Chapter 42: The Forty-Second Day as Cult Leader (Part 2)

“Once the wood is stained with ink, it’s ruined. Who thought of carving with wood? Where was their brain?”

“We should use a different material!”

Qiu Chen and Chang Xing were so excited they nearly jumped up. “You’re right, Senior Brothers and Sisters! What material should we use? The two of us simply couldn’t think of one!”

“Don’t panic. Let me think. How about trying copper?”

Seeing a group of Qingyue Sect disciples gathered around a tiny wooden block and begin researching as if no one else were around, the corner of Yang Xu’s mouth twitched. He felt utterly hopeless about this generation of Qingyue Sect disciples.

He could not help reminding them again. “Everyone, please hurry back to the Qingyue Sect. This is the territory of the Sun Moon Divine Cult!”

After he said it twice, the Qingyue Sect disciples were probably tired of hearing it and waved him off uncaringly. “Go away, go away. We’re researching something serious. Isn’t it just the Demonic Cult? So what? No one can disturb our research! We’re going to research movable type printing here, and we absolutely won’t leave until we’ve figured it out!”

“That’s right!” The rest of the Qingyue Sect disciples echoed without even turning their heads. “We’re not leaving. With something this interesting here, who would go back to that lousy sect?”

“Starting today, we’re living here!”

Yang Xu: “…”

Yang Xu was dumbstruck and could not say a single word.

When Qin Ming heard about this, he was so happy he laughed and laughed. Good, good, good. He had been worrying that two Qingyue Sect disciples were not enough, only for more than twenty Qingyue Sect disciples to fall from the sky and come help him. This was simply heaven helping him!

Keep them. He absolutely had to keep them!

And once they stayed, they could not be allowed to leave easily!

“Tell them that we provide food and lodging here. We have plenty of silver. Whatever they want, they can just say it. As long as they can research movable type printing, anything is allowed!”

Thus, with one grand wave of his hand, Qin Ming gave the Qingyue Sect disciples more than enough benefits.

When the Qingyue Sect disciples heard this, they became even firmer in their conviction to stay. Food and lodging included? And the food was delicacies from mountains and seas? They could even spend silver freely? This, this—when they researched things back at their sect, they had never been this lavish before!

Excellent. They were not leaving. They definitely were not leaving now!

And just like that, Qin Ming specially set aside a plot of land at the back mountain for this group of Qingyue Sect disciples so they could research and experiment to their hearts’ content. At last, he kept every single one of them.

Congratulations. You have obtained the full assistance of the Qingyue Sect disciples. Your jianghu prestige has risen. The speed of research progress for movable type printing has increased by 300%.

After hearing the reason why the Qingyue Sect disciples had managed to come here, Qin Ming could not help looking at Shen Fubai with admiration and sighing emotionally. “It really had to be you.”

“If not for your reverse psychology as a hint, those twenty-some Qingyue Sect disciples would never have come.”

Shen Fubai: ?

“Cult Leader.” Shen Fubai explained with complete sincerity, “This subordinate truly does not know any reverse psychology.”

Qin Ming had always refrained from arguing with people who had no self-awareness. In his heart, he kept sighing with emotion that Shen Fubai truly was the Demonic Cult’s number one loyal subordinate. No matter when, he could always glow and give off heat for the Demonic Cult!

Thinking of the matter of the undercover agent Danyangzi had mentioned before, Qin Ming was still somewhat conflicted. He very much wanted to find that undercover agent whose whereabouts were unknown, but he was also afraid that once he found them, they would officially enter the field of vision of Shen Fubai and the other Demonic Cult devils. Then the undercover road would become extremely difficult.

At a glance, Shen Fubai was the type who would capture an undercover agent at the first opportunity and report them to him. He had to stay vigilant.

Forget it. Once he finished dealing with the matters at hand, he would think of a way to covertly search for the undercover agent. He absolutely could not alert the snake by beating the grass.

