Chapter 0: 88. Li Fuqing of Sword Questioning Sect
“Cult Master Zhao!” As soon as Yi Chengying turned around, she saw Zhao Xinting kneeling. To show respect, she immediately knelt down as well.
“Does my appearance surprise you?” Zhao Xinting asked with a smile.
“No, not at all. And if the Palace Lord knew that you and Lord Qin came for her this time, she would definitely be deeply moved!” Yi Chengying said with great surprise.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xinting’s smile deepened.
Qin Gou stood with his hands behind his back, his expression perplexed, and asked, “Isn’t it uncomfortable for you two to talk while kneeling? What’s wrong with Xinting today? Why the grand ceremony?”
“Xinting first begs for forgiveness from Master. The entrance to the secret realm would never disappear without reason! But no matter what, they dared to harm Xiao Shuang’er…”
Zhao Xinting looked into her esteemed master’s eyes and said word by word, “Xinting has a hot temper, so if there are no accidents, many people will lose their lives.”
“Does your Master not know your stubborn temper?” Qin Gou glared at Little Zhao impatiently, “But if they deserve it, Master will not stop you! Get up.”
Zhao Xinting smiled knowingly and then stood up with Yi Chengying. Immediately after, she teased, “Is Master’s Wife also entering the Shen Hao Secret Realm?”
“Mas—Master’s Wife?!”
Yi Chengying’s little head spun rapidly, and she suddenly looked behind her. After confirming there was no one else, she pointed to her own nose with a blushing face.
“What? Xinting doesn’t seem to be wrong, does she?” Zhao Xinting said with a beaming smile.
“No, no, how could Little Chair be so out of line!”
Qin Gou’s lips curved slightly. “Indeed, everything must be done step by step. Xinting, have you learned your lesson? Now, just say ‘Thank you, sister Chengying’ loudly.”
“Lord Qin!”
For a moment, Yi Chengying’s face turned red. She grabbed Qin Gou’s arm and pleaded with a tearful voice, “Little Chair doesn’t want to die an unexplained death! Little Chair can die, but who else will be as tasteful, unafraid of poison, and able to fully enjoy your extraordinary cooking skills, Lord Qin?”
Are you complimenting or insulting me?! Actually, as long as the ingredients are good enough, Old Qin can also make true delicacies!
“Then be prepared to eat me for a lifetime.”
“I’m so bitter… I’m just a chair! Not a person either way!” The terrifying taste was suddenly recalled, and Yi Chengying wanted to cry but had no tears. She pouted like a bullied child, but as she spoke, she suddenly realized, her beautiful eyes lit up, “Then does that mean, Little Chair can follow Lord Qin for the rest of her life? I’ll eat! No one can stop me!”
“Alright, alright.”
This wench is indeed a treasure. Since she’s idle, a little teasing can immediately relieve the overly worried atmosphere.
Qin Gou patted Yi Chengying’s fragrant shoulder with a wry smile and looked at Zhao Xinting again, “Xinting, it’s time.”
“Yes!”
Zhao Xinting also stopped joking and immediately headed towards the dilapidated ruins where the crowd had gathered.
“Please step aside, everyone. I intend to reopen the entrance to the Shen Hao Secret Realm. No one is allowed to approach the ruins before then.” Zhao Xinting amplified her voice with spiritual power, and it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
“Presumptuous! What sect do you belong to, woman…”
Before the speaker could finish his sentence, he was instantly lifted into the air by Zhao Xinting’s palm strike from afar.
“I am Zhao Xinting… Scram!”
With that declaration, the person was directly flung away. The large number of cultivators and forces gathered there also let out terrified screams after seeing Little Zhao’s true face, and quickly retreated like a receding tide.
Seeing this, Zhao Xinting’s mouth twitched, and she glanced back in Qin Gou’s direction, muttering helplessly, “Actually, Xinting wanted to be a gentle and refined person at first… But this way is simpler and more direct.”
