Ye Zichen already had a grudge against the Xiao Family, so it would be lovely if he could swipe treasures out from under their noses.
However, he knew he wasn’t the only one with a grudge against them. If it were really that easy to rob them, someone would have done it long ago; there’d be no need for Ye Zichen to make a move!
Also, Chi Mei seemed far too suspicious to him. Ye Zichen couldn’t fully trust her!
When she saw Ye Zichen’s hesitation, Chi Mei cried out impatiently, “Oi! Are you coming or not?”
Right at that moment, Jiao Qi and Meng Huairong returned. This was perfect timing; it gave Ye Zichen an excuse to change the subject.
“Miss Chi Mei was right. A team of around twenty people appeared outside our store. Most of them were immortal kings, but there were a few earth supremes mixed in. Huairong and I have already disposed of them,” said Jiao Qi respectfully.
“There really were people? Haven’t you been on guard this whole time? How could you let someone get this close to the store without realizing it?” Ye Zichen couldn’t help but feel somewhat peeved. He’d reminded Jiao Qi to pay attention to their surroundings repeatedly. If they waited until people from the Divine Mountains drew near, it might be too late.
But now there were people right outside the store and they hadn’t noticed? If not for Chi Mei suddenly showing up to warn them, who knows what would have happened when all twenty intruders attacked?
Although immortal kings and earth supremes weren’t enough to threaten then, what would happen if the next team included experts who could?
“Master, please calm your fury. I’ve been on alert this whole time. So has Huairong, but your subordinate truly doesn’t know where or how they got here!” Jiao Qi lowered his head. As a heavenly yao of the Yao-Sealing Pagoda, he would obey his master’s commands absolutely. Since Ye Zichen ordered him to keep watch over Ice Blue City, he dared not be even the slightest bit negligent. His yao sense was spread around him and keeping an eye on the city both day and night.
Not even a single blade of glass blowing in the wind could escape his notice, but….
He really hadn’t sensed those people at all.
“Jiao Qi’s right. We don’t know how they got there either,” said Meng Huairong from the sides.
“What’s there to wonder about?” At that moment, Chi Mei chimed in, “One look at you and it’s obvious you’ve never been to the Divine Mountains. They’ve got tons of treasures up there that can mask your presence! With those treasures on hand, unless your strength far, far exceeds theirs, it’s only naturally that you couldn’t discover them. That said, those treasures are awfully pricey. It seems that the people of the Divine Mountains have spared no expense against you!”
“Those exist?” Ye Zichen knit his brows. With a treasure like that, anyone could escape Jiao Qi and Meng Huairong’s awareness. If everyone sent from the Divine Mountains had one, he’d be in an extremely passive position.
“Isn’t it obvious? Have you never wondered how I keep popping up in front of you, seemingly out of nowhere, while you sense no sign of my arrival?” Chi Mei grinned, then shrugged at Ye Zichen and company. “Actually, those treasures that mask your presence are easy to break. The Divine Mountains also have treasures designed specifically to counter them.”
“Do you have one? Sell it to me,” said Ye Zichen directly.
“How could I have one?” Chi Mei curled her lips helplessly. “I’m not the type to invite disaster or cause trouble, so what would I do with a treasure like that? That said, although I don’t have one, that emissary of the Xiao Family probably does!”
Chi Mei grinned like a crafty little fox once more, then looked directly into Ye Zichen’s eyes.
“You planned this!” Ye Zichen could tell that she was forcing him into her camp. He had no way of handling a treasure that could mask presences. If he wanted to live in peace, he had no choice but to go rob that Xiao Family emissary.
“Don’t say that! I was just warning you is all,” she said with a smile so broad, her eyes narrowed into slits. “It’s up to you whether you come with me or not.”
He needed a way to sense even hidden presences if he didn’t want to be trapped in a passive role. After a bit of brief hesitation, Ye Zichen decided that even though he knew she was playing him, he had no choice but to go along with it.
“How strong is the Xiao Family’s emissary?”
“Not strong at all! Nothing but a ninth-stage earth supreme.”
A ninth-stage earth supreme.
In the lower lands, they were godlike existences. Nevermind a ninth-stage earth supreme; even a first stage earth supreme could sweep every immortal king in the world below.
Yet now Chi Mi made it sound like they were trivial existence not even worth mentioning.
Or was it that she knew Jiao Qi and Meng Huairong were at that level too?
Ye Zichen wasn’t quite certain, so he deliberately acted dense. “You dare say that a ninth-stage earth supreme is weak? In that case, who do you consider strong?”
“To anyone else in the lands beneath the Divine Mountains, a ninth-stage earth supreme is an impossibly powerful, unparalleled existence, but what about you? Is that true for you, too? Surely you already know the answer,” laughed Chi Mei.
When he heard that, Ye Zichen’s heart clenched. He frowned and said, “What do you mean by that?”
“Do I really have to spell it out for you? The two of them are ninth-stage earth supremes too, aren’t they? And the rest of your general store’s staff are earth supremes, too. You have all these earth supreme experts under your command. In your eyes, what does a single little earth supreme count for?”
When Jiao Qi and Meng Huairong heard that, they were stunned, while Ye Zichen frowned and asked, “How did you know?”
Chi Mei was definitely just an immortal king. Nevermind Ye Zichen; even Jiao Qi and Meng Huairong could sense that.
Given her strength, it was impossible for her to see through Jiao Qi and the others, yet she’d not only identified Jiao Qi and Meng Huairong as ninth-stage earth supremes; she’d also recognized all of his staff as earth supremes too.
“Why do I know that? Don’t you know that already?” Her words obviously contained a deeper meaning, and as she spoke, her gaze was so bright that Ye Zichen didn’t dare look her in the eye.
She knows I have the Yao-Sealing Pagoda!
Ye Zichen gulped instinctively. She definitely knew about the pagoda, and furthermore, that he was the one who’d taken it. Otherwise, how could she possibly make that expression? How could she possibly say all that?
“There are some words that don’t need to be said, but ultimate treasures…. Always fall to those destined to possess them. Don’t you think so, sweetie?”
Boom!
As soon as she said that, an explosion went off in Ye Zichen’s mind!
She really does know!
Looking at her smiling face, Ye Zichen’s heart sank even further.
She knows! She knows everything!
“Alright, no need to think all that! We’re still talking business now, aren’t we? How about it, sweetie? Are you coming or not?
Ye Zichen didn’t hesitate any longer. He agreed directly, “I’ll go!”
Whether it was in order to seal Chi Mei’s lips or to gain a magic treasure that could hide his presence, he had to go!