While his thoughts were active, he praised Shen Fubai. “No matter what, you have rendered great merit in this matter. Speaking of which, your contribution points should have reached the second stage, right? Is there any martial art you want to exchange for?”

During this period, both Shen Fubai and Chen Lue had been in the limelight. Shen Fubai was responsible for improving the Intelligence Pavilion, and Chen Lue was responsible for exposing the truth of the Yantian Sect. In short, these two people’s contribution points could be said to be far ahead, and they were already able to exchange for rewards. Qin Ming was rather curious. Among those green and white martial arts, were there any that someone as proud as Shen Fubai could actually take a liking to?

Hearing this, Shen Fubai loudly exclaimed, “The martial arts bestowed by the Cult Leader are naturally excellent. This subordinate likes them all! Likes them all!”

But when it truly came time for him to choose a martial art, he acted extremely picky and even showed disdain. As a result, everyone else exchanged for martial arts as if they were treasures, and only he remained empty-handed.

When Qin Ming heard about this, he was also somewhat helpless. And when Chen Lue reported the matter, he unintentionally added another line. “I heard Steward Shen’s birthday is almost here. When the first snow falls, that will be the day Steward Shen was born.”

“Oh?” Qin Ming stopped practicing his martial art, his thoughts stirring slightly. A birthday was naturally the most important day of the year. Thinking about it, ever since he took over the Demonic Cult, it had already been nearly ten months.

Among his subordinates, Shen Fubai’s achievements could be said to leave all others in the dust. Without him, the Demonic Cult would have scattered long ago. Qin Ming really should give Shen Fubai some gifts to express his thanks. Only then would it accord with his image as a wise and mighty Cult Leader.

Since Shen Fubai did not have any martial arts he liked enough to exchange for, then Qin Ming would spend some merit points in the System Shop to exchange for something rare and give it to him.

As for what to choose, Qin Ming really was somewhat torn. He only knew that Shen Fubai loved swords very much and never went a day without one in hand. But Qin Ming had only just given him a sword. He could not give him another one, could he?

Shen Fubai was also very picky about martial arts, so it would be best not to give one lightly… After thinking and thinking, Qin Ming felt that gifts like pills were probably the least likely to go wrong.

Remembering that Shen Fubai had also gained something when cultivating the Breathing Exercise, Qin Ming bought a bottle of Blood and Qi Pills. After taking them, one could cultivate with a martial art at twice the result with half the effort. They should be pretty good.

He casually placed the Blood and Qi Pills on the bookshelf behind him. Only when the first snow fell as promised did he call Shen Fubai into the study and say calmly, “Today is your birthday.”

Shen Fubai had shaken the snow off his body in advance and habitually revealed a brilliant smile as he saluted the Cult Leader. However, the moment Qin Ming’s words reached him, he could not help freezing. Only after a long while did he realize that today really was his birthday.

Unlike modern people, who placed great importance on birthdays, people of the jianghu had always paid no attention to such things. Shen Fubai thought for a moment. Aside from feeling somewhat baffled, he also felt a strange trace of warmth and hurriedly bowed in thanks. “Many thanks to the Cult Leader for remembering. This subordinate is moved to tears!”

“I have something to give you.” Unexpectedly, Qin Ming had not finished speaking. “Go look on my bookshelf. It is the white porcelain bottle.”

Shen Fubai froze again. He glanced at Qin Ming, who seemed to be in a good mood and even had a trace of warmth in his eyes. That odd emotion in Shen Fubai’s heart grew even stronger. Even meeting Qin Ming’s eyes made him once again feel that indescribable emotion. He subconsciously lowered his head and hurried to the bookshelf. “Many thanks, Cult Leader!”

He searched the shelf at random, but in truth his mind was a mess and impossible to sort through. Ever since he had once acted alone with the Cult Leader, his heart would fall into chaos from time to time whenever he thought of the Cult Leader. Although he reminded himself again and again that this might be a sinister scheme deliberately used by that devil to disrupt his mind, he still fell into it again and again, unable to extricate himself.

