After Xiaodie left, Pei Lianxue obediently went to warm the bed. Lying on one side, she stared with her big, bright eyes at Ye Anping, who was sitting at the desk.
Ye Anping took some time to collect himself and completely clear his mind, focusing his energy and attention.
He then took a brush, moistened its tip, and gently tapped on the inkstone.
Straightening his chest, he lowered his eyes and wrote out six words on a blank sheet of rice paper: - Moon Shadow Sword Sect - Strategy Plan .
Below, he wrote three lines.
First Lady of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, Yun Yiyi, mid-stage Foundation Building . Second Lady of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, Yun Jiujiu, late-stage Foundation Building . Third Lady of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, Yun Xi, mid-stage Foundation Building . After writing this, Ye Anping put the brush back on the pen holder and stared intently at the content on the paper while analyzing it in his mind.
According to the game's timeline, the Moon Shadow Sword Sect and the Imperial Sect plot lines happened simultaneously. However, this world had already changed.
Yun Xi appeared in the Dragon House and almost died because of the red snow created by the demonic cultivators. Yun Yiyi sent a jade slip to the Hundred Lotus Sect, hoping that he, as the Young Master, would marry into their sect. In the game, once the rumor was released that "Yun Tianchong, the leader of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, is about to leave seclusion", the tasks for this sect would be activated, and players could start receiving missions.
Although Ye Anping had not heard the news now, he had a vague feeling that this matter might be brought forward due to the butterfly effect.
In the Moon Shadow Sword Sect plot line, players could choose three directions, corresponding to the three Ladies of the Yun Family.
There were also three different endings. Although these endings didn't have much impact on the main storyline, they greatly affected the survival of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect and the rewards obtained by players.
The three endings were as follows:
"One person dies."
"Two people die."
"All three are wiped out."
But as for who died, it all depended on which plot line the player chose.
In the game, most players chose to let Yun Jiujiu survive to the end because this ending offered the richest rewards. However, if you were to ask which sister was the most popular of the three, it would be Yun Xi.
It sounded quite contradictory, but because hard-core players accounted for the majority, this result was understandable.
In the game, players could only follow the official route; however, this world was not a game.
Whether from the profit or empathy perspective, Ye Anping wanted to come out with a perfect "everyone lives" ending.
Moreover, this kind of ending would also have a positive impact on the following main plot.
What happened at the Dragon House was enough to show that he couldn't follow the usual plot progression, and that he had to take shortcuts and refine a more perfect process based on the information he had.
However...
"Tsk..."
Ye Anping frowned deeply. After going through dozens of plans in his mind, he found that if he wanted to implement them, he lacked a key trump card.
He needed someone to cooperate with him.
And this person, preferably a man, must be shrewd enough, know how to adapt to circumstances and be able to execute any order given by him without fail. His combat skills should be strong, and his cultivation level must be in the middle stage of Foundation Building or above.
Most importantly, this person should have absolute obedience and loyalty and not betray him.
...
Ye Anping was looking for candidates in his mind, but after thinking for a while, he realized that the people he had met this year were more or less "snowflakes", and Liang Zhu was the only one who was tough as a "rock".
Although Liang Zhu satisfied most of the conditions, there was still a question mark regarding "obedience and loyalty".
If someone's doing things for money and the money is not enough, he will slack on the job. He dared not use Liang Zhu in the Moon Shadow Sword Sect matter.
Ye Anping scribbled dozens of names on paper, but in the end, without exception, they were all crossed out with one stroke of ink.
"Huh... Does one of the three ladies of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect really have to die? But who should die? In terms of benefits, Yun Xi has the highest value. Then... should it be her?"
Muttering like this, Ye Anping frowned, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
He felt his conscience was being tested.
Did he really have the right to decide someone's life and death? He couldn't answer this question.
At this time, Ye Anping felt that the spiritual energy in his meridians began to surge, and his chest felt heavy. He immediately understood:
Not good! The energy in his heart was disturbed! Something bad was about to happen! Ye Anping quickly tried to clear his mind, but it seemed that it was already too late.
The next moment, a sharp pain spread from his lower abdomen.
He gritted his teeth tightly and thought about how to deal with his inner demons.
"...Hiss--"
Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around his neck from behind, trying to pull him out of the chair.
Pei Lianxue's voice reached his ears. "Brother, let's go to sleep~~~ You can deal with this tomorrow~~~"
Hearing this voice, Ye Anping's expression focused, and suddenly, he felt the severe pain in his abdomen dissipate completely, replaced by the suffocating feeling of his neck being strangled.
"Ah..."
Pei Lianxue got off the bed at some point, got behind him, and grabbed his neck as if she wanted to force him to come to the bed.
"Sister, stop pulling. My neck is going to break. I'll come right away!"
Pei Lianxue frowned and said seriously, "Not right away, now!"
"Fine, fine! Now! I'm coming to sleep now..."
Ye Anping didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he was also grateful that his sister's strangulation had actually cleared his mind.
Indeed, the shock and sudden suffocation could directly interrupt a person's thought process.
Seeing that Ye Anping had agreed, Pei Lianxue withdrew her hands and went back to bed. Then, she raised the quilt and slapped the bed, pouting as she urged him, "Hurry up! Hurry up!"
"Coming..."
Ye Anping glanced at the plan on the table, turned it over, and placed a few books on top of it. Then, he went and sat on the edge of the bed, took off his shoes, and lay down.
Without a word, Pei Lianxue pulled down the quilt and squeezed into his arms.
"I've been waiting for a long time."
"How long?"
"I silently recited your name one thousand two hundred times," Pei Lianxue complained, with puffed-up cheeks. "And you were still sitting there..."
Ye Anping relaxed and extinguished the candle on the table with a wave. Then, he slipped his hand under Pei Lianxue's shoulder and hugged her.
"Let's sleep."
"Umm... brother, did the Patriarch and Madam say anything today?"
"About what?"
"Well... I slept with you, so... did they agree?"
"Silly girl."
Ye Anping shook his head helplessly; no wonder this girl was so nervous when she came back today. Apparently, she was afraid that Ye Ao and Kong Yulan would not allow them to be together?
It seemed that his sister always felt that she was just an ordinary person from a rural family and couldn't compare to him, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. So, she was worried about their social status being incompatible?
After a pause, Ye Anping asked, "If they don't agree, what will you do?"
"If they don't agree, we'll hide; if they agree, we'll be in the open."
"...Pfft---"
Ye Anping burst out laughing at his sister's words.
But Pei Lianxue couldn't find the humor and looked at him with shimmering eyes. "So... do we have to hide?"
Ye Anping caressed her cheek gently. "Don't worry, we're in the open."
"Mhm... hehe---"
"Now sleep. Good night."