Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 199: Chapter 152: Stealing Celestial Secret, Equity Transfer

For Wan Ze, killing Qin Jiu and his disciple was nothing more than a minor incident on his path of Cultivation.

He didn’t even give it a second thought.

That evening, he found the time to pay a visit to the Golden Gate Sect.

Master Qin had already made all the arrangements. The moment Wan Ze arrived at the entrance, a middle-aged man greeted him. Without a word, the man led him straight to the basement.

The man kept his head down the entire way, his steps hurried, not uttering a single unnecessary word.

Wan Ze didn’t ask any questions either.

He didn’t care how the people of the Golden Gate Sect were dealt with.

The rules of this world were sometimes just that simple and brutal. If you reached for something you shouldn’t have, you had to be prepared to have your hand cut off.

As for whether you lived or died after losing that hand, that depended entirely on the other party’s mood.

And Dragon Eagle, as the overlord of the Holy City, was never in a good mood when it came to such matters.

The Golden Gate Sect, which once ran rampant on this street, was gone overnight... all for hunting a Dragon Eagle disciple.

’Did they really think they were the Secret Palace?’

’At least the Secret Palace’s "roots" aren’t here...’

Wan Ze averted his gaze and shook his head.

There was nothing to get sentimental about.

In the pond that was the Holy City, Dragon Eagle was the biggest fish.

Usually, it rested at the bottom, too lazy to bother with the antics of the small fry.

But if some blind fool dared to take a bite, they had to be prepared to be swallowed whole, bones and all.

Making an example of them.

The phrase was simple, but putting it into practice was never as easy as just killing a chicken.

What Dragon Eagle wanted was to make all the hidden eyes in the Holy City see clearly who called the shots on this street. They wanted them to understand that Dragon Eagle’s people were not to be touched, and to make it crystal clear what would happen if they were.

It wasn’t about bloody revenge or cruel torture.

It was about taking just one short hour to cleanly and thoroughly wipe the three words "Golden Gate Sect" off the map of the Holy City.

What was more ruthless than killing was making everyone know... that when you died, no one would dare to ask, no one would dare to investigate, and no one would even dare to linger for a moment where you once stood.

These were the rules of an overlord.

That was why the person backing the Golden Gate Sect hadn’t dared to make a peep.

...

He passed through an iron door, descended a narrow concrete staircase, and entered the basement.

It was called a basement, but it looked more like a warehouse.

In the several-hundred-square-foot space, miscellaneous junk was piled against the walls. A few long tables stood in the center, with various items scattered across them... some in brocade boxes, some wrapped in cloth, and others just casually tossed there.

"Mr. Wan!" the guide finally spoke, his voice so respectful it was almost subservient. "Please, take whatever catches your eye."

"Thank you," Wan Ze nodded and began to slowly look around.

Then he saw ten large chests, lids open, neatly arranged in the Golden Gate Sect’s basement.

They were overflowing with gold, silver, and jewels. The light hit them, filling the room with a dazzling glare. Some old, inconspicuous-looking artifacts were mixed in among them.

Wan Ze’s eyes went straight to those old artifacts.

He crouched by the chests, touching the items one by one. A few Dragon Eagle disciples nearby glanced at him sideways, then at each other in confusion.

’Doesn’t want gold, doesn’t want silver coins, doesn’t even want the high-quality jade pieces.’

’He’s just touching that dusty old junk?’

The few disciples in charge of taking inventory exchanged glances, but no one said a word.

Master Qin had given the order: this lord could take whatever he wanted.

Besides, the story of how Wan Ze had single-handedly confronted a Refining Force Expert from the Divine Martial Society in South City had long since spread throughout Dragon Eagle. The word was he hadn’t yielded a single step that day.

With that kind of prestige, who would dare question him?

...

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Tiger and Wolf Momentum 80%]

...

Wan Ze withdrew his hand, the tension on his face finally easing.

’As long as there’s something.’

’I was worried I’d come all this way for nothing.’

Pushing the thought aside, he continued his search.

The Golden Gate Sect’s place didn’t look big, but they had hidden their things well.

After searching everything in this room, he was guided through a door at the far end of the basement. It led to a small, separate room, supposedly a secret chamber that the head of the Golden Gate Sect had built for himself.

