We came back to the sect at dawn.

  Every guard and disciple was tense. As we walked towards the elder yun’s quarters all eyes followed us.

  ? ? ?

  Elder Yun's interrogation was brief. We stood before him in his private quarters as sunlight slipped through the windows. He asked various questions and we answered.

  "Zhang Kun was Crimson Sword Sect's spy for at least three months," Elder Yun concluded. "Maybe longer. He must have gathered intelligence on our defenses, patrol schedules, and resource locations."

  "Yes, Elder," Chen Wu confirmed.

  "The sect's security failed to detect him but you three succeeded where our systems did not."

  Elder Yun's expression was neutral. "For this, you will be rewarded."

  He looked at Chen Wu first. "Fifty merit points. Access to the Technique Pavilion's second floor for one month and a Mid-Grade Spirit Gathering Pill."

  Chen Wu bowed. "Thank you, Master."

  "Su Ling. Thirty merit points. A cultivation manual of your choice from the Core Disciple archives."

  "Thank you, Elder Yun."

  Then his eyes settled on me. "Fu Yang. Your situation is unique, first you exposed the spy despite damaged cultivation and then risked your life for the sect's benefit."

  I bowed respectfully. "I only did what was right, Elder."

  "The sect recognizes loyalty." Elder Yun pulled out a jade token from his sleeve. "This grants you access to the Medical Hall's premium resources. Elder Han will prioritize your treatment and if your cultivation recovers sufficiently, you will be promoted to inner disciple status."

  My eyes widened with genuine surprise"Elder Yun, I... Thank you. I don't know what to say."

  "Say nothing. Prove yourself worthy of the investment." He paused. "However, there is one condition.” He lowered his voice.” Stay alert. Sect Master Shen now knows your face. So, remain within sect boundaries and report anything suspicious immediately."

  "Yes, Elder."

  "Dismissed. All of you."

  We bowed and left his quarters.

  The morning sun was bright as we stepped outside. Other disciples were heading to training, going about their routines. Everything looked normal.

  Chen Wu looked satisfied. "That went better than expected. I thought the Master would be angry at us."

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  "The results spoke for themselves," Su Ling said. "We exposed a major security breach."

  I said nothing, just walked alongside them.

  We were halfway across the courtyard.

  Then—

  A notification appeared in my vision.

  [CORRUPTION PROGRESS: Chen Wu→50%]

  [MILESTONE REACHED]

  [Calculating rewards………

  [Spirit Stones: +300]

  [Sword Art Manual—Intermediate Grade]

  [INVENTORY UNLOCKED]

  [Inventory allows storage of up to 5 items in dimensional space. Items can be retrieved instantly.]

  [WARNING!: Supporting Character behavior modification detected. NPC "Su Ling" experiencing system backlash due to Chosen One's quest failure. Expect hostile response.]

  I kept my expression neutral while reading. Then I focused on Chen Wu.

  His system screen also appeared in my vision and I could see it clearly.

  [QUEST FAILED: Find the Evil Who Infiltrated Your Sect.

  [Reason: Unknown]

  [Rewards Forfeited]

  [Quest Removed]

  Chen Wu's face fell and his steps halted. He was staring at something only he could see—his own system notification.

  "Brother Chen?" I asked carefully. "Are you alright?"

  "I..." He looked troubled and confused. "Yes. Just... tired from last night."

  He didn't explain further, how could he. The system was private and he had no way to tell me or Su Ling what had just happened without revealing he had a system at all.

  Su Ling glanced at him. "You do look pale. Maybe you should rest—"

  She stopped at mid-sentence, her expression shifted from concern to something else, confusion then discomfort and then... anger?

  Her eyes locked onto me.

  "You," she said quietly.

  I blinked. “What?” That caught me off guard.

  "You..." Taking a step toward me. Her face was flushing. "Something's wrong, something about you is WRONG."

  "Su Ling?" Chen Wu looked alarmed. "What are you talking about?"

  "I don't know!" Her voice rose with frustration. "I just... I can't explain it! But looking at him right now makes me feel..."

  She struggled for words. Her hands were now clenched into fists.

  "Makes you feel what?" I asked calmly.

  "ANGRY!" She practically shouted it. "Like you're... you're..."

  She couldn't finish. Just stood there, breathing hard, glaring at me with an intensity that seemed to surprise even her.

  The system backlash, I remembered now. It was affecting her exactly as the warning predicted.

  Supporting characters were tied to the Chosen One's success, now that Chen Wu's quest failed, it created some kind of ripple effect and made her instinctively hostile toward the cause—me.

  But she had no conscious understanding of why.

  "Su Ling, calm down," Chen Wu said, stepping between us. "What's gotten into you? Fu Yang hasn't done anything—"

  "Do you really think that!" She looked at him, frustrated.

  I watched her carefully, keeping my expression confused and concerned.

  "Su Ling, did something happen?" I asked gently. "Are you feeling unwell? Maybe the stress from last night—"

  "Don't." Her voice went cold. "Don't pretend to care. Don't act like you're worried about me."

  "What! I'm not—"

  "YES YOU ARE!" The anger flared again.

  "Su Ling!" Chen Wu's voice was sharp now. "That's enough! You're being completely unreasonable!"

  "Am I?!" She turned on him. "Chen Wu, doesn't something feel OFF about this whole situation?! About him?!"

  "No! What are you even…..He almost died last night!"

  "Exactly! He almost died! And yet here he is, perfectly fine, acting like nothing happe—!"

  "Chen Wu-ge!"

  A new voice interrupted.

  Mei appeared, running across the courtyard as her face was pale with worry. She didn't even glance at me or Su Ling. Just ran straight to Chen Wu and threw her arms around him.

  "You're alright! I heard what happened last night! You fought with a Sect Master?! Are you hurt?!"

  Chen Wu looked startled then gently patted her back. "Mei, I'm fine. Really. Just a little tired—"

  "You could have died!" She pulled back to look at his face. Her eyes were wet. "When I heard the Sect Head had to intervene personally...."

  "It wasn't that serious. I had help—"

  "Don't downplay it! Everyone's talking about how you almost died!"

  I watched Su Ling's face during this entire exchange. A fifteen-year-old girl was hugging Chen Wu, clinging to him, crying over him and acting like a worried girlfriend.

  And Su ling…what are you doing?

  Just glancing at them for half a second then turning back to me.

  No jealousy? No possessiveness? No reaction at all to Mei's obvious feelings for Chen Wu.

  She didn't care…what the…

  Whatever Su Ling's attachment to Chen Wu was, was it not romantic..But her hostility toward me? That was very real.

  "This isn't over," Su Ling said, still glaring at me. "I don't know what you're hiding, but I will figure it out."

  She turned and walked away, Mei finally noticed that something was wrong. "What was that about?"

  "I have no idea, she just started getting angry at me for no reason."

  "Hmm." Mei's expression was skeptical. "Su Ling doesn't usually act like that without any cause."

  Her implication was clear: she thought I'd done something to deserve it.

  "Chen Wu," Mei said, turning back to him. "You should rest."

  "I will. Thank you for worrying about me." He gently extracted himself from her grip. "Go back to your training. I know you have combat drills this morning."

  She hesitated. "Alright. But come find me later? I want to hear what actually happened."

  He nodded.

  She left reluctantly, glancing back several times.

  Chen Wu and I stood alone in the courtyard. He looked exhausted but not physically or emotionally.

  "I'm sorry what Su Ling did," he said quietly. "I don't know what got into her."

  However, I stayed quiet as if her words had struck deeper in my chest.

  He shifted slightly beside me and sighed. Then we both walked together toward the dining hall.