Shen Qingqiu was grabbed so hard that his bones were almost broken. Now only his legs could move but he didn't want to publicly knee Luo Binghe in the groin.
Shen Qingqiu said: "You did this on purpose."
Luo Binghe asked, "What does Shizun mean?"
Shen Qingqiu said: "You didn't immediately slaughter everyone in the sect. Instead, you delayed matters for a long time just to draw me out.
Luo Binghe smiled bitterly: "It seems that Shizun can occasionally guess his disciple's thoughts correctly. This disciple is truly wild with joy. I wish I could beat my chest and stamp my feet to engrave this moment in my memory forever."
Liu Qingge withdrew his sword. He swayed and seemed to be somewhat dizzy. Pointing at Luo Binghe, he said, "You, let him go."
Luo Binghe dragged Shen Qingqiu into his arms and said impatiently, "What did you say?"
His attitude as he did this was unyielding, causing Shen Qingqiu's depression, which he had been suppressing, to shoot three feet high.
Shen Qingqiu silently took a deep breath and said: "When did you realize that it was me in your dreams?"
If Luo Binghe hadn't discovered that Shen Qingqiu hadn't died, would Luo Binghe have waited at Cang Qiong Mountain sect like a hunter trying to flush out his prey?1
Luo Binghe said, "Shizun looks down on me too much. Even if I didn't notice the first time, I would be really stupid if I didn't notice it the second time."
Shen Qingqiu suddenly felt a pain in his knee. Silently, he thought: You're not stupid; I'm the one who's stupid.
It was only Shen Qingqiu who knew how Luo Binghe cultivated and manipulated his dream abilities to superb effect but Shen Qingqiu thought he was really out of his mind and wouldn't be able to differentiate between hallucinations and people who invaded his dreamland.
Shen Qingqiu asked, "Why didn't you end the dream when you discovered an anomaly?" Is it fun to act out a "teacher's devoted and obedient disciple" play?
Luo Binghe looked at him. Unexpectedly, he said: "Why would I want to do that? Was Shizun not happy to be coaxed by me?"
... Happy?
At that time Shen Qingqiu wasn't happy at all because he was worried about Luo Binghe's psychological state. However, the facts have proved that everything, including his worries, was under Luo Binghe's control. After all, this was Luo Binghe, the protagonist. How could he have made such a big mistake,2 thinking that Luo Binghe had turned over a new leaf and mended his ways, becoming just a lovely, pitiful little white flower?
Shen Qingqiu was the type of person who was amenable to coaxing but not to coercion. 3 However, now he felt as though his face had been slapped twice when he realized that Luo Binghe had only been pretending.4
Qi Qingqi involuntarily cried out: "Slow down, what's going on?" She pointed inside the
Qiong Ding's palace hall: "The one lying inside... Isn't that Shen Qingqiu? Why is there another one?"
Luo Binghe seemed to be in a good mood as he said: "Why don't you ask the former An Ding Peak Lord?"
Shen Qingqiu: ...****! He knew that the only thing Shang Qinghua could be given credit for was having no backbone or moral integrity.
Shang Qinghua chuckled but immediately stepped forward when Mobei Jun gave him a sidelong look. Head high, chest puffed out, he gathered his wits,5 and said clearly: "A few years ago senior apprentice brother Shen accidentally found a place that held a treasure, the Sun and Moon Dew Flower Seed. This spirit plant can be molded into the shape of a body. It was with the help of this treasure that senior apprentice brother Shen was able to shed his mortal body at Huayue City. The corpse inside is his but it's only an empty shell. The one here outside is him, too. Both are him!"
