The wind in the northern canyon carried a hint of blood.
Gu Chengming stood beside a pile of eagle remains that were almost unrecognizable. He looked at the demon core in his hand, which had shattered into several pieces and lost most of its spiritual energy, and couldn't help but sigh.
—Think on the bright side, one demon core has become many.
But to be honest, if the side effects of the move 【Emperor Bai, Help Me】 weren't so troublesome, Gu Chengming truly felt that practicing the 《Myriad Phenomena Transformation Fist》 alone would be enough to roam the world unchallenged.
After all, whether it was the operation of sword arrays or the mechanics of spells, they all seemed a bit flashy in the face of absolute numerical values.
One punch is a simple stat check. After the check, either you die or I die. Who has time to play mind games and trade moves with you?
It seemed the CGs provided by Old Bai were all numerical monsters?
From what he could see now, it was indeed somewhat overpowered for those below the fourth realm, but Gu Chengming didn't yet know the situation of great cultivators in the fifth realm or the so-called sixth realm and above.
If those great cultivators played with mechanics, wouldn't Old Bai lose his edge?
And considering the condition that body cultivators couldn't go all the way to the end, there was a high probability that the great cultivators relied on mechanics.
Well, at least for now, he was still far from being a so-called great cultivator. For now, he would enjoy numerical suppression; by the time he reached that level, maybe some new mechanics would emerge?
Gu Chengming weighed the dim demon core fragments in his hand with some regret.
This was, after all, the inner core of a second realm peak grade great demon. If it were intact, it could be exchanged for at least a hundred merit points at the Battle Merit Hall, or even used to refine special pills.
Now that it was shattered like this, its value would probably be greatly reduced.
Fortunately, the bulk of the merit points came from the act of hunting the demon itself, though Old Bai would probably be heartbroken.
However, to Gu Chengming's surprise—
【Although Hundred Bones Resonating is heartbroken, he still consoles: It's okay, Emperor Gu! The inner cores of such demon beasts have too many impurities; we might as well not want them!】
【A true heavenly emperor disdains picking up such trash! If we're going to snatch something, we'll go for true natural treasures!】
Gu Chengming felt a subtle feeling in his heart. Although the way Old Bai endured his own heartache to comfort him was quite touching.
But why did those words of comfort sound so awkward?
Thinking this, Gu Chengming still upheld the fine tradition of a thief never leaving... of being thrifty and industrious, bending down to rummage through the pile of red and white sludge.
Aside from the demon core, the hardest feathers and the pair of sharp claws on the Iron-Feathered Goshawk had barely survived. Although they were damaged, they could still be exchanged for some merit.
"Hmm?"
Just as Gu Chengming was preparing to finish up and leave, his fingers suddenly touched a hard and cold object.
The texture didn't feel like bone, nor did it feel like stone; it felt like some kind of metal.
He reached out and dug a palm-sized token out of the muddy flesh.
Gu Chengming casually cast a cleaning spell to wash away the blood and filth.
The token was dark iron in color, made of a material that was neither metal nor wood, and was cold to the touch.
The front of the token had no text, only a pattern of a blue luan with its wings spread as if to fly. Two tiny rubies were embedded at the position of the luan's eyes, exuding an indescribable sense of eeriness. On the back of the token, complex and obscure cloud and thunder patterns were engraved, with faint light flowing between the lines.
This was clearly not something a second realm demon bird could refine, nor did it seem like a treasure that its level should possess.
【Hundred Bones Resonating sweeps away his previous heartache and becomes somewhat excited】
【There's even a killing-and-looting segment!】
【Emperor Gu, this thing might be of great use!】
【Hundred Bones Resonating Affection +2】
Gu Chengming rubbed the patterns on the token and sent his divine sense into it, only to find it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, with no reaction at all.
"It seems to be a token that requires a specific method to open?"
Gu Chengming pondered. Although he didn't know its use for now, since the Iron-Feathered Goshawk carried it, it must have some significance.
The wind and snow grew heavier, swirling the remaining snow on the ground to slowly bury the traces of the battle.
