Chapter 78: Boss Zhou’s Theory on Robbery

The three of them hurried silently toward Suiye City. Fortunately, they encountered no one along the way, and Boss Zhou didn’t change his appearance until they were nearly at the city gates. Only then did he begin to alter his features, much to Xiaobai’s amazement. He couldn’t help but marvel—how efficient, how swift the boss was at changing faces. That’s what set bosses apart from ordinary folk.

The closer they got to Suiye City, the more nervous Xiaobai became. The last time he came here, he’d only shown his face briefly and had immediately run into a gang of robbers. This city, he thought, was truly terrifying.

Zhou Qi tried to reassure him. “Relax. Those people aren’t going to wait here forever. Everyone saw me vanish from this place last time; no one knows where I went, or if I’ll come back. Lying in ambush here all this time would be foolish.”

Still unconvinced, Bai Gan spat a mouthful of vital blood and murmured an incantation. The blood transformed into a small red bird that flew ahead.

Zhou Qi could not help but feel envious. Such a technique, though not much for combat, could prove invaluable for scouting—especially in places where divine sense could not penetrate. Yet the area ahead was open and empty; with his own cultivation, unless the enemy was far stronger, he would have already detected them. Xiaobai’s maneuver, though impressive, seemed rather unnecessary.

Moreover, each use required the sacrifice of vital blood—hardly worth it for such little return.

“No one is lying in wait up ahead,” Xiaobai announced, finally at ease. Zhou Qi had already swept the area with his spiritual sense and found nothing amiss. Hearing Xiaobai’s words, he relaxed further.

The three of them strode openly toward the city gates.

“Fellow traveler, please wait!” An aged voice called out. Both Zhou Qi and Xiaobai jumped—those words, they thought, were nothing but trouble.

They turned toward the voice to see a group of cultivators materialize seemingly out of thin air. By what means had they managed to evade both Zhou Qi’s and Xiaobai’s detection?

The leader was none other than the elderly man who had bid for the demon core at the auction. Had they been recognized?

“It’s you again! Wasn’t robbing me once enough? I have nothing left, and now you’re back for more—have you no conscience?” Xiaobai shouted at the group, seething with indignation.

Zhou Qi was speechless; so these were Xiaobai’s old acquaintances.

“Heh, fellow traveler, do you have anything good on you this time?” one of the cultivators jeered.

“I have nothing left, you bandits! You’ll come to no good end!” Xiaobai cried in anguish.

“This time, we won’t rob you—if you can provide information on these two, not only will I return your belongings, but I will reward you handsomely,” the old man said, handing him a scroll bearing the likenesses of Zhou Qi and Jiu’er.

The old man was frustrated. Ever since his failed pursuit of Zhou Qi, he’d had no news of him. Other groups had given up, but he’d decided to wait here, desperate for the Azure Luan demon core for his alchemy. He had tried the auction house again, but to no avail. Zhou Qi, with his high value and the acquisition of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, had gained more in that one venture than others might in a century.

At a glance of the scroll, Xiaobai immediately understood—he had no doubt been caught up in trouble because of his boss. Yet he had no intention of betraying Zhou Qi. For one, he had taken Zhou Qi’s pill and hadn’t received the antidote; betraying the boss would be courting death. For another, he didn’t trust the old man’s promise—reporting Zhou Qi would likely result in all three of them being captured, with no reward in sight.

“What if we know nothing—can we pass?” Zhou Qi asked. The three of them were now surrounded, but he remained perfectly calm; this was an ideal setup for the Illusory Immortal Array. Even if they couldn’t win, escape would be easy.

“That’s right. Unless, of course, you actually know something?” The old man’s eyes lit up. He’d waited so long, he was on the verge of giving up.

“Indeed, I do,” Zhou Qi replied, instantly activating the Illusory Immortal Array.

In a moment, the array enveloped the entire group. Zhou Qi led Jiu’er and Xiaobai beyond its bounds; as the array’s master, he was immune, but Jiu’er and Xiaobai would have been lost within it.

Xiaobai looked at the massive formation with lingering fear. The boss really overestimated him—using such a large-scale control technique just for his sake!

Zhou Qi darted back into the array, targeting the lower-ranked cultivators for elimination. This was no time for mercy—setting off the array outside Suiye City might attract unwanted attention. The priority was to finish quickly and leave.

In no time, only the old man and two fourth-rank Foundation Establishment cultivators remained; the rest lay dead. It was nothing more than practiced efficiency.

The old man was at the fifth rank of Foundation Establishment. Dealing with the three survivors would take more time than they had—this wasn’t like slowly wearing down the old crone before. Zhou Qi decided it wasn’t worth it; after stripping the slain of their storage rings, he quickly checked for anything of value.

He was about to discard a charred fragment when the voice of the True Lord of Heavenly Mystery sounded in his ear.

“Boy, keep that fragment. It is likely a dragon’s reverse scale. It may be of great use when you enter Dragon Burial Valley.”

Zhou Qi’s heart leapt for joy. So it was a treasure after all—no wonder people like Bai Gan made a living robbing others. One never knew what one might find, and even if nothing rare turned up, there were always spirit stones or pills to be had. Zhou Qi gathered up the spirit stones, pills, and valuable spirit tools, setting aside anything he couldn’t use to see if Jiu’er or Xiaobai fancied any of it.

His work done, Zhou Qi hurried out of the Illusory Immortal Array, dragging Jiu’er and Xiaobai away. The array’s duration was nearly spent; there was no point in lingering.

“Did you kill them all?” Xiaobai asked.

“Three remain, but dealing with them would take time. I left them,” Zhou Qi replied indifferently.

Xiaobai’s mouth fell open. The boss truly lived up to his reputation—the efficiency was staggering; a true king among robbers.

Zhou Qi felt no pride in his actions. He was only borrowing the strength of the array; his own abilities were still too meager. Against someone holding the soul of the True Lord of Heavenly Mystery, he’d be helpless. Anything the True Lord had taught him, his enemies would likely know as well. It was time to learn things the True Lord did not know—his reliance had grown too great. But there was no rushing this; after all, his days of cultivation were still few.

“Jiu’er, see if there’s anything you need,” Zhou Qi said, tossing her a pile of storage rings. She picked out a few items, then handed them back.

Xiaobai watched him eagerly, eyes shining like a child awaiting candy.

Zhou Qi regarded him solemnly. “You may choose what you like as well. But remember: robbery is not the proper path. In my homeland, it is a crime punishable by death. Unless left with no other choice, never let yourself rely on plunder to gain resources. It will sap your will to strive, drown you in desire, and lead you to utter ruin.”

Xiaobai nodded fervently. Whatever the boss said was right. No wonder he was the boss—even robbery came with such profound philosophy.