The two people returned as the sun was rising.
They could not hide the excited and happy expressions on their faces.
They composed themselves when they got near, then sauntered toward the party as though nothing happened.
Several bonfires were burning on the empty land. The Taoist masters and cultivators were lying on the ground while rubbing their full stomachs and burping. Some were cleaning their teeth casually with toothpicks.
“Truly delicious!” Several Taoist masters were reminiscing the taste.
The warlocks were all tied up in one corner. They drooped their heads, and they did not have the strength or motivation to shout or curse.
They were regretting their decision to sneak attack the Huaxianese forces.
At the same time, they were furious.
“Dammit, who said that the Dragon is in his twenties? F*ck their mother, he’s even younger!” An elderly warlock cursed.
Thanks to the wrong information, they were certain that the Dragon was not part of the Huaxianese forces. Their misplaced confidence turned out to be a huge blunder.
“That’s right. Screw that guy!”
The other warlocks also started cursing.
“Hey, but have you ever thought… just who is that Dragon? Why is he so young? Don’t tell me that he’s really still a teenager?” Someone said.
Everyone burst out laughing after he spoke.
“How is that possible? He must be an old monster who has a young appearance!”
“That’s right, he can’t be only a teenager. There’d be no justice in the world.”
The warlocks talked among each other.
The earlier warlock was taken aback. “That’s right. It would be ridiculous if he were just a teenager. That’s impossible!” He mumbled.
Tang Hao and Taoist Master Qian Ji sneakily blended among the group of Taoist masters.
“Where have you been, Senior Brother?” A Taoist master noticed them.
Taoist Master Qian Ji’s gaze flickered, and he immediately put on a serious face. “Nothing. We went to town and bought some groceries.”
“Would grocery shopping take that long? By the way, what grocery store is open so early in the morning?” The Taoist master was baffled.
A cultivator from the Agency laughed. “Were you trying to score a Western chick, Senior Brother? How’s that brand-new experience! Heheh!” He teased.
The other men around him chuckled too.
‘Everyone’s a man here. No need to be sneaky about it!’
“Nonsense! I’m not like that!’ Taoist Master Qian Ji chided sternly. “Show some respect to your seniors, you whelps!”
The atmosphere was casual.
Tang Hao roasted a piece of griffin meat and took a bite. He exclaimed in wonderment.
Flying creatures were different from reptiles. The meat was not as juicy, but it was chewy and a joy to eat.
They rested for another four hours there. At noon, they released the warlocks.
“Thanks! Thank you! Thank you so much!!”
Taoist Master Qian Ji grabbed the elderly warlock’s hands tightly and shook them. He seemed as though he was about to be separated from his lover.
The elderly warlock was baffled by Taoist Master Qian Ji’s sincerity.
‘What… going on? Why is he thanking me?
‘Right, it must be because of the griffins we brought! Those filthy Taoist masters!
‘We might have lost many griffins, but at least everyone is alive. We can breed more griffins; we still have many of them in the mountain!
‘Black Mountain might have declined, but we have a strong foundation. This small loss is nothing!’
He felt a lot better after thinking about that. He waved his hands magnanimously. “It’s nothing, don’t mention it. Treat it as a gift! Black Mountain can afford to spare these griffins.
“It’s only a small misunderstanding this time. Now that we’ve gotten even, we should be friendly toward each other!”
He took Taoist Master Qian Ji’s hands and shook them.
“Yes, yes! We should be friendly toward each other!” The Taoist master smiled like a blooming flower.
The elderly warlock furrowed his brows. ‘Wait, something’s not right. This guy seems to be too friendly.
‘I must be overthinking!’ He thought.
“We’ll be leaving. Bye!” The elderly warlock waved at them and led his people away.
They arrived in a formation of majestic griffins, but they had to leave on their feet while sustaining bruises on their faces. It was a pathetic sight.
They looked at each other miserably.
“Never mind, our safety is the most important thing. We’ll just treat those griffins as a gift to them. We still have many anyway.” Several elderly warlocks tried to comfort their compatriots.
“That’s true!” The other warlocks felt better after thinking of that.
They trekked their way back to town, then rode on a bus back to Black Mountain.
“We’re finally back!” The warlocks were excited.
However, they became baffled when they saw two of their own lying unconscious at the entrance.
“What’s going on?”
They were immediately alerted and rushed forward.
They shook one of the people awake. “Th… thieves!” He said groggily.
The warlocks were stunned. ‘Thieves? What kind of a joke was that? This is Black Mountain! How can anyone come in here?’
“Oh no, this is bad!”
The elderly warlock slapped his thigh and exclaimed in astonishment.
He suddenly thought of something, and his face turned pale.
He quickly ran back toward the griffin breeding grounds. Of course, the valley was already empty, save for several scattered griffin feathers.
“Oh, heavens!”
He lifted his head to the sky and roared sorrowfully.
He finally understood why the Taoist master was so friendly earlier.
“God damn those Huaxianese!”
He felt his head go dizzy and his knees turn weak.
He suddenly thought of something else and quickly rushed up the mountain.
His body wobbled and felt faint in the head when he saw the wide-open vault door.
He propped himself against the wall and carefully looked inside. When he saw the now-empty vault, his eyes went wide and he clutched his chest.
“Pfft!” He vomited a mouthful of blood and fell down face-first.
“Grand Elder!”
The other warlocks rushed up from behind. They were stunned by what they saw.
“Pfft!” “Pfft!” “Pfft!”
Several elderly warlocks also vomited blood.
“Oh my god, how could this happen? Everything is gone. How did they carry everything away?”
“The ring, the ring is gone! Oh my god! That’s one of the three major Warlock Artifacts! It’s the treasure of Black Mountain!”
The people rushed into the vault.
“Oh, what’s that? It looks like a piece of paper.”
“Quick, what does it say?”
Someone took the piece of paper. They nearly vomited blood when they saw the words written on it. On it was written “Thanks!” in various languages.
“God damn those Huaxianese!”
Cries of anger and sorrow shook the entire mountain.
Meanwhile, Tang Hao and the others had already boarded the return flight.
