Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Bai Zhizhi, being a fox, was always bold and responsible. If something went unnoticed, he'd do it on the sly. But once found out, he wouldn't bother lying.

So when Jiang Lin said this, even though he knew Jiang Lin was testing him, Bai Zhizhi didn't argue.

Jiang Lin had only made a teasing remark to test him, but the little fox's silence made him go quiet too.

Lin Xiaoyang, returning from seeing the guest off, had one foot in the living room. But seeing Jiang Ge and the little fox locked in a stare like no one else existed, he silently pulled his foot back and intercepted Yue Zhihuan, who was carrying a fruit platter toward the living room, dragging her away.

Yue Zhihuan looked confused.

Lin Xiaoyang whispered, "Bad vibe, retreat!"

Glancing at the scurrying Lin Xiaoyang, Jiang Lin pulled out a chair and sat back down. "So what really happened? Why did you burn Hull’s painting? Is it because he offended you at Luoxia Creek last time?"

Bai Zhizhi: "I didn't do it on purpose. I had no clue the painting would catch fire."

Jiang Lin: "What do you mean?"

Bai Zhizhi: "I was just curious about what the painting he spent so much money on looked like. I sent out a strand of my spiritual sense to secretly check it out. But before I did anything, the painting burned up."

Since Bai Zhizhi had admitted to it, there was no need to lie further. Jiang Lin believed he hadn't meant to do it. It was likely that the Lady Painting had some kind of restriction on it. When Bai Zhizhi probed it with his spiritual sense, the restriction was set off, making the painting burn up on its own.

Jiang Lin said, "Don't mention this to anyone else. I’ll keep an eye on the Tang family and make sure Hull doesn't cause them trouble."

Bai Zhizhi looked at Jiang Lin. "That's it?"

Jiang Lin was puzzled. "What do you mean, 'that's it'? What else?"

Bai Zhizhi was a bit surprised. "I ruined someone else's painting, and you're just acting like nothing happened?"

Jiang Lin chuckled. "You didn't do it on purpose. If it were anyone else, I would talk to the owner properly and take you to apologize and compensate. But Hull... forget it. You two already have a grudge. If he finds out you destroyed the painting, he won’t believe it was an accident—it’ll just deepen the enmity. Let's leave it at that. He’s offended you twice, and now you’ve destroyed his eighty-million painting. Let's call it even, yeah? Just let it go. If he doesn’t provoke you, just ignore him. If he does offend you again, given the eighty million, at least spare his life?"

Bai Zhizhi shook his head. "It might not end there."

Now it was Jiang Lin’s turn to be confused. "Why? Isn't burning his painting enough to vent your anger?"

Bai Zhizhi took out the iron key. "This was inside the painting. It flew out when the painting burned. Originally, there were two pieces of white jade, like the ones on the lady's sash in the painting. I felt something hidden inside the jade, so I smashed the outer shell. After infusing it with spiritual power, this is what appeared."

Jiang Lin stood up and stepped forward. "Can I take a look?"

Bai Zhizhi handed it to him nonchalantly. "Go ahead."

Jiang Lin examined the key carefully. He also tried to cover it with his spiritual power, and soon the key absorbed the energy.

Jiang Lin was taken aback and quickly withdrew his hand. "Maybe this is the treasure the Tang ancestor spoke of. The ceremony at the ancestral home—perhaps the real place to pay respects isn't the house itself. The shape of this thing looks like a screw key for opening something."

Bai Zhizhi watched him examining it closely, then suddenly leaned in, tilting his head. "Partnership?"

Jiang Lin looked at him. "Partners?"

Bai Zhizhi pointed at the object in Jiang Lin’s hand. "I got this thing, so it's mine. And you should have noticed—it eats spiritual power. Maybe once it’s fully charged, it will change somehow. My ancestors left me plenty of treasures; topping off the spiritual power it needs is no problem."

During his time here, aside from playing games and having fun with Lin Xiaoyang, he had also managed to glean quite a bit of information from him.

When he first arrived, he hadn’t restrained his aura, and their technological instruments had detected him. Later, he realized this place wasn’t Qingqiu and was full of ordinary people, so he completely concealed his presence. That inadvertently led to their misunderstanding.

