Over the next few days, Chen Xin remained on duty at the printing factory. Nothing happened during this time.
However, there were a few hidden gazes faintly peeking in this direction. Their qi signatures were weak, but they were all clustered together. These were the hot-headed Jianghu people Du Mao had warned him about earlier. Most of them were Descendants of the Major Clans of middling age.
Dealing with them was simple. Regardless of their background, anyone who dared to trespass into the printing factory would be immediately apprehended and thrown into the Great Prison. Not taking the opportunity to bleed the major sects and clans behind them dry wouldn’t be the style of the Imperial Secret Police.
Ever since breaking through to the Outer Realm, Chen Xin’s five senses had greatly heightened, far surpassing his past capabilities. He didn’t even need to look to pinpoint their exact locations.
Channeling his Inner Strength, Chen Xin tapped the air repeatedly.
Majestic Seven Luminaries Finger: Moon Over the Year Star!
With several sharp SWISHES, the hidden peeping toms horrifyingly discovered finger-thick holes appearing in the walls right beside everyone in their group. Furthermore, each hole was exactly one inch away from a person, without a single hair’s breadth of deviation!
One must know that they were dozens of feet away from that Divine Robe Guard. What exquisite control this was, what profound Inner Strength...
The peeping toms finally realized they had encountered a master. They hastily put away their Thousand-Mile Telescopes and fled without a trace.
Sensing the hidden gazes disappear, Chen Xin nodded in satisfaction. This "Majestic Seven Luminaries Finger" was truly full of surprises. In close combat, it could break moves like the Nine Swords; from a distance, it could be fired like the Six Meridians. It instantly made up for his lack of versatile long-and-short-range combat methods.
***
Night fell.
The artisans, who had been busy for eight hours, could finally rest. After being frisked by the personnel of the Imperial Printing Bureau to ensure there were no issues, the artisans were let go one by one, leaving through the four gates.
At the West Gate where Chen Xin was stationed, an Engraver and a Black Ink Artisan walked together, preparing to head home, just as they always did.
"Wait," Chen Xin raised an eyebrow and called out to stop the two.
The "reputation" of the Divine Robe Guards went without saying. The two stopped artisans turned pale with fright and came to a trembling halt.
"Lord... Divine Robe... is there something you need?" the Black Ink Artisan asked, treading on thin ice and terrified that a single wrong word might enrage the Divine Robe Guard before him.
The Black Ink Artisan was a burly man in his thirties. His exposed skin bore several black stains; the lighter ones still retained their color, while the darker ones had faded, as if they had melded with his skin.
"Not you," Chen Xin shook his head. His gaze fell on the other person, and he sneered, "Over the past five days, I’ve clearly memorized every single person’s appearance, clothing, physique, and gait. Since when was your footwork so brisk and agile?"
The Black Ink Artisan looked at his companion in disbelief.
The Engraver trembled in fear, prostrating himself completely on the ground. "My lord, this lowly one doesn’t understand what you mean!"
"Ignorant fool!" Chen Xin scoffed. "Your Disguise Skill is superb. Taking into account micro-expressions, tone, small habits, and breathing frequency, it is practically flawless.
"That’s why I said you’re an ignorant fool. You thought of everything, but you lacked in the gait.
"However, some people make a living off their Lightweight Skill. You can change everything else, but this Lightweight Skill, practiced since childhood until it becomes sheer instinct, cannot be changed. Am I right, Kongkong’Er of the Northern Thief Sect?"
"My lord..." The Engraver, who had been prostrated on the ground, instantly bared his fangs. He sprang up, brandishing an iron box in his hand—the Hidden Weapon, "Sand Shadow-Shooting"!
This device contained one hundred and eighty steel needles with poisoned tips. Unleashed at close range, its power was absolutely terrifying.
Kongkong’Er was just about to spit out a few harsh words when he suddenly noticed a flash of saber light flying out. His expression changed, his finger resting on the trigger. But who would have thought that this flash of saber light would be even faster than his finger!
SNAP!
Kongkong’Er pulled the trigger, and the firing Mechanism of the Sand Shadow-Shooting WHIRRED, but it was to no avail. The front half used for firing had already been cleanly sliced off by Chen Xin’s saber. One hundred and eighty steel needles cascaded to the ground with a loud CLINK CLINK.
He thought, "It’s over. To think there would be a day when I, Kongkong’Er, miscalculated."
Along with the steel needles, Kongkong’Er’s heart plummeted to rock bottom.
Seven Kills Saber Technique: Slaughter Intent Extinguished.
Chen Xin’s strike carried anticipation; he had already slashed out before Kongkong’Er even stood up, which was why it could beat a pulling finger.
