Biyou Village.
Ma Xianhong casually patted Chen Duo on the shoulder, rested one hand on his hip, and smiled faintly.
"Come on, this is our sect's base. I'm sure you'll fit into this big family soon."
Of course, Chen Duo gave him little response beyond a slight flicker in her eyes, but that was enough for Ma Xianhong.
After all, she was a young girl whose values had been warped for years and whose understanding of the world had been turned completely upside down. The brief time she had spent with him wasn't enough to correct all those years of mistakes.
Actually, he could have simply used the Dual-Handed Pearl to alter Chen Duo's understanding, but Ma Xianhong hadn't done that.
It wasn't necessary anyway. He could leave that decision to Chen Duo herself in the future.
"Little girl, how old are you?" Zhong Xiao Long scratched his head as he stared into Chen Duo's green eyes, as still as water.
After waiting a long while without receiving an answer, he tilted his head and looked toward Ma Xianhong in bewilderment and suspicion.
"Uh, Sect Leader, trafficking children is illegal. And, uh, trafficking mentally disabled people is even more illegal. I know you like doing whatever strikes your fancy, but you shouldn't be doing this. Oh, I get it. You're planning to raise yourself a little girl, aren't you?"
Ma Xianhong's face instantly darkened. He drew a large cleaver from his waist and moved to chop the idiot.
What the fuck was this nonsense?
"Uh, Sect Leader, what did you bring back this time? Why do I feel an instinctive sense of danger just looking at this little girl?"
A vein twitched on Qiu Rang's forehead. He had made some progress studying Ma Xianhong's manuscripts, taking his spirit refinement another step forward.
He could sense something exceedingly primal and ferocious inside Chen Duo.
"What do you mean, 'what did I bring back'? Take a look at the bunch of oddballs standing here. Jiejiao, Jiejiao-you've all read Investiture of the Gods, right? With all the fish and dragons mixed together here, nothing I take in should surprise you. One of these days, I'll bring in a few little animals to broaden your horizons."
Ma Xianhong flicked Qiu Rang on the forehead and spoke irritably, while turning his gaze toward Bi Yuan, who was crouching on the ground and carefully examining Chen Duo's physical condition.
"Sect Leader, something seems wrong with this little girl's condition. Your artifacts have forcibly patched her up, but that only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."
As a practitioner of the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles, Bi Yuan had a keen eye for such things. Well versed in medicine, he could tell at a glance that Chen Duo's rosy complexion and abundant vitality were entirely thanks to Ma Xianhong's artifacts.
In reality, the situation inside Chen Duo's body was far from encouraging. After all, she couldn't control the Primordial Gu at all. Forget hurting other people-even avoiding harm to herself was difficult.
"Not bad, Uncle Bi. Fu Rong, Xiao Long, Old Bi, I'm leaving this little girl to you three." Raising an eyebrow, Ma Xianhong handed Chen Duo over to Fu Rong and prepared to head back to research some arrangements for her.
But Zhong Xiao Long visibly froze when he heard the assignment.
He could understand Fu Rong and Old Bi being involved. One was currently the only woman among the Upper Roots, and the other was something of a medical expert. That raised the question: what did any of this have to do with him?
"What else? You're the shortest. You're about the same height as Chen Duo. She's not quite in the right state at the moment, so you can keep her company and play with her." Glancing at Zhong Xiao Long, who was about as tall as Chen Duo, Ma Xianhong smiled faintly, waved, and headed straight into his workshop.
Chen Duo's condition could be easy to deal with, or difficult, depending on how one approached it.
In any case, Ma Xianhong already had several ideas. First, Gu Poison was still poison. If he approached it from that angle, he could draw inspiration from the woeful poison body in Battle Through the Heavens or the Poison Douluo in Douluo.
Unfortunately, when they had last met, Xiao Yan apparently hadn't even met Xiao Yi Xian yet, while Tang San in Douluo hadn't visited the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well either.
Still, there was no rush. He could look for suitable methods in his own world first.
