The Scorn of Justice

Qin Gou quickly caught the key point in Gu Jinghong’s words: “The mother of my two sons.”

This implied that Gu Feiyan’s biological mother was someone else entirely. It was as if Gu Jinghong was subtly reminding Qin Gou to carefully consider who he chose to support, ensuring he didn’t unknowingly pick a side without realizing it.

What surprised Qin Gou even more was the mysterious connection between the Seed Demon Holy Sect and the Xuan Nu Rakshasa Palace, ruled by Ye Qishuang.

“And who might this young man be?” Duanmu Shuiyu, Gu Jinghong’s wife, asked curiously. Her husband’s unusual warmth toward Qin Gou had piqued her interest, prompting her to glance at the handsome young man.

Gu Jinghong smiled vaguely. “He’s a junior under Elder Yuan Zhen, a promising talent worth nurturing. I brought him here to see the world and to have his abilities evaluated.”

“Indeed,” Yuan Zhen chimed in, grinning as he patted Qin Gou’s shoulder. “This boy is a rising star in my family. He’ll dedicate himself to the sect in the future. Today, I wanted the Sect Master to give him some guidance.”

“I see.” Duanmu Shuiyu nodded politely at Qin Gou before losing interest.

“We’ll take our leave now, Sect Master,” Yuan Zhen said with a bow.

***

Ding. New Task Issued: ‘The Scorn of Justice’: Give the Sect Master’s wife, Duanmu Shuiyu, a meaningful and unforgettable wink, letting her witness the greatness of the being before her. Reward: Unlock the new feature ‘Fusion.’ Failure: The Host will lose all clothing on the spot. Time limit: 60 seconds. Countdown: 55… 50…

What the hell, system?! Are you out of your mind? You want me to wink at Duanmu Shuiyu in front of her husband? Gu Jinghong will rip me apart!

“Ahem, Sect Master, Elder Yuan, I’d like your help evaluating the power of my spiritual tool prototype,” Qin Gou said hurriedly. As he spoke, a vibrant green droplet shot out from his palm, zipping around the hall like a streak of lightning, too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Gu Jinghong and Yuan Zhen instinctively followed the droplet’s trajectory with their eyes.

Duanmu Shuiyu, a beat slower, accidentally locked eyes with Qin Gou. In a panic, Qin Gou began winking furiously, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Duanmu Shuiyu stared at him, utterly baffled. Her enchanting face was filled with confusion. What’s wrong with this boy? Has he gone mad?

***

Countdown: 20 seconds… 15 seconds…

The system’s countdown continued, indicating that Qin Gou’s actions hadn’t yet fulfilled the task requirements. If this went on, he’d soon find himself stark naked in front of everyone.

Sweating profusely, Qin Gou resorted to desperate measures. He mimed blowing kisses at Duanmu Shuiyu, making exaggerated “mwah mwah mwah” sounds.

Duanmu Shuiyu’s eyes widened in disbelief, her body tensing as goosebumps rose on her skin. She stared at Qin Gou, feeling both creeped out and bewildered.

***

Ding. Task ‘The Scorn of Justice’ completed successfully. Reward: New feature ‘Fusion’ unlocked! A true cultivator faces death with dignity rather than living in shame. This perfectly describes the Host.

***

“An impressive spiritual tool prototype,” Gu Jinghong remarked.

“Its speed is unparalleled within the Weapon Refining Realm,” Yuan Zhen added.

After a round of praise, Gu Jinghong gave Qin Gou a meaningful look, as if to say, In these sensitive times, you should keep a low profile and avoid revealing your spiritual tool prototype unnecessarily.

Taking the hint, Qin Gou retracted the green droplet and smiled respectfully. “Thank you for your guidance, Sect Master. Elder Yuan, shall we?”

As Qin Gou and Yuan Zhen left, Duanmu Shuiyu remained frozen in place, her face pale and her body trembling slightly.

“Madam, why do you look so unsettled?” Gu Jinghong asked, concerned.

“It’s nothing,” Duanmu Shuiyu replied, her cheeks flushing as she patted her chest to calm herself. She watched Qin Gou’s departing figure, her emotions a mix of anger and embarrassment. What a brazen little brat! What on earth was he trying to do?

Since leaving the Xuan Nu Rakshasa Palace and becoming the wife of a sect master, she hadn’t experienced anything this outrageous in years.

***

Becoming an inner disciple of the Seed Demon Holy Sect came with the privilege of owning a personal spiritual gathering cave. However, it would take a few days to select a suitable location and carve the spiritual gathering formation. In the meantime, Qin Gou returned to his small courtyard in Konglan Valley.

Alone in his room, Qin Gou’s face turned red with anger as he gritted his teeth.

“System, get out here and explain that ridiculous task! Are you trying to turn my life into military training?”

No response.

“You coward! Now you’re playing dead? Fine, at least tell me what this new ‘Fusion’ feature does.”

—

Fusion Feature: The Host can spend merit points to merge two different techniques into one. As long as the techniques aren’t inherently incompatible, the resulting technique will be significantly more powerful.

—

“What kind of black magic is this?” Qin Gou exclaimed. “Can I merge Illusory Sea Tides with the Green Emperor Scroll?”

“Yes.”

“After merging, will I have to relearn the new technique?”

“If both techniques are at the same level, no additional cultivation is required. If one is higher than the other, the lower one will automatically catch up, deducting the corresponding level. Note: If the techniques differ too greatly in rarity, fusion will not be possible.”

For example, if Illusory Sea Tides (Third Layer) and the Green Emperor Scroll (First Layer) were merged, the resulting technique would automatically start at the Second Layer.

***

Excited, Qin Gou immediately tested the Fusion feature. To his surprise, Illusory Sea Tides and the Green Emperor Scroll were compatible. However, merging the two top-tier techniques required a staggering 10,000 merit points for just the first layer.

“Are you kidding me? That’s way too expensive!”

“Given the rarity of these techniques, the cost is justified.”

Frustrated, Qin Gou shook his head and decided to explore the system store instead. While he had powerful techniques, his offensive options were limited to his spiritual tool and the Mad Demon Staff Technique, which had already shown its shortcomings in his fight against Jue Ya.

“Purple Sun Sword River, Smoke-Locking Sword Technique, Soul-Shaking Slash… Which one should I pick?”

Qin Gou planned to choose a sword technique to merge with the Mad Demon Staff Technique. Since the staff technique was designed for short weapons, combining it with a sword technique wouldn’t cause any conflicts.

—