**Chapter 0:53. Shut Up and Take My Money**
“Elder, we’ll have to trouble you with Yan Qiaoyun’s initiation ceremony,” Qin Gou said humbly to the white-haired, Great Elder of the Faceless Hermits.
The Great Elder smiled kindly, “Even with significant ancestral legacies lost, this initiation ceremony is still a simple matter for this old man. Little Friend Qin, you are too kind. You have brought great honor to our clan these past few days. I don’t know how to repay you, given the clan’s current circumstances. We truly have nothing noteworthy to offer.”
Qin Gou solemnly cupped his fists. “Great Elder, I, Qin Gou, am willing to lead our clan back to the light and reclaim the supreme glory our clan once held as one of the seventy-two ancient pillar clans of the Abyss.”
The Great Elder was silent for a moment, then asked gravely, “Are you sure you are willing to bear the responsibility of restoring the clan?”
“I am wholeheartedly willing, and could not ask for more,” Qin Gou replied with sincere eyes and impassioned words. “Ever since returning to the Abyss and witnessing the plight of my kin, I, Qin Gou, have made the restoration of our clan my lifelong pursuit. No matter how many perils I face in the future, I will stand tall, overcome all obstacles, and swear my loyalty unto death. Only then will I be worthy of my parents who gave me life and the scorching blood of the Faceless Hermits flowing in my veins.
“Good, good child,” the Great Elder said, deeply moved as he patted Qin Gou’s shoulder, his eyes filled with inexpressible admiration. “Then, according to protocol, I must first perform a secret technique to ascertain the purity of your bloodline.”
Qin Gou’s eyes flickered. “Great Elder, is there something specific about this? I have lived in the mortal world for too long and am not entirely clear on some matters.”
“It is an unwritten rule that has existed since ancient times. Our Faceless Hermit clan has no precedent of a mixed-blood member becoming clan leader.” The Great Elder hesitated slightly. “Good child, you are not, like Qiao’er, a mixed-blood of human and demon, are you?”
“Naturally not,” Qin Gou answered decisively, his heart at ease.
He was indeed different from Qiao’er. His human and demon bloodlines could switch at will. He had even achieved a Half-Dragon Body previously by cultivating the Sacred Dragon Manual, making him a mix of almost all three races. There was likely no one else in this world as thoroughly mixed as he was.
“Then let us proceed with the formalities. You have no need for any concerns, good child.” As he spoke, the Great Elder took out a staff from his Nas from his Spatial Ring. The staff was covered in strange, vein-like patterns, and a translucent, blood-red gem was embedded at the top. The Great Elder held the staff and instructed, “Take a drop of blood and let it fall onto the gem.”
Qin Gou secretly circulated the Faceless Hermit bloodline to its limit. The demonic patterns in his pupils almost ignited with an evil fire. He then forced out a drop of blood from his fingertip using spiritual power, which fell into the gem.
Instantly, the translucent gem turned completely crimson, emitting a blood-red radiance that was exceptionally dazzling even in the daytime.
The Great Elder excitedly grabbed Qin Gou’s shoulders and exclaimed involuntarily, “Unbelievable! To think that there would still be such pure Faceless Hermit blood in this world! Qin Gou, your bloodline, even in my time, would have made you a strong contender for clan leader!”
“Having you, Qin Gou, in this world is truly the good fortune of us Faceless Hermits!”
“You flatter me, Great Elder,” Qin Gou said, rubbing his nose, uncharacteristically bashful.
“I speak the truth, so where is the flattery?” The Great Elder’s eyes revealed his deep affection for the younger generation. He then retrieved a seal from his Nas and solemnly handed it to Qin Gou. “This is the Seal of the Clan Leader. You must keep it safe. As for the celebratory ceremony, I will instruct it to be held on an auspicious day immediately! Qin Gou, you are destined to be the glorious leader who will revitalize our clan!”
“I will not fail the Great Elder or the expectations of my kin,” Qin Gou replied with a knowing smile, accepting the seal without any pretense and nodding heavily.
The Great Elder smiled with satisfaction and subconsciously glanced at the gem on the staff. His expression suddenly turned to one of astonishment.
“Great Elder, what is wrong?” Qin Gou asked, puzzled.
“You… this is impossible!”
