Nature's Oddities: Why Good People Turn a Blind Eye

Lin Luoyu still reached out to take the experimental product handed by Donggua, but she rejected Donggua’s proposal to assist in the treatment.

Her face no longer concealed her wariness as she stared at Donggua and said:

"You only need to tell me how to use it. Whether I use it in the end, and how I use it—I’ll decide that myself."

Donggua slowly took two steps back, giving Lin Luoyu ample psychological space:

"Simply extend your divine sense into it, and it will naturally guide you to the correct method of use. However… the first attempt will inevitably be a bit clumsy."

Lin Luoyu glanced at the experimental product in her hand, her gaze sweeping over the two of them:

"Wait here for me. Once I’m done, I’ll come find you."

Seeing Lin Luoyu’s resolute attitude, Donggua simply stood in place without another word—the rest was up to Cui Hao.

Lin Luoyu turned and vanished from sight with Cui Hao in tow.

Donggua watched the direction they had left with calm eyes, a slow smile spreading across her face. Without turning her head, she remarked:

"One is full of herself, the other is kept in the dark—a foolish sheep rushing to its doom, and a soft-hearted tiger."

"With these two, we might even uncover some information about the Taidao Sect."

"Lin Luoyu’s righteous aura shouldn’t go to waste either. It’s definitely tastier than faith energy. I’ll share some with you when the time comes."

Xigua had already found a comfortable spot to lean against, listening to Donggua’s triumphant declaration, yet feeling no joy in his heart.

He sighed softly. "Don’t you think everything’s gone a little too smoothly?"

"Smoothly?" Donggua shot him a sideways glance. "You call losing half your body, me being severely injured, and being chased all the way here ‘smooth’?"

Xigua looked up at the azure sky. "Let me be blunt. Ever since we met that fate-peddling Daoist, I’ve felt like we stepped into a trap tailor-made for us—to study us, then corner us until we’re desperate enough to grab at anything that looks like salvation."

"Just when we were on the brink of death, we ran into Cui Hao and Lin Luoyu. Just when we needed manpower to advance our plan and report to the higher-ups, Cui Hao practically threw himself at us, with Lin Luoyu as a bonus."

"We had no choice, and they arrived at just the right moment."

"The rogue cultivator who suddenly disrupted our plans was the hook, and Cui Hao and the others were the line."

"We took the bait, and now they’re reeling us in. A perfect setup—we’ve been played cleanly."

Donggua didn’t rush to refute Xigua’s words. After a moment of silence, she questioned:

"So you’re saying Lin Luoyu, brimming with righteous aura, is collaborating with a blood-cultivating rogue from the Evil Spirit Sect? One as the hook, the other as the line? And now we’ve somehow become the shared target of both righteous and demonic factions?"

Xigua was momentarily at a loss for words.

If it hadn’t been Lin Luoyu—if she hadn’t radiated such overwhelming righteous aura—Donggua’s guard might have stayed high. She might have questioned whether Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao were part of a trap, and might not have called out to them in the first place.

Some people need not speak to put others on edge, while others exude trustworthiness at a glance.

No one would believe that a righteous cultivator would abandon their principles to collaborate with a rogue cultivator.

Especially one as exceptional as Lin Luoyu. To a cultivator, righteous aura was far more valuable than any experimental product—it was the pure essence of their Dao.

It would be like an emperor abandoning his throne to fight a beggar for a broken bowl.

It made no logical sense.

Xigua had turned it over in his mind countless times during their journey and concluded that Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao couldn’t possibly be working with Li Xingtian.

Yet an inexplicable unease and a sense of wrongness clung to him.

Seeing Xigua’s silent, troubled expression, Donggua sighed softly.

"I know you’ve always been cautious. But the word ‘gamble’—whether you accept it or not—will follow you all your life."

"Every choice with an unknown outcome is, by nature, a gamble."

"Sometimes, all we can do is hope we’ve bet right."

Xigua remained silent, only nodding slowly.

He recalled Donggua’s words and swallowed lightly.

If he could taste righteous aura… it would surely be a unique experience.

As for the fact that these two were their saviors… well, that was just the misfortune of good people.

They’d saved those they shouldn’t have.

Cui Hao shook the experimental product in his hand and clicked his tongue.

"This thing looks shady at first glance."

Lin Luoyu glanced sideways at him. "Done looking? Hand it back. We still need to use it."

Cui Hao blinked in surprise. "Wait, Senior Sister, you’re seriously planning to use this on me? What if it turns my peerless talent into something pig-brained? I’d rather smash my head against a rock."

"Are you pretending to be stupid now?" Lin Luoyu said flatly. "Of course we’ll test it on some random beast first. We don’t know this thing well—what if they can tell whether we’ve used it or not?"

"Senior Sister makes a fair point. But handling this ourselves still carries risks," Cui Hao nodded solemnly. "So we should leave it to someone else. I’m sure a top expert from the Taidao Sect can handle it flawlessly."

As he spoke, he took out a token and channeled a trace of spiritual power into it.

Within moments, a middle-aged cultivator arrived, his presence carefully concealed.

The cultivator’s aura was profound. He cupped his hands slightly and asked, "What task requires my assistance?"

Though their cultivation was insignificant in his eyes, these two were no ordinary hired hands—they were highly influential young masters of the "Little Friend Realm."

Or, as Daoist Yuyang would put it, they belonged to an even loftier tier—the "Little Daddy Realm."

Cui Hao smiled warmly, his tone polite.

"Apologies for troubling you, Elder. Could you test this on a random beast and note any unusual effects?"

The middle-aged cultivator took the experimental product and examined it briefly before glancing at Lin Luoyu.

Only after she gave a slight nod did he cup his hands again and depart.

Cui Hao stretched his limbs where he stood—his Fourth Senior Sister had jostled him all the way here without a shred of mercy for her poor junior brother.

Before long, the middle-aged cultivator returned, his expression slightly odd.

"After use, this item leaves a hidden mark on both the user and the subject. Those with insufficient cultivation wouldn’t even detect it… Moreover, it has strange and highly unstable effects. It’s likely just a crude prototype."

Lin Luoyu asked, "Can this mark be applied to us?"

The cultivator nodded. "Not difficult, but it will take some time."

Cui Hao’s expression remained calm, his eyes flickering with unreadable thoughts.