Ch. 73 – Hermit Crab

“What is this North Sea City all about?” asked Hao Chen.

“My Lord, you were so busy with your affairs that you probably don’t remember. Three hundred years ago, Prime Minister Turtle wanted to increase trade with the human realm, as well as make it easier for the people of the North Sea to settle there, so he chose this island to establish North Sea City.”

“Then he appointed me, the cousin of the second uncle of a distant cousin of the eleventh lord under the command of Third Sea Commander Crab, to come to the human world and manage North Sea City. This was reported to you, and you agreed at the time,” Proprietor Crab explained.

Hao Chen pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Due to the excellent reproduction ability of the crab clan, the relationships between relatives were so complicated that he had no hope of keeping track.

However, since this giant crab was able to mention the Third Sea Commander, he must be telling the truth.

As for why Hao Chen couldn’t remember…..this was actually normal for him. After all, he didn’t even know how much wealth he had, so how could he remember such a minor thing?

It was likely that he hadn’t listened carefully to Prime Minister Turtle back then, and just casually agreed.

Now that he was aware of North Sea City’s origins, Hao Chen stood up and straightened his sleeves, praising his subordinate: “You’ve done a very good job. My identity must be kept secret. Do not inform my traveling companions.”

“Yes,” Proprietor Crab responded.

Hao Chen left his seat, but not to look for Feng Ye. Now that he was in his lair, he had some things to take care of. He must contact Prime Minister Turtle.

North Sea City was his people’s refuge in the human realm, so there would naturally be methods here to contact the North Sea. In order to please this lord who rarely visited, Proprietor Crab had already made all of the preparations he could think of.

In the hall where they were speaking, there was a coral shelf in the center. And on that shelf was a pearl the size of a watermelon, many times larger than the pigeon egg pearl in Fang Yang’s hands.

Pearls could indeed be used to refine medicines, but small ones were sufficient for such things. Generally, pearls larger than a fist would be used for other purposes. 

Because of their translucent constitution, pearls were excellent mediums for displaying images. Some pearls were refined into magic instruments that recorded images, while others were made into communicators.

The large pearl before him was the latter. Not everyone had the ability like Hao Chen to find a calm lake and open a communication channel between the two worlds. North Sea City had always relied on this large pearl to communicate with the world above.

In any case, there was a ready-made communicator in front of him, and Hao Chen was too lazy to bother with other routes. But before contacting Prime Minister Turtle, he suddenly recalled something.

“Is Crab Eighteen your cousin?” Hao Chen asked the giant crab nearby.

“Yes, he is my eighteenth cousin.” Despite not understanding why his Lord was asking about his little cousin, Proprietor Crab answered honestly.

Hao Chen gave a meaning-laden “oh” and waved his hand: “He runs his mouth too much. Go and cook him up for me.”

Proprietor Crab: “……”

A shocked bubble blew from his open mouth, floating upward before bursting with a pop.

Proprietor Crab snapped back to his senses. Although he didn’t know how his little cousin had offended their Lord, he immediately pleaded for mercy on Crab Eighteen’s behalf: “My Lord, my cousin didn’t know who you were and offended you. I’ll teach him a lesson when he gets back, please forgive him.”

Hao Chen donned a thoughtful look, and just when Proprietor Crab thought he was going to reconsider, Hao Chen suddenly said: “Steam him then.”

After saying this, he turned around and placed a hand on the pearl. He input a small amount of spiritual power to activate the communication array inside the pearl, not sparing another glance at the giant crab behind him.

It was very clear that his decision was non-negotiable.

Hao Chen still couldn’t forget that Crab Eighteen had exposed his dark history in front of Feng Ye. He wouldn’t have done anything if he hadn’t had to contact Prime Minister Turtle. But when the topic of this turtle came up, he inevitably thought of the fact that Prime Minister Turtle was not, in fact, a turtle, and remembered that series of foolish behavior.

He also knew that calling a tortoise a turtle was foolish, but he did it anyway. What else could he have done but join his subordinates in shamelessly claiming that Prime Minister Turtle was indeed a turtle? 

