Chapter 0: Qin and Huan Meet
Early the next morning.
To be honest, Qin Gou hadn’t slept well at all last night, as he had been weighing a matter in his heart.
Huan Baiyao was a good girl.
As Banwei had mentioned before, it would be feasible to have a direct confrontation and duel with her in the future to decide the winner.
However, the biggest variable still lay in Huan Baiyao’s bloodline.
Her true form was an Empty Illusory Snake.
They weren’t good at fighting, but excelled at scheming and planning. This was almost their defining characteristic, and it was very similar to the Faceless Hermit clan. Therefore, Huan Baiyao might not necessarily accept Ao Banwei’s proposal.
Moreover, even if she wasn’t pure-blooded and had to pay a greater price to use the Empty Illusory Snake’s signature ‘Spatial Evasion Technique’, it wasn’t entirely impossible to use. Otherwise, according to the traditions of the beast race, Huan Baiyao clearly wouldn’t have been able to hold the position of the main vein clan leader until today. So, if pushed to the brink, what if this wench really got desperate…
After much thought, although he had agreed with everyone not to harm Huan Baiyao secretly this time, as the esteemed master of the Little White Dragon, Qin Gou ultimately chose to be a little more biased just in case. At the very least, he would quietly plant a mark on Huan Baiyao using the ‘Goose Return Cage’ spirit tool to be truly safe!
With this thought, Qin Gou pushed open the door and walked outside.
At the same time.
There was another person who had also been restless last night.
It was Huan Baiyao herself, whose thoughts had almost entirely occupied Old Qin’s mind the previous night!
On one hand, there was the deeply affectionate Lord Qingyu, and on the other, the machinations of her own clan behind her back. These two factors filled her heart with internal conflict and mixed emotions.
In the end, after a whole night of bitter contemplation and entanglement, Huan Baiyao couldn’t help but think that she had to first try to probe indirectly those around Lord Qingyu. This might not only lead to some breakthrough but also show the old guys in her clan that she wasn’t doing nothing!
Following this, with her thoughts clear, Huan Baiyao did not hesitate to ask a subordinate for the whereabouts of the outsiders who were with Qingyu yesterday, besides Qingyu herself.
And then…
Two early birds, both with surprised expressions, met each other unexpectedly.
Although both felt this encounter was somewhat beyond their expectations, if viewed from an objective perspective, one was heading towards Huan Baiyao’s direction, while the other was hurrying towards the residence of Qin Gou and the others. They had naturally bumped right into each other.
“If I recall correctly… are you Fellow Daoist Qin?” Huan Baiyao spoke first with a smile.
“Indeed. I never expected such a coincidence. Clan Leader Huan is also up quite early,” Qin Gou replied, also smiling.
There was a faint hint of awkwardness in both their smiles. It wasn’t pre-arranged; after all, they were both feeling guilty and knew they were in the wrong.
Qin Gou, keenly sensing that Huan Baiyao seemed to want to say something but hesitated, immediately explained his actions: “Cough, I believe Clan Leader Huan must be busy with matters, working hard for your clan. As for me, I was just strolling around casually, enjoying the beautiful scenery of Feng Shi Cliff.”
He never expected that Huan Baiyao would also get up so early, before even the roosters crowed. His plan to secretly plant the ‘Goose Return Cage’ mark using the exquisite infiltration ability of the ‘Celestial Master’s Soul’ had clearly failed for now.
Unexpectedly, Huan Baiyao immediately chuckled and said, “Since Fellow Daoist Qin has such great interest, as the host, how can Baiyao not accompany you? How about I personally lead Fellow Daoist Qin on a stroll around here?”
“Oh?” Qin Gou’s eyes lit up, and he sincerely thought, ‘Heaven is truly helping me.’ With a gentle smile, he said, “This is truly embarrassing, but since Clan Leader Huan has personally invited me, and I am not one to spoil the mood, I will respectfully accept your offer!”
This guy actually agreed immediately?
“Not at all, Fellow Daoist Qin, please come with me!” For a moment, Huan Baiyao also couldn’t help but beam with joy, mentally exclaiming, ‘Heaven is helping me!’
…
The main vein territory of the Empty Illusory Snakes, Feng Shi Cliff. Unlike before, this early morning, in the misty world, a man and a woman, like two ghosts, were walking together.
On the surface, they were talking and laughing cordially, but in reality, each had their own hidden agenda and was guilty of something.
“I heard from Chen yesterday that Fellow Daoist Qin is from the Abyssal, Faceless Hermit clan. I wonder how you became one of Lord Qingyu’s followers?”
“Actually, the way I met Qingyu is very similar to how you met her, Clan Leader Huan,” Qin Gou said with a candid smile.
Suddenly, Huan Baiyao’s dark eyebrows furrowed. “Fellow Daoist Qin… you actually spoke the name of the Dragon Saint directly?”
“Indeed, but that was also Qingyu’s intention. You probably noticed at the banquet yesterday that everyone of us called her by her name directly.”
