After realizing what she had done, Nuo Tao’s face, already flushed with an unnatural red, became completely ripe.
She sprang up from the ground with a "whoosh" and retreated into the corner of the wall.
She looked up at Gu Chengming, clearly wanting to throw out a few harsh words to regain some dignity, but when the words reached her lips, the sense of obedience engraved in her subconscious made it impossible for her to be tough. In the end, her voice came out soft and sweet: "What did you do to me?"
Gu Chengming did not answer. Instead, he clapped his hands, dissipating the last trace of aura lingering on his fingertips, and said with a smile:
"Don't be nervous, Miss Thief. This was just to create a dialogue environment where we can temporarily lower our mental guards and be honest with each other."
—Honest with each other my foot!
Nuo Tao roared inwardly. However, looking at Gu Chengming’s smile, she found that for some reason, her impression of this sword cultivator had indeed become much friendlier. That urge to be obedient was completely uncontrollable.
"A technique of the Hehuan Sect?"
Nuo Tao muttered somewhat gloomily.
She hadn't missed encounters with disciples of the Hehuan Sect when she went down the mountain for training in the past, but how could those people have such methods?
In the conversation that followed, perhaps because the effect of that illusion was still present, Nuo Tao was exceptionally cooperative.
She not only revealed her origin—the current Worldly Walker of the Myriad Thief Sect—but also poured out the purpose of her journey down the mountain.
Maybe it was the influence of Gu Chengming's Red Dust Technique illusion, or perhaps it was the posture Gu Chengming took while talking to her that made her relax her guard, or maybe it was because her life was currently in the hands of the man before her.
Like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube, she revealed every secret regarding the tokens and the secret realm bit by bit.
—So it’s a secret realm left by the Myriad Thief Sect?
After listening, Gu Chengming rubbed the Azure Bird token in his hand, lost in thought.
This was an unexpected surprise. He originally thought it was just an ordinary ruins of an ancient cultivator, but he hadn't expected it to be a heritage site left by the Myriad Thief Sect, which specialized in karma and fate-stealing. Moreover, it was the handiwork of the legendary Myriad Thief Immortal.
Seeing Gu Chengming fall into deep thought, Nuo Tao finally realized what she had done.
"I'm doomed..."
She covered her mouth in frustration. How could she have so easily given away the sect's greatest secret?
If her master found out, wouldn't he break her legs?
But things had already reached this point; there was no room for recovery. She might as well see if the other party would be kind enough to let her go after she provided all this information.
"Um..." Nuo Tao glanced at Gu Chengming cautiously and asked tentatively, "I've said everything. Can you let me go now?"
Gu Chengming snapped back to reality. Looking at the hopeful Nuo Tao, he shook his head. "That probably won't work."
He pointed outside the door. "If I’m not mistaken, you thief cultivators shouldn't be registered in Luoxue Pass, right?"
A bad premonition surfaced in Nuo Tao’s heart. She steeled herself and said:
"Of course thief cultivators aren't registered with the officials!"
The young girl’s tone was quite righteous. "If we were registered and our identity information was in the official records, how could we steal from people, heaven, and karma? Furthermore, my Dust Merging is itself a hiding method that doesn't touch karma. If I registered my name with the officials, it would be equivalent to entering the world, and others could follow the vines of karma to find me."
Finally, she tossed her head. To maintain the last shred of dignity for a thief cultivator, she gritted her teeth and said:
"We thief cultivators never register! That's the rule!"
Gu Chengming nodded, a smile appearing on his face that made Nuo Tao feel uneasy:
"I know. That's why I want you to come with me to register now."
Perhaps due to the influence of the Red Dust Technique illusion, Gu Chengming discovered that in such a short period of time, he had established a fairly deep, even thick, karmic line with the young thief before him.
By leveraging this karmic line, he could easily distinguish Miss Nuo Tao’s current emotions.
—This really is...
Gu Chengming sighed inwardly.
It seemed he had truly invented a rather broken skill for using the Red Dust Technique. This kind of karmic link established through 'conditioning' was much sturdier than simple exchanges of interest or gratitude.
