Chapter 414, Qilin’s Son
The Steward Demonic Emperor
âIâll fulfill any wish you may have, senior, come hell or high water!â Zhuo Fan cupped his hands, his waist bent; like the most adorable child.
Kunpeng laughed, âPlease donât play around. Nine Serenities was a sly fox back then and with you as his successor, you canât be anything less either. I am not one to believe anything that comes out of your mouth. And like I said, Iâm not asking for repayment. This next step is merely a request of mine. You can decide what to do. But you better do it right if you accept.â
Zhuo Fan pursed his lips.
Kunpeng was kind and humble, only requesting, but this style was the best suited in maneuvering others. He knew that if Zhuo Fanâs promise was fake, the only one to suffer would be himself.
The carrot would be more appropriate in these cases, adding enough incentive to get the job done.
Zhuo Fan knew that Kunpengâs request would be hard, if not impossibly dangerous. there was no way to accept it before even knowing what it entailed.
Kunpeng nodded, âGood to know that you are considering everything. You are the spitting image of the cunning Nine Serenities. The more thoughtful you are, the more at ease I would be on entrusting you with this. Before that though, I would like to ask. Mind letting that child be in my care?â
Kunpeng turned to Gu Santong hiding behind Zhuo Fan, filled with love.
âWhat?â
The two cried at the same time. Gu Santong made himself smaller behind Zhuo Fan and shivered.
âSenior, young Sanzi is my godson. Why do you want him?â Zhuo Fan panicked, knowing he couldnât stop Kunpeng if he was forceful..
Kunpeng looked at them oddly, âHow rare. You two hit it off at first sight and even became a family. This is even better. But the child is related to me, and teaching him will help him greatly. â
Zhuo Fan roamed his eyes around in thought.
âYouâve seen brother Qilin in Lightning Canyon, correct? He must be so thin, struck down by the purple lightning for so many years. This child couldâve only survived in the Lightning Canyon due to his fatherâs help. Taking him out and even becoming family must be because of brother Qilinâs approval. You now know who I am and since me and his father are sacred beasts, it would be better to let me take care of him.â
âCut the crap!â
Gu Santong hooted, âThis young master has lived in Tianyu. I only stayed in Lightning Canyon for five years. How can I be Qilinâs son?â
Kunpeng looked at Zhuo Fan in stunned silence.
Zhuo Fan retold Gu Santongâs history. Kunpeng fell silent, frowned and sighed, âI see, it was three hundred years agoâ¦â
âWhatâs wrong, senior?â Zhuo Fan asked.
Gu Santong was his godson. He had a theory about the kidâs history, but still needed proof.
Kunpeng said, âThree centuries ago, I heard a sudden cry across the world. It sounded like brother Qilinâs roar of anger. My brothers had an encounter with the Heavenly Emperor once, sealing them in the three forbidden spaces with the Divine Eye of the Void, forced to endure the torment of thousands of purple lightning strikes. For many years this remained unchanged. Then at some point, brother Qilin gave a howl of shock.
âI didnât know its meaning but now I see it mustâve meant that he could no longer hold on and was worried for his Qilin egg dying with him, he used all that he had left to throw the egg out of that space. And from that egg came you, Gu Santong! This is why you had no mother or father; of incredible power, just like Qilinâs innate ability. None of the five sacred beasts can beat a Qilin in terms of strength alone.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Gu Santong was stunned. He was still skeptical, but soon realized the pain he felt looking at the Soaring Qilinâs leg back in Lightning Canyon was because of their blood ties.
Anyone would be in tears seeing their father reduced to such a state.
Zhuo Fan nodded. He didnât know then why the perfect array had a gap. The Qilin used its outrageous power to make that hole to get his egg out.
Yet even the mighty Qilin could only make that little hole, further confirming the might of Heavenly Emperorâs eye skill. And in his act of desperation, the Qilin not only lost its life, but was reduced to a mere leg.
He had to have overused his strength, leaving him easy prey for the purple lightning. [The Qilin might still be alive if not for getting Gu Santong out.]
