Chapter 0: 94. Let’s Tell the Truth
This truly felt like a turn of the tables. Previously, it was always Qin Gou who was startled by the memories of Nine Saint Monarch. Now, it was his turn to frighten a Residual Soul/Emotion Fragment quite severely.
Seeing Xi You’s face flushed crimson, she became flustered and stammered, “But, but you’re not allowed to deliberately tease me! Little Qin, you are clearly my disciple, my sworn brother, how could we… later on…”
From this, it could be seen that unlike Ao Ai and the others who inherited some very fragmented past from Nine Saint Monarch, Xi You had inherited an entire segment of memory from a specific period. That was why she directly spoke as Luo Wei Ban herself.
“Believe me, our thoughts are absolutely the same. As for why such an unbelievable development occurred, perhaps the truth will only be revealed when the truly complete consciousness of Nine Saint Monarch awakens,” Qin Gou said, spreading his hands.
“You also find this absurd? Hard to believe?”
“Indeed.”
“But if that’s the case, perhaps it wasn’t you who actively pursued at the beginning, but rather, I, your Master, might have made the first move?!”
For a moment, Xi You was stunned, clasping her head with both hands.
Qin Gou chuckled and comforted her, “Xi You, your memory isn’t complete, don’t overthink it.”
“If Qin Gou wants to comfort me, then why not call me ‘Master Sister’ again!” A hint of playful stubbornness flashed in Xi You’s watery beautiful eyes.
“This…”
“What? You don’t think I’m just a Residual Soul/Emotion Fragment, but not the truly complete consciousness of Luo Wei Ban, so you find it hard to say?” Xi You asked, confused.
“No.”
Qin Gou shook his head and pondered briefly, “It’s also because, as I just admitted, I’ve forgotten a lot of things myself, so I’m naturally not used to it…”
“And, even if the true Nine Saint Monarch were standing before me right now, putting aside the word ‘Master,’ the word ‘Sister’ is clearly no longer accurate!”
“What?”
“Think carefully, when Luo Wei Ban fell, or was in a semi-fallen state, didn’t her age stop growing because of it?”
No woman would dislike appearing younger, so Xi You quickly nodded like a pecking chicken, “That’s not entirely incorrect.”
“That’s it. The Saint Monarch’s growth paused, but mine didn’t. So even if she was much older than me when we first met, if we roughly calculate it now, I’ve at least lingered in this world nearly a thousand years longer than the Saint Monarch!”
For a moment, after so much buildup, Qin Gou finally couldn’t help but reveal a hint of playful malice, “So, let’s talk facts and reason. Now, who exactly is the older sibling?”
“You’ve become even more wicked than before!” Xi You couldn’t help but widen her beautiful eyes.
Qin Gou gave a dry laugh, “Heh, of course, I’m not asking Xi You to call me ‘Brother Qin,’ I just want you to drop that strange ‘Little Qin’.”
Xi You let out a somewhat embarrassed snort, “Your Master doesn’t care about that! And I’m just a Residual Soul/Emotion Fragment now, missing too many things. I definitely can’t win a verbal sparring match against you… By the way, you mentioned earlier that the ‘Arabian Nights’ of our relationship was something you heard from another Residual Soul/Emotion Fragment. May I know her name? Perhaps I can try to contact her and investigate personally.”
“This… Alright, her name is ‘Fear.’ When that child told me, she was hesitant. Perhaps you can ask her for more!” As he said this, Qin Gou quickly added, “Also, that little one is very shy and timid. Remember to be gentle, otherwise she definitely won’t tell you anything.”
“Little one, child… So I’m not the most pitiful one. This Residual Soul/Emotion Fragment named ‘Fear’ has already become a ‘little kid’ in your words?!” Xi You’s expression was exceedingly strange.
Qin Gou shook his head and smiled, holding up his hand to indicate a particularly petite height, “When you truly see the appearance of the little girl named ‘Fear,’ you’ll naturally understand what I mean.”
At the same time, he couldn’t help but think that it was fortunate Xi You hadn’t met his well-behaved disciple, Little White Dragon, or she might have been even more shocked and taken aback.
…
When Huan Baiyao’s consciousness reawakened, her first reaction was to ask curiously, “Brother Qin, what exactly did you tell Sister Xi You just now? She seemed very surprised!”
“As for these things, Baiyao, you can ask her yourself later,” Qin Gou said with a calm smile, not elaborating.
“Then… almost forgot! Brother Qin, could you return that通行令符 (token) from before, the one with the mind-confusing mystic art hidden inside!?” As she spoke, Huan Baiyao immediately placed her hand on her Nas. “Of course, Baiyao will give you a brand new token in exchange.”
“No need, it’s just a mind-confusing mystic art, I’ll erase it myself. Could you leave this token with me as a memento?” Qin Gou waved his hand, seemingly speaking casually without much thought.
“This…” Huan Baiyao hesitated slightly.
Seeing this, Qin Gou seemed to sense something and raised an eyebrow, “Does Baiyao absolutely want to get this token back? Are you hiding something from me?”
“Of course not! To this day, can’t Brother Qin still trust Baiyao?” Huan Baiyao suddenly remembered her promise to the Great Elder and could only continue to be stubborn.
“I trust you.”
Suddenly, Qin Gou nodded slightly. With smooth and flowing movements, he took out a token simulated from the Bud of Taihuang from his Nas and handed it to Huan Baiyao.
“I have removed the mind-confusing mystic art and the self-destructing spirit array, so Baiyao doesn’t need to worry about accidentally harming herself.”
Taking the token, Huan Baiyao seemed to smile with satisfaction. However, the smile didn’t last long. In an instant, she looked both amused and exasperated, “Brother Qin, don’t tease me. Although it’s lifelike and looks Exactly the same, this is clearly not the token Baiyao gave you before!”
“That’s right!”
Despite being exposed with such a sharp observation, Qin Gou’s smile widened unexpectedly, and the triumph in his eyes became even more pronounced.
“What?” Huan Baiyao’s expression startled, faintly sensing something amiss.
Qin Gou then lightly tapped the fake in Huan Baiyao’s palm and said with a warm smile, “Since this thing is lifelike and you described it as Exactly the same, how did you instantly recognize it as fake? Isn’t Baiyao’s statement equivalent to admitting that the original token still hides some tricks that I don’t know about?!”
Huan Baiyao’s small mouth parted. At the same time, Xi You’s somewhat helpless voice echoed in her mind.
“Baiyao, let’s tell the truth! Based on my understanding of him… Little Qin definitely wouldn’t covet your little things!”