Gu Chengming lingered no longer, put away the token, identified his direction, and vanished into the vast wind and snow.
By the time he returned to Falling Snow Pass, the sky was near dusk.
Inside the Battle Merit Hall, it was still bustling with people. An old one-armed cultivator responsible for verifying battle merits was extremely busy.
When Gu Chengming placed the bag, which was still dripping blood, on the counter, the old cultivator was clearly stunned for a moment.
When he opened the bag and saw the pile of demon materials that were smashed like rotten oranges, as well as the demon core that was obviously pulverized by brute force, a brilliant expression appeared on his weathered old face.
He looked up at the handsome young man in front of him, then down at the pile of "sludge," his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
"Young man..."
The old cultivator swallowed and asked in a strange tone:
"Do you have a blood feud with this demon beast?"
He had worked in the Battle Merit Hall for many years and had seen tens of thousands of demon beast corpses.
Those killed by swords, burned by fire, struck by lightning, or even poisoned—he had seen them all.
But this was truly the first time in his life he had seen one "boomed" into such a uniform meat paste, where even the demon core was shattered along with it.
How much strength did that take? How much hatred was behind it?
—'I don't think there's a blood feud, but there will be soon, though it's me who's killing his whole family...'
Thinking this, Gu Chengming explained on the surface: "It wanted to self-detonate at the time, so I acted a little bit too heavily in a moment of haste."
The old cultivator's mouth twitched. This was called a little bit?
But rules were rules. As long as it could be proven to be a demon beast, even if it was smashed to bits, the merit points had to be given.
Although the value was discounted due to the shattered demon core, considering it was a demon on the Green Tooth Ranking, along with the usable feathers and claws, the old cultivator eventually gave a fairly fair number.
"Alright, three hundred and eighty merit points. It's recorded for you."
The old cultivator recorded it while unable to help stealing a few more glances at Gu Chengming.
These days, the more refined one looks, the more ruthless they are...
He remembered there was a young man like this back then, called Ren... Ren Wen-something?
Sigh, he was getting old; he couldn't remember after only a few hundred years had passed.
Unaware of the old cultivator's inner thoughts, Gu Chengming thanked him after finishing the trivialities and turned to walk out of the noisy hall.
By now, the sky was dark, and dim yellow lights were lit on the streets of Falling Snow Pass, dyeing the wind and snow with a layer of warm color.
Leaving the Battle Merit Hall, Gu Chengming went straight back to the Northern Mansion's backyard.
As soon as he pushed open the door, a wave of warmth hit him, followed by a rhythmic sound of breathing.
He saw Yu Wenqiu curled up without any decorum on the soft couch covered with thick fox fur. She was covered with a blanket, half her face buried in the pillow, sleeping soundly.
Perhaps she was dreaming of something delicious, as a sliver of crystal saliva hung from her pink lips, and she smacked her lips from time to time.
Gu Chengming looked at his elder, who was sleeping as if the world didn't exist, and sighed helplessly.
She must have slept the whole day, right?
But Gu Chengming could understand.
He originally thought Yu Wenqiu's sleepiness over the past few days was because she wasn't adjusted to the northern climate, or simply because she was being lazy.
It wasn't until he learned the truth from Luo Jinyao that he realized he had misunderstood the elder.
Facing the sure-kill strike of the Green-Scaled Eagle King that day, Yu Wenqiu had forcibly activated the Heavenly Eye and then performed a long-distance precision teleportation through the void with him. The consumption of her soul was terrifyingly immense.
Her deep sleep these days wasn't laziness, but rather a special method called the "Turtle Breath Spirit Nourishing Method" to quickly repair her damaged divine sense and energy.
Even though her soul was damaged, Yu Wenqiu hadn't mentioned a word of it to him.
From these aspects, the little Elder Yu still had the poise of a senior.
Gu Chengming walked over lightly, placed the food box containing steaming spiritual food on the table, and didn't wake her, instead turning to walk out of the room.
In the courtyard, under the red plum tree.
Luo Jinyao was standing quietly in the snow, seemingly thinking about something.
Seeing Gu Chengming approach, she sheathed her sword and stood still, a gentle smile appearing in her cool eyes.
