Chapter Three: Take a Guess...

Page 1/3

Mo Xuan had remained inside until late at night, well into the early hours. Just when he had nearly decided what to choose, suddenly three figures in black clothing silently descended from above, their arrival without a sound. His first instinct told him these three were no ordinary foes.

Several display racks separated Mo Xuan from the black-clad men. Had he not overheard their voices, he might never have had the chance to evade them.

Through a crack in the corner, he faintly caught their conversation.

“Boss, these things here are pretty good!” A burly man reached out to grab a precious item but was immediately stopped.

“Don’t forget why we’re here.” One of the men wearing a black cloak and a hat admonished the burly man. He held a compass, continuously channeling his spiritual energy into it, as if searching for something.

“Faster!”

Panic surged within Mo Xuan. He accidentally knocked a magical artifact to the ground, heart pounding with alarm. “Not good!”

In desperation, he tried to unleash all his spiritual power to flee, but a masked man blocked his path. With a casual grab, Mo Xuan was subdued before he could resist.

“Hey, a little mouse trying to run? Heh!” The man sneered.

Before he could finish, a masked woman hurriedly stopped him.

“Hey, Brother Qing, we’re thieves, not murderers. Don’t kill recklessly.”

The masked man shrugged and said, “I was just trying to scare him.”

The masked woman bent down, gently stroking Mo Xuan’s head.

“Little one, you’re quite cute. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll take good care of you.”

“Bing Mei, watch him for now!” The man with the cloak instructed the woman as they resumed their search.

Mo Xuan noticed they mostly took rare medicinal herbs, ignoring other items. Yet, as thieves, they occasionally glanced at other things. The burly man seemed to have a different idea and quietly tried to take the item Mo Xuan had just selected.

Mo Xuan panicked and shouted, “That’s mine!”

“Ah…”

The shout echoed throughout the attic, alerting the Mo family!

The masked woman quickly covered Mo Xuan’s mouth and pressed a finger against him. In an instant, Mo Xuan fainted.

In his brief unconsciousness, nightmares tormented him, fragments shattering repeatedly in his mind.

“No, no!”

When he woke again, he found himself in a shabby wooden hut, surrounded by silence.

Page 2/3

“I’m still alive.”

Around him were various items, including healing medicines, evidently delivered regularly by these people.

After a while, the door opened.

This time, the person bringing supplies was a woman bearing a strong resemblance to the masked woman in his memory. She wore a purple robe that subtly accentuated her graceful figure.

Opening the door, she introduced the items as she placed them around, saying, “Little one, you’re finally awake. These are all made by your sister! Try them; they’re quite good.”

“I won’t eat!”

Mo Xuan was unusually stubborn.

The woman, equally strong-willed, dropped the items and swept her sleeve before walking away.

“Yes, if you died here, everything would sink to the bottom of the sea!” Her words struck a chord with Mo Xuan. No matter what, these people maintained some boundaries and hadn’t crossed their professional lines. Yet, how did she know he had a secret?

“Hey… how do you know...?”

“Guess…” She gestured silently and left.

If he died here, he would never uncover the truth or seek revenge. Now truly hungry, with his stomach growling, after deep thought for three hours, he devoured the food ravenously.

The woman watching from the shadows smiled faintly before departing.

In his heart, Mo Xuan never wished to align with these people, but what choice did he have? Over time, he witnessed their kindness.

Though the three lived by thievery, most of what they stole—wealth, medicinal herbs, spiritual pills—was processed to conceal its origin, then given to impoverished families. Only a small fraction remained with them, and they never left their names.

It was a case of “thieves with a code.” Their theft of Mo family’s spiritual materials was aimed at healing the sick.

In some ways, Mo Xuan found much to identify with.

He also saw their great strength. The family’s treasure pavilion was protected by a formidable array. For these three to enter silently, there must be a master array strategist among them. To leave without injury amidst many powerful figures of the Mo family, their cultivation levels likely surpassed even the acting family head, Mo Cheng.

As for where he was, Mo Xuan was uncertain. That night, he sneaked out to explore but found the surroundings unfamiliar—he had never been here before. The three seemed absent.

He wanted to leave but didn’t know the way. There were only four rooms here. He thought it would be good to take some Mo family items.

He visited the first room, then the second, and the third.

“Phew…”

Page 3/3

He caught his breath and finally found a secret door connected to the mountain. Inside was a very special room linked to the mountain itself and protected by a powerful sealing formation.

“Could it be here?”

But getting in posed a challenge. He sensed strong spiritual energy fluctuations—definitely a spiritual formation.

Mo Xuan carefully examined the formation. Its grade wasn’t very high.

All things in the world interact, and spiritual formations follow this principle. There are many types: offensive, defensive, sealing, teleportation, and so on.

To build a formation, one must draw spiritual runes of various grades. The higher the grade, the more complex the runes, requiring greater skill. Runes are ranked one to ten, while formations can reach eleven levels. Even within the Mo family, the highest formation master was only level three. Mo Xuan had limited exposure, but as the young master and with his father’s legacy, he had learned much—though how many levels, he did not know.

“But I have to try.”

Though Mo Xuan’s cultivation was poor, he excelled in auxiliary skills. Otherwise, the family wouldn’t have sent him to manage their shops.

So, while he couldn’t dismantle the formation, he could at least enter.

Following the runes’ patterns, he quickly found a way.

Then, a spiritual rune formed in his palm. Pressing lightly, the entire formation rippled faintly. At his palm’s line, it cracked open.

A sweet smile appeared on his face.

Inside was a cave, not very large, with two inner chambers. One held scrolls arranged on shelves; the other contained precious magical artifacts.

“This is... a Purple Crystal Glazed Blade!” As the Mo family’s young master, his recognition was sharp, immediately identifying this top-grade artifact.

There was also a Blood Dragon Saber, Seven-Star Vine…

All were covered in dust, evidently long untouched and seldom cleaned.

He had planned to take them all but reconsidered, deciding to only take one and leave the rest.

He then moved to the other side filled with spell scrolls and cultivation manuals but found none belonging to the Mo family. As he prepared to leave, a faint bluish-purple light caught his eye in a secluded corner.

Curious, he approached. The scroll there exuded an ancient aura.

“What is this?”

“This is a sealing technique.”

First panic, then relief and joy. Nearby was a Mo family artifact. Had the scroll not emitted that peculiar light, he would never have found this place.