Chapter 335: The Final Loop of the Kunlun Journey

Chapter 335: The Final Link of the Kunlun Journey

Now it had become quite simple to find Ye Wuzong.

Though he no longer sold wontons, his disciples and grand-disciples still remained in the Jade Kun Sect—such as the little Daoist apprentice Tian Lingzi.

When the Chaos Chronicle announced Tian Lingzi’s death, the Jade Kun Sect fell into chaos just like the Money Sect, but in the end, Tian Lingzi’s apprentice seized leadership of the sect, and the sect’s goods were not bought up for zero copper coins; they remained intact.

After all, everyone knew that behind him still stood the face of the Thief Sect. If Ye Wuzong was in a good mood and came to support his grand-disciple, it wasn’t impossible—who could fathom the whims of this old rogue?

So Zhao Changhe, with Xia Chichi in tow, went straight to the Jade Kun Sect and said with a grin, “Is the gourd we ordered still here?”

The little Daoist was so terrified he scrambled away, fleeing to find his grand-master.

When Ye Wuzong arrived at the Jade Kun Sect, he saw the young couple huddled together, examining the gourd, turning it over and over with delight. It was clear both adored it.

Ye Wuzong was speechless: “Are you two this happy because you won the Sword Pellet, or because you saw the gourd?”

“The gourd,” the couple said in unison. “That was our original purpose in seeking Tian Lingzi. Who knew it would spiral so far that we nearly forgot the real matter.”

A mere broken gourd was the real matter, was it? Ye Wuzong almost laughed and cried. This was the very definition of buying the casket and returning the pearl.

But this was precisely why he liked this young couple. He had spent his life chasing profit, and in his old age, his heart had begun to change. He had grown weary of the profit-seekers around him. Such genuine feelings were rare to see… especially here in Kunlun.

In truth, Ye Wuzong had no idea what relation Sisi had to Zhao Changhe. He had deliberately mentioned Sisi to Xia Chichi, partly out of spite, but also with a hint of stirring trouble, to see if they would easily fall out over it.

As it turned out, there was no obstacle at all.

Ye Wuzong didn’t know that the two hadn’t even gotten around to discussing Sisi yet—that “female fire-attribute expert who entered the secret realm with Zhao Changhe” had only just stopped quarreling. As for who Sisi was, Xia Chichi had completely forgotten…

Though he admired the young couple in his heart, he didn’t show it on his face. He still put on a stern expression and said, “The Sword Pellet wasn’t your original goal, just a windfall, right? Then give it to me?”

Zhao Changhe rose and made a deep bow, performing a grand salute: “Earlier, Chichi led you away, and you did not make things difficult for her. I am deeply grateful. For that alone, if you truly need the Sword Pellet, I am willing to give it to you.”

Xia Chichi’s face flushed red as she secretly watched Zhao Changhe’s performance, pouting slightly.

Even Ye Wuzong was somewhat surprised. Stroking his beard, he said, “You’d really give it to me? Then what about the flying sword you wanted to train for this little girl?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “As I just said, it was an unexpected gain, not something we had to have. Now that we have a direction, we can find another similar item.”

“Forget it.” Ye Wuzong chuckled. “I suspect you’re trying to put me in a spot with your words, making it hard for me to back down.”

Zhao Changhe said earnestly, “That’s not my intention at all. How could a mere external object compare to even a single strand of Chichi’s hair?”

The more he deferred, the less interested Ye Wuzong became: “This thing is useless to me anyway. Its value as a keepsake is less than the thrill of the theft I attempted but failed to pull off. I’ve already gotten what I wanted. Any more talk would be pointless.”

With that, he pulled out the ink-jade token and tossed it directly to Zhao Changhe: “This is the wager, and what you deserve. As for the Poison Scripture, if the Four Symbols Sect wants a copy, they can send someone to transcribe it. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be off. I don’t have time to watch you young lovebirds coo.”

“Wait, senior.” Xia Chichi said, “Earlier, I mentioned the possibility of cooperation between our sects. You said there was nothing to cooperate on at the sect level, but upon reflection, I think there is.”

“Oh?” Ye Wuzong chuckled. “Let’s hear it.”

“I was thinking that besides having transcended worldly concerns, you might have other reasons for retreating to Kunlun… After all, you still have disciples operating in the Central Plains.”

Ye Wuzong said, “Naturally. Are my Thief Sect members supposed to huddle in a corner of Kunlun stealing things? How much could they steal?”

“For someone like you, who seeks only the pleasure of the theft itself and cares nothing for the gain, that’s one thing. But ordinary disciples need profit, and thus need channels to fence goods. My Four Symbols Sect can offer relevant cooperation.”

Ye Wuzong laughed. “We don’t have many members. Simple disposal of goods is easy enough; we don’t need a vast network. But since you bring it up, it does have some merit—some items are indeed hard to handle. If you fence for us, what do you want in return? Surely not just a share of the profits?”

“To establish a close relationship with the Thief Sect—that is what we gain.” Xia Chichi smiled faintly. “As you said, senior, sometimes the focus is on the process itself.”

