**Chapter 0: One Night Without Sleep**
Ren Wu Chang clutched his aching face, disbelief flashing in his eyes. He had anticipated Mo Yu’s angry attack and had focused all his attention on her, never dreaming that the inconspicuous little attendant beside her would suddenly lash out. Fearlessly, a single punch struck his nose.
“Insolent mongrel, die!” Ren Wu Chang roared, transforming his palm into a claw and unleashing a dark light directly towards Qin Gou’s head.
Qin Gou stood his ground, neither dodging nor flinching, his mind at peace. However, midway through his attack, Ren Wu Chang suddenly clutched his throat, his face a mask of terror and shock. At his Adam’s apple, a spiky sphere was steadily expanding. What was it? Was it because of Qin Gou’s punch and his own uncontrolled cry of pain? All within that brief instant?!
Catching Qin Gou’s incredibly calm gaze, Ren Wu Chang felt his skin crawl. He had initially believed this person to be a mere idiot attendant acting on a fleeting impulse, unaware of the consequences. But now, he saw that this person’s mind was as deep as the sea, and even his previous fury was merely a facade to make him drop his guard.
“Kneel, and face that way,” Qin Gou said in a deep voice, pointing outside the window towards Kong Ling’s chambers.
“Damn it,” Ren Wu Chang rasped, clutching his neck. “A mere Li Jiu Realm cultivator. If it were a direct fight, what are you to me?”
“Realm has never been the sole standard for assessing combat power. Only combat idiots in this world rely solely on realm suppression.” As he spoke, Qin Gou’s mind moved, accelerating the growth of the Myriad Seed.
“Pfft.”
Ren Wu Chang immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. Qin Gou had now reached the late stage of the Li Jiu Realm, and the Myriad Seed’s power was incomparably stronger.
“Bastard, do you know who I am? Do you know what illustrious family I represent and the price you will pay for doing this to me? Mo Yu can’t protect you, I tell you!” Ren Wu Chang’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Qin Gou, roaring hysterically, blood constantly flowing from his mouth.
“I’ve changed my mind. If you show no remorse, then you shall die. I wonder if your esteemed family will still be able to revive you after your head is smashed to pieces.” Qin Gou’s voice was like falling into an ice cave. Under Ren Wu Chang’s terrified gaze, he slowly raised his right hand.
“Stop!”
A strong sense of fatal danger washed over him. Ren Wu Chang’s hair stood on end as he screamed and suddenly fell to his knees with a thud, facing Kong Ling’s chambers. Deep within his eyes, a killing intent that would not cease burned.
Qin Gou said expressionlessly, “Kowtow to her and apologize. You know in your heart how many insults you hurled.”
“You dare to push your luck… Pfft!” Before Ren Wu Chang could finish speaking, under Qin Gou’s activation, he spewed out another mouthful of blood.
“Do you really think I dare not kill you?” Qin Gou’s gaze was like a blade.
“Ah!”
Ren Wu Chang let out a frantic roar and smashed his head hard onto the ground, making a loud bang.
“Bang bang bang.”
After repeating this several times, he looked at Qin Gou coldly, a sinister grin on his lips. Qin Gou nodded slightly, walked calmly to Ren Wu Chang, and suddenly kicked him in the chest, sending him to the ground with a pained cry. He then directly threw the Dizzying God Handkerchief onto his face.
“If you don’t want to die, don’t move rashly.”
Beneath the Dizzying God Handkerchief, Ren Wu Chang’s sinister voice emerged, “I won’t move. I will cooperate with you to the best of my ability. I just want to see how far your courage goes!”
Within seconds, Ren Wu Chang had fallen into a stupor under the effect of the Dizzying God Handkerchief. After retrieving the handkerchief, Qin Gou calmly collected some blood from Ren Wu Chang’s arm and placed it into a small white porcelain bottle. He then turned to look at Kong Ling behind him, finally revealing a familiar, gentle smile. “What, Brother Mo Yu, are you scared silly?”
Kong Ling’s eyes were complex. “Little Brother Qin, you were too impulsive. Even if you had to act, it should have been me.”
“This isn’t called impulsive. Even if I had to choose again a hundred times, I would still do the same.”
“Aren’t you worried about suffering fatal retaliation, and even your Faceless Hermit clan being affected?”
“I’m confident he won’t be able to cause trouble for the Faceless Hermit clan,” Qin Gou said with a calm smile. “As for myself… I absolutely cannot tolerate someone who dares to insult Kong Ling standing unharmed before me.”
“You…”
Kong Ling’s heart trembled. She felt increasingly unable to see through this man. The world was never short of people willing to shed blood and sacrifice their lives for her, the Grand Princess. But those were merely cultists, deluded and controlled, desperately yearning for supreme gifts from her. This young man before her, however… she couldn’t recall ever giving him any gifts, nor had she brainwashed him. What did he truly want? And was she, Kong Ling, really worth him risking his life? Was it… love?
At this moment, Qin Gou transformed the Myriad Seed into a coffin and moved Ren Wu Chang into it. “Brother Mo Yu, please help me leave the Abyss Palace safely.”
“You’re leaving? Where are you going?” Kong Ling was shocked.
“Of course, I need to find a way to deal with this fellow,” Qin Gou said, pointing at the coffin. “I absolutely cannot kill him now, lest his family come stirring up trouble. Nor can I keep him here with you. A friend of mine happens to be the most skilled at handling such matters. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a couple of days. Until I see the Grand Princess, I will absolutely not leave Demon Emperor City.”
“Then… alright.” After much thought, Kong Ling finally agreed. She then chose a suitable moment and quietly saw Qin Gou off from the Abyss Palace.
…
Night fell once more, and Kong Ling returned to her chambers alone. “He’s gone, can I still sleep soundly?” Kong Ling asked herself, finding herself utterly ridiculous. Yet, she suddenly seemed to remember something. She hurried into the room and looked closely, only to say with great disappointment, “Where’s the bed? Why did he take his own bed too?” Her plan to sleep directly in Qin Gou’s bed and spend a pleasant night was dashed. Kong Ling reluctantly returned to her own bed, sighed, and closed her eyes.
That night passed without sleep. Though her eyes remained shut until dawn, she found no true relaxation. She was more distraught than ever, like a child lost from her parents. Kong Ling slowly sat up, her eyes red with a savage emotion. She took deep breaths, and it took a long while before she finally calmed down. Rubbing her cheeks forcefully, a bitter, faint smile touched Kong Ling’s lips. “Qin Yuan, you scoundrel who causes so much trouble, you’re utterly addictive.”