The person who was blasted away by Zhao Xinting was also fleeing desperately amidst the crowd. Strangely, as he fled, the panic and fear on his face gradually turned into a hysterical laugh, as if he had completely gone mad, drawing sympathetic glances from countless fellow travelers.
He actually dared to insult the Purple Extreme Demon Lord by calling her a “woman” to her face and managed to escape unharmed! This deserved to be bragged about for a lifetime, passed down to his descendants for all eternity?!
Soon, the large open space in front of the dilapidated ruins was cleared by Zhao Xinting alone. Some cultivators who prided themselves on their high cultivation had only moved aside a few steps at first, intending to observe from the sidelines. However, when Zhao Xinting revealed even a trace of her Realm Lord aura, they instantly vanished without a trace.
Next, Zhao Xinting’s slender, jade-white fingers lightly tapped her brow, and she softly called out a name.
“Wutian.”
In an instant, an extremely sinister and terrifying giant shadow rose from the ground as if it had broken free from hell. It held a black scale in one hand and a blood-red dagger in the other. Its eyes, covered by a giant cloak, continuously flowed with dizzying streams of blood mist.
“I wish to reopen the entrance to this Shen Hao Secret Realm. Old rule, three hundred years of lifespan.”
“I can do it, but you are already a Realm Lord. You must pay at least three thousand years of lifespan!” The voice of the Heavenless Dharma Aspect was extremely eerie and piercing. The black scale in its hand was sharply lowered in one direction.
“Bastard.”
Qin Gou walked over with Yi Chengying.
Upon hearing this nightmarish voice, the Heavenless Dharma Aspect’s giant head suddenly trembled and twisted as if it were rusty machinery. It screamed with extreme agitation, “Master of Shen Yu? Why him again! Zhao Xinting… You are going too far!”
“For so many years, who has been bullying whom?” Zhao Xinting said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. To make the usually fierce and arrogant Heavenless Dharma Aspect tremble like it had seen its natural enemy, in this world, probably only her esteemed master, Qin Gou, could do that.
“I said, your Heavenless Dharma Aspect has intermittently taken too much lifespan from Xinting, and often without even room for negotiation. Back then, she was at the peak of the Dharma Aspect Realm, yet her lifespan was less than that of an ordinary Dao Comprehension Realm cultivator. Now that she has just advanced to the Realm Lord Realm and finally recovered some, you are asking for three thousand years of lifespan just like that?”
Qin Gou gritted his teeth. “Although you are unlikely to have your past memories, I suspect that the countless past hosts of your Heavenless Dharma Aspect have all had miserable lives, one worse than the other.”
“So what? What host? Ridiculous words. What do the life and death of you humans have to do with me?” The Heavenless Dharma Aspect coldly snorted.
Hearing this, Qin Gou raised an eyebrow and said with a cold smile, “Alright, Xinting, I think Wutian misses its brother Shen Yu too much. When will you accompany your Master back to Arc-Moon Mountain and help Wutian find its fond memories of the past?”
“Yes, Master.” Zhao Xinting cupped her fists in a salute.
“Qin Gou!” Instantly, the Heavenless Dharma Aspect howled madly. “You, you madman, what exactly do you want? You can bully me for a moment, but can you bully me for a lifetime?”
“I just want to discuss with you. Let’s forget about the three thousand years of lifespan this time. Consider it as me, Qin Gou, owing you a favor.”
“Master, no!” Zhao Xinting’s eyes widened in alarm.
Qin Gou waved his hand. “Of course, it’s not me who will pay this lifespan, but rather a promise that I will help your Heavenless Dharma Aspect advance in the future.”
“What did you say?” Wutian asked, full of doubt.
“Is this insatiable greed for the host’s lifespan not for this very purpose? It’s a pity that after so many years, you’re still like this?” Qin Gou spread his hands. “If you don’t believe I have this ability, take a closer look?”
As soon as he finished speaking.
In a trance, Wutian suddenly saw behind Qin Gou, a black-dressed woman with piercing green eyes smiling deceptively and waving her small hand. The figure flashed past.
“This, she is…” The Heavenless Dharma Aspect instantly looked incredulous, as if it had seen a ghost.
