Chapter 84 — TVF Chapter 84

Dog-Blooded Love Story 7

Qin Jingzhou told Xuan Qing to prepare some snacks. “Let’s sit together and enjoy the show.”

Over the past half month, Qin Jingzhou had used his own savings to earnestly cultivate his “identity” all the way to the Divine Transformation Stage.

Since the mission world ranked cultivators by the strength of their spirit, and Qin Jingzhou’s spirit far surpassed the Divine Transformation Stage, his advancement was unbelievably rapid and silent.

After breaking through, Qin Jingzhou could easily use “group teleportation,” taking Ling Jing, Xuan Qing, and himself from the Capital to the scene of the incident, thousands of miles away at the site of the Sealing Array, in just a few breaths.

But just because he could do it didn’t mean it was necessary.

Unless they took a serious fall, people wouldn’t realize their mistake, much less resolve to correct it.

Qin Jingzhou had already surveyed the area when he set up the Energy-Sealing Array. At this point in time, even if both the Energy-Sealing Array and the Sealing Array failed and collapsed, he could handle it. The damage would be contained within the Western Mountains. After all, the mountains were high and dangerous, and except for Extraordinaries who had to work, most of the area was uninhabited and even animals and plants were scarce.

His extremely relaxed demeanor inevitably affected Xuan Qing.

To be honest, even though Xuan Qing did his best to appear calm just now, making a show of complaining about his biological mother and stepfather, deep down, the flash of despair in his eyes hadn’t escaped Ling Jing’s notice. In that fleeting moment, Xuan Qing had decided to return to the Main coffin, sacrificing his own lifespan to continue sealing the crack that constantly spewed negative energy.

Ling Jing stood up to pour tea. She caught that brief moment of Xuan Qing’s despondency without missing a beat, and simply winked at Qin Jingzhou, saying nothing.

Qin Jingzhou was arranging spirit stones and setting up a live broadcast that connected to the Energy-Sealing Array thousands of miles away. Seeing Ling Jing’s look, he glanced knowingly at Xuan Qing fetching snacks and fruit, then responded to Ling Jing, “I’ll have a proper talk with him later.”

Qin Jingzhou’s parenting style had always been to let the child observe and reflect on their own first. Only when they’d reached a conclusion would he step in to offer guidance.

But this time was different. Xuan Qing had suffered Qi deviation—a kid with serious emotional trauma. Qin Jingzhou needed to pay more attention to Xuan Qing’s mental state to intervene at any time.

A man knows his own house best. Qin Jingzhou candidly admitted to Ling Jing that he wasn’t the most sensitive person, so he needed Ling Jing to keep a close eye on Xuan Qing and alert him if anything seemed off.

Qin Jingzhou then sent a voice transmission to thank Ling Jing, “He should gradually accept the fact that his mother, Xuan Helin, doesn’t love him.”

Ling Jing came back carrying a tray of tea with one hand, and, with the other, pointed to the real-time image projected by the array on the table. “Look, that stitched-together abomination with Xuan Qing’s brother’s face is still rampaging through the mountain. What does that say? Back when Zhong Dewen and Xuan Helin sacrificed themselves, they still couldn’t resist leaving one last escape route for their precious son.”

There was no need to think about it: even if Extraordinaries volunteered to sacrifice themselves to save the world, it was impossible to do so without “distractions” or negative thoughts.

Extraordinaries were different from ordinary people. Their negative thoughts could, to some extent, affect the real world. Over time, these were absorbed and accumulated by the Sealing Array and were bound to influence both the array itself and the Extraordinaries inside the Spiritual coffin.

The Extraordinary world and the authorities couldn’t possibly be oblivious to this. So, they would regularly inspect and maintain the array, and when a certain degree of negativity had accumulated, they would send people to purge it.

And their method of purging was... the dumbest possible way: sending more “volunteers” whose own sea of consciousness would absorb these negative thoughts, and, depending on the situation, the “volunteers” would sacrifice themselves.

Such “volunteers” were usually those whose lifespans were ending or who were terminally ill—very different from those prime-of-life geniuses from major sects and families sent to enter the Spiritual coffin.

So, Zhong Dewen and Xuan Helin’s intention was obvious. Though they killed Xuan Qing’s brother in front of him, they actually left the brother a chance for “body-snatching rebirth.” Even if Xuan Qing’s brother was corrupted by the countless negative thoughts at the bottom of the Sealing Array and succeeded in taking over, bringing disaster to the world, they had made their choice.

Ling Jing explained this and couldn’t help mockingly sneer. “That couple... truly, pity the hearts of all parents.”

She said this out loud, intentionally for Xuan Qing to hear.

Just then, Xuan Qing came back carrying snacks and fruit, and caught that line. “Two sons, after all. You have to keep at least one.”

Ling Jing replied, “That’s just bias. No need to make excuses for them in front of your dad.”

Under his breath, Xuan Qing mumbled, “They favored my brother, my dad favors me...”

He looked at the real-time image cast by the simple formation. The stitched-together creature now wore his brother’s face and was desperately opposing the Energy-Sealing Array. Xuan Qing sighed. “So many chances, but still useless. Why can’t they just let go?”

Ling Jing couldn’t help but laugh. “Now that sounds right! Not just snide words—if you’re angry at them or even hate them, that’s justified.” She exchanged glances with Qin Jingzhou, then said more seriously, “Your dad says you’re allowed to act willful. He truly means it.”

Xuan Qing’s eyes widened suddenly, clutching a fruit knife and a dragon fruit, unable to make the first cut for a long while.

He hung his head, voice low. “How come you and my dad seem to have known each other for ages? Makes me jealous!”

