Chapter 27: The Lion Demon Appears

"So, you grave-diggers just live in these holes?"

"No wonder they call you the 'Earth Tigers'—you lot in the grave-robbing trade."

"You spend your time in a hole when you're making money, and you spend your time in a hole when you're living your lives."

Long Zhu teased the pickpocket leading the way while gazing at the staircase that plunged deep into the earth.

"Master Lang Zhu, you jest," the pickpocket replied. "In the old days, our guild headquarters were above ground. Back then, the Grave-Robbers' Guild was still considered a legitimate trade guild in Tianyu. But later on..."

"Later on," Dai Longmei interjected loudly, "the old Prince Jin and my father persecuted the grave-robbers together, labeling you 'low-lifes' and a disgrace to Tianyu. In reality, those two princes were only eyeing your lucrative underground casinos and the batch of 'immortal artifacts' you were pulling out from beneath the earth."

"Heh, Master Mei Fifth hits the nail on the head!"

The pickpocket held his torch high, his stride light, as if he were rushing to finish a job so he could go off to drink and carouse. "That’s why we grave-robbers retreated into this Gold City, and our eastern branches moved over to the Longyou territory."

"We freelancers don't care whether your Grave-Robbers' Guild moves or not," Lily said, flicking her fox tail triumphantly. "Back in the day, I single-handedly hauled out three immortal war chariots from an immortal city in the middle of Jinyuan and sold them for a fortune!"

Lily’s face was full of smug pride, her fox-like mouth nearly curling up to the heavens.

"Miss Lily is naturally gifted among the grave-robbers, and with those rare treasures at your side, you were naturally like a fish in water," the pickpocket said, casting a meaningful glance at her. They were aware of the fact that Lily’s spirit and body had been separated.

Dai Longmei pondered this, his guard rising slightly.

"However, I do remember clearly that you had a falling out with the Guild Master over the price of those chariots."

"Wait, didn't you say you were on great terms with the Guild Master?" Dai Longmei teased Lily via telepathic transmission. "So you aren't some golden sparrow that married into wealth... you're just a sparrow that got swept out the door!"

"Hmph! If that old man hadn't tried to buy those ten war chariots at the lowest possible price, I wouldn't have fought with him!"

"Who asked how you fell out with him? We’re going in to find help from the Guild. If you’ve had a falling out, why would they help us? Because you’re some kind of 'Gold-Plated Grave-Robber'?"

"Some kind of... you're the 'some kind of'! Your whole family is 'some kind of'!"

Seeing the expressions on Dai Longmei and Lily—though they remained silent, they looked as if they were bickering—the pickpocket nodded, a wicked smirk crossing his lips.

"Ah, well, isn't it normal to have a disagreement over business prices?" Dai Longmei said, brushing off the pickpocket. "But just because we couldn't agree this time doesn't mean we can't next time. This time, it’s not just this fox... this person coming to negotiate with you. It’s also us from the Liaodong Circuit—the generals and commanders of the Liaodong Army are here to talk to you." Dai Longmei raised his voice again. "This trip to the Western Desolation is the will of my father... the Prince of Liao."

"Oh?" The pickpocket glanced at Dai Longmei but only chuckled lightly. "I am merely a subordinate responsible for leading the way. Please, Master Mei, take these matters up with the Guild Master and the others."

The group finally reached the bottom of the long staircase. A massive underground cavern, bustling with a thriving marketplace, appeared before them.

"The Underground Cave Heaven—Grave-Robbers' Guild Headquarters. We have arrived, everyone," the pickpocket said with a gesture of invitation.

"Oh! It’s been so long since I’ve been here. I still remember there was a stall on Immortal Mansion Street that sold incredible teppanyaki squid. They even sold roasted moss skin—sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, tsk, tsk, tsk..." Lily’s drool dripped onto Dai Longmei’s collar, causing him to pat her head again.

"I told you not to touch—you!" Lily was about to bicker with Dai Longmei when she suddenly felt a strange gaze from not far away. Furthermore, there was a faint fluctuation of "Void Qi."

"Someone is using Void Qi!" Lily immediately notified the other two via telepathy.

"Yes, Lily, I felt it too."

"What? Didn't the Jade God say that no Jade-men could use Void Qi? Could it be those mad hags?!"

Dai Longmei glanced at the pickpocket, who was walking toward the grand archway at the entrance of the headquarters. "That person... also has traces of Void Qi."

Ever since he began practicing Void Qi, Dai Longmei discovered that it could be sensed. The deeper the practitioner's foundation and the longer they trained, the stronger this sense became. Although the pickpocket had been masking her aura, the moment she saw the Guild’s military advisor waiting at the gate, she relaxed, letting a faint trace of Void Qi escape. It was a deep blue color.

"Be careful, everyone. I’m afraid this lot might be the White Lion Cavalry."

