Chapter 0: Bestowing a Name
“Brother Qin, what did you say?” Huan Baiyao asked, utterly confused.
“Cough, I still want to know, Baiyao, what exactly did you do to me when we were taking that stroll together this morning?” Qin Gou touched his nose, not answering directly.
Hearing this, Huan Baiyao chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Brother Qin might still think that it was just a chance encounter, but in reality, Baiyao was already heading towards Brother Qin and the other followers of Lord Qingyu. And Brother Qin would have a hard time imagining that Baiyao already had ulterior motives back then.”
“How could this be?” Qin Gou indeed found it hard to imagine. At that moment, his intentions were exactly the same as Huan Baiyao’s. He was also incredibly impure in his thoughts; the two of them had been on the same page from the very beginning.
“Then, didn’t I give Brother Qin a travel token? It actually contained a mysterious illusionary technique of my Illusionary Sky Clan, as well as a self-destructing spiritual array. This was Baiyao’s so-called contingency plan.” As she spoke, Huan Baiyao began to subconsciously avoid Qin Gou’s gaze.
“So, are you saying that the only reason Baiyao was willing to sacrifice her precious time for official duties to accompany me was just to get that travel token, which had been tampered with extensively, into my hands?”
Qin Gou’s eyes widened in surprise. The chance encounter, the shared stroll—all were pretense. This was perfectly in sync with his own intention at the time, which was to leave a mark of the Goose Return Cage on Huan Baiyao.
“Yes,” Huan Baiyao replied sincerely.
“But Baiyao, why did you do that?” Qin Gou continued to ask. “Leaving such a backup plan in the travel token was because you didn’t trust me enough at the time?”
“If Baiyao nods her head now, she could easily gain Brother Qin’s understanding, couldn’t she? But the truth is, it’s not like that.”
Huan Baiyao gave a wry smile. “In fact, my Illusionary Sky Clan had already received news that those Fire Crow envoys would come to Feng Shi Cliff to cause trouble. As the clan leader of the Illusionary Sky, Baiyao had to ensure that she could leverage the strength of Brother Qin and Lord Qingyu as much as possible to protect my clansmen.”
“That mysterious illusionary technique was the worst-case scenario. It was just that when Baiyao was incredibly hesitant, she didn’t expect Brother Qin to step forward like a savior descending from heaven!”
As she spoke, Huan Baiyao’s little face was filled with emotion, her clear eyes becoming even more moist. “It was that righteous act of Brother Qin that instantly turned all of Baiyao’s previous insidious schemes into a deeply ironic joke. Baiyao is truly grateful to Brother Qin from the bottom of her heart. And because of this, Baiyao has come to tell Brother Qin everything without reservation and offer her apology!”
With that, Huan Baiyao bowed respectfully, meticulously.
For a moment, Qin Gou reached out to lightly pat Huan Baiyao’s shoulder, then cautiously took half a step back. Because if that silver unicorn on the girl’s head were to move any lower, it would be like she was about to draw a saber and fight him to the death. After creating a slight distance, he said, “So, the reason Baiyao chose to stand up with me and resist the Fire Crow envoys wasn’t for any so-called righteousness, but because you planned to do so from the very beginning?”
In this way, wasn’t she the same as himself? She simply found the Fire Crow Bi Fang Clan extremely displeasing?
“Yes.”
“And Brother Qin is righteous and noble, speaking out against injustice. Clearly, Baiyao, who was acting out of self-interest, cannot be compared to him!” Huan Baiyao said with heartfelt admiration.
“No, Baiyao, you think too highly of me. If I were to sum it up myself, my mentality at the time was just that I found them very displeasing and my hands were itching for a fight,” Qin Gou waved his hand and chuckled.
“Oh? Then it seems that Brother Qin’s humility and unwillingness to take credit are virtues that Baiyao must also learn well!” Huan Baiyao still looked at him with adoration.
“Baiyao, you are truly praising me too much…”
Old Qin felt like crying but also laughing. He felt that Huan Baiyao would never have dreamed that she had actually lost solely due to his own ‘ladies first’ remark.
