Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 87

Volume 7 Chapter 87: The Eerie Treasure Hunt (18)

"Thank you, two Taoist friends, for helping me rid my sect of this disgrace!"

Hearing Wu Da’s words, Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu’s gaze shifted from Wen Ru’s body to Wu Da.

I must say, at that moment, Wu Da had a very comforting and friendly aura. Perhaps it was because they had fought side by side before. Even though it was Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu’s first time meeting him, it felt like they had known him for a long time.

However, deep down, almost instinctively, both Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu felt a contradictory sense of caution towards him. They sensed that beneath his warm smile, there seemed to be something extremely dangerous hidden away.

This extremely dangerous thing was called greed and desire. Yet, at that moment, Xu Qingfan was not fully aware of it.

"Who are you?"

Mr. Liu asked coldly, seeming to be in a bad mood. Even though the person in front of him was a comrade he had fought alongside, his tone was far from polite and felt more like that of a bitter enemy.

No wonder, according to the rules of the cultivation world, whoever kills the enemy claims their various magical tools and resources. Mr. Liu had countless ways to kill Wenda after using the "Qingling Ancient Book" to control him. He never expected that this person would get to him first. Although he also participated in the battle and had the right to share in Wen Ru’s collection and magical tools, that treasured folding fan he valued the most was now beyond his reach. For someone like Mr. Liu, who was almost miserly about his possessions, having his prized magical tool taken away felt like a declaration of war.

"I am Wu Da, a junior disciple of this master, originally a fellow student. May I inquire who you two Taoist friends might be…?"

Wu Da pointed at Wen Ru’s body beside him and forced a smile, looking worn and sorrowful. The pain and helplessness of having to kill his own senior brother shone through vividly.

After Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu introduced themselves, Xu Qingfan gestured towards Wenda’s body and inquired, "Who is this person? Why did he attack us? And since you are his apprentice, why are you aiding us in defeating him?"

Wu Da’s smile on his face grew even more bitter as he quietly said, "This person was my senior brother, named Wen Ru. Over a thousand years ago, we were taken as disciples by a hidden master. He… his talent is far greater than mine. You just saw it; even with the help of two friends, I nearly got killed by him. Although he is highly skilled, he is inherently bad. After he grew strong, he ended up killing my master for something from our sect. My strength is far lower than his. Even though I hate him deeply, I am powerless against him. This person is greedy by nature and often kills for treasures. When I came to the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ and saw him secretly following the two Taoist friends, I quietly followed him. Luckily, the two Taoist friends are very powerful, allowing me to get rid of this traitor. Otherwise, with my strength alone, it would be impossible to kill him."

Seeing Wu Da’s desolate smile, which seemed genuine, Xu Qingfan temporarily set aside his unease and politely comforted him, saying, "I see. You don’t need to be sad. Although he is your brother, he betrayed the sect and should die. If you kill him, you are acting on behalf of justice."

"Yes, he certainly deserves to die. After I kill him, I can finally have the face to pay my respects at my master’s grave. But he is still my senior brother; we grew up together and practiced cultivation together. Now that I have to kill him… sigh. It’s also my fault; I spoiled his arrogant temper since childhood. If my master and I hadn’t always let him have his way back then, he wouldn’t have done such things."

With that, he sighed deeply again, showing Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu a truly kind-hearted cultivator.

However, while Xu Qingfan and Wu Da were talking, Mr. Liu kept staring at the fan beside Wen Ru’s body. Thinking of the power that fan had shown before, Mr. Liu, who had collected countless treasures in his life, couldn’t help but feel impatient. He was even more furious at the thought that this fan would soon be taken by Wu Da.

Mr. Liu had always acted according to his own ideas. Apart from a few people, he never cared for anyone else’s feelings. If Xu Qingfan wasn’t the descendant of Liu Xuhan, Mr. Liu would have treated him like just another passerby long ago.