"I'm not going!" Nuo Tao shook her head like a rattle. "A warrior can be killed but not humiliated! If a thief cultivator truly registers with the officials, are they still a thief cultivator? I could never do something so embarrassing! If I truly register, I’ll be the most disgraceful generation of the Myriad Thief Sect in thousands of years! Master would expel me from the sect!"
Nuo Tao seemed truly resistant to this act, even prepared to risk everything once more.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, that cautious voice rang out again.
【Red Dust Phantom Step watched coldly, its tone indifferent: Fellow Daoist Gu, stop wasting words on her.】
【This kind of person won't weep until they see the coffin. She's merely a first realm ant. You're being so kind to offer her a way out, yet she's so stubborn and ungrateful.】
【Since she cannot be used by us and knows your secret—and might even bring trouble—why not just kill her? Clean up the corpse well, and don't let the soul escape either.】
Gu Chengming ignored the killing intent of the Red Dust Phantom Step and just looked at Nuo Tao quietly.
Nuo Tao felt her skin crawl under his gaze, and she realized her attitude just now was quite dangerous.
She was currently the fish on the chopping block!
"Big brother..." Nuo Tao’s expression changed instantly as she said pitifully, "I've already given you all the treasures on me. I haven't done anything bad in Luoxue Pass. If I had to say, I only stole a dozen or so artifacts from a black-hearted merchant guild. Just let me go."
"Even if you kill me, you won't get anything. My storage pouch will self-destruct upon my death, and besides—"
She sniffled and threw out her final trump card: "My master is a fifth realm expert and is best at calculating karma. If I die here, he will definitely know, and you'll be in trouble then!"
Upon hearing the words "fifth realm expert," Gu Chengming’s expression didn't change much. After all, one more debt doesn't crush the person; one more fifth realm enemy was just par for the course.
However, in his Sea of Consciousness, a certain technique that was just shouting for blood had its attitude reverse at the speed of light.
【Red Dust Phantom Step furrowed its brow, its tone instantly becoming solemn: So she’s not an ant... she’s a little friend? Behind her stands a fifth realm powerhouse skilled in karma?】
【That indeed requires careful consideration. The methods of fifth realm experts are unpredictable. If killing the young one draws out the old one, it would be extremely detrimental to your grand plan for longevity, Fellow Daoist Gu.】
【It pondered for a moment and immediately changed its tune: Fellow Daoist Gu, it's better to dissolve an enmity than to knot it. Since she has someone behind her, keeping her alive might be more valuable. Perhaps the registration matter can be negotiated? Or... as long as she makes a Dao Oath, that'll be enough?】
Gu Chengming thought to himself, 'You change faces quite fast. Where did that ruthlessness from a moment ago go?'
He pulled back his thoughts and looked at Nuo Tao, his tone remaining unchanged: "I won't kill you, but you are a thief cultivator after all."
Gu Chengming pulled out that Night Guard Token from his robe and said solemnly:
"In this Luoxue Pass, I am considered an official of the Night Guard Division with certain responsibilities."
"I cannot be sure if you will continue to steal after leaving, or if you will endanger the safety of Luoxue Pass. Therefore, registering in the management records of Luoxue Pass is the bottom line, and it is the prerequisite for you to walk out of this room alive."
"As for you saying you haven't done anything bad earlier..."
Gu Chengming looked at her. "After you register, the Night Guard Division will naturally investigate. But the premise is that you truly only stole from that black-hearted merchant guild as you said, and didn't take any lives or commit other evils. Otherwise, a prison sentence will be unavoidable."
Nuo Tao looked into Gu Chengming’s eyes, then thought about her master who was powerful but wouldn't necessarily arrive in time to save her life. Finally, she felt the bell mark deep in her mind that made her subconsciously want to obey.
She finally gave in.
"Fine..." Nuo Tao hung her head. "I'll register..."
At the Census Bureau in Luoxue Pass, the hall was bustling with people.
This was the busiest and most chaotic place in the entire border pass.
Traveling merchants needed to pay taxes here, new demon-hunting teams needed to report here, and even those criminals exiled from the interior had to come here first to sign their names and receive a labor plaque.
"Next! Don't push, everyone line up!"
