Chapter 73: The Innocent Bear the Burden of Treasure

Yuanjiang City, inside a dimly lit club.

Brother Chen, seething with anger, smashed a wine glass hard against the floor.

“Just who the hell is this kid, to have killed Firecloud Demon himself?”

He couldn’t understand it at all. Xiang Nan was only at the second level of cultivation, yet his destructive power was overwhelming.

The Axe Gang’s elite, Tian Can and Di Que, had both died by his hand—that alone was unbelievable enough for Brother Chen. This time, they’d spent a fortune to hire Firecloud Demon, hoping to use him to make a comeback. Who could have imagined that a mere Xiang Nan would kill Firecloud Demon, crossing ranks to do so?

Though furious, Brother Chen was determined to seek revenge.

He turned toward Shi Kun, the Blood Alliance’s leader, who was lounging on the sofa, legs crossed.

“Kun, you must help me avenge this!”

Shi Kun took a slow drag of his cigar, his eyes fixed on the club’s screen.

On the screen played the video of Xiang Nan killing Firecloud Demon.

When Xiang Nan produced the Taiji Diagram and a sudden surge of blue light erupted, Shi Kun’s hand paused, his gaze locked onto the images.

After a moment, he finally spoke. “You say this kid is with the Eagle Alliance?”

“That’s right. He’s their new young master, and he’s insufferably arrogant. Our Axe Gang has operated in the capital for many years, but we’ve been defeated at his hands,” Brother Chen replied through gritted teeth.

“The Eagle Alliance has been declining for years. I thought the capital would soon be your Axe Gang’s domain, but now such a formidable character has emerged. It seems the Eagle Alliance intends to rise again.”

“We absolutely cannot allow them to revive! The capital is the most prosperous city in all Nine Provinces. Kun, don’t you want a share of that?”

“Naturally! I’ve long wanted to swallow up the Eagle Alliance and march into the capital. If the poison plot hadn’t failed last time… never mind that. Since your Axe Gang has decided to follow our Blood Alliance, your enemies are now mine as well!”

As he spoke, Shi Kun’s gaze never left the scroll in Xiang Nan’s hands on the screen.

No sooner had Brother Chen left than Shi Kun gave orders to his trusted aide. “Go. Inform our brothers in the capital—I want a thorough investigation into this Xiang Nan’s background. And that painting scroll—find out what it is and where he keeps it.”

If he wasn’t mistaken, that was a treasure capable of channeling powerful arts.

For Shi Kun, helping the Axe Gang take revenge was a minor matter; seizing the artifact was his true goal.

“Yes, sir!” his confidant replied, bowing. He turned to leave.

“Wait.” Shi Kun paused. “Notify the master of Mount Daze. The time has come for him to make his move.”

…

Dragon Abyss Military Headquarters.

Early in the morning, Li Mu searched everywhere for Lone Wolf, troubled by his thoughts.

He checked the barracks, then the training grounds, but Lone Wolf was nowhere to be found.

After thinking it over, Li Mu’s eyes lit up and he headed toward the military hospital.

In the intensive care unit,

Lone Wolf stood quietly, gazing with a hint of confusion at the patient lying in bed.

Li Mu knocked and entered. “Captain, I finally found you.”

Lone Wolf looked up. “What is it?”

Glancing at the patient, Li Mu realized he was being intrusive, so he changed the subject. “How is the general? Was nothing in Xiang Nan’s blood able to counteract the poison?”

“The research institute has already tested it. Xiang Nan’s blood is ordinary; it has no effect on the Purple Poison.” Disappointment was plain on Lone Wolf’s face.

“No antidote? Then why has the poison never affected him?” Li Mu frowned, puzzled. He had been closely following everything about Xiang Nan. Since the incident, Xiang Nan had shown no signs of poisoning.

“It’s fusion. He’s fused with the poison.” Lone Wolf stood up, looking out the window. “We detected traces of Purple Poison in his blood, but he has no symptoms. Perhaps his constitution is unique—what is deadly to others is harmless to him.”

“Fusion?” Li Mu recalled that, every time he saw Xiang Nan, the boy had seemed perfectly normal. But during the school’s volunteer selection, he’d noticed flashes of purple in Xiang Nan’s eyes when he unleashed his potential—could that be related to the Purple Poison?

After a pause, Lone Wolf turned back. “You said you needed me for something. What is it?”

“It’s about Xiang Nan, again,” Li Mu replied.

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

“Firecloud Demon is dead. Killed by Xiang Nan.”

“Firecloud Demon? That murdering fiend locked up in the asylum?”

“Yes, a top-tier expert at level four, eight stars.”

“How is that possible?”

“Someone recorded their fight. There are some incredible things in the video—I wanted you to see it as soon as possible.”

Lone Wolf glanced at the patient, then turned. “Come, to my office.”

After watching the video, Lone Wolf took a deep breath. “What did Xiang Nan say about this artifact?”

“He claims it’s just an ordinary weapon, with a concealed mechanism.”

“No ordinary weapon could kill Firecloud Demon.”

“Xiang Nan explained that the blue light was a natural phenomenon, and that Firecloud Demon was killed by coincidence.”

“Does anyone actually believe that?”

“Yet no one can find any evidence, nor can anyone find that artifact on Xiang Nan—unless he’s willing to reveal it himself.”

Lone Wolf understood Li Mu’s implication. When Xiang Nan awakened his ancestral powers, he’d gained access to a pocket dimension—no one but him could retrieve items from it.

“If such a treasure were to fall into the hands of an enemy nation, the disaster it would bring to the Nine Provinces is unimaginable. Has the National Security Bureau been informed?”

“The video has already gone viral online. It won’t be long before the whole world knows. As the saying goes, ‘A man’s wealth is his own undoing.’ Xiang Nan is in real danger now.”

Lone Wolf considered this. “Don’t worry. He’ll be safe for now. Few people know he has a pocket dimension, and with only second-level cultivation, it’s theoretically impossible for him to wield such a treasure. His cover story should fool most people.”

“Most, but not all?”

“Of course not. The world is full of strange events, and Xiang Nan harbors many secrets. None of this will escape the eyes of experts lurking in the shadows. Though he has his own storage space, those with sufficient skill may still force him to hand it over.”

Li Mu frowned. There were certainly many secrets surrounding Xiang Nan. Each time he awakened his ancestral power, natural phenomena occurred. His cultivation advanced at an incredible rate. And those Spirit Medicines—so effective as to defy belief.

“What should we do?” Li Mu asked anxiously.

“From today on, I’ll personally protect him from the shadows. That artifact must never fall into the wrong hands!”