Chapter 0: A Trap Within a Trap
Was he doing this on purpose? Had he never stopped suspecting me from the very beginning, or was this just a coincidence?
The little black dog dared not move rashly. The sudden turn of events had instantly torn to shreds all her previous pride, arrogance, and wildness. The man before her was incredibly mysterious and unfathomable.
“Did I scare you? I’m sorry, little one. I’ll definitely compensate you later.”
Qin Gou’s eyes were gentle and warm. He stroked the little black dog’s head and then gently rubbed her belly. He had intended to coax the little creature, but suddenly he withdrew his large hand as if shocked, shaking his head and saying with a wry smile, “So you’re just a little **.”
“Woof!”
The little black dog was immediately furious and barked angrily at Qin Gou.
Seeing this, Qin Gou burst into laughter. “So you know how to be shy? You’re so smart. You must have fed it a lot of spirit medicines, right?”
As he spoke, Qin Gou casually put the small black porcelain bottle into his Nascent Ring, then slowly placed the little black dog down from the teaching platform. “Little Black, play by yourself for a while. I’ll bring you something delicious later.”
“Mr. Qin, what did you mean just now when you said you wanted to use Little Black’s fur?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Gou raised his hand, and more than ten hairs scattered in the air. In an instant, Qin Gou effortlessly gathered them all back with one hand, not missing a single one.
“You guys grab if I throw. With my obstruction, each person must snatch at least three. If you take more than seven, you’ll get a spirit pill as a reward. If you take more than ten, you’ll be bestowed a cultivation technique from the Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace or the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect, and a… Youth Preserving Pill! But there are only two spots.”
As a female cultivator, Little Saint Monarch couldn’t possibly not have heard of the great name of the Youth Preserving Pill.
“Is that true?”
For a moment, all the female students present went into a frenzy. The little black dog at Qin Gou’s feet also twitched its wet little nose.
“Heavens, a Youth Preserving Pill?”
“Is it the legendary Youth Preserving Pill that, when consumed, can preserve youth and keep one eternally young?!”
“But why does Mr. Qin possess cultivation techniques from the Mystic Maiden Palace and the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect? Could it be that you are from the Purple Xuan Alliance, which is said to be jointly ruled by these two sects?”
“Don’t overthink it. I just happen to know two acquaintances. There’s nothing to be surprised about,” Qin Gou waved his hand carelessly. “Who wants to be the first?”
“Me!”
The speaker was Jin Ping, who walked up to Qin Gou with a rather nervous expression.
“Are you ready?” Qin Gou asked with a smile.
“Yes.” Jin Ping nodded solemnly.
“Here it comes!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Gou threw out more than ten jet-black hairs, still obstructing with only one hand.
Jin Ping’s eyes sharpened. Known in her former gang as “Snake-Entangling Hand,” she immediately unleashed her full power. Her fair arms moved like graceful snakes, soft and boneless, and unexpectedly, she attacked directly, reaching for Qin Gou’s right hand.
But even so, after a moment, she only managed to snatch eight hairs. After receiving a spirit pill from Qin Gou to consolidate her foundation, she smiled helplessly and retreated.
In fact, given the apparent realms of all the students present, it would be incredibly difficult for them to successfully snatch more than ten hairs, even if Qin Gou held back. Unless they possessed extraordinary skills, or “someone” revealed a bit of their true strength.
“Who’s next?”
“Me!”
…
Soon, nearly half of the students had gone through Qin Gou’s test, but still, no one had managed to obtain the cultivation technique and the Youth Preserving Pill.
The scene remained lively, and everyone was enthusiastic, not only for the precious treasures but also to determine who was the most outstanding among the hundred students.
“Alright, let’s take a break for now, so as not to give the impression that I never finish class and am always abusing you,” Qin Gou said, calculating the time.
“It’s okay, Teacher. We’re not tired!”
“I’m tired, alright?” Qin Gou said with a哑然失笑.
“Woof woof woof!”
Suddenly, the little black dog’s barks came from Qin Gou’s feet.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Gou looked at the little black dog, puzzled.
The little black dog was staring intently at the hairs in Qin Gou’s hand, panting with its tongue out and wagging its little tail subserviently.
“You want these?” Qin Gou asked with a smile, pointing at the hairs.
“Woof!”
“No problem.” Qin Gou readily agreed.
A flash of joy crossed the little black dog’s eyes. Then, the more than ten hairs scattered in front of her, but Qin Gou immediately snatched them all back.
“Little Black, you’re no good. You didn’t even manage to grab one,” Qin Gou said with utmost seriousness, a hint of regret in his tone.
The little black dog was stunned into a daze, completely frozen… Was this guy serious? Instead of giving it back directly, he wanted her, a weak, pitiful, and harmless little dog, to snatch something from the master of Arc-Moon Mountain himself? Was he a monster?
“Woof woof woof!” The little black dog barked angrily.
Qin Gou reached out and patted her fluffy little head, laughing. “Stop messing around, Little Black. My test isn’t over yet. Besides, what good would it do if I gave them back? How about I give you a piece of meat, the same kind as last night?”
“Mr. Qin, Little Black doesn’t really want those worthless dog hairs back! She always does things for a reason. Since she helped you, she naturally wants to get some benefits from you,” Jin Ping said with a light laugh, explaining. “Just give her a few low-level Qi Replenishing Pills. She likes those the most.”
“So that’s how it is. This is quite different from my dog.”
“You have a dog too?”
“Of course. A super big one, and she can even play with money.”
Saying this, Qin Gou took out a small white porcelain bottle from his Nascent Ring and shook it. It was filled with some kind of spiritual liquid.
“Little Black, want a sip?”
Seeing this, the little black dog immediately clamped her mouth shut. As if! How would she dare to drink anything Qin Gou gave her?
“Silly girl, afraid I’ll poison you?” Qin Gou cursed with a smile, grabbed the little black dog, and cradled her like a baby, stuffing the small porcelain bottle into its mouth. “Try it, and you’ll know that this stuff is much better than your favorite Qi Replenishing Pills.”
For a moment, the little black dog wanted to cry but had no tears. She wanted to struggle but didn’t dare. She could only remain completely still like a dead dog, with Qin Gou stuffing her mouth full.
“I’m done for! Hmm? No, this spiritual liquid is…”
After a slight sensation, she suddenly realized with joy. It turned out that this was just a spirit-boosting liquid, slightly more precious than a Qi Replenishing Pill, which she had used often before. For high-level cultivators, it was a common item and certainly not harmful.
However, the little black dog had no time to be happy before Qin Gou suddenly stopped, putting the small porcelain bottle, half-filled with spiritual liquid and a large amount of Little Black’s ‘saliva’ as proof, back into his Nascent Ring.
“Drinking half is enough. I’m really afraid that too much spiritual energy will accidentally make you explode, little one,” Qin Gou said with a gentle smile, teasing the little black dog’s chin affectionately.
Damn it, this is the third piece of evidence!
“I’m done for… I’m really done for this time.” The little black dog felt extremely wronged and heartbroken. Frowning, she felt her eyes heat up and blinked incessantly.
“Little Black? What’s with that expression? Could it be… you’re going to ‘cry’?” Qin Gou asked, looking at the little black dog with concern and confusion.
Cry? Shed tears? Oh no, help me, this is a trap within a trap within a trap!
“Aooooo!”
Despite being just a puppy, she let out a pig-slaughtering shriek at this moment, escaping Qin Gou’s embrace like her life depended on it. She scrambled and tumbled away, preferring to jump off a building or die outside than be near this monster!