"You're back?"
Luo Jinyao glanced at the aura on Gu Chengming and nodded slightly:
"It seems this trip out was quite fruitful. The killing intent on you is heavier, but your aura is more refined."
Gu Chengming cupped his hands in greeting, then as if remembering something, he took out the dark iron token he had found on the Iron-Feathered Goshawk from his storage pouch.
"Senior Luo, I accidentally obtained this item while hunting that hawk demon, but I can't see its origin. I wonder if Senior could help take a look?"
Luo Jinyao took the token; it felt slightly heavy in her hand.
She didn't speak immediately but turned the token over several times to inspect it. Then, a silver-white sword light lit up at her fingertip as she gently tapped the cloud and thunder patterns on the back.
"Buzz—"
The originally dead token actually emitted a very faint hum the moment it contacted the fourth realm sword intent. The two rubies embedded in the blue luan's eyes also flashed with a ghostly light, but they quickly returned to calm.
Luo Jinyao's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"This material... seems to be mystic demon iron, but the refining technique is very ancient. It doesn't look like a product of the last thousand years."
She pondered for a moment, her gaze falling on the blue luan pattern:
"The blue luan governs wind, and cloud-thunder governs punishment. The restrictions on this token are extremely sophisticated; even my sword intent cannot forcibly break them, only cause a resonance."
"If I'm not mistaken..." Luo Jinyao looked up, her tone carrying a bit of uncertainty:
"This should be a key. Or some kind of proof of identity used to pass through a specific ancient restriction."
Gu Chengming's heart stirred: "Does Senior mean a secret realm?"
"Most likely."
Luo Jinyao handed the token back to Gu Chengming and analyzed:
"This land of the north was once the main battlefield between humans and demons, burying countless experts and sects. Ruins and secret realms often appear due to crustal movements or spiritual energy tides."
"Since that hawk demon carried it, it suggests it might know something, or the Green-Scaled Eagle King behind it knows something."
"Keep it safe; perhaps one day you will encounter the place where it opens."
After hearing this, before Gu Chengming could say anything, Hundred Bones Resonating in his sea of consciousness was already shouting.
【Hundred Bones Resonating cheers: Hooray! It really is a secret realm!】
【There must be ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs in the secret realm! Ancient divine weapons! And lost emperor sutras! Emperor Gu, we're going to be rich!】
Meanwhile, in the corner, the usually quiet 《Huiyuan Sword Manual》 was somewhat worried.
【Ancient restrictions and such sound very scary... what if there's danger inside?】
Gu Chengming watched the manuals' discussion, lost in thought, before cupping his hands and saying, "Thank you for clearing my doubts, Senior."
Having finished the serious business, Gu Chengming asked about the frontline situation he had been most concerned about these past two days.
At the mention of this, Luo Jinyao's expression relaxed slightly, but a trace of worry still lingered between her brows.
"Thanks to Director Zhou, that battle directly slew two demon kings. Once this news reached the demon territory, their arrogance was instantly suppressed."
Luo Jinyao sighed, gazing at the vast night to the north:
"Most of the demon tides that were originally gathering at the border, preparing to head south with the fifth realm demon kings, have now retreated. The pressure on the various passes has drastically decreased. The sense of an impending storm that I sensed a few days ago has also dissipated quite a bit."
"So, the situation has stabilized?" Gu Chengming asked.
"It can be considered temporarily stabilized."
Luo Jinyao gave a bitter laugh: "It's also lucky that Director Zhou's strength exceeded the demon territory's expectations. If Director Zhou hadn't been able to hold out in that battle, or had fallen there along with the Night Guard Division's elite airship fleet, the demon territory would likely have invaded in force by now. This Falling Snow Pass... would have been in grave danger."
"However, the surface agreement has been completely torn up. Although the main demon forces have temporarily retreated, the grudge is set. And with two demon kings dead, this is a blood feud. They will definitely not let it rest."
"The current peace is merely their delaying tactic. Once the demon side catches their breath, this northern border... will likely fall into chaos again."