He thought, "I can’t be caught by the Divine Robe Guards!"
Kongkong’Er dropped the Sand Shadow-Shooting, turned, and bolted. He actually transformed into a streak of lightning—it was the Northern Thief Sect’s ultimate skill, the "Electric Light Divine Step"!
"Hmph, trying to escape?"
Without a second word, Chen Xin immediately gave chase. Spurring his Outer Realm Inner Strength, he unleashed the "Meteor Meteor Body Technique." Like heavenly fire tearing through the sky, he was even faster than Kongkong’Er’s lightning form!
The White Paper Ward was situated in a remote area with sparse housing and plenty of open space. Kongkong’Er had nowhere to hide, and it wouldn’t be long before Chen Xin caught up to him. In merely ten breaths of time, the heavenly fire overtook the lightning and blocked his path.
Seeing Chen Xin before him, Kongkong’Er’s Heart Spirit was profoundly shaken. He thought, "He’s actually faster than the Electric Light Divine Step..."
"Don’t move!" Kongkong’Er shouted loudly. Gritting his teeth, he reached into his robes and seemingly pulled an iron-gray sphere out of thin air. "This is Zhurong Hall’s ’Thunderbolt Fire Bomb.’ Take one more step and we’ll perish together."
Chen Xin’s gaze swept across Kongkong’Er’s chest, instantly understanding—it was a "Ba Snake Bag" sewn into his inner garments!
Inside the printing factory, the personnel of the Imperial Printing Bureau would conduct body searches to ensure no one smuggled the Jianghu Manual out. Therefore, it was impossible for Kongkong’Er to hide "bulky items" like the Jianghu Manual, the Sand Shadow-Shooting, or the Thunderbolt Fire Bomb on his person. There had to be something that allowed him to store these items without being detected. The answer was obvious—the "Ba Snake Bag."
The Classic of Mountains and Seas recorded, "The Ba Snake swallows elephants, expelling their bones after three years."
The Ba Snake was an Exotic Beast that had been driven to near extinction across the Divine Land by human hands. Its body could grow or shrink, and its stomach contained a dimension of its own, capable of swallowing a ten-foot-tall giant elephant with merely a one-foot-long body. Skilled craftsmen used the skin of the Ba Snake to sew bags, known as Ba Snake Bags, or sometimes Qian Kun Bags. On the surface, this bag only appeared to have the volume of a fist, but its interior was a hundred times larger.
Chen Xin was all too familiar with this item. In a certain past life, he had killed thousands of Ba Snakes and made thousands of bags, slaughtering every last Ba Snake in the Dongting Lake region.
"Lord Copper Order Divine Robe, let’s both take a step back. I’ll hand over the Jianghu Manual, and you let me go. How about it?" Kongkong’Er’s voice rang out. His expression was tense, his right hand tightly clutching the Thunderbolt Fire Bomb.
"How about it?" Chen Xin repeated the phrase, breaking into a smile. "Not so good."
His right hand suddenly gripped the hilt of his saber. Kongkong’Er’s heart leaped into his throat.
WHOOSH!
A streak of Finger Force shot through the air.
Majestic Seven Luminaries Finger: White Rainbow Piercing the Sun.
Kongkong’Er suddenly looked at his right hand; his entire right hand was immobilized. He thought, "What kind of martial art is this, point striking?"
No, the strike had clearly hit the muscles of his wrist, entirely missing the acupoints.
Kongkong’Er reached out with his left hand, wanting to grab the Thunderbolt Fire Bomb to threaten him again, but on second thought, he gave up struggling. Chen Xin had already raised his left index finger and wagged it at him.
"I yield."
Kongkong’Er directly admitted defeat. He knew that no matter how fast he was, he could never outrun the other party’s Finger Force.
Chen Xin stepped forward and placed a palm on Kongkong’Er’s shoulder. His Divine Illumination Internal Power invaded the thief’s body, immobilizing all six hundred and thirty-nine muscles in Kongkong’Er’s body. This was a new application of the Divine Illumination Internal Power that Chen Xin had mastered after reaching the Outer Realm. He could now control enemies without having to shatter their bones—it was more humane and far less cruel.
Chen Xin hoisted Kongkong’Er up and utilized his Lightweight Skill to return to the printing factory.
By this time, Du Mao had already rushed over with his men and was asking the Black Ink Artisan where Chen Xin had gone. Seeing Chen Xin return, he was overjoyed. "Did you catch him?"
"Yeah, Kongkong’Er of the Northern Thief Sect," Chen Xin said as he tossed Kongkong’Er onto the ground.
"The youngest disciple of the ’Thief King.’ To think it was this guy," Du Mao said with some surprise.
