Chapter Sixteen: The Storage Ring

Lu Han had originally been preparing to leave, but unexpectedly, he ran into Tie Luo and ended up killing him. The crucial point was that he heard Tie Luo’s father was the leader of the Iron Mad Mercenary Group, a formidable warrior of the third tier of innate strength.

There was no other option—he had to flee into the Cloud Crystal Mountain to hide. Here, a small creek flowed, and ancient trees towered nearby, making it unlikely that he’d be discovered.

“Old man, haven’t we gone far enough? We’ve been running all night—at least let’s have some water.” Lu Han panted heavily, uncertain if that so-called Iron Mad was still in pursuit.

Lu Han knelt by the creek, gulping down several mouthfuls of water, then wiped his mouth and sat beneath a tree. He took out a white ring and grinned foolishly. “A storage ring!”

At that moment, a sapphire-blue ring floated up, and above it appeared a transparent old man who regarded him with utter disdain. “A mere ten-square-foot storage ring, and look how delighted you are—wipe your drool with your sleeve, you’re such a disgrace to my reputation.”

The old man’s face was full of contempt.

“What do you know, old man? A storage ring! Our Lu family only has two—one with my father, and the other with my third uncle, who’s away from home most of the year. The family’s silk business depends on him, so he needs the ring to transport goods.”

Lu Han rolled his eyes. In the whole of Maple Leaf City, you could count the number of storage rings on two hands.

“All thanks to that Tie Luo!”

After Lu Han killed Tie Luo and was about to leave, the old man discovered a storage ring on Tie Luo’s body, which naturally became Lu Han’s spoils of war.

“Old man, all I need to do is drip blood on the storage ring, right?” Lu Han asked, sitting beneath the tree, watching the transparent old man above the blue ring.

“Yes, since its owner has died, a drop of your blood will suffice,” the old man replied, stroking his beard with a smile.

Lu Han bit his index finger.

Drip...

A drop of fresh blood landed on the ring.

A mountain breeze swept by, but the ring showed no response.

Lu Han looked up at the old man, gritting his teeth. “You rotten old man, are you messing with me? How is this supposed to work?” He had even bitten his hand open.

“You brat—you have no respect for your elders, and I’m even an injured elder. If the ring’s owner dies, anyone else can claim it with a drop of blood. This is common knowledge on the Skydome Continent. In this case, it only means the dead man wasn’t the ring’s owner,” the old man replied unhurriedly.

“If you say something nice, maybe I’ll help you open this ring,” the old man added with a sly smile.

Qingshi Town, Iron Mad Mercenary Group.

More than a dozen members of the mercenary group hurried in, carrying a stretcher covered with a white cloth—no one could see who it was.

“Leader, Hu Xingfu and the others have brought the young commander back. But...” The deputy leader hesitated.

“Leader, you’d better go to the main hall yourself.”

“Where’s Luo’er? Where is he?” The leader’s voice arrived before his person.

“Leader, we found the young commander, but...” Hu Xingfu hadn’t finished before he dropped to his knees with a thud.

Iron Mad entered the hall, saw the stretcher on the floor, and a chill ran through his heart—this could not be good. He walked up to the stretcher, bent down, and slowly lifted the white cloth...

“Luo’er, how could this happen? How could this happen?” Iron Mad turned, clutching Hu Xingfu’s collar, his face twisted in grief.

“Leader... I... I don’t know. When I and the brothers arrived, the young commander was already... dead. From the scene, it seemed only two people had fought, and that youth appeared to have fled deeper into Cloud Crystal Mountain.” Hu Xingfu’s legs trembled. He’d clearly sensed the youth was only at the sixth postnatal level, but the scene showed only two combatants. He simply couldn’t understand how the young commander could have died at that youth’s hands. Even a typical seventh postnatal wouldn’t dare provoke their young commander.

Slap.

“Useless.” Iron Mad struck Hu Xingfu, sending him flying backward.

Coughing, Hu Xingfu lay on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he dared not protest and slowly crawled back to kneel.

“You’re certain the youth was only sixth postnatal? Were there any other traces at the scene?” Iron Mad asked in a low voice.

“Leader, I... I’m certain. The boy was cultivating when we arrived. You know the young commander’s temper—he doesn’t like interference, so he told me to leave first.” Hu Xingfu was still reeling from the slap, stuttering as he spoke.

Iron Mad’s expression turned sorrowful. He had only this one son. Though the boy’s talent was not outstanding, Tie Luo had always been clever and possessed a ruthless edge, which had earned his favor. Otherwise, he would never have entrusted him with that task.

Suddenly, Iron Mad’s face changed as if remembering something. He pulled back the white cloth and searched Tie Luo’s chest...

“Gone!” Iron Mad had given Tie Luo his storage ring just in case. The treasure map was inside, and no one else should have been able to take it.

Iron Mad had given Tie Luo a small vial of his own blood. Since the ring was his, Tie Luo couldn’t open it—each time, he had to use his father’s blood.

“Even if he couldn’t open it, I still must get it back. I must avenge Luo’er.” Iron Mad clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

Suddenly, Iron Mad spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Leader...”

Everyone in the hall was shocked. Was the young commander’s death such a blow to him?

“He actually severed my link to the ring—how is this possible?” Iron Mad muttered, eyes wide.

“Hu Xingfu, recall the youth’s appearance and have the deputy leader draw his likeness. We must capture him.”

“Also, leave a tenth of our men to guard the base. The rest, come with me to Cloud Crystal Mountain—the ring must be retrieved.” Iron Mad couldn’t understand it. Why, while he was still alive, would his connection to the ring be lost? The family legend said the imprint within the ring could only be erased by death—otherwise, no one else could open it.

With over a hundred men behind him, Iron Mad set out in force for Cloud Crystal Mountain.

“So, are you convinced now, brat?” Within Cloud Crystal Mountain, the transparent old man laughed heartily at the youth—Lu Han and the mysterious elder.

“You old scoundrel, didn’t you say that unless the owner died, the ring couldn’t be opened? What happened?” Lu Han asked, perplexed. Had the old man lied to him?

“In theory, yes. But there is another way—one can forcibly sever the connection between the ring and its master. Though I am but a soul now, breaking the bond between a low-level innate cultivator and his ring is effortless for me,” the old man said with pride.

“Old man, now that I think about it—you must have known Tie Luo was nearby, and that’s why you kept silent. You almost got me killed, do you realize that?” Lu Han felt the old man had been deliberately setting him up.

“Boy, I was training you, understand? Think about it—wasn’t it strange that Tie Luo claimed to have been hunted, yet his clothes were slashed so neatly, without a drop of blood? At fifteen, you’re young and inexperienced, unwise to the malice in people’s hearts.”

“I’m teaching you—sometimes, people are more dangerous than monsters. Now, go ahead and claim the ring with your blood, and see what’s inside,” the old man said, realizing too much explanation might not help. Still, he was quite satisfied with Lu Han’s performance in the ensuing fight.

“Is there nothing in the ring but a few thousand gold coins? Wait, what’s this?” After dripping blood on the ring, Lu Han’s mind entered it and found a bundle wrapped in silk. He focused, and the package appeared in his hand.

“Old man, help me take a look—what is this?” Lu Han opened the silk to reveal a piece of pale-black bark, densely inscribed with strange markings.

“Hmph, brat, if I’m not mistaken, this is a treasure map.” The old man sounded disgruntled—this lucky boy had actually stumbled upon a treasure map.

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