Chapter 267: Chapter 212: Thief’s House · Case Three

But this secret only surprised Pharmacist’s Wish; what truly left her at a loss was another matter.

She discovered that the profits she received did not match the selling price on the transaction board.

To be exact, she had agreed with the Rabbit Heroine on a fifty-fifty split, but based on the transaction board’s selling price, the Spiritual Jade she received was approximately seventy percent. The Blood Replenishing Pills and repair items she bought from the Rabbit Heroine were also generally below market price.

Moreover, Pharmacist’s Wish had once exchanged a Secret Technique Introduction Manual with the Rabbit Heroine. Earlier, she had obtained a Fist and Palm Secret Technique Manual from a transaction with the three Great Guardians, but neither she nor the Rabbit Heroine needed it, so Pharmacist’s Wish asked the Rabbit Heroine if she could exchange it for a Spear Secret Technique Manual. Two days later, the Rabbit Heroine brought out a Spear Secret Technique Manual, saying it was exchanged one-for-one.

At the time, Pharmacist’s Wish didn’t think much of it and just marveled at how resourceful the Rabbit Heroine’s brother was and then used the secret technique book.

But now she saw an Immortal’s order: "Secret Technique Manual: Power Generation" plus two "Advanced Sword Mastery Secret Manuals" exchanged for one Spear Secret Technique Manual.

Besides that, there was another Immortal’s order using five "Advanced Sword Mastery Secret Manuals" to exchange for a Secret Technique Research Manual. But Pharmacist’s Wish had one herself, a slaughter suggestion prize by the Rabbit Heroine, Yellow Dog could just take it directly from her if he wanted it.

In fact, these could all be explained as the Rabbit Heroine’s kindness. She knew Pharmacist’s Wish was in a dire situation, so she gave her more Spiritual Jade intentionally; she spent extra from her own pocket to buy secret technique books for Pharmacist’s Wish; she concealed the status of Pharmacist’s Wish’s spoils...

Wouldn’t everything good reasonably be done by such a good, well-behaved sister?

If not her, who else could it be?

Pharmacist’s Wish also thought it was the Rabbit Heroine, believed it was the Rabbit Heroine, hoped it was the Rabbit Heroine... but she just couldn’t stop herself from thinking of that bandage-wrapped scum!

He’s a cold-blooded creature wanting to kill the Rabbit Heroine and reclaim the Power of Calamity. He even sent the young Rabbit Heroine into the dragon’s lair of Shu Dao Mountain, mercilessly taking everything from her when she encountered danger, yet he stayed at the Thief’s House, flirting with Red Snake... how could such a person who has done much evil do any good?

But why didn’t he embezzle?

Why did he lend Bingzi Pepper Forest to the Rabbit Heroine?

Why... even though the Rabbit Heroine missed her last chance to escape because of me, he didn’t blame me?

Pharmacist’s Wish couldn’t understand, nor did she want to think about it, she just kept practicing with her spear in the open space. The three iron mannequins were riddled with holes, and in the end, even the Fine Steel Long Spear broke. She stood there panting heavily, her hair sticking to her face, her whole body steaming as if she had just escaped from drowning, spending all her energy wrestling with the water.

Wuqiu and Shidong approached softly, "Miss, the hot water for your bath is ready... and it’s almost noon."

Pharmacist’s Wish nodded, returned to her room, and bathed under the service of the two new grand stewards. She coiled up her long hair, removed her armor and clothes, revealing her bandaged body. She had just called Yellow Dog a bandage-wrapped weirdo, but she was no different. But today, she had mostly recovered, and the Third-Turn Messenger is not that delicate.

The dirty bathwater slid down her long legs. After rinsing sufficiently, Pharmacist’s Wish stepped into the bathtub, flower petals floating on the water surface, warm fragrance filling the room. Shidong lifted her arms to scrub under her arms and the easy-sweat areas of her chest wrap, suddenly bursting into tears.

"Shidong, although I am reluctant to say this, the last time you shed tears serving Miss’s bath, the master met with misfortune the next day..." Wuqiu’s expression was indescribable.

"I, I was just too happy." Shidong quickly wiped her tears, "I never thought there would be a day we could return to the Duke’s Mansion and serve Miss bathing here. It feels like a dream... I thought we would wander the world with Miss, living rough in Jianghu, and become famous heroines together."

Even Pharmacist’s Wish was amused, "Shidong, do you want to be a heroine? I thought you just wanted to marry a young, handsome young man."

"Of course, I want to be a heroine, and a heroine suits a young man, doesn’t it?" Shidong sniffed and smiled, "I have already thought of our future names, I will be the Winter Heroine, Wuqiu will be the Autumn Heroine, and Miss, you will be the Wolf Heroine, it perfectly fits..."

Under Wuqiu’s nearly tangible death stare, Shidong’s voice grew quieter, realizing she accidentally stepped into forbidden territory. No more conversation followed. When Pharmacist’s Wish stepped out of the bathtub, they fetched two towels to cover her front and back, gently wiping all the water droplets from her body.

