Chapter 0: June 6th (Bonus Chapter)
Time flew by, and ten days later, Qin Gou’s arm had fully recovered. He spent his days exercising, hunting, and fishing. At night, he would use cultivation-version ghost stories like “The Seed Demon Princess and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Pen Pal Ghost” to playfully scare Xiao Yan, earning gentle scoldings from her. He also used “The Seed Demon Princess and the Seven Dwarfs” to avoid being whipped, enjoying himself immensely.
At night, Qin Gou glanced at Gu Feiyan, who had already fallen asleep inside. He took out a delicate small mirror from his Nas ring. Within the mirror, a vortex of spiritual power constantly spun, forming a considerable scale. This was the spiritual power Qin Gou had painstakingly injected bit by bit over the past ten days. Holding the small mirror in one hand, he instantly conjured a faintly swaying paper lantern from thin air with the other.
True Man Wangji had, after all, underestimated the foundations of A Generation’s Celestial Master.
Within the illusion created by the Dream Person Lantern, Qin Gou sat firmly on a black lacquered dragon-carved throne and waved his hand, saying, “Mu Man’er, come see me at once.”
A delicate silhouette of Mu Man’er, in her youthful maiden form, immediately appeared before Qin Gou.
She was initially bewildered, but quickly reacted, displaying a sweet, heart-stirring smile. “Master, long time no see. Man’er missed you.”
“How has my little fool been doing lately?” Qin Gou asked with a doting tone.
“Very well! Oh, right, Master, I have amazing news to tell you. Man’er has successfully broken through to the Li Jiu Realm! Am I more impressive than Eldest Senior Brother was back then?” Mu Man’er exclaimed excitedly.
Qin Gou nodded slightly, smiling gently. “As expected of Man’er.”
Pleased by her Master’s praise, Mu Man’er happily wiggled her head and rejoiced. With a chuckle, she said, “Indeed! I wonder if Master still needs Man’er to stay in the Seed Demon Sacred Cult to gather information for you? Because Man’er plans to leave the Seed Demon Sacred Cult and travel to the Tian Kun Dynasty alone in the near future.”
“Oh? Why? I recall that the Tian Kun Dynasty harbored immense hatred for you, considering your past actions a direct slap in their faces. Your journey to the Tian Kun Dynasty might not be peaceful,” Qin Gou inquired curiously.
Mu Man’er nodded like a pecking chick. “That’s precisely the reason. Man’er plans to return the birthday tribute from the Tian Kun Dynasty that I plundered, sending it back to where it came from.”
“Good child,” Qin Gou said with immense relief. “When the time comes, apologize to them sincerely. Those you injured back then should be compensated properly. However, if the Tian Kun Dynasty’s royal family makes unreasonable demands, deliberately makes things difficult for you, or tries to use you, do not be afraid. Tell them… that in no distant future, Qin Gou of Arc-Moon Mountain will personally pay them a visit, and I wish to have a heart-to-heart talk with the Human Emperor of the Tian Kun Dynasty.”
“Thank you, Master!” Mu Man’er’s heart warmed.
After some thought, Mu Man’er spoke again. “Man’er has another matter to report to Master… This is also one of the reasons Man’er wants to leave the Seed Demon Sacred Cult as soon as possible. That is… I don’t know why Cult Master Gu Jinghong suddenly wants to betroth me to a top prodigy of the Sacred Cult. Coincidentally, Man’er just learned that the man shares the same name as Master. He’s suitable too!”
“Of course, he’s suitable! Because that person is me,” Qin Gou said, clearing his throat dryly.
“What did you say?!” Mu Man’er was greatly astonished, her small mouth slightly ajar, unable to close.
Qin Gou’s expression returned to calm. “That was merely a spiritual power clone of mine, deliberately mixed into the Seed Demon Sacred Cult. As for why it became involved with you, it’s a long story. You don’t need to worry; I will refuse this arrangement.”
Mu Man’er patted her chest, calming down, and covered her mouth with a chuckle. “So that’s how it is. Since that person is Master, Man’er is relieved. It’s fine even if Master doesn’t refuse.”
“What do you mean it’s fine? Your thinking is quite problematic, you little wench!” Qin Gou said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Never mind… Master will ask you, have there been any major events within the Seed Demon Sacred Cult recently? Gu Xunhe and Gu Yinjiu should have returned by now, right? Who among them became the Young Sect Master?”
“No, Older Sister Feiyan and the others haven’t returned yet. Didn’t Master’s spiritual power clone also go to the Forget Self Secret Realm together?” Mu Man’er asked, confused.
“They haven’t returned yet? Why has it taken so long?”
“So long? After Man’er came out of seclusion, I heard that Older Sister Feiyan and the others went out for training, and it hasn’t even been a month yet. They wouldn’t return so soon, would they?” Mu Man’er replied truthfully.
“What?”
Qin Gou asked in astonishment, “What day is it today?”
“June 6th.”
June 6th…
The day Qin Gou and Gu Feiyan entered the Forget Self Secret Realm and fell into a deep cave together, getting trapped in the hunter’s cabin, was June 5th. They had clearly spent ten days relying on each other, yet only one day had passed in the outside world.
The morning sun rose.
Gu Feiyan awoke in the hunter’s cabin, which they had tidied up to be quite cozy. The moment she opened her eyes, she found Qin Gou not far away, staring at her with a fiery gaze.
“Why are you looking at me? We stare at each other every day. To put it amusingly, we’re almost like an old married couple. Haven’t you had enough?” Gu Feiyan playfully glared at Qin Gou.
Qin Gou’s expression turned serious. “I just tried to contact the outside world and discovered an interesting secret.”
Gu Feiyan incredulously asked, “You can contact the outside world?”
“I just tried, and luckily, I succeeded. However, it’s not without limitations; I can probably only contact them once every ten days,” Qin Gou said seriously. “Moreover, I’ve also discovered that the flow of time in this space where we are is vastly different from the outside world. Every ten days here, only one day passes outside.”
Gu Feiyan was initially overjoyed, but after thinking about it, she sighed sadly, “What’s the use of knowing this? We still can’t get out. Cultivators above the peak of the Hidden Weapon Realm cannot enter the Forget Self Secret Realm. Even if my father, Gu Jinghong, came here himself, he couldn’t save us.”
“That’s true… But we can also use this time difference to cultivate diligently for a while,” Qin Gou consoled her gently. “Such power as altering the flow of time cannot be achieved even by a Dharma Aspect True Person. This should be a natural blessed land, merely utilized by True Man Wangji.”
Gu Feiyan blinked her clear, beautiful eyes, and a mischievous, devilish smile suddenly appeared. “Indeed. I regret not learning some ‘Dual Cultivation techniques.’ Otherwise, I could take full advantage of this wondrous blessed land with you, Little Qin, to the greatest extent.”
“Are you serious?” For Qin Gou, with his vast treasury of knowledge, a mere dual cultivation technique was hardly difficult.
“Just kidding.”
“Xiao Yan, I’m warning you, if you keep teasing me like this, I’ll take you seriously!”
“I was wrong…” After many days of relying on each other, Gu Feiyan seemed to have successfully mastered the legendary skill of admitting defeat swiftly.
One day, the news that Gu Feiyan and Qin Gou had both perished in the Forget Self Secret Realm reached the Seed Demon Sacred Cult.
From then on, Gu Jinghong sat by the main hall’s eaves for three days and three nights, unswayed by anyone’s persuasion.