Otherwise, if he had spoken first, the situation at the moment would have been completely different.
“Wait, if the truth is as Baiyao is saying now, then wasn’t your Illusionary Sky Clan’s invitation to Qingyu also because of ulterior motives from the very beginning?”
Hearing this, Huan Baiyao’s eyes clouded with guilt as she pondered for a moment, but ultimately, she mustered up her courage and nodded vigorously. “Baiyao’s gratitude towards Lord Qingyu is genuine! But strictly speaking, I can only give Brother Qin the answer of ‘It is indeed so.’ I am no longer willing to conceal anything.”
“Is that true?” Qin Gou’s expression became even more surprised, as he never expected that even this would align.
After all, while Huan Baiyao was scheming in various ways, hadn’t his own group also harbored ill intentions from the very beginning, namely to cleverly seize Huan Baiyao’s four Little Saint Monarch’s refining credentials and eliminate her in one fell swoop?!
“Of course. At this very moment, Baiyao has no intention of deceiving Brother Qin anymore,” Huan Baiyao took a deep breath and adjusted her emotions with effort. “I just don’t know, Brother Qin, what exactly did you intend to tell Baiyao earlier? Does Baiyao still have the资格 (qualification) to listen now?”
Qin Gou immediately let out a series of dry laughs. “Let’s not say anything else, Baiyao. Let’s kowtow and become sworn siblings. You’ll be my good sister for life, okay?!”
“What?” Huan Baiyao looked at him blankly. “Speaking of which, I don’t know why, but from beginning to end, I don’t feel the slightest bit of blame from Brother Qin towards Baiyao. Why is that?”
“How can an older brother criticize a younger brother!”
“Ah?”
“Cough.” Qin Gou shrugged, a mixture of amusement and resignation on his face. “I am indeed surprised that you, Baiyao, had been secretly planning so many things. But now it seems that your truly more malicious ideas were never put into action, were they? Moreover, you are now actively revealing everything to me, which shows that Baiyao truly regrets her actions.”
Of course, Old Qin also couldn’t help but think, ‘Thank heavens you’re also a scoundrel,’ which made him feel much more at ease, as he had previously been quite conflicted, feeling as though he had been bullying an overly honest child.
“Brother Qin, you truly are magnanimous! But Baiyao cannot forgive herself so easily. I will do everything I can to atone. In how we deal with those Fire Crow envoys, and in our future attitude towards the Fire Crow Bi Fang Clan, I will certainly obey the commands of Brother Qin and Lord Qingyu.”
“Very good.”
“And also…”
Huan Baiyao gazed into Qin Gou’s eyes, her tone particularly solemn. “I also want to give Brother Qin another gift. Baiyao noticed that you only introduced yourself by your surname ‘Qin’ at first, and those traveling companions also called you ‘A’Qin’ or ‘Little Qin.’ Even Lord Qingyu consistently referred to you by just the single character ‘Qin.’ This puzzled Baiyao greatly. Later, I specifically asked an elder in my clan who was knowledgeable about many things and learned that many Abyss Citizens only have surnames and no given names!
Therefore, Baiyao wants to give Brother Qin a real name! I know that I may not have the qualification, but Baiyao’s feelings are absolutely filled with sincere respect towards Brother Qin!”
“What did you say?” Qin Gou had a faint premonition that something was amiss. And in the next second, under Qin Gou’s incredulous gaze, Huan Baiyao blurted out.
“Qin Gou! The ‘Gou’ means deep and profound!”
“What nonsense is this?”
As she spoke, Huan Baiyao clasped Old Qin’s hands with deep emotion and solemnity, speaking earnestly. “This name comes from someone whom Baiyao has always admired the most, someone of utmost importance to her. However, in my opinion, Brother Qin can also live up to this name! Of course… before that, it also depends on whether Brother Qin is willing to accept this appellation from now on!”
After saying this, Huan Baiyao couldn’t help but look expectantly.
“As if I would refuse!” Qin Gou, who had just been bestowed the name ‘Qin Gou,’ felt like crying but had no tears. Were there still any rare occurrences in this world that he hadn’t encountered?