This was originally at tacit secret of the North Sea, but then that loud-mouthed Crab Eighteen had broken the news. Hao Chen’s shamelessness had met its limit. Although disposing of Crab Eighteen wouldn’t improve his own situation, he wouldn’t be able to swallow his anger if he didn’t get rid of him.

“Yes…..” After a moment’s silence, Proprietor Crab finally responded with great reluctance.

But no matter how reluctant he was, there was nothing he could do. This was his Lord’s command, and he had no choice but to obey. 

He bowed with a sigh and departed, leaving Hao Chen and Prime Minister Turtle on the other side to discuss matters alone. 

Hao Chen didn’t spare a thought for the giant crab’s feelings. He heard Proprietor Crab leave, and as the palace door closed, the blurry image in the pearl finally became clear.

Prime Minister Turtle appeared in the image and slowly saluted Hao Chen.

Hao Chen stopped him just as he had previously, unwilling to waste time. The owner of the Turtle Shell Shop had clearly been a real turtle, and moved very swiftly. But Prime Minister Turtle was not a turtle, and moved very slowly.

Hao Chen couldn’t figure this out.

Because he had been unaware of his subordinates’ good intentions, where in order to save face for him, they all firmly agreed that Prime Minister Turtle was indeed a turtle.

And in order to show that he was really a turtle, Prime Minister Turtle deliberately imitated the habits of one. Everyone said that turtles moved slowly, so he deliberately slowed down his movements, developing his sluggish demeanor over time. 

Regrettably, Hao Chen had never realized this, and only thought that it was a personal problem of Prime Minister Turtle’s.

And at this moment, he was still in the dark.

Hao Chen intermittently tapped his mini fan and asked: “Have you learned anything about the matter I told you to investigate last time?”

Last time, Hao Chen had tasked him with finding out if there was anyone named “Feng Ye” residing in heaven. Although he had experienced much in the past few days, less than a week had passed at the most, and he actually didn’t have hope that Prime Minister Turtle would achieve results in such a short amount of time. 

Prime Minister Turtle didn’t give him any surprises. He shook his head: “No. The people I sent haven’t reported back yet.”

As expected.

Hao Chen pondered for a moment before asking another question: “By the way…..what is the latest news on Yinglong’s activity in the Southern Sea?”

He didn’t believe that Feng Ye was Yinglong, but Feng Ye was investigating Jianmu. Since Yinglong had been involved in the Jianmu incident, it was possible that his shadow was still present in the current situation.

Thus, he asked Prime Minister Turtle this question.

“Hm…..” Prime Minister Turtle was somewhat taken aback by this question, and thought for a moment before replying, “There has been no word of major movement from him. He seems to be remaining quietly in the Southern Sea.”

These words made no difference. Although things may seem quiet on the surface, he may have gone somewhere in secret to stir up trouble.

“Don’t stop investigating. Keep a close eye on Yinglong’s movements and notify me immediately if anything happens,” Hao Chen commanded.

“Yes,” Prime Minister Turtle responded.

After discussing serious matters, they should talk about something…..less serious. Hao Chen unfolded his mini fan, and before he could speak, Prime Minister Turtle spotted the half-length fan and opened his mouth in shock: “My Lord, your…..”

This small fan looked like an ordinary folding fan that could be purchased at a street stall for a few copper coins, but Prime Minister Turtle knew the details of this seemingly ordinary folding fan very well. It was distinctly made from one of his Lord’s tail feathers.

But presently, this folding fan which should have been indestructible was broken. And the cut was very smooth, as if it had been severed by some kind of sharp weapon.

But what could be capable of severing the tail feathers of the Lord of the North Sea? Prime Minister Turtle couldn’t believe it, and even suspected that he was hallucinating.

Hao Chen nodded bitterly. This helped Prime Minister Turtle confirm that he wasn’t just seeing things, but did nothing to explain why it had broken: “Go to the storeroom and get another fan for me. And make it quick, I’m leaving North Sea City in two days.”

After all, North Sea City wasn’t a human territory, and all of the major sects only planned to stay there for three days. Today was almost over, so there were only two days left.

Two days later, I’ll naturally follow Feng Ye back to Lingxiao Sword Sect, thought Hao Chen, who was posing as a disciple of Tiangong Pavilion. 