Wan Ze pushed the door open and immediately spotted an object on the top shelf of a metal rack.

It was palm-sized, made of metal, and had an ancient design. It was a Kui ox.

The moment his hand touched it, an icy sensation shot into his fingertips.

...

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Magic Sense +50%]

...

Wan Ze’s hand froze.

His gaze fixed on the metal Kui ox, his brow slowly furrowing.

’A small-time nightclub... even with its gangster front, how did it have the means to get mixed up with Qi Refiners?’

Qi Refiners.

Those two words echoed in his mind.

The memory of Qin Jiu hunting Sun Beixi surfaced. At Xitang Port, that one-eyed brute had cornered Sun Beixi, demanding something. What was it they were after?

’Was it valuable enough for them to chase him all the way to the Holy City?’

He suddenly felt a pang of regret.

He had killed Qin Jiu too quickly.

’I probably could have pried something more out of that old bastard.’

On the one hand, information about Qi Refiners was kept under tight wraps. That mysterious organization, the Tail Society, was wiping all traces of it, killing anyone who dared to meddle.

But on the other hand, there were people secretly investigating these things...

’What are they really after?’

Wan Ze himself wanted to touch these items because he could use Stealing Celestial Secret. But what about Qin Jiu and the others?

Wan Ze stood in silence for a moment, then placed the metal Kui ox back where he found it.

’Still, I can’t ask about this openly.’

’If I start investigating, I’ll attract unwanted attention.’

’It’s best this way for now. Just touch, don’t take. No one will know that I’m already connected to that mysterious world.’

As he was thinking this, just as he was about to turn, the door was thrown open with a BANG.

"Ah Ze!!!"

Tan Xiao had finally caught up, yelling frantically. His forehead was covered in sweat, as if he’d sprinted a mile, terrified someone would snatch up all the treasures before he got there.

But his eyes zipped over Wan Ze’s body, then to his arms, and he saw they were empty.

Tan Xiao grew anxious.

He grabbed Wan Ze and lowered his voice, his tone conspiratorial, like a thief: "Ah Ze, don’t be so polite! Master told me you can take whatever you want, so don’t hold back! If you don’t take anything, how am I supposed to explain it to Master later?"

Wan Ze stumbled slightly from the pull and gave a helpless smile. "Alright, alright, I’ll take something. You go look around first, I’m still browsing."

"Okay then, but you have to take something," Tan Xiao said, releasing him. His gaze was already drifting toward the chests outside the door. "You keep looking. I’m gonna go see what goodies there are..."

Before he finished his sentence, he had already darted out.

Wan Ze shook his head and walked into the adjacent room.

He stopped a passing Dragon Eagle disciple. "Are there any Martial Skills here?"

The disciple saw it was him and quickly replied politely, "Yes, yes, Junior Brother Wan... but they’re all Low Level..."

"Master asked me to categorize them," Wan Ze said, lying without batting an eye.

The disciple didn’t dare ask any more questions and quickly pointed him in the right direction.

The next room wasn’t large. A few dusty manuals were piled in a corner, looking as if they had been tossed there carelessly.

Wan Ze strode over, crouched down, and began flipping through them one by one.

One ordinary Pile Skill, two Low Level Fist Techniques, one Body Technique... The remaining few were about Martial Dao Blood Tempering, but they were scattered fragments, ending after just a few pages.

Four Martial Skills acquired.

Wan Ze recorded them all in his Illustrated Guide, and the slight disappointment in his heart finally faded a little.

Adding the Forbidden Technique he got from Qin Jiu, this trip hadn’t been a waste after all.

About twenty minutes later, he returned to the main basement area.

Tan Xiao was standing by the chests, his arms stuffed full of things, his pockets bulging, and a handful of gold bars clutched in his hand. He looked like he’d gained a few inches around the waist. When he saw Wan Ze approaching empty-handed, his eyes went wide.

"No way, Ah Ze, you still haven’t picked anything?"

Wan Ze smiled. "I picked out some jewelry."

"Jewelry?" Tan Xiao looked him up and down. "Where is it?"

"I took a few pieces. It’s enough."

Tan Xiao stared for a second, then without another word, shoved the gold bars from his arms into Wan Ze’s hands. "Take them! There’s more in that room, I’ll go get some more!"

