“Are you ready to talk now?” Wenling whispered as she dragged Jing a little bit ahead of their group.
“Ask your questions.” Jing told her.
“Are you really Jing?” She asked seriously.
Jing chuckled at this question despite the seriousness on Wenling’s face.
“I was not completely honest with you earlier when I told you I was still the same Jing you knew. The Jing you knew was a fake. A personality I used to make myself seem more harmless and worthless. I didn’t act that way specifically to get close to you or the Wolfeng Gang in particular. I acted that way towards everyone to try and slowly build my strength and influences inside the sect.” Jing honestly told her.
She could’ve lied and continued to lie to Wenling about being that weak Jing from earlier and the only reason she’s so different now is because of her near-death experience. But that isn’t what she wanted to do nor would she act in that way anytime soon. It would be pointless to keep stringing Wenling along with this fake existence she believed she was close to. Especially when it was time for her to come out into the open in the sect and really start her faction’s growth.
“So, it was all an act? Everything?”
“No, not everything.”
“Then what was real and what was fake? I mean why did you even agree to become my protégé? What was the point of all this if it was all a lie?”
“I joined you because you offered.” Jing stated plain and simply.
“Song offered you to join her too... Why did you pick the Wolfeng Gang over the Fearsome Garden?” Wenling wanted to know.
“There were two reasons. The first reason was that I was interested in you personally. The second reason was that the fake personality I was hiding under had no reason to refuse your better offer.”
A silence overtook Wenling, she turned and thought deeply about her feelings towards this sudden information. She didn’t know how she felt about Jing anymore. The apprentice and friend she believed in this entire time was actually an entirely different person who was most likely using her for some purpose she didn’t know of. If this was anyone else, it would be easy to answer. She’d beat the hell out of them for the good of the Wolfeng Gang.
But Jing wasn’t anyone else, or at least the Jing she knew wasn’t. From what Jing was telling her now, those two Jings were not the same person and never will be. Is there any reason to continue associating with her? The times they went through... just how much of it really mattered? Wenling wanted them all to have mattered so that she couldn’t deny the positive emotions they brought to her but reality was suggesting another outcome. An outcome in which barely any of them were meaningful in anyway.
‘Hmm... Her loyalty percentage is dropping fast. I might need to lotus her as well if this continues.’ Jing thought as she looked her system.
[Mission available for host!]
[Stop Wenling’s loyalty from dropping without altering her mind with external or internal tools!]
[Reward: 1 Rare Ticket]
Jing scoffed at the system. It wasn’t going to force her into acting in a certain manner. Wenling would be valuable but she isn’t required for her goal of reforming and taking over the sect. She isn’t required in the sense that she needs to have free will to be useful to her. Wenling on her own still has uses. She is one of the important pillars in one of the top Outer Court factions, taking control of her is an easy way of accomplishing another mission of hers along with making the Wolfeng Gang Jing’s.
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But she’ll give it a try at least. Since she plans to become a better leader from now on, she can’t just watch as one of her followers lose trust in her right in front of her. Jing has to at least try and salvage the situation or she truly would be a failure of a leader. It wasn’t in her plans to give more effort than what would be reasonable. If Wenling was set on throwing away their relationship, then that was that.
“Wenling.” She turned and looked at her, obviously conflicted. “You are not wrong to feel betrayed or wronged by me. I have betrayed you. The person you gave your trust, affection, and care to was not the person you believed they were. I’m not asking you to forgive my actions or excuse what I have done to you. I will ask that you understand that I never once planned to hurt you personally or the Wolfeng gang.” Jing spoke.
“How can I believe you? You’re a complete stranger to me...”
“Think of everything I've done to help and support the Wolfeng Gang. Then think of everything I’ve done to hurt or hinder them.” Jing told her.
Wenling was forced to face the facts at this comment. Everything Jing has done has only resulted in good things for them. Sure, some bad things happened but those weren’t Jing’s fault. It could’ve happened to anyone inside the Treasured Plains. Wenling couldn’t fault Jing at all regarding if she wanted to hurt her or her gang. Without her and her talismans, they would’ve long been wiped out inside the Treasured Plains. An undeniable fact that was too large to ignore. She saved their lives time and time again and when she couldn’t, she tried her best to aid them.
A lingering feeling in the busty violet-haired girl’s heart that told her she should still be upset but not as upset as before. She was manipulated and fooled but not in a way that hurt her standing as commander or a cultivator. In a way, it was her own fault for being deceived so perfectly. One flaw that she plans to work on from now on.
“I do not forgive you for lying and using me for so long. But I must thank you for everything you’ve done for my squad. Without you, we wouldn’t be here now, neither would we have all this loot. Jing, you saved me and my men’s lives on numerous occasions and I can’t hate you for what you did. I don’t like what you did and I don’t think you should’ve done it but I can’t consider you my enemy even if I don’t know of your intentions towards my group.” Wenling responded.
[Host has received a Rare Ticket!]
Jing saw that her loyalty was at a static low 28% but not heading straight towards 0 like it was earlier. She could work with this and even got a rare ticket because of it. In time, Jing believed that she could raise her loyalty back up. Especially when she infects the rest of the Wolfeng Gang with her lotus plant. She’ll have no choice but to accept her if all of the people she considers close love her. In fact, the only reason why Wenling was exempt from being affected by the lotus plants was because she commanded it. The lotus only spread on her command. And because of her choice today, she wouldn’t receive one in the future either.
“That’s fair.” Jing said.
The two returned back to the group with an awkward heavy atmosphere around them. Many could get the picture and understood not to ask anything about what was said. If a certain annoying person was awake and not convulsing in pain right now, he would surely have said something inappropriate upon their return. But he was still in the process of fully receiving Jing’s gift from the system.
Hu Tao was the first of her followers to officially receive an SCP and as of now, the only person who could accept an SCP from her. The system stated that only followers with 100% loyalty rating could receive an SCP from the system. Jing agreed with this type of limitation. While it doesn’t completely stop her from accidentally gifting an SCP to someone who will betray her and use it for their own personal means, it does make it more difficult.
The only person who was close to 100% loyalty rating was Lei Zhi. He was currently reading the combat martial art she gave him. Previously, she gifted him a Fishing Art as a gift for joining her but technically that wasn’t a martial art meant for fighting. Lei Zhi, himself, adapted that manual into one that could be considered a fighting style. A clever and insightful read of something that Jing failed to think of herself. Jing would consider herself cruel enough to give someone a fishing pole to defend their life with, but that wasn’t her purpose with Lei Zhi at all.
His new combat art, God’s Fingers, was a martial art that would be quite a boon for someone like Lei Zhi who disliked violence, killing, and death. And seeing how his loyalty is slowly approaching full, Jing believed that she’ll be able to complete a mission she thought was impossible by the time they leave the Treasured Plains. The others had their loyalty percent rise as well when she gifted them their rewards but only Lei Zhi’s was drastic enough to mention. Maybe she’ll be a bit more rewarding when he completes another task for her if he does reach 100%.