The group did not dare tarry along the way, heading straight for the prefectural capital of Qingchuan Prefecture.
By the time they arrived, every one of them was exhausted beyond recognition. Even with his Dragon Vitality and Tiger Vigor, Wei Yuefu could not conceal the weariness on his face.
Dragon Vitality and Tiger Vigor had its limits and took its toll. Without taking in sufficient nourishment, Wei Yuefu could not conjure energy and stamina out of thin air, which naturally slowed his recovery.
Fortunately, after arriving worn and covered in dust, they were received immediately and provided with food and lodging.
Only after wolfing down his food like a whirlwind scattering clouds did Wei Yuefu finally catch his breath. Otherwise, his stomach would have stayed stuck to his ribs from hunger, leaving him thoroughly drained.
Having eaten his fill, Wei Yuefu lay in bed resting with his eyes closed, while keeping an eye on his little brother's movements.
He had sent his little brother to shadow Shen Qianjun.
To tell the truth, he found himself wishing he had the Photographic Memory talent from his scholar identity right about now.
Transcribing with a brush was truly a headache.
Fortunately, Shen Qianjun was poring over the text and studying it intently again and again, which gave Wei Yuefu ample time to copy it down.
As the saying went, a trick did not need to be novel so long as it worked.
With his little brother functioning as a formless, invisible floating surveillance camera, it was remarkably useful, aside from the fact that it could not record video.
He estimated that three to five days would be enough to copy the entire work.
Right as he was thinking this, a knock came from the door.
Hearing it, Wei Yuefu called out that he was coming, then got up to answer.
It was Tian Muchuan, who spoke up the moment he arrived. "Shoucheng, not resting yet?"
"..." Wei Yuefu was rendered speechless. He had already opened the door; even if he had been resting, he would be awake by now.
In the end, he could only reply, "Not yet."
With that, he welcomed Tian Muchuan inside, who then asked, "What did you and Shen Qianjun get from the treasure vault?"
Since they had taken the newly carved route, the others had inevitably spotted the man-made passage, leaving no choice but for everyone to go in and look around together. Consequently, each person had grabbed some gold, silver, and jewels, and Wei Yuefu was naturally no exception.
At the same time, they had also seen the shattered bronze chest.
Wei Yuefu had simply claimed Hong Qiming had smashed it and taken the contents. Since everyone had pocketed a share of the spoils, nobody cared to pursue the matter; even if people harbored suspicions, none of them voiced them.
"I grabbed a jade bottle, but the pill inside was completely rotten," Wei Yuefu said with a sigh. "My hands were too slow. The bottle is jade, though, so I'm keeping it to sell. There was also a martial arts manual, which ended up in Shen Qianjun's hands."
Wei Yuefu's words were half-truth and half-lie. Except for the part about the pill being rotten, everything else was true.
If his hands had been slightly quicker, he would have snatched that manual as well.
Then again, had he done so, they would have had to fight it out in the vault.
At that time, clad in heavy armor, Wei Yuefu would not necessarily have lost to Shen Qianjun. They might well have fought to a draw—what he lacked in cultivation, he could make up for with gear.
It was simply that he had no way to handcraft firearms. Otherwise, he would have shown these martial artists why relying on martial arts instead of a gun was no way to become a grandmaster.
"You rascal, you've learned to be slick too," Tian Muchuan said with a chuckle. "Still, this information is very useful. It gives us just the chance to leak the news and get Shen Qianjun into hot water. That manual is definitely the former dynasty's Daluo Martial Classic." Tian Muchuan's smile turned into a cold sneer. "Privately hoarding a secret royal manual from the fallen dynasty... To put it harshly, that's treasonous intent."
Talk about pinning a massive crime on someone.
"Then... how do you plan to handle Silver Robe Xia?" Wei Yuefu asked helplessly.
Tian Muchuan's scheme assumed Shen Qianjun had no backing, but Xia Miaozheng was still very much alive.
This plot would never work; instead, it would only drag Tian Muchuan down with it.
A petty, clownish villain like Tian Muchuan, after stirring up trouble for so long, was due to be dealt with by the protagonist. If he kept his head down, he might have been able to reform into an ordinary supporting character, but that seemed rather unlikely now.
"This..." Hearing this, Tian Muchuan fell silent for a moment.
Xia Miaozheng's treatment was worlds apart from theirs. They had been assigned quarters inside the Six Doors branch of Qingchuan Prefecture's capital, whereas Xia Miaozheng was staying in a grand estate outside.
They lived in staff dormitories while she stayed in a luxury mansion; the disparity in treatment was obvious at a glance.
So the only ones who had lost ground were them; her influence remained at its zenith.
"Tell me, what kind of background does this Xia Miaozheng have?" Tian Muchuan asked gloomily. "Everywhere she goes, she outranks the local officials by a grade."
"How would I know?" Wei Yuefu spread his hands.
If he knew that kind of classified secret, he would be Tian Muchuan's superior by now.
"In my opinion, we shouldn't bother with these framing schemes," Wei Yuefu said. "Better to compete fair and square."
It was not that Wei Yuefu looked down on framing people, but such tactics depended on who used them and who the target was. Shen Qianjun was not someone you could take down with underhanded tricks, because his backing was too formidable; the attempt would simply fall flat.
"Then we... can't compete with him either," Tian Muchuan said with a wry smile.
Tian Muchuan at least possessed that much self-awareness.
"If all else fails... just make a concession," Wei Yuefu suggested, though he knew the conflict of interest between them was irreconcilable.
Sure enough, the moment he said it, Tian Muchuan shook his head decisively. "No, absolutely not. If we give ground, our source of income is cut off. That would be fatal."
***
"Junior Brother, don't fret over it anymore. That Ding fellow is like a stone in a latrine—foul and stubborn," Meng Zhijie cursed.
He had learned about Shen Qianjun and the Mount Sumeru King Immovable Divine Art. In their eyes, Ding Shoucheng was deliberately making things difficult.
Shen Qianjun had shown so much sincerity, even offering to pay good money and let him copy the martial art, yet Ding Shoucheng still refused to sell.
In his hands, the pill would merely go to waste anyway.
"In my opinion, why don't we wait until Ding Shoucheng goes out on patrol and steal the pill?" Meng Mingzhu suggested, scheming.
Before anyone else could chime in, however, Shen Qianjun flatly refused. "No. He's already on bad terms with us. If it goes missing, he'll know without a doubt that we did it. If things blow up, it won't end well for anyone."
How could he not see what Meng Mingzhu had in mind? It was simply getting hold of it, swallowing it, and leaving behind no evidence.
Yet if they truly did that, Ding Shoucheng—who already held a grudge against them—would certainly resort to far more drastic measures. After all, if they were the first to play dirty, they could not blame him for resorting to underhanded means in return.
Shen Qianjun might be able to weather the fallout, but those following him might not.
"If that won't do..." Meng Wei said with a hint of helplessness, "I still have a copy of the Sifang Annotations. It contains the insights and experiences of our hall's past masters regarding our three martial arts. With that thrown in, it ought to make him relent. And if that's still not enough, I'll go to his door in person and beg him."
Meng Wei could tell just how crucial the Dragon Marrow Blood-Tempering Pill was to Shen Qianjun, so he was willing to cast aside his pride to secure it for him.
Even Meng Zhijie had never received such treatment.
Chapter 42