17 Chapter 17
After being deeply shocked by the super-large "shopping mall" of the Hehuan Sect, these disciples, under the leadership of Ning Shu and others, completed a painting of a beauty that satisfied Yun Zhi at the shores of Acacia Lake, one of the famous "holy places for crying out loud after a broken heart". Now it was late at night, and it was finally time for the most important late-night interview for the magazine report.
Fortunately, all the disciples who were selected as the first batch of interview subjects were outstanding people who had successfully drawn Qi into their bodies by virtue of their popularity. Of course, they did not have problems such as fatigue and sleepiness that ordinary people would have. They sat in a row opposite Ning Shu, and nodded with an expression of helplessness on their faces as they were being interviewed for the first time.
According to popularity rankings, the first person to be interviewed was still Miss Liu Pianpian, who would soon grace the cover of the magazine. She had actually been in a state of confusion, letting Yun Zhi and Lan Xi manipulate her all day. Her face was still in the same makeup she had just worn as a model, and beneath the pure and holy teardrop makeup, she looked bewildered, almost coming to her senses. "Young Sect Master, what do you want to tell me?"
Just now, the Young Sect Master only said that he wanted to do a "character interview", and then he packed up and brought all of them to this empty study. Liu Pianpian didn't know what a "character interview" was, but the Young Sect Master sitting opposite her holding a brush and with a serious face inexplicably made her feel oppressed as if she was being interrogated.
"Don't be nervous, I'm just asking a few simple questions." Ning Shu smiled at Liu Pianpian, signaling her to relax, and lowered her head to start writing something on the paper:
"What was your life like before you came here? How did you decide to participate in our audition? Can you tell me about it?"
"Of course, but nothing worth recording happened..." Liu Pianpian placed her hands on her legs, entwined them with the tassels on her skirt, squinted her eyes and began to recall:
"Most of the time was actually pretty boring. I practiced dancing during the day, then danced in different places at night, drinking and having fun with those dignitaries...
Later, I gradually got older. If I continued to live like this, my life would only go downhill. I was unwilling to marry someone casually and live a sloppy life, so after seeing the announcement you released..."
Although Liu Pianpian's dancing was light and graceful, her storytelling was quite unremarkable. She simply narrated her life story in a few dry sentences. When she looked up, she saw that the young sect leader was still burying his head in writing furiously. She wrote one article after another in a very fluent manner, and only stopped writing after a stick of incense, feeling unsatisfied.
"Alright! This is the finished draft!" Ning Shu picked up the paper and gently blew away the wet ink on it, then handed the manuscript to the other party: "Please check if there is anything you want to revise. If there is no problem, I will go back and add some polishing and finalize it directly!"
Did I say so many words just now?
Liu Pianpian took the paper with some doubts and lowered her head to read. Several other disciples around her also leaned over curiously to take a look. They saw the following words written on the paper:
…Although Liu Pianpian was already the most beautiful courtesan in the City That Never Sleeps, she never found joy in it. She often leaned against the window and gazed out into the distance, watching the birds soar freely in the sky while she herself was trapped in vain in her luxurious room. Despite its splendor, it felt like a brocade cage, imprisoning her and denying her freedom…
The disciples who saw this said: ...
So weird, let me take another look.
… He danced gracefully like a bird in a cage, wishing to soar into the sky, but could only shackle himself and perform a mournful dance. His movements were graceful and mournful, his heart tearing up while his face smiled. However, the audience, all indulged in sensual pleasures, only saw his superficial appearance and failed to perceive the loneliness in his heart…
Pian Pian often found herself amidst the clamor of crowds, her heart lonely, with no one to confide in, so she could only shed tears in silence. Yet, everyone was happy at the banquet, so afraid of being questioned, she swallowed her tears and feigned joy, sleepless nights until dawn...
The disciples who saw this said: ...
Good, how miserable! This is too miserable! Sister Pianpian is so pitiful! It's so painful to see her forcing a smile!
Noticing the sympathetic gazes from the people around her, even Liu Pianpian, who had long been accustomed to being stared at by all kinds of people, couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.
Who is this poor man that the young master wrote about?
"This... Young Master, is this too..." Liu Pianpian held the manuscript in her hand and hesitated to speak: "Actually... I'm doing okay..."
At least it's much better than other girls who sell themselves to brothels and are forced to receive customers every day. She is actually quite content.
"I know that you must be strong-willed to be able to become an oiran. Your past is nothing to you.
But we are writing this article for those who like you, so of course we have to portray your past as tragic and pitiful, so as to highlight your indomitable spirit! More people will like you!
Ning Shu took the manuscript back and read it over happily, then carefully put it aside, shaking his head proudly: "Besides, I didn't make this up, did I? These are obviously your real experiences, I just wrote them down truthfully-"
At this point, she stretched out her right hand, pinching her index and middle fingers together to form a tiny distance. "At most, I added a little bit of embellishment. I'm not afraid of someone checking it out!"