The registrar in charge, Old Wang, was an old fox who had been in Luoxue Pass for thirty years. He wore his official cap and held a bald vermillion brush, driving away a few rogue cultivators who were trying to cut the line with an impatient look.
Just then, the light at the hall entrance suddenly dimmed, and the hall went silent. Old Wang frowned, thinking, 'Who's the blind fool causing trouble at the door now?'
He was about to slam the table and curse, but as soon as he looked up, the curse at his lips was swallowed back, turning into a series of violent coughs.
"Cough, cough, cough, Lord Gu?!"
Old Wang hurriedly took his feet off the stool and straightened his official cap.
At the hall entrance, a young man with a long sword hanging at his waist was walking slowly. It was indeed the eleventh on the Hidden Dragon Ranking—Gu Chengming.
"Lord Gu, what brings you here?" Old Wang trotted up to greet him. "If you need anything, just say the word."
Gu Chengming stopped and gave Old Wang a gentle smile. "Scribe Wang, you're too kind. Doing things according to the rules is only right."
"Your Lordship is truly a paragon of virtue." As Old Wang said this, his gaze involuntarily drifted behind Gu Chengming.
Standing there was a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen.
She was pretty, with playful twin tails, but currently, her fair little face was filled with dejection and reluctance. Her head was hung low, almost buried in her chest. Her hands twisted the corner of her clothes as she dragged her feet behind Gu Chengming. Every step looked as if her feet had grown roots. That 'bullied child' appearance made people unconsciously feel pity for her.
"And this is?" Old Wang was somewhat hesitant.
Gu Chengming stepped aside and reached out quite naturally, like leading an ignorant junior. He gently patted the girl’s shoulder and pushed her to the desk.
"She is here to register." Gu Chengming pointed at the roster on the table, his tone flat. "Foreign cultivators entering the pass must truthfully register their identity, cultivation, and sect, correct?"
Old Wang was stunned for a moment, but he didn't ask further. He sat back behind the desk, opened a brand new register, dipped his brush in ink, and looked at the girl who kept her head down.
"Name?"
The girl kept her head down, staring fixedly at her toes. She really didn't want to speak.
As a Worldly Walker of the Myriad Thief Sect, a thief cultivator who aspired to become a 'Thief Saint', leaving her name on an official register was simply rubbing her career into the dirt! It was a great humiliation!
How would friends in the martial world look at her in the future?
"Yo, isn't this Nuo Tao? I heard you got a temporary residence permit in Luoxue Pass? Or was it a good citizen certificate?"
Just thinking about that scene made Nuo Tao want to find a piece of tofu to bash her head against.
"Miss?" Old Wang prompted again when she didn't speak.
Nuo Tao bit her lip and steeled her heart. "Nuo Run."
"Nuo Run?" Scribe Wang was a bit puzzled; it sounded somewhat familiar.
Nuo Tao nodded rapidly, her little abacus clicking in her mind.
As long as it wasn't her real name, karma couldn't lock onto her. However, her plan hadn't even begun to bear fruit.
Tap. That light sound wasn't heavy, like a senior’s affectionate pat on a junior.
"Eek—!"
Nuo Tao’s body trembled violently. Without any process of conscious thought, her body reacted instinctively.
"No, no, that’s wrong! I said it wrong! My name is Nuo Tao, not Nuo Run! I just misspoke, really misspoke!"
After shouting this, she also subconsciously shrunk her neck, peeking out of the corner of her eye at Gu Chengming’s hand resting on her shoulder.
"Uh?"
The brush in Old Wang’s hand hung in mid-air, a drop of ink falling with a splat onto the paper, blooming into a black stain.
"Ahem, Nuo Tao, is it? Good name, good name. Then, origin? Or which sect do you belong to?"
Nuo Tao bit her lip, her eyes shifting as she tried to muddle through again. "I have no sect, just a rogue cultivator."
This time, Gu Chengming didn't even have to move.
He merely tapped his fingers twice on the tabletop.
The girl spilled everything in a self-destructive rush:
"My master is of the Myriad Thief Sect, I am the thirty-sixth generation Worldly Walker, and my profession is a thief cultivator."
Scribe Wang’s hand stopped. Although his cultivation wasn't high, he was still half a man of the martial world. He had naturally heard of this bizarre sect that was supposedly a 'Xianmen' but was rarely seen.