Wan Ze didn’t accept, gently pushing them back. "I really don’t need it. I picked out a few things for my family."

He pointed to the items he had chosen... a Golden Hairpin for his sister Xiaoyu, a Golden Bracelet for his mother, and a Golden Prayer Plate for his father.

The three items lay there, worth a decent sum, but in Tan Xiao’s eyes, it was a pathetically small haul.

Tan Xiao stared for three seconds, his face turning pale.

"Seriously? That’s all you’re taking?"

He snatched a nearby backpack, frantically stuffed it with cash until it was full, and then shoved it into Wan Ze’s arms. "Take it! Or I’ll get mad at you!"

Wan Ze looked at the backpack, then at Tan Xiao’s earnest face, and finally stopped refusing.

"Alright then."

He wasn’t actually being polite.

The Golden Gate Sect had a lot of stuff, but many people from Dragon Eagle had come. Once it was divided up, there wasn’t actually that much per person.

Taking just those three items was more than fair on his part.

But Tan Xiao truly treated him as one of his own, and his attitude was unquestionable.

Since that was the case, there was no need for him to be coy about it.

A moment later, the two went their separate ways.

Wan Ze returned to the guesthouse.

Tan Xiao, on the other hand, went back to the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall, laden with bags big and small. He first went to "present an offering" to Master Qin—a Jade Buddha of good quality, which looked quite impressive sitting on the desk.

"Master, I got this for you."

Master Qin glanced at the Jade Buddha, then at Tan Xiao’s bulging pockets, but didn’t say anything.

Tan Xiao leaned in, looked around, and then lowered his voice to tell him about Wan Ze.

"Ah Ze is really too polite. He only took three small trinkets. I had to force a bag of money on him before he’d accept it. What do you make of him..."

As he spoke, he noticed a strange expression on Master Qin’s face.

That expression...

It was like he was looking at an idiot.

Master Qin was silent for a moment, then shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Old Situ has taken on a fine disciple."

Tan Xiao was stunned. "Huh?"

"He’s not greedy." Master Qin picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. "There aren’t many people who can stay true to their principles. That kid, Xiaowan, he seems unassuming, but he has his own moral compass. With a character like that, his future achievements will be limitless."

The smile on Tan Xiao’s face froze.

He looked down at his own bulging pockets, then at the Jade Buddha on the desk, then at his master’s meaningful expression...

’Well then.’

’Looks like I’m the greediest one here.’

’The biggest one, at that.’

He shrank back sheepishly.

Master Qin caught his expression and chided him with a laugh, "What’s with that look on your face?"

Tan Xiao gave a dry laugh. "N-Nothing..."

"Alright," Master Qin waved his hand, not making him return the goods. "Go give the order to transfer five percent of the Golden Gate Sect’s assets to Xiaowan. The Elder Council won’t object to this."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Otherwise, Old Situ would be the first to complain."

What master would be willing to see his disciple perform a great service and return empty-handed?

It just wasn’t right.

Besides, even if Old Situ didn’t say anything, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

"That kid Xiaowan..." Master Qin shook his head again, a hint of emotion in his voice. "He’s still too naive."

’Naive?’

Tan Xiao opened his mouth, the image of Wan Ze smashing Qin Jiu’s face through a wall flashing in his mind.

’Naive?’

He wanted to ask if his master had gone senile.

But he didn’t dare say the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He could only nod furiously. "Right, right! You’re absolutely right, Master... Sigh, in this entire martial arts hall, only Junior Brother Wan and I are so naive."

Master Qin looked up at him.

His gaze was like he was looking at some fool who didn’t know what’s good for him.

"Get lost. You’re staying for extra training tonight."

The smile on Tan Xiao’s face collapsed. "Huh?"

Master Qin slowly stood up. "If you don’t get stronger, you won’t even be worthy enough to be Xiaowan’s driver in the future."

Tan Xiao blinked. "Master, you forgot, I don’t have a driver’s license."

Master Qin’s steps halted.

He slowly turned around.

He raised his hand as if to strike.

"...You little brat!"

Tan Xiao zipped out the door, his laughter echoing from the hallway.

Master Qin stood there, looking at the empty doorway, and shook his head.

He couldn’t quite suppress the smile on his lips.

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