Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 188 – Not Funny

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Although this was coldly indifferent, realistic, and perhaps even too lacking in any sort of compassion, the old priest’s actions weren’t wrong. From Moon Praying Shrine’s point of view, it could even be called more than fair. So, after a brief moment of stunned surprise, Qin Yu simply sighed inwardly over how thick this old fellow’s skin was. He accepted it and nodded, “I understand.”

His reply was light, so light that it seemed he was telling the old priest what he had eaten for lunch and dinner. And, the priest nodded similarly in return, as if this wasn’t a choice that involved life and death. But while this attitude wasn’t a direct reply, it was still a clear answer.

The priest sighed lightly and a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes. “We will remain in the capital city for another three days. I hope that Little Friend Qin Yu can rethink this. The doors of our Moon Praying Shrine will open wide for you whenever you want.”

Qin Yu sat up and escorted the old priest out. When he closed the door and sat back down in his chair, he wryly smiled. How could he never have considered the threat from the Whale Sovereign? While consideration of the underground vine and Moon Praying Shrine’s Saint Flower had managed to preserve his life until now, it also pushed him towards a dangerous precipice. No one knew of the little blue lamp’s existence, but it would surely arouse suspicion. If Qin Yu were to accept Moon Praying Shrine’s invitation, then while he might be able to leave the capital city, no one knew how events would develop after that.

If the existence of the little blue lamp was revealed, he could only wait for his inevitable death. So, after a brief inward struggle, he still refused. Without the protection of Moon Praying Shrine, he still might be able to rely on his own strength to leave. This was where Qin Yu gained the strength to refuse.

If he were pushed to a dead end and had no other means to leave, then he didn’t mind temporarily joining Moon Praying Shrine for the time being.

Two days later, a visitor came to the Great Glory Gambling Hall. Even the cold and ruthless wolf riders lowered their heads in respect. After all, she had also played a considerable role in saving the Saint Flower.

Sang Yueyue stepped down from the carriage. As she saw the old priest standing not too far away, she stuck her tongue out at him and then walked over to bow. “Yueyue greets Grandfather Priest.”

The old priest smiled and waved his hand. “In terms of age, it’s normal for you to call me grandfather. But considering your parents and His Majesty in the palace, that word doesn’t sound flattering at all. So, it would be best if you called this old man uncle instead.”

The little girl blushed red. Just where had this old thing lived that his skin was so thick? She muttered a few words, unsure of what to say.

The woman behind Yueyue smiled, her expression one of peace. “Lord Priest speaks too seriously. The various sea races all live for different lengths of time so it is already a long established tradition for how to greet others. No matter what young miss here calls you, it has no connection to my family’s madam.” As for His Majesty, she didn’t mention him at all. Those people that came from Sega City, especially old servants of that madam, had no favorable impression towards the ruler of the sea races.

The old priest nodded. “That’s also reasonable.” The two conversed warmly. The priest sent his regards to that husband and wife in Sega City and asked how she was.

“Are you all here to see Little Friend Qin Yu? If so, then how about helping this old man urge him to join my Moon Praying Shrine? Everyone here should be aware of the situation.”

The woman faintly smiled. “I fear I must disappoint Lord Priest. We came here in hopes that we could convince Qin Yu to join Sega City. After all, in the entire sea region, our Sega City is the friendliest towards humans. Moreover, we have some dealings with Qin Yu, so maybe he will agree.”

The old priest’s eyes flashed. “Is that so? Then I wish you success.”

“Thank you, Lord Priest.”

Without trace, the two sides completed their first skirmish.

After watching the woman and young girl move towards Qin Yu’s room, panic flashed in the white-dressed woman’s eyes. “Father, why did you agree? What if they really manage to convince Qin Yu?”

The priest helplessly smiled and patted his daughter’s hand. “There’s nothing we can do about it. The choice remains with Qin Yu and we are being threatened by him now.”

The young woman’s complexion changed. “Is father really worried that he has left some trap behind?”

“Perhaps he has, perhaps he hasn’t, but what difference is there? As long as he can have us feel a bit of fear, then this Qin Yu has already succeeded. However, unless he wants to face the endless chase and onslaught of our Moon Praying Shrine, there shouldn’t be any movements from him once we fulfill our end of the agreement and let him go.

The young woman nodded. She looked over, a bit reluctant. She really, really, really hoped that Qin Yu would stay at Moon Praying Shrine.

…Perhaps they could also learn from the royal palace and try to make an arrangement for Qin Yu that would lend him some peace of mind.

For instance, a marriage.

But if this were to be, the only one in Moon Praying Shrine with the appropriate status would be her. As she thought of this, she felt her face heat up with a bit of shyness, but in the next moment her eyes filled with solid determination. As long as it could be guaranteed that the Saint Flower would be fine from now on, she was willing to pay any price.

The old priest frowned. He said in a low and deep voice. “Don’t even think about it. I will never agree!”

The young woman wasn’t surprised that her father could see her thoughts. He was the priest of their tribe, the man closest to the sea spirit in the entire world. Of this, she never doubted.

“Father, perhaps he could guarantee the safety of the Saint Flower for a long period of time, ensuring the prosperity of my Moon Praying Shrine forevermore. If possible, that is what I want.”

The old priest turned and walked away. “It’s not possible. You hold that thought in your head and never speak of it to anyone!”

