Chapter 063: Restraint
“To this day, Yu Rong still spews lies and even splatters dirty water onto Youqing? Perhaps the forces behind her had long prepared, planting a spirit charm on her that makes it impossible to reveal the truth,” Qin Gou thought for a moment and said. “But Yu Rong wouldn’t have mentioned Lin Youqing for no reason, so the person behind this might indeed be from the Daojun Dynasty and has a considerable grudge against Youqing.”
“But Brother Qin, as I said earlier, all of Yu Rong’s words passed the lie detector spirit arts test,” Chu Xian said rather hesitantly.
“Who says lie detector spirit arts are foolproof? For example, what if Yu Rong herself doesn’t believe she’s lying?” Qin Gou chuckled wryly, “If it were someone else, I couldn’t guarantee it, but Lin Youqing has been following me until recently. How could she possibly appear in the Daojun Dynasty with Yu Rong?”
“It is indeed so,” Chu Xian suddenly realized and nodded, then couldn’t help but show a troubled expression. “But regardless, without a suitable Mistress of Ten Thousand Flowers, our Hidden Immortal Tower being targeted by a faction from the Daojun Dynasty is truly unpleasant.”
Qin Gou waved his hand and said with a smile, “Relax, I’ll immediately use spirit power transmission to contact Lin Youqing and see if she can help clear things up. As the only descendant of the Daojun Human Emperor, that girl must have considerable influence within the dynasty.”
“Brother Qin is truly omnipotent,” Chu Xian was immediately filled with admiration.
“Since that’s the case, Chu Xian, please stay at the Star-Shifting Pavilion for two more days. This place is quite far from the Daojun Dynasty, and even spirit power transmission takes a lot of time,” Qin Gou said, smiling and rubbing Chu Xian’s little head. Little Chu Xian was currently the greatest hope to help the troublesome pair Kong Ling and Mo Ning, so Old Qin was becoming more fond of her the more he looked at her, and was determined to protect her.
…
Two days later, inside the cave dwelling of the Star-Shifting Pavilion.
Qin Gou suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his hand. The Spirit Blood Seal totem flashed and disappeared. That subtle connection seemed to have become even more tenuous, as if there were thousands of obstacles between them. Of course, if Qin Gou concentrated and sensed with all his might, he could still vaguely determine Ye Qishuang’s general location.
“It seems Xiao Shuang’er has officially entered the Shen Hao Secret Realm.”
Qin Gou’s gaze shifted to the window, staring in a certain direction. To say he wasn’t worried at all would be a lie. Even though Ye Qishuang could already stand on her own, appearing like an aloof empress to many cultivators, it didn’t stop Qin Gou from knowing she sometimes cried uncontrollably, was often as innocent and sensitive as a child, and would never let any scoundrel who hurt her get away with it.
“Chu Xian, come here.”
After a sound transmission, Qin Gou saw Chu Xian again and got straight to the point. “The two-day deadline has passed, and there’s still no response from Lin Youqing. If the Hidden Immortal Tower people are anxious, you can set off first.”
“If Brother Qin needs it, I can have them wait a bit longer.”
“No need. I’ve already decided to go to the Daojun Dynasty myself.”
Qin Gou stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes grave. “Actually, ever since Youqing left, she would often contact me via spirit power transmission. But for this period, she’s suddenly gone silent. Even my attempts to contact her receive no response, which is quite unusual. Once there’s progress, I’ll inform Chu Xian immediately.”
As for the ‘Falling Prison Stele’, which might suddenly appear before him in the future due to the influence of the Goose Return Cage, even as a rare treasure, it was still ownerless. Old Qin, who had seen it all, was confident he could handle it properly and adapt as needed.
Hearing this, Chu Xian cupped his fists and said, “Brother Qin, you’ve truly gone through a lot of trouble.”
Qin Gou immediately chuckled, “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of times when I’ll trouble you in the future.”