He had heard that the successors of this sect were all high-and-mighty master thieves with celestial methods. Usually, people were begging them not to steal; since when did someone get dragged here to register?
Did this Lord Gu do it? That truly is...
Gu Chengming noticed Scribe Wang hadn't moved his brush for a while and wondered, "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing." Old Wang swallowed and continued to ask, "Cultivation?"
Nuo Tao had completely given up by now. She hung her head. "Second realm, middle stage."
"Purpose for coming to Luoxue Pass?"
"Training, looking for something."
"Current residence?"
When asked this question, Nuo Tao subconsciously wanted to say "no fixed abode."
But she glanced at Gu Chengming beside her and remembered her current situation. She could only change her answer with grief and indignation: "Temporarily staying at the Northern Mansion, Lord Gu’s house."
Finally, the registration was complete. Old Wang gave her a wooden identity plaque. Nuo Tao took it numbly.
She looked at the square characters for "Nuo Tao" and the eye-stabbing line below: "Profession: Thief Cultivator." She felt her life had turned grey.
It was over, all over.
"Let's go."
Gu Chengming was very satisfied with this result.
"Now that the procedures are done, you are a legal resident of Luoxue Pass. Follow the rules in the future, understand?"
"I... I understand."
On the way back to the Northern Mansion.
Nuo Tao followed dejectedly behind Gu Chengming, clutching that shameful identity plaque tightly.
She hesitated for a long time before she couldn't help but whisper, her tone carrying a hint of pleading: "Big brother Gu, now that I've registered and my identity is exposed, can you let me go?"
Gu Chengming stopped and looked back at her.
Under the sunlight, the girl’s eyes were rimmed with red as she looked at him pitifully. Gu Chengming smiled: "That won't do."
"You are currently my primary observation target. Before I’m certain you truly haven't committed any crimes, you'll stay right under my nose."
Gu Chengming pointed at the identity plaque in her hand. "Besides, you are a person with an identity now. If you run away and something happens, wouldn't I have to take the fall?"
Nuo Tao looked at his back, wanting to cry but having no tears.
"Master..." Nuo Tao looked up at the sky and let out a wail in her heart. "Your disciple is unfilial. Your disciple has disgraced the Myriad Thief Sect, woof!!!"
It was over.
This conditioned reflex couldn't be cured.
Inside the study in the back courtyard of the Northern Mansion, the candlelight flickered, casting a long shadow of Gu Chengming.
On the desk, twelve artifacts were laid out in a row.
These artifacts varied in grade; there were flying swords, shields, and auxiliary items like jade pendants, but without exception, they were all stolen goods Nuo Tao had taken from Wanjin Pavilion.
Gu Chengming was in no hurry to interrogate Nuo Tao. Instead, he sat alone in the study, using the information network he controlled and the special perceptions of the Red Dust Technique to carefully map out the movements of this 'Myriad Thief Sect Walker' after she entered the pass.
The result was somewhat beyond his expectations.
Just as Nuo Tao had defended herself, although she carried the title of a thief cultivator and acted sneakily, since entering Luoxue Pass, she truly hadn't done anything heinous besides this 'major case' against Wanjin Pavilion.
Never mind killing and looting; she even paid double for steamed buns from a roadside stall, seemingly out of charity because she felt the stall owner had a hard life.
"She’s a thief with some principles."
But that couldn't cover the fact that she had stolen from the warehouse of Wanjin Pavilion.
Although Nuo Tao vowed that it was a 'black-hearted merchant guild,' there was no law in Great Qian stating that because the other party was black-hearted, one could just empty their warehouse.
Based on this alone, Gu Chengming could completely throw her into the Night Guard Division's prison and have her reflect for three to five years.
However, when his gaze truly fell upon those twelve second-tier peak grade artifacts.
Under the gaze of eyes steeped in red dust aura, a layer of black mist was found entwined around every single artifact.
Twelve artifacts, without exception, were all 'dead man’s wealth.'
If it were one or two, it might be a coincidence. After all, killing and looting for treasure was common in the cultivation world, and it was understandable for a merchant guild to recover some ownerless items.
