“Three years ago, even though my brother and I tried our best to keep a low profile, we still gained a bit of a minor reputation on the underworld circuit. One day, a masked man approached us, saying he had a major job that required our brotherly expertise.”
Liu Na’s voice carried a hint of regret and helplessness, his eyes staring blankly into the distance. “Looking back now, that man exuded a sinister aura. At the time, however, we paid it no mind because he was introduced by a senior figure. I strongly opposed the idea. That man said the vault they wanted to enter contained all sorts of porcelain treasures, but he only needed to take two chests. He didn’t want any other porcelain items and left the rest for us to handle as we pleased.”
“When my younger brother heard this, his eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed without hesitation. Given the circumstances, I had no choice but to go along. I couldn’t just let my brother risk his life while I remained indifferent. Sigh… “
Liu Na let out a long sigh, unsure whether it was for his brother Liu Qu’s stubbornness back then or his own regret for agreeing to the job.
Mei Qing shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this. Liu Qu’s actions seemed to have been possessed by some evil force. Although those treasures had no practical use, they were cultural relics passed down from previous generations. To steal and destroy them was simply going too far.
Since Liu Na had mentioned this major job from three years ago, Mei Qing naturally understood that the masked man must have been planning to break into the imperial palace to steal treasures. He further speculated that the two chests the masked man wanted were likely the Daoist scriptures. As for Liu Qu obtaining those superior porcelain treasures during the heist, the only mystery was why he hadn’t destroyed all the porcelain this time.
Liu Na spoke with a dazed look in his eyes: “I always tried to persuade my younger brother that although these porcelain items were of no practical use, they were handed down from our ancestors. Surviving centuries of warfare and chaos, they were precious remnants of our heritage. To destroy them all now would be a reversal of right and wrong, inevitably inviting divine retribution and ill fortune. My younger brother, however, retorted, ‘Where is heaven? Where is justice? If heaven truly had eyes to see and justice to enforce, how could there be so much chaos and injustice in the world? These porcelain items are nothing but a curse. If heaven had eyes, it would destroy them. If heaven won’t take action, then I shall. If heaven won’t claim them, then I shall. Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but feel anger myself, so I never truly tried to dissuade him. Now, reflecting on it, we always end up destroyed by these porcelain items. If it’s not divine retribution, then what else could it be? Sigh, retribution, retribution indeed…”
Liu Na shook his head and sighed bitterly for a long while before continuing with a wry smile: “I’m ashamed to admit this. A dying man speaks kindly, they say. Normally, I don’t believe in anything, but now that I’m nearing death, I find myself dwelling on these thoughts. Young Master Mei, please don’t laugh at me. Although we didn’t know beforehand exactly which treasure vault we were going to rob, my brother and I could sense that it was no ordinary storage facility. I remember it was the first month of the eighteenth year of the Jiajing reign. Not long after the New Year festivities, the weather was still very cold. Generally speaking, that time of year wasn’t ideal for such work, given the freezing conditions. However, that masked man seemed impatient, so my brother and I made thorough preparations and brought our tools to the designated location he specified.”
At this point, Liu Na’s eyes showed a hint of fear as he continued: “Unexpectedly, there was no one in sight at that place. We waited for half a day before a child finally arrived, saying he would lead us to the master. We asked him who the master was, but the child… seemed to have no idea how to respond. He just kept grinning foolishly and led us forward.”
“When we arrived at the destination, we found it was an old mansion on the outskirts of the capital. As soon as we entered, the child who had led us collapsed to the ground and didn’t move. We had seen all sorts of scenes in our underworld dealings, but at that moment, our youthful bravado took over, and we summoned the courage to go inside.”
“Upon entering the house, we found only the masked man who had approached us earlier. For some reason, it seemed as if his back had become much more hunched since we last saw him, and he appeared listless and spoke little. After a while, several more people were brought in one after another. Among them were a few we recognized—experts in mechanisms and tomb raiding from the underworld. We couldn’t figure out how that masked man had managed to gather all of us together.”
“Although we were generally acquainted with each other in the underworld, we had never worked together before. Moreover, there was an unwritten rule in the underworld that no job would involve multiple groups. Therefore, everyone’s expressions changed at the sight of each other. Especially one fellow whose reputation wasn’t particularly good. Upon seeing the crowd, he immediately started cursing, accusing the masked man of disregarding the rules and acting recklessly. I remember him clearly; he surnamed Hu, and his nickname was ‘Flying Heaven Fox.’ His reputation in the underworld was quite bad. People said that a thief should either steal valuables or commit indecent acts, but not both. Although indecent acts were despicable, there were still some rules to follow. However, some said that ‘Flying Heaven Fox’ was a man who never left either aspect unexplored, which is why he was disliked by many. It was also rumored that he had several enemies. Perhaps he had his own reasons to be on edge, so upon seeing us, he immediately protested and wanted to leave.”
