☆, Chapter 39 The Little Dark Room 3.0

The once beautiful cave was now riddled with craters on all sides, and only then did Luo Binghe finally vent his anger.

As soon as he turned around, Shen Qingqiu was still idly watching.

Luo Binghe felt a vein throb in his temple. He gritted his teeth and said, "...I want to see with my own eyes how you will be utterly disgraced a month from now!"

With that, he turned and left, slamming his palm down on the mechanism as he departed the cave entrance, causing a loud boom and a waterfall to cascade down. Shen Qingqiu sat there, gazing at the sky.

Why are you so angry? It can't be because you feel wronged, can it?

The Jinlan City storyline doesn't appear in the original novel because the protagonist should still be leveling up underground at this point, so the omniscient perspective is unavailable. However, one thing is certain in the original work: all the conspiracies and massacres that occurred after Luo Binghe finished leveling up and returned to the surface are inextricably linked to him.

So, no matter how you look at it, he's the prime suspect.

However, Luo Binghe only bothers to disguise himself when necessary. He generally has no interest in using sweet words to deceive ants that he can crush with one hand.

Clearly, Shen Qingqiu is now nothing more than an ant.

Shen Qingqiu stopped thinking about it when he couldn't figure it out.

He wasn't exactly a good strategist, and in a month at most, he'd be free to run off into a whole new world. Why overthink it!

The cave was eerily cold, and a gust of cold wind made Shen Qingqiu shiver as her wet clothes clung to her skin.

Luo Binghe's outer robe was still lying on the ground next to him.

The angry way Luo Binghe stormed off just now actually reminded him of the gentle lamb he used to be.

Although Luo Binghe never lost his temper during his apprenticeship at Qingjing Peak, let alone became so capricious as he is now, it just feels... somewhat similar.

Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment, then reluctantly used his fingers to hold the black robe and slowly put it on.

There was no way around it; it wasn't that he was being disingenuous, but rather that he simply couldn't bring himself to do it in front of Luo Binghe.

In the original work, wasn't this the same outfit that Luo Binghe would drape over the girl after every sexual encounter?!

How could he possibly do it in front of the male lead?

Shen Qingqiu discovered that whenever he wanted to meditate or contemplate, there were always various external distractions. For example, the time in Lingxi Cave, and the time in the water prison.

Three people visited within two days. The deluxe special offer room where he was temporarily detained is definitely the most popular room since the establishment of the Illusion Flower Palace water dungeon!

The stone path rose, and the stagnant water stopped flowing. Gongyi Xiao hurriedly crossed the stone path, only to slip and fall after glancing at Shen Qingqiu.

He stammered, "Senior...Senior...Senior Chen, you..."

Shen Qingqiu, oblivious to anything amiss, asked, "What's wrong with me?"

Gongyi Xiao's expression was strange. Judging from his movements, he seemed unsure whether he should turn away and avoid the situation. He hesitated and remained outside the stone platform, not moving forward. Shen Qingqiu followed his gaze downwards.

WTF!

After my clothes were torn yesterday, I've been wearing Luo Binghe's coat the whole time, damn it!

Gongyi Xiao hesitated and said, "That one seems to be..."

Shen Qingqiu: "Cough."

Gongyi Xiao then realized what was happening and quickly coughed, saying, "How have you been these past two days, Senior Shen?"

Shen Qingqiu said, "It's alright." It would be good if not so many people came to visit.

Gongyi Xiao said, "I heard that Senior Brother Luo was furious when he left yesterday. I was worried that he might do something to Senior Shen..." As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily drifted to the outer robe.

Shen Qingqiu felt his gaze make her unconsciously tighten the robe around her neck.

What could you possibly do?! You threw a tantrum, fought all over the place, and only managed to collapse half a hole. What kind of look is that?! You're overthinking it, kid!

Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but ask, "Luo Binghe... what exactly is his identity in the Illusion Flower Palace now?"

Why can he throw a tantrum on someone else's turf and not be criticized?

Gongyi Xiao was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "I can't say for sure either. However, one thing is certain: if he hadn't insisted on refusing to become a disciple, I probably wouldn't be the head disciple now."

That's terrible.

Shen Qingqiu felt immense sympathy and deep remorse for having reopened old wounds.

Gongyi Xiao said solemnly, "I have come here on important business. This morning, Peak Master Shang applied to my master for a travel pass, but it has been delayed and we don't know when it will be approved. He seems to have something urgent, so he asked me to bring in a letter." As he spoke, he reached into his robe.

A letter, holy crap!

Moreover, they just made two hasty cuts without adding any sealing wax or a curse seal.

Shang Qinghua, you're awesome!

Gongyi Xiao said, "Senior, please rest assured, I have read this letter."

How can I possibly feel at ease?!

Gongyi Xiao continued, "But I didn't understand it."

Shen Qingqiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Well, it seems he misunderstood. Shang Qinghua wouldn't be that careless; he most likely used coded language in the letter, so even if it was intercepted, he wouldn't be afraid.

Shen Qingqiu unfolded the paper with two fingers. A quick glance at it made her face turn pale; after reading two lines, her face paled again, a flurry of colors blooming across her face.

Shen Qingqiu: "..."

This letter was written in English.

Moreover, it was written in Chinglish, which is riddled with errors.

It uses completely Chinese grammar, and even uses pinyin to replace unfamiliar words.

"Hey, you little devil, didn't you consider what would happen if I couldn't understand your toilet-style English?!"

After guessing the general meaning of the thing, Shen Qingqiu used his inner strength to shred the paper into pieces, which fell to the ground like snowflakes in June, just like his current vicissitudes of life.

