Chapter 81: Harmonious Union Sect? Care to Learn More?

Li Tiezhu's mind went buzz, and he nearly spat out the tea in his mouth.

Harmonious Union Sect?! He knew that name all too well! It was the quintessential villain faction in every novel and manga — a shady outfit that specialized in dual cultivation and energy-draining dark arts!

Wait...

He suddenly recalled the absurdly long full name of that wretched System...

"Supreme Unrivaled Sovereign of the Myriad Worlds System... Youth Edition."

Could the Harmonious Union Sect really have spread across the Myriad Worlds?!

He swallowed hard, instinctively scooting closer to Si Chen, and lowered his voice: "Master, this doesn't look good… This place is Harmonious Union Sect territory!"

Heishan was gnawing on a chicken leg. He looked up and mumbled through a mouthful of food: "Harmonious Union Sect? What do they do? Sounds pretty festive to me."

"Festive?! There's nothing festive about it!"

Li Tiezhu stomped his foot in agitation. "It's — it's a sect that relies on… that thing… male-female dual cultivation! Draining yin to supplement yang, draining yang to supplement yin! They suck away other people's cultivation and take it for themselves! They're an evil, crooked path!"

He deliberately stressed the words "that thing," his face flushing crimson, wishing he could just act out all those unspeakable plot lines stored in his head.

Si Chen set down his teacup, his expression one of pure curiosity. "Energy draining? What kind of Cultivation technique is that? How does it work? Is it particularly efficient?"

Li Tiezhu: "???"

Master! Is efficiency really what you should be worried about right now?!

His voice had been low, but the young women nearby had clearly heard every word.

The purple-robed girl who had been playing the zither let her smile fade slightly, and the green-robed girl offering refreshments furrowed her brow.

Si Chen took note of these subtle reactions. He turned to the green-robed girl and asked calmly, "Miss, are you disciples of the Harmonious Union Sect?"

The green-robed girl, far from showing any alarm, nodded openly, her voice clear and steady: "You are correct, sir. We are all Outer Sect Disciples of the Harmonious Union Sect. Baihua City is one of the properties under our Sect's jurisdiction."

She admitted it openly and without the slightest hint of shame or concealment.

Li Tiezhu's eyes went wide as saucers. "W-wait… you're just admitting it like that?!"

Were evil sects this brazen nowadays? This was nothing like the villainous behavior he had imagined!

"Why shouldn't we admit it?"

The green-robed girl gave him a puzzled look. "Our Harmonious Union Sect has stood for ten thousand years, conducting itself with integrity and openness. We are recognized as one of the foremost righteous sects in the Eastern Region's Cultivation World. Our foundation is a grand and upright Dao — what is there to hide?"

A… a foremost righteous sect?! Recognized by the Cultivation World?! This wasn't how the story was supposed to go!

Li Tiezhu stood there with his mouth hanging open, unable to speak, feeling as though his entire worldview had been shattered.

"Then… then what about the energy draining?" he pressed, refusing to give up.

At that moment, the purple-robed girl gently plucked a zither string and spoke in a calm, measured tone: "Young sir, it seems you have some misunderstandings about the Harmonious Union Sect."

Her gaze swept over Li Tiezhu, then shifted to Si Chen and the others, her voice clear and melodious:

"Our Harmonious Union Sect is indeed known for dual cultivation, but it is a grand and righteous Dao — one that emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang, and mutual benefit. It is absolutely not some sinister energy-draining sorcery."

The green-robed girl picked up the thread, a note of pride in her voice: "Within the Sect, cultivation partners are always willing on both sides. If either party is unwilling, no one may use force — that is an iron rule of the Sect. Violators face having their cultivation stripped at minimum, and death with their Dao extinguished at worst!"

"As for us Outer Sect Disciples…"

She gestured to herself and the other young women around her. "Whether we stay or leave, whether we sell our company or our art, it is entirely by our own choice. The Sect never forces anyone, and in fact discourages sisters who act on impulse seeking quick advancement."

Another girl in red chimed in with a smile: "In the Harmonious Union Sect, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, song, and dance are all valid paths of Cultivation. If one has sufficient talent, achieving enlightenment through these arts can lead to Foundation Establishment and core formation all the same."

Li Tiezhu stood there, jaw on the floor.

This was nothing like the Harmonious Union Sect he had in his head!

Where were the seductive demonesses luring men to their doom? Where were the Cultivators being drained dry as furnaces?

How had it turned into a model of dedicated, self-reliant, advanced workers of the Cultivation World?!

Something was very wrong here! How could the Harmonious Union Sect be this… respectable?!

Heishan finished his chicken leg, wiped his mouth, and said gruffly: "Sounds perfectly fine to me! Got rules, got work, and you can still cultivate — this Sect ain't bad!"

Chifeng nodded as well. "Indeed, quite admirable."

Si Chen stroked his chin thoughtfully and looked at the green-robed girl. "So, you are all here of your own free will?"

"Of course we are."

The green-robed girl smiled in reply. "The path of Cultivation is long, and survival is especially difficult for women. It is the Sect that gave us shelter and taught us the means to stand on our own feet."

"Here, we earn our living by our own abilities. We need not depend on others, nor worry about where tomorrow's meal will come from."

"Why should such a Sect not be counted among the foremost righteous sects?"

"And if we fall ill, the Sect even distributes Spirit Stones and Pills to us!" added a slightly younger girl, unable to resist shooting Li Tiezhu a sidelong glance.

Li Tiezhu opened his mouth, but found he had nothing to say.

This was no evil sect — this was practically a model enterprise of the Cultivation World!

The clown was me all along?!

He couldn't help but rant furiously in his mind: "System! System! What is going on? Why is this Harmonious Union Sect nothing like what I expected?!"

[Ding! Searching database…]

[Confirmed: The "Harmonious Union Sect" of this world is a legitimate Cultivation organization.]

[Its core dual cultivation theory emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang and mutual benefit, and has made outstanding contributions to stabilizing cultivation partner relationships, improving birth rates in the Cultivation World, and promoting harmonious societal development.]

Li Tiezhu: "……"

Contributions? Birth rates? Harmonious societal development? Damn it, they've basically become a family planning commission!

Li Tiezhu suddenly snapped to attention and demanded of the System in his mind: "You knew all along, didn't you?! Why didn't you say something sooner?!"

[The host never asked. Besides, watching the host's preconceived biases get slapped in the face by reality is today's source of joy for this System.]

Li Tiezhu: "……"

He thought back to his earlier remarks about "evil sects" and "energy draining," and his face burned scarlet. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

So it wasn't that they were indecent — it was that his own head was stuffed full of trashy preconceptions!

"I — I'm sorry…" Li Tiezhu, red-faced with embarrassment, clasped his hands together and bowed repeatedly to the young women. "I was ignorant and spoke out of turn. Please, sisters, don't take it to heart!"

Seeing his sincere apology — and given how young he was — the young women let their irritation dissolve, and they broke into soft, amused laughter.

The green-robed girl teased him: "Young sir, you certainly know quite a lot for your age. Just be sure not to repeat what others say without thinking next time."

Si Chen watched Li Tiezhu's flustered state with quiet amusement.

He picked up a pastry, tasted it — not bad — and passed one to Red Bean on his shoulder. Then he turned to the green-robed girl and said:

"From what I've heard, the Harmonious Union Sect's dual cultivation methods seem to hold some fascinating mysteries. Would you be willing to give a brief explanation?

"I find myself quite intrigued by this art of energy convergence."

Li Tiezhu: "?????"

M — A — S — T — E — R!!!

Is this really something you should be discussing in public?!