He hadn’t even been to Tiangong Pavilion once, but he was about to visit Lingxiao Sword Sect for the second time.

Prime Minister Turtle had held his office for many years, and when it came to understanding Hao Chen’s temperament, if he wasn’t the best in the North Sea, then he wasn’t far behind.

Thus, he immediately understood that his Lord had no intention of explaining. He knew better than to ask, and simply nodded in agreement. 

“There is one more thing.” Hao Chen’s expression had changed. There was a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, and there was no telling what good thing he’d thought of.

Looking at Hao Chen’s expression, Prime Minister Turtle found it very similar to the restless young creatures of the North Sea during mating season. Like he was smugly planning some sort of gift for his lover, and couldn’t help but smile foolishly as he imagined what his lover would do upon receiving it.

No, no, no, how could he think of his Lord in such a way?

The moment this notion came to mind, Prime Minister Turtle strangled it in the cradle. His Lord was an adult. How could he be as immature as an impetuous child?

Moreover, Hao Chen had spent a long time in the North Sea, and his heart had adopted the same characteristics, containing ice and snow that had never melted in thousands of years. The rippling spring breeze had never blown across this northernmost sea.

My Lord is not so foolish as to let his heart be moved by someone, Prime Minister Turtle thought with certainty.

However, Hao Chen’s next words decreased his certainty.

Hao Chen had taken very little time to discuss the previous matter, ending it in just a few words. But speaking of this last matter, he rambled on for a long time and covered every detail, instructing Prime Minister Turtle late into the night with no sign of stopping.

The lights in the main hall were brightly lit, as well as those in the small side hall next door.

Hao Chen and Prime Minister Turtle held their meeting in the main hall, while Proprietor Crab and his crab relatives met in the other.

“Our Lord has finally come to North Sea City. This is a golden opportunity for us to show off our ability. We will notify all vendors and tell them to ensure that for the next two days, our Lord has a comfortable visit and shopping experience,” Proprietor Crab said with an uneasy heart to all of the crab relatives he had summoned together.

While sending Old Crab Nine to notify them, he had also issued a call to all of the other crabs on the island, urging them to take care not to offend their Lord.

However, he had still been a step too late.

Proprietor Crab spoke for a long time, and when he felt that he had given all of the instructions he needed to, he waved his claws and adjourned the meeting. But just before the crabs left, he suddenly called out: “Eighteen, stay for a moment.”

Both of Crab Eighteen’s claws were stiff. When Proprietor Crab was holding the meeting just now, he had shown all of the crabs a portrait of their Lord in case any of them didn’t recognize him.

Only then did Crab Eighteen realize that he had already met their Lord, and revealed the secret that was not really a secret in front of him.

He had been standing there trembling in fear the whole time, and barely heard what was said during the meeting. And when he heard his cousin suddenly call out to him, he knew something was wrong.

His cousin’s expression confirmed his guess. Proprietor Crab approached Crab Eighteen and let out a sigh.

This sigh sapped away Crab Eighteen’s courage. He asked tremblingly: “Does our Lord blame me…..”

Proprietor Crab heavily spit out bubbles to express his affirmation.

“Then how is he going to deal with me…..” Crab Eighteen was practically shaking like a sieve.

Proprietor Crab said nothing out loud, but his expression said it all.

Crab Eighteen’s eight claws suddenly lost their strength, and he fell to the floor. He lay there and closed his eyes, as if about to faint from terror.

“Don’t faint yet!” Proprietor Crab quickly intervened. Using his claws, he pulled Crab Eighteen up from the floor and said earnestly: “Eighteen, ah, young people always make small mistakes. You must learn from them.”

“I would like to learn from this, ah, but I won’t have the chance, Cousin…..” Crab Eighteen said with a look of despair as he was forced to his feet.

“That’s not necessarily the case.” Proprietor Crab glanced around as he spoke. After making sure all of the other crabs had left, he suddenly whispered to Crab Eighteen: “You should have heard about the three treasures of our crab clan.”

Crab Eighteen blew out bubbles. As a race with a long history, the crab clan possessed three treasures that kept them safe. And as a member of this clan, he had naturally heard of them.

“One of the three treasures is a Cloaking Shell, which can block any tracking and detection spells,” Proprietor Crab continued.

