Not Without Sincerity

Ning Qingcheng reacted immediately.

"Junior Sister?!"

Ning Qingcheng instantly grasped the main point. The vigilance and wariness in her eyes finally loosened a bit, replaced by scrutiny and curiosity.

She sat up straight, like a little adult in the middle of a negotiation.

"What are the benefits of becoming your junior sister?"

"Benefits?" Lin Mo shrugged, speaking casually. "Probably that you can live as a normal person. As long as you don't want them to, Yanhuang Awakening will never bother you for the rest of your life."

Ning Qingcheng immediately retorted, "What if I don't want to be a normal person? I want to be an ability user!"

"Becoming my junior sister won't delay you from becoming an ability user."

Lin Mo looked at her with a calm gaze. "I am just giving you a chance to choose, a chance to not be bound by anyone and decide your own life. Of course, if you do something wrong, you will be expelled from the sect, and well, your abilities will be taken away."

Ultimately, saving this girl was already doing everything he could.

As for taking in a disciple, it didn't matter whether the system's disciple panel was unlocked or not. He could pass on the Yellow Court Nerve Nourishing Technique himself. At worst, it would just take a bit more effort to manually help Chu Miaomiao and Jiang Yunlu draw in spiritual energy.

There was really no need to beg a little girl to become his apprentice.

He had already done enough.

Seeing Lin Mo's indifferent attitude, Ning Qingcheng fell silent instead.

She lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression. Her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyes.

At this moment, Ning Qingcheng suddenly stood up from the sofa and knelt directly in front of Lin Mo.

This action surprised Lin Mo a little, but he calmly accepted it.

Just then, a figure was quickly coming upstairs.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow and spoke, "Don't rush to make a decision. There is someone you can meet first."

After he spoke, the door opened automatically, and Xia Zhi ran up, panting heavily.

Because it was inconvenient for the car to drive in, Xia Zhi had gotten out at the intersection and ran straight over.

The moment Xia Zhi entered the door, she froze at the doorframe.

The expected confrontation or conflict had not occurred; what met her eyes was the sight of Ning Qingcheng kneeling stiffly in front of Lin Mo.

The girl's body was as frail as a piece of porcelain that could shatter at any moment.

Xia Zhi subconsciously held onto the doorframe to steady her body and her mind.

"Am I... too late?"

She asked this question with some difficulty.

"No, you're right on time."

Lin Mo didn't even turn his head. His voice was as calm as if he were discussing the weather. He walked straight to the snack cabinet, opened the door, and skillfully pulled out a bag of Drunkard Peanuts.

He didn't like to drink, but he quite enjoyed eating these Drunkard Peanuts.

He slowly tore open the packaging, and a rich, spicy aroma instantly wafted out.

Ning Qingcheng, still kneeling on the floor, slowly raised her head. Her gaze crossed Lin Mo's shoulder and landed on Xia Zhi at the door.

It was an unfamiliar face, but for some reason, it made her feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

But she didn't know Xia Zhi.

Xia Zhi quickly stepped forward and, with gentle but unquestionable movements, helped Ning Qingcheng up from the cold floor.

"You're finally awake," Xia Zhi's voice carried a tremble that even she hadn't noticed. She carefully examined Ning Qingcheng's pale face. "How does your body feel? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"

This was the person she had sworn to protect with her life, and the hope her comrades had bought with theirs.

This emotion was far heavier than the mission itself.

Ning Qingcheng could intuitively recognize who the other party was.

The one who had protected her all the way from Pengcheng to Yangcheng, and then chased her from Yangcheng back to Pengcheng.

If there was one person in the entire file that she dared to get close to, it was only the woman in front of her.

"Sister Xia Zhi," Ning Qingcheng's voice was very soft but very clear. "Thank you for always protecting me."

She wasn't ungrateful; she just saw things too clearly. Most people in this world came and went for profit. Pure goodwill was too rare.

Xia Zhi's nose tingled, and she couldn't help but gently pull her into an embrace.

The hug was very light, as if she was afraid of breaking the girl in front of her.

"I'm sorry."

Xia Zhi's voice was muffled in the crook of her neck. "I couldn't protect your father well, and in the end, we had to rely on him to protect us."

The man who had used his life to block the enemy on the speedboat was Ning Qingcheng's father.

These details were also recorded in the file.

Ning Qingcheng's body stiffened for a moment, and then she slowly raised her arms to hug Xia Zhi back.

Her movements were a bit clumsy, but they carried a soothing power.

"I don't blame you."

She said softly, "Really, I should thank you."

Crunch, crunch.

An extremely discordant chewing sound abruptly rang out, breaking this moment of warmth.

The two women let go of each other in unison and looked toward the sound.

They saw that Lin Mo had somehow opened another bag of Lili potato chips and was stuffing them into his mouth one after another, eating with great relish.

Seeing the two look over, not only was he not the least bit embarrassed, but he also raised the rustling chip bag in his hand and asked seriously.

"BBQ flavor, want some?"

"Uh... no thanks, Mr. Lin, you eat."

"Alright, when you go back, ask your people for me if they're done using that bat."

Xia Zhi immediately replied, "We've finished using him. We are currently designing a related undercover plan. Does Mr. Lin have any suggestions?"

"No, it depends on whether Billy Chen's soul is still okay. If he failed to hold onto his true self and became a monster that only devours souls, then I will have to eliminate him. If he held on, then this undercover plan can proceed."

Xia Zhi was stunned for a moment. As if she remembered something, she asked carefully, "Is it that residential area?"

"Yes, it is that residential area."

"I heard that the Pengcheng branch is preparing to resolve that Feng Shui array."

Hearing this, Lin Mo felt a bit reluctant, but this reluctance quickly dissipated.

After all, he now had a better ghost-raising ground than that place.

Wait, should I go a step ahead, resolve that place, and conveniently collect all those random wandering ghosts and wild spirits?

Makes sense.

At this time, Ning Qingcheng suddenly spoke. She looked at Xia Zhi.

"Sister Xia Zhi, do you hope I go to Yanhuang Awakening or become Lin Mo's junior sister?"

Xia Zhi was taken aback. She looked at Lin Mo and mouthed, "There wouldn't be bugs here, right?"

Lin Mo laughed, "You say that as if Yanhuang Awakening would dare to bug my place."

These words were truly domineering.

Xia Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and looked seriously at Ning Qingcheng.

"Qingcheng, I'll just call you that."

Ning Qingcheng nodded.

"From the standpoint of Yanhuang Awakening, I would definitely want you to join Yanhuang Awakening because Yanhuang Awakening needs someone with powerful abilities. Some say your abilities will be even stronger than Director Long's, and I firmly believe this too."

Lin Mo didn't interrupt, but he felt there was a follow-up sentence coming.

"But, setting aside this identity, I hope more that you can follow Daoist Master Beixuan. Whether it's Master Beixuan or Mr. Lin Mo, they can both protect you and allow you to grow up as a normal person."