Gu Chengming nodded, then asked: "Then how is Director Zhou's injury?"
Although rumors outside said Zhou Qingmu was divinely invincible, he knew very well that fighting one against three and killing two demon kings of the same rank would come at no small cost.
Luo Jinyao was silent for a moment before speaking softly: "While there is no life-threatening danger and her foundation is stable, that victory was achieved by overdrawing her origin. Director Zhou's internal organs are injured, and there are traces of the demon king's poison and killing intent remaining in her body. She likely won't be able to use her full strength again for a short time."
"I have received secret orders. In a few days, when Director Zhou's condition stabilizes slightly, I will personally escort her back to the Great Qian capital to recuperate using the imperial dragon qi and the methods of the Imperial Hospital."
"Director Zhou is returning to the capital heavily injured, two demon kings are dead, and the remaining one is half-crippled..."
Gu Chengming suddenly realized something.
Doesn't this mean that for a long time to come, on this northern battlefield, the 'main accounts' of both sides are locked?
With the fifth realm unable to act, wasn't this clearly leaving the stage for the people below to perform?
【Hundred Bones Resonating cheers again: Emperor Gu! You've realized it!】
【Winning fame, slaying all the demon geniuses, and forging the path of the supreme heavenly emperor begins today!】
【But let's not do anything too dangerous. We'll become an emperor sooner or later anyway; safety first!】
【He snorted, thinking, 'Don't think only that sword manual knows how to worry about your safety; I can do it too, okay?'】
Gu Chengming: "..."
He had wondered why Emperor Bai had suddenly changed his temperament; it turned out the interaction about the secret realm just now had made him jealous.
This made Gu Chengming feel a bit subtle.
It was truly rare to see Old Bai jealous.
Quite cute.
Inside, the earth fire burned brightly, keeping all the swirling snow of the north outside the window lattice.
This room in the Northern Mansion, specifically for cultivators to rest, had been elegantly arranged by Luo Jinyao. There were even a few pots of red plums blooming with spiritual power in the corners, their faint fragrance drifting and mixing with the cozy warmth of the room, making it most conducive to sleep.
Yu Wenqiu was curled up deep in the fox fur, most of her body sunk into it.
She hadn't tied her hair today, and that waterfall of black hair was scattered across the pillow, a few strands rising and falling gently against her cheeks with her long breaths.
Perhaps sensing the change in the surrounding aura, or maybe dreaming of something comfortable, Yu Wenqiu subconsciously reached out and hugged the cloud-patterned soft pillow in her arms. She rubbed her cheek against the soft silk again and again, murmuring indistinctly:
"Xiao Gu, Xiao Gu, let me rub..."
Gu Chengming couldn't bear to look at his elder's embarrassing state and helplessly woke her up in a soft voice.
"Elder, I've brought food back for you." Saying so, Gu Chengming opened the food box.
Yu Wenqiu, who was still rubbing the pillow, had an extremely sensitive nose.
The next moment, she suddenly snapped her eyes open. Her gaze still held a bit of bleary confusion from not being fully awake, but her body had already instinctively sat up, following the fragrance.
When she clearly saw Gu Chengming standing by the bed, she reacted as if her tail had been stepped on. She shrank back, her hands instinctively clutching the pillow in her arms, her face, still marked by sleep, instantly turning beet red.
"Xiao... Xiao Gu?!"
She stuttered, her panicked eyes having nowhere to land. What blurted out was:
"I... I definitely wasn't dreaming about you—"
Halfway through, she suddenly bit her tongue.
'What am I saying?! What does "wasn't dreaming about him" mean? Isn't that just a self-confession!'
"Ah, no! Ahem..."
Yu Wenqiu quickly gave two tactical coughs, attempting to use her elder's dignity to cover the embarrassment, and forcibly shifted the topic:
"What I mean is, when did you get back?"
Gu Chengming looked at her ears, which were red enough to drip blood, and found it amusing. He thought to himself that the symptoms of Elder Yu's soul damage were too obvious.
"Just a short while ago." Gu Chengming placed the food box on the small table without changing his expression. "Just came back from the Battle Merit Hall and stopped by the kitchen to bring some food for the elder."
