Chapter 0, 69. A Debt of Gratitude as Heavy as a Mountain
Qin Gou arrived in front of the unconscious Manager Ji Wu, and with the Faceless Hermit’s innate ability, he replaced Xu Jin’s appearance, instantly becoming exactly the same as Ji Wu.
Qin Gou moved his body and played with the whisk in his hand, feeling uncomfortable all over.
Yi Chengyang chuckled from the side, covering her mouth, “Celestial Master, how do you feel now?”
Qin Gou was at a loss for words, “I feel a sense of detachment from worldly desires… By the way, have you remembered everything I instructed you to do earlier? Make sure there are no slip-ups later.”
Yi Chengyang immediately became serious and gave Qin Gou a military salute, “I guarantee the mission will be completed!”
…
Qin Gou leisurely strolled to the Imperial Kitchen.
“Great Manager.”
“Greetings, Great Manager!”
A crowd of imperial chefs, already overwhelmed with work, still did not forget to salute Qin Gou.
Qin Gou waved his hand with a smile, “Get back to your work, don’t mind me.” He then looked at several large jars of fine wine and mused, “The wine in the main hall is not enough, hurry up and send it over.”
“Yes, Great Manager.”
“Wait, let me test for poison first,” Qin Gou said with a solemn expression.
The young eunuch delivering the wine scratched his head helplessly. Test for poison? He really didn’t know what was wrong with this ancestor. These fine wines and delicacies sent into the palace had already been tested countless times, how could there be poison?
“These jars are for the guests, and that exquisite small pot is probably for His Majesty. Am I correct?”
“Yes, Great Manager is absolutely correct.”
Qin Gou nodded and calmly opened only the guests’ wine, took out a silver needle, stirred it a few times, and after confirming it was safe, said, “Alright, send it over.”
The young eunuch delivering the wine looked bewildered. He couldn’t understand why Manager Ji Wu didn’t directly use spiritual power to detect the poison, but instead used such a crude method as a silver needle. If it were a particularly miraculous poison from the Cultivation World, could a silver needle detect it?
But… who cared! It wasn’t like someone of his status could discuss how Ji Wu conducted himself.
A while later, Qin Gou, in Ji Wu’s appearance, returned to the main hall. The guests were reveling and enjoying themselves. The Tian Kun Human Emperor, seated at the highest point, suddenly beckoned Qin Gou and called him closer.
“Where is Xu Jin? Why did you come back alone? That kid wasn’t in such a hurry to go to the bridal chamber with the Sword-bearing Princess, was he?” the Tian Kun Human Emperor said with a half-smile.
Qin Gou imitated Ji Wu’s usual tone, “Your Majesty, please rest assured. His Highness the Son-in-law drank too much and went to the restroom, he will be back soon.”
The Tian Kun Human Emperor then relaxed, nodded, and said in a low voice, “When Xu Jin returns, call him over immediately. It’s time for me to plant my Soul Seizing Gu on him! Only then can I ensure he remains loyal to me for eternity.”
“Yes,” Qin Gou replied, watching calmly by the Tian Kun Human Emperor’s side, witnessing firsthand the guests drinking the fine wine he had personally ‘tested for poison.’
Suddenly.
A figure covered in blood stumbled into the hall of revelry, looking like they were fleeing for their life.
It was Yi Chengyang. She was now covered in wounds, and a large amount of blood stained her beautiful pleated flower skirt. Her once spirited beautiful eyes were filled with despair and terror. She directly fell to her knees in front of everyone, her face ashen and her appearance ghastly.
Everyone present, including the Tian Kun Human Emperor, was shocked. What had happened? And who could have injured the Lone Shadow Saintess, a cultivator in the Dao Comprehension Realm, to such an extent?
“It’s over, it’s all over!”
Yi Chengyang’s face was ashen, and she shook her head endlessly, filled with despair, “He’s here, Celestial Master, he’s going to annihilate us all!”
“What!?”
For a moment, the Tian Kun Human Emperor felt as if struck by lightning. His whole body slumped backward like a soft piece of mud, collapsing onto the throne, his eyes dazed, “The Celestial Master of Arc-Moon Mountain… has actually come. But why would he inflict such a brutal hand upon the Lone Shadow Saintess?”
Yi Chengyang laughed tragically, “The Celestial Master is truly enraged!”
The Tian Kun Human Emperor instantly broke out in a cold sweat, his back soaked. He gritted his teeth, “Where is the Celestial Master now? I will personally go and beg for his forgiveness!”