“So that’s how it is.” A hint of admiration flashed in Huan Baiyao’s eyes. She said sincerely, “Lord Qingyu is indeed extraordinary and admirable! However, Fellow Daoist Qin just said that how you met her is similar to me? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Qin also received some kind of favor from Lord Qingyu?”
“Yes, Qingyu went through a very difficult period with me. Although she wasn’t here for long, it’s something I will always remember deeply,” Qin Gou nodded, his smile filled with gentleness.
Seeing this, Huan Baiyao couldn’t help but be moved. She gently nodded her head, “It seems that Fellow Daoist Qin is truly very much like Baiyao!”
“Perhaps only in our experiences,” Qin Gou chuckled and said truthfully, “I think your gratitude towards Qingyu is clearly purer and much stronger than mine.”
After all, in Qin Gou’s view, he and Qingyu were once one person and one fish. He cultivated, and she ate algae; they accompanied each other daily.
As for Huan Baiyao, she was just one of the many small creatures enlightened by Qingyu. Her enduring gratitude was truly rare and precious.
“No!” Suddenly, Huan Baiyao, upon hearing this, shook her head forcefully as if venting something. She smiled wryly with shame in her eyes. “Fellow Daoist Qin, your words are too humbling. How can Baiyao compare to you? I even feel that I have failed Lord Qingyu!”
“What? Where did Clan Leader Huan get this idea?” Qin Gou was bewildered but quickly found the only possible reason. “Could it be that Clan Leader Huan feels guilty because I am always traveling with Qingyu now, while you focus on your own clan? There’s no need for that!”
“This Qin believes that compared to Clan Leader Huan racking her brains every day, constantly thinking about how to repay Qingyu’s past kindness, you loving your clansmen so much and always prioritizing the clan you want to protect is what Qingyu would most want to see. You are doing very well!”
“My… clansmen?”
However, it was better not to say it. As soon as these words were spoken, Huan Baiyao was struck as if by lightning. She stared blankly into Qin Gou’s eyes, her voice beginning to tremble slightly. “I should prioritize the clan, and that’s the right thing to do… Does Fellow Daoist Qin really think so?”
Qin Gou smiled and nodded.
“This… I’m afraid Fellow Daoist Qin cannot imagine how important your affirmation is to me! But why are you willing to console Baiyao like this, and why… is it as if you specifically came today to talk with Baiyao?” Huan Baiyao asked, touched but also a little suspicious.
“Why does Clan Leader Bai say that?” Qin Gou asked, feigning surprise.
“Because, Fellow Daoist Qin initially said he wanted to enjoy the scenery, but it seems he’s only been looking at me from beginning to end!” Huan Baiyao pursed her lips and smiled, stating concisely.
“Cough…”
Old Qin’s face twitched, and he let out a series of dry laughs, saying half-truthfully and half-falsely, “Alright, to be honest, I am indeed interested in befriending Clan Leader Huan well, simply because Clan Leader Huan is truly different from some ‘girls’ I’ve met before. Your sincere and pure gratitude towards Qingyu makes me feel from the bottom of my heart that Clan Leader Huan is definitely a good girl worth befriending!”
Qin Gou’s words were obviously ambiguous, and he naturally intended to use them to greatly conceal his true purpose.
As expected, a look of shy embarrassment flashed in Huan Baiyao’s eyes, and her small mouth parted slightly. For a moment, she didn’t know how to continue her questioning.
“Alright, since I’ve already answered Clan Leader Huan’s question, can Clan Leader Huan personally tell me… why are you putting aside clan affairs at this moment and simply accompanying me for a leisurely stroll here?”
“I didn’t…”
Huan Baiyao was about to deny it when she followed the direction of Qin Gou’s finger and saw several Empty Illusory clan members lingering nearby, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitating to approach.
They seemed to be people from the old factions of the clan. These tactless teammates… she didn’t know if they really had matters for her to decide, or if they were deliberately coming to investigate her!
“I… I actually feel very much the same as Fellow Daoist Qin. It’s also because of our interaction yesterday that I believe Fellow Daoist is a person very worth befriending!” Huan Baiyao’s smile was a little stiff, but she couldn’t possibly tell the truth – that she had been looking for an opportunity to trick you!
“But if it’s just about simple friendship, why would Clan Leader Huan be in such a hurry, rushing to do it this early in the morning, unwilling even to wait until a true moment of leisure?”
“Isn’t Fellow Daoist Qin the same?” Huan Baiyao countered.
“You…”
As soon as their words fell, Qin Gou and Huan Baiyao almost simultaneously understood a truth.
This meant that both of them, acting so abnormally and impatiently, had no intention of ‘simply befriending’ the other party!
Following this, their eyes met, their hearts swayed, and suddenly, more than ever before, they wanted to see through each other’s true intentions. They both thought in unison:
Could this guy… actually like me?! That would really be… quite troublesome!
