Empty-Handed Steal

With the Lüshui Beggar standing right before him, He Jiaqing panicked for a brief moment before swiftly regaining his composure. The button on his chest was still vibrating; the connection had not been severed. He Jiaqing was confident he could escape, provided he did not succumb to the Lüshui Beggar's arts beforehand. "Senior, is there any grudge between us?" "No grudge," the Lüshui Beggar replied with a smile. "A friend of mine just wants to ask you a few questions. He wants to know your pathway, your cultivation level, and what you meant by barging into his home and making a scene when you had no business being there." He Jiaqing was taken aback, answering in a humble tone, "Senior, I can tell you my pathway and cultivation, but when you say I went to your friend's home to cause trouble, I'm truly at a loss." The Lüshui Beggar raised his brow. "Playing dumb shows a real lack of sincerity." Beneath the corner of his eye, a pustule burst open. Green pus slowly trickled down his cheek. The corner of He Jiaqing's eye twitched; he knew the Lüshui Beggar was about to strike. "Senior, I know the rules of Lüshuiwan. By right, you can only show yourself once a year. Isn't it a waste to squander such a precious chance on me? "There's clearly a misunderstanding between us. Until things are cleared up, why don't you pretend you never saw me, and I'll pretend I never met you—just as though you've never shown your face at all. What do you say?" The Lüshui Beggar frowned slightly, then his expression smoothed out. "You're quite the smooth talker, kid. You even know my vulnerability. Unfortunately, your calculations are off. "Truth be told, I haven't shown my face, because I haven't stepped outside. This is my home!" He Jiaqing said in surprise, "Senior, you can't be claiming that all of Lüshuiwan is your home, can you? You might fool me with talk like that, but you can't fool the rules." The Lüshui Beggar's smile remained unchanged. "I'll say it again: this is my home." Hearing that, He Jiaqing glanced at the passersby out of the corner of his eye. Right now, He Jiaqing was dressed as a refined, respectable gentleman, yet his path was blocked by a beggar covered in pustules. The beggar was insolent and overbearing, while the gentleman was exceedingly humble. Despite such a bizarre sight, not a single person on the street stopped to watch the commotion. All the pedestrians treated them as if they were invisible. Those walking kept walking, and those chatting kept chatting, as though the two men did not exist on the street at all. He Jiaqing immediately grasped the situation. Lü Huazi truly had not stepped outside; He Jiaqing himself had entered Lü Huazi's home. The Lüshui Beggar's home was a layer of space imperceptible to ordinary people. He had not violated the rules of Lüshuiwan. What He Jiaqing could not understand was how he had ended up crossing the threshold into the Lüshui Beggar's home in the first place. A blundering accident? Impossible. The probability of such a coincidence was negligible. The real reason was that the Lüshui Beggar had used some method to lure He Jiaqing inside. That meant the Lüshui Beggar had been lying in wait for him all along, prepared well in advance. How could the Lüshui Beggar have tracked his movements? With his mind racing, the first person He Jiaqing thought of was Lu Maoxian. Lu Maoxian had spotted him in the cinema. How could Lu Maoxian have known I was in Puluo Province? Xiao Zhenggong must have sent word to him. What was the relationship among Xiao Zhenggong, Lu Maoxian, and the Lüshui Beggar? There was no way to know for now. The urgent priority was figuring out how to slip away from the Lüshui Beggar. "Senior, barging into your residence was my mistake. This junior offers his apologies first." He Jiaqing bowed in salute. As he bowed, He Jiaqing's right hand shot forward, aiming to make contact with the Lüshui Beggar. His movement was blistering fast—so fast that even the Lüshui Beggar could not clearly track the trajectory of his strike. Yet the Lüshui Beggar possessed vast experience. Having prepared in advance, he dodged aside a step early. "Parting Across Ten Thousand Li. To think someone your age could reach the ninth tier of a journey cultivator." Lü Huazi chuckled. His judgment had been spot-on: He Jiaqing had indeed intended to use the technique of Parting Across Ten Thousand Li. As long as he gave the Lüshui Beggar a push, He Jiaqing would be able to break free. With his initial strike thwarted, He Jiaqing swept his arm across, reaching out once more to touch the Lüshui Beggar. Pustules burst across the Lüshui Beggar's body, the pus vaporizing into a foul mist that billowed outward. "You dare touch me? Aren't you afraid of catching a disease? You've got quite the nerve!" the Lüshui Beggar sneered. The toxic mist did not spread