"Oh... oh oh, I see."
Seeing that Gu Chengming didn't pursue her slip of the tongue just now, Yu Wenqiu let out a sigh of relief. She stole a glance at Gu Chengming and, after confirming he didn't have any strange expression on his face, she regained a bit of her confidence as a senior.
"Alright then, thank you, Xiao Gu."
As she spoke, she didn't even put on her shoes, sitting cross-legged on the soft couch with bare feet and pulling the food box toward her.
Taking a bite of a chicken leg, her previously tense little face instantly relaxed, and she squinted her eyes happily.
"Mmm... not bad, not bad. The skill of the chefs in Falling Snow Pass is not inferior to those in the capital."
Gu Chengming poured her a cup of hot tea. Looking at her bulging cheeks, he casually asked:
"What was Elder dreaming about just now? You were smiling so happily."
"Cough, cough, cough—!"
Yu Wenqiu almost choked on the chicken. She quickly gulped down a large mouthful of tea to clear her throat. She guiltily looked away, staring at the chicken leg in her hand, and stammered:
"No, nothing?"
—'I don't think so.'
Gu Chengming thought to himself, 'Well done, Elder Yu. You're trying to enter a special CG with me without even triggering a dialogue option.'
Seemingly worried about saying something wrong again, Yu Wenqiu buried her head and ate furiously.
Looking at her ostrich-like behavior, Gu Chengming laughed inwardly.
It seemed Senior Luo was right; soul damage indeed caused one's self-control to drop. The Little Yu, who usually had to maintain her elder persona, was now more... real and cute?
After finishing the meal, Yu Wenqiu's spirit recovered a lot.
The two of them discussed it and decided to temporarily stay in the Northern Mansion's backyard. This place had earth fire arrays and Luo Jinyao's presence; its safety and comfort were top-tier in Falling Snow Pass, so there was no need to look elsewhere.
However, although they had a place to stay, the room had nothing but basic furniture. Daily necessities were entirely absent.
Gu Chengming looked at Yu Wenqiu's state and told her to continue resting. He took the guard token and planned to go to the market within the pass to buy some bedding, toiletries, and snacks for the elder.
The market of Falling Snow Pass was located in the south of the city, named "The Exchange."
Unlike the neatly planned markets in the Great Qian capital that exuded wealth everywhere, the Exchange here had a rough, practical, and extremely unique border style.
As soon as he stepped under the Exchange's archway, a wave of noisy heat hit him.
The streets here weren't wide, and the buildings on both sides were mostly built of thick black rock, low and sturdy, to withstand the constant gales of the north.
Hanging from the eaves were not delicate lanterns, but huge windproof lamps made of demon beast fat. The flames were dim and steady, lighting the streets as bright as day.
Gu Chengming strolled through it, observing the surroundings with interest.
The stalls here were extremely casual, often just a beast skin spread on the ground with items laid out on top.
There were people selling cloaks made of thick demon fur, "Blazing Sun Talismans" that could instantly release heat to ward off cold, and even "Burning Blade" liquor mixed with strong spirits and spiritual herbs.
As for delicate jade pendants, hairpins, or gorgeous dharma robes with no practical combat use, they were almost ignored here.
The trading methods here were also quite hardcore. Besides spirit stones, the hard currencies were "merit points" and "demon materials."
Gu Chengming saw a bearded man with his own eyes, who directly pulled a freshly cut demon wolf leg from his storage pouch and threw it to the tavern owner in exchange for two jars of strong liquor. Neither of them said a word of nonsense, clearly accustomed to this primitive way of bartering.
Moreover, although the cultivators here mostly looked fierce with lingering killing intent, they strictly followed the rules in the Exchange.
No one dared to cause trouble here because, at the end of the street, on the highest tower, there was always the divine sense of a fourth realm cultivator patrolling.
Gu Chengming bought the necessary bedding and life supplies from several shops. Just as he was preparing to head back, he noticed a group of people gathered at a corner of the Exchange.
A black wooden board stood there, covered with red and white notices.
