I Am Your Second Uncle!

After a brief pause, Zhou Qing said, "I'll ask him if he hates me. If he answers yes, that child will surely seek revenge on me in the future—he absolutely cannot be spared."

"And if he answers no?" the voice inquired.

Zhou Qing snorted. "If he says no, then for a child so young to harbor such deep cunning, he absolutely cannot be spared."

"What if he chooses not to answer?" the voice suddenly turned playful.

Zhou Qing replied, "If he doesn't answer, that child's profound scheming will surely lead him to great things in the future—he absolutely cannot be spared."

As Zhou Qing finished speaking, the voice suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Interesting, truly interesting. Morality can have flaws, but life cannot harbor hidden dangers. I like this answer. Congratulations, you've passed. Now take this bowl and leave quickly—the Tide is about to erupt."

Staring at the broken bowl floating before him, Zhou Qing was dumbfounded.

Wait, isn't this too reckless? A random off-the-cuff answer actually passed?

And this reward—it looks like it's meant to fool an idiot.

But soon, the entire space grew eerily gloomy, and Zhou Qing even felt someone breathing on his ear, making his hair stand on end.

He grabbed the broken bowl—something was better than nothing.

"Ah ha, finally a vessel to take me out!"

As Zhou Qing grasped the bowl, an excited voice echoed from all around.

Zhou Qing's expression shifted instantly, and he tried to drop the bowl, but the surroundings rapidly receded again.

"Ugh~~"

As if in a daze, Zhou Qing reappeared at the Millstone Key, immediately collapsing to the ground and dry heaving.

The broken bowl in his hand burst into dazzling golden light, then suddenly flew out of his grasp, laughing loudly as it shot straight toward the Robber Hole.

By now, Zhou Qing understood exactly who it was. He felt nothing but frustration, and even more so, anger.

He had unwittingly become an accomplice to a thief, and the theft was from his own sect.

"Who are you?" Zhou Qing shouted in grief and fury.

The broken bowl screeched to a halt, and a blurry figure reflected within its center.

He chuckled. "Little one, you can call me Second Uncle!"

"Go to hell with your Second Uncle, you despicable scoundrel!" Zhou Qing cursed.

The other wasn't angered; in fact, he seemed delighted.

"Little Doll, since you brought me out, I'll gift you this Top-Grade Water Attribute Spirit Stone. Oh, and I won't be leaving Taiqing Sect anytime soon. When the time comes, guess who I am—guess right, and there's a reward."

With that, a blue light shot from the bowl, and Zhou Qing caught it instinctively.

Then, an indescribably pure energy flowed into his hand. Opening his palm, he saw an oval, deep-blue stone.

Its texture was fine, its luster soft and warm, like moonlight spilling over still water.

Zhou Qing's eyes were filled with disbelief.

A Top-Grade Spirit Stone—across the entire Taiqing Sect, this was strategic material, scarce in number, usually stored in the Inner Treasury.

Not to mention Core Disciples like him; even Peak Masters and others used only ordinary Spirit Stones for daily cultivation.

This... this is too extravagant.

When he looked again, the broken bowl had already vanished down the passage.

"Damn, damn. Now I'm not just an accomplice—I've shared the spoils. I'll never be able to explain this."

Zhou Qing stared at the Top-Grade Spirit Stone in his hand, reluctant to hand it over. After all, a Water Attribute Top-Grade Spirit Stone had the gentlest energy—pure and smooth as flowing water, a true pleasure to absorb.

Why refuse a free gift?

Gritting his teeth, he stashed it directly into his Storage Bag.

Then, after rehearsing his words, he quickly turned the millstone...

"Your information is very important. Remember, don't tell anyone about this."

"Understood, this junior will keep it sealed."

"Good. You performed well this time. Choose one of these three Secret Techniques."

"This junior is dull-witted; I beg the Grand Elder for guidance."

"You're a clever lad. Compared to the other two, this 'Silver Dragon Hand' suits you well—balanced in offense and defense."

"Thank you, Senior."

Little Spirit Peak!

