☆ Chapter 8 A Slap and a Sweet Treat (Revised)
The opportunity was fleeting! Shen Qingqiu's pupils constricted sharply!
Just as the palm strike was about to land, as if by some strange twist of fate, a roof beam snapped...
If Shen Qingqiu were still a reader of "The Arrogant Immortal Demon Path" and saw this, he would definitely smash his phone and curse it as utterly ridiculous.
The system has stated its unbreakable, age-old rule: the protagonist is immortal. In other words, anything that threatens the protagonist's life will trigger a death flag!
Shen Qingqiu deliberately instigated Die'er to attack Luo Binghe in order to exploit this rule and use someone else to do his dirty work. Although this was very unethical, Luo Binghe wouldn't be threatened at all, and if he didn't do this, Shen Qingqiu might have died right there. By tricking Luo Binghe here, he could save time and have a chance to improve his favorability in the future.
But.
You think your readers are so stupid?! How could the beams of such a beautiful new house suddenly collapse?!
Even if the protagonist is supposed to escape death, the transition is too abrupt. Thumbs down!
The almost brand-new roof beam struck Die'er squarely, flattening her to the ground so she couldn't get up. It also knocked the pillar binding Luo Binghe and Ning Yingying askew.
Ning Yingying had already fainted from fright, and Luo Binghe struggled for a moment, then inexplicably became untied. Shen Qingqiu, on the other hand, was still chained to the ground by the Immortal-Binding Rope, staring silently at Luo Binghe standing beside the fallen Die'er…
That's it... all done?
Just as he thought that, Die'er overturned the roof beam and leaped up.
He roared in fury, "Shen Qingqiu! The people of the Cangqiong Mountain Sect are indeed despicable, shameless, and cunning! What kind of wicked trick did you use to frame me like this?"
Shen Qingqiu is truly innocent. This has nothing to do with him, really. The biggest culprit should be Luo Binghe.
Butterfly persisted, "You were deliberately lying to me, trying to distract me so you could ambush me. Otherwise, why would this roof beam suddenly fall down and hit me?"
"You noticed the inconsistencies too, didn't you? Does this mean there's still hope for their intelligence?" Shen Qingqiu felt a little relieved.
Butterfly sneered, "You think you can subdue me like this? Dream on. The Immortal Binding Rope can only be cut with a celestial sword. You won't be able to break free using ordinary methods."
...I just praised you and you've done something silly again. Don't reveal the method for releasing the enemy, okay?!
And were you afraid I wouldn't see where you put the Xiuya sword? You even deliberately showed it from your cloak waist and patted it!
Shen Qingqiu couldn't hold back any longer and took a moment to communicate with the system: "Um... I just want to ask, do all villains follow this path?"
The system stated: [To ensure your success in the initial stage of the mission, the villains' intelligence is set below average after activating the easy mode.]
Shen Qingqiu gave a big thumbs up: "Thanks! I have to say, your simple mode design is really user-friendly. Great job!"
Die'er gritted her teeth and said, "No matter what you say this time, I won't listen to you! Prepare to die, Shen Qingqiu!"
Shen Qingqiu shouted, "The last sentence!"
Under the power of the simple mode, Die'er indeed stopped: "Do you have any last words?"
Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment and asked, "How is it to sleep with a sixty-year-old man?"
"..." Taking advantage of Die'er's face contorting with anger and her whole body trembling, Luo Binghe suddenly pounced on her from behind!
He snatched the elegant sword from Die'er's waist, drew it from its sheath, and the room was filled with the clear, snowy light.
A silver shadow flashed by, and the Immortal Binding Ropes binding Shen Qingqiu snapped.
It's just that Die'er, this little boss, didn't have an average IQ in easy mode. He treated Luo Binghe, a living person, as if he were dead when he stood behind him.
Butterfly exclaimed, "This is impossible—"
"Enough! I'm not going to listen! I don't want to hear the boss's usual dying lines!" Shen Qingqiu's lips twitched, and he concentrated all his spiritual power in his right hand, striking Die'er in the chest with a palm strike. The latter was sent flying like a kite with a broken string.
This was the first time Shen Qingqiu had actually killed someone. But he showed no mercy whatsoever.
First, this is a book; second, this is a demon who has killed countless people; third, if he doesn't take action, he himself will die.
Shen Qingqiu glanced at the horrific state of "Die'er," with her limbs twisted and blood flowing from her seven orifices, then turned his head and flooded his mind with the three reasons mentioned above, trying to brainwash himself.
Luo Binghe's still somewhat childish face turned slightly pale.
Shen Qingqiu forced himself to remain calm, slowly straightened up, composed himself, assumed a proper posture, and turned to Luo Binghe: "Were you frightened when you first saw 'Exorcising Demons and Protecting the Righteous Path'?"
He paused, then continued, "If you want to 'defend,' you must 'eliminate.'"
Luo Binghe gritted his teeth and blurted out, "Just now..."
Shen Qingqiu asked, "You want to know, what would I have done if the roof beams hadn't suddenly collapsed?"
Shen Qingqiu was swallowing a bitter pill; he desperately wanted to tell Luo Binghe, "Don't worry, you definitely won't die; the roof beams will definitely collapse." But could he really do that?!
