Chapter 0 34. The Meaning of Saintess
Qin Gou nodded vigorously in agreement, thinking to himself that she was indeed a good mother-in-law, with sharp eyes that could see through illusions to the essence of things. She could tell that Celestial Master was truly an upright and honest person, with a heart as pure as gold.
“I can tell that what Yuan Zhen said earlier was just an angry outburst. Your relationship shouldn’t have reached that final step yet, right?” Bai Yunxi said, half-jokingly, but her eyes were full of scrutiny.
“Absolutely not.”
Qin Gou declared solemnly, “Even if she wanted to act out, I would stand guard and prevent this fiend from succeeding.”
Bai Yunxi chuckled, covering her mouth, “You’ve made Yuan Zhen sound like a bad child, but she’s not like that.”
“Cough, cough.” Qin Gou gave a dry laugh. Li Yuan Zhen wasn’t exactly a child, but she was definitely a capital ‘bad’ one.
“However, her Sword Heart Clear Mind Body is a treasure of our Sword Questioning Sect, and her personality is also influenced by it. She is straightforward and persistent. Whatever she wants, she will never give up until she gets it. Even as her esteemed master, I can only verbally admonish her a few times. Otherwise, it would go against her nature and hinder her cultivation path. So, young friend Qin Gou, you’ll have to manage her yourself.” Bai Yunxi said with a furrowed brow, looking troubled.
“No problem, Peak Master Bai, you can rest assured. I am sincere towards Xiao Yan. Unless Li Yuan Zhen breaks my limbs, she will never be able to force me to submit.” Qin Gou patted his chest and guaranteed.
“Very good.” Bai Yunxi lightly chuckled with appreciation, “You said it yourself. After all, Yuan Zhen is full of righteousness and has a pure heart. Such cruel acts as breaking limbs are something she would absolutely not do. If there are any troublesome incidents between you two in the future, it will all be your responsibility.”
Qin Gou felt a pang of shame. Full of righteousness? The term ‘evil aura rampant’ would be a better description for the little gambler.
“By the way. I haven’t had a chance to ask you yet. You can access the Azure Emperor Painting Scroll, a secret of such importance, and you are a key person to be protected by the Seed Demon Sacred Cult. Why are you here at Sword Questioning Sect with Yuan Zhen?” Bai Yunxi asked, confused. “You must know how great the danger would be if your identity were exposed, right?”
Qin Gou nodded slightly, “I am looking for someone. I cannot tell you exactly who it is, Peak Master Bai, but I can assure you that I will not cause trouble in Sword Questioning Sect or do anything that damages its reputation or interests.”
“I don’t believe you.” Bai Yunxi said without hesitation, “But I believe in Gu Feiyan’s judgment of people, so I will turn a blind eye to your affairs for the time being.”
Qin Gou smiled knowingly. Look at this mother-in-law. She thinks the son-in-law is handsome and doesn’t look like a demon, so she should just say it. Why drag Xiao Yan into it?
At the same time, Qin Gou was also fortunate that Sword Questioning Sect was not an evil sect. Otherwise, a statue of the Demonic Master Ancestor might be enshrined in some temple within the sect. Although most of those statues were distorted representations of Qin Gou’s appearance, with at most sixty to seventy percent resemblance, it was still quite awkward.
“Alright, Yuan Zhen, you can come in now.” At this moment, Bai Yunxi removed the soundproof grand array and called out, enhancing her voice with spiritual power.
Li Yuan Zhen strode into the main hall. Her spirited eyes quickly surveyed the two. Seeing that neither of them was injured and the atmosphere was not tense, she asked curiously, “Peak Master, Qin Gou, what did you two talk about after sending Yuan Zhen away?”
Bai Yunxi glared at Li Yuan Zhen reproachfully, “This is a matter between me and young friend Qin Gou. Is it for you to ask?”
Li Yuan Zhen widened her beautiful eyes, “Peak Master, Yuan Zhen is your personal disciple. Qin Gou has only met you for the duration of one incense stick burning at most, right? Why does it feel like Yuan Zhen is the outsider?”
Bai Yunxi chuckled speechlessly, “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t know. Just know that your master now agrees that young friend Qin Gou can cultivate in Sword Questioning Sect for a while, and I think very highly of him.”
Upon hearing that Qin Gou could stay in Sword Questioning Sect, Li Yuan Zhen was first delighted. This way, she wouldn’t have to worry about not completing her spirit oath. But when she heard the rest, her face was filled with bewilderment and surprise. What magical method did this Demon Master use to completely enchant her esteemed master in just a few words?
Even though Li Yuan Zhen herself had often acted shamelessly relying on her Sword Heart Clear Mind Body, Bai Yunxi had never been so easily fooled.
“I have one more instruction. Yuan Zhen, you should know that young friend Qin Gou has a special identity. You must never be disrespectful to him in the future! Otherwise, your master will never forgive you.” As she spoke, Bai Yunxi’s dark eyebrows narrowed, and her tone became serious.
In a flash, Li Yuan Zhen’s beautiful eyes widened. She looked at her esteemed master and Qin Gou in disbelief, then quickly rushed to Bai Yunxi’s side, took out a small white porcelain bottle from her Nas ring, and said in a panic, “Peak Master, quickly drink this!”
“What is this?” Bai Yunxi asked with a slight frown, confused.
“It’s the antidote for what! Peak Master, quickly, drink this and you’ll return to normal. Yuan Zhen would rather die than watch you and me go ‘woof woof’ together!”
As she spoke, Li Yuan Zhen tried to force it down.
