Chapter 0 32. The Eye of Illusion Breaking
Outside the cave dwelling.
Chen Keshua was idly strolling when he suddenly saw a few familiar figures. It was Shen Tianyin, Cao Yilin, and others. They seemed to be blocked by two guards and were in some sort of trouble.
“Why have you come?” Chen Keshua walked up and asked.
“Fatty!”
“We came to congratulate Little Brother Qin on his promotion to Inner Disciple, but we were stopped by the guards and not allowed in,” Cao Yilin explained.
The two guards said sternly, “This is a sacred place of the Sacred Cult. Those who trespass without invitation will be killed. There will be no mercy.”
“It’s just a place with cave dwellings. What is this sacred place nonsense? They are clearly making things difficult for us,” Shen Tianyin said with a grim expression.
“Senior Brother, may I take them in? I am Master Qin’s menial laborer. We’ve met before,” Chen Keshua said respectfully to one of the guards.
The guard nodded slightly and said, “If it’s Master Qin’s wish, you can take them in. But remember, do not let them wander around carelessly, lest they offend some great senior.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother. I will follow your instructions,” Chen Keshua said with a sly smile and cupped his fists in salute.
“Fatty, you’re the most reliable!” Cao Yilin said with a hearty laugh.
Chen Keshua shook his head. “I’d better take you there later. Little Brother Qin is entertaining an honored guest right now and doesn’t have time.”
“Which honored guest?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Damn it, playing mysteries now.”
Chen Keshua smiled enigmatically. “I’m afraid you’ll be scared to death if I tell you.”
…
“I don’t understand what Senior Sister means.”
Inside the cave dwelling, Qin Gou felt completely bewildered. Did Gu Feiyan have some strange misunderstanding about him?
“Alright. Let’s not talk about that. Just know that I have no intention of discriminating against you, and you don’t need to play dumb in front of me,” Gu Feiyan said calmly, brushing aside a strand of cloud-like black hair from her forehead.
“Then let’s change the subject. Senior Sister, you said you wanted to talk to me alone earlier? We are indeed the only two of us here now,” Qin Gou said with a teasing smile.
Gu Feiyan’s expression turned serious. “You are a promising talent. Do you want to work under me?”
“I can consider it,” Qin Gou nodded, his tone deepening. “But before that, I hope Senior Sister can answer one question for me… Can you see through my disguise?”
“Yes,” Gu Feiyan said confidently. “You can fool anyone in the Sacred Cult, but you can’t fool me.”
“Why?”
Gu Feiyan blinked her cold and beautiful eyes. “Under the gaze of my Natal Spirit Tool, the ‘Eye of Illusion Breaking,’ all disguises are futile.”
“Eye-type Spirit Tool? So that’s how it is,” Qin Gou gave a wry smile. He had lost fair and square.
Although he didn’t know the true capabilities of this ‘Eye of Illusion Breaking’ Spirit Tool, a guest of Arc-Moon Mountain once possessed an eye-type spirit tool similar to Gu Feiyan’s. He was an elderly Taoist who kept his eyes closed all day, because the moment he opened them, it would unleash a torrent of sword energy, obliterating everything indiscriminately, causing widespread devastation.
“Don’t worry, I won’t make a sound about this. And I’m not the type to take advantage of someone’s misfortune to force you to join me. After all, a forced melon isn’t sweet, and I’m afraid you’ll have ulterior motives,” Gu Feiyan said indifferently. “As long as you are willing to lend me a helping hand, when I become the Young Cult Master of the Sacred Cult in the future, I will do my best to satisfy all your expectations. This is my promise to every subordinate.”
“Is this a combination of grace and might? I didn’t expect Senior Sister Gu to be such an outstanding leader,” Qin Gou said with appreciative laughter.
“Thank you for the compliment. How about we see right now what your deepest desire in your heart is? Let’s see if this young lady has the strength to satisfy it.” As she spoke, a faint pink light, like a dancing dragon, flickered within Gu Feiyan’s energetic eyes.
Qin Gou was startled, vaguely guessing the terrifying ability of this so-called ‘Eye of Illusion Breaking.’
“You!”
Unexpectedly, Gu Feiyan suddenly widened her beautiful eyes and glared fiercely at Qin Gou. Her exquisite face turned slightly red, and she hesitated to speak, her expression shy.
She saw it. She saw it clearly.
The intense longing, the desire from the depths of his soul, it almost made her fall into it.
Qin Gou sensed a bad omen and decisively said, “I am willing to join Senior Sister Gu’s command and conquer the world for Senior Sister Gu.”
“The thing you crave most in the depths of your heart is not a supreme divine art or dominating the world, but… my favor?” Gu Feiyan gritted her teeth, looking both somewhat incredulous and shy. Qin Gou’s pure thoughts far exceeded her imagination.
Just her favor, wanting to reside in her heart, without any base desire to possess her alluring body, was terrifyingly pure.
Gu Feiyan’s most hated thing was for people to flatter themselves in front of her. What she loved most was to see through the truest beauty with her own eyes… So even if a hundred men knelt before her and professed their love, it would not be as impactful as her now seeing through Qin Gou’s heart with her own eyes.
“Uh, does joining Senior Sister Gu require a Spirit Oath? Once a Spirit Oath is made, it cannot be revoked, and there’s no need to worry about spies infiltrating?” Qin Gou’s old face turned red, and he spoke as if he hadn’t heard Gu Feiyan’s words at all.
“Then make your oath,” Gu Feiyan gave Qin Gou a shy glance and took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
Qin Gou drew out a drop of fresh blood and, using his blood as a base and spiritual power as a guide, made a solemn Spirit Oath: “I, Qin Gou, swear to wholeheartedly assist Senior Sister Gu Feiyan in ascending to the position of Young Cult Master. Any violation will result in backlash and the dissipation of my cultivation.”
Instantly, an indescribable power of Heavenly Dao Law swept over Qin Gou and Gu Feiyan, disappearing in a flash.
“So this is your name. I’ve been wondering for a long time why other disciples simply called you ‘Master Qin’,” Gu Feiyan’s gaze gradually softened now that the Spirit Oath was complete.
“Master Qin is probably everyone’s affectionate nickname for me,” Qin Gou said with a sheepish smile. “Speaking of which, now that I’ve officially become one of Senior Sister Gu’s fierce generals, why aren’t you the least bit excited?”
Gu Feiyan pursed her alluring red lips, forming a devilishly charming and cold smile, and said deliberately in a haughty tone, “Then, this young lady will now issue your first command, you little dog!”
“Now, immediately, right away, draw a portrait of me, using that painting technique you mentioned called ‘sketching’.”
Qin Gou was a bit stumped and helpless. “Senior Sister, didn’t you just take me in on purpose for this? All that talk about satisfying expectations and lending a helping hand was just bluffing.”
Gu Feiyan revealed a wicked smile like a little devil, her agile and cute tongue lightly licked her lips, and she said, with a sincerity that was hard to discern, “Little dog, you’re quite smart. You guessed exactly right. With your mere Artifact Forging Realm cultivation, you can’t even withstand one of my slaps. What kind of help can you offer?”
