Chapter 0: A Warm Moment
Several days later, Qin Gou arrived alone at the Imperial Capital of the Arc Moon Dynasty. Mu Man’er would be safe in the Mystic Maiden Palace, provided the spirited girl could resist her mischievous nature and refrain from causing trouble…
Xu Residence.
A luxurious sedan stopped steadily. Xu Zimu, a recently promoted and triumphant virtuous official, stepped down and lifted the sedan curtain. He saw a young man with an unfamiliar face standing straight before him. The man’s half-smile gaze gave him a strangely familiar feeling.
“General Xu, long time no see.” Qin Gou smiled faintly.
Hearing the familiar address, unconcealable surprise and reverence flashed in Xu Zimu’s eyes. “You are… Young Master Xu? No, may I ask your esteemed name, sir?”
“Just call me Young Master Qin.”
“Young Master Qin. It’s crowded and noisy here, let’s find another place.” As he spoke, Xu Zimu did not lead Qin Gou into his mansion but instead walked into a deserted alley not far away.
Looking around the secluded alley, where even if someone died, it would take at least three days for their body to be discovered, Qin Gou chuckled and said, “General Xu is still so understanding. With such talent, you must have been promoted to high office and are now unstoppable?”
“It’s all thanks to your grace, sir!” Xu Zimu said harmoniously with a smile. “May I ask how this official can be of service to you this time? I would gladly die a thousand deaths.”
“With your current status, you should be able to enter and exit the Imperial Palace freely, right? I need to borrow your identity.”
“Understood.” Upon hearing this, Xu Zimu unhesitatingly took out a rod-like magic tool from his Nas ring and smashed it hard against his head, causing it to bleed. He widened his eyes and said, “From now on, everything is up to you, sir. I… am tired.”
With that, Xu Zimu fell to the ground, unconscious.
“To deliberately bring me to this perfect spot for ambushes and robberies, and then stage a bitter scheme. Ordinary people would never guess that General Xu came here willingly rather than being forced. This way, I not only help you but also easily absolve myself of responsibility. Even if something happens, at most I’ll be accused of lacking strength and misjudging someone.” Qin Gou clicked his tongue in admiration. “Truly a talented person. No, a remarkable individual.”
A majestic and imposing golden robe enveloped her graceful figure.
Today was the third day since Arc Moon Human Emperor Xu Shuangshuang ascended the throne. She sat in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, listlessly staring at the memorials before her.
Truthfully, Xu Shuangshuang never dreamed that her scoundrel of a father would truly have no interest in the throne. After annexing the Tian Kun imperial family, he impatiently became a hands-off emperor, the Supreme Emperor, dedicating himself entirely to the treasury of the former Tian Kun Dynasty in pursuit of his path to eternal life.
This left Xu Shuangshuang in a difficult position. While she had experience governing commoners, it was only for a single province. Now, she was responsible for the entire dynasty’s populace. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a very long time.
A familiar-looking guard approached Xu Shuangshuang.
Xu Shuangshuang remembered her parents’ instructions. As the ruler of a nation, she had to maintain an air of authority, even if it was an act. She immediately asked coldly, “What is it?”
Who would have thought that the guard’s face would suddenly blur, and even his attire would change? In the blink of an eye, he was a completely different person.
Xu Shuangshuang’s eyes sharpened, and she reprimanded, “Who are you? How dare you trespass in the Arc Moon Imperial Palace, attempting to assassinate the empress?”
Just as Xu Shuangshuang was about to call for guards to apprehend him, she heard Qin Gou’s light chuckle. “What? Second Sister, you don’t recognize me?”
“You…”
Xu Shuangshuang’s beautiful eyes widened, staring at Qin Gou in disbelief.
In this world, the only ones who called her “Second Sister” were her third brother, Xu Jin, and the one who had changed the entire dynasty’s landscape with a few words…
“Are you Lord Arc Moon?” Xu Shuangshuang asked in surprise.
Qin Gou shrugged and smiled. “You can call me Young Master Qin. Although it was a misunderstanding, I quite like the name Arc Moon Dynasty.”
