Rourou could guess what he was thinking. She calmly said, “Some things should be left for time to tell. There is no need to be bothered by it.”
The man thought about it. Then he cupped his hands and bowed, “Thank you for your guidance.”
He stood up and said, “Your current circumstances are similar to those of the other being. As for the one who has not been released from the seal…I believe we can take a deeper look again.”
Rourou said, “I agree.”
She turned around and looked in the direction of the cave. “Qin Yu is awake. You should go over, but remember not to reveal too much.”
The man smiled, “Alright.”
He turned and left. This time, White Iris lowered her head and did not dare to reveal any degree of disrespect to him.
Qin Yu woke up in the wooden tub feeling completely energetic. He was in a peak state that he had never been in before. Closing his eyes, he got a feeling of his physical state.
When he heard footsteps, his eyes flung open and he looked at the man who walked into the cave. He directly asked, “What happened after I lost consciousness?”
The man passed beside the tub and frowned slightly, “I promised her that I would not say too much.”
Qin Yu scoffed, “It seems you have forgotten whose side you are on.” He straightened himself up and threatened to pull the man into the tub.
The man flashed and avoided Qin Yu. Shaking his head helplessly, he said, “Even if you want to commit suicide, you should not try and harm me.”
“Tell me!”
The man raised his head and stared into Qin Yu’s eyes, “You died.”
He paused for a while and then added, “But you were revived.”
Qin Yu frowned, “Don’t speak like that, it is very hard for me to listen…to also, how big a price did she have to pay?”
“A lot.” The man had a serious look on his face, “So I feel like you should treat her better.”
Qin Yu raised an arm and rubbed his temples. He was the one who disregarded his life and saved her. How did he end up owing her again?
The man’s smile grew even brighter, “A truly intelligent man would not be calculative with a lady by his side.”
Qin Yu stared at him, “You have experience?”
The man’s smile froze.
“Hmph!” Qin Yu’s lips twisted, “Then stop trying to act all-knowing! Get to it – this time, did we lose or gain?”
The man said, “At this point, we have gained.”
He raised one finger, “Firstly, Rourou is back. With her by your side, it is very hard for you to die if you don’t seek it out. Secondly, you saw that door right? You don’t need to be suspicious. It is that door that you are thinking about. Since you saw it, your future Dao path is promising. However, it is not because of the fulfillment of that commitment. Instead, it is an opportunity that Rourou gave you. That is why I said you ought to treat her better. Thirdly, the Barbarian King has died and the human cultivators have confirmed this fact. As such, you don’t have to worry about being chased anymore and you can be more at ease.”
Qin Yu glanced at him, “Tell me about our losses.”
The man curled his fingers into a fist and then started to raise a finger, “Firstly, I have been exposed. There will be repercussions because of this, but not in the short term. Secondly, Rourou lost something and her abilities will be lessened in the future. Thirdly, the Barbarian King’s death…this thing was ultimately fake. Furthermore, your identity has already been exposed.”
He looked at Qin Yu with a serious look in his eyes, “Thirty years. You have thirty years before everything will be exposed. By then, the human cultivators will disregard everything and try to kill you…believe me. You only have a chance of survival if you enter the King realm. Otherwise, you will definitely die. Even if Rourou and I help you, and you use all your hidden cards, you will not be able to save yourself.”
Qin Yu massaged his temples again. Thirty years to enter the King realm. Even though he saw that door, the pressure on him was as large as a mountain.
He was not exaggerating it, this was really the case.
Known as the peak boundary, it was the highest attainable realm beneath the heavens. In the history of the Desolate Area, so many creatures had lived under the sky, but how many were able to enter the King realm? In the entire West Desolate Area, this massive empire had only produced seven of them after so many years.
Stepping into the realm was immensely difficult!
Look at the man opposite him, Qin Yu’s expression faltered, “Half?”
The man shook his head.
Qin Yu’s expression turned as hard as steel.
This was the situation, and he still claimed that they had gained from this ordeal? Why not just tell him to peacefully pass his time for thirty years? When thirty years was up, he should just obediently go and die.
“There is a chance, neither of us want you to die…however, thirty years is a very short amount of time. You cannot make any mistakes during these thirty years.” The man slowly continued, “Rourou has already made detailed arrangements. You need to move faster.”
He turned and walked towards the exit.
Qin Yu gritted his teeth, “You are leaving just like that?”
“Yes, I am leaving.”
“Aren’t you going to think further in case you missed anything out?”
The man did not turn back and he threw something at Qin Yu. The object opened and revealed its full body and circled on Qin Yu’s palm. It turned into a light green bracelet. Qin Yu could feel its slight excitement as it entered his mind.
“I am lending this to you. Remember to return it…also, only six years have passed in the Desolate Area. You are truly scaring yourself.”
He walked out of the grotto without stopping. His eyes landed on White Iris, “Keep all your thoughts to yourself. If you make a move, you will die.”
