After a brief moment of contemplation, Zhou Qing said, "I'll ask him whether he hates me. If he answers that he does, this child will surely seek revenge on me someday. He absolutely cannot be spared."
"And if he answers that he doesn't?" the voice asked.
Zhou Qing snorted. "If he doesn't, then at such a young age, he already has such deep scheming. He absolutely cannot be spared."
"What if he chooses not to answer?" The voice suddenly carried a teasing note.
Zhou Qing said, "If he doesn't answer, then this child is exceedingly calculating. He will surely become someone great in the future. He absolutely cannot be spared."
Once Zhou Qing finished answering, that voice suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
"Interesting, truly interesting. Morality may have flaws, but life cannot have hidden dangers. I like that answer. Congratulations, you've passed. Hurry and take this bowl and leave. The tide is about to erupt."
Looking at the Broken Bowl floating before him, Zhou Qing was somewhat dumbfounded.
No, wasn't this far too careless? Even something made up on the spot could pass?
And this reward—no matter how he looked at it, it seemed like something meant to fool an idiot.
But very soon, the entire space suddenly became far more sinister and chilly. Zhou Qing even felt as though someone were blowing into his ear, making the hairs on his body stand on end.
He then grabbed the Broken Bowl. Something was better than nothing.
"Ah-ha, at last, I have a vessel that can take this old man out!"
The instant Zhou Qing grabbed the Broken Bowl, an excited voice rang out from all around him.
Zhou Qing's expression immediately changed, and he was about to throw away the Broken Bowl when the surroundings began rapidly receding once more.
"Bleurgh—"
It seemed like no more than a momentary daze, yet Zhou Qing had reappeared beside the Millstone Key. Then he sprawled on the ground and began retching.
The Broken Bowl in his hand, however, burst forth with dazzling golden light before suddenly wrenching itself free. Laughing loudly, it shot straight toward the Robber Hole.
How could Zhou Qing still fail to understand who the other party was? He felt incomparably stifled, and even more furious.
He had somehow become the thief's accomplice, and what the thief had stolen was his own sect's belongings.
"Who are you?" Zhou Qing shouted in grief and fury.
The Broken Bowl immediately came to a screeching halt, and a blurry figure appeared in the center of the bowl.
He chuckled. "Little fellow, you may call me Second Uncle!"
"Go to hell with your Second Uncle! You despicable bastard!" Zhou Qing cursed.
The other party was not angered in the slightest. Instead, he seemed quite delighted.
"Little brat, seeing as you brought me out, I'll give you this Top-Grade Water Attribute Spirit Stone. Oh, and I won't be leaving the Taiqing Sect anytime soon. When the time comes, guess who I am. Guess right, and there'll be a reward."
After saying that, a streak of blue light abruptly shot out from the bowl, and Zhou Qing caught it instinctively.
Then, an indescribably pure energy flowed from his hand. When he spread open his palm, he saw an oval, deep-blue stone.
Its texture was delicate, its luster soft and warm, like moonlight spilling across a calm water surface.
Zhou Qing's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Top-Grade Spirit Stones were strategic resources even across the entire Taiqing Sect, and their numbers were scarce. They were generally kept in the Inner Treasury.
Forget Core Disciples like them—even peak masters and the like normally cultivated using only ordinary spirit stones.
Th-this-this... wasn't this far too lavish?
When he looked again, the Broken Bowl had already vanished down the passage.
"It's over, it's over. Now I'm not only an accomplice, I've even shared in the loot. When the time comes, I won't be able to explain myself even if I grow a hundred mouths."
Zhou Qing looked at the Top-Grade Spirit Stone in his hand, yet he could not bear to hand it over. After all, top-grade water attribute spirit stone energy was the gentlest. Not only was it pure, absorbing it was like an endless stream of water—simply an enjoyment.
No point refusing what was given for free!
Gritting his teeth, he simply put it directly into his Storage Bag.
After coming up with his wording, he hurriedly began turning the millstone...
"The clue you provided is very important. Remember, do not speak of this matter to anyone."
"Understood. This junior will certainly keep his lips sealed."
"Very good. You performed well this time. Choose one of these three Secret Techniques."
"This junior is dull-witted. I ask Grand Elder for guidance."
