Finally, this was the truth underlying all that had transpired.

Qin Mo’s mother, Yue Niang, possessed a singular physique that was incredibly rare and ideal for use by demonic cultivators; she was the perfect human cauldron1.

Lu Jiuyuan discovered her secret, coveted her body, and used despicable means to forcibly make her his. However, the delicacy of her physique was beyond the expectations of Lu Jiuyuan—the benefits could only be gained once. Once he had utilized her, further attempts no longer had any effect on cultivation. It was just like a flash in the pan, gone before he knew what had happened.

Lu Jiuyuan was not a man who sought after love; he was obsessed with the pursuit of the ultimate power. Even Yue Niang"s stunning beauty failed to offer him the slightest temptation.

He regretted that Yue Niang"s cultivation was low. Although after using her once he had the benefit of a quick breakthrough to the next stage, he also considered it a waste of resources. If there was another chance, he would have had Yue Niang raise her cultivation greatly, and only then reap the benefits. This would allow him to gain the maximum value that her physique had to offer—if such a thing could only be done once, he wanted to have done it properly.

Unfortunately, in this world there is no medicine for regret.

Lu Jiuyuan was filled with disappointment. He was certain he would never be presented with such an opportunity again, but he never once thought that Yue Niang would become pregnant.

Although it was once—only once—a child was conceived.

Yue Niang wanted to get rid of the offspring of this evil man, but Lu Jiuyuan was able to sense the child"s const.i.tution; he actually inherited his mother"s lost physique. He would not allow it.

Lu Jiuyuan was incredibly excited, this was simply a gift that G.o.d gave him, the "magic pill" that would take him further on his journey to the peak of power.

He had lived for a long time and had a vast life experience behind him, so this time his plan was more carefully laid out. His own bloodline flowed through this child"s veins, and his exact yuan element was mirrored. If the boy could grow up healthy and cultivate his power well, then Lu Jiuyuan would surely enjoy the pleasure of immortal ascension in only a few decades.

So, after all of that…we have today’s Qin Mo.

When directly compared, the stepfather"s deception did not seem too bad—this biological father"s deception really was a thing to behold.

When Qin Mo learned the truth, his face remained impa.s.sive, but his heart had plummeted to the absolute depths of the abyss. All that remained within him was darkness.

The power of Lu Jiuyuan was peerless across the entire Lingyun continent. Even if Qin Mo"s stepfather had not destroyed his cultivation, Qin Mo could not possibly be his match.

However, Qin Mo was ruthless to the extreme. Not only was he ruthless towards others; he was the most unyielding when it came to himself.

After hearing his inescapable fate, Qin Mo directly faced Lu Jiuyuan and smashed his own newly formed nascent soul and destroyed his meridians; making his stepfather"s previous damage look like child"s play. He became such a crippled waste that even the most skilled healer in the Lingyun Continent would run from trying to repair the damage.

Then, he hooked his lips, asking with a low, calm voice, “I destroyed what you wanted most, does that make you uncomfortable?”

Lu Jiuyuan was furious. All his efforts, he had worked hard for so long laying down painstaking plans, even up to the last minute—and it was all lost in a moment!

He furiously grabbed Qin Mo’s neck, his eyes dyed crimson by the magic his raging mind could not suppress; he was filled with the urge to strangle him, barely able to hold back.

In the face of his raging fury, Qin Mo did not even bat an eyelid. He had inherited Yue Niang"s peerless and magnificent appearance, and at this moment it was filled with ridicule.

Lu Jiuyuan did not kill him. He smashed Qin Mo into the ground, and screamed, “If I can develop you once, I can develop you a thousand times.”

Indeed, although Qin Mo had destroyed his own cultivation, and his crippled body was completely unable to accomplish anything at this time, it did not matter! As long as his physique remained, he could be developed again! What Lu Jiuyuan wanted, no mortal could ever take from him!

At this point Qin Mo"s memories came to an abrupt end, because everything from the past had finally caught up to the present tense…

Yes, Schoolmate Qing2 appeared in a very timely fas.h.i.+on. The current Qin Mo did not have any cultivation, and he had just been imprisoned by Lu Jiuyuan.

When s.h.i.+ Qing looked over these memories in his mind, he had begun to think that maybe spending 500 years with the Quick Guide would be a good choice after all.

After everything that he had experienced, Qin Mo had devolved into a complete psychopath. Even before, when he was in a more positive environment and had intentions of defending traditional moral principles wholeheartedly—he was still arrogant and difficult. However, now that he was faced with countless betrayals, he was nothing but a brain damaged man filled with hatred. This was no Virgin Mary who would go around forgiving the sins of those who wronged him.

Looking at the current Qin Mo, who knew how long it would take him to recover some semblance of normalcy—he could also remain a raging psychopath until the end of his days.

