Chapter 0: 16. The Heartless Man
Qin Gou pretended to be teasing Gu Caihe, but inwardly, he was quite enraged. After all, Gu Caihe’s seemingly casual command was actually very insidious. By pitting him against Jiang Qiu, who was at the half-step Li Jiu Realm, Qin Gou would not have a good outcome regardless of whether he won or lost. If he won, it would mean that even a half-step Li Jiu Realm expert was no match for him, Qin Gou. Who else would dare to challenge him then?
“Of course, I am talking to you, and I called you ‘Little Box.’ What’s wrong? I’m not even allowed to call you that anymore? Besides me, who else here is qualified to call you that? Little Box, I’d advise you to act like a decent person! Don’t pretend not to recognize people just because you’re wearing a skirt,” Qin Gou said, crossing his arms and putting on a sorrowful expression.
Gu Caihe was so angry that smoke practically billowed from her ears, and she nearly shattered her teeth. “Qin Yue, just try to spout any more nonsense!”
“What? Are you threatening me? I told you, Little Box, Little Box, Little Box. So what? Are you going to teach me a lesson? No, you won’t teach me a lesson because you can’t bear to. If you hit me, you would feel heartbroken too,” Qin Gou said fearlessly, talking freely.
“Utter nonsense! Today I must…” Gu Caihe extended her palm but stopped abruptly in mid-air. Her delicate face was full of unwillingness as she withdrew her hand, her eyes turning red and appearing deeply resentful.
Seeing this, the disciples of Mystic Maiden Palace who had gathered to watch couldn’t help but gasp. They had originally thought Qin Yue was just bragging, but they never expected every word to be true. The dignified Xi Hua Saintess was on the verge of tears from being bullied, yet she still couldn’t bring herself to harm him in the slightest.
“Such a good girl, I knew you wouldn’t be so heartless,” Qin Gou said, his expression relaxing, his gaze doting.
“Shut up!” Gu Caihe glared fiercely at Qin Gou. “If it weren’t for the Palace Lord’s decree, I would have slapped you, you sharp-tongued brat, to death long ago.”
“Clap, clap, clap.”
Qin Gou applauded and loudly addressed the crowd, “Everyone heard that, right? Little Box isn’t attacking me because of the Palace Lord’s order, not because she loves me deeply. Everyone, please stop spreading rumors about our relationship and ruining my Sister Caihe’s pure reputation! Otherwise, I, Qin, will hunt you down in Lingxiao Palace and delve into Crystal Palace, and I will not forgive you lightly.”
“Yes, we understand.”
“Sister Caihe, please rest assured, we are very discreet. Please don’t be angry with us.”
“Since Sister Caihe finds it difficult to make a move, let us help you teach this little slut a good lesson!”
The surrounding Mystic Maiden Palace disciples all pledged their loyalty, but Gu Caihe was so enraged she was about to jump out of her skin and leave in a huff. However, she couldn’t let Qin Yue continue to be so smug. She immediately spoke in a cold tone, “Qin Yue, your skill at changing the subject is indeed clever. I was almost confused by you. Didn’t you just refuse Jiang Qiu’s challenge? Are you ready to accept punishment?”
“What punishment?” Qin Gou asked. “Are you going to cultivate by absorbing my essence again?”
“Of course, it will not be cultivation, but you will have to agree to one condition from the victor. Jiang Qiu, what do you want Qin Yue, the loser, to do for you?” Gu Caihe asked, looking at Jiang Qiu.
The petite Jiang Qiu said with a blank expression, “I won’t ask for anything too excessive. Just kneel on the ground and shout ‘I am inferior to the disciples of Mystic Maiden Palace’ three times.”
“Impossible,” Qin Gou said without hesitation.
Gu Caihe sneered, “What, you’re unwilling? If you’re unwilling to accept the punishment for losing, and you’re unwilling to accept the challenge honorably, do you think you’re the master of Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace? Whatever you say goes?”
For some reason, the Mystic Maiden Palace disciples, who had been whispering all along, were now completely silent, leaving the right to speak entirely to Qin Gou and Gu Caihe. Perhaps they felt that this was a couple’s spat and outsiders should absolutely not interfere.
“If that’s the case, I can accept Jiang Qiu’s challenge, but not now. Before I officially fight Jiang Qiu, I want to fight a few more rounds against other Mystic Maiden Palace disciples to accumulate more time in the tower. If you don’t even agree to this condition, perhaps we should invite Palace Lord Ye to mediate,” Qin Gou said, staring intently at Gu Caihe. “Yesterday, Palace Lord Ye explicitly forbade you from making things difficult for me three times. You haven’t forgotten, have you? Little Box?”
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise flashed in Gu Caihe’s eyes. She then pursed her lips and smiled, “Fine, I agree. Now, whoever still wants to challenge Qin Yue, give it your all.”
Afterward, Gu Caihe noticed that some disciples were indeed eager to try, but they seemed inexplicably shy and hesitant to act. Seeing this, Gu Caihe’s eyes were filled with struggle. Then, gritting her silver teeth, her face turned red with shame and indignation. “I’m serious! You… don’t hold back. Teach this heartless scoundrel who abandons love and is filled with corruption a good lesson!”
This finally allowed several female disciples to cast aside their worries and indignantly step forward to challenge Qin Gou, vowing to discipline Qin Yue properly for Sister Caihe. He was a scoundrel who, relying on his looks, indulged in arrogance and relentlessly harmed the generation’s Xi Hua Saintess.
For a moment, Qin Gou couldn’t help but look at Gu Caihe with newfound respect. She had gone to great lengths to deal with him, and even treated herself so ruthlessly. She was truly a formidable woman.
After several rounds of combat, Qin Gou had accumulated a total of two hours of time in the tower. The victories were not difficult, but it was still a battle across realms. Although they stopped short of inflicting serious harm, his spiritual power was severely depleted.
Just as Qin Gou was leisurely recovering his spiritual power with spirit stones in hand and taking elixirs, the petite Jiang Qiu approached him again, saying in a detached tone, “Junior Brother Qin Yue, you have already achieved your desired victories. Should you not be content? I don’t have much time to waste here with you.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Gou couldn’t help but look towards Gu Caihe in the distance. Gu Caihe happened to be staring intently at him as well. He immediately said, “You were the one who proposed finding more opponents yourself. I, the young lady, never promised to give you ample recovery time.”
Qin Gou chuckled and nodded. “Since that is the case, in this next battle, I, Qin, will unleash my full power. I will no longer hold back my offensive methods, such as magic tools and mechanical puppets.”
“Swords have no eyes. You can use whatever methods you have. If you find yourself unable to continue, remember to surrender quickly. Don’t be brave for a moment and lose your life,” Gu Caihe said with a disdainful sneer.
Qin Gou looked deeply at Gu Caihe and said, “Remember those words.”