Gu Chengming originally thought it was a sub-list of the Myriad Demon Ranking, but upon closer look, he found it wasn't.
Three large words were written on the board—【Bounty List】.
Unlike the official demon-hunting missions of the Myriad Demon Ranking, the bounties here were mostly privately posted.
【Bounty: Human cultivator Zhao Gou. This person intentionally lured demon beasts to attack his teammates in the Shredded Leaf Forest half a month ago, resulting in the death of three people, while he fled with the loot. For those who bring his head, the reward is five thousand low-grade spirit stones or one second-tier dharma weapon. Poster: Blood Wolf Hunting Team.】
【Bounty: For those providing the exact hiding place of the 'Hidden Demon,' reward is fifty merit points.】
【Bounty: Capture the traitor Wang Hu. This person, as an information broker, actually sold the news of our team taking the 'Scarlet Flame Tiger' mission to the demons, causing our team to be ambushed. Dead or alive, the reward is ten thousand spirit stones! Poster: Iron Alliance.】
Looking at the content, Gu Chengming understood.
Before coming, and even when he first encountered the rules of the "Myriad Demon Ranking," he had always held a doubt in his heart.
—'Since demon-hunting requires taking the mission first, isn't that clearly telling everyone: "I'm going to kill this demon"?'
If there were a traitor in Falling Snow Pass, they only had to watch who took the mission and then tip off the demons. Wouldn't the hunters become the prey walking into a trap?
Those who made the rules couldn't have missed such an obvious loophole.
But now Gu Chengming understood.
The existence of the Myriad Demon Ranking did give traitors an opportunity.
But similarly, it was also the best bait for catching traitors.
Every time a mission was taken, it was a flow of information. If a cultivator's movements were exposed and they were ambushed after taking a mission, the range of people who knew the details of the operation would be significantly narrowed.
Some "missions" might even be fake information released by the officials themselves.
The so-called "hunting teams" might not exist at all, or they might be disguised enforcement teams. Once the demon side received the news and reacted, the channel through which the information was transmitted would instantly be exposed.
Moreover, looking at those high bounties against traitors, it was clear the officials were also encouraging this bottom-up "purging."
As long as you dared to betray, not only would the officials kill you, but those bounty hunters, rogue cultivators, and even your own accomplices would view you as walking merit points.
Gu Chengming's gaze followed the red and white notices down the wall. Soon, a bounty with a rather unique art style caught his attention.
The paper for that notice wasn't ordinary yellow paper, but gold-flecked Xuan paper. The handwriting even carried a sense of teeth-gritting hatred.
【Bounty for Thief Cultivator: Nuo Tao】
【Crime: This person sneaked into the Golden Pavilion's warehouse three days ago and used a bizarre escape technique to steal twelve second-tier dharma weapons!】
【Bounty: This person must be captured alive! If this person is brought back, the Golden Pavilion is willing to give the twelve stolen second-tier dharma weapons as a reward! Additionally, two thousand low-grade spirit stones will be included!】
【Poster: Golden Pavilion Master】
"Good heavens..."
Gu Chengming couldn't help but click his tongue as he looked at the bounty.
Twelve second-tier peak grade dharma weapons; that was quite a large sum.
And the condition for this bounty was even more ridiculous. As long as the person was caught, everything stolen belonged to you?
The master of the Golden Pavilion must have had his dao heart shattered from being robbed and only sought to vent his anger?
However, what most interested Gu Chengming wasn't the amount of the bounty, but that special term—thief cultivator.
In his mind, memories surfaced of several days ago when Luo Jinyao had casually mentioned some strange stories about the northern cultivation world during a chat.
In this land of Jiuzhou, besides those orthodox cultivators who focused on orderly inheritance and those evil and demonic cultivators who lived on blood or harmed people with unorthodox ways, there existed an extremely special group.
They didn't practice great slaughtering arts or seek eternal life, but specialized in escape techniques, concealment, breaking restrictions, and taking things from pockets.
These were the "thief cultivators."
Luo Jinyao had said at the time that Gu Chengming hailed from the Wenjian Sect, and his first trip down the mountain was to the Great Qian capital, the most righteous place. Thus, he knew very little about these various trades.