Shoosh –
His body flashed and he disappeared.
White Iris knelt to the ground; her face was as white as a sheet. Like she had just had a high fever, her entire body was soaked with sweat.
The sound of footsteps stopped. White Iris lifted her head with much difficulty and her lips quivered, “My Lady…”
Bam –
White Iris was sent flying with a strong kick, “You made contributions and errors, but I will forgive you now on account of your merits. You will still live for the time being, but don’t expect me to save you.”
Her eyes landed on Leftover Dog. He struggled to stand up and then kowtowed to her.
“You are qualified to be a dog. I am very satisfied.”
He was sent flying with another kick. Leftover Dog tumbled and rolled on the ground in pain. “I told you the place already and you will still live for now too. However, if you can’t rush there in time, don’t expect to live.”
Leftover Dog flipped over and bowed. Without further hesitation, he straightened himself and bounded away.
They were both kicked, but Leftover Dog was given a chance to live while White Iris was forgiven on account of her merits. The difference in treatment was obvious. Her eyes were still calm and did not reveal any hatred or disgruntlement.
She looked at Rourou only with respect and admiration.
“Hmph!”
With a cold scoff, Rourou walked out of the cave and ignored White Iris’ gaze. There was no pity. A fool should expect only the treatment for a fool. Otherwise, it would not do justice to intelligent men in this world.
Qin Yu had tidied himself up and it was not an exaggeration to say that he was perfectly healthy now. After he woke up, he realized that he had changed back to his original appearance.
He was much more handsome than ‘Ning Qin’!
Rourou’s lips twisted and she checked him out, “Not bad.”
Qin Yu ignored her interest and slowly said, “White Iris has been loyal to you. The past six years is the best evidence of that…”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted. Rourou scoffed, “Do I need you to teach me?” She sat down, still fuming.
As expected, men could not be trusted! He clearly promised not to say much, but in a flash, he sold her out. Ridiculous!
She sensed the strange look that Qin Yu gave her. Finally, she could no longer stand it. Her eyes bulged wide open as she snapped, “Qin Yu, listen well. I saved you because you saved me first, so we don’t owe each other anything. Don’t look at me in this way, I can’t stand it!”
Qin Yu thought about it before nodding, “If you say it like this, it makes sense. It is like how you wrote off my debt easily in the past.”
Rourou’s expression turned awkward and she did not return Qin Yu’s gaze, “Tell me, what do you want?”
Qin Yu answered, “What is your current state? What price did you have to pay to save me?”
Rourou scoffed, “Don’t listen to that guy, he is only trying to make himself look better to make you feel like you gained by living. This…is his responsibility. If he took action earlier, it would have been much better. Why did he wait till the end?”
Qin Yu looked at her silently.
Rourou stretched her arms out and twirled around, “Look, look carefully. I am fine. Nothing is wrong with me.”
Qin Yu remained silent and he stared at her intently. In the end, Rourou could only massage her temples in annoyance, “That’s right. I did pay a price. If I had 10,000 capabilities in the past, I now have 9,900 capabilities.”
Qin Yu demanded, “Tell me in detail.”
Rourou snapped angrily, “I am only able to unleash the strength of a Ruler when I am descended in this world. If I exceed that threshold, I will deplete my original source and will need a long slumber before I can wake up again. It is just a limit placed on my strength. Are you happy now?”
Her face was red from anger, “Qin Yu, you are almost there. If I knew you were so annoying, I would have just let you die.”
Qin Yu nodded, “Then, I will take it as this for now.” He sighed a long breath. Looking at Rourou’s black face, he laughed bitterly to himself. She was obviously lying.
Although he did not know who the owner of that voice was in Rourou’s home, after the little blue lamp gave him more information, it was not difficult to confirm how terrifying its actual realm was.
With one sentence, it could determine the fate of all creatures. Even Qin Yu, a Ruler, could die from its judgment.
Rourou turned the situation around and forcefully saved him. The price she had to pay must have been much greater than she claimed.
A limit on her strength…it was probably only one of the symptoms that she could not hide from him after paying the price. She was not willing to explain, but that did not mean that Qin Yu could choose to ignore it. He had not cleared his debt with her.
For instance, when Qin Yu mentioned the debt…were simple treasures really enough to make up for the help that Rourou gave him? Not to mention, after he gave those things to her, she ‘rented’ them back to him.
He had to have a conscience.
That was why Qin Yu disregarded his safety to find the Ruler back then and then the little blue lamp. He was not afraid to reveal his biggest secret to save her.
Some things did not have to be done, but there were some things that he had to do. Otherwise, what was the use of living a thousand years, ten thousand, or even forever? If he turned back to look at his past, he would not feel at ease.
Looking at Rourou, Qin Yu smiled, “Alright, what should we do next? I heard that you already made arrangements.”
He would leave it for now and engrave this moment in his heart. When he had the chance to make it up to her in the future, he would do what he had to.
