"We're really back..." Lugging their suitcases, Nianshi and Lishi followed Red King up to the rooftop of their old residential building, sighing relentlessly.
From boarding the plane to landing, and then taking a taxi all the way here, the two of them hadn't stopped sighing. It grated on Red King's nerves—did they think he was in any better mood?
Just as Red King was about to scold them, Nianshi spoke up first. "Lord Red King, did Professor really name the two of us personally?"
Swallowing his rebuke, Red King softened his tone slightly. "Yes, Professor selected you personally. It must be because he thinks highly of you and wants to groom you."
Nianshi and Lishi sighed in unison, utterly unable to fathom why Professor would think so highly of them.
After their triumphant return, they had moved into luxury villas, gotten fine cars and beautiful women, living lives of decadent revelry. They had figured that was how they would spend the rest of their days.
If this were a movie, their lives would have been the closing scene: two tomb raiders stumbling upon a treasure map, enduring countless hardships, and though they hadn't gotten the ultimate treasure, they had walked away with enough wealth to last a lifetime—a perfectly fine ending.
Never in their wildest dreams did they expect the movie to get a sequel.
A single phone call from Professor had ripped them out of their drunken stupor, and learning the mission's location made them want to burst into tears.
Nianshi and Lishi were thoroughly dejected. In the past, they had yearned for Professor's attention, only to be ignored; now that they finally had it, they wished Professor would just forget they existed.
After grumbling in their hearts and accepting reality, the three reluctantly got down to business.
The furniture on the rooftop was still there: sofa, bamboo mat, mattress, air conditioner... and most important of all, the telescope.
A rainstorm had passed through in the meantime, soaking the outdoor sofa and bamboo mat, which needed wiping down, but the rest of the furnishings were still usable.
"I'm going to lie down on the bed for a bit. You two keep watch," Red King said with a yawn. Ever since receiving this assignment, he hadn't slept well, his heart fluttering with dread. Curiously, once he arrived in Chang'an, his heart had settled considerably.
Perhaps knowing he couldn't escape had made him resign himself to fate.
The three of them had set up a prefab shed on the rooftop, just like those on construction sites, offering shelter from the elements as well as air conditioning. Red King prepared to head inside to catch up on sleep.
"They told us to look for clues about the Hereditary Jade Seal, but where are we even supposed to start?" Lishi grumbled.
"In theory, Zhenyue Ghost King knows where the Hereditary Jade Seal is. But the problem is, how long have we been watching this place? We haven't seen hide nor hair of any ghost king—just a female ghost. The gender doesn't even match."
Nianshi was grumbling as well. Lying flat on his stomach, he peered through the telescope at Chu Xiaoyao.
Huh?
Why did the object she was using to weigh down her test paper look a little familiar? Nianshi rubbed his eyes and uncertainly pulled out his phone to compare. On it was an image of the jade seal provided by Professor.
Identical?
"Hey, come look! Is that the Hereditary Jade Seal?" Nianshi hurriedly dragged Lishi over, terrified his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"Stop messing around." Lishi didn't believe him. How could they spot the Hereditary Jade Seal right off the bat? If he wanted to crack a joke to lighten the mood, this wasn't the way to do it.
"...Holy crap, it really is!"
The two looked up at each other and dashed in perfect sync into the prefab shed, shaking Red King awake just as he had drifted off.
"Lord Red King! Lord Red King!"
Groggy from sleep, Red King was deeply annoyed that his two subordinates were so inconsiderate just when he was finally getting some rest. "What is it? Did Natural Disaster attack?"
"No, we found the Hereditary Jade Seal!"
"Huh?!"
Red King snapped wide awake. Without even bothering to put on shoes, he scrambled over toward the telescope, nearly tripping along the way.
Sprawling on the ground, he peered through the telescope at Natural Disaster by the window. The long-sought Hereditary Jade Seal was serving as a paperweight, pinning down her exam papers. From time to time, a breeze swept past, rustling the edges of the papers and threatening to blow them away, but the seal held them firmly in place.