“Young Master Qin.” Xu Shuangshuang nodded. It seemed the regal demeanor she had painstakingly maintained since a moment ago had completely crumbled. There was no way she could pretend in front of this man who knew everything about her and the Xu family. “Did you come specifically to find me?”
“I want you to help me find someone. This person is currently within the Arc Moon Dynasty, but you must be careful and cautious; they must not discover you.”
“No problem.” Xu Shuangshuang agreed readily. After all, the Xu family’s current standing, and her own position as ruler of a nation despite her unremarkable cultivation, were largely due to this mysterious man before her.
Qin Gou smiled knowingly, his gaze intense. “I noticed you don’t seem very happy? Are you perhaps not satisfied with the position of Human Emperor, above ten thousand people?”
Xu Shuangshuang smiled helplessly and shook her head. “I am not dissatisfied; I just feel the heavy responsibility and greater pressure. I haven’t been able to rest properly for several days.”
“Do you wish to relax for a moment right now?”
“Of course, more than anything.”
“I see. Since you are willing to lend a hand, I naturally must reciprocate.” Qin Gou slowly walked towards Xu Shuangshuang. “As long as you are willing to believe me.”
Xu Shuangshuang lightly nodded. “I believe you. When you impersonated Xu Jin back then, you had countless opportunities to make a move on me if you’d had any ill intentions, but you chose to scare me away instead. You even stood in front of me, wiped my tears, and avenged me, making me happy… How could I not believe you?”
“You are indeed a grateful girl. Perhaps we will cooperate often in the future.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Shuangshuang understood tacitly. It seemed he would have many occasions to use her help in the future, and she wouldn’t have to worry about being unable to repay his great kindness. She immediately broke into a smile. “It’s good to be grateful, but no longer an ordinary girl… It’s ‘I’!”
The reason for changing her self-appellation was simply to let him know that she was now very useful and would repay his kindness tenfold.
“Give me a drop of your blood,” Qin Gou said with a gentle smile.
Xu Shuangshuang unhesitatingly offered a drop of her blood.
Qin Gou dripped it into the Dream Person Lantern, then gently touched Xu Shuangshuang’s fair forehead, causing her to fall into a deep slumber. He prepared a dream world for her, as fantastical and blissful as a fairyland, allowing her to finally relax completely and rest well.
Several days later.
Within the Arc Moon Dynasty, in a small, unremarkable city.
Zhao Xinting, weathered from travel, stood at a street corner. Countless pedestrians brushed past him, yet his gaze was fixed on the steaming baskets in a baozi shop opposite.
The Purple Extreme Demon, whose evil aura shook the heavens, hadn’t eaten a full meal in a long time. The hunger in his stomach was painfully real.
Currently, he had no money, no cultivation, no strong physique, and understood nothing of the mortal way of survival. He was utterly pathetic and desolate.
“Hey. You, sissy, follow me from now on.” Qin Gou, dressed in coarse cloth, with a straw hat and straw sandals, had a bright smile.
Zhao Xinting suddenly looked at him, his twin pupils trembling slightly.
The man’s face seemed utterly unfamiliar to Zhao Xinting, yet this seemingly insulting remark instantly evoked a myriad of memories buried deep within his heart.
That day.
Both his parents died at the hands of bandits and brigands. He was mistaken for having a female body and was dragged cruelly to the wilderness to be violated.
That was the darkest day of Zhao Xinting’s life, and yet, it was also the day he was miraculously reborn.
That secluded, rarely visited mountain was named ‘Arc Moon.’ It was not well-known at the time.
At that critical juncture, a man in a green shirt, alone with his sword, descended like a god. With a flick of his finger, he annihilated all the villains, avenging him for the deep hatred he harbored.
“Hey. You, the sissy who wet your pants, come be my son.”
That was the first thing his master said to him, Zhao Xinting could never forget! And his response to the old man: “Go to hell, I’m your grandfather.”
This warm dialogue, the kind smile on his master’s face then, every bit of those beautiful memories, Zhao Xinting still remembers vividly, sees them as if they were yesterday.
Volume 3: The Demon Lord on the Run
