"Yi Lin, you're not seriously going to just let them die, are you? Even the Buddha once fed a hawk with his own flesh and offered his body to a starving tiger. Compared to that, isn't this a tiny sacrifice? You can't do even that for your master and sisters?" Kevin Cross asked with mock solemnity.
"N-no, I can! I'll do it!" Yi Lin stammered, flustered.
"So that means you agree to be my woman?" he pressed.
"If it can save my master and the others… I… I'll agree," she murmured softly.
"Good. Then remember you're my woman now." Kevin grinned.
Was coercing a little nun like this shameless? Maybe. But he wasn't pretending to be a saint. They were all men here; who didn't know how men thought? When opportunity knocked, why hesitate? Not that he was planning to take advantage of her right away. With someone as sheltered and timid as Yi Lin, this kind of push was just a way to open a door. The rest feelings, commitment he could build over time.
Besides, he already had Izumi Uchiha in the group, so he wasn't in a rush. Teasing Yi Lin was more about cultivating something slowly, letting it grow naturally.
Of course, this approach was also tailored to Yi Lin's personality. She was nothing like Izumi. Different lives, different minds so Kevin knew he had to play his cards differently with her.
"Hold on a sec. I'll upload The Smiling, Proud Wanderer for you. Oh, by the way do you know if Dongfang Bubai is a man or a woman?"
"Dongfang Bubai? Isn't he a man?" Yi Lin asked, bewildered.
"I told you there are many different versions of this story. Never mind, if you only know the original, you probably haven't seen the gender-swapped adaptations. Anyway, when did you join Mount Heng? Were you raised there from birth? Or did you join around age ten, when you could still remember things?"
"I was still a baby when Master brought me to Mount Heng," Yi Lin replied.
"Ah, got it. So it's not the modified version. Hang on." Kevin uploaded the plot summary of the Tri-version Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
As soon as the file appeared under the name The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Yi Lin thanked him and eagerly clicked in.
Izumi Uchiha, curious about Yi Lin's world one without any form of ninjutsu joined in as well. A world without ninjutsu? She couldn't even picture it. And more importantly, she wanted to see if Yi Lin was truly as innocent as she seemed. After all, they were to become sisters, even if from different worlds. It only made sense to get to know her.
Compared to Naruto, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer was much shorter. It didn't have nearly as much filler. Reading it from beginning to end wouldn't take long.
Soon, Yi Lin's appearance popped into Izumi's vision. Just from her appearance adorably timid and sweet Izumi felt a strange urge to protect her.
The World of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer
"Master! Master!" Yi Lin ran toward her teacher in a panic.
"Yi Lin? What's the matter? Is something wrong with that chat group again?" asked Mother Serene Grace, frowning with concern.
Many of Mount Heng's young nuns had been raised from infancy by the Three Mothers, but Yi Lin was their favorite. She was the most innocent, the most straightforward, and if they were being honest the most beautiful.
"Master, I… I " Yi Lin stood before her, her words stuck in her throat. Her heart was full of things to say, but she couldn't force a single one out. Then she remembered: her master would eventually be killed by Yue Buqun using the Bixie Sword Technique, pierced through with steel needles. Her eyes welled up with tears.
"Yi Lin, what is it? Tell me! Did someone in the chat group bully you?" Mother Serene Grace asked, quickly pulling Yi Lin into her arms, glaring fiercely well, she didn't actually have a beard to bristle, but her anger was palpable. She wanted to avenge Yi Lin, but the group was in Yi Lin's mind; there was nothing she could do.
"No one bullied me, Master. It's just…"
"Take your time. Tell me from the beginning," she soothed gently.
"Yes, today I was talking with Lady Izumi Uchiha from the chat group. She said she could breathe fire. I thought it was amazing, so I asked her about it…" Yi Lin began recounting everything every single word of the conversation, leaving nothing out. Eventually, she came to the part where Kevin Cross, the group leader, asked her to become his woman.
When Mother Serene Grace heard that, she immediately cursed him as a toad dreaming of swan meat.
Still, she remained skeptical about the part where Kevin revealed the future. After all, foretelling fate wasn't something mortals could do. Yet if he had the power to create that strange group in Yi Lin's mind, maybe he really could see the future. Just in case, she called in her two senior sisters Mother Silent Mercy and Mother Tranquil Spirit.
When the three heard about the massacre of the Fuwei Escort Agency by the Qingcheng Sect, they were stunned.
The Qingcheng Sect was, after all, a respected martial school. How could they commit such a cruel act?
But since this was said to be a prophecy from the mysterious group's leader, they couldn't outright dismiss it.
Then came Victor Gale now Victor Gale retiring with a golden basin, and the encounter with the notorious flower thief Tian Boguang. That didn't sit well with Mother Serene Grace either.
Next was Linghu Chong rescuing Yi Lin and forming an odd friendship with Tian. The phrase "Gamble and lose every time you meet a nun" made the three mothers frown. But they understood Linghu Chong did it to save Yi Lin, so they didn't hold it against him.
But when Victor Gale's entire household was wiped out by the Songshan Sect, their brows furrowed again. Such tyranny was inconceivable. The Five Sword Schools were supposed to be united how could Songshan act this way? And yet… the way Yi Lin described things made a chilling sort of sense.
As the story unfolded, the Three Mothers could feel a creeping dread set