Chapter 310: Gained Without Any Effort

Chapter 310: Effortlessly Gained

Zhao Changhe had always spoken truthfully about fearing Zhuque, and even now he still feared her quite a bit...

San Niang's rank seemed higher than Zhuque's, yet Zhao Changhe never felt he feared San Niang, but he still feared Zhuque to this day.

Perhaps it was because Zhuque was fierce while San Niang was always smiling. Or perhaps the memory of the bloody massacre when he first entered this world was too heavy to shake off. Deep down, he subconsciously felt that rank didn't represent everything; judging by their "momentum," if it came to a real fight, San Niang might end up pinned down and beaten by Zhuque.

But the more he feared her, the more thrilling it was now, with a feeling that "what I once feared is nothing much," and his heart was immensely relieved.

Xia Chichi at this moment also felt both fear and thrill; she understood Zhuque's cruelty far better than Zhao Changhe did. She truly dared not even breathe heavily in her presence, let alone imagine kissing a man with smacking sounds right in front of her, and yet Zhuque couldn't lose her temper.

So exhilarating...

The two parted and each secretly glanced at Zhuque.

Beneath the mask, her expression was unreadable; whether she truly didn't care or all undercurrents were hidden deep, her words were quite calm: "I have been protecting you in secret, which I originally couldn't let you know, lest you become dependent and lose your own will to fight to the death. Fearing you might sink into the sea of lust with a man, I had no choice but to appear... Now that I'm exposed, I truly should leave. Don't assume I'm around when trouble comes, or it will harm your cultivation. As for after I leave, whether you still want to fool around with men, that's your own decision."

Xia Chichi felt somewhat ashamed by these words; the Venerable truly had her best interests at heart...

So she lowered her head and said, "Venerable, about that matter of Flame Blazing Kunlun..."

"A volcanic eruption doesn't mean anything; calling it Flame Blazing Kunlun is ridiculous. If such a thing must be investigated, I will order Yi Huo She and Wei Huo Hu and the like to look into it. In any case, fire-related matters have nothing to do with you. Focus on your own tasks; no need to be distracted."

"Yes."

Zhuque gave Zhao Changhe a deep look and said flatly, "Don't let desire dominate you."

With that, she vanished in a flash.

Zhao Changhe broke out in a cold sweat, his shoulders slumping. He turned to look at Chichi, who was the same. They looked at each other with expressions of having narrowly escaped death.

Xia Chichi shrugged her shoulders and said, "The pressure is immense in front of the Venerable."

Zhao Changhe said, "But you were really daring, deliberately moaning like that."

"I'm a little enchantress; without some spirit, what kind of enchantress would I be? Look at you, weren't you afraid?"

"I'm a mountain bandit; what kind of bandit would I be if I feared death?"

"Pfft... risking life for lust." Xia Chichi laughed and took his hand. They sat on the bed's edge, and she leaned into the hollow of his shoulder, whispering, "The Venerable is already very angry; we shouldn't overdo it."

"Listen to you, you really think I'm only after that one thing?"

"Aren't you?"

"Of course not!" Zhao Changhe said. "Earlier, I asked San Niang to pass a message to you. I think by then you had already set out for Kunlun, so she might not have been able to relay it. For instance, she didn't have time to tell you that I learned the Spring Return Technique."

"So it really is the Spring Return Technique..." Xia Chichi muttered. "Your connection to the Four Symbols is really strange."

Zhao Changhe grinned and said, "After all, the Azure Dragon Saintess is my wife."

"Who's your wife!" Xia Chichi scolded playfully. "How come you're so chummy with the Black Tortoise Venerable, calling her San Niang all the time?"

"?" Zhao Changhe said helplessly, "Her name is San Niang."

"I wouldn't dare call her that."

"...Everyone in Yellow Sands Market calls her that."

"Alright, alright." Xia Chichi laughed. "She really didn't have time to pass anything to us. Now that you're here in person, just say what you have to say. Are you going to teach me the Spring Return Technique?"

"I don't know how to teach that thing; anyway, I'll write a copy for you later and see if you can comprehend something from it." Zhao Changhe said, "What I really want to tell you is that your father is not at all heavily injured and near death as outsiders imagine; he's alive and kicking."

Xia Chichi stared blankly, lost in thought.

