Chapter 76 - Papaya Flavored Senior Brother Gong (14)
Translated by Hua Li ^_~
Three months later, at the Demon Cult’s headquarters.
Contrary to the common perception of a desert shrouded in sandstorms, the Demon Cult stood tall in the center of the desert, boasting a large oasis. Rainbows often hung high in the sky, creating a scenery akin to a fairyland.
At this moment, Gou Liang wore an oversized black robe that didn’t fit him well. He lazily leaned on a long couch, holding a gla.s.s of fine wine and savoring it with delight.
The exquisite aroma of the wine filled him with joy, and his lips curled slightly. As the wine gla.s.s swayed, a reflection of his nonchalant demeanor appeared on the crystal cup.
Nian Nujiao was reporting, “Currently, the righteous sects led by the Five Factions have occupied the Wumo City and are vigorously searching for the location of our cult’s headquarters. They have brought over ten thousand elite troops. Once they discover the location, there will undoubtedly be a fierce battle. Fortunately, following the orders of the Cult’s Master, our cult members, led by the Five Elders, have returned to the headquarters with a formidable force of over nine thousand people. Thousands more are on their way and will arrive in the coming days, providing sufficient resistance against the righteous sects.”
“However… recently, there has been a black-clad swordsman ambushing the route to the headquarters. Two teams have already been attacked and completely annihilated. Should I handle this matter, Master?”
While enjoying the spectacle of Yue Qian ambushing the third team on the surveillance system, Gou Liang’s smile deepened upon hearing the report.
“Were any of those killed from your Hehuan Sect?” he asked.
Nian Nujiao shook her head.
Gou Liang took a sip of red wine and smiled faintly. “Then let it be. Let him have his fun. If you are reluctant to lose your people, you should know how to restrain them.”
Nian Nujiao asked, “Master… may I ask, is that person…?”
“Indeed,” Gou Liang replied with a smile. “He is your Cult Master’s wife.”
“Hiss!”
The woman sewing clothes on the side p.r.i.c.ked her finger.
Once Nian Nujiao left, she couldn’t help but ask, “Ye… Master, did you just mention Senior Brother?”
If anyone who had witnessed the battle at Nanshan were present, they would be extremely surprised because this person was none other than Jiang Suxi, who died in front of everyone’s eyes!
“There is no Senior Brother anymore. There is only my, Ye Gui’s wife,” Gou Liang said proudly.
Jiang Suxi widened her eyes and put down the half-finished garment she was working on. Her needlework was a mess—before, when she was still carrying her unborn, Lin Xiuniang prepared clothes for her child, relying on her skills. But now, without her help, she had to take care of herself.
Thinking back to what happened that day, Jiang Suxi still shuddered.
If it weren’t for Gou Liang’s extraordinary medical skills, reviving her from the brink of death and even performing a cesarean section to save her child, she would never have been able to accept the fact that Gou Liang was the Master of the Demon Cult so calmly.
No matter how deep the previous enmity and hatred, her son was still in Gou Liang’s hands. Still relying on Gou Liang’s care and treatment, otherwise her son may die at any moment. Jiang Suxi could only let go of her grievances and coexist peacefully with Gou Liang.
She had mentioned taking her and their son away to Gou Liang before, but Gou Liang’s temper was unpredictable. At that time, he coldly sneered and said, “I saved you out of consideration for Yue Qian’s face. That Situ kept talking about killing me, wanting his wife and son. What a dream.”
He wanted Situ Bai to live in the grief of losing his wife and child. When he had tormented him enough, perhaps he would show mercy and allow them to reunite as a family.
With a worried expression, Jiang Suxi asked, “Master, do you have any news about my husband?”
“You are now a dead person, and even a memorial tablet has been set up for you. Where is there any husband?” Gou Liang said coldly and heartlessly.
Tears welled up in Jiang Suxi’s eyes, and she pleaded bitterly, “Master, I know my husband has displeased you, but please forgive him for his momentary desperation. On that day, he was not at fault; it was that person who wanted my life and used it to sever ties between the Nanshan Sword Sect and you. That despicable person even made my Senior Brother injure you! Master Ye, if I stay here, it will only deepen the misunderstandings and play right into that person’s hands, won’t it?”
Gou Liang took another sip of wine and said, “Listening to you, it seems to make some sense.”
Jiang Suxi’s heart brightened, and her tears became even more intense. “Yes, Master, no, Sister-in-law, isn’t that person doing all this to drive a wedge between you and Senior Brother? It’s truly hateful! If you let me go back, I will explain the truth to Senior Brother and my husband!”
Gou Liang nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Before Jiang Suxi could rejoice, she saw Gou Liang put down his wine gla.s.s and say, “You may go. If you can convince Yue Qian to join my Demon Cult as my concubine, I will return this little brat to you.”
