Grown Crooked

I've been tricked.

But it wasn't Ning Qingcheng and her people who were tricked; it was Lin Mo.

Lin Mo looked at the panel in his mind labeled "Master-Disciple System", and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

This thing was an absolute scam.

Although he had already bound Ning Qingcheng, and the panel clearly listed her various details, such as her physical condition and her seemingly heaven-defying abilities.

Ning Qingcheng's spirit root was incredibly unique. In the cultivation world, she would be respectfully hailed as possessing a Spatial Holy Body.

The major holy lands would fight tooth and nail over her. She was the absolute template of a future Empress.

In this world, upon awakening, she could rely on her spiritual energy to compress and distort space, or even use spatial forces to crush anything into fine dust.

"Impart Power"

"Gift"

Wait, is this some kind of dating sim?

Do I need to grind for affection points too?

However, Lin Mo's gaze was fixed on the very bottom of the panel, on an inconspicuous button that glowed with a dangerous red light.

"Disable Power"

Was this really a Master-Disciple System, or a Slave System?

Lin Mo grumbled inwardly, but his face remained completely impassive.

Meanwhile, the topic of discussion in the living room was something else.

"There's still plenty of time left in the summer vacation. At your age, you really ought to be attending school."

Lin Mo set down his can of cola. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

Sitting across from him, Ning Qingcheng immediately furrowed her brows, her small face written all over with resistance.

"The Ning family always hired the best private tutors for one-on-one lessons."

"Then how were your academic results?" Lin Mo asked casually.

"Oh? How were your grades then?" Lin Mo asked in passing.

"I could solve any problem the teachers gave me." Ning Qingcheng's tone carried an innate pride, and she certainly had the right to be proud.

Lin Mo tapped his knuckles gently against the tabletop, the rhythmic thudding exceptionally clear in the quiet living room.

He changed the subject.

"Do you have any friends, then?"

That single question caused all of Ning Qingcheng's prepared arguments to catch in her throat.

She froze.

Even Xia Zhi, who had been listening quietly from the sidelines, couldn't help but glance over, her eyes holding a mix of curiosity and realization.

"If you only ever studied at home, then you really wouldn't have any friends, would you."

"I... I don't need friends." Ning Qingcheng's voice grew tight as she subconsciously straightened her small back.

"Father always said that the people of our Ning family are different. We don't need things like that."

Hearing this, Lin Mo unceremoniously reached out and flicked her lightly on her smooth forehead.

Thwack.

The little girl clutched her head, glaring at him with anger and annoyance.

Lin Mo didn't even look at her. Instead, he turned to Xia Zhi and spread his hands, his tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather:

"This kid seems to have been raised a bit wrong."

"You're the one who's wrong!"

Ning Qingcheng puffed out her cheeks. "Father said I'm different from ordinary people! Being friends with them would only bring trouble to others!"

"The Ning family is gone now," Lin Mo shook his head, stating a cold, hard fact. "You are just an ordinary person too."

Those words were like a needle, viciously piercing the girl's most sensitive nerve.

She snapped her head up, as proud as a provoked little peacock.

"I am not! I am an ability user!"

Is that so?

A hint of amusement flashed deep in Lin Mo's eyes.

With a mere thought, he pressed that red button on the damn system panel.

The entire process was impossibly fast and completely untraceable.

He leisurely leaned back against the sofa and tilted his chin toward the stubborn little girl.

"You say you're an ability user?"

"Then why don't you use an ability right now and show me?"

Lin Mo's tone was light and breezy, even carrying a hint of lazy provocation.

The next second, the pride on Ning Qingcheng's face instantly froze.

She channeled her spiritual energy, attempting to connect with the surrounding space. Yet, the power she had just awakened—a power that had felt as natural as moving her own limbs—had vanished without a trace.

The space around her was still just space.

But the door she had previously been able to push open at will now felt as though it had been welded shut, completely unyielding.

What was going on?

A flicker of panic crossed Ning Qingcheng's eyes. Refusing to believe it, she tried again. This time, she exerted all her strength, her small face flushing red with the effort.

However, that familiar power remained entirely unresponsive, sinking like a stone into the ocean.

She had completely lost contact with the ability she was most proud of.

Ning Qingcheng stared blankly at Lin Mo. A bone-deep sense of emptiness washed over her, as if the most vital component of her body had been instantly ripped away.

She quickly realized what had happened, her voice turning dry.

"It's that contract!"

"Yes, it's the contract."

Lin Mo's voice was flat and waveless, yet it struck her heart like a heavy hammer. "Now, you are an ordinary person. Tell me, as an ordinary person, what can you do?"

What could she do?

Those words exploded in Ning Qingcheng's mind.

She sat there stunned, her lips trembling, but unable to make a single sound.

Everything from her past flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern. The pride and capital that belonged to the Ning family had all turned into an illusion, like flowers in a mirror or the moon's reflection in the water.

She looked around in a daze before finally grasping at a lifeline, saying eagerly, "Even if I'm an ordinary person, I can still manage the Ning family's businesses!"

Lin Mo's eyes held not a shred of pity as he stated a cold, hard fact.

"They're gone. All confiscated."

"You've seen the files. Even the side branches of your Ning family weren't completely clean. In this world, the Ning family's businesses no longer exist."

Ning Qingcheng immediately slumped to the floor.

Everything had lost its meaning.

Just as she sank into boundless despair, the power that had been stripped away surged back into her body like a tidal wave, filling her limbs and bones.

Lin Mo had deactivated the power restriction.

But his next words were even more chilling than the restriction itself.

"By the way, you are now a disciple of my Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect."

Lin Mo looked down at her from above, his tone casual but his words leaving no room for doubt. "Our sect has rules. Your abilities cannot be used for evil. If you break this rule, I won't just disable your power like I did just now. I will strip it from you. Permanently. Do you understand?"

Lin Mo gave himself a mental thumbs-up for this carrot-and-stick speech.

To deal with a smart but slightly misguided brat like her, he had to use a mix of grace and severity; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep her in check.

He ignored the slumped Ning Qingcheng and made the final decision, turning to Xia Zhi beside him:

"Make the arrangements for her. She'll attend the Thirteenth Middle School next to Guangba, so she can experience the life of an ordinary person."

With that, Lin Mo crouched down and placed his hand emotionlessly on top of Ning Qingcheng's head.

"From now on, tell outsiders that I am your cousin. Before you turn eighteen, you must prove to me that you can control yourself and properly integrate into society. I won't be holding your hand."

These words made Xia Zhi nod in agreement. From her perspective, she much preferred the idea of Ning Qingcheng living as an ordinary person.