Crab Eighteen was baffled: “Cousin, why are you bringing this up? The three treasures are all kept by Commander Crab. What do they have to do with us?”

“Let me finish!” Proprietor Crab impatiently tapped Crab Eighteen’s shell with his claw, shutting him up before continuing, “Three hundred years ago, when Prime Minister Turtle sent me to the lower realm, Commander Crab was worried about my safety and gave me this Cloaking Shell. Now…..”

Proprietor Crab suddenly went to the cabinet in the corner of the side hall, opened the lock, and took out a white conch shell that wasn’t even as big as his claws.

He handed the conch shell to Crab Eighteen: “Become smaller, then crawl into this conch and pretend to be a hermit crab. That way, even our Lord won’t be able to find you.”

“Cousin…..” Crab Eighteen held the conch shell with tears in his eyes.

He was moved, but firmly refused: “I can’t. If I leave, how will you explain it to our Lord?”

Proprietor Crab waved a claw, extremely casual: “You’ve heard about our Lord’s memory. He was just a little angry because you offended him, and he’ll forget everything once he gets some sleep.”

Crab Eighteen: “……” He had to admit that their Lord was really such a fish.

“Every policy from above has its countermeasures from below. Even if our Lord still remembers such a small matter, I will tell him that you were executed on the spot and your body fed to the fish.” Proprietor Crab patted his little cousin’s shell, signaling him not to worry about him.

Since this was the case, Crab Eighteen had no more worries. It was best to start early rather than procrastinate, so he took the conch shell and said goodbye to Proprietor Crab: “Then I’ll leave first, Cousin. I’m going to find a place outside to hide, and I’ll return when our Lord leaves.”

“En, go quickly,” Proprietor Crab said as he took action, escorting Crab Eighteen all the way out of the hall.

“Be careful, don’t let anyone see you!” Following Proprietor Crab’s urging, Crab Eighteen disappeared into the night and left the market.

Although the night market in North Sea City wasn’t as lively as the one during the day, there were still quite a few pedestrians walking the streets.

Crab Eighteen remembered his cousin’s advice and carefully avoided them. He walked wherever there were fewer people until he reached the beach, where there were only the rising and falling tides and oddly-shaped reefs.

It was fine during the day, but for humans, it was dangerous to come here at night when visibility was poor and they might take a tumble into the reefs. So for now, nobody else was around.

Crab Eighteen planned to enter the sea from here and dive deep down, where he would hide himself in the conch shell for the next few days.

However, before he could enter the sea from the rocks, someone happened to be walking toward this beach, which was supposed to be deserted.

It happened so suddenly that Crab Eighteen had no time to find somewhere to hide. He swiftly took out the Cloaking Shell given to him by his cousin, set it on the ground, then shrank himself and crawled into it.

All traces of Crab Eighteen vanished in an instant.

The only sound here was the relentless roar of the waves.

With a plunk, Xue Ren kicked the white conch shell at his feet into the sea.

The conch shell sent up a brief splash, then was swallowed up by the waves and disappeared without a trace.

But when the waves slowly receded, the white conch shell appeared again, lying intact on the beach.

When Xue Ren saw this, bad memories were called to mind.

Cao Zirui was just like this conch shell he had kicked into the sea. He was destined to sink below the waves, but unexpectedly, he appeared again when the waves receded!

Thinking of this incident put Xue Ren out of sorts. Although he had promptly placed the blame on a demonic cultivator, the frustration of failure and the heartache of losing a heaven-grade magic weapon often lingered in his heart.

He’d been in a poor mood all day, and hadn’t done any proper shopping at the market. He just came to the beach to relax in the middle of the night.

The more out of sorts he was, the unhappier he became.

It was said that when you liked someone, everything you saw reminded you of them. But it turned out that the same was true for someone you hated.

Xue Ren confirmed this through personal experience.

He wanted to slice Cao Zirui into pieces. Why should his shidi get to have everything? Their master’s favor, once-in-a-century talent, Lingxiao Swordsmanship, and so on and so forth – all of it was handed to Cao Zirui!

What’s more, their master even wanted to pass the position of sect leader on to him!

