The Crybaby

Qin Gou silently stared at Qiu Qianyue’s pale face, as if waiting for something. It took less than five seconds before tears, as large as pearls, began streaming down her clear, bright eyes, falling uncontrollably like a broken string of beads.

Then, Qiu Qianyue clutched her head with both hands, her lips trembling as she burst into loud, unrestrained sobs.

“Waahhh!”

“Master, I’m innocent! I’ve been wronged!” she cried.

Seeing this, Qin Gou couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia. This girl, who had been missing for so long, had caused chaos wherever she went, making countless people’s lives miserable and earning their hatred. Yet, in front of her master, she was still the same crybaby who couldn’t go two sentences without bursting into tears. Her tears were as cheap as ever.

“Qian Yue, what exactly are you crying about?” Qin Gou asked, trying to maintain his stern demeanor and not be swayed by her crocodile tears.

“It’s not what Master thinks! I didn’t do anything wrong, and I wasn’t planning to either!” Qiu Qianyue lowered her head, not daring to look around for the source of the voice.

“Then what were you planning to do?”

“I…”

“Tell the truth.”

“I… I had my eye on this girl named Gu Feiyan and wanted to take her away by force.”

“And after taking her away?”

“I… I wanted to be her… her loyal dog,” Qiu Qianyue stammered.

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Qin Gou felt like his soul had taken a hit. Whatever she meant by “dog,” it surely wasn’t what he was imagining, right?

Tears streamed down Qiu Qianyue’s face as her chest heaved with sobs, her shoulders trembling. “I just wanted to… lick her! You wouldn’t understand, Master!”

“Enough of your nonsense!”

“Sniff… I don’t know how to explain it to you, Master. But some of my sisters even joke and call me the ‘Licking Demon.’”

“You… cough, cough. I don’t understand, and I don’t care to understand your ridiculous urges. What matters is, who gave you permission to abduct someone against their will? Don’t think I’m unaware of the trouble you’ve caused over the years.”

“I was wrong! Please forgive me this time, Master!” Qiu Qianyue cried, covering her tear-streaked face.

“Get out of my sight!” Qin Gou sighed deeply, his tone filled with disappointment. “Don’t show yourself before me again for at least three months—no, make it ten years! Otherwise, you’ll regret it!”

In an instant, Qiu Qianyue’s expression shifted like a masterful performance of Sichuan opera. She wiped her tears, her face breaking into a cheerful smile.

“Thank you, Master! I’ll remember your teachings and be a better person from now on.”

She bowed deeply to the empty air around her, spinning in a full circle as she kowtowed. Her forehead and delicate nose were soon covered in dirt.

Standing up, Qiu Qianyue glanced at Gu Feiyan, who was staring at her in stunned silence. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but the thought of her master’s unseen presence made her hesitate. Biting her lip, she summoned a fragrant white lotus beneath her feet and vanished without a trace.

—

Ding. Congratulations, Host, for successfully driving away the “Scent-Stealing Enchantress” Qiu Qianyue. Reward: 350 merit points.

—

Gu Feiyan and the others stood frozen, their jaws slack. None of them could comprehend why Qiu Qianyue had suddenly started crying, laughing, and begging for forgiveness before leaving in such a dramatic fashion.

“Stop standing around like idiots. Let’s get moving,” Qin Gou said, snapping the group out of their daze.

“What just happened?” Gu Feiyan asked, her voice tinged with lingering fear.

Qin Gou sighed, feigning urgency. “It was an illusion. I used an illusion to temporarily deceive that senior. I don’t know how long it’ll hold, so we need to leave this place immediately if we want to survive!”

Hearing this, Gu Feiyan and the others grew even more suspicious. Qin Gou’s explanation was full of holes, but his anxious demeanor left them no time to question him. Without further delay, they retrieved their flying artifacts and fled the area as fast as they could.

***

An Hour Later.

The green spirit boat glided through the skies for about an hour. Just as the group began to relax, thinking they were safe, Hu Le, who was steering the boat, suddenly shouted, “Senior Sister Gu, someone’s following us!”

“Could it be that crazy woman again?” Liu Ying exclaimed, her face pale with dread.

Gu Feiyan frowned. “Let’s land the boat. If she really wants to catch us, we won’t be able to outrun her anyway.”

The spirit boat descended to the ground.

Soon, two men in white robes, each standing on a flying sword, landed in front of them.

“Smart move,” the older man said with a smirk. “We were planning to shoot you down mid-air, but since you came down on your own, you’ve saved us some trouble.”

The other man laughed loudly. “So the intel was true! Gu Feiyan of the Seed Demon Holy Sect. Even though there isn’t much information about you, just being the Sect Master’s third daughter is enough. Bringing your head back for the bounty will definitely be worth it.”

Both men wore white robes with a black emblem of crossed swords embroidered on the left sleeve.

Taking in the scene, Liu Ying was the first to speak. “Senior Sister Gu, it seems our movements have been completely exposed.”

“This must be the Young Master’s doing,” Hu Le said gruffly.

Qin Gou nodded slightly, chuckling. “So they’re bounty hunters, working for the major kingdoms. Looks like they want to trade our heads for some rewards.”

“Hahaha!” Liu Ying suddenly burst into laughter, clapping her hands. “This is great! They’re just bounty hunters—not that crazy woman coming after us again!”

Gu Feiyan couldn’t help but smile in relief.

The two white-robed men were dumbfounded.

In all their years as bounty hunters, they had seen many reactions from their targets—anger, fear, desperate pleas for mercy—but never this. Never had their targets been so… overjoyed.

Are all members of the Seed Demon Holy Sect insane? Why are they so happy to see bounty hunters, people who literally want to cut off their heads for money?