very quickly, and dodging it would not normally have been difficult for He Jiaqing. Yet he had nowhere to run. He could not escape the Lüshui Beggar's home, and the mist was bound to blanket every corner. If He Jiaqing were touched by so much as a single droplet of pus, his life would likely be forfeit. The battle appeared to be over. The Lüshui Beggar was already pondering how to deal with He Jiaqing—whether to kill him outright or keep him around a bit longer to question him. Suddenly, He Jiaqing shouted harshly, "Severed by Life and Death!" The moment the words left his mouth, an invisible barrier formed between the Lüshui Beggar and He Jiaqing, stopping the thick mist dead in its tracks. The Lüshui Beggar's smile vanished. "Common Script, Shared Rule?" The Lüshui Beggar looked at He Jiaqing in surprise. "What tier of Literary Cultivator are you?" He Jiaqing had employed the Literary Cultivator technique Common Script, Shared Rule. The Lüshui Beggar was a dead spirit while He Jiaqing was a living person; by dividing the realms of life and death, he had erected a barrier with the technique. Literary Cultivator arts relied heavily on cultivation depth. In the presence of a higher-tier practitioner, the arts of a lower-tier cultivator had limited effect. Yet He Jiaqing's technique proved remarkably effective, blocking the mist entirely. This proved his literary cultivation was no lower than his journey cultivation. Seizing the opening, He Jiaqing saluted once again. "Senior, I have long admired you and hoped to pay my respects. Can we speak in peace?" "Sure, let's lay everything out in the open!" The Lüshui Beggar coughed and spat a glob of thick phlegm. The phlegm struck the barrier. Green smoke hissed up as a hole was corroded through it. As the noxious mist seeped through, He Jiaqing considered using Common Script, Shared Rule again, but he did not dare open his mouth rashly. A strange odor lingered in the air. Beyond the pus, the Lüshui Beggar had released other pathogens. He Jiaqing was quite likely already infected. If he spoke and inhaled more of the contagion, he might drop dead on the spot. The situation was critical and brooked no delay. He Jiaqing voluntarily dismissed the barrier and pulled a pocket watch from his coat. Clicking open the case, he set its three hands spinning frantically. A vortex swirled across the dial, suctioning away every bit of surrounding mist and pathogen. Lü Huazi chuckled. "A fine magical treasure. Let's see how much you can swallow!" Pus surged ceaselessly from his body, pushing the pocket watch to its capacity in the blink of an eye. Seizing that split-second window, He Jiaqing surged forward, thrusting his hand toward the Lüshui Beggar once more. The Lüshui Beggar frowned. "You still dare to touch me?" Pus spread rapidly across the Lüshui Beggar's body, yet He Jiaqing actually managed to spot a gap on the lapel of his ragged clothes. That spot was untouched by pus, barely larger than a sesame seed. Seeing He Jiaqing close in, the Lüshui Beggar showered droplets of pus like driving rain. With exquisite dexterity, He Jiaqing's fingers slipped past every drop, his fingernail brushing against that tiny gap. The instant contact was made, He Jiaqing's body shot backward, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Parting Across Ten Thousand Li had succeeded. The Lüshui Beggar's body was thrown back as well, but only by two paces. He had forced back the force of Parting Across Ten Thousand Li, preventing himself from being hurled away. Yet He Jiaqing had already flown clear, for the technique of Parting Across Ten Thousand Li disregarded physical obstacles. The Lüshui Beggar stood in place, silent for a long time, before murmuring to himself, "To think he could slip away right inside my home. Quite a formidable youngster. "Ninth tier in journey cultivation, and at least ninth tier in literary cultivation. How could someone his age possess such cultivation? "Is this the wonder of the Xuansheng Red Lotus? "Is he truly at the ninth tier in both? "Why did he dare touch me?" The Lüshui Beggar stared down at his tattered garments. After inspecting them for a moment, he seemed to find his answer. "Could it be the Empty-Handed Steal? "If it really was the Empty-Handed Steal, that would make sense. "Should I tell that old bastard about this? "Let's wait and see. "I'll tell him about the dual ninth tiers first to scare him a bit." The Lüshui Beggar sat down in his home, gazing out at the pedestrians passing by on the street. He wanted nothing more than to go out begging, to find a place as simple and honest as Lanyang Village. So long as he didn't receive three alms, he could go about doing whatever he pleased, acting entirely as he wished. He could find a place to indulge himself in food and drink. He could also find a nearby local spirit to give a