Chapter 1205: Betrayal?
"..."
Qin Naihe stopped breathing for a moment; he felt as though his breath was stuck in his throat, and he could not say a single word. He could only watch helplessly as Qin Moshang's lifeless body flew toward him.
In fact, Qin Naihe really despised Qin Moshang's personality. In the green lotus domain's prominent clans, there were not many profligate sons like him. The truly well-established and aristocratic clans paid great attention to the upbringing and education of the younger generation. Even if they had a sense of superiority, they would not show it blatantly.
Qin Moshang was different from others. He was highly praised since he was young, making him conceited. After all, at such a young age, he had already activated ten Birth Charts. His parents neglected to discipline him and blindly spoiled him; it was inevitable that he would turn out arrogant. That was the reason Venerable Master Qin had arranged for Qin Naihe to stay by Qin Moshang's side. Qin Naihe was much older than Qin Moshang and knew very well that the world was where the strong preyed on the weak. With Qin Moshang's temper, Qin Moshang would definitely get into trouble. Unfortunately, he was unable to save Qin Moshang in the end.
Qin Naihe shook his head helplessly. "Originally, I thought after suffering this time, he would learn a lesson and start anew. Why, Senior Lu?"
Lu Zhou shook his head as well before he said, "I wonder if you've heard of this saying…"
"I'm all ears."
"A leopard doesn't change its spots overnight," Lu Zhou said. This was based on his experience on earth. If his family did not teach him well, society would naturally teach him a profound lesson.
Qin Moshang felt incredibly vexed. "However, senior, my only way out depended on him being alive…"
If Qin Moshang was alive, Qin Naihe still had a chance to plead with Venerable Master Qin. He could even go to the Unknown Land to look for mystic life grass to make up for the incident. However, now, he was forced to a dead end. Even if Venerable Master Qin was a rational person, he likely would not be able to forgive such a huge crime, let alone the elders of the Qin clan who highly valued Qin Moshang.
"What does your life or death have to do with me?" Lu Zhou asked.
"..."
Little Yuan'er chimed in, "Exactly! What does your life or death have to do with my master? Your words don't make sense at all. Moreover, you brought people here to kill the disciples of Cloud Mountain. You should be grateful my master didn't kill you with a palm strike."
'Well said.'
Everyone nodded.
In the end, Qin Naihe said with a complex expression on his face, "Forget it. Life and death are fated. Farewell."
"Wait." Si Wuya walked to the front of the deck. He looked at Qin Naihe and said, "Logically speaking, you're our enemy. My master didn't attack you because he saw that you're sensible. Since Qin Moshang is dead, what do you think you should do?"
"The Unknown Land is so vast. I can always find a place for myself…" At this point, Qin Moshang was ready to make the outside world his home.
"You've misunderstood my words," Si Wuya said, "Now that Qin Moshang is dead, the Qin clan definitely won't let this matter go. The conflict between the Evil Sky Pavilion and the Qin clan has just begun. As the instigator of this matter, how can my master just let you go?"
"..."
Qin Naihe instinctively took a step back. He shifted his gaze from Si Wuya to Lu Zhou before he said, "Senior, are you planning to kill me as well? Even if you kill me, you won't be able to resolve your conflict with the Qin clan." Then, he sighed before he continued to say, "You really shouldn't have killed Qin Moshang."
Lu Zhou scoffed lightly. "Qin Naihe."
Qin Naihe was startled into taking another step back.
Lu Zhou raised his voice slightly and asked, "Do you think I'm afraid of Venerable Master Qin?"
"..."
Qin Naihe felt as though he had been enlightened when he heard these words. Indeed! He had almost forgotten the old man in front of him had a profound cultivation base and terrifying techniques. Otherwise, how could the old man confidently kill two ghost servants and Qin Moshang? Although he did not understand some of the old man's techniques, only a Venerable Master would be so confident.
