Immortal Soaring Blade Book 1, Chapter 43 – The human heart is half hidden, half revealed

Late at night, Daoist Yi Qing silently walked out of the front gate of the Qing Xuan Temple. He walked quickly and looked around like a thief. At this moment, he no longer had any of his previous elegance.

Right now, there was no one else on the streets of Qing Rong except the pleasure house that was still brightly lit. The charming laughter of women echoed, luring the hearts of passing men.

Daoist Yi Qing followed a dark path and made left and right turns. Occasionally, he would look back to check if anyone was following him.

After walking for a while, he turned into a remote alley and arrived before a humble house. He gently knocked on the wooden door.

“Who is it?”

A low and wary voice came from behind the wooden door.

Hearing the movement in the room, Daoist Yi Qing quickly responded, “It's me, Yi Qing.” 

The wooden door opened slowly, revealing a shifty-eyed man. His hair was coiled up but gave off a very messy feeling. His face was narrow like a rat's and he had some strands of his beard hanging down. He was ugly no matter how you looked at him. However, his dark eyes were particularly lively at night.

The man was a bit surprised that Daoist Yi Qing had come to his place in the middle of the night and was acting carefully like a ghost. He opened the wooden door and allowed Daoist Yi Qing into the room.

The things in the room were very simple, no different from the house of an ordinary family. A table, two chairs, a wooden bed, and four walls. However, there was a bookcase in the corner of the room that was particularly eye-catching.

The shifty-eyed man was nicknamed Money Rat, and he was also a cultivator. His cultivation level was not high and he usually acted like a thief. He would kill and steal treasures to trade to Yi Qing for pills to increase his cultivation level. After some time, the two of them got along well.

Daoist Yi Qing closed the door and pointed at the bookcase. He said in a mysterious tone, “Let's go inside to talk, I came here to ask you for something.”

The ugly and shifty-looking man disapproved. His already small eyes now became lines as he frowned. His expression was a bit impatient “What matter do you need to be so mysterious about that we need to go inside to talk? What kind of deal have we not done before?”

Daoist Yi Qing ignored the man nicknamed Money Rat and walked up to the bookcase. He twisted the handle on it.

A heavy and muffled sound echoed as the bookcase opened up on both sides, revealing a dark hole. The light in the room only allowed one to see layers of stairs going down. He headed down and seemed very familiar with the place. It seemed he came here often.

Money Rat could do nothing about Daoist Yi Qing, so he helplessly shook his head and followed him into the secret passage.

The narrow secret passage could only allow two people to pass side by side. After walking 20 meters, light came from the front, and after turning a corner, the light from a pearl lit up the room. It was a stone room about a dozen square meters in size. It was filled with money and treasures, as well as some spirit stones used by cultivators.

The surroundings were lit up using Night Light Pearls. When the pearls shined on Daoist Yi Qing, he no longer had the elegant temperament like he did when he was with Zhao Jiuge.

Money Rat's black clothes coupled with his ugly face were even more eye-catching in this small room lit up by pearls.

“Speak, why do you have to be so mysterious that we have to come here? What is the deal?” After arriving, Money Rat could no longer hold back his impatience and complained.

Daoist Yi Qing stroked his beard with a smile on his face. Seeing that he had wetted Money Rat's appetite, he said in a mysterious tone, “Hehe, you don't know, but yesterday, I accepted a big deal.” Afterwards, he just smiled and didn't continue.

Just as Money Rat frowned and was about to speak from impatience, Daoist Yi Qing continued, “Yesterday, the villagers from a nearby village said that they were being haunted and asked me to go check. Guess what I found.”

Money Rat didn't get to speak a word, but his appetite was hooked once more. He learned this time and no longer asked.

Sure enough, after waiting a while and seeing that Money Rat wouldn't ask, Daoist Yi Qing could not hold it and continued.

“I discovered a young girl and boy. Don't look down on their young ages, their cultivations are not weak. My guess is that they are juniors of some family that came out to practice. The young man has a jade token that I can't see through, but I think it's something good. The girl wears a hairpin that looks like a good treasure. It always shines.”

After pausing a bit, Daoist Yi Qing squinted as he looked at Money Rat. He was waiting for Money Rat to ask him about the deal.

He hadn't expected Money Rat to show no reaction and no expression. Even after hearing that a deal had arrived, Money Rat remained indifferent.

Daoist Yi Daoist became anxious when he saw Money Rat's expression. He said in an encouraging tone, “How about it? They are young and easy to trick. I assume they have many other good things on them as well. We will split the loot equally. After so many years, do you still not believe me? If you agree, we need to set a plan.”

Daoist Yi Qing remained patient as he explained it again and again to Money Rat. His expression became impatient, but Money Rat still remained unmoved as he silently pondered.

Just as Daoist Yi Qing was about to erupt from impatience, Money Rat finally talked.

Money Rat squinted and said in an unhappy tone, “Hmph, how do I not know you? If it was really that simple and easy, why would you team up with me? You would have swallowed it whole alone a long time ago!” 

After hearing this, Daoist Yi Qing revealed an embarrassed smile and his old face became a bit red. He looked at Money Rat and said, “How's this: we will split it 50/50 this time, but the next time I refine some pills, I'll give you some extra.”