No one here had ever suspected his true origin. They simply assumed he was a little fox spirit who had cultivated and taken human form after emerging from a secluded cave, just like the other demons they’d discovered before. Naive about the human world, he was brought in, given an identity, and taught common sense.

He certainly wasn’t going to tell them where he really came from. Instead, he played along with the identity they had imagined for him. That was beneficial to him. First, he didn’t have to worry about revealing something that shouldn’t exist here—he could just blame everything on a fictional ancestor.

Second, it was a deterrent. He wanted them to know he wasn't just some weak little demon. These human cultivators shouldn’t think they could easily manipulate him.

As for this so-called treasure, given how little spiritual energy this world has, it probably can't produce any truly powerful heavenly treasures or rare herbs. He probably wouldn't care about it. Whether he got it or not was irrelevant.

But since he had now figured out a way to travel between the two worlds and wanted to stay here a while longer, it was important to keep on good terms. Having some stake in this world couldn't hurt.

Hearing the little fox propose a partnership, Jiang Lin looked at his shrewd, lively eyes and asked calmly and unhurriedly, "What kind of partnership do you have in mind?"

Bai Zhizhi: "I’ll fill it up with spiritual power. You handle finding where the treasure is and how to get it. I want half of whatever we get."

Jiang Lin shook his head. "Half is too much. Finding the treasure and opening the site requires manpower. Plus, we have to stop Hull and deal with any fallout from this key. How about a seventy-thirty split? You get thirty percent, and the rest split among everyone won't be much each."

Bai Zhizhi thought it over. It was fine—he would get thirty percent for doing nothing, and he didn't even know if there was anything inside, much less what it was. Overall, he wasn't losing out. "Deal."

He took the key back from Jiang Lin, lightly tapped it with his fingertip, and removed the seal he had placed on it.

He had put that seal on himself. When his father helped him fuse the two pieces of soft iron, the spiritual power inside was already fully charged. A light tap from him, as an immortal, required almost no effort.

After lifting the seal, Bai Zhizhi handed the key directly to Jiang Lin. "Here. When you find the location to open the treasure, let me know. I want to supervise."

Seeing his actions, Jiang Lin realized that Bai Zhizhi had already prepared the key but had temporarily sealed it to negotiate with him. He laughed. "You really are a clever little fox. What a negotiator."

Bai Zhizhi felt a little proud. "Of course. Our fox clan has always been smart."

Jiang Lin called Qiu Yan over and told him to take turns with Lin Xiaoyang keeping an eye on the Tang family in the near future. Qiu Yan and Lin Xiaoyang were at similar cultivation levels—Qi Refining layer three. Though not high in cultivation, Qiu Yan was steady and smart, able to stay calm in emergencies, while Lin Xiaoyang was good at carrying out tasks. The two of them working together would be more than enough to watch over the Tang family.

He then took Bai Zhizhi with him to Luoxia Village.

After a period of thorough searching in Luoxia Village, no more Xian Fish or Water Spirit Crystals had been found. The blockade was about to be lifted. But as soon as Jiang Lin arrived, he tightened the blockade and told Xiao Yu to send more personnel.

Yue Yanting looked at his captain's actions in confusion. "We’ve searched every inch of this place several times. There really aren’t any more Xian Fish or Water Spirit Crystals."

Jiang Lin: "Just because there aren’t any now doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future."

Yue Yanting: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Jiang Lin briefly explained the matter of the painting, omitting the Tang family’s involvement, and said, "The key was hidden in the painting using a special method. The original painter was named Tang Mu. He suddenly settled here three hundred years ago and demanded to be buried here after death. Coincidentally, Xian Fish and Water Spirit Crystals were found here. It’s too much of a coincidence."

Yue Yanting: "Whoa! I knew it! The day Hull was beaten so badly, he left with that 'just you wait' look. So this was what he was waiting for. He knew the Lady Painting had secrets and paid a high price for it. If this key had fallen into his hands, we’d have been a laughingstock!"

