Chapter 0: Misjudged
“However, given the duties of Spirit Puppet No. 13, how did it sustain injuries? Who would dare to attack it so audaciously?”
Just as the white-haired old man was lost in thought, in the scene playing out in his mind, Qin Gou, Zhao Xinting, and the spirit puppet had already passed through the massive gates together, heading for the next trial.
Not long after, Qin Gou and the others encountered another trial spirit puppet. However, unlike the stone spirit puppet, this one was entirely forged from black iron.
“The next trial will be conducted by…” The black iron spirit puppet stopped mid-sentence, its face filled with bewilderment. “Spirit Puppet No. 13? What are you doing here?”
“Don’t answer! Comrade, run!” The stone spirit puppet screamed loudly without hesitation, but it was still a step too late.
With graceful movements, Qin and Zhao moved with incredible speed. Without any need for communication, they simultaneously and in unison attacked!
“What… what exactly do you want to do?” The black iron spirit puppet’s eyes widened in confusion, and in an instant, it was subdued and pinned to the ground.
“Fellow Daoist, you currently have only two choices,” Qin Gou said with a wide smile, warmly slinging an arm around the stone spirit puppet’s shoulder. “The first is to accompany us, just like this stone fellow Daoist. The second is to be shattered into pieces and sleep here forever. I know very well that this might not truly kill you, but under the current special circumstances, it would take an extremely long time for you to recover your original form.”
“Presumptuous! Release me from this restraint immediately, or you will all be disqualified and expelled from this trial ground!” the black iron spirit puppet roared in extreme anger.
“Alright, alright, I already know that even Shen Hao’s Remnant Soul hasn’t appeared in this trial ground for a long time. If you truly had the ability, you would have acted by now, wouldn’t you? Why bluff?” Qin Gou spread his hands in resignation. “I believe there are people in this secret realm who can expel me, but it’s clearly not you.”
“How do you know this?!” the black iron spirit puppet exclaimed, its eyes filled with disbelief.
Meanwhile, the stone spirit puppet quickly averted its gaze elsewhere… survival was not shameful!
“Xinting?” Qin Gou suddenly looked questioningly at the purple-robed beauty beside him. “What’s wrong? You’ve seemed so cheerful since just now, what good thing are you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing, Master,” Zhao Xinting said upon hearing this, realizing how obvious her joy was. She chuckled, “Xinting just suddenly thought, what did my past actions even amount to? It’s only when I’m by Master’s side that Xinting truly understands what it means to be truly unrestrained and lawless!”
Qin Gou: …
Meanwhile.
The white-haired old man, who had witnessed this scene, couldn’t help but wear a peculiar expression. He muttered to himself, “What is this person planning?”
Could it be that he had truly misjudged?
Time passed quickly. By the time Qin Gou and the others reached the end of the tunnel and entered a vast underground palace, they could occasionally see other cultivators participating in the trial.
However, unlike others who were alone or accompanied by a few, Qin Gou was followed by a full five spirit puppets in addition to Little Zhao. This drew curious glances from many cultivators, but they seemed busy with their own missions, rushing against time, and did not come over to investigate.
Qin Gou, for his part, had absolutely no interest in the trial missions of others. From the very beginning, this fellow had never considered accepting the trial honestly and according to the rules.
“Alright everyone, if I’m not mistaken, we must be close to the core of the trial grounds. That means we are just a stone’s throw away from the countless treasures accumulated by Venerable Shen Hao during his lifetime!”
Qin Gou’s gaze swept over the five spirit puppets, and he said with a warm smile, “Next, it’s time for all of you to show your skills and lead the way. As soon as we encounter a treasure we need, take it all at once. Afterward, we’ll settle accounts like brothers, how about it?”
Upon hearing this, the five spirit puppets exchanged glances, looking flustered and unsure what to do. No one dared to be the first to respond.
“It’s really like this!”
Seeing this, the white-haired old man, bound to the ancient stone pillar, turned ashen-faced. His aged eyes were filled with righteous indignation. “How could he! Is this how he repays the Myriad Derivations Sword, how he repays the past sages? Bastard, he deserves to die! The Sword Questioning Sect, personally created by Brother Yang… it’s finished!”
With that, he sighed repeatedly in heartache.
But just as the white-haired old man was about to stop paying attention to Qin Gou and shift his hopes to finding other truly trustworthy high-level cultivators… he saw Qin Gou’s tone suddenly change.
“Why do you all look so glum?” Qin Gou looked at the spirit puppets with amusement. “Do you all seriously think I’m coveting Venerable Shen Hao’s lifelong treasures? Haven’t you realized by now that everything I’m doing is solely to save your lives!”
“What did you say?” The spirit puppets looked at him with suspicion, utterly bewildered.
Only in Zhao Xinting’s eyes did Qin Gou instantly transform into the notorious jianghu trickster from her memory, clad in coarse linen and straw sandals, unrestrained and rebellious.
“Actually, it’s not your fault. You’ve always been in the trial grounds and have never seen how abnormal and strange the so-called ‘Shen Hao’s Remnant Soul’ in the secret realm is. This is one of the reasons why Xin Ting and I had to forcibly abduct you all using such crude methods. After all, words are unreliable, and these are extraordinary times that require extraordinary measures!”
Qin Gou looked at the still bewildered spirit puppets with a calm expression and said with a faint smile, “But in my opinion, that ghost cultivator is arrogant and wicked. He can’t even control this Little Profound Realm like a true lord of the secret realm. Perhaps… he’s not Venerable Shen Hao at all! If you continue to stay here, you will inevitably meet a grim fate. So, you might as well transfer all of Venerable Shen Hao’s irreplaceable treasures as soon as possible. Under the protection of Xin Ting and me, that ghost cultivator wouldn’t dare to act presumptuously.”
“That’s right. Once you’ve personally witnessed the strangeness of that remnant soul, you’ll know that Master’s words are all true. You’ll probably be too grateful to him to even bother!” Zhao Xinting added cooperatively.
Upon hearing this, Old Qin immediately stood with his hands behind his back and said casually, “Xinting! That’s not quite right. As your Master, I’m not helping you to gain your gratitude or thanks. Whether you misunderstand or are moved, I don’t care either way.”
“That’s not right!”
At this moment, the black iron spirit puppet suddenly looked directly at Qin Gou and said solemnly, “What you said before is indeed difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, but this one statement has a huge loophole… In that case, I’d like to ask, you have no connection with us, nor with the honored Venerable. You seek no gratitude or reward, nor do you care that we now deeply resent you. Then for what purpose are you offering us aid? Is it for no reason at all?”
“Ridiculous, are there really Sages in this world?!”
However, upon hearing this, Qin Gou seemed to have been struck at his weakest point. His expression startled, showing a look of utter panic at such a question, as if he had heard something incredibly unbelievable.
“Sage? Is this what a Sage is?”
Qin Gou’s lost gaze slowly swept across the faces of all the spirit puppets present. Finally, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said disbelievingly, “So, the people here help others only for repayment? How tragic!”
“You…”
In an instant, these few words seemed heavier than Mount Tai, resounding with clarity.
At the very least, it thoroughly shocked the white-haired old man observing from the shadows.