“Even for us, we felt dissatisfied. In the underworld, unless a senior figure took charge, it was unheard of for everyone to work together on a single job. Since ‘Flying Heaven Fox’ had started the protest, we might as well just disband.”
“As I was thinking this but hadn’t spoken up yet, I saw ‘Flying Heaven Fox’ already saying, ‘Old Mu, since you don’t understand the rules, I’m not going to bother playing with you anymore. Whoever wants to serve you can do so. I’m leaving first!’ With that, he turned to leave.”
“The ‘Old Mu’ that ‘Flying Heaven Fox’ referred to was none other than the masked man. Previously, we had all called him Master Mu. Seeing ‘Flying Heaven Fox’ wanting to leave, Master Mu merely snorted and muttered something under his breath. Then, we saw ‘Flying Heaven Fox’ suddenly freeze in place.”
At this point, Liu Na’s expression suddenly turned extremely fearful, and his voice quivered slightly as he continued: “The scene at that moment is something I will never forget for the rest of my life. ‘Flying Heaven Fox’ was just standing at the doorway when suddenly fire began to emerge from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth!”
“The flames were like hellish infernos, exhibiting a purplish-green hue, streaming from his eyes, nose, and mouth. His entire body was like a torch stuck upright, with his head completely engulfed in purple flames, his hair and beard ablaze. Despite the roaring flames, ‘Flying Heaven Fox’ twisted his body like a flayed wild beast in excruciating pain, but throughout the ordeal, not a single sound was heard from him.”
“Looking back now, it must not have been due to ‘Flying Heaven Fox’s’ resilience that he remained silent, but rather that Master Mu had used some sort of sorcery to prevent him from making any noise. Witnessing his agonizing state, he burned for about two to three quarters of an hour until his entire body was reduced to ashes, leaving behind only a skeleton. At that moment, everyone was stunned with terror. The sight of the burning human figure and the nauseating stench in the air were overwhelming. Several people couldn’t bear it anymore and crouched in a corner vomiting violently. However, Master Mu let out another snort, and no one dared to move or utter a single word afterward. Finally, Master Mu said, ‘I won’t repeat myself. You have your underworld rules, and I have mine. Just get the job done. After it’s completed, I will certainly fulfill my promise. But if anyone causes trouble again, this person here will be your example.’ As the saying goes, ‘When one is under someone else’s roof, one must bow one’s head.’ Although none of us were kind-hearted individuals, at that moment, we could only resign ourselves to our fate.”
As Liu Na recounted the events of that time, his face still bore signs of shock. Imagining the eerie scene in that old mansion, where a martial artist was burned alive with just a wave of a hand, was indeed spine-chilling. Mei Qing further speculated that Master Mu was certainly no ordinary martial artist but must be a cultivator. However, cultivators had their own set of rules. How could he resort to using sorcery to burn and kill others? This was difficult to fathom.
Hou Shen, who had been listening to Liu Na’s account, couldn’t help but change his expression as well. After a moment of thought, he couldn’t resist asking, “Brother Liu, given how ruthless Master Mu was, it’s likely that his ambitions were not small. Coupled with his abilities, he’s probably not someone we ordinary people can stand against. If that’s the case, even if you followed his instructions to steal the treasures, he would likely eliminate you afterward. Didn’t anyone think about escaping at that time?”
Liu Na gave a bitter smile and said, “Whether we agreed or not, we would face the same fate. How could we not understand that? However, I also thought that if this person was so capable, yet still needed us for the vault heist, it meant there were limits to his abilities. Thinking this way, perhaps there would be an opportunity in the future. Since refusing was definitely a death sentence, we had no choice but to take it one step at a time.”
Mei Qing couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Although the techniques of cultivators were considered miraculous in the eyes of ordinary people, there were always things beyond their reach. Take, for example, the treasure vault of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which cultivators couldn’t handle, yet Hou Shen could move freely in and out. This showed that cultivators were not omnipotent.
Liu Na continued, “Once the decision was made, we began discussing the plan. Master Mu took out a map and said it showed the location and layout of the treasure vault. Among us, I was somewhat renowned for my expertise in construction and architecture. Therefore, everyone pushed me forward. Master Mu didn’t say anything but quietly handed me the map.”
“When I took a look, I was greatly shocked. As I mentioned earlier, my ancestors were craftsmen by trade, and although I never formally studied construction and architecture, I still had some knowledge. The treasure vault map that Master Mu presented was clearly not for an ordinary household, not even comparable to the residences of nobles and aristocrats. Considering that he had gathered us all in the capital city, this job was likely to be extremely dangerous. There was a high probability that the vault was royal property.”
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