308: The Secret of the Golden Kettle

"Shen Bei, right? Routine procedure. You violated flight restrictions, but given the circumstances and the fact that you're already in custody, we won't detain you further."

"Here, please sign."

The Martial Arts Management Bureau enforcement officer pulled out a fine ticket and handed it to Shen Bei.

Shen Bei's face darkened as he looked at the fine amount: fifteen thousand...

What a coincidence.

He had earned exactly fifteen thousand from odd jobs these past two days.

Shen Bei was unwilling and unhappy, and Bai Wei on the side didn't speak up for him, so he could only accept it begrudgingly.

It was truly 'earn money in the capital, spend it in the capital, don't expect to take a single cent home'.

After paying the fine, the Martial Arts Management Bureau enforcement officer was about to leave.

Shen Bei, however, asked, "Has the other Martial Artist, Bo Tao, who also violated flight restrictions, been caught?"

The enforcement officer shook his head, "We haven't found any trace of him yet, but the fine must be paid. Once the time is up, we'll directly deduct it from his bank card."

Shen Bei's mouth twitched.

Bo Tao was rich, but Shen Bei estimated that he probably didn't have money in his bank card; it was likely all cash.

After all, the source of Bo Tao's money was unknown, and he wouldn't dare deposit it in a bank. Such a large amount of unexplained wealth would definitely be monitored, and Bo Tao wouldn't be able to explain it.

After the enforcement officer left.

Shen Bei went to another room.

At this moment, Zhuang Bifan was lying on a hospital bed, his body wrapped in bandages. The inextinguishable white light fire that had been on him had been completely washed away by Bai Wei's single move.

It must be said, Bai Wei's methods were truly fierce.

With a casual lift and drop of her hand, the inextinguishable white light fire was like a candle in a storm, instantly extinguished completely.

In fact, Zhuang Bifan's injuries were not serious, not even as bad as Shen Bei's injuries after his great battle with Third Master.

But this guy was just stubbornly crying out in pain, insisting on healing.

"Can you stop pretending?"

Shen Bei sat by the hospital bed, peeling an apple.

Zhuang Bifan groaned and whimpered, like a dying person in their twilight years: "It hurts...it hurts."

Shen Bei scoffed, cutting a piece of apple with a small knife.

Zhuang Bifan opened his mouth and said, "Ah, thank you. How did you know I eat apples without the skin?"

Shen Bei put the apple into his own mouth, chewing, and laughed, "I don't eat the skin either."

Zhuang Bifan: ...

"Do you know how to take care of a patient?"

Zhuang Bifan glared, wanting to curse. Eating it all himself? Which of us is the patient!

"You're not a patient," Shen Bei continued to munch on the apple. "How long are you going to keep pretending?"

"We'll talk about it when we go to the Xing Sha Dungeon."

"What the hell are you playing at? What kind of trick is this?"

Zhuang Bifan didn't speak for a long time. After a while, he said with difficulty, "Playing with you, I've fallen so low that I'm helping you steal things. Sigh, a stain on my life. I need to lie here and repent."

Shen Bei: ...

Damn it.

If you don't want to follow and monitor me, just say you don't want to monitor; what an excuse.

Shen Bei rolled his eyes.

Just then, Bai Wei pushed open the door and beckoned.

Shen Bei, exceptionally considerate, covered Zhuang Bifan with the quilt, cut the remaining apple, and put it into Zhuang Bifan's mouth, saying with a concerned expression, "Don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of you! You can't eat too many apples, this is the last piece. Get some good rest, I'll come over to stay the night!"

Zhuang Bifan: ...

You bastard, Bai Wei is here now, and you're still acting.

Just as Zhuang Bifan was about to speak, Shen Bei covered his mouth, "Don't speak! I understand your gratitude. Just rest!"

Zhuang Bifan rolled his eyes.

Leaving the room, Shen Bei followed Bai Wei back to the temporary office.

"You're quite meticulous," Bai Wei said, leaning against the desk and holding a fragrant cup of coffee.

Shen Bei grinned, "Zhuang Bifan is my buddy, if I don't take care of him, who will? It's only right!"

"I said you're quite meticulous in your acting."

Shen Bei: ...

"Ahem..." Shen Bei cleared his throat, "Is my acting really that bad?"

Bai Wei put down her coffee, tossed her long hair, and nodded with a smile, "As bad as Zhuang Bifan's. The performance is too obvious."

Shen Bei spread his hands, "I just said I couldn't be an actor, and it turns out I was right."

Bai Wei's eyes moved, and she deliberately weighed her words, "Tell me, was that golden kettle snatched or stolen?"

"Found it," Shen Bei answered directly.

"You mean it was ownerless?"

"I believe so."

"Then why were people chasing you and Zhuang Bifan?"

"Zhuang Bifan seduced someone's wife."

Slap...

Bai Wei slammed the table hard, her face suddenly sinking, and she let out a cold laugh.

But meeting Shen Bei's eyes, which were both worldly-wise and a little roguish, her surge of anger vanished without a trace. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, trying her best to control her tone, "I don't care how you two got it, you'll bear the consequences yourselves!"

Shen Bei stroked his chin, lowering his head in thought, "I suggest arresting Bo Tao and performing a 'Great Memory Restoration Technique' to see if he has a criminal record, then eliminate him directly for the good of society."

Bai Wei folded her arms, "Are you a little flustered?"

Shen Bei's temple throbbed faintly, but his face was all smiles, showing no sign of it, "As a citizen, I have the duty to report. The authorities have the responsibility to verify."

"According to your thinking, all the Martial Arts Management Bureaus across the country wouldn't do anything else, just investigate those baseless, unsubstantiated reports every day."