Jiang Suxi’s expression froze, and she glared fiercely at Gou Liang. There was no trace of tearful eyes in her gaze.
Gou Liang chuckled, about to say something, but the baby in the cradle woke up.
Jiang Suxi quickly picked him up and tried to soothe him, but as soon as she approached, the little baby, who had just been whimpering, burst into loud cries.
Jiang Suxi’s mouth twitched, reluctantly handing him over to Gou Liang. As expected, once in Gou Liang’s arms, he stopped crying and even smiled toothlessly.
Gou Liang pinched the baby’s chubby cheeks. Although he was born with complications and barely breathed at birth, after being fed with Resurrection Gra.s.s juice by Gou Liang for some time, he had become a chubby and healthy little baby.
“If you dare to smear drool on my clothes, you’re done for,” Gou Liang pinched the baby’s cheeks and then his nose, treating him like an amusing toy. Jiang Suxi felt a pang of heartache seeing this. However, the victim seemed unconcerned and happily held onto Gou Liang’s hand, giggling and babbling without a care in the world.
Burning with jealousy, Jiang Suxi muttered, “If you have the guts, ask him for milk. You treat him like your mother, heartless little thing!”
Gou Liang heard her clearly and was about to retort when he noticed on the surveillance system that Yue Qian and the disciples of the Nanshan Sword Sect had encountered each other. He no longer paid attention to her.
“Senior Brother, Senior Brother, please don’t go!” Situ Shuang chased after Yue Qian, calling out.
Cao Gengwu also said, “Senior Brother, wait.”
Yue Qian turned around. “I am no longer your Senior Brother, so there is no need to address me as such.”
He had no expression on his face, devoid of any emotions. Even after slaughtering a group of Demon Cult members just now, there was no hint of emotion in his eyes.
This unfamiliar Yue Qian appeared icy and distant to Situ Shuang. The coldness that kept everyone at a distance contrasted sharply with the smiling and gentle Senior Brother she remembered, as if he had become a different person. It made her stop in her tracks and hesitate to approach. However, this appearance stirred up memories and emotions in Cao Gengwu and Situ Bai, evoking countless emotions in their hearts.
Cao Gengwu stepped forward and said, “Regardless, you are still our Senior Brother. I know that on that day, the responsibility did not lie with Senior Brother. It was Bao Jiu who went to extreme lengths to restore his martial arts using your power, which was truly…”
“He didn’t use me for anything,” Yue Qian said calmly.
Situ Bai sneered, “Yes, he didn’t use you for anything. He just deceived your feelings. Senior Brother, I know you like him, so I won’t let anyone harm him. But I also love my wife and child. Bao Jiu killed them, and I will make him pay with his life!”
Yue Qian looked at him. “Ye Gui did not kill them.”
“If not him, then who?! Senior Brother, everyone saw it. Are you still deceiving yourself? What does he have that makes you so blindly infatuated?!”
Situ Bai shouted.
“Ye Gui wanted to save Jiang Suxi, not kill her. Believe it or not, it’s up to you,” Yue Qian said, then turned and left.
Situ Bai, filled with hatred, muttered from behind, “Senior Brother, I will definitely kill him! I will definitely avenge them! If you want to stop me, kill me now, or else I will fight Bao Jiu to the death!”
Yue Qian glanced back at him without saying anything and leaped away.
“Brother, calm down,” Situ Shuang cried.
“Why did Senior Brother become like this? Why does he still protect that murderous demon!” Situ Bai angrily exclaimed.
A hint of contemplation flashed in Cao Gengwu’s eyes as he stopped Situ Bai, who was fuming. He said, “Let’s go. Master is waiting for us to return and report.”
[Gou Liang: Little Papaya is so sweet, I love him even more today~~]
[System: However, after three years, the affinity level is only +90. Do you realize that you’ve hit a new low in history, Master! →-→]
[Gou Liang: …Go enjoy your virus! (sf□′)s┻━┻]
[System: （＾v＾）]
Wumo City.
After hearing Cao Gengwu’s words, Situ Zhangtian was also filled with doubt.
“Did your Senior Brother really say that Suxi was not killed by Ye Gui himself?”
Cao Gengwu nodded. “I can’t say for sure what kind of person Bao Jiu is, but Senior Brother is not one to make baseless claims or deceive himself. It’s just that on that chaotic day, with our emotions out of control due to the sudden tragedy, we overlooked many details. At that time, Bao Jiu was the only one who rushed towards her, so it seems that no one else had the opportunity to kill her. But if there wasn’t a solid reason, why was Senior Brother so certain…”
Situ Zhangtian pondered for a moment and said, “Don’t forget, there was one person present who could have done it.”
