Chapter 0.34 Gu Xunhe (Bonus Chapter)
Late at night, within a phantom dream.
In a magnificent and resplendent hall, Shen Tianyin gazed at the mysterious Qin Gou, who sat steadily on a dragon-carved throne, and said excitedly, “Lord Cthulhu, just tell me the truth, Gu Yan’er isn’t actually dead, is she?”
Behind the gray mist, Qin Gou’s expression was extremely awkward. He immediately responded in a deep, emotionless voice, “There is no longer a person named Gu Yan’er in this world. She has completely ceased to exist.”
Shen Tianyin showed no surprise and said with confidence, “But I’ve already seen her in our original world.”
“That wasn’t Gu Yan’er,” Qin Gou stated unequivocally.
“I wouldn’t mistake her,” Shen Tianyin said with determined eyes. “Even if she’s reincarnated, she’s still my Yan’er.”
Qin Gou had miscalculated significantly.
He had originally intended to use his identity as the Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the cost of 100,000 reincarnation points to firmly bind Shen Tianyin and the others, making them his hidden agents within the Seed Demon Sacred Cult. He never expected that compared to the cost of 100,000 reincarnation points, Shen Tianyin would rather believe such a baseless and nonsensical reincarnation story that even a three-year-old could see was wrong.
Too lazy to waste any more words, Qin Gou waved his hand, and the five individuals immediately fell into a deeper layer of the dreamscape to complete the Nine Deaths, One Survival mission in the reincarnation world.
The next morning, outside Qin Gou’s cave dwelling, a young female cultivator with a beautiful appearance had apparently been waiting for some time.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Qin,” the female cultivator said with a smile. “Young Master requests your presence.”
Within the Seed Demon Sacred Cult, only one person could be addressed as ‘Young Master,’ and that was Gu Xunhe, one of Gu Feiyan’s elder brothers and the eldest son of the Cult Master, Gu Jinghong.
“Lead the way.”
Qin Gou didn’t know what Gu Xunhe was plotting, nor whether he knew that Qin Gou had decided to assist Gu Feiyan. However, he suspected this visit would be impossible to refuse.
The stream gurgled, with playful fish darting about, its gentle sound pleasing and cleansing to the heart. In the quiet room, Gu Xunhe, with his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, exuded an arrogant demeanor. He was dressed in a luxurious golden robe, his hands lightly caressing a guqin.
The music gradually ceased.
The young female cultivator bowed deeply and said in a soft, tender voice, “Young Master, Senior Brother Qin has arrived.”
Gu Xunhe first looked at the female cultivator and said with a wild, unrestrained laugh, “Well done. You shall attend to me tonight.”
“Yes, Young Master,” the young female cultivator replied, her pretty face blushing, her beautiful eyes seeming to drip with tenderness. She then quietly withdrew.
In the main hall of the quiet room, on the surface, only Qin Gou and Gu Xunhe remained.
“The Young Master is truly amorous and unrestrained,” Qin Gou couldn’t help but exclaim. Arranging evening ‘entertainment’ in front of him, a guest, showed a remarkable boldness.
“There’s no need for pleasantries. Just answer my questions,” Gu Xunhe said coldly, sweeping a glance at Qin Gou, his tone as light as clouds. “I heard my father bestowed the Spirit Gathering Cave Dwelling he once used upon you?”
“That’s correct.”
“The reason?” Gu Xunhe asked coldly.
Qin Gou chuckled awkwardly and shook his head. “I cannot say. Perhaps the Young Master can ask the Cult Master himself.”
Gu Xunhe’s eyes sharpened, and he said arrogantly, “If I could directly ask my father, would I need to find you and waste my time?”
Hearing this, Qin Gou’s brows furrowed. This young man was truly exceptionally arrogant.
Gu Xunhe took a sip of the fragrant tea on the table, his expression haughty. “Solely because the Cult Master regards you with special favor, I am now giving you an opportunity to assist me in vying for the position of Young Sect Master. You should be aware that with your current cultivation, you wouldn’t ordinarily be qualified to participate in such a struggle.”
Qin Gou didn’t hesitate and cupped his fists. “I regret that I cannot comply.”
Gu Xunhe’s gaze swiftly turned as cold as frost, and he said in a deep voice, “You refuse me? Have you truly considered it carefully? Perhaps you don’t know how great the benefits will be if you serve me in the future.”
“I have already considered it very carefully,” Qin Gou said, ignoring his threat, his demeanor calm and self-possessed.
Gu Xunhe, enraged, burst into laughter and questioned, “Then let me ask you, do you have any plans to secretly serve my incompetent younger brother, or Gu Feiyan in the future? Tell me, have they secretly contacted you? What benefits have they promised you?”
“Isn’t your Young Master being a bit too domineering?” Qin Gou asked, showing some displeasure.
“Domineering?” Gu Xunhe’s lips curled into an arrogant smile. “What’s wrong with being a little domineering when it comes to eliminating an unstable factor, a troublemaker? In this Demon Sacred Cult, who else can lecture this young master over such a trivial matter?”
As he spoke, Gu Xunhe quickly snapped his fingers.
The young female cultivator who had left earlier, along with several black-clothed deacon disciples, emerged from their hiding places. The threat was palpable.
“Believe me, refusing my kind offer will be the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in your life,” Gu Xunhe said contemptuously, not holding Qin Gou in any regard and pursing his lips theatily.
“Since we can’t talk anymore, allow me to take my leave first,” Qin Gou said, looking at the people in the room and shrugging with a smile.
“If you believe you have the ability, you are welcome to leave,” Gu Xunhe said, hands spread in a mock gesture of amusement, his eyes filled with intense hostility. “Anything that cannot be used by me has no value in existence. However, rest assured, for my father’s sake, I will spare your dog life and imprison you safely. Once I successfully ascend to the position of Young Cult Master, and figure out what extraordinary traits you possess that cause my father to regard you with special favor, I will then deal with your aftermath at my leisure!”
“Now, kneel before me!” Gu Xunhe shouted. Two black-clothed deacon disciples quickly rushed to Qin Gou’s side, grabbed his shoulders, and kicked the backs of his knees.
“The Young Master is truly cruel and heartless. What am I to do?” Qin Gou struggled fiercely, standing straight. His fierce, angry laughter was like that of an enraged deity. How long had it been? How long had it been since someone dared to threaten him like this? It had probably been a thousand years.
The young female cultivator and the other black-clothed deacon disciples quickly blocked all of Qin Gou’s escape routes, their faces like frost, their killing intent evident.
“I really want to give this brat a good slap.”
Qin Gou’s heart burned with rage, his eyes ice-cold.
“Ding. Urgent mission released: ‘My dad never hit me’: Justice arrives as scheduled! Give the Seed Demon Sacred Cult’s Young Master ‘Gu Xunhe’ a resounding slap, letting him feel the deep love and strict discipline of a parent, a small slap of blood thicker than water. Mission reward directly breaks through to the peak of the Artifact Forging Realm, with a time limit of five minutes. Mission failure will result in the host being punished with three hundred self-inflicted slaps, automatically completed by this system.”
In an instant.
Qin Gou’s furious expression vanished, replaced by a sudden spring breeze and gentle rain. His smile was as kind as that of a benevolent saint.
“System, my good System, we’ve known each other for so long, and you’ve finally done something useful, damn it!”