So, facing Wu Da, who was about to take away his desired treasure, Mr. Liu showed no sympathy for his feelings at that moment. He suddenly looked up and coldly said, "Hmph! Just because you say he is your senior brother, does that make it true? Right when we were about to kill him, you suddenly intervened and killed him yourself. What do you mean by that? Are you just trying to claim this person’s treasures? What you call a sect treasure is just the folding fan in this person’s hand, right? Ha, you’re just trying to take advantage! I tell you, without your help, we could have killed him too. You only killed him for your own gain. I will not share his things with you, especially this fan! As for this senior brother… he is still my junior brother! This fan is our sect’s heirloom, and no one can take it away!"

Hearing Mr. Liu’s sudden words, which showed no regard for the feelings of either side and Wu Da’s gloomy mood, Xu Qingfan was stunned. Used to Mr. Liu’s gentle and kind side, he found it hard to adapt to such a sharp and bitter attitude from him. Xu Qingfan had always thought the rumors about Mr. Liu in the cultivation world were exaggerated, but now it seemed the real Mr. Liu was even harsher than the legends.

Yet Mr. Liu paid no attention to Xu Qingfan’s expression and continued to speak for himself, saying, "Let me tell you, I have long had my eye on this folding fan. You think you can take it away? Impossible!"

On the other side, Wu Da was also stunned. He did not understand Mr. Liu’s character, so the scene before him was completely different from what he had imagined.

In Wu Da’s imagination, after the great battle, the surviving Mr. Liu and Xu Qingfan would warmly talk with him. Beneath his gentle smile, they would see each other as close friends, feel sorrow for his experiences, admire his respect for his teachers, and in the end, the three of them would explore the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" together. Finally, he would use the "Heaven and Earth Sword" in his hand to split the two of them in half when they were not on guard.

This was the most normal situation. If the two cultivators across from him did not include Mr. Liu, it would surely be so. Unfortunately, what he faced was Mr. Liu.

After thinking it over, Wu Da quickly gave up his original plan. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he bowed to Mr. Liu and Xu Qingfan, saying, "Indeed, with the abilities of both you Taoist friends, you could easily kill him. My earlier actions were somewhat underhanded. I was just eager for revenge and forgot the rules of the cultivation world. Please do not blame me, dear Taoist friends. However, this person is indeed my senior brother, and there are things belonging to my school on him…"

Seeing Mr. Liu’s expression change, Wu Da hurriedly added, "This item from my school is not this folding fan but rather half of a cauldron used for alchemy. I only wish to take this item; as for the rest, including this folding fan, I will leave it for both of you to distribute as you wish. How about that?"

Upon hearing Wu Da’s words, Mr. Liu’s expression softened. He was not good at alchemy, so he did not care about the half cauldron. Thinking that if Wu Da and Wen Ru were indeed brothers, then this folding fan, which was so powerful, might also be something from their school. By doing so, he felt that it might seem like he was taking things by force, which made his expression a bit awkward. But when it came to saying that all the items from their school should be returned, Mr. Liu simply could not bring himself to say it.

For a moment, the three stood there awkwardly. Wu Da looked at Mr. Liu and Xu Qingfan with pleading eyes, while Mr. Liu and Xu Qingfan did not know what to say.

It was only when Liu Ziqing and Wang Zegang flew over to the three of them that Xu Qingfan finally said awkwardly, "Since that’s the case, let’s settle it this way."

"Thank you!"

Wu Da’s face showed joy as he bowed again to Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu.

Mr. Liu immediately tucked the folding fan into his sleeve.

Xu Qingfan smiled wryly and shook his head, then pointed at something on Wen Ru’s body, breaking the Sleeve Space, and a large number of rare treasures tumbled out from his sleeve.

There were so many rare treasures that they were nearly equal to the rewards Xu Qingfan, Mr. Liu, and the others collected from the "Azure Crystal Treasure House."

After searching among the many treasures for a moment, Wu Da suddenly looked joyful and reached out to catch a half-shaped, ancient and majestic furnace that flew into his hand.