When he thought along those lines, the first things that came to Ma Xianhong's mind were the Tang Sect's Five Treasures Body-Protection Method and the Six-Celestial Thief. Both dealt with the internal organs, and the Tang Sect's method in particular had deep ties to poison.
He was actually quite curious about the Tang Sect's techniques, too-Earth and Wood Flow Injection, Thousand Strikes in an Instant, and Dan Shi.
They all seemed useful, and he could also perfectly combine the Five Treasures Body-Protection Method with the heavily modified Eight Gates they had developed.
In any case, Ma Xianhong had always planned to visit the Tang Sect sooner or later. He wanted to take a look at their techniques, and he could get a copy for Chen Duo while he was at it.
That covered the internal side. Externally, she would naturally need artifacts. Once he obtained suitably compatible techniques, he could refine corresponding artifacts as well. For now, vitality would take priority. He could let her run wild anyway. Couldn't control her Gu Poison? Her control would improve as she played around with it.
He happened to have a few bold ideas about poison techniques, too, and could leave Chen Duo to test them. But the immediate priority was correcting her understanding of the world. He didn't like forcing people; better to wait until Chen Duo had developed her own understanding, then let her choose for herself.
People were relatively free in Jiejiao, provided they didn't interfere with others.
As he thought, his hands kept moving. Under the power of Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, two emerald-green bracelets were completed, along with a jade pendant that was half red and half blue.
One provided vitality, while the other carried Dual-Handed Manipulation as insurance.
With these things as a safety net, everyone, including Chen Duo, could act without holding back.
Staring at the red-and-blue jade pendant, Ma Xianhong pondered briefly, then took out his phone and dialed Qu Tong's number.
This dear big sister of his was quite useful.
The phone rang for a long time before the call connected, as though reflecting Qu Tong's mood on the other end. Ma Xianhong raised his eyebrows and spoke cheerfully.
"Hello, Big Sis. Miss me?"
He was still answered by silence, seemingly tinged with speechless exasperation.
Imagining the expression Qu Tong might be wearing made Ma Xianhong even happier. She was definitely furious right now, but unfortunately for her, he loved it when people couldn't stand him yet couldn't do a thing about him.
"Xianhong, your big sister is happy you called, but she doesn't like the way you're speaking."
Ma Xianhong raised his eyebrows again and smacked his lips. This damned big sister needed some training. She'd barely been back any time at all, and she was already getting full of herself again?
"Big Sis, you won't even call me Sect Leader."
Qu Tong choked on her words again. Only after a long pause did she speak through somewhat gritted teeth.
"What is it, my dear Sect Leader, my dear little brother? Have you run into trouble and remembered your big sister?"
"No trouble. There's just something I need my all-powerful big sister to help with. Naturally, in return, I'll continue our previous cooperation." Tapping his fingertips on the table, Ma Xianhong leaned back and spoke lazily.
That so-called cooperation referred to the series of operations centered on the Self-Cultivation Furnace. It was precisely why Qu Tong didn't dare fall out with him.
"You don't need to be so formal with your big sister. Go on, leave it to me."
Hearing the happiness in Qu Tong's voice despite her efforts to suppress it, Ma Xianhong curled his lips. He propped his cheek on one hand, his figure shrouded in shadow.
"Heh heh heh heh. Then I won't stand on ceremony, my dear big sister."
"..."
Qu Tong: (一`ˊ一)
What was wrong with this little brother? Why did it always feel like he was cooking up something rotten?
"Heh heh heh heh. I want five hundred virgin boys... ahem, ten virgin boys and ten virgin girls. Preferably not too old-ten to fifteen."
Qu Tong: ???
What the hell??!
Seemingly realizing that his wording wasn't quite accurate, Ma Xianhong added another remark.
"Umm, right. Preferably lively ones with plenty of energy. None of those gloomy, lifeless types."
Qu Tong: No, dude!??
You're the fucking sect leader of Jiejiao, not the goddamn Inspiration King!!
What the fuck do you want virgin boys and girls for??! Even changing classes shouldn't work like this?!!
What the fuck are you planning to do?!!
Before you continue