Chapter 0: Old Friend
Arc-Moon Mountain.
The most mysterious spiritual mountain in Chu Zhou, a Cultivator Forbidden Zone, referred to by the Abyssal Demon Race as the seat of their sacred ground for a province. It hadn’t been this lively for a long time.
However, Qin Gou and his companions didn’t linger there for long. After retrieving the alchemy furnace he was most proficient with back then, and resting for a day, Qin Gou personally took Ao Banwei and Li Yuanzhen around for a tour. Afterwards, Qin Gou’s group once again rode their spirit boat towards their true destination, the Seed Demon Sacred Cult.
But coincidentally, it was not until a day after Qin Gou and his group departed that Arc-Moon Mountain welcomed another guest.
Wearing a black robe as dark as ink, holding a nine-ringed artifact-warding staff, and a veil hat. The veil hanging around the brim wasn’t the usual veil, but rows of densely packed yellow paper talismans, making him appear extremely mysterious and eerie.
This mysterious guest walked up the mountain, leaning on his staff, all the way to the gates of the Celestial Master Pavilion. If he dared to step in any further, he would be forcibly expelled from Arc-Moon Mountain by the Mountain Guarding Array. Yet, this person simply stood in place, silent for a long time.
No one knew how long passed, nor what this person was thinking or looking at. It was only when the sun began to set that this stone sculpture-like figure finally moved.
A standard, more standard than standard, middle finger, the meaning of which was understood by less than ten people in the entire Cultivation World, was raised high towards the gate of the Celestial Master Pavilion.
“Old undead, live a few more days. Beastly traitor, I take my leave!”
…
Jin Dui Mountain Range.
The spirit boat landed outside the gates of the Seed Demon Sacred Cult.
At this moment, Qin Gou had already transformed into the appearance of ‘Qin Yue,’ a form more familiar to the disciples of the Sacred Cult.
“Little Brother Qin?”
“Master Qin, you’re finally back!”
“Quick, go and report!”
The disciples guarding the mountain gate exclaimed with joy.
Li Yuanzhen blinked her surprised eyes and asked in a low voice, “A’Qin, why do they call you Master Qin? It’s impossible that everyone in the Seed Demon Sacred Cult knows your true identity, right?”
“It’s normal. Those who are skilled are masters,” Qin Gou said with a smile.
“I see. This humble Daoist thought that A’Qin had beaten them into submission when you were mingling with the Seed Demon Sacred Cult before, which is why they had to call you that,” Li Yuanzhen said casually.
“Ahem.”
Qin Gou touched his nose. When did this rascal learn the art of divination?
Soon, Qin Gou met his first acquaintance within the Seed Demon Sacred Cult.
“Young Master, have you been well?”
The man in the golden robe walking not far away shuddered instinctively as soon as he heard Qin Gou’s voice.
He turned around in disbelief, and Gu Xunhe exclaimed with wide eyes, “Qin Gou, when did you get back?”
“Naturally, I just returned. It’s been a long time. I didn’t expect to see a family member as soon as I returned to the sect,” Qin Gou said with a friendly smile, walking a little closer.
“Don’t come near me!”
Gu Xunhe recoiled as if from a snake or scorpion, instinctively covering his right cheek.
Qin Gou was rendered speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Alright. However, I heard that Young Master was punished to reflect in Scarred Wind Valley. I didn’t expect it to end so soon? Could it be because of good behavior?”
Seeing that Qin Gou had stopped, Gu Xunhe breathed a sigh of relief and said indifferently, “I intended to harm my kin. Although it didn’t succeed, I was still punished to reflect in Scarred Wind Valley for ten years. How could I be released so quickly? It’s just that my father recently permitted me to leave the valley once a month to visit my Dao Companion.”
“Dao Companion? Young Master is married?” Qin Gou asked with considerable surprise. He had genuinely witnessed Gu Xunhe’s philandering nature before. Relying on his noble status in the Seed Demon Sacred Cult, he had always had a harem of beauties at his beck and call.
“That’s right,” Gu Xunhe nodded and sighed. “However, in the eyes of outsiders, my Young Master and he are sworn brothers.”