Upon seeing Du Mao, Kongkong’Er hastily shouted, "Director, I wish to redeem myself!"
"Redeem yourself?" Chen Xin was puzzled. Such an operation was possible?
Du Mao secretly sent a voice transmission, "Chen Copper Order, Kongkong’Er wants to buy his own freedom. If we throw him in the Great Prison, we’d just extort benefits from his masters and elders anyway. If the items he offers are of high value, self-redemption is permissible."
Secret Transmission... Chen Xin pondered privately. In just a few breaths, he learned the technique merely from Du Mao’s demonstration. Promptly, Chen Xin sent a transmission back, "What does Eunuch Du require? I will demand it on your behalf."
"No, no, no, you alone captured Kongkong’Er, Chen Copper Order. If he goes anywhere, it would solely be into your Divine Robe Guard’s Great Prison."
Du Mao’s meaning was crystal clear: whoever made the capture reaped the rewards.
Chen Xin nodded and said no more. Releasing Kongkong’Er’s immobilization, he got straight to the point. "I want the ’Ba Snake Bag.’"
Kongkong’Er still wanted to bargain, but seeing Chen Xin’s expressionless face, he could only hand over the "Ba Snake Bag" with an agonizingly pained look.
He thought, "Everything inside my bag is gone..." Kongkong’Er wanted to cry but had no tears. Today, he had not only slaved away for eight hours but also lost his Ba Snake Bag. This Thief Sect assessment had truly cost him dearly.
Chen Xin waved his hand. Relieved of a heavy burden, Kongkong’Er cupped his fists and said, "The Jianghu Manual is inside it. The artisan I replaced is sleeping safely at his home; he is in no danger."
With that, Kongkong’Er dissolved into a streak of lightning and vanished, terrified that they would renege on the deal if he stayed a second longer.
Chen Xin channeled his Inner Strength to activate the bag and confirmed its contents. The Jianghu Manual, the Thunderbolt Fire Bomb, the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle, the Golden Vase Plum... Not bad, all good stuff, and now they were all his.
"Chen Copper Order’s Lightweight Skill is incredibly even more formidable than Kongkong’Er’s," Du Mao marvelled.
"The Electric Light Divine Step lives up to its reputation. If I were still in the Inner Realm, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to catch him," Chen Xin tucked away the Ba Snake Bag and continued, "Kongkong’Er, I’ve seen his file in the Archives as well. He performs many good deeds, saving the suffering and helping the poor, and is commonly known as a Heroic Thief among the populace. Within the Thief Sect, he holds the title of Little Thief Commander and is considered the most promising candidate to unify the North and South Thieves."
The Thief Sect... had split into northern and southern factions a long time ago. The Thief Leader Order had been split in two, and the sect’s ultimate skills, the Flying Dragon Cloud-Seeking Hand and the Electric Light Divine Step, were inherited separately.
Du Mao followed up, "Although Kongkong’Er is the youngest disciple of the Thief King, his track record ranks first. He has never failed. Even the Shaolin Sect had a Buddhist Scripture stolen by him. It’s a pity he fell into your hands today, Chen Copper Order."
"Falling into my hands, do you really think Kongkong’Er didn’t leave a backup plan, Eunuch Du?" Chen Xin remarked casually.
Du Mao paused in surprise. "You’re saying..."
Chen Xin pointed at the Black Ink Artisan who hadn’t left yet, saying, "Check inside your robes."
The Black Ink Artisan didn’t dare disobey. He reached into his garments, his face instantly changing color, and slowly pulled out a sheet of paper. A little eunuch stepped forward, collected the ink-stained paper, and handed it to Du Mao.
The characters on the paper were no bigger than fly heads. By the moonlight, Du Mao could clearly see that it recorded all the rankings of the current issue of the Jianghu Manual.
"Good heavens, I was almost played by that guy." Du Mao squeezed his hand in anger, instantly freezing the paper into a block of ice.
"He must have hidden this piece of paper in his Ba Snake Bag and only transferred it after the body search," Chen Xin nonchalantly explained, then looked at the shivering Black Ink Artisan. "Alright, you’re fine. Go on home."
***
After the Kongkong’Er incident, there were no more waves at the printing factory.
The next few days passed uneventfully, and Chen Xin was able to find time to stroll around. Sometimes he went to drink with Old Jiang and Old Yan; other times, he browsed ancient texts in the Library Building. He was in a good mood, and his Cultivation speed of the Divine Illumination Skill advanced rather than receded.
Until the tenth day, when a Junior Commander hurriedly ran to the printing factory. His break was over; Purple Gold had summoned him. The Shandong Celestial Fragrance Sect had rebelled!