Only I am Venerable

As they spoke, the man and woman turned and sped back toward Yellow Sand City.

Consumed by their anger, neither of them noticed a misty shadow not far away silently draw the fake map to itself. It then followed them, vanishing into the night.

Qin Li had originally planned to find out who these two were, but he never expected that the map they had snatched was just a fake!

This discovery astonished even Qin Li. The entire scene had unfolded under the coverage of his Divine Sense; he had been in control of everyone’s every move. It should have been impossible for Han Mei and the people from Moon Shaking Immortal Palace to pull off a deception!

And the chubby young man and the nimble woman with the profound Body Technique had no reason to put on an act in the middle of nowhere, either. So, it was very likely that Dragon Seal had planned this from the start. He knew someone would try to steal the Ancient Map, so he never brought out the real one! This possibility wasn’t very high, though. With Dragon Seal’s limited strength, he could hardly comprehend the realms of the truly powerful. If no one managed to steal it and he ended up giving Moon Shaking Immortal Palace a fake Ancient Map, he would be courting death.

Therefore, the most likely scenario was that this whole thing was a play, orchestrated by Han Mei and Dragon Seal from the very beginning to deal with any potential thieves!

Recently, a large number of powerful Martial Artists had gathered in Yellow Sand City, including quite a few from the Land of the Far West. Under these circumstances, to be safe, Han Mei and Dragon Seal staged a play to divert everyone’s attention, allowing them to complete the transaction for the real map in secret.

A classic misdirection!

Even if no one dared to steal the Ancient Map, they could just have an inconspicuous person from Moon Shaking Immortal Palace conduct a second transaction later. Dragon Seal was a man of average strength, and his entire family was in their hands. What tricks could he possibly pull?

Qin Li felt more and more certain that his guess was close to the truth. ’Thank goodness I left Shiyu there,’ he thought. ’I wonder if they’ve moved the map yet.’ He guessed that, nine times out of ten, the real map was still in the woodshed in the inner courtyard of Dragon Seal’s home.

Like a wisp of faint smoke, Qin Li’s figure returned to Shangguan Shiyu’s side without attracting any attention. He sent a telepathic message: "How are things? Have those women from Moon Shaking Immortal Palace left?"

Shangguan Shiyu nodded lightly and replied, "They’re gone, and they all looked furious. But what’s strange is that the person from Moon Shaking Immortal Palace who was left to protect Dragon Seal is still there! Don’t tell me this Saintess Han Mei is actually a woman of her word? That she doesn’t want to make things difficult for Dragon Seal?"

Qin Li sent back, "The map was a fake!"

"A fake?" Shiyu’s voice was clearly laced with surprise. She turned her head to look at Qin Li. "How could it be fake? Unless... this was a play put on by Moon Shaking Immortal Palace and Dragon Seal together?"

Qin Li shot Shangguan Shiyu an approving glance and grinned. "That’s my wife, so clever. They were absolutely putting on an act!"

Shangguan Shiyu’s eyes lit up with understanding. "No wonder! I kept feeling something was off. The skills of the two who stole the map were good, but they weren’t absurdly powerful Martial Artists. That woman, in particular, snatched the Ancient Map from Han Mei far too easily! Five Elders at the Shattered Void Realm, plus Saintess Han Mei who is also at the Shattered Void Realm, were all completely helpless against them? That’s just not realistic! What’s more, Han Mei just flew into another rage and blamed the five Elders, but they didn’t hold back and argued right back. They all parted on bad terms and left. And yet, they left behind the one Moon Shaking Immortal Palace disciple who had been with Dragon Seal from the start. Logically, since the map is gone, Dragon Seal shouldn’t be in any more danger. Even if protecting him was part of the deal, I didn’t sense the slightest thing amiss from that ice-cold female disciple despite such a major incident!"

Qin Li smiled faintly. "From what you’ve said, it’s clear the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace disciple left with Dragon Seal must be Han Mei’s trusted confidante! Only she and Han Mei know the truth about this. Everyone else, including the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace Elders, are completely in the dark!"

Shangguan Shiyu looked a little surprised. "That woman is truly something else. You could even call her brilliant!" Then, her face broke into a grin. "But my husband is even more amazing. They’re going to be in for a real shock, hehe!"

Ever since Shiyu had entered the Four Seasons Valley to cultivate, her disposition had grown colder. Qin Li rarely saw her wear such an expression. It was proof that after breaking through to the Shattered Void Realm, she had changed a great deal, becoming more cheerful and confident than in the past!

