Chapter 0: 23. Bound by Rope to Apologize
Qin Gou’s face turned purple with anger. He grabbed Mu Man’er by the back of her collar and, like a little chick, tossed her petite and exquisite body onto a nearby couch. He quickly stuffed several detoxifying pills into his mouth, then rushed into the toilet, slamming the door shut.
“Is Master really going to the toilet? How could that be?”
Seeing this, Mu Man’er immediately picked up the teapot she had used to pour tea for Qin Gou earlier and opened it to take a closer look.
A small pill was immersed in the water, much smaller than before. Its shape was no longer regular and round, nor did it dissolve and disappear upon entering the water as Apothecary Yu had described.
“How could this be? Was it swapped by a villain at some point? Is this really a poison pill?!”
For a moment, Mu Man’er’s blood ran cold. She glanced nervously in the direction of the toilet, feeling as if dark clouds were gathering and a storm was brewing. With a pale face, she shrank her head. Suddenly, she took out a sturdy rope from her Nas storage ring, her eyes serious and full of determination. She clenched her little fists as if to encourage herself.
A moment later.
Fortunately, Qin Gou only drank less than a cup of tea and always carried various detoxifying medicines with him. He emerged from the toilet not long after. Aside from a slight unsteadiness in his steps, as if he were walking on cotton, there were no more toxins in his body.
“Barbarian Girl, see how your master will deal with you…” Qin Gou’s words were cut off mid-sentence, and his expression was startled.
What he saw was Mu Man’er, who, by some unknown method, had wrapped herself tightly from chest to feet with a red rope. Her hands were bound behind her, and she was lying obediently on the couch with her little buttocks sticking out, a silk scarf in her mouth to endure the pain. She looked like a little lamb ready to be slaughtered.
“What are you doing?” Qin Gou asked in astonishment.
“Man’er mistakenly took the poison pill and is here to repent with a rope, Master!” Mu Man’er responded, her words muffled by the silk scarf.
“Is that so? You, a girl who’s out of control, are being so sensible?”
Qin Gou raised an eyebrow and walked to Mu Man’er’s side, reaching directly under her skirt.
“Wuuu. Master, don’t do anything rash!” Mu Man’er shrieked in panic.
Then, Qin Gou pulled out a thick soft cushion from under the Barbarian Girl’s skirt and gritted his teeth, saying, “I raised you from being 1.2 meters tall, do you think I don’t know what you weigh?”
“What kind of scoundrel dared to secretly stuff this thing into Man’er’s skirt? Such audacity! Master, please rest assured, Man’er will not let him off!” Mu Man’er’s watery big eyes were full of pure innocence and pitifulness. “Please punish me, Master. Man’er deserves it and can endure it without a sound.”
“You said it yourself.”
Qin Gou snapped his fingers, activated his Freedom Intent body, and his right palm instantly grew to the size of a cattail fan, whistling as it swung, striking a chilling sight. “Insubordinate disciple, you’re asking for a beating!”
Mu Man’er’s eyes widened instantly.
“Mom! No…”
“Dad! Spare me!”
…
Returning to the table, Qin Gou smiled and pointed at the stool opposite him. “Man’er, sit.”
Mu Man’er pitifully covered her swollen buttocks and shook her head vigorously like a rattle. “No, no need. Man’er knows her manners. If Master sits, Man’er should stand at attention. Standing is fine.”
“If I tell you to sit, you sit.”
Mu Man’er pouted, hardened her heart, and plopped down onto the stool. Instantly, a “woo-wah” sound was heard. Man’er’s chest heaved repeatedly, her breathing rhythmically trembling, giving people the illusion that she was bathing in a hot spring.
Seeing this, Qin Gou’s anger subsided considerably. He handed her a bottle of spirit liquid for pain relief and said, “Tell me, what exactly happened? From what you said earlier, even before it was swapped for a poison pill, what you wanted me to take was no simple spirit pill for improving cultivation, was it?”
“I confess, I submit!”
All her schemes had failed due to a single poison pill. Mu Man’er, feeling like life was meaningless, hugged her head and confessed everything she had learned in the Qingrui Secret Realm.
“Nonsense!”
Qin Gou listened with a grave expression. “What kind of secret realm was that? That secret realm is harmful! Forty-nine days? I’ve never heard of such an exaggerated and bizarre ritual! If you believed it, it would only have killed you!”
Mu Man’er hesitantly explained, “Man’er thought that as the saying goes, ‘a dying man speaks good words.’ True Qingrui also has the Jade Maiden Profound Body, so she wouldn’t…”
“But from your description, True Qingrui was not a good person in her life. Even the trials in that secret realm were full of danger and peril. It was not like selecting an heir, but rather a carefully arranged trap with malicious intent.”
Qin Gou’s gaze gradually became sharp and cold. He heard that Mu Man’er had almost had her legs cut off in the Qingrui Secret Realm. He hoped that True Qingrui, who had achieved the Dharma Aspect Realm around the same time as him, had merely faked her death. If she were still alive, the doting master would surely wring her head off.
“Man’er knows she was wrong, but Man’er wants to improve so badly!”
“Speak human language.”
“Man’er doesn’t want to always sit in a normal-sized chair with her feet dangling in the air. She doesn’t want to be called Heaven’s Substitution Child Matriarch, nor be told by a ten-year-old boy, “Little Sister, come play.” She doesn’t want people to immediately think, ‘Oh, this little shrimp is quite capable,’ whenever she achieves something.”
Mu Man’er said earnestly, “Man’er wants to become a great figure like Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister, someone who is admired and respected, not to be looked down upon, and who benefits the entire Cultivation World and all living beings.”
“Remove the last sentence,” Qin Gou said, rubbing his nose somewhat sheepishly. He gently added, “I know you felt wronged and understand your unwillingness, but no matter what, you shouldn’t have believed True Qingrui’s nonsense and come up with such a ridiculous plan. Think about it, you’re only over ten years old. If you listened to True Qingrui’s slander and ruined your body and mind for such a foolish thing, how could you have a glorious marriage in the future? Your parents, who are far away in Guyue City, would be heartbroken if they knew.”
“Master, you are right.” Mu Man’er frowned her cute little brows and responded with a complex look.
Seeing Mu Man’er gradually fall silent, as if she were repenting, Qin Gou couldn’t help but show a gentle smile. His words must have had an effect, finally allowing the bold and foolish Barbarian Girl to calm down and think carefully.
“Good girl, don’t ever act out like this again. Not just for yourself, but also for your parents and your future beloved…”
Suddenly, Mu Man’er had an epiphany, her eyes clearing up. “Man’er understands!”
“What?” Qin Gou, suddenly interrupted, asked in surprise.
“What do you mean by ruining my body and mind?” Mu Man’er giggled and smiled. “When the time comes, Man’er will just marry Master, won’t she?”
“What about the rope? Come on, tie it up again, and find me a meteor hammer. It’ll be useful.”
