Chapter 310: Dumb Luck

Chapter 310: Dumb Luck

Zhao Changhe had always been honest about his fear of Vermillion Bird, and even now, he was still quite afraid of her.

Lady Three might be ranked higher than Vermillion Bird, but Zhao Changhe never felt any fear toward her. However, he continued to fear Vermillion Bird to this day.

Perhaps it was because Vermillion Bird was so fierce while Lady Three was always smiling. Or maybe it was the intense memory of blood-soaked slaughter from when he first entered this world, a memory that lingered and would not fade away. Not to mention that deep down, he subconsciously believed that rankings did not represent everything. Considering their “aura,” he felt that, in a real fight, Lady Three might end up overpowered by Vermillion Bird.

But the more he feared her, the more exhilarating this moment was. It gave him a sense of overcoming fears, making him feel immensely liberated.

Xia Chichi also felt a mixture of fear and excitement. She was far more aware of Vermillion Bird’s ruthlessness than Zhao Changhe, to the point where she did not dare breathe loudly around her. In the past, she could never have imagined passionately kissing a man right in front of Vermillion Bird without her master losing her temper.

To both of them, those few moments felt amazing...

The two of them separated, and each quietly stole glances at Vermillion Bird.

With the mask covering her face, they could not read her expression. They could not tell if she truly did not care or if she was concealing her emotions deep within. Her words, however, were calm. “I had been secretly protecting you, and as it was a secret, I naturally could not let you know in the first place. I did all that so you would not develop a sense of dependency and lose the will to fight for your life. But in the end, I had no choice but to reveal myself because I feared that you would lose yourself in lust. Now that I’ve revealed myself, it’s time for me to truly leave. Don’t assume that I’m always around when you’re facing difficulties. Doing so will only serve to hinder your cultivation. As for whether you indulge yourself in lust after I’m gone, that’s up to you.”

Xia Chichi felt a bit ashamed, realizing that Vermillion Bird truly had her best interest at heart.

She lowered her head and said, “Venerable, about the volcanic eruption...”

“Just because a volcano erupted doesn’t mean anything significant. Don’t bother to exaggerate it into something grand. If you insist on investigating it, then I’ll instruct the Fire Serpent of Yi, the Fire Tiger of Wei[1], or some others to check it out. Matters related to fire have nothing to do with you. Focus on your own path; don’t get distracted.”

“I understand.”

Vermillion Bird gave Zhao Changhe a deep look and said calmly, “Don’t let your desires control you.”

With that, she disappeared in a flash.

Zhao Changhe was actually drenched in cold sweat. Seeing Vermillion Bird take her leave, his shoulders slumped as he exhaled with relief. He turned around and saw that Chichi was just as tense. They exchanged looks, both of them displaying an expression of relief from having just narrowly escaped death.

Xia Chichi, with her shoulders slumped as well, said, “Being in front of the venerable always feels so stressful.”

Zhao Changhe replied, “You say that, yet you dared act all coy earlier.”

“I’m a little witch. What kind of witch would I be without some nerve? What about you, though? Weren’t you afraid?”

“I’m a bandit. What’s a bandit who fears death?”

“Pfft... You’re risking your life for lust.” Xia Chichi smiled and took his hand. They sat on the edge of the bed. With their shoulders against each other, she whispered, “The venerable is already very angry. We better not push it.”

“Hah, do you really think that was the only thing I was after?”

Xia Chichi rolled her eyes. “Who’s the big brother? Call me senior brother.”

“Senior brother...” Zhao Changhe scooted a bit closer.

For some reason, that term had a bit of a flirtatious undertone between them, sparking a bit of emotion whenever it was mentioned.

Sometimes, Zhao Changhe wondered if there was something wrong with his own sexual orientation. After all, he seemed particularly stimulated by Chichi’s male disguise.

Xia Chichi pushed his face away and scolded, “And you said your mind wasn’t filled with that!”

“Ahem... Anyway, I do know where Yang Qianyuan is, but don’t do anything just yet. I still have some use for him.”

Xia Chichi asked in intrigue, “What use could you possibly have for him?”

“I need to gather some information from him. I’ve just started getting close to him, and I haven’t had the chance to really dig into certain secrets yet.”

“What information do you need that’s so important?”

“I want to find clues about the Thieves Guild and the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng.”

Xia Chichi smiled and said, “Are you deliberately trying to avoid owing the Four Idols Cult a favor, or are you just outright stupid? Yang Qianyuan has only been in Kunlun for so long. What could he possibly know? Why not just ask Earth Deer of Liu directly?”

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. “Because when Lady Three sent me here after I told her what I was after, she did not have the specifics, which suggests that Earth Deer of Liu doesn’t have any information on these two things either. After all, he’s primarily focused on investigating matters relevant to you. He might not have extensive knowledge about other things.”

Xia Chichi rolled her eyes. “Lady Three doesn’t even know Earth Deer of Liu is here. Her information probably came from Ying Five’s network. You really are a dummy sometimes.”

She jumped off the bed and dashed out the door. “Wait here, I’ll ask Earth Deer of Liu for you.”

After a moment, she returned with a strange expression, “He has no information about the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, but he does have some information about the Thieves Guild.”

Zhao Changhe asked, “What’s with that look on your face? Is there something wrong with the Thieves Guild?”

“No,” replied Xia Chichi. “Earth Deer of Liu said that, if his guess is correct, Tian Lingzi might be the manager of the Thieves Guild here responsible for fencing stolen goods. He mentioned that the goods sold by the Yukun Gang are just too inexplicably diverse compared to others.”

Zhao Changhe suddenly realized something.

The Thieves Guild was never really supposed to be hard to find. They’ve got to have a direct link on the surface.

Otherwise, Sisi, who had just escaped from the Ancient Spirit Tribe’s secret realm and was completely clueless about the outside world, would not have been able to join the Thieves Guild. If the Thieves Guild is in Kunlun, then there must be a point near the city’s entrance where they would be easy to encounter. Sisi must have stumbled upon them. It makes a lot of sense now.

1. The mansion of Wei is one of the seven mansions under the Azure Dragon. ☜