Chapter 33 — Someone You Can’t Afford to Offend (2/2)

“Friend, what are you playing this time? Let’s play together. Hide-and-seek? Or… do you want to go steal treasures?” He asked in a low whisper. There was a grin on his face. Without waiting for Yun Wu to respond, he continued, “Let’s go, I know a path that will take us directly to the treasury, and no one will see us.”

Again, without waiting for her to respond, Long San seemed to be in high spirits as he sneakily dragged her towards a small pathway. The pathway required one to round a rockery, and within the rockery was a winding network of secret passages that led directly to the back of the treasury.

Long San appeared to be so familiar with the path that it was almost as if he’d forged it himself.

“How did you know I wanted to go to the treasury?” Yun Wu asked him suddenly. He turned around, seemingly astonished, and asked, “Do you not want to go to the treasury?”

No response.

Nonetheless, Long San chuckled and explained, “Everyone who sneaks into the palace wants to steal treasures from the treasury. I’ve already met a bunch of them, so over time, I became familiar with the pathway. Friend, don’t be suspicious. I won’t harm you.”

At that, Yun Wu furrowed her brows. She felt that she just couldn’t see through this Long San and that he wasn’t as simple as he appeared.

After walking for a long while, Long San suddenly turned around. “Friend, once you exit this area, you’ll reach the rear of the treasury. You have to keep your voice down, or else the treasury guardian will catch you.”

They were standing too close to each other. Yun Wu pulled back her hand and retreated a step. “Don’t follow me anymore. Go back.”

Then, she went around him and stepped out of the secret passageway.

The treasury was divided into five levels. On the outside, it appeared plain and ordinary, but it wasn’t hard to tell that this place was like an impregnable fortress. Since it was daytime, the guards weren’t as alert as they would be at night, but they were still on patrol.

Surprisingly, Long San actually listened and didn’t follow after her. Yun Wu didn’t worry about it. She concealed herself and circled around the treasury a few times. After she familiarized herself with her surroundings, she used the same method as before to slowly climb up the back of the treasury.

…..

Entrance of the treasury.

A black-robed elder had been standing there for quite some time already. His presence was like a black pillar, making it hard for others to detect him. Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and they began to emit a cold murderous aura.

This was the guardian of the treasury. Under the protection of this expert Master Practitioner, for years, anyone who attempted to infiltrate the imperial treasury ended up losing their lives. He’d covered the entire vicinity of the treasury in his aura so that no outside activities would escape his detection.

“Is the imperial treasury a place to be casually snuck into? Withdraw, or else… don’t blame this old man for attacking.” A voice, seemingly amplified, struck towards the back of the treasury. Yun Wu’s face instantly dropped.

She didn’t expect such a small movement from her to be discovered. It seemed that she was still too foreign to this world’s powers. However, a moment later, she heard a familiar devilish laugh. Subconsciously, her heart tightened.

Him?

A figure flew out from behind the treasury. A head of unique silver hair swayed in the wind, and the man’s bewitching face was masked by a black scarf.

The corners of Long Qingxie’s lips tilted into a mesmerizing smile, but the look in his eyes was scathing. The current him was a complete opposite of how he would act around Yun Wu.

“What an arrogant old man. At your age, I’m afraid that even if I do let you attack, you wouldn’t even be able to hold up a knife.”

“Presumptuous! Who are you, to dare invade the imperial treasury? Are you not afraid that this old man will kill you?” The elder was callous, and his eyes had a glacial quality to it. He’d been guarding the treasury for years and had seen a number of sharp-tongued thieves. None were able to escape alive.

Surprisingly, the silver-haired man was capable of giving the elder a sense of danger, but in terms of strength, the man was no match for the elder. In Zhou Dynasty as a whole, the amount of Master Practitioners there were could be counted on one hand.

Therefore, the elder’s arrogance and self-confidence weren’t unjustified.

A tint of cold bloodthirst entered Long Qingxie’s eyes. “Kill me? Old geezer, don’t be so certain about who’s killing who. You’re just an old bag of bones. Do you really think you’re capable? Hmph!”

Anger flared in the elder’s heart, and his gaze flickered with annoyance. He waved his hand, and suddenly, a streak of powerful cyan battle spirit shot towards Long Qingxie. Beneath the black scarf, Long Qingxie smirked. He didn’t move.

Instead, a shaft of purple light, carrying with it a scorching aura, was sent forth to meet the attack.

Bang! The attack was canceled out. The elder’s pupils shrunk, and his eyes filled with surprise. “Purple innate talent, a fire-attribute at the peak of Rank Eight?”

Purple was the highest innate talent level. In past hundred years, in the Zhou Dynasty, no one aside from the Imperial Preceptor’s son, Nangong Yi, had purple innate talent.

Unexpectedly, this thief did! Moreover, the silver-haired man was a fire-attribute, which just so happened to restrict the elder’s water-attribute. That was why the man, at Rank Eight, was able to defect the elder’s attack.

“No wonder you dared to be so arrogant. However, even if you’re a purple innate talent, you’ll still die under my hands.” The old man’s mouth lifted into a cold smile, and murderous intent burst from his eyes.

Hardly had the sound of his voice faded away when the strength of his battle spirit erupted, and a longsword shot towards Long Qingxie.