Jiang Lin: "Thanks to the club owner, I managed to find some rumors. They say the painting hides a treasure. So far, we’ve only found this key. Combined with the spiritual objects that appeared here, the so-called treasure is likely something from a cultivator, sealed away by a special method. But three hundred years have passed. Maybe the seal has weakened, and some things inside have escaped."

Xiao Yu, who had been listening quietly, fixed his gaze on the key. "I’ve also heard about Hull’s eighty million loss. How did this thing end up with you?"

Jiang Lin glanced to the side. Xiao Yu followed his gaze and saw Bai Zhizhi squatting by the stream, poking at the fish with a stick.

No more explanation was needed. Xiao Yu couldn’t help but say jealously, "How come all the good luck lands in Dongcheng's lap?"

Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Isn’t that why I’m asking for your cooperation? But I already made a deal with Zhizhi—if we find the treasure, he gets thirty percent."

Xiao Yu nodded. "That’s only fair."

If not for Bai Zhizhi, the key would probably have ended up with Hull by now. To benefit from the little fox’s luck and get the lion's share was already a huge gain.

After saying this, Xiao Yu looked around at the surrounding mountains. "But with such a big mountain, how are we supposed to find the spot? Use the key to feel for it?"

Jiang Lin: "Among the limited information I obtained, there is one clue: when Tang Mu was on his deathbed, he told his descendants that when they were in desperate straits, they should take the painting to the ancestral home and pay respects."

Xiao Yu rubbed his chin: "Pay respects, ancestral home. Where is Tang Mu's ancestral home?"

Jiang Lin: "It was torn down long ago. I heard that in those days, his family was wealthy and powerful, and the entire mansion was built with golden-thread nanmu. During the turmoil, how could such things survive? They were all dismantled."

Xiao Yu clicked his tongue: "That's fine. We have plenty of people. Since we're sure there's something here, I'll dig this whole place up to find it!"

Xiao Yu immediately went to arrange manpower. Yue Yanting said, "I'll go find Old Ren. He went into the mountains today. I'll follow him and search again."

After the two left, Jiang Lin walked over to Bai Zhizhi: "Zhizhi, do you sense anything special about this place?"

Bai Zhizhi turned his head to look at him: "Finding the treasure is your job. You can't rely on me for everything."

Jiang Lin saw that he was unwilling to expend energy to investigate and didn't force him. Noticing him poking at the fish in the water, he asked, "Want to eat fish? Want me to grill one for you?"

Bai Zhizhi: "You can grill fish?"

Jiang Lin: "No, but I can catch one. There's also a cook here. Want to eat?"

Bai Zhizhi dropped the small stick and stood up: "Yes!"

The commotion at Luoxia Village was being watched by some people. Especially since they had intensified the blockade around the area, such a large-scale movement could not go unnoticed.

The lookout reported back. Ike, whose scarred face was still wrapped in gauze, frowned and said, "Could they have discovered the altar?"

Hull snorted coldly: "How could they possibly discover the altar? The entire altar is right under their noses. They've been searching for spirit objects these past days—what could they find? Without the painting, the altar won't even appear. Instead of worrying about that, it's better to have the higher-ups apply more pressure on their country and use more spirit soil to exchange for the Water Spirit Crystal in their hands."

The thought that he was just one step too slow, that if he had been just a bit faster, the Water Spirit Crystal would have been theirs, made Hull so mad he could puke.

Turning his head and seeing the treasure mouse snoozing in its nest, he wished he could strangle the little creature. It was called a treasure mouse, yet it only found useless weeds—how could it miss such a large piece of Water Spirit Crystal in the water?!

Hearing about the Water Spirit Crystal, Ike was also filled with resentment. He had heard that the spiritual energy within the Water Spirit Crystal was extremely abundant. Although it was water-attributed and incompatible with his fire element, it pissed him off that something that good wasn't in their hands—especially because of that damned Huaxia demon.

At the thought of that demon, Ike touched his gauze-covered face. This trip to Huaxia has just been one bad luck thing after another!

While he was seething with hatred, a phone call came in. Ike answered and his expression changed: "Hull, they've discovered the altar!"