Chapter 53: Chapter 51: I, Guo Mingsheng, Have Always Been Supremely Righteous
"Not going."
When Du Youqian found Little Fatty Guo Mingsheng, he was in a gambling den, caught up in the heat of a boisterous game.
A scantily clad beauty, so poor she could only cover herself with a few strips of ragged cloth, sat on his lap. From time to time, she would feed him fruit or pass wine to him mouth-to-mouth.
Although the Zhongxuan Sect was not a Taoist Sect like the Chongzhen Sect, the Sect’s cultivation techniques and style leaned heavily toward the Taoist School.
Many Cultivators from the Sect liked to wear a Crane Robe, or a Daoist Robe as an outer garment.
And this guy? Where was even a hint of the virtuous, ascetic Cultivator about him?
When he heard Du Youqian ask him to go for a drink, he shook his head like a rattle drum. "Brother Yuanqing, it’s not that I don’t want to drink with you, it’s just that I haven’t won my money back yet. I’ll come find you once I break even. Why don’t you get a beauty to keep you company for now?"
Du Youqian didn’t get angry, just smiled and said, "Come with me. You can play again next time."
"No, no, that won’t work. The card game we’re playing needs a specific number of people. Besides, they wouldn’t let me leave!" Guo Mingsheng cast a pleading look at his gambling buddies.
Among these gambling buddies, some were bizarre-looking, while others were quite dashing, carrying themselves with the air of high society.
But they all had one thing in common: when Du Youqian’s gaze swept over them, they either guiltily averted their eyes, quickly bowed their heads, or offered him a fawning smile.
One person was even so nervous that his legs were shaking uncontrollably.
’They probably know Guo Mingsheng’s background, so they can guess my identity too.’
Du Youqian didn’t bother trying to guess which faction these people belonged to.
He smiled and said, "They won’t mind, right?"
As he said the word "right," he earnestly sought their opinions with his eyes.
"It’s no problem, no problem at all! Young Master Guo, please, go attend to your business."
"I actually have some family matters to attend to, so I wasn’t planning on playing much longer anyway."
"Let’s call it a day. We can get together again some other time."
Seeing his gambling buddies immediately stand up, throw down their cards, and leave—and even the sultry woman who’d been clinging to his lap flee in a panic—the Little Fatty fell silent.
He might have been a bit dense, but he wasn’t hopelessly stupid.
"They know who we are?"
Du Youqian patted the utterly dejected Little Fatty on the shoulder. "Come on, I’ll take you to a great place."
The Little Fatty asked listlessly, "How great?"
"The women there are all ten times more beautiful than the one you were with, and there’s no shortage of them—every type you could want. You’re guaranteed to find the girl of your dreams. As for food, drinks, and entertainment, the only limit is your imagination," Du Youqian said kindly.
Guo Mingsheng finally perked up a bit. "There’s a place like that in Wenzhe City? And nobody told me. Brother Yuanqing, you’re truly a good brother."
"It’s Martial Uncle."
"Brother Yuanqing Martial Uncle, let’s go!"
"Oh, right." After they left the gambling den, Du Youqian took out a small porcelain vial. "I haven’t given you a gift in a while. This is for you."
Guo Mingsheng accepted it casually. "Thanks, Brother Yuanqing... Martial Uncle."
But when he uncorked the vial and saw the flawlessly round, richly colored, and exceptionally high-quality Elixir inside, his expression turned serious.
He leaned in for a sniff, glanced at Du Youqian, tilted his head in thought, then looked back at Du Youqian, his voice trembling slightly. "Brother Yuanqing, this couldn’t possibly be..."
Du Youqian smiled. "What do you think it is?"
Guo Mingsheng’s eyes filled with disbelief. "I think... I think it’s... it’s an Evolvulus Qi Replenishing Pill! Is it, Brother Yuanqing?"
"It is," Du Youqian said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Not bad. You know your stuff."
