.

Did I misjudge him with my petty suspicions? Or is the Abyss Pit Sect just that loaded, where even the worst lodging is this nice?

Pay Ling was puzzled but too lazy to dwell on it. He pulled out his nameplate, disabled the defense ward, and stepped inside. The interior was elegantly furnished, and from the arrangement, it seemed three others already lived here—though none were present now.

After a quick look around, Pay Ling eagerly pulled out the sect rulebook.