Only after he found a white porcelain bottle in an unremarkable corner of the bookshelf did Shen Fubai finally pick it up in vexation and casually glance at the words on it.

But in that instant, his pupils abruptly shrank, and his entire body seemed to freeze in place as if encased in ice.

Muscle-Regrowing Pills?

Muscle… Regrowing… Pills…?

He repeated those words again and again. Like an obsession, they sank deep into his bones and stabbed his eyes with pain. His right hand trembled uncontrollably. That shallow scar cut across his wrist seemed to be burning his blood and drawing away his breath.

His chest began to rise and fall violently, and his teeth began to chatter. Excitement and agitation occupied every nerve. They went mad, releasing shouts named joy—

“This… is truly for this subordinate?”

Shen Fubai heard his own light and floating voice.

Qin Ming found it somewhat amusing. They were only Blood and Qi Pills. Why did it feel like Shen Fubai was so excited?

“Of course.” Qin Ming suggested, “You can try and see how effective they are.”

Shen Fubai looked deeply at him. In his eyes there had been shock, bewilderment, and also a barely perceptible touch of emotion.

Ever since the tendon in his right hand was severed, he had once searched everywhere for traces of Muscle-Regrowing Pills. But when he sought help from the Yantian Sect, the other party clearly told him that Muscle-Regrowing Pills were extremely precious. They required snow lotuses from Mount Tian, thousand-year lingzhi mushrooms, whale king fat, the bones of jade-faced birds, golden toad molts… and many other ingredients. In short, everything that flew in the sky, swam in the sea, and grew on mountains was required. No one could gather them all.

Thus, Shen Fubai gave up on the idea of obtaining Muscle-Regrowing Pills and instead turned to practicing left-handed sword arts. But to this day, he had stopped there and had no opportunity to advance further.

How could he not have hated it in the depths of night? How could he not have felt lost, struggled, and persuaded himself to accept his current self? Yet just when he had almost given up hope, new hope had appeared so unexpectedly before him.

And the person who gave him hope was someone he should have hated, loathed, and treated as his greatest enemy.

Now, he could no longer distinguish his own thoughts.

He looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand and could not help asking softly, “Cult Leader… why would you bestow this pill upon me?”

“Hmm?” Qin Ming found the question somewhat baffling, but he still instinctively praised him the way one might smooth down fur. After all, Shen Fubai liked this sort of thing. “Naturally, it is because you are this seat’s most loyal and capable subordinate!”

After a pause, he looked at Shen Fubai’s rather expectant eyes and could not help adding, “If not for you, this seat’s position as Cult Leader would not be so comfortable. You have worked hard this year. I hope you can spend this birthday a little more happily.”

These were words from Qin Ming’s heart, though they did not quite fit the dignity of a Cult Leader. However, before Qin Ming could add something to supplement his authority, before he could even speak, he saw Shen Fubai abruptly lower his head and salute him. Then Shen Fubai unexpectedly left in a hurry without saying a word, his figure looking rather disheveled.

Qin Ming: ?

What was wrong with him? Was he that moved over one bottle of Blood and Qi Pills? If Qin Ming had known earlier, he would have prepared a bit more for him.

Shen Fubai covered his face and left, his mind in chaos. By accident, he bumped into Yang Xu around a corner.

Looking at Shen Fubai’s anxious and uneasy expression, Yang Xu could not help asking in confusion, “What happened? You just came out of the Cult Leader’s study… Could it be that devil came up with some other evil scheme?! Hurry and tell me!”

Shen Fubai’s expression instantly changed, and he cursed, “Old fool, do not slander the Cult Leader!”

Yang Xu: ?

Yang Xu, who had suddenly been scolded to his face, was shocked. “…Who are you scolding?? Did that devil put a curse on you??”

Shen Fubai grew even angrier. “Bah! The Cult Leader is upright and honorable, acting properly and sitting straight. How could he do something so sinister and vicious? Shut your mouth!”

Yang Xu: ???

Wait. Who are you? Are you Shen Fubai? Have you been possessed by something filthy?

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