When Shi Qing hovered on the borderline of reality within the True Cultivation Realm (Qin Mo's world) after leaving the system's space, he found himself trapped in a dilemma...

He examined his host, determined that he was obviously abnormal, and he grew apprehensive in his heart.

Host, you are shrouded in black smoke from head to toe! The black mud deep in your heart is rushing out okay!

It was just five minutes, what happened?

What poked his host's dumpling so aggressively that it burst and sent sesame seed filling everywhere? The culprit should quickly come out! Don't let I, your father, take the blame!

Shi Qing sent his awareness out to probe the surrounding area, but he really did not find any other existences. He shifted his line of sight and could clearly see that Qin Mo had something in his hands. Was that grey thing not his jade pendant body?

Host, so your "affectionate look" is like so?

As a few details clicked in for him, Shi Qing's heart started thumping and a new notion crossed his mind.

Could it be that...His cold but awesome host went mad when he thought that he was abandoned? He was cast into a cold, dark and gloomy cave. He was all alone, solitary and impoverished, and pitiful...

Shi Qing wanted to support himself by holding onto something: Please don't joke, the style is entirely wrong!

Shi Qing did not hesitate to go down; it was a matter of vital importance that he get all the items he had procured to Qin mo in order to warm him up. If he continued to delay, the comforter he had purchased would be useless.

Without taking too much time to think, Shi Qing slipped out of the system space, flitted back into the jade pendant, and looked at Qin Mo face to face.

"Qin..."

Before he had time to finish speaking he found himself unable to utter another sound.

An immense surge of power suddenly erupted and the walls of their small pocket within the cave could not bear the violent torrent. The nearby walls shattered, the wind caused all the rocks to dance about the air, mud flowed wildly, and a strong and frantic tornado was unleashed within the huge cavern.

In the middle of the vortex stood a man, his black hair flying in every direction and his face sinking down into darkness. His gaze was fixed upon the jade pendant in his hands and he did not say a word.

At that time Shi Qing was obviously silent, because he had the ominous feeling that if he said the wrong thing his body would be torn and his bones crushed!

His mind went blank for a few seconds, and then a small animal-like instinct prompted him to justify himself desperately, "I went back to the system space and used some points to get you a change of clothes, a quilt, and a bunch of food!"

The clear voice rang out in the spacious and empty cave, and rebounded off the walls, which magnified the volume. It allowed a person to hear it more distinctly; the tones of eagerness and a subtle softness were both unconsciously revealed.

Qin Mo's black eyes were as cold as ice; it was to the point that you could almost feel a brisk wind, yet as he stood noiselessly the chill began to wane a little...

Qin Mo tightly gripped the jade pendant, still staring at it without even blinking his eyes once.

Although it was quite scary, Shi Qing was also acutely aware that at that moment the encompassing atmospheric pressure was obviously increasing! It seemed like he somehow needed to get a handle on this psychopath, so frankly explaining where he was should be a remedy with fast results!

Shi Qing was preparing to continue the struggle of straightening things out, but he was suddenly frightened by a powerful roar.

That almost caused me to go deaf! What's going on?

He used his 360 degree vision to rapidly sweep his eyes over their surroundings. At first glance he saw Qin Mo directly in front of him, and behind the man was a huge pair of faint copper-green eyes! What is that thing?

Shi Qing tensed up, but still hurriedly focused his mind in order to examine whatever that was, and confirmed that his observation target was a four to five meter tall monster. It looked like a big black bear except its body was two or three times bigger. It brandished two sets of huge claws and its sharp teeth were ostentatiously displayed in its bloody mouth that was wide open like a sacrificial bowl. The creature's mouth looked greasy and there was saliva falling down from it, making an ominous 'drip, drop' sound.

At this moment, it was staring at the only human being in the cave, and obviously regarded him as a delicious afternoon snack. After a loud roar, it began breathing rapidly and then wildly charged towards them.

Shi Qing's heart trembled involuntarily; there was not enough time to warn Qin Mo. He tightly closed his mouth since he was unable to produce any sound.

The pressure around them once again rose dramatically. It relentlessly surged up like waves in the ocean and completely filled the small space, hiding the sky and covering the earth. There was not even a trace of a gap.

Qin Mo slowly turned and his line of sight locked onto the loud and aggressive black bear.

Shi Qing saw him raise his hand slightly, a mass of lightning gathered, and then with one wave a loud cracking sound filled the air. A sharp lightning blade neatly split the black bear's head in half; it was like a dazzling ray of light. Almost the entire cave was instantly illuminated!

The intense radiance lit up Qin Mo's face, throwing his sharp features into relief—his countenance would shock the soul of any who saw him.

A second later the black bear had been reduced to ashes. If Shi Qing had a mouth then it would surely be so far open that you could fit an egg inside!