This was something that Xue Ren absolutely could not tolerate. He had been his master’s disciple for over twenty years. Ever since he entered Foundation Establishment, people had always said that he was young and promising, and was destined to become the sect leader’s successor.

Xue Ren had modestly refuted them, saying that he was still far from qualified. But in fact, he agreed with them and thought that he was destined to become the next sect leader.

Even though his master had never promised him anything, Xue Ren had already set his mind on it. He was his master’s only disciple. If he didn’t pass the position on to Xue Ren, then who else was there?

He started learning at age fifteen and entered Golden Core stage at age thirty-five. He was the best among his peers, and fully deserved the title of ‘genius.’

He should have enjoyed great success, continuing to maintain his reputation as a genius and taking over the duties of the sect leader once he reached Nascent Soul stage.

But this life of his that was so enviable to others had been upturned by Cao Zirui.

In just one year, Cao Zirui had stolen away everything that belonged to him.

But why?

Did Cao Zirui have extra eyes or extra arms?

Why was it so easy for him to snatch away everything that belonged to him!

The more Xue Ren dwelled on it, the angrier he became. He raised a foot and kicked the reef beside him.

This kick had great force behind it, and the reef instantly shattered to pieces.

Xue Ren stood in place, his chest rising and falling. His emotions were still out of control. His anger surged at the thought of Cao Zirui, who still appeared so innocent after taking away all that had been Xue Ren’s.

This time, even his costly assassination plan had failed. Although his master didn’t seem to have any suspicions, it would be inadvisable for him to take action again anytime in the near future.

There was nothing he could do except vent his anger on this deserted beach.

Xue Ren slowly calmed his breathing and prepared to go back. His relaxation was unsatisfactory, so he might as well return.

However, he had only taken a step when he came to an abrupt stop.

Waves rolled in, crashing against the rocks on the shore.

On the reefs, which should have been empty, there stood a human figure.

He was unable to see the person’s face due to it being covered by a black robe. All Xue Ren could make out was an iron mask that gleamed cold and metallic under the moonlight.

Xue Ren was given a slight shock by the man’s sudden appearance.

He seemed to be only at Foundation Establishment stage, and the Golden Core-stage Xue Ren shouldn’t have felt any fear. But Xue Ren was still terribly frightened, because he had no idea when the man had approached.

Even in his anger, he wouldn’t have ignored the movement around him. He knew very well that he hadn’t heard any sound in the slightest.

Including the breathing of a living person.

The man was like a ghost, appearing out of nowhere. His black robes fluttered in the breeze, dark pupils staring out at Xue Ren from beneath his mask for an unknown period of time.

The other party had come here for him. Xue Ren knew this clearly.

It was unknown if he was friend or foe, human or demon.

When he saw that the other party had no intention of speaking first, Xue Ren ventured to ask: “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

He hid his hands in his wide sleeves as he spoke, preparing a magic spell in his palms in order to take action at any time.

The man stared at Xue Ren and didn’t speak a word.

Crash. Another wave slammed past.

Just when Xue Ren thought he was going to ignore him, the man spoke. His voice was harsh and unpleasant, as if scoured by fire: “I’ve come to help you.”

“Help me?” Xue Ren repeated in surprise.

Presently, his expression turned mocking and he gestured at himself: “Do you know who I am? I’m the eldest disciple of Lingxiao Sword Sect’s sect leader. I have everything I could want. Who do you think you are, wanting to help me?”

“Hehe.” A low chuckle sounded from the man’s direction. Unlike the previous hoarse voice, this one was low and magnetic.

Xue Ren and this man were the only ones here, so he could only be laughing at him. But the difference between the two voices was too great – they didn’t even sound like the same person.

However, he had heard that there were those adept at ventriloquism, and could perfectly imitate a weathered old man, a young child, or a graceful maiden.

Perhaps this person is just a psychopath who enjoys changing his voice, Xue Ren thought.

“Do you also have the sect leader position?” the deep male voice asked with a smile.

Xue Ren’s expression was startled, and then turned dark. This fellow just kept bringing up irrelevant things.

But this showed that he was truly here for Xue Ren. He even knew their sect’s internal situation so clearly, hitting the nail on the head.

