Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 29: The Successor of the Thief Saint, Plotting Against the Imperial Observatory
On a snowy winter night, Zhao Wuji was startled to suddenly sense the presence of two martial arts experts within his residence.

But soon, he sensed that one of the auras was familiar.

"This aura... is it Tao Fei?"

He looked surprised and quickly returned home.

The servants, who were shivering and stamping their feet while waiting at the door, saw him and immediately opened their umbrellas to shield him from the snow, reminding him of his presence.

"My lord, your friend Lord Tao has just arrived and is waiting in the front hall."

"Okay, hurry to the front hall. It's freezing outside. Lao Liang, you should go back inside and rest too."

Zhao Wuji waved his hand and went straight to the front hall after entering the house. He wondered why Tao Fei had come so late at night. Could it be that he really wanted revenge?

As soon as they stepped into the front hall, they heard Tao Fei's rather flamboyant laughter coming from inside. This mischievous friend was flirting with Xiao Chunhua.

"This guy is still the same as ever, never serious."

Zhao Wuji shook his head and went in. He saw a young man leaning against a rosewood armchair in the hall, his clothes half open and one leg bent and resting on the edge of the chair.

He gently waved the folding fan in his hand, and the four wild cursive characters "风流天下" (meaning "a person of great talent and influence") on the fan surface appeared and disappeared.

"Hey, Brother Zhao, our busy man is back."

The young man turned his head, snapped his folding fan shut and stood up. His peach blossom eyes and the corners of his mouth held a cynical smile. He picked up his celadon wine cup and swirled it around. "It's been more than a year since I last saw you. Your wine has gotten better and better. It's just that there are fewer pretty maids serving you."

"grown ups!"

Seeing Zhao Wuji return, Xiao Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed and withdrew.

"You've come to the capital, and surprisingly, instead of visiting the Thousand Fragrance Pavilion, you've come straight here. Are you here to return the Golden Spear Fiery Pill to me?"

Zhao Wuji stepped forward, but the young man Tao Fei grinned mischievously and presented a "monkey stealing peach" gift to his friend. Xiao Yue, who had just entered the room, gasped in surprise, her face turning red.

But the next moment, Tao Fei's hand was brushed away by the sleeve, and Zhao Wuji grabbed it hard. He immediately took a step back, gasped for breath, and covered his crotch with his folding fan, his expression changing.

"Hiss—Brother Zhao's strength has improved greatly this year!"

"Your brother Zhao, the divine physician, has already reached the strength of a Grandmaster of Transformation. So young, he is truly a genius."

Just then, a soft laugh came from the side, the laugh was hoarse like sandpaper, with a hint of slickness.

Zhao Wuji turned his head and saw an old man dressed in coarse cloth.

His body was hunched over like a shrimp, his hands were tucked into his sleeves, and his face was crisscrossed with wrinkles like old tree bark, but his eyes were as bright as two pearls that had fallen into a coal pile.

"Brother Zhao, you've already broken through to the Transformation Grandmaster realm?" Tao Fei asked in surprise.

"Not bad, I only recently managed to break through."

Zhao Wuji did not hide it.

His martial arts prowess was merely his outward strength, and exposing it would avoid unnecessary trouble. He turned to the old man, raised his hand in a fist salute, and asked, "And who is this grandmaster?"

The old man in front of him was also a master of transformation. Tao Fei's sudden bringing of a master of transformation surprised him as well.

"Ah, this one," Tao Fei looked at the old man, then at Xiao Yue and the other servants around him.

Zhao Wuji understood immediately and invited Tao Fei and the old man to sit down in the side hall. He dismissed the servants and frowned as he spoke in a low voice.

"Brother Tao, you're being so mysterious. Could it be that you're really planning revenge, as the letter says?"

Tao Fei immediately shook his head and chuckled softly, "Brother Zhao, I wouldn't dare to be so bold. The treasure left behind by Li Shaojun, which we both coveted, is now in His Majesty's hands."

He cupped his hands in a gesture towards the void, shook his head and sighed, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; we shouldn't think about anything more."

"So, Brother Tao, what brings you here this time?"

"Don't worry about that," Tao Fei smiled. "It's for your own good. I just came to see you this time."

Tao Fei pointed to the old man and introduced him, "This is Bi Yuxiang, the successor of Feng Yi, the Saint of Thieves. You should have heard of the name Saint of Thieves. He came with me to take a look around the imperial city."

"The successor of the Thief Saint? Is that the Thief Saint, one of the legendary three thieves who stole from all four kingdoms?" Zhao Wuji looked at the unassuming old man. "Dr. Zhao, I've heard so much about you. I am Bi Yuxiang. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The old man approached and raised his hand in a fist salute.