A half-beat later, Shi Qing thought: didn't Qin Mo destroy his own cultivation and become a waste? Would a waste have this kind of strength? What did I miss?

After that he recalled the three long hours of torment—was the medicinal bath's effect so powerful? Was Qin Mo actually restored to this level?

Shi Qing's mind was filled with question marks and he got the distinct feeling that his mind was inadequate. Either way, the threat was eliminated and that was worth rejoicing.

Owing to Mr. Black Bear heroically dying as a martyr, Qin Mo finally managed to recover from his previous spell of illness. He was no longer gloomy, cold and scary; he became slightly normal again.

He bent over and gently caressed and stroked the worn grey jade pendant, and finally spoke in a raspy voice, "Stay here."

Shi Qing was somewhat puzzled and looked up at Qin Mo. He did not quite understand, was he telling him to stay in the cave?

Soon after Qin Mo added the important second half, "In my hand."

Shi Qing: o (╯ □ ╰) o.

Seeing that the jade pendant remained obediently silent and offered no objection (Shi Qing: I, your father, am just speechless!), Qin Mo's eyes magically showed what could be counted as a bit of a cheerful mood. He asked softly, "Where's the stuff?"

Shi Qing could not keep up with how this psychopath's brain worked. Although he was still confused, when he heard Qin Mo's question he responded instinctually and spontaneously took out the things he had purchased.

The ground around them was completely covered. There was a bed made up with a blue and white, extra-thick, down comforter, a black robe, and over a dozen dishes that smelled, looked and tasted great.

It was an incongruous pile of things; all very unlike the cold, dark and gloomy cave. Instead, it could make people to feel warm inside.

Qin Mo walked forward, picked up the clothes, and got dressed in an unhurried manner. Afterwards, he glanced at the quilt, then somewhat ignored it. However, after stroking the jade pendant, he reluctantly glanced at it again, walked over, then... sat down in an upright manner on the quilt.

"Next time I'll prepare my seat. I'm not accustomed to this soft type of mat."

Shi Qing maintained his 囧 face and opened his mouth planning to say, 'this is a quilt'. In the end, he shut his mouth and forcibly swallowed his words.

Quilt or mat, he was not stupid enough to argue about it. Once again, that would be like poking the dumpling until it exploded...

Qin Mo was a cultivator, so he had practically been cultivating since birth. He had very little exposure to the common grains: millet, soybean, sesame, barley, and rice. Due to that, he did not have much desire in that regard. If the aim was to restore the body, rather than eating that food, it was better to sit and meditate instead.

However, he touched the jade in his hand and changed his mind.

Over the next hour, Shi Qing watched on, stunned, as Qin Mo sat with very elegant posture and ate at a speed that was neither fast nor slow—it was just right. In a neat and orderly fashion, he ate a bowl of white rice, egg fried rice, a plate of green pepper shredded pork, cold seaweed, sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried lamb, chicken, steamed buns, roasted pork tenderloin, broth-steamed lobster, minced garlic scallops, grilled chicken...

A full 12 different flavors of vegetable and meat dishes were consumed!

Shi Qing stared at Qin Mo with a foolish look, then finally all of his emotions were condensed into one deep sigh: What would it take to save you, my psychopathic host?

After a two-hour break, Qin Mo's body had temporarily reverted to its best state. There was still an hour remaining before the system space would be accessible and Shi Qing wanted to spend that time in this seemingly safe place. Qin Mo, on the other hand, did not intend to do so.

Qin Mo had never developed the habit of sharing his plans. Therefore, he simply carried Shi Qing right out of the small pocket cave they were in.

The main cave around them was deep and the road leading out was far longer than expected. Extending out of the spacious cavern where their small shelter was located was a dark winding passage; it was like an underground labyrinth.

Qin Mo continued to walk forward and could not help frowning as he observed his surroundings. More and more, their location was giving him a sense of familiarity.

When he turned another corner, the originally narrow passageway suddenly opened up to a wide panorama. Light shone as bright as the daytime sun, and it seemed that it was emanating from innumerable crystals!

The brightness receded and the scene that greeted them caused Qin Mo's deep black pupils to constrict.

Shi Qing felt that something was wrong, swept his eyes over the vicinity, and was met with a sight that frightened him in the bottom of his heart.

Dozens of peak Jindan Stage cultivators were sitting in a circle. Seated in the middle of them was a dark-haired man.

His features were heavenly and he resembled a noble in a painting. His appearance was actually very similar to that of Qin Mo!

Shi Qing was startled, and then a name surfaced deep within his heart: Qin Yue!

OMG the chapter title for this was "Awkward"!!! Usually they're not funny or anything. Just the name of the arc and then number behind, so I don't bother using them. But this one was golden!!

If you're curious about where Jindan Stage falls, check chapter 18's footnotes.