Heroine, don't turn back, I'm just a farmer.

Chapter 8: What exactly is the "Must-Eat List in Jianghu"?

My favorability rating increased by five points?

Lu Guo was a little dissatisfied, but then he thought that going from being extremely wary to starting to confess was already a significant improvement.

I don't know what kind of personality traits this NPC has, but he's actually quite easy to win over.

Therefore, the talk therapy needs to continue to see if we can uncover more hidden conversations.

Both of them.

Lu Guo repeated the four words, his tone slightly playful: "Tianluo Xiang is indeed greedy."

This statement is ambiguous, but in the current context, it perfectly picks up on what the other person was saying.

The man in black relaxed his shoulders slightly.

A bitter feeling, indescribable and inexplicable, filled my heart.

It's less about greed and more about being used as a tool.

She had already realized that the other party could kill her with ease, yet they were still playing this game with her...

Why play games with yourself?

[Affection level change: -15 → -10]

[The other party is beginning to show suspicion towards Tianluoxiang; this is a potential breakthrough.]

"..." Lu Guo.

Why did it increase by 5 points again?

Not only did it increase my positive feelings towards it, but it even prompted me to take the initiative to speak to it.

"Do you have doubts about Tianluo Incense?"

It seems the assassin misunderstood something, and at the same time, he also guessed some information.

First, although she had doubts about the mission itself, she still came, which shows that she is very confident in her abilities. The more confident a person is, the more they believe in their own judgment.

Secondly, although her position in Tianluoxiang may not be low, she is not a true core decision-maker.

Third, and most importantly, the other party is willing to express this dissatisfaction in front of you.

What does this tell us?

This indicates that the increase in favorability has led to the second stage of the hidden dialogue, which is where you can choose a branch in the story.

There are branching storylines, and this character has a questline. Most importantly, the other party himself has some doubts about it, but he just can't be sure.

Please select your response.

[1. "Why do you think Tianluoxiang would send you to kill me?"]

2. "Whether you're a knife or a sword, you've come."

[3. "The flaws in your swordsmanship are not because you didn't work hard enough, but because your teacher held back from the very beginning. Do you know why?"]

4. (Silence, allowing her to continue.)

The first option, directly pointing out the other person's guess, can indeed make them more convinced that you know everything.

The problem is that this also tells the other person that I know as much as they guess, which diminishes the feeling of being unfathomable.

The second option is too passive; although it sounds philosophical, it doesn't actually help advance the conversation.

The fourth option is silence—sometimes silence is indeed golden.

But now that the other party has already given the message, if he chooses to remain silent, it's as if he hasn't taken the bait. The AI might be intelligent, or it might be idiotic, causing the NPC to think he doesn't want to talk about this topic and thus turn to something else, resulting in the failure of the side quest.

Therefore, the answer is three.

"There are three flaws in your swordsmanship."

When Lu Guo said this, his gaze fell on the sword on the black-clad man's lap.

The man in black stiffened for a moment.

"It's not because you didn't try."

Lu Guo raised his head, met her gaze, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"It's because the person who taught you held back something from the very beginning."

"Do you—do you know why?"

The courtyard fell silent again.

For a full three breaths, the man in black sat there motionless, like a clay statue, his breathing rising and falling slightly, as if lost in thought.

"How...how did you know?"

Lu Guo did not answer.

He didn't know either; the options revealed it.

So he didn't say much, but turned his back, slowly looked up at the moon in the sky, silent, his eyes revealing a trace of vicissitude.

[Affection level change: -10 → 0]

[The favorability rating has fallen below negative levels; the target has shifted from "guarded" to "confused."]

The hidden questline "The Crack in the Heavenly Fragrance" has been triggered.

You can now choose—

[1. Continue to probe for flaws in the sword technique and uncover the conflict between the opponent and Tianluoxiang.]

2. Turn to Madam Xue to inquire about the situation at Qingluo Manor.

[3. Propose a deal: in exchange for pointing out flaws in the sword technique, obtain information about the Heavenly Demon Manual.]

4. End the conversation and give the other person time to think.

Lu Guo's gaze swept over the four options.

Isn't this assassin's favorability rating increasing a little too fast?

Is your personality the type that appears cold on the outside but is warm on the inside?

A cold-faced but warm-hearted assassin, if you also add the element of an orphan starting out and a tragic childhood, would be a very classic character template.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Guo spoke.

But what he said wasn't among the four options.

Since we are free to choose, we don't necessarily have to stick to the dialogue options at this moment.

"You haven't answered my first question yet."

The man in black was taken aback.

The first question?

"Can you still draw your sword against me now?"

Lu Guo turned to look at her, the moonlight casting a half-light, half-dark shadow on his face.

"Can I still draw my sword?"

The man in black fell silent.

In this state, would I still dare to draw my sword against the person in front of me?

She hesitated.

"In your current state, you are not worthy of my attention," Lu Guo shook his head and said, "Your body is broken and you can barely walk, and your mind has been clouded by a few words!"

The woman in black remained silent, biting her lower lip behind her mask. She knew she was powerless and that it was extremely fortunate that the other party had spared her life. Before, she wanted to complete the mission, but now she had too many doubts in her heart.

"I'll be waiting for you!"

Lu Guo waved his hand and walked directly into the room, leaving only his back view.

"You can come anytime!"

It's rare to find an NPC character whose favorability you can clearly increase, but what if they actually disappear after you kill them?

We can't miss such a good sparring partner. We need to find a reason to let her go, while also giving her an excuse to come back. Judging from the dialogue options and the changes in the character's emotions, the intelligence level is quite high, but we need to verify exactly how intelligent it is.

Therefore, today's talk therapy should end here.

As for whether he could find the assassin again, Lu Guo wasn't worried at all. The game had a feature to add NPC illustrations to your collection.

Once added to favorites, he can easily track where the other person is through messages, which is also his purpose in letting the other person go.

If it were just a game NPC that couldn't communicate, killing it to level up wouldn't be a problem. But Lu Guo didn't expect to trigger hidden dialogue and increase his favorability at the same time. If the NPC leaves today but comes back to find him later, it means that its intelligence is high enough and it has its own set of behavioral logic.

If NPCs could think for themselves, then the nature of the game would change.

The man in black did not leave.

She sat there on the stone bench, the moonlight shining on her shoulders, outlining the cool and aloof silhouette of her black outfit.

The face mask covered most of her face, leaving only her eyes visible—those eyes churning with so much: resentment, confusion, anger, and a hint of bewilderment she herself didn't even realize.

Are we just going to let her go like that?

He was puzzled, but the other person left decisively.

He didn't look back at her once, showed no defensiveness whatsoever, and didn't even pause in his steps.

That composure wasn't feigned—it was genuine indifference. He didn't care if she would stab him in the back, whether she would take the opportunity to escape, or even about her as a person, nor whether he could find her again.

In her thirty-two years of life, this was the first time she had been so thoroughly ignored.

But within this indifference lay something she couldn't understand...

"You can come anytime."

She whispered the last words the other person had left her.

What does that mean?

Was it telling her that the other party was waiting for her to draw her sword again?

Or is it a warning to her that no matter where she runs, she can be found?

or……

She suddenly remembered the conversation they had just had.

"Tianluoxiang's sword is quite nice."

"Your swordsmanship has a flaw."

"The person who taught you held back a secret from the very beginning."