beating and seize some territory. He could spread a minor plague somewhere, weeding out all the old and weak. Or he could unleash a grand pestilence across a region, throwing the entire territory into turmoil. He could even bring complete peace to all of Lüshuiwan—for once no one remained in this place, it would be utterly peaceful. Did he truly want to do that? "Will that young fellow come looking for me again?" Lü Huazi smiled faintly. "Waiting a bit longer won't hurt. Let's see if he can survive first." *** Guided by the homing hook, He Jiaqing flew straight into the deep mountains and old forests, landing right beside Wan Jinxian. Seeing He Jiaqing arrive, Wan Jinxian hurried forward to greet him. "Jiaqing, what happened? I just heard you fighting someone. Who was it?" He Jiaqing sighed. "I'm afraid I'd terrify you if I said it. That person was... hic-chew~" Halfway through his sentence, He Jiaqing let out a hiccup. It wasn't an ordinary burp from a full belly, but the kind of hiccup that wouldn't stop once it started—medically known as a diaphragmatic spasm. He Jiaqing hiccuped continuously, "hic-chew, hic-chew." Wan Jinxian watched him for a few moments, realizing something was terribly wrong. This was an illness—a severe one! Without wasting words, he prepared to use a Disease Cultivator technique to draw out the pathogen. He Jiaqing waved his hand frantically. "You... can't! Absolutely... don't!" He knew full well how dire his condition was. With every hiccup, his internal organs shifted. Before a hundred hiccups had passed, his viscera would be torn to shreds. Could he force himself to stop? If it were that easy to suppress, it wouldn't be Lü Huazi's work. He Jiaqing looked at his left hand, then at his right. After a brief deliberation, he settled on the left. Rolling up his sleeve, he barked at his left hand, "Graft flowers... onto trees!" This was not Common Script, Shared Rule; this was Words Become Truth. After a moment, He Jiaqing ceased hiccuping, but his left hand began to tremble in spasms. He had transferred the affliction from his diaphragm to his left hand. Wan Jinxian said, "I see the root of the illness. Leave it to me." He Jiaqing held him back. "I told you, you can't! This was planted by your grandmaster. If you try to absorb it, you'll lose your life!" "Grandmaster? You mean..." Wan Jinxian's cheek twitched; he did not dare utter that person's name. "Jiaqing, we have to purge this root right away, or your hand will be ruined—" Before he could finish, He Jiaqing drew a knife and severed his left hand. Wan Jinxian's eyes went wide as he stared at the bleeding stump. He Jiaqing grimaced. "Don't just stand there staring—stop the bleeding!" Wan Jinxian immediately began bandaging the wound. "Jiaqing, why go to such lengths? We could have thought of another way!" "Another way?" He Jiaqing let out a bitter laugh, saying no more. He carried medicinal pills and magical treasures, and he knew methods to slowly neutralize the affliction's root. But that required time. And Lü Huazi never gave anyone time. First the hand trembled, then the arm, and then the entire body would shake uncontrollably. After shaking for a few minutes, a person would fall apart into pieces. He Jiaqing ignited a flame, reducing his severed left hand to ashes. Old Wan clicked his tongue repeatedly. "Why do that, too? You should have kept the hand and looked for a chance to reattach it later!" He Jiaqing shook his head. "It couldn't be reattached; the hand was already ruined. I have to return to the Outer States immediately. Zhou Changhong's cover is blown." Old Wan asked, "Then what about your hand?" He Jiaqing sighed. "I'll go try my luck at Santoucha to see if I can grow a new one. Time is of the essence; there's no better alternative." Wan Jinxian said with a troubled frown, "Jiaqing, don't rush back to the Outer States just yet. Tend to your injuries first. Those bastards in the Outer States won't dare do anything to you." He Jiaqing shook his head. "I'm not worried about the people in the Outer States. I'm worried about my own family. I fear someone will leak the news." *** Inside the He family estate, He Haiqin sat in his room without uttering a single word. Hearing that He Haiqin had gone nearly a whole day without eating, He Yuxiu was terrified. For a Food Cultivator, going a full day without food was a recipe for catastrophe. "Brother, what's wrong? Whatever it is, tell your sister." He Haiqin looked at He Yuxiu with dull, hollow eyes, speaking weakly, "Sister... someone told me Jiaqing is back in Puluo Province." He Yuxiu was stunned. "Brother, what nonsense are you talking? Isn't Jiaqing lying in a hospital in the Outer States?" "Right, everyone says he's lying in a hospital. But can you believe it? My own flesh and blood comes back to Puluo Province, and I'm kept entirely in the dark!"