Chapter 325: My Precious Clothes

“Little A Qing, come with me. Your big brother will take you on a major mission,” the captain said quickly, his gaze darting around, looking very alert.

"No, I'm not going," Xu Qing replied, shaking his head.

"Why not?" the captain asked, growing impatient.

"You've clearly provoked the Profound Nether Sect and now you want to drag me in as a shield," Xu Qing stated, recalling the captain's fervent gaze at the demonic snake's teeth during their last visit to the Profound Nether Sect's forbidden area.

He also remembered the captain's frequent dealings with Wu Jianwu; Wu Jianwu was now caught like an idiot, while the captain had escaped completely unharmed.

Clearly, Wu Jianwu had been thoroughly duped by the captain and was now truly a fool.

The captain cleared his throat. He had indeed been thinking along those lines. What he had done previously was quite significant, and he feared that without Xu Qing by his side, Immortal Zixuan might easily swat him dead.

But if Xu Qing were with him and Immortal Zixuan truly appeared, he would most likely be safe.

“Little Junior Brother, you have to trust your Big Senior Brother! Don't worry, this time it's definitely something big. You're trying to open your Heavenly Palace, aren't you? After this, you'll be able to open even more!” The captain looked earnestly into Xu Qing's eyes, thumping his chest as if to say, 'We don't trick our own.'

He then picked up an egg from nearby, peeled it, and prepared to eat it.

Xu Qing maintained his usual expression and continued to sip his soup. Beside him, Yan Yan watched the captain with curiosity, not forgetting to place the peeled egg she held into Xu Qing's bowl before giving him a sweet smile.

This interaction made the captain somewhat displeased. He looked down at the egg in his hand, wishing someone would peel one for him too.

“Little A Qing, I don't think you're entirely human.”

"Captain, the Profound Nether Sect must be closing in on this location," Xu Qing said, taking a sip of soup.

The captain's eyebrows shot up.

“No human could possibly have your appearance, it's absolutely impossible. Haven't you noticed how you've become increasingly ethereal as you've grown older? You subtly resemble a mysterious ancient race I once heard of. I believe there's a high probability you're an orphan from that tribe, Little A Qing. I know a lot about them. Would you like to know more about your origins?”

"No," Xu Qing stated, finishing his last sip of soup and taking a bite of his egg, feeling quite content. He dismissed all of the captain's outlandish claims.

The captain grew a little anxious. Seeing that Xu Qing was unmoved, he pulled out his trump card.

“Deputy Director Xu, you still owe me two million spirit stones!”

“Big Senior Brother, I have some jade slips here that should be quite valuable,” Xu Qing said, pulling out a jade slip that depicted the captain dressed as a woman.

“Yan Yan, I don't think you should join Seven Blood Eyes. Listen to me, you should pledge allegiance to the Profound Nether Sect. Based on what I know about Little A Qing, he has a special fondness for the Profound Nether Sect,” the captain said, trying to persuade Yan Yan.

Yan Yan's eyes lit up.

Xu Qing sighed inwardly. He could tell the captain was genuinely nervous and feeling guilty this time; he was absolutely determined to drag Xu Qing along, and wouldn't take no for an answer.

“Little A Qing, you've grown up. Don't you remember all the good I've done for you? I'm your superior, your Big Senior Brother. I've scolded Master for your sake, I even told you Master's weaknesses. I've bled for you, I've taken the blame for you. We've returned home together, we've bathed together, we've gone out to play together, we...”

The captain's face adopted a wronged expression.

Yan Yan's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the captain, then at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained silent. After a moment of thought, he pulled an apple from his robe and offered it to the captain.

The captain's eyebrows rose. Xu Qing then produced a pass for the Immortal Pool and set it down.

The captain hesitated.

"Seventy percent off!" Xu Qing stated, looking at the captain.

The captain glanced at the card, but resisted taking it.

"Are you coming or not?"

Xu Qing sighed. He truly didn't want to go, but given the captain's persistent pleas, he finally nodded.

A smile finally broke out on the captain's face. He swiftly snatched up both the apple and the card, murmuring,

“Now that's a good junior brother! This time, your big brother absolutely won't trick you. We're going to do something big. Yan Yan, you're coming with us.”

Yan Yan's eyes gleamed brightly, and she nodded rapidly.

“Let's go, let's go! If we delay, we won't be able to leave. Little A Qing, use your dharma vessel!” The captain quickly got to his feet and urged them on.

Xu Qing silently retrieved his dharma vessel.

The moment the dharma vessel materialized, the captain was the first to leap aboard. Xu Qing, with a slight sway, also stepped onto it. Just as Yan Yan was about to follow, Xu Qing cast a glance her way.

Yan Yan immediately raised a hand and pointed at the captain.

"He made me do it."

“Bring Yan Yan along! She understands women, which will be helpful for our big mission,” the captain interjected quickly.

Xu Qing frowned but said nothing more. Under the captain's urgent prompts, he performed a hand seal, causing the dharma vessel to roar to life and shoot straight into the sky, swiftly moving away from the Seven Blood Eyes mountain gate.

Less than thirty breaths after their departure, Immortal Zixuan appeared in the sky, her face cold. She stood mid-air, gazing at the distant dharma vessel. Though she felt inclined to pursue, she hesitated, considering Xu Qing's increasingly taciturn demeanor in recent times.

“It's fine if he goes out to clear his head, but while the young one got away, the old one won't escape!” Immortal Zixuan scoffed coldly, then stormed furiously towards the Seven Blood Eyes mountain gate.

A moment later, within the Seven Blood Eyes mountain gate, Master Seven's furious roar echoed.