Zhao Changhe then recounted Xia Longyuan's family matters in full detail, and added, "The reason the jade pendant and the Six Harmonies Divine Art were passed only to males—our understanding at the time was mistaken. His original intention was actually quite fond of you... and he acknowledged me as his son-in-law."

Xia Chichi thought blankly for a long time, then said softly, "Whatever his intention, the end result was abandonment. I won't forgive him."

"Mm." Zhao Changhe wouldn't argue that, since abandonment was indeed the fact. He only said, "Regardless, his level of power exceeds all our previous assumptions. Any plans you have against him need to be adjusted. Being a rebel isn't easy; don't act rashly."

"I know." Xia Chichi's mood was somewhat low. She sighed, "I don't want to talk about him. Let's change the subject. Leave this matter to the Venerables to consider."

When she thought Xia Longyuan was near death, Xia Chichi felt "he's still my father after all," felt sad, and wanted to visit him; but knowing he was alive and kicking and very powerful, she instead became displeased and didn't want to mention him.

Such is human nature. Zhao Changhe didn't say more, and instead asked, "On this training trip to Kunlun, besides killing traitors, do you have any other important tasks? Does Yang Qianyuan count as one?"

"Yang Qianyuan is indeed one, and we plan to capture him alive if possible, to highlight our favor. Or we could take him and trade with the Yang family. Killing him outright would be meaningless; the Yang family wouldn't even know it was us. We're not trying to curry favor with the Yang family; on the contrary, we want to have leverage over them." Xia Chichi said, "That Tian Lingzi from the Yukun Gang—I'll go investigate him tonight."

"No need to investigate. Yang Qianyuan isn't in the Yukun Gang. This Tian Lingzi has probably offended the Poison Spider, and she's using us to kill him."

Xia Chichi asked in surprise, "How do you know? Liu Tu Zhang has been investigating for a long time and hasn't found the person."

"In such a big city, finding one person who's gone into hiding is indeed not easy." Zhao Changhe grinned. "But some people have destiny on their side, like your big brother Zhao here."

Xia Chichi rolled her eyes. "You call yourself big brother? Call me senior disciple."

"Senior disciple..." Zhao Changhe sidled up to her again.

This term between them seemed to carry a flirtatious hint; as soon as it was said, feelings stirred.

Sometimes Zhao Changhe wondered if his orientation was a bit off; it seemed he was really excited by Chichi's male attire...

Xia Chichi pushed his big face away and scolded, "And you say it's not about that!"

"Cough... Anyway, I really do know where Yang Qianyuan is, but don't make a move for now; he's still useful to me."

Xia Chichi asked curiously, "What use could he be?"

"I also have things to find out from him. I've only just gotten familiar with him; I haven't started digging for information yet."

"What information do you need that you have to ask him?"

"I want to find the Thieves' Gate, and also clues about the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng."

Xia Chichi laughed. "Tell me, are you deliberately trying not to owe the Four Symbols Sect a favor, or has your brain gone soft? How long has Yang Qianyuan been in Kunlun? What could he know? Why don't you just ask Liu Tu Zhang directly?"

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. "Because both these matters were why San Niang told me to come here, but she didn't know the specifics either, which means Liu Tu Zhang has no information. After all, he's only tasked with investigating your affairs; he doesn't have much grasp of other things."

Xia Chichi rolled her eyes. "San Niang didn't even know Liu Tu Zhang was here; her information came through Ying Wu's channel. Tell me, aren't you an idiot?"

With that, she jumped off the bed and slipped out the door in a flash: "Wait here, I'll ask Liu Tu Zhang for you."

After a moment, she returned with a strange expression: "I don't know about the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng. But there really is news about the Thieves' Gate."

Zhao Changhe said, "What's with that expression? Is the Thieves' Gate troublesome?"

"No." Xia Chichi had a strange feeling of coincidence: "Liu Tu Zhang said that if he's not mistaken, Tian Lingzi is the steward in charge of selling stolen goods for the Thieves' Gate. The goods in their Yukun Gang are too mixed."

Zhao Changhe suddenly realized something.

The Thieves' Gate shouldn't be too hard to find; at least on the surface, there must be a direct line.

Because Si Si, who had fled from the ancient spirit clan's secret realm completely blind, could still join the Thieves' Gate—where did she find it? If the Thieves' Gate is in Kunlun, there must be a point near the city entrance that one would encounter, and Si Si happened to stumble upon it; that's the only explanation.

And among these few gangs east of the city, the Yukun Gang is one of them.