My Stone Spirit Brother

“Dual Polarity Armor: Frozen Mountain!”

Gu Yinjiao clutched his bleeding right arm, his face pale with fear. With a loud roar, the fiery armor surrounding his body suddenly transformed into a small ice mountain, crashing toward Qin Gou with tremendous force.

The two quickly widened the distance between them.

Taking advantage of the moment, Gu Yinjiao, his mind shaken to its core, turned and fled into the gray mist without hesitation, disappearing from sight.

The seemingly destructive ice mountain crumbled without Gu Yinjiao’s control, causing no real harm to Qin Gou.

Never chase a cornered enemy, Qin Gou reminded himself, especially in a perilous place like the gray mist maze. Attempting to finish off a fleeing foe was a fool’s errand.

To guard against the possibility of Gu Yinjiao faking his retreat and launching a sneak attack, Qin Gou transformed a Senluo Seed into a human-sized Sheath Fruit and hid inside. Two other Senluo Seed duplicates turned into large and small Pitcher Plants, swallowing the Sheath Fruit in a protective nesting formation, like Russian dolls.

“Good thing Gu Yinjiao convinced himself I was the Stone Spirit. If this had turned into a prolonged battle, who knows how it would’ve ended,” Qin Gou muttered from within the Sheath Fruit’s small, cozy space. He held a spirit stone and swallowed a recovery pill, quickly replenishing the spiritual energy he had expended in the fight.

—

Ten Minutes Later.

The massive Pitcher Plant split open from the inside, spilling sweet-smelling nectar onto the ground.

Qin Gou emerged, sniffing the air. The heavy, metallic scent of blood was unmistakable. The gray mist maze had undoubtedly become a living hell.

Switching his life-bound spiritual tool from the Senluo Seed to the Dreamwalker Lantern, Qin Gou lit the lantern and resumed his journey, its eerie blue glow cutting through the unnatural mist. Staying in one place wasn’t safe—if the Stone Spirit found him, he’d have no chance of escape.

—

“Who’s there?!”

A sharp, icy voice rang out.

Qin Gou stopped in his tracks, his face lighting up with recognition. “Little Yan? It’s me, Qin Gou! I’ve been looking for you. Are you hurt?”

He couldn’t see Gu Feiyan, but her voice gave him a rough idea of her location. Clearly, her Piercing Illusion Eyes granted her a wider field of vision in the mist than his lantern did.

“Ancient Sister, he’s the Stone Spirit!” another voice shouted. It was Liu Ying, who had apparently reunited with Gu Feiyan.

“Damn it! Why does this damned Stone Spirit keep chasing us?!” Gu Feiyan cursed. Qin Gou could hear their hurried footsteps as they fled.

“What the hell?” Qin Gou muttered, dumbfounded. He shouted after them, “How the hell did I become the Stone Spirit?!”

Did Gu Yinjiao’s nonsense spread that fast? Even Gu Feiyan and Liu Ying believe it? Qin Gou thought, exasperated. Isn’t Little Yan supposed to be smart? How could she fall for such nonsense?

Frustrated, Qin Gou chased after them, hoping they’d eventually realize he wasn’t some murderous demon but a reliable teammate.

***

“Ahhh!!”

A blood-curdling scream echoed from behind him. It wasn’t a voice he recognized, so Qin Gou decided not to get involved and continued on his way.

“Don’t kill me! Someone help! Please, save me!”

The cries grew louder, closer. It seemed the unfortunate soul was fleeing in Qin Gou’s direction.

Great, Qin Gou thought. If this guy insists on dragging me into his mess, maybe I should just toss a Senluo Seed behind me and let him deal with a patch of thorns. But he quickly dismissed the idea. We have no grudge. Killing him would only add to my sins.

Deception is only justified when it serves justice, he reminded himself.

***

“I’m Xi Pingchen, chief disciple of the Corpse Mountain Sect! Save me, and I’ll repay you handsomely!” the man shouted, his voice shaky and labored.

Why is the one chasing him so silent? Qin Gou wondered.

Quickening his pace, Qin Gou tried to distance himself. But the sound of his footsteps alerted Xi Pingchen, who immediately followed, crying out, “Friend, please! I don’t want to die here! My junior brother is waiting for me to marry him!”

What the hell?! Qin Gou thought, annoyed. You don’t want to die? What about me?!

Frustrated, Qin Gou stopped and turned around, determined to see who this persistent man was.

“Friend, help me! I swear—”

Xi Pingchen stumbled into view, his eyes lighting up with hope. But the moment he saw Qin Gou’s face, his legs gave out, and he collapsed, trembling.

“How… how is this possible? Please, don’t kill me! If I must die, let it be by my junior brother’s hand, not by some emotionless stone monster like you!” Xi Pingchen wailed.

The next moment, a pale, slender hand pierced through Xi Pingchen’s chest, lifting him into the air.

The hand’s owner was a young man with a high crown, dressed in green robes, carrying a staff-sword. He looked exactly like Qin Gou.

Xi Pingchen coughed up blood, turning his head to see his attacker. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked back at Qin Gou. “How… how are there two Stone Spirits?!”

With a cold, mechanical expression, the green-robed figure smashed Xi Pingchen’s head with a single strike, tossing his lifeless body aside like garbage. Its soulless eyes locked onto Qin Gou.

Qin Gou stared, slack-jawed, at the creature that looked exactly like him. Two words echoed in his mind: “Your mom!”

The Stone Spirit didn’t bother with pleasantries. Its face twisted, morphing into Xi Pingchen’s features, then back into Qin Gou’s.

It opened its mouth, struggling to form words.

“Your… mom?”

Without warning, it lunged at Qin Gou like a ravenous beast.