Zhuo Fan sighed, [A fatherâs love is like a mountainâ¦]
âYes, Iâm sure of it. When you guys entered Allbeast Mountain Range, besides sensing the azure flame, I also felt the Qilinâs aura. Now that you are before me, my sacred beast nose canât be wrong. That is why I had Three-headed Crow escort you here. To see it clearly!â Kunpeng rubbed Gu Santongâs little head, sighing, âChild, you should call me uncle Kunpeng!â
Gu Santong only blushed, biting his lip and tearing up.
Kunpeng wasnât hard on him, letting him digest this shocking news and turning to Zhuo Fan, âYoung Sanziâs history is certain. But I canât help but wonder, what came of brother Qilin after you entered Lightning Canyon. How is he?â
Zhuo Fan gave a bitter smile, making his right hand flash red, âOnly this remainedâ¦â
âWhat? The Soaring Qilinâs leg is resting under your shoulder?â
Kunpeng was flabbergasted, touching Zhuo Fanâs right arm, âThe great sacred beast became a humanâs tool. Nine Serenities Emperorâs research was complete. You are a truly rare genius, boy.â
Kunpeng instantly took it as an effect of Nine Serenities Emperorâs secret art. But Zhuo Fan was frowning, the sadness gone from his eyes, replaced with fear.
[For godâs sake! Here you are seeing your old palâs only remains and instead of mourning, youâre praising Nine Serenities Emperorâs research.]
[Humph, the sacred beasts arenât that friendly after all.]
[Does that mean all that sadness just now was fake?]
He came up with two logical explanations: to win Gu Santong over and to win him over. [Since he still has stuff he needs me to do, winning me over takes precedence.]
[Letâs see where heâs taking it.]
Zhuo Fan squinted but sighed, âSenior, please donât grieve.â
âOh, sorry, I lost myself there.â Blushing, Kunpeng took back his hands, the sadness back in his eyes.
âSenior, what is it that you want from me?â Snickering inside, Zhuo Fan bowed.
Kunpeng sighed, âAs the leader of the five sacred beasts, I mourn the fates of three of my brothers sealed away in such spaces, unable to get out, with me powerless to help. That is why I want you to do it, get my brothers out of there. I will never forget your immense effort!â
âSenior exaggerates, nothing is impossible with your power. Junior is a mere antâs disciple. How can my meager skill rescue seniors from eternal damnation?â Zhuo Fan sighed.
Kunpeng rushed, âKid, you underestimate yourself. With Nine Serenities Emperor and Heavenly Emperorâs ultimate skills, the skyâs the limit! And those spaces came to be through the Divine Eye of the Void. You who possess that skill will have no problem removing the seal.â
âBut my achievement is meager. Itâd be better to give the art to senior. With your training, youâd complete it in no timeâ¦â
âNo, no, noâ¦â Kunpeng shook his head hastily, âEach person has his own path. Humans comprehend Dao, to rule over everything, while sacred beasts unearth the power deep within. Each has their own strengths, but never can they mix. A humanâs art is something a sacred beast and spiritual beasts can never learn!â
Zhuo Fan unclenched.
Of course he didnât lose it and turned charitable. He wouldnât just hand it over. It was all a test, a test! Now that he knew that the sacred beast couldnât use his art, he breathed easier.
Since there was no conflict of interests, they could build a stable business relationship.
âDad, just do it!â Gu Santongâs pitiful eyes turned to Zhuo Fan.
Recalling his fatherâs tragic passing, Gu Santong wished to help the other sacred beasts.
Zhuo Fan patted his little head, chuckling fondly.
[Little scamp, how can I not? We are in another guyâs home after all. He said he wonât force us but even a moron can see this is no request.]
[Humph, if I donât agree, there wonât be a bone left of my body in this mountain range.]
But Gu Santong merely showed a bright smile, his innocence warmed the cockles of his heart.
The kidâs puppy looks aside, business is business. It was not Zhuo Fanâs style to meet such a moneybag and not fleece him of every last penny, or spirit stone.
Case in point, Zhuo Fan bowed, âSenior, since you are trusting me with such a monumental task, I would be needing some support. â
Kunpengâs face was twitching, getting the drift, âHa-ha-ha, I didnât meet that old freak Nine Serenities, but you sure have that geezerâs style down pat. Ha-ha-ha, no worries. I have a great gift preparedâ¦â