“What else do you know?” Xue Ren asked back in a poor tone.

He always appeared as a kind, humble shixiong in the presence of others. No one knew that he cared so much about the sect leader position, but the person in front of him did.

Xue Ren could only suspect that this person knew even more secrets.

“Not much.” It was still that casual, deep male voice. “Just that you sent someone to the Floating Island Secret Realm to set a trap for your shidi, but your persecution failed and you lost everything.”

Xue Ren’s face completely distorted. The matter he thought he’d covered up had actually been revealed.

No matter whether the other party was a human or a ghost, he couldn’t allow him to leave tonight.

But before he took action, he needed to find out how the other party knew so much.

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Xue Ren refuted coldly. He keenly made no direct admission, but instead set a trap to get the other party to elaborate.

“Hehe.” The man chuckled again, seeing through Xue Ren’s plan at a glance. However, he didn’t expose it, and gave a hint instead: “Burning Sky Bow.”

Burning Sky Bow?! Xue Ren’s mind raced. Could it be that this magic weapon was connected to the other party somehow? If he knew what had happened with the Burning Sky Bow, then the secret plans between him and Lu Chengye were no longer a secret.

The man didn’t care about the turmoil stirring in Xue Ren’s heart. After giving this hint, he continued: “Xue Ren, do you think you can rest easy just because there is no evidence against you? How foolish.”

Xue Ren didn’t reply, but his flickering eyes revealed a trace of uncertainty. He had actually been uneasy this whole time, fearing that his master would figure it out.

But although he had run through it over and over, he couldn’t think of any hard evidence that pointed directly to him. Even if this person before him revealed the truth, he could retaliate by claiming it was slander. It wouldn’t be enough to bring him down. So after a moment, the look in his eyes grew firm again.

Seeing this, the man asked with a chuckle: “So what if there is no evidence. Does your master need evidence in order to doubt you?”

The man feigned sympathy as he said: “Your master has always been partial to your shidi. Now that he’s grown suspicious, it is impossible for him to pass the position of sect leader to you. Xue Ren, you have served your master for over twenty years, but in the end, your fellow junior disciple will reap the fruits of your labor. How pitiful….hehe.”

These words clearly portrayed pity, but coming from this man’s mouth, they were as sarcastic as could be.

Xue Ren clenched his fists so hard that they made a cracking sound. The man’s words were right on target, accurately identifying the reason he wanted Cao Zirui dead.

At this moment, he was once again filled with killing intent. He intended to silence the mouth of his unknown creature.

But before he could do anything, the hoarse voice that had spoken briefly at the beginning appeared again: “I can help you secure the position of sect leader.”

These words gave Xue Ren pause.

His heart moved.

If this person could actually help him attain the sect leader position, then he wouldn’t mind cooperating with him. He was worried that he wouldn’t have another opportunity to attack Cao Zirui.

However, if he wanted to help, whether he had the ability remained to be seen.

Although the other party was acting mysterious, his cultivation level was evident. He was only at Foundation Establishment stage. Such a low-level cultivator claimed that he could help him secure the position of sect leader of Lingxiao Sword Sect?

He was overestimating his abilities.

So Xue Ren asked with disdain: “You? I’m afraid you’re not qualified.”

Deep laughter sounded again as he finished speaking, and a dark mist suddenly began to spread out around the man.

Xue Ren couldn’t help but take a step back in the face of this bizarre scene. He watched as black mist continuously emerged from the man’s sleeves and collar, as if it was a living thing with teeth and fangs.

There was still a distance of more than ten meters between them, but the sight of this black mist filled him with an inexplicable sense of fear.

The eerie black mist gathered around the man and slowly took on the shape of a person.

And the low laughter also shifted from the man to that black mist.

Only then did Xue Ren realize that the two different voices were not the result of ventriloquism. There were actually two different people!

The human figure formed by the black mist became increasingly clear, with facial features just like those of a real person.

Xue Ren’s eyes widened. His mouth opened and closed, but he stammered and couldn’t speak, horrified when he saw the face under the black mist.

It was the same face as the god who’d stood high above the clouds one hundred years ago.

“Am I qualified?” the god who had emerged from the black mist asked with a smile.

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Chapter 72 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 74