Lu Zhou continued to say, "Do you still remember the bet three months ago?"
Qin Naihe said, "Of course, I remember. You lost. The imbalance phenomenon has already happened, which means chaos has already descended and the red line is gone. The Equalizer should already be here…"
'The Imbalance phenomenon?'
Lu Zhou shook his head and said, "You lost."
"?"
"The Equalizer hasn't appeared," Lu Zhou said.
Qin Naihe was speechless.
Mingshi Yin added, "It's very simple. If the Equalizer is here, why hasn't he or she come out to resolve the imbalance phenomenon?"
Qin Naihe replied, "I heard from the elders that Equalizers will appear everywhere. There are strong and weak Equalizers. Just like how there's existence stronger than Venerable Masters, and cultivators weaker than those in the Thousand Realms Whirling stage. However, you're right. They have yet to appear…" Then, he bowed to Lu Zhou and said, "I lost."
Lu Zhou stood up and asked, "Do you remember what the stakes are?"
"Stakes" Qin Nainai scratched his head. He did not remember agreeing to a bet. It was just a casual sentence; how did it turn into a bet?
"If there's no bet, why would I waste my breath on you?" Lu Zhou said.
Qin Naihe thought for a moment. Perhaps, he had forgotten. Hence, he said, "Alright, what was it? As long as it's within my limits, I'll agree to it."
Lu Zhou said, "I won't make things difficult for you. Just bring me at least ten stalks of mystic life grass and ten mystic microstones."
"..."
Upon hearing these words, Qin Naihe who did not seem to care earlier shook his head vehemently. "Old Senior, aren't you making things difficult for me? Let alone ten stalks of mystic life grass or microstones, even obtaining one is as difficult as ascending to the heavens!"
Lu Zhou brought out a mystic microstone from his sleeve and played with it as he said, "You said it's as difficult as ascending to the heavens?"
Thud!
Zhu Honggong suddenly fell to the ground.
Mingshi Yin glared at Zhu Honggong. "Idiot, what are you doing?"
"N-nothing… I just feel a little dizzy. Master actually has a mystic microstone. This thing is amazing… and it seems a little familiar…" Zhu Honggong said.
Everyone ignored Zhu Honggong.
Qin Naihe stammered slightly as he said, "T-this… This… Senior, you're a Venerable Master so it's not surprising you have these things. The mystic microstones are used to upgrade weapons, and the mystic life grass is used to recover Birth Charts. These two things only exist in the Unknown Land. The outer region of the Unknown Land has long been plundered by cultivators over and over again, and the core is fraught with danger. Therefore, it's not an exaggeration to say it's more difficult than ascending to the heavens to find these things. Senior, why don't you change your request?"
Lu Zhou nodded and said, "How can I not know how difficult it is to obtain these things? I won't make things difficult for you. The second request…" He paused for a moment as a kind smile appeared on his face. Then, he stroked his beard and continued to say, "Since you have nowhere to go, I'll give you a way out…"
The eyes of Lu Zhou's disciples lit up immediately. All of them thought their master was brilliant.
On the contrary, Qin Naihe was stunned. Various expressions flitted across his face, making it difficult to guess his thoughts. After a long silence, he bowed and said, "I hate disloyal and unjust people the most. I hope senior will forgive me. I'll choose the first request instead…"
Yu Zhenghai said, "Don't be unappreciative. You should be grateful and honored that my master gave you this opportunity."
Lu Zhou raised his hand to stop Yu Zhenghai. He asked, "Have you thought it through?"
Qin Naihe said helplessly, "I've thought it through. This is a matter of principle, and I won't compromise. Apart from that, if it's possible I'd like to take the Young Master's corpse with me and leave. I hope senior will agree to this."
"Do you know that no one dares to bargain with me?"
Qin Naihe bowed deeply. "I hope senior will agree. I'll definitely find the mystic life grass and the mystic microstones for you!"