Qin Gou smiled gently. “Do you understand now? I wasn’t lying to you. So, will you take three thousand years of lifespan now and then have a good chat with Shen Yu about your brotherhood, or will you take a shortcut, and I will lend you a helping hand? Think about it.”
“I, I want… I have one more condition!” For some reason, from this moment on, the Heavenless Dharma Aspect’s usually cold and terrifying voice suddenly tried its best to sound deep and magnetic. “I want to know the name of that Dharma Aspect just now!”
“What do you mean?” Qin Gou’s expression was startled.
The Heavenless Dharma Aspect was silent for a moment, then suddenly hid the overly ferocious blood-red dagger behind its back. It tried to appear dignified but still stammered, “It’s just… we met once. It’s rare for a Dharma Aspect to have spiritual intelligence, you should know this.”
“Her name is Xie Yu. So, are you willing to trade with me?” Qin Gou asked Wutian with a strange expression.
“Xie Yu… I’ll remember. This name is so similar to that guy who couldn’t advance, it must be a coincidence. After all, her moving appearance is clearly more like a majestic and beautiful Xuan Bird Fairy who dominates the sky than that guy, pleasing to the eye!” The Heavenless Dharma Aspect nodded slightly with a look of contentment.
“Good, you’re done for. Cough, are you finished? Can we start now?” Qin Gou’s face twitched, and he asked with a half-smile.
“Remember your promise. Anyway, I can take back the price from Zhao Xinting at any time!”
As he spoke, the blood-red dagger in the Heavenless Dharma Aspect’s hand sliced down. The rolling thunder in the sky gathered like a blinding, magma-like evil dragon, tearing open a huge rift at the entrance of the dilapidated ruins.
In the next second, the black scale in the Heavenless Dharma Aspect’s hand returned to balance, and its towering giant form also dissipated.
Seeing this, Zhao Xinting couldn’t help but ask, “Master, are you really going to help Wutian advance in the future?”
“Of course. Wutian is your Dharma Aspect. If it becomes stronger, it will also benefit Xinting. If it were someone else’s Dharma Aspect, Master would naturally not make such a promise.” Qin Gou said nonchalantly.
“Xinting understands.” Zhao Xinting nodded, her pure bright eyes filled with emotion.
“Let’s go.” Qin Gou glanced at the bottomless rift not far away, and then said to Yi Chengying, “After we go in later, Little Chair, don’t rush to find me. First, try to see if you can travel between this place and the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect using your Natal Spirit Tool!”
With that said, Qin Gou did not hesitate and flew into the Shen Hao Secret Realm first. Zhao Xinting and Yi Chengying quickly followed.
…
“Is this really inside the Shen Hao Secret Realm? Could I have been tricked by that guy Wutian?” Qin Gou looked at the high sun overhead and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
This place was almost indistinguishable from the outside, still a lush, refreshing mountain forest.
But after Qin Gou flew in the air for a while, he was surprised to discover a huge city.
Could it be that the Shen Hao Secret Realm has become a Little World of its own, like Mo Qingxin’s Hidden Female Country, breeding its own people? But if so, why did it openly allow outsiders to enter and explore before?
“Who goes there?”
Outside the city, several cultivators immediately flew over, their gazes wary as they blocked Qin Gou’s path. They even summoned various Natal Spirit Tools without a word, aiming at Qin Gou’s vital points. Compared to cultivators from the outside world, they clearly exuded an undisguised fierce aura, and the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.
“This humble one…”
Qin Gou was about to offer a perfunctory excuse when the person at the forefront suddenly seemed to have discovered something. His expression softened, and he said with a smile, “Your Excellency, are you a fellow Daoist from the Sword Questioning Sect, one of the ten great righteous sects?”
Qin Gou followed the other’s gaze and quietly glanced at the Myriad Derivations Sword that the Little Gambler had left him at his waist. He immediately smiled amiably and became gentle and refined.
“Indeed! This humble one is Li Fuqing of the Sword Questioning Sect. Greetings, junior fellow disciples!”