Really, what kind of pressure was this for s.h.i.+ Qing to be faced with this kind of man as his first long-term collaborator when he just became a new system?

s.h.i.+ Qing was usually not a hesitant person, but at this point he really found himself hesitating; if he could speak the truth in his selfish heart, he did not want to sign a contract with Qin Mo. However, at the same time, he also did not want to wait around, all alone, for five hundred years. Five hundred years! No one but himself, no food, nothing to drink, no entertainment, not a soul to speak with…five hundred years later, it is likely he himself would become a psychopath.

Even worse, after waiting for five hundred years for a new host to contract with, who can say that they will be any better than the man before him?

Since he automatically selected this host because he was an "appropriate choice", s.h.i.+ Qing did not hold much hope that any future attempts would be an improvement.

Furthermore, deep down in his heart of hearts, he found himself at a loss.

If he did not appear, and did not sign the contract with Qin Mo, what kind of life would await him after this? Will that slag Lu Jiuyuan torture him until he has served his purpose and then kill him off? Or would he somehow manage to survive, regain his power, defeat Lu Jiuyuan in some type of counter-attack, and then, completely blackened, take his revenge on society?

When s.h.i.+ Qing used his limited brain cells to conjure up some YY novel possibilities, the final results were terrible, and each was more tragic than the idea before it…

Although there really was no relations.h.i.+p with Qin Mo at this time, after seeing what he had been through, could s.h.i.+ Qing really pretend he did not know?

Weighed down heavily by his conscience, s.h.i.+ Qing finally came to a decision.

He could not spend five hundred years alone. He could not forget the suffering of Qin Mo; if he was to abandon him at this moment, then his five hundred years of solitude would certainly be filled with guilt and shame that could only grow and twist within him over time.

With his decision made, s.h.i.+ Qing no longer hesitated. He faced the manual and officially chose to accept Qin Mo as his host.

The next step was how to go about signing a contract. s.h.i.+ Qing had a lot of great ideas. For a unique individual like Qin Mo, he would have to make a flashy entrance, and then follow up with verbal olympics that would dazzle and amaze3. He was ready to show his wild and tyrannical side, so that when it was time for them to work together they could plan it all out to be extremely efficient.

Going round and round, s.h.i.+ Qing"s mind already had several different plans laid out. The words he would say were carefully saved in his mind for the right moment. After he was confident he had enough preparation, he appeared in front of Qin Mo.

s.h.i.+ Qing was not sure what form he would take, but the moment he appeared, Qin Mo"s eyes tightly locked onto him. Not bad, since he was a wandering soul it was difficult to see that his heart was trembling faintly; he was pretty much a shadowy black cloud4.

Qin Mo leaned against the wall, his black-clad body almost blended into the dark night, his dark ragged hair fell around his face, and his pale white forehead formed a stark contrast. It also set off a pair of deep and intimidating black eyes.

s.h.i.+ Qing was made somewhat uncomfortable by his unwavering stare, but he considered his task, gave himself a mental shake, and got it together. As a newly renovated, high-end system, he had to put forward an elite image and improve his overall image and behaviour.

So, after he looked with a commanding gaze for a while, s.h.i.+ Qing pondered for a long time before he finally blurted out, “Do you want to live? Just sign a contract with me.”

Having said this one-liner, s.h.i.+ Qing may have felt a little complacent. Look at that opening. How cool was that? The domineering factors were overflowing.

His excessive self-congratulations were interrupted by a low hoa.r.s.e voice, “Good.”

Alr-…s.h.i.+ Qing did not react for a moment, it seems like he just heard someone say “good”?

Hold on, this script is wrong. Brother, your line should be something more like, “Who are you?” “What is your purpose?” “What are you trying to accomplish?” You so readily accepted me, I really did not expect that ah. I had so many amazing lines prepared to answer every concern you had, and now they will go unused! Do not cut me off!

s.h.i.+ Qing would just like to pretend that he did not hear a thing, and then continue to play this out. But then again, that would be inconsistent with Qin Mo"s character. Also, if it came right down to one"s level for intellectual exchanges, then there was a chance that he may not come out on top.

“Well…the contract is established.” Hey, hey, hey, I hope you feel good, obviously we skipped a few scenes, this should be such a historic moment, and yet in three sentences it"s already over…so disappointing…

Qin Mo looked up, his dark black pupils were locked on the blurry black shadow that floated before him, his exquisite face held no superfluous expressions, and his eyes were firm and persistent.

No matter who it was, a G.o.d or a devil, as long as he could survive, he would take the chance to put and end to the root cause of his suffering.

And we"re ready to go! There is one more chapter left in what I consider as the intro/contract arc. Next I will be getting back to work on PUP chapter 16. Thanks for reading, and to the lovely folks in my discord group for their help, as always!!