Chapter 208: Fubao.

Chapter 208: Fubao.Lee’s idea was simple. He was positive that during the largest auction of the year at least one of the items would be a spatial treasure. He intended to throw inside of it several other expensive things, and then disappear.

Now, though, hearing the heavy breathing of the hillbillies behind him, his greed grew. Besides, he had to get rid of these guys who could barely lift boxes that elemental masters would have carried two at once with ease.

After quickly weighing his options, he altered the initial plan, and led his group a couple hundred yards further. Then he turned into an alley and ordered them to stop.

"I feel something is wrong!" He said to his subordinates, "Put everything down, let me check!"

Obviously none of the bandits were literate, thus, in the darkness, he pretended to read the lists the Trade Hall’s official gave him, opened the box that was supposed to go to the sect master, and picked out the spatial artifacts. Only one of them was a bag-like item. Two others were rings, with much smaller storage spaces, and trousers that had one of the pockets working as a spatial item.

Without a second thought, Lee transferred all other artifacts in the four spatial items, apart of another bag and a ring that also had spatial properties. Apparently someone else besides the sect master had gotten lucky tonight.

After all six boxes were empty, Lee said, "There are problems. Guard this place! I’ll be back in a few moments."

And then he left the fourteen bandits to their fate. On the way he changed his attire, and while he rushed through the outer sect towards the smithy he was going to work for the upcoming month or two, the fake enforcers were made.

They did try to pose a resistance, confident they were the good guys this time, but most were killed in a couple of moves. After finding out that an actual Enforcement Hall’s elder was present, they threatened that Lord Cross will punish him for raising his hand against colleagues, and only a then did the enforcers begin to realize what scheme had taken place.



A quick further investigation showed that someone called Cross Double, has stolen all the artifacts auctioned during the Midsummer festival. Although the bandits claimed it was a youth, it was concluded that an experienced elemental lord has double-crossed the Celestial Abyss, someone who had a deep feud with the sect.

It was clear that the thief never intended to use the stolen artifacts and the whole event was only a devious attempt to damage the sect’s reputation.

Lee already predicted that the lock-down period will last over a month and diligently hammered under the stingy blacksmith’s guidance. For some reason he even found the job being fun and his resolve to visit Xiaogong city strengthened. He was getting more and more curious about the mecca of artificers governed by the Xiao clan.

***

Two months passed by in an iffy, and the Celestial Abyss sect lifted the lockdown. The perpetrator behind the embarrassing theft wasn’t found, and the event scarred both Sect Master Mo’s pride and the sect’s reputation forever.

Seeing that the air was clear, Lee got into a fake argument with his employer, and left. In theory he was filthy rich, but practically every item he owed was too hot to handle. He couldn’t sell anything, but at the same time he had to risk exchanging something for the services of a spatial elemental lord.

This part Lee already expected. His plan was to visit the Primordial Flame sect, the last great power unaffiliated with the Celestial Abyss. It had multiple incredible fire elemental lords whom the Celestial Abyss didn’t manage to suppress yet and also a couple elemental lords who wielded spatial abilities.

***

One of the things Lee learned in this life was that bandits were one of the kindest people in the world. For anyone in need, him in this case, they were willing to lay down their lives and pass on all the treasures they had robbed. The only downside was that in wasn’t much, but fortunately he met enough of them during a couple of months while he was on the way to the Primordial Flame sect.

His innocent appearance was likely the reason no one held back from attacking him, but he didn’t need a group of scapegoats anymore. Occasionally he left one or two alive to lead him to their hideout, but everyone was killed in the end.

When Lee arrived to the Primordial Flame sect, the pocket of his new trousers was full of silver coins. It wasn’t gold, but it was sufficient to buy enough drinks for Fubao, a thirty year old outer disciple, with a surprisingly high tolerance towards alcohol.

"Brother Fubao, your amazing! Let me buy you another round!" Lee kept sucking up to the drunkard, "To hold against elemental masters is no joking matter!"

"Fuck them!" The more Fubao drank, the more brazen he became, "Just because they got a bit of talent, they think their better than anyone else ..."

"But there are elders who are cool, right?" Lee asked, "I would love to see how the fabled rifts are opened. The elder who’s capable of doing something so otherworldly must be incredible!"

"Mhm. But the spatial cultivators are even more arrogant. Bastards!" Fubao continued to curse his superiors and Lee prayed no one would overhear their conversation.

Fortunately they were sitting at the back, in a tavern located in the very outskirts of the Flame City. It was the largest settlement located next to the Primordial Flame sect and, obviously, was named after it.

Lee found a buzzed outer disciple here, and after buying him a couple of drinks, the guy began to badmouth anyone who was mentioned. It was surprising he had kept his life for so long.



"And the old man Qu is the most arrogant of them all!" Fubao continued, "The sect master has to beg him every time the rift gate needs to be operated."

"Really! Tell me about it!" Lee said, and waved at the waiter, indicating they needed more drinks.

"The old fossil does nothing useful for anyone. All day long he’s researching useless crap someone found in ruins. And the worst thing is – he doesn’t even teach anyone anything!" Fubao complained, "Even Kael had to learn how to ignite the spark on his own."

"Who’s Kael?" Lee asked.

"Kael? Kael Ardent. He was alright, but then he went and ignited the spatial spark. Thirty two years old and suddenly ignites his spark. Motherfucker ... and a year after, out of nowhere, fuses his consciousness with the spark and turns into a frigging elemental lord." Fubao cursed, "I mean, what the fuck? Who does that?"

The he emptied his jug, and continued, "He was one of us, we even used to hang out together, but now he’s the right hand of the Justice Division’s elder."

This part Lee already heard after inquiring other outer disciples about the spatial cultivators of the sect. He wasn’t particularly keen on attempting to deal with someone from the Justice Division, but an eccentric elder was someone he could work with.

"Do you think I could sell an ancient artifact to elder Qu if I found one?" He asked, "We could buy more booze then, you know?"

"It’s not like that." Fubao said, shaking his head, "He doesn’t even research artifacts! He’s wasting time with crap found in the ruins north-east of the sect. Like stones and such ... that damn fossil ... if I had a spatial spark I would ... sigh ..."

Hearing that the elder’s hobby was archaeology, Lee’s eyes lit up. He had forged few archaeological findings before and was curious what could he craft to draw the elder’s attention.