After changing into underwear and wrapping her chest, seeing Wuqiu taking out the disguise devices to lift her shoulders and heels, Pharmacist’s Wish shook her head, "It’s unnecessary now."

Since Yellow Dog already knew her true identity, there was no need for such disguise; it was as dull as covering one’s ears while stealing bells.

When Wuqiu and Shidong left the room, Pharmacist’s Wish donned the wolf mask but was immediately unable to teleport to the Thief’s House. Ever since the dispute with Yellow Dog at the Thief’s House three days ago, she hadn’t entered since. As noon approached, she had to face an undeniable fact—

She was afraid of Yellow Dog.

...

...

Yan Qing was wrapping bandages.

Although he would wear a mask today, and there was no dining involved, he felt that the mask alone was somewhat unsafe, so he wrapped the bandages as a precaution. After preparing, it wasn’t yet noon, and he didn’t want to go out early, so he paced back and forth in the room, finally drawing Bingzi Pepper Forest to practice sword and saber secret techniques.

As the time approached, before heading out, he hesitated for a moment and went back to turn on the game console, logging into the ’Rabbit Heroine’ account.

It was still a black screen, with no images, still in a deep sleep.

It’s been like this for the past three days. Perhaps the Rabbit Heroine will spend her sentence this way. In this sense, the True Man of Locking Dragon is quite kind-hearted. If the Rabbit Heroine has consciousness, then confinement is just a prolonged sleep for her.

Yan Qing put down the game console, opened the door to enter the hall. In the hall, both White Fox and Shang Xinlei were already seated, with only Pharmacist’s Wish’s seat still vacant.

As he took his seat, Pharmacist’s Wish suddenly appeared in his seat—it was clearly a forced teleportation. The two instinctively exchanged glances but quickly looked away, as if they couldn’t even bear to see each other’s masks.

"It’s a bit quiet today?"

Ying Rushi asked tentatively, "And almost everyone came last... Were you all very busy today?"

Silence.

"It seems a lot happened to you in the past half month," Ying Rushi said quietly. "Am I the only one being left out? Black Wolf, Yellow Dog, did you just—"

"Shut up, will you!" both Yan Qing and Pharmacist’s Wish shouted at her simultaneously, but immediately realized the odd synchrony, turned their heads and pretended nothing happened.

Then Yan Qing felt something hit him, and looking down, he saw it was a small candy wrapped in brown paper. He turned to look at Shang Xinlei, but Shang Xinlei remained sitting upright, looking at the center as if she hadn’t thrown it.

In this tense and anxious atmosphere, a large hole finally appeared in the round stone table, and the sand table rose with a rumble. More than one person in the hall breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the sand table gradually build into a gigantic city; as the city outline became clearer, their expressions grew subtly nuanced.

Because they all knew this city well; they had even been there together for a group outing.

"This theft target: Chang’an, Secret Realm of the Earth Flame Prison, Exotic Iron"

"Arrival location: Top of the Buddhist Pagoda at An Guo Temple"

"Arrival time: Three days later at midnight"

"Escape location: Reach the top of the Buddhist Pagoda at An Guo Temple to evacuate immediately"

"Escape deadline: 1:00 AM"

"Successful theft: Obtain customized token exclusive to Exotic Iron"

"Failed theft: Deduct one hundred thousand Spiritual Jade, permanently lose eligibility to enter the Thief’s House"

Chang’an!

The next mission is Chang’an again, and the arrival point is, by the cat’s meow, the top of the restored Buddhist Pagoda at An Guo Temple! This is like a murderer returning to the crime scene!

However, compared to these ridiculous places, everyone was more focused on the next crime scene. Below the Chang’an sand table, a dungeon abruptly appeared; violent earth flames erupted from the depths of the dungeon, engulfing a large jagged ore on the central stone pillar. Simultaneously, hundreds of people in the dungeon exerted force together, lifting a massive iron hammer above the stone pillar tens of feet high, and then dropping it forcefully!

Clang!

The sand table produced no sound, but just the sparks from the massive iron hammer striking the ore were enough to imagine how earth-shattering this was. Yet even when burned by earth flames and struck by the iron hammer, the ore remained unscathed, not even dropping any fragments.

This is their next target, a piece of Exotic Iron hidden within a secret realm in Chang’an City, hammered day and night by countless people!

"Yellow Dog!"

Pharmacist’s Wish suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed intently on the bottom of the sand table, his trembling voice full of shock, anger, and elation: "Yellow Dog!"

"Stop shouting," Yan Qing replied, "I see it."

At the very bottom of the Earth Flame Prison, below the Exotic Iron, deep inside the Earth Flame Magma Pool, was a vast, dark cell.

Inside the cell was a small figure, bound, with her hands and waist suspended by golden lock chains, dangling in mid-air. Even though the sand table clarity was low, it was still possible to discern that she had braided a large pigtail, her eyes closed. As the ore above was struck repeatedly, the cell would vibrate, causing her small body to sway slightly, like a little girl lying in a giant cradle... except she would not wake up.

It was the Rabbit Heroine!