Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Dismemberment, Pack and Take Home! (Four Updates)
Competition for such prizes inevitably involved bloodshed. This was an undeniable truth, a point history could never ignore. The Jianghu people fought ferociously over Martial Arts Manuals. They had completely lost their minds, each snatching desperately without regard for their lives.
Luo Qingbei glanced at them indifferently, his gaze pausing on the Profound Yellow Sect Disciples. To be precise, it lingered on Junlin and his team, whom he had noticed earlier. Seeing the Lower-grade Spiritual Stones taken by them, Luo Qingbei had intended to step in and demand them back, but recalling Xu Nian’s terrifying kick, he chose to let it go.
"Ninth, do you think Xu Nian still wants to return to the Capital City?" Luo Qingbei asked in a cold tone. He referred to Xu Nian, not Luo Yushu, which was somewhat intriguing.
Luo Chenjun, regaining his composure after being stunned by fear, hurriedly said, "He probably wants to go back. After all, Seventh Brother also wants to know the specifics of what happened that year." As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Rongyin, who stood behind. This woman plays her part too well, he thought. It seems even Seventh Brother has been deceived by this woman. No! We’ve all been deceived!
"Oh? He’s investigating the incident from that year? It seems I need to dissuade him," Luo Qingbei said softly, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze shifting to the side. "My dear Imperial Concubine Mother, you stay by his side. If possible, let him die. Both he and his mother are not easy to fool. It would be a relief if he died sooner rather than later." When he said this, the fear it brought to Luo Chenjun was almost boundless.
Yes! He had guessed correctly. But... if he had guessed it, did Luo Qingbei already know that he had figured it out? In that case, am I also going to die?!
"Father—"
"Hm?"
Just as Luo Chenjun was about to speak, a single look from Luo Qingbei silenced him. "Whatever you have to say, we’ll discuss it when we get back. There are too many prying eyes here. Ninth, you’re a smart man; it’s best to stop entertaining certain thoughts!" Luo Qingbei said coldly. "What happened that year is a grudge between you and Xu Nian. You decide how to handle it!"
Luo Chenjun, drenched in cold sweat, did not continue. For him, there seemed no need to say anything more.
These princes fought amongst themselves, never realizing that in the end, it was all just an act. The true chosen one wasn’t the Crown Prince, nor was it Luo Yushu. It was Luo Qingbei, whom they had all overlooked, the one who paradoxically seemed to have no presence at all!
Lost! Heh... I’ve lost completely, with no hope of turning things around.
However, for some reason, despite knowing he had lost, Luo Chenjun felt a sense of relief. Is it because I wasn’t the one chosen?"Let’s go. The true secret of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure will ultimately remain undiscovered by them," Luo Qingbei said indifferently. "Those who should stay will stay, and those who shouldn’t will return to where they came from. In the end, I overestimated this group of people." After speaking, he turned and walked towards the exit of the passage, and the others hurriedly followed.
Even Grand General Qian Baichuan followed them out, his expression solemn.
The Ninth Prince, Luo Chenjun, looked at Shen Rongyin with a pale face, but the words on the tip of his tongue remained unspoken. Shen Rongyin stood perfectly still, waiting until the people from the Imperial Court had mostly withdrawn before she finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, her eyes were now glistening with tears. After half a moment, she finally walked toward the passage where Xu Nian and the others were.
「...」
Little Boss was a quick cook; in no time, he had fried up a plate of meat from the Black Wolf Giant Beast. The tantalizing aroma was indeed irresistible.
Zhao Qixian hurriedly took the plate, grabbed a slice of meat with his hand, and ate it. With just one bite, he felt his blood and qi surge throughout his body, and his previous injuries began to heal rapidly. As expected of an Exotic Beast, it possessed such remarkable effects.
"Senior, how does the meat taste?" Kong Qingquan asked from the side.
"Not good, not good at all!" Zhao Qixian said this while shaking his head, but his hands didn’t stop moving, persistently shoving meat into his mouth.
Not tasty, yet you’re eating so much? Do you think I, Kong Qingquan, have become a fool from too much reading?
"Don’t rush, don’t rush! I’ll fry another portion in a moment. There’s plenty of meat!" Little Boss smiled and continued to prepare more ingredients, all the while keeping an eye on Zhao Qixian, curious about the meat. If it were poisonous, the effects likely wouldn’t be immediate, he reasoned. Waiting a bit longer won’t hurt.
"Thanks for the trouble, young friend," Kong Qingquan said, cupping his hands in gratitude. This Zhao Qixian really has become more shameless with age, stooping so low for a plate of meat, Kong Qingquan thought.
The players responsible for dismembering the beast were also incredibly excited.
"Hey, hey, hey, do you think these teeth could be used as weapons?"
"I’m not sure about the teeth, but this bone is definitely good. I plan to make a bone mace and chase people down to club them with it!"
"It’s a shame about the bone marrow inside; it probably tastes quite good too."
"These scales are so hard. They’d make good protective armor to take back. What do you all think?"
"..."
In the players’ eyes, virtually every part of the Black Wolf Giant Beast was a treasure. Anything that caught their interest, whether sinew or bone, was harvested. Was its large size a problem? Not with so many of them; each person could carry a piece out, no problem at all!
"Don’t waste the wolf blood! I’m going to take it back and try making blood Tofu," Dung Beetle shouted from the side, wondering how he would transport all of it. Hearing his words, the other players looked at him with strange expressions.
Blood Tofu? Can something you make actually be edible? Still, wolf blood seemed like a valuable resource. It might be worth figuring out how to transport it, considering every part of the Black Wolf Giant Beast was a treasure.
Inside the passage, Xu Nian meditated for quite a while before slowly opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was the Black Wolf Giant Beast being dismembered. Even he was shocked by the players’ initiative. Goodness, these people would go to any lengths for food.
"Awake?" The Blood Demoness leaned to one side, chatting with Guan Guan Jujiu about matters outside. Seeing Xu Nian’s aura recover, she casually passed her water flask to him.
Taking the water flask, Xu Nian expressed his thanks, then after drinking a few sips, asked, "What’s the situation now?"
"The Imperial Court’s people have already left, and those who grabbed the Martial Arts Manuals have also escaped," the Blood Demoness explained. "It seems we’re the only ones left now. The people from Celestial Cyan Workshop haven’t left; they’re still outside searching for treasures. Elder Zhao and the Sub-Sage stayed behind, while everyone else has withdrawn."
Everyone’s gone? That can’t be right. Xu Nian felt something was amiss. They had endured great hardships to reach the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure. How could there only be Martial Arts Manuals and ordinary treasures?
The presence of creatures like the Big Black Fish and the Black Wolf indicated this place was far from ordinary. It’s impossible that there’s only this little here!
Xu Nian slowly stood up and said in a firm voice, "There must be something we haven’t found. That’s the true secret of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure. It has to be here..."