Zhao Wuji suddenly raised his eyebrows, and with a flick of his wrist, golden needles shot out from his sleeve like a fine rain.

The old man's figure had already floated like a paper doll, retreating to the corner of the hall in an instant. His body twisted strangely to avoid all the golden needles, and his broken laughter echoed between the beams: "Young man, don't be so hot-tempered. I was just joking."

As he spoke, his withered fingers swept across the air.

A jade button appeared out of thin air and floated lightly toward Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji let out a soft "Eh," took the button, and only then realized that the button on his belt had been removed at some point.

This successor of the Thief Saint is indeed formidable. With his powerful spiritual sense, he noticed the unusual airflow around him and suddenly made his move.

Unexpectedly, the other party still managed to remove a button without anyone noticing.

This must be some kind of internal energy manifestation technique, using internal energy to transform into threads that silently and effortlessly pass by and take away his belongings, demonstrating a terrifying control over internal energy that is exquisite to the extreme.

The old man, Bi Yuxiang, was also astonished by Zhao Wuji's incredible perception.

It was even more terrifying than a grandmaster who sensed the autumn wind before it even moved, as he was able to detect his move in advance, which made him feel embarrassed.

He immediately stopped, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Dr. Zhao is truly a man of great skill and hidden depths."

"Thank you for the compliment!" Zhao Wuji said expressionlessly, putting away the button.

Bi Yuxiang, having been rebuffed, tried to regain some face in another way, and chuckled, "My master once said that the royal families of the four southern kingdoms all have secrets, and may indeed possess the inheritance of immortality."

The Imperial Observatory was the department that helped the Xuan Kingdom's royal family collect traces of immortals from all over the world. My mentor once broke into the Imperial Observatory in the imperial city, but failed when he entered the last secret door. He was chased and killed, and soon died from his injuries.

I've heard that Physician Zhao has also frequented the Imperial Observatory. Does he know anything about the condition of the Imperial Observatory's treasury?

"Senior Bi!" At this moment, Tao Fei raised his hand to stop him, shook his head and smiled, "I told you, when you come to my friend's place, don't discuss this matter."

"The Thief Saint once broke into the secret door of the Imperial Observatory's treasure vault?" Zhao Wuji was startled and thought to himself, "Impressive!"

He had wandered around the Imperial Observatory many times, but found it unfathomable and dared not use magic to test it.

Unexpectedly, the previous generation's master thief was able to penetrate so deeply into the area.

He looked at Tao Fei, who had stopped Bi Yuxiang, and raised his eyebrows, saying, "Brother Tao, are you planning to take revenge on the Imperial Observatory?"

Tao Fei raised an eyebrow, shook his folding fan, and laughed, "Brother Zhao, don't ask me what I'm going to do. You can just stay here in the capital, refine pills and seek enlightenment. It's quite nice to be a carefree and leisurely person."

Alright, it's getting late. We really need to go to Qianxiang Pavilion now. Brother Zhao, would you like to come along?

Zhao Wuji shook his head with a helpless smile, "I'm tired today, so I won't join you in your revelry."

"Hahaha, Brother Zhao, you've already reformed before you've even married the daughter of the Imperial Clan Chief."

Tao Fei, waving his folding fan, laughed heartily, exuding an air of nonchalance, and left together with Bi Yuxiang, the successor of the Thief Saint.

Zhao Wuji personally escorted them to the door, watching them get into the carriage, lost in thought.

Tao Fei brought the successor of the Thief Saint to the capital this time, and his sudden mention of the Imperial Observatory suggests that he may be planning to take revenge on the Imperial Observatory.

But clearly, his friend wasn't going to tease him this time, not wanting to drag him into it, so he didn't say much to him.

"This is also an opportunity. The previous generation of master thieves managed to sneak into the Imperial Observatory's treasury. If this generation of master thieves also wants to break into the Imperial Observatory, he can take this opportunity to find out the true strength of the Imperial Observatory."

Zhao Wuji pondered deeply.

If he could obtain the ancient books and artifacts within the Imperial Observatory, he would be able to decipher more of the Earthly Fiend Techniques.

At the very least, we can find out some specific details about the royal family's cultivation of immortality.

"Let's go check out the situation first... If it's too dangerous, we won't get involved."

He immediately returned to the house, made hand seals to mobilize his spiritual power, and used the techniques of Spirit Communication and Pill Manipulation to ride the sword pellet past the skylight and quietly fly out of the house.
(End of this chapter)