…
Leaving the main hall of Evil Slaying Peak, Li Yuan Zhen rubbed her perky, plump buttocks, which had been whipped, and eagerly asked, “A’Qin, what sort of love potion did you give the Peak Master? Why did she suddenly trust you so much?”
“Why is the first thing you thought of that I poisoned Peak Master, instead of my personal charm? Don’t use your own usual methods to speculate about me.”
“Not poison?” Li Yuan Zhen immediately started her dirty little brain working. After thinking for a while, she said with a hint of admiration, “Then it must have been eloquent and persuasive rhetoric. As expected of the esteemed master of Purple Extreme Demon and Ancestor Ye. Poisoning is ultimately a minor art. There is still a long way to go, and I still have much to learn.”
Qin Gou knew that this little gambler was trying to flatter him and change the subject quickly, but she was completely misjudging him. He immediately said, “You’d better explain clearly, why did you deliberately make up that wild story about us just now? I think you’ve been planning this for a long time.”
Li Yuan Zhen’s scheme was seen through, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across her pretty face. “I just thought that since you have so many romantic debts, they wouldn’t weigh you down. I hoped you could help me out of this predicament.”
“What romantic debts do I have?” Qin Gou asked, perplexed.
“The world has always rumored that you are not only Ancestor Ye’s master but also the only personal attendant of this supreme Ancestor who absorbs Yang to replenish Yin. And among Ancestor Ye’s disciples, there are so many charming and beautiful female demons. Then, who is their common male master? Do I even need to ask? That alone adds up to tens of thousands of romantic debts.”
Qin Gou was furious, “Nonsense! Qishuang and I have a completely normal master-disciple relationship.” Or at least, it used to be!
Li Yuan Zhen did not retort. After all, who knew if what he said was true? She continued, “And I would rather die than have my marriage arranged by others. Regarding that Holy Son of Enemy Subduing Peak, I’ve met him and felt nothing.”
“Actually, I’ve already thought about it. If I am to get married, I want to marry a master gambler and go out in a grand fashion!” Li Yuan Zhen’s cheeks were flushed, making her look extraordinarily charming, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “That would surely be a magnificent gamble.”
Qin Gou sighed with pity, “It’s a waste of your talent to be a saintess of a righteous sect.”
“I swear that from this moment on, I will work even harder to share your burdens, so please spare me this time.” Li Yuan Zhen squinted her beautiful eyes, her tone pleading, her hands clasped together as if in constant prayer.
Qin Gou raised an eyebrow, “Alright. I happen to have a task that requires your assistance right now. I wish to quickly integrate into the core circle of your righteous young talents and gain fame rapidly in Das.”
A hint of relief flashed in Li Yuan Zhen’s eyes. She finally breathed a sigh of relief, “I promise you, but may I ask why?”
Qin Gou couldn’t directly say it was to complete his mission and obtain key clues about Qiu Qianyue. He pondered for a moment, “My fourth disciple, although she hasn’t committed any heinous acts, has a bad reputation. She is now likely being targeted for exterminating demons and upholding righteousness, and is trapped somewhere. As long as I enter the core of your circle and my heroic reputation grows, perhaps there will be unexpected gains.”
“I see.”
“And in any place, the best way to rise to power is to stand on the shoulders of predecessors. Originally, you, this hypocritical little gambler, would have been my best stepping stone. But now that you are considered half my subordinate, it is naturally inappropriate for me to act against you.” Qin Gou stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze indifferent. “But no matter what kind of heroic cultivators, they are all human. As long as they are human, they have emotions and desires, and they make mistakes. Do you happen to have any leverage over any famous heroes that we can use?”
“Of course, I do. I know quite a bit.” Li Yuan Zhen lightly nodded her head. “For example, ‘Iron Masked Guest’ Feng De once accidentally killed three mortals. To prevent this from being exposed and damaging his reputation, he slaughtered the entire mortal village, leaving no one alive. In the end, he even threatened me. But I don’t have any evidence now, so we can’t force him to admit it, can we?”
“Feng De…” A defiant smile crept up Qin Gou’s lips. He said meaningfully, “What if there’s no evidence? Don’t forget you are the famous Righteous Valor Fairy, the Saintess of Evil Slaying Peak. Do you know the profound meaning of the word ‘Saintess’?”
Li Yuan Zhen looked bewildered.
“It means that if the Saintess says someone touched her butt, then they definitely touched her butt! There is right and wrong. If there is no evidence, then create evidence.” Qin Gou laughed triumphantly.
Li Yuan Zhen suddenly pointed at Qin Gou, “You touched my butt!”
Qin Gou’s laughter choked in his throat. He glared fiercely at Li Yuan Zhen, then suddenly reached out and slapped her plump, bouncy buttocks heavily with a ‘smack’. Li Yuan Zhen, whose buttocks were already aching from a whip, almost screamed and jumped up.
“Yes, I did.”
“You…” Li Yuan Zhen gritted her teeth and endured, “Does it feel good?”
“It’s alright.”
“That’s good.”
“Slap.” “I’m touching again.”
“Dare you touch again!”
“What?” Qin Gou slapped again without hesitation, making a loud sound.
“I, how can I endure such humiliation! Ahhh, Invisible Slash!” Suddenly, Li Yuan Zhen drew out a silver-white long sword and made a feigned slash at herself.
The crisp sound of a shattering silver bottle rang out, and Li Yuan Zhen fell to the ground.
However, she immediately got up again. The humiliating and shy memory was completely wiped clean. She said with a serious face, “But I no longer have the evidence of Feng De’s misconduct. We can’t force him to admit it, can we?”
Qin Gou’s scalp tingled, he gasped, and his mouth twitched repeatedly. “You really are an eccentric genius!”