“Wh-what?” Qin Gou looked utterly bewildered.
“You know my sworn brother too. No… to be precise, you’ve also beaten him up,” Gu Xunhe’s eyes flashed with a hint of remembrance.
Qin Gou blurted out, “Chen Dayi?!” It was Gu Xunhe’s loyal little follower back then. Since they were both opponents in the Forget Self Secret Realm, and shared the same surname as Fatty Chen Keshuai from their side, some people even confused the two. Therefore, Qin Gou remembered this person’s name very clearly.
“Indeed.”
Qin Gou immediately shivered and chuckled in disbelief, “Didn’t Young Master say back then that if Chen Dayi wanted to succeed, he might as well kill you directly?”
Gu Xunhe clasped his hands behind his back, adopting the air of a seasoned elder. “Time reveals a person’s heart. When I lost all my privileges and was pressed into the mud, I finally realized who was truly loyal and inseparable! Moreover, we are Dao Companions in spirit, supporting each other, progressing together, and when we have real needs, we can go out together like brothers and conquer the red-light districts. It can be said to be a match made in heaven.”
“Then I wish Young Master a happy hundred years together.” The ways of the world are unpredictable. Qin Gou nodded, unable to suppress a wry smile.
“Little Friend Qin!”
A deep and steady old voice sounded. It was Elder Yuan Zhen, who had brought Qin Gou from the streets into the Seed Demon Sacred Cult back then.
“Greetings, Elder Yuan,” Qin Gou cupped his fists in salutation. If not for Yuan Zhen, he would never have known that this small Seed Demon Sacred Cult had once been glorious, even possessing such a profound supreme scripture as the Azure Emperor Painting Scroll.
“Good, good, good. You haven’t forgotten this old man,” Elder Yuan Zhen said, stroking his beard and beaming. “Eh, your cultivation…” As he spoke, Yuan Zhen’s eyes widened sharply. When Qin Gou was forcibly brought back to the Seed Demon Sacred Cult by him, he was merely a beginner in the Artifact Forging Realm. Now, in just over a year, he was a genuine cultivator in the late Li Jiu Realm? On par with Yuan Zhen himself!
Such a terrifying speed of promotion was unheard of, comparable to the reincarnation of a legendary immortal god. And at this moment, the Daoist-robed woman behind Qin Gou, whose eyes were like clear springs and whose demeanor was like a divine sword in its scabbard, unsullied by the dust of the world, and the silver-scaled maiden with golden eyes radiating power without anger, were both unfathomable even to him.
“It was just some opportunities. In the end, I didn’t disappoint Elder Yuan, did I?” Qin Gou smiled gently.
“Disappointed? This old man almost got scared stiff and kicked the bucket right on the spot!” Yuan Zhen said with a hearty, carefree laugh. “By the way, Cult Master Gu already knows about your return today. I’m rushing over now to inform you to hasten to the Main Hall to meet the Cult Master!”
“Is it Cult Master Gu Jinghong? Wasn’t he already in closed-door seclusion seeking a breakthrough to the Dharma Aspect Realm?” Qin Gou asked, puzzled.
“The Cult Master had already instructed that only two things could prompt him to end his seclusion early: one, an invasion by a powerful enemy, when the sect’s survival is at stake. And the other is the return of my Little Friend Qin!” Yuan Zhen said with a smile, stroking his white beard.
“The Cult Master values me so highly?” Qin Gou was quite surprised. Even as the number one seed, he shouldn’t be equated with the survival of the entire sect, should he?
“Of course! The Cult Master directly said he wanted to swallow that rascal who advanced step-by-step without anyone noticing… Haha, just kidding, just kidding. Hurry on your way!”
“Do you think I’m stupid? After you’ve said all that, I can still go?!” Qin Gou shook his head, unable to stop a wry smile. He suddenly patted his Nas ring, and a Stone Spirit puppet, identical in appearance and attire to Qin Gou’s current form, emerged.
“Old friend, it’s time for your irreplaceable role to shine!”
“You…”
“But remember, with your mouth, if we can avoid speaking, let’s try not to talk!”