"You're quite a clever boy. Compared with the other two, this Silver Dragon Hand suits you rather well. It is both offensive and defensive."
"Thank you, Senior."
Little Spirit Peak!
The moment Zhou Qing returned, Mo Xingjian hurried over with Yan Xiaohu.
"Master, I really promised the Grand Elder that I couldn't tell anyone about this."
"Fourth Child, what nonsense are you talking about? Is your master just anyone? Is your Third Senior Brother just anyone?"
"Then what are you?"
"Not bad, not bad. A good child who keeps his promises. All these years of my painstaking teachings have not been in vain. Ah, why is this chair poking my backside? Whose fifty spirit stones are these?"
"Mine, mine. I accidentally dropped them there just now. Third Senior Brother, if there's nothing else, please go out first. I have something to tell Master."
"Fourth Child, you've chilled my heart. You've truly chilled my heart. Put your hand on your conscience—how have I treated you normally... Fourth Child, did you recently strike it rich? How can you toss spirit stones around so casually? Are these thirty yours?"
"Aiya, ever since the Grotto-Heaven incident, I've been absent-minded and forgetful, always losing things. I was just joking with you. Others are others, but you are my beloved family and friends. This time, a great many Wandering Souls suddenly appeared in the Meta-Magnetic Passage. In order not to bring shame upon our Little Spirit Peak, I braved danger and fought my way in bit by bit..."
Time slowly passed. After hearing the full sequence of events, Mo Xingjian's brows were tightly furrowed, while Yan Xiaohu was utterly stunned.
The Taiqing Sect's Grotto-Heaven was extraordinarily mysterious. Only the peak masters of each peak and the Grand Elders knew where it was located.
Fourth Child had truly made out like a bandit this time. Not only had he obtained a Secret Technique, he could even soak in the No. 3 Flame Spirit Blood Pool.
After a brief contemplation, Mo Xingjian let out a long sigh and said, "I never expected that fellow to still be in our Taiqing Sect. I thought he had died long ago. So he really did pull off a golden cicada shedding its shell."
"Who?" Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu immediately asked curiously.
Mo Xingjian smiled bitterly. "Who else could it be? That fellow who dug the Robber Hole."
"Second Uncle?" Zhou Qing was astonished. His master actually knew him.
Mo Xingjian said, "Yes, Second Uncle. That shameless bastard took advantage of us for so many years when he first joined the Taiqing Sect."
As Mo Xingjian gradually explained, Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu finally came to understand a little.
Second Uncle's real name was Erdaye. Heaven knew whether it was real or not. In any case, he used the homophonic trick so that when they called him by name, he gained two extra generations for nothing.
Back then, he had joined the Taiqing Sect during the same period as Mo Xingjian and the other peak masters. Not only was he quick-witted, his talent was also excellent. The old Sect Leader had even intended to hand the present-day Taiqing Sect over to him.
Yet during one escort mission, he had encountered an ambush and died, body and soul extinguished. The current peak masters had grieved over it for a long time.
It was not until two years later, when people from another force no weaker than the Taiqing Sect came searching aggressively, that they learned the truth: that shameless bastard had been stealing the cultivation techniques of a hundred sects.
He changed his appearance and name, had stayed in all the major sects, and climbed into their upper ranks in every one. No fewer than nine Sect Leaders had wanted to train him as their successor.
But every time it came to that point, he died due to one accident or another.
As Mo Xingjian spoke of this, countless thoughts stirred within him.
Though everyone despised his conduct, he had been remarkably popular in every sect.
His fellow disciples were willing to drink and make merry with him.
His senior and junior sisters especially loved wandering past his residence every night.
How should one put it? This man possessed a unique charm.
Especially after everyone learned the truth, aside from cursing him, they had actually hoped from the bottom of their hearts that he was still alive.
But they had truly seen his corpse with their own eyes. They had no idea how that shameless bastard had managed it.
As time passed, they too had become peak masters capable of standing on their own. Who would have thought that fellow had been trapped inside the Grotto-Heaven?
At this moment, Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu were even more shocked.
Didn't that mean this fellow possessed many top-tier divine abilities and cultivation techniques?
"Master, what exactly is inside that Grotto-Heaven, to have trapped such a person for so long?"
Zhou Qing recalled what he had seen back then and could not help asking.
Before you continue