Chapter 19

"WHAT?" When I said this to Qin Hainian, she was still lost in her own thoughts. Hearing me, she was completely taken aback.

Her first reaction was to subconsciously say, "What?" Then, her mind finally caught up, and she looked at me in shock, her glasses slipping to the tip of her nose.

I couldn't stand it anymore, so I reached out and yanked off her glasses, tossing them on the table. "What, what? Are you still pretending to be confused? How did you figure out that Old Zhou's soul was unstable? I didn't expect you to be so deep and mysterious."

Originally, when I discovered a cultivator was right beside me, I was excited. I thought I would say something earth-shattering, maybe even shed tears like old friends meeting after a long time.

But this cultivator was Qin Hainian. We've known each other for almost five years. I've watched her grow from a clumsy 18-year-old girl into a tough 'guy' now. From her first year in medical school (a five-year program) to now, about to graduate with a master's degree, eight years have passed. We've built an incredibly deep friendship. How could I shed tears and act dramatically in front of her?

So, the words that came out of my mouth were the most direct.

Perhaps my attitude affected Qin Hainian. Her initial wariness and shock had faded, and she looked at me with dissatisfaction. "No glasses, no answers."

I didn't care. I pulled her to the sofa, sat down, and said, "I'll get you a new pair of contacts later. Answer my questions."

Qin Hainian had no choice. In her eyes, I was a cold-blooded animal who could be ruthless when angry. She could only say softly, "I know my stuff, that's all."

"Is that all?" I held the cigarette I had just lit, raising an eyebrow at Qin Hainian.

"What else could it be?" Qin Hainian huffed, then stood up, opened Old Zhou's fridge, took out two bottles of beer, and very manly bit off the caps, handing one to me. "You know your stuff too, right?"

"What do you think?" I grabbed the cold beer and gulped down a big mouthful. The icy beer cooled my stomach, and the burning emotions in my heart calmed down a bit.

Actually, I was just calm on the surface. Inside, I was still excited. At this moment, a drink helped me calm down, so I wouldn't choke on my words.

Qin Hainian was probably in the same state. She drank even more boldly, finishing half a bottle in one go, and sighed, "So good." She then relaxed in the sofa, staring at me. "Ye Zhengling, I never thought you knew your stuff too. You've been hiding it from me. Tell me, what's your real identity? Are you a monk who practices with hair, a practitioner of witchcraft, or a Taoist?"

Relaxed, Qin Hainian lost her guard and resumed her usual chatty self. From her words, I felt how ignorant I was, and I couldn't help but feel annoyed. I put down my beer bottle with a 'slam' and looked at Qin Hainian. "It seems I asked you first. Do you want to tell me your real identity? And why do you think I'm a monk?"

"My real identity? I'm a descendant of a witch family. You wouldn't know, but my background is quite scary. As for why I think you're a monk? Well, I've never seen you chase girls, and when girls chase you, you act like they're dirtying you. I'm too embarrassed to ask Zhou Zheng and Chen Hou about these things, but I've been wondering privately. If you're not a monk, you must be abnormal."

Hearing this, I couldn't hold back anymore. I flicked Qin Hainian's head and shouted, "What's it to you? Do I have to report to you, Qin Hainian, about which woman I sleep with? Be careful, I might tell Old Zhou about your stuff."

"About what?" At the mention of Old Zhou, Qin Hainian couldn't help but tense up, looking defensive.

"That time you made me help you move things to your dorm, I saw at least ten pairs of socks under your bed." I took a sip of beer, squinted at Qin Hainian, and leaned in to whisper, "Haidafu, if Dagui, the clean freak, found out you had so many unwashed socks under your bed, what do you think would happen?"

"Aaaa, Third Brother, I'm sorry. Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you everything," Qin Hainian immediately begged for mercy. She was like this; when she was trying to please me, she called me Third Brother because Old Zhou called me Lao San. Normally, she just called me Ye Zhengling.

"Where are you from?"

"Xiangxi."

"Are you really a witch?"

I wasn't asking this to be mean. The old man from my awesome sect once mentioned in passing that the lineage of witch families was almost extinct. Although he didn't say it definitively, I didn't believe I had this 'luck.' I hadn't found any cultivators before, and now the first one I found was not only someone I knew very well but also a descendant of a witch family?

What a bizarre life.

"Absolutely true." Qin Hainian was very obedient now. It seemed Old Zhou was her 'Achilles heel.' I couldn't blame her for being so fiery and persistent; she was from Xiangxi.

"Is the place where you learned witchcraft very impressive? You said it would scare me to death?"

"Yes, it really would scare you to death," Qin Hainian said with a proud expression, looking very smug.

"Where is it?" I finally asked the question I most wanted to know. In the five years since I came down the mountain, I had been driven crazy, wanting to find the world of cultivators the old man talked about. I felt that if Qin Hainian's lineage was significant, knowing these things might help me understand the outline of the cultivator world.

After being threatened, Qin Hainian, who usually answered smoothly, suddenly hesitated, looking at me for a long time without saying a word.

"Boasting, but can't say it?" I propped my head up and looked at Qin Hainian lazily.

"Who said that? I just..." Qin Hainian looked hesitant and cautious.

"Socks." I took another sip of beer and said casually.

"Eighteen Ancestral Witch Villages. My lineage comes from the Eighteen Ancestral Witch Villages." Qin Hainian immediately surrendered.

"Where is it?" I had never heard of the Eighteen Ancestral Witch Villages and felt very curious, but I was also excited. The name sounded unique, with a flavor that only cultivators had.

"It's a village." Qin Hainian said softly, looking like she was afraid I would ask more.

"I know it's a village, probably a Miao village. Where is it?"

"I can't say." Qin Hainian started to feel guilty and begged softly.

"Socks?" I also said softly.

Qin Hainian looked conflicted, struggling for a long time. Finally, she picked up the beer and drank a lot, then put the bottle down and said, "Even if you say underwear, I won't say it today, Ye Zhengling. Don't be too much."

"Wow, you're angry." I shrugged, realizing the 'socks' trick wasn't working. Actually, I wouldn't really tell Old Zhou about this. Deep down, I agreed with Qin Hainian. I thought Old Zhou should carefully consider this girl after making his decision.

"Hmph." Qin Hainian looked very unhappy, drank the rest of her beer, and got another one, ignoring me. After drinking half of the second bottle, she suddenly asked, "Third Brother, you asked me so many questions. What about you? What are you? What's your sect?"

"Me?" How could I describe myself? I suddenly felt a bitter taste in my mouth, unable to forget the scene of being kicked down the mountain. I could only grip the beer bottle tightly and, after a long pause, said, "I practice Daoism. As for my sect, it's the awesome sect."

"What? Can you speak properly?" Qin Hainian was dissatisfied.

"I said my master is called the awesome sect. Believe it or not." After saying that, I drank the rest of the beer, suddenly realizing that after so many years on the mountain, I didn't even know the name of my sect. My master and senior brother always called it the awesome sect, so I did too.

"Ha ha ha ha..." Qin Hainian laughed like a madwoman, pointing at me and unable to speak. I ignored her, thinking I would probably laugh the same way if I were her.

After a long while, she stopped laughing, patted my shoulder comfortingly, and tried to say something but burst into laughter again.

I took out a cigarette and lit it, ignoring her.

Finally, after a long time, she stopped and looked at me seriously. "Third Brother, you were going to tell me about Zhou..."

I knew what Qin Hainian was going to ask, but before she could finish, Old Zhou's scream suddenly echoed from his bedroom!

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