Chapter 0: 38. Am I handsome?
Only then did Mu Man’er notice Qin Gou’s terrifying expression, and she felt a shudder of fear. She quickly put on the most deceptive, sweet, and cute smile she could muster, and said with a trembling voice, “Mas—Master, please don’t be angry yet. Man’er can explain!”
“I believe you, my foot! You barbaric wench are getting more and more lawless. How dare you so indecently provoke your master!” Qin Gou was furious. He transformed the Myriad Seed into a long chair and pressed Mu Man’er’s boneless body onto his lap. Instantly, a fierce storm of thunderous slaps from a master rained down upon her.
“Waaah, help me! Master’s slaps are getting stronger and stronger!”
“Man’er is about to be flattened! Fatty, Little Yu, you two idiots, what are you still staring at? Control Master and save your sister!”
Chen Keshua and Chi Yu quickly went to Qin Gou’s side, hugging his arms on either side. They anxiously pleaded, “Stop hitting! Little Brother Qin, calm your anger. Don’t beat Little Sister Mu until she’s broken. You’ll be the one who’s heartbroken later.”
“Yes, Little Sister Mu had good intentions. Qin, listen to her explanation first.”
Qin Gou’s strength was no longer what it used to be. Without being able to use spiritual power, the two of them were out of breath before they could finally separate Qin Gou and Mu Man’er.
“Then tell me, if you can’t give me a convincing reason today, I’ll beat you until you leak air and reveal your true form!” Qin Gou said, his anger not yet subsided.
Mu Man’er rubbed her little翹臀, hopping around like a rabbit being chased by a dog, as if that could relieve the pain. Then, she said, wanting to cry but having no tears, “Gentleman Sword, the other meaning of these three words was told to Man’er by Master himself all those years ago! Man’er believes that given Master’s personality, unless something terrible happened mentally or physically, he would never accept this nickname even if he died! Man’er was really scared and worried too much about Master! Out of love for Master, I resorted to this desperate measure…”
Qin Gou’s face turned green: “Out of love for Master, and you almost caused me to have no descendants? You wench, couldn’t you just ask directly?”
Mu Man’er pouted her little lips aggrievedly and said righteously, “It’s too embarrassing to ask about such things. If I asked directly, Man’er was afraid Master wouldn’t tell the truth. And if I had to touch you, to have Man’er personally take off Master’s pants, it would be too disrespectful and impolite. After much thought, Man’er finally made a solemn decision. Only by touching you with my head could I show Man’er’s filial piety and a pure heart, and show my utmost respect for Master!”
Well-reasoned and convincing.
Qin Gou was stunned: “Is this a ghost? Such nonsensical ravings, and yet for a moment, I can’t refute them.”
“Now that I know Master’s esteemed body is unharmed, Man’er is relieved. I really didn’t expect to meet Master in Das. Man’er is really happy… I would be even happier if my butt didn’t hurt.” Mu Man’er smiled sweetly.
Chen Keshua nodded in agreement: “It’s such a coincidence. I thought I wouldn’t see Little Brother Qin for a long time.”
Qin Gou pondered for a moment, frowning slightly: “So, Man’er is the legendary Sect Leader Mu, and this so-called Heaven’s Substitution Sect and Hero Gathering were all conjured up by you three troublemakers.”
“Hehe, Master, aren’t I amazing? Now I can finally shed the notorious reputation of ‘Evil Sword Fairy’ and bring honor to Master.” Mu Man’er giggled proudly.
Qin Gou raised an eyebrow and asked, “But I heard that the famous Sect Leader Mu is very generous and lavish, spending money like water. Where did you get so many spirit stones, you wench?”
“Of course, it’s from Second Senior Sister’s pocket money. When I was at Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace, Second Senior Sister was very good to me, giving me many gifts every few days.” As she spoke, Mu Man’er furrowed her cute little brows and put on a sad face: “But I’ve had too many social obligations lately, plus the rewards from the Hero Gathering. The spirit stones given by Second Senior Sister are still a bit lacking, and they’ve been spent almost entirely! The mountain gate of Heaven’s Substitution Sect has just begun construction, and it’s a time of great construction that requires spirit stones. How about, Master, can you give me some more?”
“Come, let’s continue.” Qin Gou unhesitatingly grabbed the little girl and pressed her onto his lap. The sound of crackling violence was endless.
“Ah woo woo, Man’er was wrong, Man’er shouldn’t have spent money so carelessly. Master, spare me!”
Chen Keshua and Chi Yu chuckled wryly and joined the fray again. After a long while, they were exhausted as they finally pulled apart Qin Gou and the now utterly disgraced Great Sect Leader Mu.
“Forget it, Little Brother Qin! Little Sister Mu did this to help you.”
“Yes, Little Sister Mu said from the beginning that the purpose of establishing this Heaven’s Substitution Sect was to share your burdens.”
Qin Gou finally calmed down, extremely depressed: “I’m not blaming you for spending money carelessly, but I don’t want others to think that my disciple, Qin Gou, is a brainless rich fool that anyone can take advantage of! Sect Leader Mu, who spends money like water, did you really think people were praising you?”
Mu Man’er obediently nodded her little head and whispered, “Man’er knows she was wrong.”