“Chen Erniu, if you're so daring, don't ever come back! If you do, I'll break your legs!”

The roar was deafening, reverberating in all directions. Even Xu Qing, now far away, heard it clearly. He turned to glance at the captain, whose face was beaming with smugness.

Sensing Xu Qing's gaze, the captain cleared his throat.

“The old man's just hinting that I shouldn't come back for a while. Oh, Master truly does love me after all.”

"I think Master is serious this time," Xu Qing said, withdrawing his gaze from the captain. He then lowered his head to check his communication jade slip; Master Seven's gritted-teeth voice was echoing in his mind.

“Is your Big Senior Brother with you? That brat is relying on the treasure I gave him, which allows him to transform and create clones, and his audacity has surged again. He actually turned off his jade slip, too afraid to read my message. Tell him that even the Ancestor believes he's too troublesome this time and proposed breaking his legs. As your master, I fully support that idea!”

Unable to hear Master Seven's message in Xu Qing's mind, the captain merely smiled proudly.

“You don't understand. In the sect, the one who truly cares about me isn't Master; it's the Ancestor. At worst, I'll just go appeal to the Ancestor. That's something you can't do, Little A Qing. I'm the Ancestor's most cherished junior disciple. But don't be sad; there's nothing to be done about it. I'm simply better at winning over the old folks; they prefer someone lively like me.”

Xu Qing silently put away the jade slip, abandoning the idea of informing the captain.

As he controlled the dharma vessel to speed along, he inquired about the "big mission" the captain had spoken of.

“It truly is a big deal!” The captain, relieved to be far from the sect, spoke in a low voice, his eyebrows dancing with excitement.

“Our target this time is the Three Spirits Suppressing Dao Mountain!”

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He prepared to turn the dharma vessel around; he had no desire to court death.

“Don't be like that! This time, there's absolutely no problem. I've thoroughly scouted it out. Our target is the third of the Three Spirits Suppressing Dao Mountain, the Nether Spirit Venerable,” the captain said, his eyes gleaming.

“You remember that robe she wore back then, don't you? When she arrogantly flew over my head, I immediately set my sights on that treasured garment – it's practically mine!”

“Most importantly, I have intelligence that the Sword-Wielding Court is planning to move against the Three Spirits soon. Based on my calculations, it shouldn't be long. So, we'll infiltrate first, and when the Sword-Wielders launch their attack, we'll use the chaos to retrieve my treasured robe.”

“That robe is packed with treasures. Little A Qing, when the time comes, you can just absorb some of them; opening a few Heavenly Palaces will be effortless!” The captain's breathing quickened, growing more excited with each word. He had clearly coveted that robe for a long time.

“Furthermore, why do you think I went to the Profound Nether Sect to acquire that tooth? It was precisely to cut that robe! I figured my own teeth might struggle a bit with it, but with the demonic snake's tooth, it'll be no problem at all.”

Yan Yan, listening to such an insane plan, gasped despite her own eccentric and sometimes bloodthirsty nature. She might be wild, but she wasn't ready to die yet.

She thought the captain had gone completely mad. That was, after all, a powerful cultivator on the same level as her grandmother.

Stealing her robe... the danger was immense. If they were discovered, it would be no different from seeking death. Furthermore, there wasn't just one Return to Void master there, but three.

Even if the Sword-Wielders truly intervened, the level of danger would remain extremely high. She understood women and knew that, often, their beloved clothing was valued above all else.

To touch her clothes would undoubtedly unleash a torrent of fury.

But the next moment, she noticed a thoughtful expression on Xu Qing's face, so she merely blinked and remained silent.

Xu Qing pondered, analyzing the situation in his mind. If what the captain said was true, then the mission might indeed be feasible. However, he still had some doubts, so after a moment of thought, he immediately spoke.

"Taking action is fine, but that robe is clearly a battle garment. The Nether Spirit Venerable will undoubtedly be wearing it if she makes a move. How will we get it?"

A look of disdain appeared in the captain's eyes.

“No matter what, she's still a woman! And an extremely vain one at that. Don't forget, that day she was flying while constantly checking herself in a mirror!”

Xu Qing remained somewhat perplexed.

Seeing Xu Qing still didn't grasp it, the captain suddenly felt a strong sense of superiority. He cleared his throat and looked at Yan Yan.

“Yan Yan, how many outfits do you own?”

"Not that many..." Yan Yan whispered, blinking, then added,

"Just about a mountain's worth, that's all. But if anyone touches my clothes, I'll kill them. Brother Xu Qing is an exception, of course."

The captain ignored Yan Yan's last remark, and at that moment, looking down at Xu Qing, he spoke meaningfully.

"Do you understand now?"

“How could the Nether Spirit Venerable possibly own only one outfit? Do you think she's like you? Even if she coincidentally wore that particular robe into battle, it wouldn't matter. She'd undoubtedly have other similar treasured garments.”

"Ha! Women never have just one valuable piece of clothing. Little A Qing, I understand women better than you," the captain declared triumphantly.

“So, our haul this time will definitely be substantial!”

Xu Qing remained silent.

“Besides, the Sword-Wielding Court's recruitment trial is about to begin. We'll head there right after we finish this mission; the timing will be perfect.”

“I've planned everything meticulously. This time, we'll make an appearance at the Three Spirits' domain, showcase some of our abilities to the high-ranking Sword-Wielders, and get noticed. That way, perhaps when we attend the trial, we might receive some extra advantages.”

“Trust me, Little Junior Brother, everything I do is to ensure we have the best chance of joining the Sword-Wielding Court!”