"Should we start here?" Lily had already gathered her Void Qi, a "Void Bullet" forming in her mouth. "I’m just waiting for your command, Fifth Master."

Dai Longmei scanned his surroundings. The brightly lit streets of the headquarters were packed with grave-robbers and black-market dealers, bustling with noise and activity. If they fought here, they would inevitably harm the innocent.

"Nephew, you’ve finally arrived," a voice suddenly echoed in Dai Longmei’s mind.

"Who are you?"

"Liu Huaxi, Master of the Grave-Robbers' Guild." The same message echoed in the minds of Lily and Long Zhu.

"You are the Guild Master? You can use Void Qi too?"

As they spoke, the pickpocket had already made contact with the waiting military advisors. They were exchanging pleasantries, but who knew what conspiracies were being whispered via telepathic transmission?

"Do not start a fight with those people here. Follow my fake military advisor to the guild parking lot."

The transmission ended. The smiling face of the military advisor appeared before Dai Longmei. "Everyone, please follow me to the parking lot. The Guild Master is waiting there to receive Master Mei and his companions."

"Be careful. If things go wrong, we fight!" Lily and Long Zhu nodded separately. Dai Longmei followed the military advisor and the other grave-robbers who had come to greet them into the bustling streets of the headquarters.

The streets of the Grave-Robbers' Guild were indeed vastly different from those on the surface. Surface shops were filled with things like silk moss, bronze trinkets, and fine jade—common goods in Tianyu. But these underground shops sold items scavenged from the ruins of the immortal cities in the dungeons.

Looking closer, one could see dry-cell batteries, light bulbs, and generators. Beside them sat barrels of freshly salvaged diesel fuel. A refrigerator powered by a generator stood at the front of a shop, containing plum juice served in a bronze vessel.

"It's autumn, why are you keeping this cold stuff, Boss?"

"Hey, this is good stuff just pulled out by the 83rd Team, I have to put it in the front! There are several more units; if you want to buy, come take a look!"

Dai Longmei saw the shopkeeper wipe his hands—which had just grabbed the bronze vessel—on the toilet next to him. That’s right; aside from the "luxury versions" bestowed upon the altars by the True Gods, most of the flushing toilets used by the wealthy in Tianyu were salvaged by grave-robbers. They just required manual filling of the water tank.

Chemical fiber doll toys produced a thousand years ago were displayed on the counters. Various cosmetics, produced a millennium ago but still unexpired, emitted a fragrance far superior to any rouge found on the surface.

"Ah, that’s the lipstick I wanted..." Lily saw the lipstick she loved and caught a glimpse of the lip balm she’d been longing for. Unfortunately, she was currently a fox. Lily’s ears drooped.

"Boss, wrap up this lipstick and the lip balm." Dai Longmei waved his hand, tossing out a string of Jade Dragon coins.

"Right away! Oh, the boss is generous. Let me get your change—"

"Keep it."

"Hey, you're a generous boss! Come back next time and I’ll give you a discount!"

"Want it?" Dai Longmei dangled the lipstick and lip balm in front of Lily.

"Hmph! I don't want it!" Even though she said that, Lily’s big eyes remained fixed on them.

"Fine. I'll give them to you once you get your body back." Dai Longmei took the opportunity to pat Lily’s head again. "Besides, you're a fox right now and don't have a storage ring."

"I! Am! Not! A! Fox!"

"Haha, right, right. What would a fox need cosmetics for?"

"You! Hmph!"

Watching the Fifth Master and Miss Lily flirt along the way, Long Zhu felt like a third wheel. Master Lang Zhu had to busy himself fiddling with an assault rifle displayed at a nearby shop. These powerful weapons that had killed from a hundred meters away a millennium ago now had their magazines and charging handles completely rusted shut. But Long Zhu, who had always loved collecting such things, realized after learning Void Qi that these salvaged underground immortal items were all coated in a thin layer of white Void Qi. It acted like plastic wrap, clinging to the items and allowing them to remain usable even after a thousand years.

"Isn't this similar to the Jade God’s Void Qi?" Long Zhu muttered, picking up a rocket launcher that still had an explosive warhead attached. "Boss, how much for this?"

"Hey, hey, Master Lang, you can't hold it like that!" Seeing Long Zhu pointing the warhead toward the ground, the boss hurriedly tilted it toward the ceiling. "A few days ago, some guys from the surface held it like that, and then..."

"BOOM!" The boss shouted. "They couldn't even piece the guys back together afterward!"

Long Zhu thought that this rusted piece of junk probably couldn't fire anyway, but he obediently pointed the warhead toward the ceiling. The group followed the military advisor, looking around as they walked. The advisor didn't rush them, which allowed Dai Longmei and Long Zhu to buy quite a few things.

Finally, they reached the edge of the parking lot.

"BOOM!" "CREAK!" "CLATTER!" "BOOM!"

A deafening sound of artillery fire erupted from the parking lot.

"That is... the sound of an immortal war chariot!"