Chapter 0: 17. Shameless Ghost Cultivator
Qin Gou’s eyes swept across the students in the bathing tubs, all immersing themselves in the joy of obtaining the Jade Bone Tempering Dew. Such a generous handout did not sting Qin Gou at all; with the Myriad Seed Spirit Tool, he could produce as much of this item as he wanted, even though it was considered priceless by others.
He just hadn’t expected that Mu Man’er, that mischievous wench, would truly uphold the principle of “teaching without discrimination.” Just look at the kind of people in Heaven’s Substitution Academy! A collection of villainous evildoers, and this is how one recruits disciples? Bastard!
“Ding. New mission ‘A Good Teacher and Helpful Friend’ has been published. The 108 individuals in Heaven’s Substitution Academy have, at various times, engaged in base conduct and accumulated heavy debts. The host is ordered to cleanse the souls of at least half of these students through the ‘Arc-Moon Mountain Customary Education.’ 1. Each person will be rewarded with 100 Merit points. 2. A ‘Xie Yu’s Obedient Talisman’ will be rewarded. The time limit is twenty days. If the mission fails, the host will be rewarded with the broad-mindedness and magnanimity that Yi Chengying covets, akin to the Mystic Maiden Palace Lord Ye Qishuang.”
What exactly is Arc-Moon Mountain Customary Education?
Qin Gou pondered for a mere second, then stealthily set the target of the ‘Celestial Master’s Love’ ring to Jin Ping before him. He hid his right hand behind his back, grasped something soft, yielding, and full, then gave a forceful pat…
“Ah!”
Jin Ping’s eyes widened in shame, her expression changing drastically.
Qin Gou’s face remained calm as he asked with concern, “Jin Ping, what’s wrong?” At the same time, he landed a few blows on thin air.
“It hurts so much!”
“Qin, Mr. Qin, something bit me in the water!” Jin Ping, startled and ashamed, no longer cared about anything else and stood up abruptly, then hastily and flusteredly leaned against Qin Gou’s chest, using his body to shield her wet clothes and her revealed curves, blushing with embarrassment.
“Ding. Congratulations to the host for gaining 100 Merit points.”
“You’re really making me do this?”
Qin Gou found it unbelievable, “What does performing such a lewd and impolite act have to do with cleansing souls? Does getting hit by me count as education?”
“Ding… In ancient times, mighty figures could speak reality into existence and end killing with a mere glance, dispelling sins with a wave of their hand. You are a Celestial Master!”
“???”
“Is the system trying to sweet-talk me?” Qin Gou realized he was instantly convinced. His old pal, the System, seemed to have grown quite a bit. Although it still made him undertake tasks with bizarre objectives, at least its words now were sincere, straightforward, and highly sophisticated.
“Let me take a look.”
For a moment, Qin Gou looked at the bathtub where Jin Ping was, stirred the water again with his spiritual power, and said in surprise, “There’s nothing in the water.”
Jin Ping gritted her teeth, immensely embarrassed. “I didn’t see anything either, but something touched me, and not just once. Someone must be deliberately causing trouble. Qin, Mr. Qin, you must seek justice for me!”
“Don’t worry! With me here, I will definitely find the culprit.” Qin Gou’s gaze was resolute, and he nodded righteously. “Based on my experience, I suspect some impolite ghost cultivator has infiltrated this place and is playing tricks on you.”
Upon hearing this, Jin Ping, who was clutching Qin Gou’s collar, was deeply moved. At this moment, Qin Gou, who was so generous and cared for his disciples like his own children, was the backbone she could trust the most. Infected by her teacher’s righteousness, she no longer panicked. However, on second thought, she said, “Ghost cultivator? Really? But our Heaven’s Substitution Academy is protected by formations all around.”
Qin Gou did not reply. Instead, his eyes were resolute, exuding an imposing aura without anger. Spiritual power emanated from him, as if searching for something… Meanwhile, his right hand behind him seemed to be spasming, left and right, up and down, in a frenzy.
“Ouch!”
“Who is it, you pervert!”
“Who hit my butt?”
“There’s something in this water!”
Suddenly, several more students screamed in surprise and delight.
“Audacious ghost cultivator! To be able to penetrate the formations, your Taoist cultivation must be profound, yet you engage in such sordid acts! To bully the young girls under my subordinate, Qin, are you not ashamed!”
For a moment, Qin Gou comforted Jin Ping and had her return to the bathtub to avoid exposure, while he sternly reprimanded. The staff sword at his waist hummed like a dragon’s roar, its cold glint shooting out. His frenzied and swift sword force was dazzling, fighting against the air. Each move was elegant and powerful, astonishing.
“Wretched fiend, reveal your true form at once!”
Immediately after, a semi-transparent, pale, humanoid figure appeared before Qin Gou.
The person was dressed in white clothes, tall and slender, holding a black and white feather fan. It was clearly identifiable as a man, but his face was obscured by a layer of gray mist, making his true appearance impossible to discern.
Clearly, it was a ghost cultivator!
Jin Ping and the others’ pretty faces turned red, their expressions a mixture of shame, anger, and hatred.
“Teacher, go for it! Let that shameless ghost be soul scattered and spirit vanished!”
“Mr. Qin truly is a divine predictor of the enemy!”
“Leave it to me!” Under the adoration of the crowd, Qin Gou’s imposing aura surged.
Night had deepened.
Indoors, Mu Man’er had already reverted from Li Yuanzhen’s disguise and carefully opened a brocade box in her hand.
Inside was a small, round, and lustrous pill. The clear pill cloud patterns revealed the preciousness of this pill.
“Apothecary Yu is too stingy! This little thing actually cost three ancient texts… But it’s said that this item will perfectly achieve my ‘goal,’ and not only will it not harm Master’s body, but it might even have some benefits! Apothecary Yu hyped it up so much, Man’er even wants to try it. It’s a pity girls can’t eat it, otherwise, it might cause them to urinate uncontrollably or something…”
“Speaking of which, Master’s purpose for coming to Heaven’s Substitution Academy seems to be to help Ao Banwei, that Dragon Race member. Since she is Master’s registered disciple, doesn’t that make her Man’er’s junior sister? Man’er can actually be a senior sister now! It’s a pity, for some reason, Master insists on not letting Banwei live in Heaven’s Substitution Academy with us. Man’er was hoping to communicate and understand her better and build a good relationship.”
Placing the small brocade box by her pillow and patting it twice, Mu Man’er smugly pondered her little mischievous thoughts as she gradually fell asleep.
…
In front of all the students, Qin Gou, with unparalleled valor, easily defeated the shameless ghost cultivator. However, the evil spirit was too cunning and slippery, and ultimately managed to escape, leaving the students sighing with regret.
No way. The ghost cultivator brother absolutely cannot die now; a more arduous mission awaits him. After all, Qin Gou only educated a dozen or so students in that short while. The path of purifying evil is still long and arduous.
“Woof.”
A little black dog wagged its tail obediently at Qin Gou.
None of the students were surprised; this little black dog was clearly already a part of Heaven’s Substitution Academy.
Qin Gou smiled slightly and took out the dry food he always carried from his Nas. He threw a small piece of meat to the little black dog.
“Woof!”
The little black dog was immediately overjoyed, its tail wagging furiously. It snatched the meat chunk and disappeared somewhere.
“This little fellow.” Qin Gou chuckled and shook his head.
But he didn’t know that once it was out of Qin Gou’s sight, the little black dog spat out the meat it had been craving moments before, grinned, and suddenly revealed a human-like smile.
“Qin Gou, Ao Banwei, you’ve indeed arrived.”