For Qin Li, this was a good thing.

Dragon Seal’s residence grew quiet and deserted. The onlookers who had been hiding in the shadows all left. Now that the Ancient Map had appeared and been snatched away by a mysterious expert, what was the point of staying?

「Midnight.」

A furtive figure emerged from Dragon Seal’s house. It was Dragon Seal himself!

Outside, it was pitch-black, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Dragon Seal was extremely familiar with the layout of his home and quickly arrived at the woodshed. He glanced around. All was still and silent, save for the chirping of insects.

Dragon Seal expertly opened the woodshed door, then quickly opened the entrance to a hidden passage and darted inside. The entrance creaked before swinging shut.

Dragon Seal followed the short passage down. In the dim, yellow glow of an Everlasting Lamp, he leaned against the wall, pressing a hand to his chest. His tense face flickered in and out of the shadows.

Dragon Seal then walked to a corner where a pile of broken earthenware jars was stacked. He studied the pile for a moment, likely checking if it had been disturbed. Seeing that it was untouched, he began to push the jars aside.

A series of CLATTERING sounds echoed through the small basement, the noise surprisingly easing some of his tension.

He bent down, opened another hidden hatch, and quickly pulled out a black wooden box. The box was locked. Dragon Seal took out a key, unlocked it, and lifted the lid.

The hopeful look in his eyes gradually turned to shock. Dragon Seal’s mind went completely blank. In the dim light, his already tense face turned deathly pale.

Because the wooden box... was empty!

"This... how is this possible? How?" Dragon Seal spun around, his eyes darting across the basement. In the small room, his ragged breaths were deafening, as was the frantic POUNDING of his heart.

Then, like a madman, he frantically tore through the pile of dilapidated jars. Shards from the broken pottery cut his hands, and blood began to flow, but Dragon Seal seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing his frenzied search within the cramped secret chamber.

By the end, he had turned the secret chamber into a complete wreck, but the real Ancient Map was nowhere to be found!

Utterly defeated, Dragon Seal collapsed to the floor, muttering, "It’s over... it’s all over!" Sweat streamed down his forehead, but he was completely oblivious.

It was no wonder he looked so utterly devastated. The truth was, Dragon Seal had gotten carried away these past few days. Saintess Han Mei of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace had agreed to every single one of his conditions. What’s more, after seeing the purple robes of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace disciple sent to protect him, Dragon Seal had made a mistake many men are prone to making... He was the one who suggested to Han Mei that they first use a fake map to see if anyone would try to steal it, before secretly trading the real one.

Han Mei was naturally delighted to hear the plan. Seizing the opportunity, Dragon Seal then proposed that since the female disciple from Moon Shaking Immortal Palace would be protecting him for many years anyway, Han Mei should just give her to him as a secondary wife!

Only the nobility of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom were entitled to have one primary wife, two secondary wives, and four concubines. But Dragon Seal didn’t care about that. Once this deal was done, he wouldn’t even have to regard the Cyan Dragon Kingdom’s royal family with any respect, let alone some minor noble.

After a moment’s hesitation, Han Mei agreed. The Moon Shaking Immortal Palace didn’t forbid its disciples from marrying. And though the female disciple was quite strong, having reached the Celestial Embracing Realm, what did it matter if they married her off to him, as long as they obtained the Ancient Map?

Besides, after this was all over, Dragon Seal would be considered an Outer Disciple of Moon Shaking Immortal Palace. Marrying a fellow female disciple was hardly a big deal.

But Dragon Seal had never, in his wildest dreams, imagined that someone would slip into the woodshed when he wasn’t looking and steal the real Ancient Map!

How... how was he going to explain this to Han Mei? Moreover, when he recalled the resentful, unwilling expression on the female disciple’s face after hearing she was to be given to him, Dragon Seal couldn’t help but shudder.

He sat there on the floor, completely stunned, not moving for a long time. He was utterly lost. No matter how composed he usually was, a situation like this was enough to make him panic. He had no idea what to do, or how he could possibly explain himself to Han Mei.

Just then, a soft laugh suddenly echoed through the small basement. It startled Dragon Seal so badly that he leaped to his feet. His eyes flashed with terror as he shouted, "Who’s there?"

Dragon Seal snatched a sword from the floor. With a CLANG, he drew the blade and swept it around the secret chamber, cutting nothing but air.

The wind from the flash of Sword Qi made the Everlasting Lamp flicker wildly, nearly extinguishing it.

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