Staring at the box in Li Chang’an’s hands, both the Cyan Robed Swordsman, Liu Shu’an, and the lean man beside him couldn’t help but widen their eyes in utter disbelief.
After all, they had only concocted this half-true story on a brazen whim, unwilling to accept their failed assassination attempt.
They had indeed seen an ancient text that mentioned the treasure of the Cyan Cloud Pavilion, and driven by the principle of leaving no stone unturned, they had come to this place to search several times.
However, that ancient text was really just some piece of junk they had bought from a street stall. The two of them had even hired a large group of fishermen and practically turned this entire area upside down, but they never found a single useful clue.
Therefore, deep down, the two had long since concluded that the information in the ancient text was fabricated by some damn bastard just to fool people.
The only reason Liu Shu’an had brought it up to Li Chang’an was to see if he could lure him out. Then, he planned to contact the Prison Control Department via a secret message and find an opportunity to ambush and kill him along the way.
Who would have thought that Li Chang’an would actually believe it? Not only did he bring them out on a boat to Tai Lake, but he even dived underwater by himself to hunt for treasure.
The situation had already developed to an absurd point.
However, the most absurd part was yet to come. After swimming around at the bottom, Li Chang’an had actually emerged from the water with a box?
Although Liu Shu’an didn’t know what was inside the box yet, this alone was enough to send his imagination running wild!
For a moment, his mind was in turmoil, and he even started to question his life.
After all, the main reason they were willing to become Assassins and act as lackeys for the Yaoqing Imperial Court—aside from enjoying the easily accessible wealth and glory—was to obtain High Tier Martial Arts Techniques from them.
Now, knowing that he might have missed out on a treasure that had been right under his nose, Liu Shu’an was struggling to keep his composure!
The lean man beside him, however, remained calm. "Maybe it’s just an ordinary box," he whispered. "After the men from the Prison Control Department kill him, we’ll figure out a way to intercept the box and open it!"
Hearing this, Liu Shu’an’s eyes regained their focus. He nodded and said through gritted teeth, "That’s the only way. We can’t let the Prison Control Department find out. We have to find a chance to snatch it back and see what’s inside!"
...
Aboard the warship were over thirty members of the Prison Control Department.
Most of them were members in the Martial Artist realm, while only eight were Small Banner Officers who had reached the Martial Artist realm.
At first glance, this lineup didn’t seem particularly impressive.
But considering Li Chang’an had only been out for a little over ten days, it took time for the Prison Control Department to dispatch reinforcements, no matter how fast they reacted. To be able to gather such a large force in such a short time was already proof of how seriously they were taking him!
Seeing Li Chang’an in the water with a cold, grim expression, the lead Small Banner Officer on the warship grinned broadly. Without any hesitation, he turned and said, "That kid is a bit strange. Don’t get the warship too close. Ready the Strong Qi Cannon. We’ll hit him while he’s down, right from the ship!"
To ensure their mission was foolproof, the warship the Prison Control Department was using was also a Magical Artifact inscribed with Array Patterns. A Secret Technique controlled the Strong Qi Cannon, and a direct hit was powerful enough to easily obliterate a Martial Artist!
If Li Chang’an were on land, the warship might not pose a threat to him.
But now, with Li Chang’an in the water, the Small Banner Officer believed that destroying him with the Qi Array Patterns inscribed on the warship would be as easy as snapping his fingers.
Seeing an immense surge of Qi gathering at the warship’s bow, Li Chang’an reined in the killing intent bubbling up inside him and turned to swim toward the deeper parts of the lake.
Normally, he wouldn’t mind playing around with this warship.
After all, with his current strength, he was virtually invincible below the Martial King realm. A warship like this was, at best, just a slightly larger toy.
But now, he was holding a chest full of complete Cultivation Techniques Secret Manuals from the peak of the Central Plains Martial Dao three hundred years ago. Naturally, he couldn’t risk losing them by fighting these relentless bastards head-on.
Therefore, after a quick mental calculation, Li Chang’an decisively turned and fled.
BOOM!
The Qi Force condensed into a single point, and the warship fired a devastatingly powerful Qi Cannon Shell.
This was also the reason why gunpowder was not well-developed in this world.
Martial Artists could use Arrays and Qi Force to replicate some of the effects of gunpowder, so no one ever bothered to think about how to improve its power.
Li Chang’an was extremely fast in the water, moving like a swimming dragon. With a quick swerve, he dodged the Qi Cannon Shell’s attack.
The Small Banner Officer on the ship was stunned.
He had never imagined that Li Chang’an’s speed in the water could be nearly the same as on land.
He couldn’t help but curse, "How is that guy so fast? Doesn’t he need to breathe? Or... is he a Martial King expert?"
’A Martial King expert is impossible.’
’If Li Chang’an were truly a Martial King, he wouldn’t need to flee at all. He could send them all to meet the King of the Underworld with one hand tied behind his back.’
Seeing that the cannon shots were missing and Li Chang’an was getting farther and farther away, the Small Banner Officer couldn’t be bothered with caution anymore. He immediately ordered the warship to full speed, giving frantic chase.
Their relentless pursuit was starting to infuriate Li Chang’an. He was getting so worked up that he was about to find a place to stash the box, turn back, and slaughter every last person on that ship.
But just then, a terrifying aura, as if the very sky were collapsing, suddenly appeared in the distance.
Alarm bells rang through Li Chang’an’s entire being. His hair stood on end, and his speed suddenly skyrocketed as he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
To avoid being tracked by the warship behind him, Li Chang’an instantly dove tens of meters to the bottom of Tai Lake, even slowing his metabolism and breathing rate.
Before long, the once-calm surface of the lake suddenly began to ripple.
A tall, slender figure with withered, yellowed hair and a gaunt frame slowly descended onto the warship. His gaze swept across the lake’s surface, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as he said, "What a slippery rat, to be able to disappear right under my nose!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, the Small Banner Officers of the Prison Control Department on the warship were first startled, then acted like mice seeing a cat. They respectfully knelt on one knee and said, "Lord Chief Banner Officer, what brings you here!"
The gaunt, slender figure waved his hand, signaling them to dispense with the formalities. "I heard that the boy the Lord Prefect has his eye on came to Tai Lake," he said lightly. "So I came to have a look."
He said no more. After focusing his gaze on the water’s surface for a moment, his skeletal hands suddenly clawed downwards, forcefully lifting tens of cubic meters of lake water into the air!
Fish and shrimp were still swimming within the mass of water, but Li Chang’an was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing that he had come up empty, the gaunt figure let out a sound of surprised doubt. He focused his gaze for another moment before reaching out again. This time, he lifted even more water, but there was still no sign of Li Chang’an.
After failing repeatedly, the gaunt figure was no longer just surprised. His expression suddenly turned grim and cold.
He flicked his sleeve, and the nearly one hundred cubic meters of lake water instantly shattered into a spray of raindrops. Before the rain could even fall back to the surface, his entire person vanished from the spot and plunged into the lake!
...