“Who?”
“Tang Louzhu.”
“What?!”
Surprised by this answer, Cao Gengwu exclaimed.
Situ Zhangtian continued, “Tang Nuo used a silent and deadly evil technique that almost took the life of your Third Junior Brother. You should remember that, right? Tang Nuo’s internal strength was so weak, yet he achieved such a level. If it were his father, and Su Xi didn’t have any martial arts skills, could she have withstood a single blow from him?”
Cao Gengwu frowned. “Indeed. That martial art is profound and unfathomable. Even if Tang Louzhu claims he hasn’t practiced it, I don’t believe him. But why would he want to kill Su Xi? Even if it was for the ‘Nine Dark Arts,’ if we had used all our strength to kill Bao Jiu in a fit of anger that day, he wouldn’t have been able to retrieve the secret manual.”
Situ Zhangtian couldn’t understand either, so he said, “Well, these are just our speculations. We’ll ask your Senior Brother about the truth later. But as long as Ye Gui is the leader of the demonic cult, we will inevitably reach a point of irreconcilable conflict. Regardless of the truth, if your Senior Brother can’t let go of him, he won’t be able to come back… sigh, disciples are a burden!”
Situ Zhangtian cursed and then continued, “You must remember to restrain your junior disciples. If you encounter the Jiuming Tower, be extra careful.”
Cao Gengwu acknowledged.
While the two of them were finishing their conversation, Gou Liang arrived at the location of the blind spot.
Under the cover of darkness, Yue Qian was leaning against a low stone, holding a sword, and sitting beside a campfire with his eyes closed. Despite being someone who always valued cleanliness, he appeared dusty and unkempt. There was a water pouch next to him, but he didn’t think to take a sip even though his lips were dry.
Gou Liang felt a pang of heartache just looking at him. While he was complaining to himself, he suddenly saw Yue Qian open his eyes and coldly say, “Who’s there?”
Gou Liang was startled, thinking it was bad.
He hesitated whether to reveal himself or not, but then a person suddenly appeared.
Gou Liang: Huh, how did I not notice anyone else here?
The system weakly retorted, “Who else can you see besides your blind spot, my dear Master?”
“Oh, it’s Tang Louzhu. You’ve been following me all the way, what do you want?”
The person who appeared was the leader of Jiuming Tower.
Tang Louzhu said, “Yue Qian, do you have the <>?”
Yue Qian sneered, “Tang Louzhu, you seem to have a poor memory. Everyone knows that the <> is in the hands of the leader of the demonic cult.”
“Don’t try to deceive me!” Tang Louzhu stared at him intently. “Undetected, the underworld decides life and death. If Bao Jiu hadn’t revealed the <> to you, how would you know this mantra?”
“Didn’t Tang Louzhu also claim to have never come into contact with the <>? Then how did you know that phrase is the mantra?” Yue Qian didn’t deny it, but nodded and said, “That’s right, Ye Gui did tell me a few phrases, considering he’s the leader of the demonic cult, it’s not surprising. But as for you, Tang Louzhu, did you also learn it from the demonic cult? Could it be from Bao Shi, who killed your brother and his family back then?”
“You’re talking nonsense! You willingly a.s.sociate with the demonic cult, don’t try to shift the blame onto me!” Tang Louzhu said disdainfully.
Yue Qian chuckled, “Since Tang Louzhu knows that I am a.s.sociated with the demonic cult, why would I entrust the <> to you as the leader of the righteous path?”
Tang Louzhu said, “You are shameless! Aren’t you afraid of embarra.s.sing your Master and the Nanshan Sword Sect?”
Yue Qian replied, “Thanks to all of you, I am no longer a member of the Nanshan Sword Sect. If Tang Louzhu wants to use me to deal with the Nanshan Sword Sect, I advise you not to waste your efforts.”
“In that case, it seems you really have no intention of returning the <> to me,” Tang Louzhu said coldly.
“So what if I don’t?” Yue Qian said. “Do you plan to s.n.a.t.c.h it forcibly? Let me advise you, you are not my match. If you don’t want to die, leave on your own.”
With that, Yue Qian blocked several attacks made with wind using his sword sheath as a weapon and smiled, saying, “I forgot to tell Tang Louzhu that not only have I seen the <>, but Ye Gui also cultivated this technique in front of me. I still have the power to fight against him. So Tang Louzhu’s incomplete imitation of the <> move is pointless in front of me.”
<> was the first move of the <>.
Upon hearing this, Tang Louzhu became even more certain that Yue Qian knew the secret technique, but he remained skeptical about Gou Liang having mastered the <> as Yue Qian claimed. The true <> had been destroyed by his elder brother, and all he managed to salvage were a few fragments of the manual. It took him years of effort to piece together the move <>. Moreover, the part that Bao Shi took away was actually a fake.