As soon as Zhou Qing returned, Mo Xingjian arrived with Yan Xiaohu in a hurry.

"Master, I truly promised the Grand Elder—I can't tell anyone about this."

"Fourth Child, what nonsense are you spouting? Is your master just anyone? Is your Third Senior Brother just anyone?"

"And what if they are?"

"Not bad, not bad—a good child who keeps his word. It's not in vain that I've taught you so diligently all these years. Ah, why is this chair so uncomfortable on the backside? Whose fifty spirit stones are these?"

"Mine, mine—I accidentally dropped them there just now. Third Senior Brother, if you have nothing else to do, please step out first. I have something to discuss with Master."

"Fourth Child, my heart is cold, truly cold. Put your hand on your conscience and tell me—how has your senior brother treated you on ordinary days... Fourth Child, have you come into some fortune lately? Tossing spirit stones around like that—are these thirty yours?"

"Ah, after that Grotto-Heaven business, I've been spaced out and forgetful. I was just joking with you. Others are others, but you are my beloved family and close friends. This time, when the Meta-Magnetic Passage suddenly swarmed with Wandering Souls, I risked danger and fought my way in bit by bit, all so I wouldn't bring shame to our Little Spirit Peak..."

Time passed bit by bit. After hearing the whole story from start to finish, Mo Xingjian's brows were tightly furrowed, while Yan Xiaohu was utterly shocked.

The Grotto-Heaven of the Taiqing Sect was profoundly mysterious—only the peak masters and the Grand Elders knew its location.

Fourth Child's trip had been worth it. Not only had he obtained a Secret Technique, but he could also go soak in the No. 3 Flame Spirit Blood Pool.

At this moment, after a brief pause, Mo Xingjian let out a long sigh and spoke: "I never expected that fellow was still in our Taiqing Sect. I thought he'd died long ago. Who'd have thought he actually pulled off a golden cicada shedding its shell."

"Who?" Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu asked, immediately curious.

Mo Xingjian smiled bitterly: "Who else? That fellow who dug the Robber Hole."

"Second Uncle?" Zhou Qing was surprised. His master actually knew him.

Mo Xingjian said: "Yes, Second Uncle. That shameless bastard—back when he first joined the Taiqing Sect, he took advantage of us for so many years."

As Mo Xingjian recounted bit by bit, Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu finally gained some understanding.

Second Uncle, whose real name was Erdaye—heaven knew if it was true or not—but by using a homophone, they ended up calling him that, and it gave him two extra generations of seniority for nothing.

Back then, he had joined the Taiqing Sect at the same time as Mo Xingjian and the other peak masters. He was not only clever but also talented. The old Sect Leader had even intended to hand over the entire Taiqing Sect to him.

But during a certain escort mission, he fell into an ambush and died, body and soul extinguished. That had saddened the current peak masters for a long time.

It wasn't until two years later, when someone from a sect no weaker than the Taiqing Sect came demanding answers, that they learned the truth—that shameless bastard had been stealing Cultivation Methods from a hundred schools.

He changed his face and name, stayed in every major sect, and climbed to high positions in all of them. No fewer than nine Sect Leaders had wanted to groom him as their successor.

But every time it came to that point, he would die from some accident.

Speaking of this, Mo Xingjian's thoughts churned with emotion.

Though everyone despised his actions, his popularity within each sect was excellent.

Fellow disciples were happy to drink and laugh with him.

Senior and Junior Sisters loved to stroll past his residence every night.

How to put it? That man had a unique charm.

Especially back then, when everyone learned the truth—while they cursed him, deep down they still hoped he was alive.

But they had seen his corpse with their own eyes. Heaven knew how that shameless bastard managed it.

Times changed, and they had become peak masters capable of standing on their own. Who would have thought that fellow was trapped inside the Grotto-Heaven all along?

Now Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu listened, utterly stunned.

Didn't that mean that fellow possessed countless top-tier divine abilities and Cultivation Methods?

"Master, what exactly is inside that Grotto-Heaven, that it could trap someone like him for so long?"

Zhou Qing recalled what he had seen back then and couldn't help asking.