Once he made up his mind, Qin Gou would act as quickly as possible. That very noon, he notified Li Yuanzhen, Little White Dragon, A’Yuan, Little Chair, and the others, and they departed at almost the same time as the Hidden Immortal Tower’s spirit boat.
Shangguan Ju, while seeing them off, repeatedly assured Qin Gou that she would take good care of Wang Qisi, aiming to help her spirit tool advance within three months. During this time, she would work hard and cultivate diligently, determined to become Brother Qin’s strong comrade, striving ceaselessly against their common ‘great enemy’.
Qin Gou gave a wry smile at this but decided to deal with the Falling Prison Stele first. After all, due to the favor and karmic debt of him frequently helping Shangguan Ju fall asleep with his dream soul spirit tool, he naturally wished for her fighting spirit and strength to be as high as possible.
“Is Liang Tiantian really going to join the Hidden Immortal Tower’s selection for the Mistress of Ten Thousand Flowers and travel with them to the Lang Chen Escort Agency?” Li Yuanzhen’s pair of beautiful phoenix eyes were filled with surprise, and she said blankly, “This humble Daoist is a bit confused. Isn’t that Lang Chen Escort Agency supposed to be Liang Tiantian’s family’s? If his father Liang Zhuxiao finds out…”
“No harm done. Once Brother Tiantian summons his Natal Spirit Tool now, and learns some makeup and powder from the female disciples of the Hidden Immortal Tower, who can see through his true form?”
As soon as the words fell, Qin Gou suddenly stood up and looked sharply in the direction the Hidden Immortal Tower’s spirit boat had disappeared.
“Among you, who has Liang Tiantian’s communication token?”
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
Yi Chengying asked curiously, “Lord Qin, what’s wrong?”
Qin Gou sighed with a look of melancholy, and gave a dry laugh. “I seem to have forgotten to tell Brother Tiantian that the weakness of the Jade Girl Chahun is that it absolutely cannot shed tears, otherwise it will fail on the spot and reveal its original form.”
…
Several days later, Daojun Dynasty.
“Youqing actually sent me a message again, saying she’ll personally welcome us at the royal capital,” Qin Gou said in surprise, looking at the token in his hand.
“That’s good news. It means Youqing hasn’t had any accidents,” Li Yuanzhen said with a smile, pursing her lips. “Now that we’re in Youqing’s territory, we must let her fulfill her duty as a host!”
Hearing this, Qin Gou seemed to suddenly remember something. He scanned the crowd and said solemnly, “Let me say this first. All of us have some reputation in the Cultivation World. Since we’re in the Daojun Dynasty, which is closely related to the Saint Immortal Ranking, you should all restrain yourselves to some extent. Don’t act impulsively, and absolutely do not draw swords or brandish sabers at the slightest provocation, lest you give people something to talk about!”
“Yes.”
“Little Chair understands.”
“Banwei promises to behave.”
“Doesn’t A’Qin also need to promise?”
“I am absolutely the most refined, approachable, and benevolent person among all of us!” Qin Gou immediately glared at the scoundrel of a Saintess in annoyance.
Five minutes later.
The spirit boat landed outside the royal capital, and several people in Hidden Dragon Guard uniforms approached.
“Where’s Youqing? Are you her subordinates?”
“Youqing? How intimate,” the black-clothed male cultivator at the front sneered, then took out a token and said mockingly, “Your Excellency, are you looking for this?”
This item was the communication token Qin Gou had personally given to Lin Youqing. He still remembered how overjoyed Lin Youqing had been at the time, cherishing it as if it were a priceless treasure and never leaving her side.
“You have ten seconds to explain everything.”
In an instant, a cold gleam unsheathed, sword and foot as one, Qin Gou’s long blade was pressed directly against the black-clothed male cultivator’s throat. His murderous eyes swept like lightning over the Hidden Dragon Guards, sending chills down their spines.