So Liu Pianpian compromised and hesitantly agreed to the publication of this article.
"Alright, alright! Next up!" Ning Shu pulled out another stack of white paper from the drawer and spread it out. Holding a pen, she looked at Shangguan Huaijin, who was sitting dignified and quiet. "It's your turn! Actually, I'm quite curious about your story. Why don't you tell me why you gave up your pampered life in the Shangguan family?"
Shangguan Huaijin was not wearing the dress she usually wore. Yun Zhi felt that her temperament was friendly and pure, so she specially changed her into a beautiful girl's outfit. She was already beautiful, and with a pitiful little white flower in her hair, she looked very different from an ordinary country girl. In Ning Shu's opinion, she had the temperament of an old-fashioned Mary Sue heroine.
Shangguan Huaijin sat on the chair with his head down, thinking for a moment, then raised his head with determination: "Young Sect Master, my parents died young, and I myself have three spiritual roots with no talent for cultivation.
It’s fine that I’m bullied by other young ladies and gentlemen on a daily basis, but I accidentally learned a few days ago that the elders of the clan are planning to marry me off to a playboy from the Huangfu family as a concubine...”
Shangguan Huaijin's story is pitiful, and it is an old-fashioned cliché that every modern person is familiar with - a useless orphan is pushed out for marriage, and exchanges her lifelong happiness for a few resources for her family.
"Um... this..." Ning Shu poked his chin with the pen as he listened. "Although I understand your feelings of not wanting to marry a scumbag, but because of this, you actually abandoned your family and joined the Hehuan Sect? You know what our Hehuan Sect relied on for cultivation before, right?"
This world, which should have been an ancient one, has indeed undergone great changes because of the existence of immortal cultivators. For example, many female cultivators with extraordinary strength or talent can roam the world freely like male cultivators. There are also sects like the Hehuan Sect composed of women. However, these openness and freedom are not due to the liberation of people's thoughts, but purely due to the crushing of strength.
In other words, the feudalism and conservatism of those immortal cultivation families are no different from the ancient Chinese families. Shangguan Huaijin has received such female virtue education of "three obediences and four virtues" since childhood. It is hard to imagine that she would directly join the Hehuan Sect in order to avoid getting married.
This sounds as outrageous as a rich lady selling herself to a brothel in order to escape her marriage.
It is obvious that other sects also accept female disciples, so there is no reason for them to only target the Hehuan Sect.
"I..." Shangguan Huaijin's face, which had always been calm and dignified, finally turned pale at this moment. It seemed that this question exposed the key details that she had always wanted to cover up. Her body began to tremble slightly, and she stuttered for a long time but couldn't say anything.
After all, this was just a character interview, and Ning Shu didn't mean to ask too many questions. Seeing that the interviewee was so frightened, she quickly said something to comfort him:
"Forget it, forget it. If you don't want to, don't tell me. But then our interview can't focus on the reason why you defected to the Hehuan Sect. After all, it's easy for people to find loopholes. Let me think..." Ning Shu took the initiative to change the subject: "How about this, why don't you tell me more about your life in the Shangguan family? Maybe..."
"But, if that happens, fewer people will be interested in me, right?" Shangguan Huaijin lowered his head and spoke softly, then quickly raised his head with hope: "Young Sect Master, the more people like me, the faster my cultivation will improve, right?"
Shangguan Huaijin was the first one among this group of new disciples to show a strong desire to practice. While others were still immersed in the satisfaction of "I am finally a fairy", she could not wait to show her ambition and desire to become stronger.
"...It's like this. You are the first group of experimenters in the Hehuan Sect's improved cultivation method, and it seems that the new cultivation method has been very effective so far." Ning Shu also made a confession to these most promising and popular contestants for the first time:
"Although it's not obvious now, I estimate that when the talent show officially begins recording and more people like you, your cultivation will also rise accordingly." She clasped her hands on the table, expressing a faint approval of Shangguan Huaijin's enterprising spirit.
"And theoretically, there's no upper limit to this type of cultivation. As long as you can attract enough followers, relying on their love to advance to the Mahayana stage or even ascend directly isn't impossible."
The other contestants did not react much to this statement. They had only been exposed to the world of immortal cultivation for too short a time, and they did not even understand what the Mahayana stage of cultivation actually meant.
But Shangguan Huaijin was different. Her fair face instantly flushed with excitement, her breathing unconsciously became heavy, and she bit her lower lip lightly with her pearly teeth, struggling for a moment before quickly making a decision: "Then I say! As long as I can be stronger than the Shangguan family, I'm willing to do anything!"
So for the next period of time, Ning Shu and the other contestants present listened to the feuds between the wealthy families.
Shangguan Huaijin did indeed flee her family because she didn't want to marry a scumbag, and she did not lie about this.
As for why he chose to join the Hehuan Sect?
"It's really because I have nowhere else to go except the Hehuan Sect." Shangguan Huaijin supported his forehead and smiled bitterly.
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