"Am I hallucinating? Is that how the Hereditary Jade Seal is supposed to be used?"
He pulled his eyes away, blinked several times, and looked through the telescope again.
This time the jade seal had changed positions; Natural Disaster was tossing it up and down in her hand.
Clatter. The seal hit the floor, giving Red King such a fright that his heart clenched and spasmed.
This was the Hereditary Jade Seal! Even knowing the object was extraordinary and indestructible, she couldn't treat it like a cheap toy!
Zhou You picked the seal back up and placed it where it had been. Though Red King couldn't hear what was said, from Zhou You's expression, it looked like he was chiding Natural Disaster.
Red King stood up and, with two sharp slaps, smacked himself hard across the face. What kind of ridiculous dream was this?
"Hiss... that hurts."
"Lord Red King, this isn't a dream," Nianshi reminded him from the side.
"Not a dream?" This time, Red King was truly awake. Could things really be going this smoothly? Finding the Hereditary Jade Seal so quickly?
"Wait, why does Natural Disaster have the Hereditary Jade Seal?" Before he could celebrate, Red King realized a major problem: the seal had ended up in the hands of the single person who should never have had it.
Red King's scalp went numb. At first, his wishful thinking had been that the Human Dao supreme treasure he brought back was genuine and Professor simply hadn't discovered how to use it; all he had to do was come to No. 2 High, locate Zhenyue Ghost King, and interrogate him for the method of use to complete the mission. Now, it seemed...
"What we brought back really was a fake Human Dao supreme treasure."
It was established that the Human Dao supreme treasure was the Hereditary Jade Seal. The supposed supreme treasure Red King had retrieved was a few stacks of hell banknotes, and now Natural Disaster was holding an actual jade seal.
It went without saying that what Natural Disaster held was the real deal.
Nianshi asked tentatively, "Judging by how Natural Disaster treats the seal, is it possible she doesn't know it's a Human Dao supreme treasure?"
He still felt that Natural Disaster having the Hereditary Jade Seal was pure coincidence. He and Lishi had spent ten years deciphering ancient texts just to learn the seal's approximate location; how could Natural Disaster possibly know before them?
Red King shook his head. "We can't assume that. You don't know much about Natural Disaster or her personality. She considers herself Number One Under Heaven; to her, the Hereditary Jade Seal might just be an ornament."
Lishi asked curiously, "Is she really Number One Under Heaven?"
He and Nianshi had only heard the legends surrounding Natural Disaster. As for just how strong she actually was, neither had ever seen her fight, so they had no real frame of reference.
Red King's eyelid twitched. Unpleasant memories resurfaced, and his expression turned grave. "At least, I've never seen anyone stronger than her."
"Regardless of whether Natural Disaster knows she's holding the Hereditary Jade Seal or not, we have to find a way to steal it!"
There was no way they'd grab the wrong thing this time. As soon as they stole the Hereditary Jade Seal, they'd fly straight back to headquarters.
"But how are we going to steal it?"
Red King pondered for a moment before uttering a single word.
"Wait."
Red King's patience soon paid off. That evening, when the students finished class and went home, Natural Disaster and Zhou You left together without taking the Hereditary Jade Seal with them.
"My lord, our chance is here!" Nianshi said with great excitement. Only that female ghost remained in the classroom now; surely she would be no match for Red King!
Red King calmly shook his head, refusing to let the sudden opportunity cloud his judgment. Where Natural Disaster was concerned, extreme caution was necessary at every turn; the slightest misstep would mean utter ruin.
"Don't rush. The fact that Natural Disaster left this female ghost to guard the room means the ghost must have extraordinary capabilities. Even if I can subdue her, she might send out a warning in the process and bring Natural Disaster down upon us. If that happens, none of us will escape."
"Then what should we do?" Nianshi asked anxiously, wanting nothing more than to leave this godforsaken place as soon as possible.
"Keep waiting. Wait until the female ghost leaves the classroom too."
Chapter 74