Chapter 0: A Good Father
Seeing the young girl’s growing fear, it was clear she did not trust “Yan Qihao” either. Qin Gou’s voice was as gentle as possible, “Little girl, don’t misunderstand. What I mean is, from now on, you only need to follow my daily commands. This brat naturally won’t dare to bully you again.”
“D-does my lord not lie to me?” the young girl asked timidly. Although her nature seemed somewhat weak, she possessed a gentleness with a hint of steel. Just now, she had nearly died to prove her point before Yan Qihao’s son. What she truly feared was that deep sense of powerlessness where she could not even die.
“With your cultivation realm, you can easily subdue this brat. If I truly wanted to do something to you, would I need to coax and deceive? Little girl, don’t misunderstand my good intentions!” Qin Gou waved his hand. While the words were not pleasant, they were indeed a convincing reason.
Upon hearing this, the young girl carefully considered her current situation. Apart from trusting the person before her, there was no other path. She gracefully bowed, her eyes filled with the relief of surviving a near-death experience, and said, “Thank you, my lord, for saving me.”
“Get up,” Qin Gou said with a faint smile. “You were so distrustful and even seemed quite wary of me just now. Have we met before?”
“This…” the young girl hesitated before replying, “This servant was indeed greatly frightened by young master ‘Yan Ming’. As for you, my lord, you did visit the tribe where this servant was born.”
Qin Gou suddenly realized.
When Yan Qihao stepped into his clan’s territory, his overbearing and arrogant attitude was well-known. It would have been truly astonishing if this young girl had a good impression of him.
“From now on, you don’t need to refer to yourself as a servant. Little girl, what is your real name?” Qin Gou nodded and asked again.
“Servant… my name is Shang Jieyi.”
“A good name. However, I can’t directly call you ‘Little Jie,’ as that would be too strange.”
“Yes, how can I be addressed as ‘Miss’ by you? Please call me Xiaoyi,” Shang Jieyi quickly nodded.
“Take this.”
Suddenly, Qin Gou took out a scarlet short blade from his Nas ring and handed it to Shang Jieyi. This was actually one of Yan Qihao’s magic artifacts. “This is for your self-defense. This way, if I’m not around, Yan Ming will definitely not dare to act recklessly upon seeing this.”
For a moment, Shang Jieyi held the short blade and could not help but bow again, respectfully saying, “Master Qihao, your kindness today, Jieyi will never forget!”
“No need.”
Qin Gou suddenly frowned. “I don’t need your gratitude.”
After all his efforts, this little girl treated Yan Qihao like a deity. How could he stand this? “You know very well what kind of person I am. Yan Ming is a scoundrel, and can his father be any better?”
“Ah?” Shang Jieyi’s little face was bewildered. “My lord, why do you say that?”
“Yan Qihao is a scoundrel. Remember this, it will only benefit you. Don’t ask any more for now!” Qin Gou stated decisively. “Just do your own duties well and don’t appear too loyal to me in front of outsiders.”
“Yes.” Shang Jieyi, though confused, obediently nodded her little head.
“What did I just teach you? Repeat it for me to hear?”
Shang Jieyi paused, then, in a voice smaller than a mosquito’s, stammered, “…You’re a scoundrel.”
“Louder, I didn’t hear you clearly,” Qin Gou said with a helpless smile.
Shang Jieyi gritted her teeth, as if she had nothing to lose, and shouted loudly, “You are a big scoundrel!” She had never heard such a request in her life.
“You…” Old Qin’s smile instantly froze.
…
“Awaken.”
With a spiritual power’s awakening, Yan Ming slowly opened his eyes, feeling a throbbing in his head. He looked at Qin Gou blankly, “Father, I…”
“From now on, you are absolutely forbidden to trouble that little girl again. This is your father’s warning,” Qin Gou said with deep eyes.
Yan Ming’s expression turned anxious. “But you used to say you wouldn’t discipline Ming’er for such trivial matters!”
Qin Gou immediately let out a cold reprimand, “Don’t make me repeat myself for a second time!”
“Yes…”
Yan Ming suddenly drooped like a frostbitten eggplant, dejected, but he did not dare to retort. Seeing this, Qin Gou guessed correctly that Yan Ming was indeed very fearful of Yan Qihao.
“You might be wondering why your father has suddenly made such a decision. I will tell you, your father’s mindset has changed greatly after experiencing a near-death situation on this trip. Ming’er, you must never commit such foolish acts in front of me again.” Qin Gou stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes sternly fixed on Yan Ming.
Upon hearing this, Yan Ming’s expression shifted slightly, and he hesitantly said, “Does… does that mean you hope Ming’er will focus on cultivation from now on? And not indulge in pastimes that distract from one’s goals? I actually…”
“How did you deduce that?” Qin Gou asked with a chuckle. “If you have something to say, just say it. What kind of impression is it to be so hesitant?”
“You know Ming’er’s situation,” Yan Ming said with a bitter smile, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. He stammered, “Actu-actually, these past few days when you were away on a clan mission, Ming’er never went to the academy! I had no intention of going!”
“Moreover, I understand that no matter how I hide it, it’s useless. As soon as you return, the academy teachers will surely find me. It’s better for Ming’er to confess to his father proactively.”
After speaking, Yan Ming shrunk his neck, clenched his teeth, and resigned himself to fate, as if anticipating a painful outcome, quietly waiting for his father to explode.
“Alright, I understand.” Qin Gou nodded, his expression unchanging.
“W-what?” Yan Ming’s breath hitched, his face full of confusion.
“I heard everything you said. You may go now.”
Qin Gou waved his hand indifferently. What Yan Ming said was that he himself had no great interest in cultivation and had taken several days off from school while his father was away. However, Qin Gou was not here to educate Yan Qihao’s successor. He only needed to warn this brat not to bully people and commit evil in front of him. He didn’t care about anything else.
Hearing this, Yan Ming looked as if he had witnessed the most astonishing event in the world, dumbfounded and disbelieving. “You… you’re not going to blame me?”
“I won’t blame you. Didn’t I say that after surviving this near-death experience, many of my thoughts have changed greatly? You should also get used to it slowly,” Qin Gou said casually.
Unexpectedly, this statement stirred Yan Ming’s emotions.
“Father!”
With a heartfelt cry, Yan Ming’s eyes glowed, his expression filled with excitement and ecstatic joy as he shouted, “I will get used to it, Ming’er will certainly get used to it!” He actually didn’t care much about what Yan Qihao had experienced on his trip. He only knew… this was truly his good father!