Ling Jing just smiled, thinking, well, we kind of have.

Qin Jingzhou rested his chin on his hand, gazing at his silly son. “So?”

Xuan Qing suddenly looked up and met Qin Jingzhou’s gaze head-on. “Dad, I want you to save Xiaomei as soon as possible. I really want to see her…”

Qin Jingzhou laughed, teasingly touching the bridge of Xuan Qing’s nose. “Of course.”

Xuan Qing’s eyes turned red.

Yuan Lingmei’s soul had been split in two, inhabiting both Xuan Qing and Yuan Lingyi, and now both halves were asleep. If forcibly reunited and awakened, Yuan Lingmei would be bedridden for a long time to recover and would lose part of her future potential.

Back then, Qin Jingzhou thought Yuan Lingmei’s talent was at least two levels below his son’s—Xuan Qing was a super-genius, then came ordinary geniuses, and Yuan Lingmei might not even count as one...

If Yuan Lingmei lost more potential, the gap in cultivation would only widen in future, which might not be ideal for a happy marriage.

But when his son made this wish, Qin Jingzhou suddenly felt he’d been mistaken. Maybe Yuan Lingmei herself was more than willing to trade some talent just to see her boyfriend sooner.

While contacting the authorities to send over materials, he didn’t forget to complain to Ling Jing, “This is probably why I’m still single.”

Ling Jing chuckled, “Big Boss, your devotion to work is beyond reproach.”

Qin Jingzhou narrowed his eyes. “You know how to talk people up.”

Ling Jing shook his head proudly. “You have a good eye!”

Xuan Qing watched as his dad used his phone to contact the Extraordinaries who had visited last time, listing the needed items, and suddenly felt guilty. “I... I don’t want to trouble you.”

Qin Jingzhou replied, “Just because you said that, I’ll wake up Yuan Lingmei even faster.”

Ling Jing jumped in too. “Xiao Qing, let your girlfriend boss you around a few more times, and you’ll understand everything.”

A blush crept across Xuan Qing’s face. …

Just then, a sudden “dramatic turn of events” unfolded at the Sealing Array.

A slim figure appeared at the gate—Ling Jing only needed a quick glance to recognize her and immediately sent a voice transmission, “That’s the female lead on my side, Su Jinxi. To erase Gu Lingfan, my male and female leads, Ye Lingtian and Su Jinxi, paid a heavy price. Then, when they realized things couldn’t be turned around, they simply let it all fall apart. I guess after they were reborn and found the world different from their previous life, they decided to act early. It’s just…”

Before he could finish, the stitched-together creature wearing Xuan Qing’s brother’s face lunged straight at Su Jinxi. She flashed a strange smile and disappeared on the spot, right in front of a group of dazed, bleeding Gold Core Extraordinaries.

Not just anyone could absorb the “Frankenstein” made of negativity and Xuan Qing’s brother’s remnant soul, of course—don’t forget, deep inside the mountain were still many unconscious Foundation Establishment cultivators and nearly out-of-control Gold Core cultivators.

Ling Jing got stuck for a second. “Su Jinxi should have gone back to find Ye Lingtian. This looks like they’re on the edge of revenge... No wonder my System warned me the two might turn dark after their rebirth.”

Qin Jingzhou said lightly, “Even so, your System still thinks there’s hope for Ye Lingtian and Su Jinxi after they turn dark.”

Ling Jing spread his hands helplessly. “The plot I got only glossed over why Gu Lingfan turned. After eliminating Gu Lingfan, Ye Lingtian and Su Jinxi should learn the whole truth, including how Xuan Qing and Gu Lingfan both went off the rails. Furthermore, with Xuan Qing and Gu Lingfan’s souls destroyed, the Main coffin would be empty again, and you can bet a bunch of Extraordinaries would try to guilt Ye Lingfeng into ‘volunteering’ for the Main coffin just like Gu Lingfan.” He propped his chin up. “If that’s the case, and Ye Lingtian and Su Jinxi smash up the Sealing Array themselves, causing a gusher of negative energy and the world’s destruction... I almost can’t blame them.”

Qin Jingzhou nodded. “That sounds about right.”

“I know that, in those circumstances, the Extraordinary world didn’t really have any other option, but expecting heroes to bleed and cry and die... eventually, no one will want to be a hero. Do people think the hero’s sword is only for slaying dragons?” Ling Jing couldn’t help mocking the world’s way of things. “I always had my own doubts about this world’s setting. Now, with the reborn female lead showing up... I actually feel sorry for the pair.”

Qin Jingzhou also laughed, “I used to wonder why my own son didn’t turn dark, so how did they? Now, it seems—they do have a point.”

At this moment, Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing understood each other perfectly: Now that Su Jinxi had absorbed the patched-together remnant, she’d go looking for Ye Lingtian. Ye Lingtian, having also been reborn, would never betray his beloved, so the two would surely try to contact the Main coffin’s former occupant, Gu Lingfan, or even Xuan Qing from their previous life.

That meant all Qin Jingzhou had to do was summon Gu Lingfan and Yuan Lingyi to his house, and before long, Ye Lingtian and Su Jinxi would take the bait.

And there was a ready-made excuse to invite Gu Lingfan and Yuan Lingyi over: Save Yuan Lingmei. Hurry.

After the two had made plans, Ling Jing grew curious. “Big Boss, do you think, after Yuan Lingmei is saved, we should tell all three little couples the whole story?”

Qin Jingzhou’s lips curled up. “Absolutely.”

He was especially looking forward to his son’s expression on learning the full truth. Hopefully, his boy wouldn’t cry too hard.