However, if Bao Shi was indeed Ye Gui, Tang Louzhu couldn’t be certain if his brother had left the <> for his own son…
Seeing that Tang Louzhu had no intention of attacking him further, he spoke, “If Tang Louzhu wants to obtain the <> from me, I have nothing to offer. You are no match for me in martial arts, and I have no intention of killing you. I request that Tang Louzhu leave and stop bothering me.”
Tang Louzhu sneered, “Oh, how n.o.ble the Yue family was in the past. I wonder how they would feel if they knew that Yue Xiaotian, their pride, is now defending the demonic cult that killed them.”
Yue Qian replied calmly, “Tang Louzhu seems curious. I don’t mind accompanying you to meet my parents and ask them this question directly.”
Tang Louzhu’s face stiffened, and he sneered twice before turning away.
[System: This is the most low-level provocation I’ve ever seen, no doubt about it. _(:3」∠)_]
[Gou Liang: This is reality.]
[System: Absolutely no pa.s.sion, low rating!]
[Gou Liang: Hehe.]
In the following days, Gou Liang maxed out his skill of tracking.
Every day, he watched as Yue Qian, leading a life similar to that of an ascetic, roamed the desert. He would engage in a fierce battle when encountering the forces of the demonic cult and would avoid righteous individuals from a distance. He would only drink water when he couldn’t hold on any longer and find something to eat when he was extremely hungry—Gou Liang knew how to find food in the desert, having survived there for three years.
Gou Liang watched him become thinner day by day and felt the urge to bite the system.
[System: This is all your own doing, no grievances or grudges! (ヘ#) ]
[Gou Liang sneered: Who chose this troublesome vessel for me in the first place?]
[System: …It was the Supreme G.o.d who was cursed by you, don’t you remember, Master? _|￣|○]
[Gou Liang: (p￣皿￣)凸]
After half a month pa.s.sed like this, Gou Liang was surprised to discover that Yue Qian, who seemed aimless in the desert, had actually followed the water sources and found the headquarters of the demonic cult!
And the first thing he did was not rush in and attack the central altar of the demonic cult, but instead find a river and carefully wash himself, changing into clean clothes.
Gou Liang hid in the shadows and secretly watched his explosive figure, almost unable to resist pouncing on him.
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, as Yue Qian frowned and turned around to look in his direction.
Gou Liang waited until Yue Qian had gone far enough before daring to get up. He spat out the sand from his mouth and thought to himself, That was close.
[System: …Such a foolish master, I can’t bear to watch.]
Yue Qian, entering the demonic cult alone, was shocked to find that it was completely different from what he had imagined. Inside the stone city, people dressed in ordinary clothes, indistinguishable from the commoners in Wumo City. There were numerous taverns and eateries, with women and elderly men with disabilities mostly seen walking around. Children playing and chasing each other could be seen everywhere, while vendors shouted and haggled with customers…
Yue Qian, who had already a.s.sumed a posture ready for a fight, “…”
Frowning, he quickly locked onto a strong and st.u.r.dy man, intending to capture him and find out what was going on. But then, a group of people in uniform approached him.
“Greetings, Madam Leader. We obey the Leader’s command and invite you to reunite with the Leader’s group.”
These people knelt down, their faces filled with respect.
The bustling marketplace seemed to suddenly pause, and a peaceful silence fell. A wooden dragonfly landed on Yue Qian’s shoulder. A child around three or five years old rushed towards him, hugging his leg and looking up at him with a pair of clean, large eyes. Yue Qian handed the wooden dragonfly to the child, who exclaimed with admiration, “Madam Leader, you’re even taller than the Leader, so amazing!”
Yue Qian looked at the curious gazes of these people, walking stiffly into the magnificent house, and seeing Gou Liang dressed in a gorgeous black dress, it still felt unreal.
Gou Liang approached him with a smile, calling him “husband.”
Yue Qian tensed his face, almost unable to recognize this demon-like person as his Xiao Keng’er. Subconsciously, he took a step back, avoiding his hand.
Gou Liang’s smiling face turned cold as he stared at Yue Qian, and Yue Qian, in turn, breathed a sigh of relief.
– It really is him.
But before Yue Qian could say anything, Guo Liang let out a cold snort and injected him with a needle, rendering him unconscious.
When Yue Qian woke up again, he found himself bound by iron chains, spread-eagled on the floor in a dark room… and he was wearing nothing but a thin pair of underpants.
Gou Liang put down his wine gla.s.s, propped his chin, and looked at him with a smiling expression. “Hero Yue, I hope you’re well”.