Qin Gou glared at the silly girl, “Since these spirit stones are for establishing sect strongholds and there’s a reason for it, I won’t be stingy. As long as you, this wench, perform well and make me famous at your Hero Gathering, you’ll receive your benefits.”
Mu Man’er’s eyes immediately lit up with joy: “Great! Master is truly the best to Man’er! But… is Master really going to participate in Man’er’s little Hero Gathering? Why?”
Qin Gou sighed, his eyes filled with deep concern, and said as calmly as possible: “Debt Girl had an accident recently. For certain reasons, I need to quickly make a name for myself in Das to better inquire about her whereabouts. Your Hero Gathering is the best stepping stone right now.”
“Fourth Senior Sister…” Upon hearing this, Mu Man’er stopped joking. Her expression turned serious, and she leaned closer to Qin Gou, whispering in his ear, “This body Master is in isn’t your true body, is it?”
Qin Gou nodded slightly: “That’s right. Although I’m confident I can perform well in the Hero Gathering with this body even without your help, it will now be twice as effective.”
Mu Man’er clenched her small fists and said firmly: “Man’er will definitely help Master with all her might. This is not only for Master, but also for Fourth Senior Sister.”
“Tell me, how do you plan to help me?” Qin Gou knew this little girl too well and asked uneasily.
“Naturally, by directly declaring Master the champion of the Hero Gathering. After all, this Hero Gathering is run by Man’er’s family, so Sect Leader Mu has the final say. No matter what outsiders say, this will make Master’s name spread even further.” Mu Man’er said confidently.
As expected.
Qin Gou chuckled dumbfoundedly: “Silly wench, I want a good reputation, such as being upright and handsome, not any kind of outrageous fame. If you really do this, my reputation in Das will be completely ruined, and all previous efforts will be in vain.”
Hearing this, Mu Man’er smiled slightly, resting her hands behind her back, and said with great seriousness, “If that’s the case, then before I announce Master’s victory, I’ll add another statement: the reason why the Hero Gathering is acting so ridiculously is entirely because Sect Leader Mu of Heaven’s Substitution Sect has irrecoverably fallen in love with the young hero Gentleman Sword Qin Gou, and is willing to do anything to gain his favor! Hehe, this way, Master will become the exclusive obsession of the renowned Sect Leader Mu. Such unparalleled charm cannot possibly be considered a bad reputation, right? A man who even Sect Leader Mu cannot resist will surely have his heroic name spread far and wide!”
“That makes a lot of sense. As expected of my good Man’er.” Qin Gou smiled with extreme kindness and amiability.
“Hehe, Man’er knew she wouldn’t disappoint Master.” Mu Man’er exclaimed excitedly.
Qin Gou’s smile became even more gentle, and he gently pointed to his thigh: “Come, lie down obediently. Master will give you a loving reward.”
Mu Man’er, who was halfway through celebrating, instantly froze, at a loss for what to do.
Chen Keshua and Chi Yu exchanged glances, both wearing smiles of utter despair.
After Mu Man’er obediently lay down with a look of facing death, Qin Gou looked at the little fatty and Chi Yu in surprise and asked, “Why aren’t you two stopping me this time?”
Chen Keshua wearily wiped the sweat from his forehead that hadn’t dried yet, waved his hand, and chuckled dryly, “It’s Little Brother Qin’s own disciple. Whatever he wants.”
“He deserves to be beaten to death. Hurry up… I’m tired,” Chi Yu said, sitting on the ground, exhausted and weary.
Qin Gou nodded slightly, gently patted Mu Man’er’s back, and let her get up, saying softly, “That wouldn’t be as interesting. Let’s forget it.”
“What the hell?!”
Chen Keshua and Chi Yu stared in disbelief: “Holy crap, if that’s the case, you should have said so earlier!”
Mu Man’er, having narrowly escaped death, felt an immense sense of relief.
Qin Gou shrugged: “I knew Man’er wouldn’t come up with any good ideas. I’ll decide for myself.”
“Little Brother Qin, don’t change the subject!”
“Cough, cough.” Qin Gou stood up, tidied his long robes, and asked solemnly, with a righteous air, “Look, am I handsome?”
“Huh?”
Soon, a statement issued by Sect Leader Mu of Heaven’s Substitution Sect herself spread far and wide.
The Hero Gathering would temporarily add a brand new selection rule: in addition to meeting the standards for cultivation and fame, all participants must also have well-proportioned features and handsome appearances. Those who are unkempt will be disqualified. The judging standard will be exemplified by Qin Gou of Sword Questioning Sect, with a perfect score of ten. However, if it were up to Sect Leader Mu’s personal preference, Qin Gou of Sword Questioning Sect, with his graceful demeanor and unparalleled heroism, would be worth a perfect ten thousand points, far beyond the heavens.
Many well-known and powerful cultivators were ruthlessly eliminated due to this single rule.
Some angrily cursed, saying that it was advertised as a Hero Gathering, but in reality, it was just a party to choose a husband.
However, for a time, after easily clearing out numerous strong rivals without completely disrupting the normal proceedings of the Hero Gathering, and finally having to determine superiority by strength, thus not appearing too shameless, the handsome and unparalleled Qin Gou of Sword Questioning Sect’s beauty quickly swept across the land.