But twelve artifacts set to be the finale of an auction, all of them being this kind of 'dirty goods,' couldn't be explained by coincidence.
The source of Wanjin Pavilion’s goods was shockingly dirty.
Then, Gu Chengming called out to the door: "Come in."
The door was pushed open.
Nuo Tao dragged her feet as she walked in, her hands hanging obediently at her sides. She walked to a spot three steps away from the desk, joined her legs together very consciously, and called out somewhat timidly:
"...Big brother Gu?"
Gu Chengming pointed to the chair opposite him. "Sit."
Nuo Tao’s body shivered, her instinct making her want to squat, but seeing Gu Chengming’s gaze, she froze and carefully sat on only half her buttocks, her back straight as if she were a student being examined by a teacher.
"Tell me." Gu Chengming pointed at the pile of artifacts on the table. "Why did you insist on stealing these twelve specifically?"
Nuo Tao glanced at the artifacts, and her eyes, which were previously cowering, suddenly showed a hint of indignation.
"I already told you, that Wanjin Pavilion is a black-hearted merchant guild!"
She curled her lips. Although her tone was still a bit weak, her confidence was clearly much stronger.
"During my first few days at the Exchange, I heard those rogue cultivators whispering at the tea stalls. They said quite a few solo travelers mysteriously disappeared after going to Wanjin Pavilion to sell loot or identify treasures."
"I thought something was wrong back then. Out of... ahem, out of a sense of chivalry, I sneaked in under the cover of night."
At this point, Nuo Tao subconsciously puffed out her not-so-plump chest:
"We of the Myriad Thief Sect study the stealing of heaven’s secrets and the theft of karma. Our intuition is most sensitive to things carrying the scent of blood."
"When I was in the warehouse, I saw these twelve finale items for the auction at a glance."
"The karma on these artifacts is tied dead tight. One look and you can tell the original owners died with grievances!"
Gu Chengming looked at her with some surprise. "Your Myriad Thief Sect also understands the path of karma?"
Upon hearing Gu Chengming’s doubt, Nuo Tao was immediately displeased.
"Of course! We steal from heaven, earth, and karma!"
"Master said that everything in the world has its destiny, and only karma can be changed. When we steal things, we are actually plucking the strings of karma."
"If we didn't even have this much discernment and stole something lethal carrying great karma, we would truly die a violent death."
Gu Chengming fell into thought.
According to this, Nuo Tao had indeed seen that these artifacts were problematic and chose to act. Furthermore, the bounty from Wanjin Pavilion was also very strange.
Logically, after the warehouse was burgled and twelve priceless second-tier artifacts were lost, a normal merchant guild should have reported it to the officials long ago.
Although Luoxue Pass was chaotic, the deterrence of Great Qian was still there. As long as a case was reported, the officials would inevitably intervene in the investigation and search the whole city.
But Wanjin Pavilion didn't.
They chose the most laborious and least efficient way—releasing a private bounty.
Moreover, the bounty's requirements were extremely harsh: the target must be captured alive, and there was no upper limit on the reward.
This wasn't catching a thief; this was clearly trying to silence someone. They were obviously afraid that after the officials intervened, they would follow the vines to discover the true source of these artifacts.
Gu Chengming sneered in his heart.
Now that Luo Jinyao was escorting Zhou Qingmu back to the capital, a brief vacuum in high-end combat power had appeared in Luoxue Pass.
As the tenth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking and the 'face' of the Night Guard Division here at this time, since he had stumbled upon this, he had to take charge.
Furthermore...
【Hundred Bones Resonating cheered: Emperor Gu! What are you waiting for? A black shop! Killing and looting!】
【That Wanjin Pavilion or whatever sounds like it has a lot of money! We shouldn't just act on behalf of heaven; we should empty their warehouse—no, we should confiscate all their ill-gotten wealth!】
【This is the way of an Emperor! All under heaven belongs to the King; their money is your money!】
Beside it, the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art also expressed its agreement, which was extremely rare.
【Zhou Rites nodded: The way of merchants lies in integrity and benefiting the people. If one accumulates wealth through slaughter, it is a violation of the law.】
【Those who violate the law should be executed.】
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