The Great Elder looked Qin Gou up and down in disbelief, his face twitching. “Child, you are only at the Nascent Soul stage, and so young? You are far too precocious!”
After leaving the Great Elder’s residence.
“Ding. Congratulations to the host for completing the ‘If I Were a Demon’ quest. Rewards: Direct advancement by one minor realm, significant growth in Faceless Hermit bloodline, and a secret concerning Kong Ling, the Demon Race’s Grand Princess.”
In an instant, Qin Gou’s cultivation reached the late stage of the Li Jiu Realm, and his Faceless Hermit bloodline grew to the Qing Shou stage, increasing his capacity to store others’ appearances from three to five.
However, Qin Gou’s greatest interest was not these advancements but a seemingly ordinary brocade pouch that had appeared out of thin air in his hand.
A secret about Kong Ling? What secrets did Kong Ling have that he didn’t already know?
He took out a paper slip from the brocade pouch and examined it closely.
“The Demon Race’s Grand Princess Kong Ling often found herself lacking in dignity due to her excessive endowments, until one day she learned about chest binding. Her true size is…”
*Crack.*
Qin Gou tore the paper slip into shreds in seconds. “System, are you toying with me?”
To his surprise, the brocade pouch was still bulging. He took out another paper slip of the same size.
“Her mother, Lu Zhili, was merely a pitiful substitute, never truly receiving even a shred of love from the Demon Emperor Mo Qingyang. While she appeared to be in seclusion for years, she had in fact met her demise at Mo Qingyang’s hands long ago.”
After a moment of silence, Qin Gou slowly put the paper slip back into the brocade pouch and stored it in his Nas.
“You used a joke to ease my emotions before delivering a heartbreaking piece of news, to temper the blow? You are thoughtful,” Qin Gou mused with a smile. Outwardly, he appeared relaxed, but the cracked floor tiles beneath his feet and the knife-like coldness in his eyes betrayed him completely.
If the Demon Emperor could be so ruthless to his wife, it was evident how he would treat Kong Ling.
Qin Gou, known as the foremost protective demon in the Cultivation World, instantly understood Kong Ling’s suicidal intent on Dragon God Island and ignited a killing intent.
…
Meanwhile, at the Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse.
“Don’t be like that! Just sell a few of those little jade tokens to this humble Daoist. I’m not short on money!” Li Yuanzhen gazed enviously at the lottery jade tokens held by other guests, biting her red lips.
Yan Chuchun said with a helpless, wry smile, “Esteemed guest, our Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse’s jade tokens are not for sale. They are given as small gifts to each guest upon departure.”
“Then I’ll pay the spirit stones for ten baths upfront, and you can give me ten jade tokens!” Li Yuanzhen exclaimed impatiently, holding a pile of spirit stones. “This is my first time seeing such a novel method of gambling. I refuse to miss out on experiencing it firsthand!”
“Gambling? Esteemed guest, please do not falsely accuse our humble establishment!” Yan Chuchun said, startled, and quickly clarified.
“Stop talking, elder sister, just take my money quickly!” Li Yuanzhen was practically rushing to stuff all the spirit stones into Yan Chuchun’s embrace.
“Sister Yuan Zhen, could you come here for a moment?” At this moment, Ao Banwei happened to spot Li Yuanzhen in the shop and led her to a secluded spot.
Li Yuanzhen immediately understood. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with excitement. “I get it! This gameplay must have been invented by A’Qin, right? Where is he? If the girls outside won’t sell them to me, I’ll go ask A’Qin to sell them to me!”
Ao Banwei said with a wry smile, “Sister Yuan Zhen, you’d better not. My Master already said that even if you collect ten thousand of those jade tokens, you definitely won’t win the grand prize.”
“W-what?” Li Yuanzhen was instantly struck as if by lightning, her pretty face turning pale as she stood frozen. “How could A’Qin do this? Banwei, do you know what people like that are called in our insider circles?”
“Banwei doesn’t know, and… doesn’t want to know!” Ao Banwei glanced behind Li Yuanzhen.
“A scummy bookie! A’Qin is acting like a scummy bookie right now! A big bad!” Li Yuanzhen stomped her little feet in anger, gesticulating wildly.
Immediately after, Qin Gou directly put his arms around her shoulders from behind, smiling, “Speak up!”