It turns out he underestimated the genius of the sky-high masturbation machine.

"To the Peerless Cucumber:"

Everything's settled, all preparations are complete. The location remains the same. There's just a slight mishap regarding timing. To accelerate the ripening of the Sun and Moon Dew Flower, I used something else to speed up the process, but I accidentally overdid it. Now it's ripe beyond its limit and will rot in a week at most, so I hope you can get out of the Illusion Flower Palace water prison as soon as possible. Don't worry, it's just a little bit of something like chemical fertilizer; it won't make a difference. It should be."

This isn't just unreliable; is there such a thing as "reliable" in this person's life?!

They've only just been locked up and they already have to find a way out! They should have had Liu Qingge and their senior brothers negotiate the price down to five days, instead of insisting on a month! And that all-natural, pollution-free green plant—he actually dared to use chemical fertilizers to ripen it! Forced ripening! His guarantee that "it won't make any difference" is as trustworthy as a milk powder manufacturer's guarantee!

Gongyi Xiao looked around and said, “Senior, have you finished reading it? If you have, please throw the letter into the lake to destroy it. Actually, Senior Brother Luo instructed yesterday that no one but him is allowed to come in. I must leave as soon as possible to avoid being discovered and causing further trouble.”

Shen Qingqiu grabbed Gongyi Xiao: "Do me a favor."

Gongyi Xiao said, "Senior, please speak, as long as I..."

Before he could finish saying "within my power," Shen Qingqiu sincerely said, "Let me out."

Gongyi Xiao: "..."

Shen Qingqiu said seriously, "I'm serious."

Gongyi Xiao said with difficulty, "Senior... this really won't work."

Shen Qingqiu said, "I have a reason why I must leave. It is definitely not to escape the joint trial of the four factions. After this is over, I will return to the water dungeon to await my fate. If you don't believe me, we can swear a blood oath."

The blood oath cannot be broken. But in reality, after Lu Huazhi's matter was over, it didn't matter whether Shen Qingqiu returned to the Huanhua Palace water dungeon or not.

Gongyi Xiao said with difficulty, "Of course I believe you, senior, but didn't you mainly request to be imprisoned in the water dungeon? What is it that is so serious that we have to leave?"

Shen Qingqiu was about to speak when she suddenly realized that she couldn't ask him for help.

After all, Gongyi Xiao was a disciple of the Illusion Flower Palace. Letting a criminal escape was a serious crime, no matter who it was pinned on. Besides, Gongyi Xiao was a decent young man; with seven days left, he should have plenty of opportunities. He couldn't afford to wrong him. He had acted rashly and hadn't thought things through; that was truly inappropriate. He quickly said, "No. Forget it. Let's stop here. It's not a big deal." He reluctantly gathered the scraps of paper on the ground and threw them into the lake to destroy the evidence.

Because most of his body was bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, his movements were extremely inconvenient. After only a few movements, the black robe slipped off his body.

Gongyi Xiao was originally helping with his head down, but when he saw the black robe fall to the ground, he glanced up unintentionally and his hands and feet immediately froze.

Shen Qingqiu: "...?"

His white shirt was ripped cleanly from the shoulder, clearly torn violently by bare hands. Scattered pieces of fabric hung from the rips, suggesting whipping, and faint red abrasions were occasionally visible on the exposed, pale skin. Upon closer inspection, slight welts remained on his throat.

Gongyi Xiao Sanguan suffered a devastating blow.

He said in a trembling voice, "Senior...you...are you really alright?"

No wonder Luo Binghe ordered that no one except him was allowed to enter, even if they had a pass, and he also withheld Peak Master Shang's application.

I see!

What a traitor!

Utterly depraved!

They're worse than animals!

Gongyi Xiao felt a pang of blood and tears for Senior Shen. Senior Shen, however, asked blankly, "I'm alright?"

Gongyi Xiao was greatly shocked: Why... why can Senior Shen still show such a calm expression at a time like this!

Shen Qingqiu threw all the paper scraps into the lake and said, "You don't need to take what I just said to heart. You..."

Gongyi Xiao suddenly stood up, turned around and left!

Shen Qingqiu's face darkened: "I told you not to take it to heart, and you just left? That's too decisive!"

To everyone's surprise, less than half an hour later, Gongyi Xiao returned. He carried something in his hand, walked up to Shen Qingqiu, removed the wrapping and seals, pulled it out, and swung it diagonally downwards.

A flash of white light, and Shen Qingqiu felt a sudden relaxation throughout his body, as if an electrical circuit had been switched on. His fingers flexed and extended, his spiritual energy circulated flawlessly, and he could control it freely. The inexplicable poison that had flared up last time seemed to have been suppressed after he was bound by the Immortal Binding Rope for two days. Could it be the principle of fighting poison with poison, or two negatives making a positive?

The Immortal Binding Rope fell to the ground in pieces. Gongyi Xiao threw down what he was holding, and Shen Qingqiu caught it.

Xiuya Sword!

Shen Qingqiu grasped it, overjoyed yet surprised, and looked at Gongyi Xiao: "I thought it should have been taken to the old palace master."

Gongyi Xiao said solemnly, "Even if it means being punished by my master, I cannot stand idly by and watch you suffer humiliation. I trust Senior Shen, please come with me!"

Shen Qingqiu felt a sudden surge of powerlessness.

Um... I have a feeling... he seems to have misunderstood something very important...

But... never mind... let it be...

Shen Qingqiu decisively replied, "Okay!"

Although the demonic blood within him was still dormant, Luo Binghe could always find him, no matter where he went.

However, knowing where he is doesn't matter. The important thing is not catching up with him!