The Great Qian capital was a gathering place for dragon veins, with vast imperial aura suppressing all monsters and ghosts. In such a place of strict rules and array coverage, a thief cultivator's skills would be suppressed by ninety percent. Any minor movement would be detected by the Imperial Observatory's seismographs or the Night Guard Division's patrols. Therefore, thief cultivators were almost extinct in the capital.
But the north was different. This was a wild land where rules were chaotic and all sorts of people were mixed, and ancient ruins and secret realms often appeared.
This environment was simply the place of dreams for thief cultivators.
Thief cultivators were often without a sect, or rather had a single-line inheritance. They acted mysteriously and rarely showed their true faces.
"Senior Luo also specifically warned me..." Gu Chengming instinctively touched the storage pouch at his waist, thinking to himself, "She said high-level thief cultivators have a special pupil technique that can see through the restrictions of a storage pouch and see what treasures are inside. The principle of not showing off wealth is completely useless in front of a thief cultivator."
Thinking this, Gu Chengming shook his head, withdrew his gaze, and didn't linger on that bounty. Carrying the things he had bought, he turned to leave the noisy Exchange.
However, what he didn't know was that at the moment he turned around.
A gaze had silently fallen upon him.
In a corner of the Exchange, under an inconspicuous tea stall.
A girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old was lazily lying on the table, playing with two copper coins in her hands.
The girl was very good-looking, with a fair and round face and large, spirited eyes that showed a hint of mischievousness.
She wore an inconspicuous black short-sleeved outfit, and her jet-black long hair was tied into two playful twin tails that swayed gently behind her head with her movements.
She sat there openly as people came and went. Several cultivators from hunting teams with powerful auras even brushed past her, yet they seemed to not notice this person at all.
Even when the tea stall waiter passed by with tea, his gaze naturally slipped past her position as if she were just a patch of air.
In the thief cultivator's trade, this was called "Dust Merging."
The girl's name was Nuo Tao.
In the thief cultivator circles of the north, perhaps no one had heard her name, but if her master were mentioned, all thief cultivators would have to call her senior sister.
Because she was orthodox.
She was the only orthodox successor of the "Myriad Thief Immortal" lineage in the world of Jiuzhou.
The world knew thief cultivators were as many as carp in a river, but didn't know that this path of "thievery" also had a source. Ordinary thief cultivators only learned a bit of superficial escape techniques, living by picking locks and petty thievery.
They stole gold and silver, and snatched dharma weapons; their style was low and their methods crude. But the Myriad Thief Immortal lineage practiced the art of "stealing heavenly secrets and snatching karma."
Rumor had it that the ancestor named Myriad Thief Immortal was a great cultivator above the sixth realm. The old man once said:
"The way of heaven is to take from those who have extra to give to those who lack. The way of thievery is to take what you don't need anyway and let me use it for a bit."
The inheritance of this lineage never looked at aptitude, only at chance and wit.
Nuo Tao's master was the current master of the Myriad Thief Sect.
Speaking of her master, Nuo Tao herself found it a bit puzzling.
The old man clearly had skills that could reach the heavens, yet he was an old prankster. To blend perfectly into this trade, he had even given himself an earth-shaking title—Daoist Don't Know.
Yes, Daoist Don't Know.
At first, Nuo Tao thought her master was brushing her off, but she later understood the "foresight" behind this name.
It was so that after stealing the core treasures of various major sects, when the raging sect masters and elders grabbed passersby and roared, "Who stole my treasure?!"
Everyone could only answer blankly: "Don't know!"
"Who was it?!"
"Don't know!"
Whenever she thought of that scene, Nuo Tao felt her master was a genius at naming, having mastered the essence of "great thievery being invisible."
As the last disciple of Daoist Don't Know, Nuo Tao had naturally received the true inheritance. She not only inherited the sect's mysterious escape techniques but also developed a pair of 【Myriad Thief Spiritual Eye】 that were said to be able to "peer into the high heavens and the deep underworld."