“Hahaha, ridiculous!” Tears of blood flowed uncontrollably from Yi Chengyang’s eyes as she said in utter disarray, “Beg for forgiveness? You are not worthy! How could a true god care about the pleas of insects? The only one who can save me now is His Highness the Palace Lord!” With that, Yi Chengyang’s trembling hands took out a green talisman from her Nas from her Nas Void Ring and crushed it, seemingly a mystical means of communication.
Now the Tian Kun Human Emperor was completely panicked. His usually calm, narrow eyes trembled violently and flickered erratically. All his dignity was thrown to the wind. He quickly stood up and said, “Guards! Escort me immediately to consult with the Supreme Emperor!”
“Pfft!”
“Poison!”
Just then, the guests began to vomit blood one after another, falling to the ground or collapsing onto the tables.
The Tian Kun Human Emperor’s heart turned cold, and he cried out in alarm, “This food is poisoned? Impossible!”
Yi Chengyang’s eyes were filled with sorrow, “All nonsense. How could the Celestial Master be so bored as to poison the wine? Would he use such a childish method? I know… this must be the ‘Arc-Moon Night’ poison art, a unique skill of the Celestial Master that Palace Lord Ye Qishuang once mentioned! It is colorless and formless, hidden in the air, and its range of influence is vast, enough to cover the entire Imperial City! Those below the Dao Comprehension Realm will die if they inhale it, and even those above the Dao Comprehension Realm will be beyond help if they inhale a large amount!”
At the same time, Qin Gou, who was guarding the Tian Kun Human Emperor, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fell backward, his face as pale as paper, but he did not lose consciousness.
“Ji Wu!” The Tian Kun Human Emperor’s eyes widened in fear.
“How tragic. It seems the Celestial Master doesn’t even wish to see us himself and personally execute us insignificant bugs. He merely casually uses some poison art to annihilate us all,” Yi Chengyang said as she immediately took a specially made handkerchief from her Nas Void Ring and tightly covered her mouth and nose. “Tian Kun Human Emperor, you are also a Dao Comprehension Realm cultivator, what are you hesitating for? It’s likely that only the two of us have a chance to survive here. The poison of Arc-Moon Night cannot be dispelled by spiritual power alone, only by covering your mouth and nose with a ‘Defiled Cloth’ can it be temporarily isolated. If this continues, you will surely die. Does your grand Tian Kun Dynasty not even have a piece of Defiled Cloth?”
“Defiled Cloth?!” As the saying goes, the dying speak the truth. The Tian Kun Human Emperor dared not doubt the Lone Shadow Saintess’s words and said in panic, “As the Human Emperor of a nation, how could I, who doesn’t usually carry such things that travelers might have, have one on me? Lone Shadow Saintess, quickly lend me one!”
“Then die, I don’t have an extra one for you!” Yi Chengyang said mercilessly.
The Tian Kun Human Emperor’s face contorted in rage as he roared, “Then don’t blame me for being heartless!” With that, he immediately moved closer to Yi Chengyang, intending to forcibly snatch the Defiled Cloth from her.
“I have one!”
Qin Gou, who had collapsed on the ground, struggled with all his might to raise a handkerchief, displaying red-blooded loyalty, “Your Majesty! I cannot live, but you must not die! You are the hope of our Tian Kun Dynasty’s rise, the most wise and heroic ruler I have ever served! I am willing to die to protect Your Majesty’s safety!”
“Ji Wu!”
The Tian Kun Human Emperor’s eyes welled up with tears as he walked towards Qin Gou and helped him up, expressing his heartfelt gratitude, “As expected of Mr. Ji Wu, who grew up with me since childhood. I will never forget your great kindness!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty… It is only a pity that Ji Wu has a meager life and shallow fortune! In the end, I cannot witness your peerless heroic spirit conquering the world in my lifetime! Ji Wu has regrets and will die with them!” With a roar, Qin Gou’s last breath was exhaled. He stopped breathing, his right hand, which had been holding the handkerchief, heavily fell, but his eyes, which had already turned ashen and dead, still stared at the Tian Kun Human Emperor with unwavering sincerity.
“Mister!!”
The tears of a man, who was said to never cry easily, streamed down the Tian Kun Human Emperor’s face. Life and death reveal true friendship. Such a loyal minister evoked deep gratitude in the Tian Kun Human Emperor’s heart, temporarily suppressing his cold and ruthless imperial strategies. He immediately took the Dizzying God Handkerchief from Qin Gou’s hand, pressed it tightly against his mouth and nose, burdened by a debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain, his expression filled with unwavering determination!
