Who Are You Calling a Good Person?!

Inside a small tavern, a patron was talking loudly and animatedly, drawing the attention of many. "Have you heard? A chivalrous hero of the righteous path has emerged in our commandery, named Qin Yuanhao! Even members of the Five Great Immortal Sects admire his deeds to no end!" Lu Yang arched an eyebrow and curled his lips into an unusually excited smile, looking as though he had just caught wind of some juicy rumor and could not wait to share it. "Is that for real? How come I've never heard of such a figure in our Yanjiang Commandery?" "The name rings a bell, but I don't recall him being any sort of good person." "Stop arguing, all of you! Quick, let this little brother tell us—what did Qin Yuanhao do?" Lu Yang paused, then continued, "This hero named Qin Yuanhao is no weakling; he's at the Foundation Establishment stage! Generous, loyal, and widely connected, everyone who knows him gladly addresses him as Big Brother." Hearing that Qin Yuanhao actually possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation, the patrons' eyes lit up. Now this was something novel. Usually, the rumors of the jianghu they shared were about how first-rate martial arts masters accomplished this or that thrilling feat. It sounded impressive and got the blood pumping, but once everyone calmed down, they knew that a first-rate martial arts master wasn't actually that strong. It was universally acknowledged that a first-rate martial artist corresponded to the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refinement, which was the absolute ceiling for mortal martial artists. Now that a rumor had surfaced concerning a Foundation Establishment master, they naturally had to listen closely. It would serve as great bragging material later on. "Now then! One day, Qin Yuanhao attended an auction with a close friend. That friend took a liking to a treasure and asked Qin Yuanhao for a loan of several thousand low-grade spirit stones. Qin Yuanhao burst into hearty laughter and declared, 'Between friends like us, talking about money is vulgar! Take these eight thousand low-grade spirit stones—no need to pay them back!' The friend was moved to tears." "Eight thousand low-grade spirit stones?!" exclaimed Meng Jingzhou, playing the role of a bystander. "Spirit stones are the hard currency of the cultivation world! Eight thousand low-grade spirit stones are enough to buy a grand mansion in the center of the commandery and stunning maidservants to attend you for life!" Only after Meng Jingzhou's explanation did the patrons grasp the magnitude of eight thousand low-grade spirit stones. This man named Qin Yuanhao was remarkably generous, giving away eight thousand spirit stones just like that! "After the friend won the treasure, he was targeted by a demonic cultivator who had also bid on it. Caught completely off guard, both the friend and Qin Yuanhao were ambushed. The friend refused to surrender the treasure and fought back fiercely, only to be killed by the demonic cultivator, who snatched the prize away. Qin Yuanhao wanted to give chase, but unfortunately, the demonic cultivator had already made his escape." Reaching this point, Lu Yang tapped his throat. Seeing this, how could the patrons not understand? They chimed in at once, offering to buy him drinks. Lu Yang asked for a cup of grain liquor, took a sip to clear his throat, and continued his tale. "On his deathbed, the friend entrusted his wife and daughter to Qin Yuanhao. With tears in his eyes, Qin Yuanhao swore he would take good care of the mother and daughter. "Those two were rare, peerless beauties. The mother had preserved her youthful radiance and carried herself with graceful charm, while the daughter was lively, charming, and delightful. Yet, faced with such stunning women, Qin Yuanhao remained completely unmoved. "Left without any support, the mother and daughter felt Qin Yuanhao was a reliable man to whom they could entrust their lives, so they tried to seduce him with their feminine wiles. Qin Yuanhao bluntly told them that he cultivated the Boy Technique and could not break his celibacy. "Qin Yuanhao kept his promise, caring for the mother and daughter without overstepping proper propriety. In the end, he found an honorable man and entrusted the pair to him." "To think such a chivalrous hero exists in this world—wealthy yet indifferent to money, tempted by beauty yet unmoved!" Meng Jingzhou's exclamation drew nods of agreement from all around. "Qin Yuanhao truly is a great man." "What a shame I don't know Qin Yuanhao myself. Otherwise, no matter what, I'd borrow some spirit stones from him!" "Who says heroes can never resist the charms of a beauty? Didn't Qin Yuanhao pass the test?" In the corner, Man Gu watched Lu Yang play the comic lead and Meng Jingzhou play the straight man. He found them utterly amazing, able to spin an entire yarn off the cuff without any script. When would he ever possess such talent? Tavern patrons loved to boast, especially about things others didn't know. They had had quite a bit to drink while listening to Lu Yang's story, so they hadn't caught all the details clearly—a fact they only discovered later while bragging over more liquor. Having told half the tale, they couldn't simply admit they'd forgotten the rest. Unable to suffer the embarrassment, they filled in the blanks with their own imagination. Each person forgot different parts and invented different details, leading to an assortment of wild rumors about Qin Yuanhao. *** "Have you heard about that great philanthropist named Qin Yuanhao?" "You mean the Qin Yuanhao who secretly discovered a spirit stone mine, suddenly became the wealthiest local cultivator, and lends money without asking for it back?" "Must be him. But what I heard was that Qin Yuanhao avoids women because he prefers men!" "Right, right! I heard Qin Yuanhao cultivates the Boy Technique, so he loves young boys the most!" "Are you serious? Is that how the Boy Technique works? Didn't people say cultivating the Boy Technique requires eating spring chicken?" "None of you have it right! I heard Qin Yuanhao stumbled upon the legendary immortal artifact, the Merit Ledger. He dripped blood to claim ownership and became its true master! The more good deeds he performs, the more merit he earns. Merit can be redeemed for rewards—spiritual treasures, immortal artifacts, and even cultivation levels!" "I also heard he is destined to become the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds, governing life, death, and merit! Don't look down on his current strength; he's quietly building up his power in secret. The moment an opportunity arrives, he'll soar into the nine heavens, becoming an immortal and a patriarch!" "He endured humiliation and joined the demonic cult precisely to infiltrate the upper echelons, wipe the cult out, and claim it all as his personal merit!" "Treating the demonic cult like an object in his pocket—what immense ambition!" *** At the regular meeting of the Demonic Cult's Yanjiang Branch. The demons lined up respectfully in two rows. The branch master sat upon a chair carved from a solid block of crimson agate. Its armrests were sculpted into a dragon head and a tiger head, symbolizing his authority as branch master. This chair had been presented to him by Qin Yuanhao as a token of filial respect. Qin Yuanhao was in a terrible mood. His forehead looked dark with rage, and his mouth twitched from time to time, revealing beast-like fangs. His colleagues paid no mind to his expression. Everyone was roughly equal in cultivation and status; no matter how furious he was, he couldn't take it out on them. Such was the way of demonic cultivators: what did another's life or death have to do with them? It wasn't them having bad luck, after all. It was hardly Qin Yuanhao's fault for being in a foul temper. Before the meeting even started, several people had already approached him: "Could you lend me some spirit stones? Is it fine if I don't pay you back? You own a spirit stone mine anyway." "Do you know any pairs of sisters or mother-daughter pairs? Introduce a pair to me, will you?" "Sorry about before. I shouldn't have taken you to the brothels to listen to music. It must have been agonizing for you to visit such places, right?" "Big Brother Qin, I'm following you from now on! Never mind the Merit Ledger—what I value most is you as a person!" "Generous with wealth and untempted by lust... Qin Yuanhao, you're really disgracing our demonic cult! You aren't an undercover agent sent by the righteous path, are you?" Qin Yuanhao secretly clenched his fists, determined to chop whoever had slandered him into mincemeat and feed them to the dogs! He was a respectable villain—how on earth had he turned into a good person?! Who the hell are you calling a good person?!