Coming down the mountain to Falling Snow Pass this time, she was originally here to complete the sect's trial mission—to find the other half of a token that opened a secret realm.
But after waiting in the Exchange for three days and three nights without seeing the token, she became bored. She disguised herself and used an alias to steal twelve dharma weapons from the Golden Pavilion.
It wasn't that she lacked money; it was simply that her hands were itchy, and she truly couldn't stand black-hearted merchant guilds that profited from war. Her master once said this kind of thing counted as minor karma; it was fine to steal for fun as long as it was returned later.
Of course, if she ran out of money and didn't return it, she would have to bear that karma.
As for what impact this karma would have... her master hadn't said.
Nuo Tao curled her lip and put away the copper coins, preparing to find another place to continue her stakeout. Suddenly, her gaze fixed.
In the bustling crowd, a figure wearing a dark iron-colored cloak and carrying large and small bags entered her sight without any warning.
"Eh?"
Nuo Tao blinked her eyes, and her previously bored gaze instantly lit up.
'Such... such a good-looking young man!'
Although the person didn't deliberately show off and even had a restrained aura, his upright stature and that profile, which looked as warm as jade even in the wind and snow, made Nuo Tao, a heavy "face-con," unable to look away.
It was a clean and pure beauty that was out of place in this rough border land.
Nuo Tao subconsciously swallowed her saliva, and the little person named "propriety" in her heart was instantly kicked two miles away.
However, as the orthodox successor of the Myriad Thief Sect, her professional quality regained the high ground in the next second.
"No, no! Nuo Tao, stay calm! Master said that the better-looking a man is, the more likely he is to lie... and now is working time!"
She took a deep breath, forcibly moved her gaze away from Gu Chengming's face, and instead looked toward the inconspicuous storage pouch at his waist.
This was a thief cultivator's instinct.
It was also the most direct way to "inspect" a cultivator's wealth: "Let me see what treasures this young man is hiding."
She didn't use any spiritual energy fluctuations; she just narrowed her eyes slightly, and a very thin golden thread seemed to flash deep in her pupils.
【Myriad Thief Spiritual Eye】, open!
In that instant, the ordinary storage pouch seemed to become transparent in her eyes.
Layers of complex restrictions, like peeling onion skins, were displayed one by one under her gaze, then easily penetrated by her special pupil technique.
It didn't trigger any alarms or cause any spiritual energy backlash.
It was as if her gaze had passed through the surface of water to see the fish at the bottom.
"Whoa, quite a fortune..."
Nuo Tao clicked her tongue inwardly.
As her gaze passed the ordinary pills, spirit stones, and spare clothes, she saw some quite interesting things.
Several talismans exuding fourth realm sword intent... a large pile of obviously freshly bought snacks and points... and many, many, many dharma weapons and swords!
Such wealth made Nuo Tao click her tongue.
However, just as her gaze was about to move away from that corner.
A very weak yet extremely unique ghostly light suddenly caught her attention.
The item was stuffed in the deepest part of the storage pouch, pressed under several miscellaneous items. If it weren't for her eyes being most sensitive to "treasure aura," she truly would have missed it.
Nuo Tao focused her gaze, and her sight passed through the clutter to finally see the true form of the object.
It was a palm-sized token.
It was dark iron in color, with an ancient and heavy material. On the front of the token was engraved a pattern of a blue luan with spread wings, and its eyes were embedded with two small rubies.
"That's..."
Nuo Tao's body suddenly stiffened, her large eyes staring intently at the pattern.
"Mystic demon iron... blue luan pattern... ruby eyes."
The huge surprise of finding something she had searched for everywhere without success made her almost jump out of her chair.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in her heart, and her right hand, which had been hidden in her sleeve, reached out with a slight tremble.
In her fair palm, she held a token extremely similar to the one in Gu Chengming's storage pouch.
Except that the one in her hand wasn't dark iron in color, but a warm milky white, with a material that looked like jade but wasn't.
And on that token, what was engraved wasn't a blue luan, but a fire phoenix tumbling in a sea of clouds.
Two tokens, one black and one white, one luan and one phoenix.
"Found it..."
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