Bai Wei took a sip of coffee and continued, "Moreover, initiating an investigation without evidence to prove that Bo Tao and Ren Qianna have committed crimes violates the Martial Artist Protection Law."

Shen Bei scoffed.

Look, Martial Artists even have a damn protection law.

Protecting what, a hammer.

Just like how the protection of minors doesn't necessarily protect minor victims.

The Martial Artist Protection Law doesn't necessarily protect Martial Artists either.

At this moment, Shen Bei rubbed his hands, and asked with a curious expression, "Putting other things aside, what's the deal with that golden kettle?"

Ever since Zhuang Bifan stole the bag from Bo Tao's villa.

Inside, apart from some scattered cash, there was only the golden kettle.

The kettle still exuded a sinister aura.

Because she helped treat Zhuang Bifan's injuries, the golden kettle was temporarily in Bai Wei's custody.

Shen Bei said he was asking about the golden kettle's situation, but in reality, he was asking for it back.

Regardless of whether he could figure anything out, at least smashing it and selling the gold would be a lot of money.

At this moment, Bai Wei brought over a small safe.

The password on this safe had as many as 21 digits!

There were also mechanical locks, fingerprint locks, iris locks, voice verification...

Shen Bei clicked his tongue in amazement.

This specification... was several grades higher than the Martial Skill express delivery the country had given him back then.

Shen Bei immediately realized that the stolen golden kettle was in this small safe.

Carefully stored, a rare treasure, silk wrapping gold bars – the good stuff was inside!

From this, it could be inferred that the golden kettle was definitely not simple, otherwise it wouldn't be so heavily guarded.

Shen Bei gasped, and without asking anything else, he asked about the ultimate outcome: "Such protection... will this thing still be returned to me?"

Bai Wei didn't hesitate for too long. After weighing her options, she answered with an extremely confident tone, "I remember Zhuang Bifan stole this. What does it have to do with you?"

"Ah..."

Shen Bei clicked his tongue, damn it, did Zhuang Bifan confess everything in private?

So annoying...

This idiot.

Shen Bei sighed, "Such protection, why?"

Bai Wei was not in a hurry to answer the question, but instead unlocked the complex password lock and held the golden kettle in her hand.

"Do you want to know what this thing does?"

Shen Bei nodded frantically.

Isn't that obvious!

If he didn't want to know what it did, why would he steal it?

"I'll show you."

Bai Wei licked her bright red lips and placed the golden kettle on the table.

Then Bai Wei picked up a pencil.

She flicked it lightly.

With a 'poof'.

The pencil, carrying an unimaginable force, pierced directly through the muscle of an arm!

Hiss~~

Ah~~

A dull and painful wail echoed in the room.

The next moment.

The golden kettle seemed to sense something.

With a 'whoosh'.

Countless banknotes spewed out from inside the kettle.

The flying, scattered banknotes were like a volcanic eruption.

Even more so, like heavy snowfall.

In just a few seconds, nearly three hundred thousand in cash was spewed out.

The floor was covered in a sea of red.

It was an exceptionally exciting and stimulating sight.

Bai Wei leaned against the table, her expression unmoved, and said softly, "See? As long as there's pain and bleeding near the golden kettle, the kettle will spray out banknotes according to the intensity."

Shen Bei hissed, and the first words he shouted were... "Why didn't you stab yourself, why stab me!"

Shen Bei raised his arm, on which the pencil pierced his muscle. His forehead was throbbing with veins, and his face was silent.

Damn it!

Before he could react, Bai Wei had instantly dealt him a critical blow.

One must know, he had the passive King Kong Indestructible blessing himself.

If Bai Wei had used a knife to injure him, then there would be nothing to say.

But it was a fragile pencil.

This showed Bai Wei's strength... worthy of being a Martial God. In her hands, even a blade of grass could be used as a sword.

At this moment, Bai Wei chuckled, "You were curious about the golden kettle's function. If I don't stab you, should I stab myself?"

Shen Bei: ...

This statement... was flawless, leaving him speechless.

Shen Bei pulled the pencil out of his arm and threw it into the trash can.

Then, with an excited and thrilled expression, he grabbed the thick layer of banknotes on the floor, repeatedly checking them to distinguish true from false.

"They're all real, no need to check."

Bai Wei flicked a banknote.

Shen Bei clicked his tongue, "I knew Bo Tao and Ren Qianna's growth trajectories were off, and I was right! Generating banknotes out of thin air, this is too much of a BUG!"

Now Shen Bei finally understood.

Why Bo Tao and Ren Qianna appeared at the funeral home, why they fought each other at night.

This was to provide painful emotions for the golden kettle, thereby generating banknotes out of thin air!

Without another word, Shen Bei made the optimal choice and immediately picked up a broom to start sweeping up the banknotes in the room.

"You can't stop me from this, can you? I earned it with my blood and pain."

"You still have one night to self-harm and get banknotes as you please. Tomorrow, this golden kettle will be handed over to the state for safekeeping."

"I won't harm myself purely for money," Shen Bei said while sweeping up the banknotes. "I'm not a slave to money."

Bai Wei chuckled, "You're not a slave to money? You've become the master, then?"

Shen Bei: ...

Bai Wei continued with a hint of admiration, "However, you can indeed resist temptation. This golden kettle, as far as I know, has caused the deaths of many people."

Shen Bei's movements paused, and he retorted, "Killed people?"

Bai Wei's expression was serious, "That's right, every time it appeared in the world, it ultimately led to tragic consequences."

Shen Bei sat cross-legged on the ground, pulled out a handful of Gua Zi, cracked them noisily, his face burning with a gossip-fueled desire, and tossed over a banknote, saying,

"Tell me a hundred worth of it."