Yan Qi stared at him and said, "I never expected you to know more martial world secrets than I do."

  Lin Taiping hesitated for a moment before saying, "I just heard it from someone else."

  Guo Dalu asked, "And the other two?"

  Lin Taiping replied, "The second one is the sole heir of Gong Changhong′s swordsmanship—her name is Gong Hongfen."

  Guo Dalu frowned. "Gong Hongfen? That sounds like a woman′s name."

  Yan Qi said, "That′s because she is a woman. Do you think a woman can't wield such a long sword?"

  Guo Dalu ughed. "I just don′t believe that the person in bck could possibly be a woman."

  Yan Qi said, "I heard that Ding Xiangng recently traveled to Fusang to find his biological father, so the person in bck couldn't be him either."

  Guo Dalu asked, "What about the third one?"

  Lin Taiping said, "This person is called ‘The Wandering Soul Beneath the Sword’—Nangong Chou."

  Guo Dalu was puzzled. "'The Wandering Soul Beneath the Sword'? That sounds like an insult. Why would anyone choose a name like that?"

  (T/N: 剑底游魂; Jiàn dǐ yóu hún, means'The Wandering Soul Beneath the Sword'′)

  Lin Taiping said, "Many years ago, a strange figure emerged in the martial world, known as the 'Crazy Cross Sword.' No one who encountered him ever escaped his bde. Even the renowned 'Three Friends of West Mountain' and the 'Number One Sword of Jiangnan' fell to him. Only Nangong Chou managed to escape from his sword, so he felt quite proud of himself and gave himself the nickname 'Wandering Soul Beneath the Sword.'"

  Guo Dalu chuckled, "Losing to someone and still feeling proud? Now that's an interesting person."

  Lin Taiping replied, "Not only is he uninteresting, but he's the most uninteresting person imaginable."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Why?"

  Lin Taiping expined, "It's said that he loves killing more than anything. Occasionally he kills for his pleasure, and other times for money. Although he was lucky enough to escape the Crazy Cross Sword with his life, he was left with a rge cross-shaped scar on his face. That′s why he never shows his true face to anyone."

  Guo Dalu said, "If that's the case, then this man in bck must be him."

  Wang Dong suddenly spoke up, "Not necessarily."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Not necessarily?"

  Wang Dong said, "How do you know he's not a woman? How do you know he's not Gong Hongfen?"

  Guo Dalu responded, "Of course he isn't."

  Wang Dong asked, "Why? Have you seen his face? His hands? His feet?... He hasn't let you see even an inch of his body. The only thing you've seen is his bck clothing. If a man can wear such clothes, why can't a woman?"

  Guo Dalu was stunned. He stood there for a long moment before ughing, "If he's a woman, now that would be truly interesting. I'd love to see what she looks like."

  Yan Qi said leisurely, "As long as it's a woman, you find it interesting?"

  Guo Dalu ughed, "Most women are indeed more interesting than men—except, of course, for those who are too ugly or too old."

  Yan Qi sighed and said, “That man actually dares to cim he isn′t a lecher. If he isn′t, then who is?”

  Wang Dong yawned and said, “At the very least, I do have one thing in common with a lecher.”

  Yan Qi asked, “What′s that?”

  Wang Dong replied, “I think about the bed all the time, no matter where I am.”

  The bed.

  Five chests of gold and pearls y right under it.

  Not even the richest person in the world would carelessly shove five chests worth billions under a bed, leave the door unlocked, and just walk away.

  Yet, that was precisely what they did.

  Because, aside from themselves, no one would ever dream that such a vast treasure was hidden under this rickety bed. The room was completely empty—aside from the bed, there was nowhere else big enough to store those five chests.

  “Why not just bury them underground?”

  Yan Qi had once suggested that, but Wang Dong immediately objected.

  “If we go through all the trouble of burying them now, in just a few days, we′ll have to go through all the trouble of digging them back up. Since we′re going to dig them out anyway, why bury them in the first pce?”

  Lazy people always have the perfect excuse to avoid work.

  And Wang Dong′s excuse was, of course, the most convincing.

  Naturally, he was already lying on the bed again.

  Guo Dalu was practicing drinking wine while hanging upside down. He had heard of “prison drinking” and even “corpse drinking,” so he was determined to master this “hanging drink” technique.

  If there was anyone in this world who could drink with their eyes, even if it was just one person, he would never accept defeat. No matter what, he had to train himself to be just as skilled before he′d be satisfied.

  Meanwhile, Lin Taiping sat on the stone steps at the doorway, holding his head in his hands.

  Was he in a daze? Or lost in deep thought?

  Though he looked like the youngest among them, his burdens weighed heavier than anyone else′s.

  Yan Qi had disappeared again. His movements always seemed a bit mysterious—he often slipped away to hide somewhere, and no one ever knew what he was up to.

  The night felt both deep and early at the same time.

  Someone once said, “Time rules over all things; only time is eternal.”

  But here, that statement didn′t seem entirely true.

  The people here might not know how to make the most of time, but they certainly refused to be its sves.

  Just as Guo Dalu finished his third bowl of wine, Lin Taiping suddenly stood up from the stone steps.

  His expression was both excited and serious, like a great general about to announce an important battle strategy to his troops.

  But no matter how serious someone looks, if you view them upside down, they′re bound to seem ridiculous. Guo Dalu almost spat out the sip of wine he had just taken.

  Lin Taiping said, “I have something to say.”

  Guo Dalu held back his ughter and replied, “I can tell.”

  Lin Taiping continued, “There′s someone in this city—not only highly skilled in martial arts but also a master of disguise and bone-shrinking techniques. He′s committed several crimes that have given the authorities endless trouble.”

  Guo Dalu blinks. “It sounds like you′re not the only one who knows about this. I think I′ve heard of him too.”

  Lin Taiping said, “Not only do you know, but Suan Meitang knows as well.”

  Guo Dalu raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  Lin Taiping added, “Not only does she know, but she definitely has a grudge against him.”

  Guo Dalu asked, “A grudge?”