Even promises from the royal palace had been unable to tempt Qin Yu. Although he believed that his daughter wasn’t any worse than the princess, the chances that she would succeed weren’t any higher. Taking a step back, even if she did succeed, would she have to stick close to him for the rest of her life and never take a single step away? What if this brat Qin Yu ate his fill of her after marriage and then decided to look for any chance to escape? If that happened, his daughter’s entire life would be ruined.

In Qin Yu’s room, the old priest never imagined that that madam from Sega City was actually far bolder than he was.

The woman’s complexion sank; it was clear she wasn’t satisfied with this, but her expression still remained gentle and neutral. She tried to clarify the situation as much as possible. “Mister Qin Yu, my family’s madam has taken this stance. If you are willing to be together with our young miss, Sega City will become your strongest supporter, and we will guarantee that no one will harm you. Of course, before our young miss has fully grown up, you cannot truly be together.”

Sang Yueyue’s face was flushed deep red. She nervously glanced at her toes.

Across from her, Qin Yu smiled helplessly. He felt nothing but deep admiration towards that mysterious madam who could even think of something so ridiculous. He knew that the mysterious madam had made this decision because it was what Sang Yueyue desperately wanted and also because of the response that had come from the royal palace and Moon Praying Shrine.

From Princess Lushy who had once said that she would eviscerate him, to the charming and cute Sang Yueyue standing before him, and even including the beloved daughter of the old priest who had yet to toss her bet into the ring, all of a sudden it seemed as if Qin Yu had obtained a heaven-defying stroke of love-related luck, becoming the person who was highest in demand in the eyes of countless people.

Unfortunately, though it was nice to think about, it was destined that nothing would come from it.

He reached out and rubbed Sang Yueyue’s head. Qin Yu smiled. “Just what have you been thinking all these days? I already told you that there is someone in my heart, and I can’t hold any more people there.”

Then, he seriously spoke to the woman, thanking her for Sega City’s good intention and trying to express his own stance as tactfully as possible. Although he had refused the offer, the woman’s complexion seemed to improve instead. When she looked at Qin Yu, she appeared much more relaxed.

“Then that is truly a pity.”

Qin Yu’s lips twitched. Okay, can your words sound any faker? He smiled, telling Sang Yueyue that he would soon leave the capital and thanked her for all the help she gave him. If destiny willed it, they would meet again. But everyone knew there wasn’t much sincerity in these words. Of the two people, one remained in the sea region and the other would return to the human world on land. Without accident, it would be extremely difficult for them to ever meet again.

The young girl fell silent for a moment. Her eyes seemed to turn red a little and she even sniffed a bit. She quietly said, “Seventh Aunty, can you leave for a moment? I have some words I want to say to Big Brother Qin Yu alone.”

The woman hesitated. She glanced at Qin Yu and nodded. “Alright. I will be waiting outside for miss.”

The door opened and closed. The only ones left in the room were the two of them. Seeing the young girl keeping her head hung downwards, he tried to think of a way to liven the atmosphere. He cracked a joke, “It looks like you really made her nervous. She is definitely worried that you will act impulsively and do something you regret. Haha, she looks down on me too much! If…”

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the little loli that threw herself into his arms. He stiffened. As he felt the hot and wet feeling coming from his chest, he sighed and held onto her.

“Yueyue be good. Don’t cry.”

“I…I’m not crying…something…is in my eye….”

Sometimes, the ridiculous words of a little loli could be cute.

Qin Yu smiled and patted her shoulders. “Mm, Big Brother Qin Yu knows. Yueyue isn’t crying. Yueyue is the strongest in the world.”

But as he said this, Sang Yueyue truly did cry. She couldn’t even suppress her wails. If someone were to see this, they would immediately curse at Qin Yu and call him a piece of filth even worse than an animal.

“Big Brother Qin Yu, Seventh Aunty didn’t tell me, but I know that bastard Whale Sovereign will definitely try to find some way to harm you. You have refused uncle, you have refused Moon Praying Shrine, and you even said you can’t agree to being with me. So, who will protect you? Big Brother Qin Yu, I know you love that woman very much, but she is already dead, so why can’t you be with me? I will try hard, I will try my hardest to grow up, and I will be very, very good to Big Brother Qin Yu. I don’t want anything to happen to you, I don’t!”

As she spoke about all her sorrows, the young girl had cried herself into a mess.

Qin Yu was touched. He thought and said, “Yueyue, I understand your thoughts, but I hope you can have some confidence in me. While I might not be able to fight the Whale Sovereign, there is always a chance I can escape.”

Sang Yueyue looked up, her pupils red. Her tears almost brought down Qin Yu’s determination. “Re…really…?”

Qin Yu nodded earnestly. “Of course! Yueyue, just you wait. Someday, I will become even more formidable. On that day, I will return to kill the Whale Sovereign!”

He smiled as he spoke. Others might think that he was only trying to comfort a young girl’s heart, but he knew that what he said was the truth. He had killed Jing Guanjin and those young masters around him. It seemed as if he had completed his revenge, but if the secret mastermind behind all of this hadn’t died, how could he ever have peace of heart?

So, the Whale Sovereign had to die.

The only question was when.

As he reflected on this, it really was quite funny that he was considering when to kill the Whale Sovereign even as he thought of ways to escape his pursuit.

But Qin Yu was incredibly serious, so he wasn’t trying to be funny at all!