Chapter 0, 40. Strange Aroma
“Little Brother Qin, I’m back. I’ve brought the meals you wanted. Um, have you finished discussing the important matter with Lone Shadow Saintess? Can I come in?” Chen Keshua asked softly outside the entrance to Qin Gou’s cave.
“Wuwuwu!”
For a moment, a pathetic whimpering sound immediately came from Qin Gou’s cave. If he heard correctly, the owner of this sorrowful, sobbing sound was none other than Lone Shadow Saintess, who had given him a cold shoulder not long ago.
Chen Keshua was startled. He scratched his head, chuckled foolishly, and quickly turned to leave. “Cough, cough, see no evil, hear no evil… you continue your discussion, I’ll come back later.”
“Wuwu!”
“Alas, Your Excellency Saintess, what will happen if others hear this!” Chen Keshua cast a worried glance at the cave, sighed, and reluctantly set up a mute formation around it. Then, he clapped his hands and left with a smile.
He had to see it through to the end. With his intelligence and competence, perhaps when he met Lone Shadow Saintess again, she would appreciate this small favor and no longer be as cold and severe towards him as before.
…
“I’ve thought of a good idea,” Ye Qishuang said, sitting elegantly on the edge of the bed, exuding noble demeanor and peerless grace. Her charming eyes sparkled with cleverness. “Why don’t we send that group of disciples, including Master, to the Tian Kun Dynasty? Let them participate in my Sixth Junior Sister’s marriage by martial contest. When Master discovers that the so-called Sword-bearing Princess of the Tian Kun Dynasty is actually his youngest disciple, he will surely reveal himself. However, we must send someone shrewd to follow them and closely monitor whether any of the male disciples show unusual behavior, thus exposing Master’s true form.”
“Palace Lord is indeed wise!”
“Palace Lord is truly Orchid heart and as clever as ice and snow.”
Qin Gou and Gu Caihe praised her with looks of worship. Ye Qishuang’s decision coincided with Qin Gou’s wishes. He knew that someone’s little backside seemed to want another spanking. Hadn’t they agreed to repay a debt? How did he end up repaying himself to them!
“However, two people do not need to go. One is Chi Yuchao. This disciple inexplicably turned into a female body due to his Special spiritual tool. Naturally, he cannot participate in the marriage by martial contest. However, there is no evidence yet for this claim of his, and I will investigate it thoroughly,” Ye Qishuang said calmly. “The other person is Qin Yue. Since this person has been confirmed by Little Hammer to not be Master, there is no point in him going.”
Gu Caihe’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Palace Lord, Little Box mentioned to you before that if Qin Yue is not Celestial Master, Little Box will personally take him as a disciple.”
Ye Qishuang lightly nodded her head. “But I now realize that Qin Yue is indeed an extraordinary talent. If you insist on taking him as a disciple, it will depend on Little Box’s performance in the future.”
“Thank you, Palace Lord.” Gu Caihe said with a hint of vengeful joy in her eyes, full of excitement.
Qin Gou quickly spoke up, “Palace Lord, Little Chair believes it is still very necessary for Qin Yue to participate in the marriage by martial contest of the Tian Kun Dynasty with the others.”
“Why?” Ye Qishuang and Gu Caihe looked at him with confusion.
Qin Gou said with a serious expression, “We are sending those male disciples to the Tian Kun Dynasty not because we truly want to connect with that fallen kingdom, but to expose Celestial Master. But without a strong opponent, how will Celestial Master take it seriously? From the methods Qin Yue has shown in recent days, he is clearly not someone who just talks the talk. His strength also far surpasses cultivators of the same level, making him an excellent pawn.”
“Hmm, good. Little Chair has indeed become more astute recently,” Ye Qishuang smiled charmingly. “Then it’s decided. You will lead the team for this trip to the Tian Kun Dynasty, how about it?”
Qin Gou solemnly cupped his fists. “Thank you for your trust, Palace Lord. Little Chair obeys.”
Beside him, Gu Caihe’s expression was not as pleasant. She gave Qin Gou a slightly displeased look and remained silent.
Ye Qishuang naturally noticed this keenly and couldn’t help but laugh. “Haha, Little Box, do you now realize how popular Qin Yue is? You aren’t the only one who has been coveting him.”
“Hmph, Sister Chengying is always like this. Over the years, whenever I’ve fancied something, hasn’t she always snatched it? Chengying, tell me, are you doing this on purpose just to see me angry?” Gu Caihe had a very good relationship with Yi Chengying, so she wasn’t truly angry. Her tone carried a hint of coquettishness and jest.
“How could I. Little Chair is only thinking for the Palace Lord,” Qin Gou replied with a dry laugh, thinking to himself, ‘That was close. If I hadn’t had a flash of inspiration, I might have completely fallen into Gu Caihe’s clutches.’ The thought of how cruelly he had teased this little girl before sent chills down his spine.
If that day really came, Gu Caihe would probably have her circle of sisters line up to devour him completely, not stopping until he was Gradually Thin and no longer in his Humanoid form.
“Ding. Congratulations to the host for unintentionally destroying the Lone Shadow Saintess Yi Chengying’s last shred of dignity as a human of the Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace. Reward: 250 Merit points.”
What the heck? What happened to Little Chair?
Qin Gou was bewildered. Seeing that he couldn’t get any more information from Ye Qishuang today, he made an excuse and left in a hurry. He returned to his cave as quickly as possible.
“Mute formation? When was this set up? Am I that immoral?” Qin Gou stared at the faintly visible formation patterns on the ground around him with great confusion.
With his mind full of questions, Qin Gou opened the cave door and stepped inside.
His eyes immediately fell upon Yi Chengying’s graceful figure, still firmly bound to a seat. However, for some reason, the aroma within the cave seemed particularly strange. It was fragrant everywhere, with a pervasive floral scent that almost made one dizzy. It was as if someone had deliberately used this strong fragrance to conceal some unspeakable terrifying truth.