He could only feign profundity and say, "Are you blaming your teacher?"
Luo Binghe shook his head, his expression sincere, and said, "No. It would be an honor for me to give my life for my master."
Shen Qingqiu was shocked by his naive and innocent nature!
Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment and chose a rather ambiguous way of putting it.
"Then let me tell you this: even if something happens to me, you will be safe."
That's absolutely true. Even if Shen Qingqiu died a hundred times, the protagonist Luo Binghe, with his indestructible body, would still be alive and well!
His expression was firm and calm, without the slightest hint of insincerity, and he said in a clear and resounding voice, "There is absolutely no deception on this point."
Upon hearing this, Luo Binghe seemed to be ignited with a surge of energy. The sunflower that had just wilted instantly revived, and holding the sword with both hands, he raised it to eyebrow level and respectfully presented it to Shen Qingqiu: "Master, your sword!"
Shen Qingqiu took it immediately.
This kid is so honest now. He was totally smitten just now, but he's back to his senses in the blink of an eye. I wish you could always be like this!
What followed was a barrage of system notifications that made him incredibly happy.
Ning Yingying's favorability increases, protagonist's satisfaction +50.
[Obtained the advanced item 'Binding Immortal Rope', villain strength +30]
[Completed the initial stage task, +200 B-level rating. OOC function unfrozen. From this moment on, you have complete control over the 'Shen Qingqiu' account. Congratulations! Keep up the good work!]
Shen Qingqiu was starting to get a little fond of this gamble-like feeling of highs and lows.
From now on, I can finally embark on the glorious and noble cause of clinging to the male lead's coattails!
The first thing to do upon returning to the Cangqiong Mountain Sect was to ascend the Qiongding Peak, which was guarded by the sect leader, and report to Yue Qingyuan.
On his way there, Shen Qingqiu felt once again that this senior brother, the sect leader, was nothing more than an NPC issuing quests. However, this feeling vanished without a trace after he stepped into the mountain gate.
Before he even stepped into the main hall, Yue Qingyuan, accompanied by the disciples of Qiongding Peak, came to greet him. The two barely exchanged glances when Yue Qingyuan grasped Shen Qingqiu's pulse with his right hand. Shen Qingqiu was initially startled, but seeing that Yue Qingyuan made no further moves, instead focusing intently on his body and channeling a faint stream of spiritual energy, he knew that Yue Qingyuan was merely checking the state of his spiritual energy and completely relaxed.
Seeing that his spiritual energy was circulating smoothly and there seemed to be no damage, Yue Qingyuan released his grip and, smiling, stepped into the main hall with Shen Qingqiu. He asked, "How was your training?"
His elder brother-like behavior and tone warmed Shen Qingqiu's heart, making even his words of frustration sound less disheartening: "Not satisfactory."
The disciples didn't even catch a glimpse of the skinning demon; they were all busy leveling up and racking up points for Shen Qingqiu. From the perspective of training disciples, this was indeed unsatisfactory.
Yue Qingyuan said, "There's no need to rush."
Shen Qingqiu nodded, then suddenly changed the subject: "Sect Leader, I need to go into seclusion in the Lingxi Cave on the back mountain of Qiongding Peak."
As the foremost of the twelve peaks, Qiongding Peak naturally gathers the essence of heaven and earth. Lingxi Cave is the best place on Qiongding Peak for cultivation, yielding twice the results with half the effort. Therefore, senior figures or outstanding disciples of the sect can request permission from the sect leader to enter the cave for secluded cultivation. Only with the sect leader's approval can the application be granted.
Shen Qingqiu was going to Lingxi Cave for seclusion, and Yue Qingyuan naturally wouldn't refuse. He asked, "Is it to prepare for the Immortal Alliance Conference?"
Shen Qingqiu replied, "That's right."
In fact, it wasn't just because the Immortal Alliance Conference plot required him to have real strength; there were many other complicated reasons as well.
This skin-peeling incident made Shen Qingqiu realize even more the importance of cultivating properly.
In this world, only those with strength have the right to think about the future.
Moreover, Yue Qingyuan was truly devoted to him. Even if it was to reverse the outcome of Shen Qingqiu directly causing Yue Qingyuan's death, Shen Qingqiu would have to seriously consider his future.
From now on, he will take a more proactive approach to controlling the plot.
Before going into seclusion, Shen Qingqiu summoned Luo Binghe and taught him the correct introductory cultivation method.
Luo Binghe took the cultivation manual and asked, "Why did Master give me a completely different cultivation manual?"
Shen Qingqiu calmly made up a story: "Your constitution is different, so you can't cultivate according to the general methods of our sect."
He didn't want to expose the truth about Ming Fan giving Luo Binghe a fake cultivation technique so soon. Although it would be exposed sooner or later, he could delay it as long as possible.
Watching Shen Qingqiu's departing figure, Luo Binghe held the manual in his hands, his heart deeply shaken.
This is a special mental cultivation method that Master gave him personally!
Shen Qingqiu had no idea that Luo Binghe had misunderstood something so serious...
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