Ye Wuzong laughed heartily. “You two are just buttering me up today… Fine, it’s settled. To be honest, my disciples need the Four Symbols Sect’s channels. I’m not so foolish as to not appreciate it.”

Zhao Changhe couldn’t help but say, “Senior, your reasonableness makes it hard for me to associate you with the ‘evil heretics’ people speak of.”

Ye Wuzong glanced at him sidelong. “When you were kissing the Four Symbols Saintess, did you ever think she, too, is called an evil heretic?”

Zhao Changhe: “…”

Xia Chichi: “…”

“Evil heretics—the key is in the ‘way.’ Different ways cannot work together. It has little to do with personal temperament.” Ye Wuzong picked up his teacup, blew on the foam, and took a sip. “Besides, I’m not reasonable with everyone. You seem to have misunderstood.”

In the distance, the eavesdropping Zhuque finally nodded. Ye Wuzong’s behavior completely overturned her understanding of the title “Thief Saint.” Do you two even know how ruthless this old man was in his early years? And now he’s like a kindly old grandfather—truly bizarre.

Zhao Changhe recalled that in the stone hut, this old man had indeed been sinister and cold… The fact that he was so good to them seemed to have something to do with the display of affection at the wonton stall—a good first impression.

It just went to show that there was a certain affinity between people.

He thought for a moment and asked, “Senior, your retreat to Kunlun—is it convenient to know the reason?”

“What?” Ye Wuzong said with amusement. “If I had offended some strongman in the Central Plains and was hiding here, would you want to take up my cause?”

Zhao Changhe said seriously, “It’s not impossible to try.”

Ye Wuzong said flatly, “Kunlun suits an evil heretic like me, because here, no matter who I steal from or kill, there’s no impropriety.”

Zhao Changhe’s expression turned odd. So you mean, when you steal from honest folks in the Central Plains, you have a guilty conscience?

Was he really getting old?

Seeing his expression, Ye Wuzong knew he had misunderstood. He shook his head. “We’re no Robin Hoods who rob the rich to help the poor. But do you know the Thief Sect’s first commandment?”

Zhao Changhe said, “I’d like to hear it.”

“Abstain from greed. The Thief Sect may pursue profit, but must not be greedy. Whether it’s insatiable avarice or an itching hand, both are the sect’s great enemies, the foremost precepts. Because greed blinds reason, leads to wrong judgments—touching an enemy you cannot afford, falling into traps, or missing the chance to escape. In the end, all comes to naught.”

Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi exchanged glances, finding it intriguing. They had thought the Thief Sect was the greediest of all, yet greed was their primary taboo. That made Ye Wuzong’s behavior from their first meeting all the more reasonable.

“The reason I retreated to Kunlun is that I realized if I stayed in the Central Plains, I wouldn’t be able to resist the itch to touch someone I absolutely should not touch.” Ye Wuzong sipped his tea leisurely. “I don’t believe in his weak facade, but I have to admit that the more he shows it, the more my hand itches. Better to cut off the hand. Until I have a sure way to steal from him without dying, I’ll confine myself to Kunlun.”

The young couple knew who he meant.

Were you thinking that stealing a state counts as theft? That doesn’t fit the Thief Sect’s ways… Was it something on Xia Longyuan’s person?

“So? Can you take up that cause for me?” Ye Wuzong said with a half-smile. “When I steal from him, can you stop him? Then again, if there’s one person in the world who could stop him, it might just be you.”

Zhao Changhe coughed dryly. The one who could truly stop him was right beside him—Chichi was the real deal. Of course, Xia Longyuan might not necessarily care about Chichi, and Ye Wuzong wasn’t really asking him to stop Xia Longyuan; he was just teasing.

There was no way to continue that conversation. Zhao Changhe could only say, “If it’s him, no one can do anything.”

“Exactly. In Kunlun, I can steal from whoever I want—that’s freedom.” Ye Wuzong smacked his lips and sighed. “But when I got to Kunlun, I found that old Daoist probably has some strange treasures too… Can’t this world let a man live in peace?”

It was probably the Heavenly Book.

Ye Wuzong might not know about the Heavenly Book, but as a Thief Saint, his sensitivity to treasures should have given him a vague sense of such existences. He knew Xia Longyuan had one, and Yuxu Zhenren too…

It was a bit odd. If the Heavenly Book was in Yuxu Zhenren’s hands, it wouldn’t be something he could obtain. What was the point of Blind Girl guiding him here? To court death?

“Then…” Zhao Changhe said cautiously, “Does senior know why Yuxu Zhenren created this den of evil in Kunlun?”

Ye Wuzong didn’t answer. He looked at him with a knowing smile. “You came to me today, really for Yuxu?”

Zhao Changhe didn’t hide it. “I do intend to pay Yuxu Zhenren a visit.”

Ye Wuzong said nonchalantly, “In that case, ask him yourself. I can pass a message for you… Whether he’ll see you, I don’t know. Whether he’ll kill you on sight, I also don’t know. That old Daoist has a stranger temper than mine. If you don’t care about life or death, go ahead and try.”