After hearing about pills, a trace of excitement appeared on Money Rat's face and his eyes filled with greed. He quickly said, “Alright, then, it's decided. Although you are a bit greedy, you've kept your promises over the years, so I can believe you. But you should tell me the specifics.” 

After Daoist Yi Qing heard Money Rat agreed, he relaxed a bit. Then, when he heard Money Rat praise him, he revealed a happy smile, but soon he calmed down. His eyes were now filled with greed. “A young man and woman. The woman is around my cultivation level and the man is around yours. We should plan things out carefully and in detail so the chances of winning will be very high.”

When they started talking business, both of them became very serious because if they failed, it would be no laughing matter. Money Rat pondered a bit and said, “Having such high cultivation levels at such a young age means they must be disciples of some sect or family coming out to practice. In that case, what if the sect or family finds us? What would we do? You know there are many mysterious things we've never heard of.”

“Hehehe!” Daoist Yi Qing chuckled.

After hearing Money Rat's doubt, he gently shook his head and confidently said, “You don't have to worry about this. Along the way, I tried to get on their good side and built a pretty good relationship with them. You still have some Soul Enchanting Incense, right? When I invite them to talk, you secretly light the Soul Enchanting Incense. No matter how powerful their spirit force is, if they can't use it, what is there to be afraid of?”

His eyes shined as he nodded and his hand held his long beard. If Zhao Jiuge saw Daoist Yi Qing like this, he would be greatly shocked.

“You are still more sly; you can even think of this method.” After hearing what Daoist Yi Qing said, Money Rat also began to laugh. While he laughed, he was also pointing at Daoist Yi Qing.

After laughing a bit, Money Rat seemed to have noticed something wrong.

“I say, Yi Qing, you are trying to trick me again. The Soul Enchanting Incense is very valuable and costs a few hundred spirit stones. How can I be the one who foots the cost of the Soul Enchanting Incense?” After thinking about how he had almost gotten tricked, the corner of Money Rat's mouth twitched.

“I'll pay, I'll pay for it, okay? We have cooperated many times, and you've always had it good. After so many years, you're still too stingy. If you didn't have me around over the years, how could you have it as good as you do today? I fear you would still be at the Blood Movement Realm!” Seeing how Money Rat was so narrow-minded, Daoist Yi Qing couldn't help but have a headache.

Money Rat lowered his head. There was a hint of gratefulness in his eyes. He had to admit that he had relied on Daoist Yi Qing. Back then, he was just a thief who happened to steal a very elementary cultivation method by chance and began to cultivate. Using his superior physical power, he began to kill and rob outside the city and trade stuff in the city for spirit stones and other materials. However, due to the limitation of his cultivation method, he could only reach Blood Movement.

In the end, it was Daoist Yi Qing who found him and gave him a lot of pills to help him to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. Otherwise, he would have been stuck in the Blood Movement Realm. Throughout the years, he had followed Daoist Yi Qing, scheming against other schemers. When one was uncertain about the situation, the two would cooperate, and as a result, he had gotten rich over the years. All of it was thanks to Daoist Yi Qing.

Thinking about this, Money Rat couldn't help but feel melancholy. A little thief who had obtained a cultivation method by chance had now reached this point in life.

Heaven had opened a window for him so he could see the world of cultivation, but heaven had also closed a door—his talent wouldn't allow him to reach far. Forget becoming an immortal, even getting to the point where his lifespan would increase was something beyond his reach.

At most, he could only bully the weak and rely on his body being strong compared to that of a normal person to obtain wealth and enjoy life.

For a moment, Money Rat's ugly face showed a hint of loneliness, shyness, and apologeticness. He clasped his hands. “Big Brother Yi Qing, thank you for taking care of this little brother until now. I hope you will continue to take care of this little brother in the future. If there are any good pills, please remember this little brother. If there's anything you need, just give the command, and from now on, I'll no longer say a word of nonsense.”

After he finished speaking, he paused a bit and added, “As long as there is news of any new pills, whatever materials you need, I'll help you get it.” At this point, money and spirit stones no longer tempted Money Rate. He only had interest in magical treasures and pills to increase his cultivation level.

Daoist Yi Qing walked the path of relying on pills. He specialized in making friends with power to get money and resources to refine pills to increase his own cultivation level.

Seeing Money Rat's appearance and hearing his heartfelt speech, even someone as selfish as Daoist Yi Qing was somewhat moved. He held Money Rat's hand and nodded. “Rest assured, I will.”

At this moment, in this small room that was lit up by pearls, the hearts of an elegant-looking old daoist and a shifty-eyed thief linked. Perhaps it was due to the mutual benefits, perhaps it was a moment of emotions.

No matter what their true thoughts were, they had a very harmonious atmosphere on the surface and no one wanted to destroy it.

Before this, Daoist Yi Qing had planned all this to deceive Zhao Jiuge and Su Su by gaining their trust just for their magical treasures.

Then could such a cunning and greedy Daoist Yi Qing really be so selfless to share his own interests? From youth, Money Rat had been living off scraps. In the face of huge profit, he would kill to obtain what he wanted.

After all, the human heart was half hidden, half revealed.

Chapter end