Guo Mingsheng felt his tongue get tied. "Th-th-this... isn’t it too valuable?"
Du Youqian said calmly, "It’s worth three thousand Spirit Stones, so it’s precious in a sense. In the outside world, a group of Loose Cultivators might fight to the death for it. But for disciples of a Sect like us, it’s not really all that much."
"Your Cultivation has been stuck at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer for two years. This Elixir is just what you need to break through the bottleneck and enter the Qi Cultivation Late Stage, without any negative side effects."
Guo Mingsheng gave a wry smile. "Brother Yuanqing, this is so valuable... I couldn’t afford it even if I sold everything I own. I don’t have anything to give you in return."
He snapped his head up. "Brother Yuanqing, is there something very dangerous you need me to do?"
Du Youqian’s smile vanished, and he said seriously, "What kind of person do you take me for? If it was confirmed to be a dangerous task, I’d obviously find some cannon fodder. Isn’t it easy to spend a few hundred Spirit Stones to hire a Loose Cultivator for that? Why would I ever ask you? You’re my friend."
"Good point." Guo Mingsheng scratched his head.
"That said, if I did ask you to do something for me, even if it was a little dangerous, you’d do it without a second thought, right?"
"Of course," the Little Fatty said, proudly thumping his chest. "I, Guo Mingsheng, am the soul of loyalty! Brother Yuanqing, if you have a task for me, I’d walk through fire and climb a mountain of blades without batting an eye."
’Where did he pick up all this Jianghu slang? We’re Cultivators, fatty. This whole style is getting way off track.’
Du Youqian said with a deadpan expression, "Alright, just take the Elixir."
"Well, thank you, Brother Yuanqing." Guo Mingsheng carefully placed the small porcelain vial into his Storage Treasure Pouch.
"It’s Martial Uncle."
"Brother Yuanqing Martial Uncle." Guo Mingsheng, back to his carefree self, happily followed Du Youqian.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two of them didn’t ride on Magical Artifacts or channel their Magical Power. They strolled leisurely to the south side of the city, just like ordinary Mortals.
In this Blessed Land, with the Sect as the supreme, behind-the-scenes ruler, things like war were nonexistent.
Thus, there was no need for city walls.
They walked around Yu Yue Lake in the southern part of the city and came to a place behind the lake, near Dai Meiren Mountain. An archway stood at the edge of a small grove.
Behind the archway, a winding path led to a secluded area where one could vaguely make out a compound of courtyards with white walls and green tiles.
A fleeting glimpse of a beautiful face and a fluttering skirt, the melodious chatter of women like songbirds, and the rich aroma of wine drifting out.
This was the place.
Du Youqian stopped in his tracks. "Oh, I just remembered I have something to take care of. You go on ahead and have fun. I’ll come find you later and settle the bill."
Guo Mingsheng’s eyes were already glued to the scene. He murmured, "To think there’s such a great place in the southern part of the city... and they never even brought me!"
"Nephew Guo!"
Guo Mingsheng jumped. "I’m here! What’s your order, Brother Yuanqing? Is there danger that requires me to scout ahead? No problem! I’ll venture deep into the lion’s den and use myself as bait to get to the bottom of this. You can count on me, Brother Yuanqing, I’ll leave no stone unturned!"
Seeing the guy speak with such impassioned fervor, yet with an unmistakable hint of sleaze in his expression, Du Youqian couldn’t help but give him a long, searching look.
’He should be fine, right?’
’They say the good die young while a scourge lasts a millennium. This guy should be fine.’
He took out a short-range Communication Spiritual Artifact the size of a rice grain, showed it to the Little Fatty, then slapped it onto his clothes. "Go on. If you run into any trouble, hold out for a bit. I’ll intervene immediately to save you, then set up an Array Formation and wait for the Sect’s reinforcements."
"Got it! I’m going in!" The Little Fatty charged inside, clearly not the least bit worried about what he might find.