"This is it! This is my master’s treasure. It has been lost for a thousand years and has now returned. I must thank you both; your kindness will always be remembered!"

Before Mr. Liu and Xu Qingfan could see the appearance of the half-furnace clearly, Wu Da had already tucked it into his sleeve and bowed to them.

Seeing the countless rare treasures floating around him, Xu Qingfan felt even more embarrassed; after all, Wu Da should not only receive half of a useless furnace.

However, just as Xu Qingfan wanted to say something, Wu Da smiled and said, "Since my goal has been achieved, I will not disturb you any longer. Goodbye."

As Wu Da spoke, he didn’t wait for anyone to respond. He turned and became a flash of light, leaving just like that.

"I didn’t expect this Liu Ji to be such a person. Hmph, even though I can’t travel with them this time and plot something, at least we’ve made an impression on each other. There will be plenty of time in the future. My patience is great; sooner or later, the ‘Spirit Freezing Plate’ will return to my hands."

While Xu Qingfan and the others looked on awkwardly, Wu Da had already flown far away. The warmth and sincerity on his face had completely vanished, replaced by a deep shadow, as he mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, Wu Da’s face lit up with joy. He took out the half cauldron from his sleeve and admired it for a moment, his expression filled with excitement.

"The ‘World Crafting Cauldron’, I finally have you…"

As Wu Da murmured, he took out the other half of a similar cauldron from his sleeve. With hopeful eyes and trembling hands, he brought the two pieces together.

The gaps perfectly aligned, as if they were one complete piece.

However, nothing happened.

Wu Da’s expression changed dramatically. He held the half cauldron he had just obtained and examined it closely for a moment, his face growing even darker.

In the blink of an eye, half of the cauldron turned to dust.

"It’s fake…"

Wu Da said softly.

"It’s fake!"

After a long time, a furious and wild roar echoed in the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," coming from Wu Da.

…

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan was gathering various rare treasures floating around and stacking them together. Many of these treasures were unfamiliar to him, so he would need to wait for Mr. Liu to help identify them. At the same time, he observed Mr. Liu with a curious look.

At that moment, Mr. Liu was holding Wen Ru’s folding fan and couldn’t hide his delight, continuously whispering, "Such a wonderful item, such a wonderful item! The treasures contained within are beyond our imagination. They can seal countless powerful objects for our use. This has been refined for at least three thousand years. I have collected countless treasures, but none can compare to this…"

As for the various treasures around him, which would typically make him overjoyed, he didn’t even glance at them.

Suddenly, Mr. Liu noticed Xu Qingfan’s strange gaze and couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and said, "I was thinking about the Mr. Liu who exhausts his mind for the future of humanity, the Mr. Liu who is kind and caring towards me, and the Mr. Liu who was just now sharp-tongued and heartless. Which one is the real Mr. Liu?"

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Mr. Liu laughed heartily and replied, "What about you? You are usually very caring to your followers and brothers, but sometimes you unhesitatingly treat them like pawns in danger. Sometimes you are decisive, and sometimes you are gentle. Which one is the real you? In this world, no one wears just one mask, do they?"

Xu Qingfan nodded with a smile and reached for an ordinary-looking cauldron nearby to collect it.

The moment Xu Qingfan touched the cauldron, he seemed to discover something and let out a small exclamation.

"What is it?"

Mr. Liu asked curiously.

Xu Qingfan’s expression was strange as he lightly flicked the cauldron with his finger.

Instantly, the left half of the cauldron turned to dust, and the outer layer of the right half also faded away, revealing an ancient and majestic half cauldron, which looked exactly like the half cauldron that Wu Da had taken before.

Above the cauldron, the words "World Crafting Cauldron" were carved in ancient script.

Then, in the surprised eyes of Xu Qingfan and Mr. Liu, more than ten lines of glowing words floated quietly in front of everyone.