Chapter 26: The King of Heaven Covers the Earthly Tiger

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“Tell me, my friend, what brings you here?”

The Chairman sat upright beside an exquisite rosewood table, casually propping his chin on his right hand as he studied Liu Neng, who stood before him dressed from head to toe in splendid brocade and silk.

Liu Neng was the younger brother of Liu Ying, the Old Lord of Long, and his only surviving brother.

By rights, a man of such exalted standing ought to have looked every inch the nobleman. Yet Liu Neng’s mouth was twisted to one side, making him look as though he had suffered a stroke.

Now he stood there with that crooked mouth, explaining his request to the Chairman.

“You know me. I’ve always done everything in my power to help you people~”

“When the Prince of Jin and that evil Prince of Liao were suppressing your Tomb-Robbing Association, I was the one who advised the Lord of Long not to take action against you.”

“Just look at us now. Look, hey~”

Liu Neng pointed out the window.

Inside a vast underground cavern stood a flourishing town.

Its houses were laid out in perfect order, and the streets rang with human voices. Precious jade had been carved into the buildings, while merchants and travelers streamed beneath the eaves.

At a glance, it was no different from Jinzhou aboveground.

“Our Association headquarters now looks no different from Jinzhou City.”

The Chairman made no comment. He merely smiled at Liu Neng.

“So I suppose that makes me your friend, doesn’t it~”

Liu Neng declared himself the Chairman’s friend, yet the Chairman gave no response.

“Now, I need to ask you for a favor!”

The Chairman gently stroked the crow perched on his leg.

The crow cawed at Liu Neng.

“No, no, it isn’t about the time I asked you to help us raise an army…”

The crow cawed at Liu Neng again.

“I’d like you to select some of the finest tomb raiders from your association and form a team.”

Liu Neng signaled to one of his men, who carried a large chest forward.

The strategist standing beside the Chairman stepped forward and opened it.

The radiance of the precious jade and jewels illuminated the room.

But the Chairman remained unmoved, continuing to stroke the crow.

The crow gave another series of harsh caws.

“This team must consist of the very best tomb raiders—true experts. None of those worthless independent scavengers who can do nothing but dig up old appliances and the like.”

“I’ll also provide a few men who know how to fight. Then we can…”

“Where are you going?” the strategist beside the Chairman asked.

“Huh? Oh~ Oh~”

“The Western Deadlands!”

At the words “Western Deadlands,” the Chairman lowered the hand supporting his cheek.

After a moment’s thought, he leaned toward his strategist and whispered a few words.

“What do you think? Hey~ If the money isn’t enough, I can add more~”

Liu Neng smiled obsequiously, his mouth still twisted to one side.

“I can’t do it, Prince Neng.”

“Huh?”

Seeing the blank look in Liu Neng’s eyes, the Chairman deliberately put on an expression of sudden realization.

“Oh~ That’s right. You aren’t a prince yet.”

A trace of resentment appeared in Liu Neng’s gaze, but the Chairman paid it no mind.

“We’ve known each other for many years, Master Neng.”

“This is the first time you’ve ever come to me for help.”

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“You say you helped us find a place to settle here.”

“But I remember that if I hadn’t tempted you with money from my gambling houses back then, you probably wouldn’t have helped us at all.”

“So I’ll be honest with you, Master Neng. You’ve never regarded me as a friend.”

“You’re merely afraid of owing a debt to an underground man like me—a tomb robber, a gambling-house owner, a keeper of beggars and pickpockets.”

The Chairman waved a hand, though he remained seated upright in his chair.

“That isn’t so. You know that, on the surface, I’m still…”

“The younger brother of an old prince. A nobleman.”

“You are also, on the surface, a servant of the Celestial Jade court. You have the court’s soldiers and the claws of your princely household at your command.”

“So you have no need for an underground friend like me.”

“But now that the smoke of war is rising outside Jinzhou City, and my branch is having a hard time…”

“You come running to say, ‘Chairman Liu Huaxi, please do me a favor.’”

Liu Huaxi looked toward the strategist beside him, then pointed at Liu Neng’s nose.

“You want me to send my finest people to risk their lives in a place like the Western Deadlands while the Drunken Fox troops are bearing down on us?”

The crow let out several more caws.

“You won’t even call me Chairman.”

“Chairman~ Chairman~ Hear me out. This matter is of the utmost importance.”

“You know the heavens are about to change. You’re well informed—you must also have heard the reports about those starfolk who ride white lions~”

“If I succeed, I, Liu Neng, will become the Lord of Long. And when the starfolk arrive, won’t we be on their side?”

“I’m your friend, Chairman. Wouldn’t that mean I could hold an umbrella over you when the world changes~”

Liu Huaxi regarded Liu Neng’s ingratiating expression.

Then he took a sip of the rich jade liquor.

Its fragrance completely dispelled the irritation he had been pretending to feel.

“Whether you’ll hold that umbrella over me, I don’t know~”

“But the Western Deadlands are dangerous. You’ll have to give me a few days to consider it.”

A delighted smile spread across Liu Neng’s crooked face.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to hold that umbrella over you~”

“Chairman Liu~ Ha! When it comes to getting things done, you’re dependable—tall and tough!”

“No need to see you out!”

The swivel chair creaked as it turned toward the window.

Liu Huaxi gazed outside.

The prosperous headquarters of the Association had flourished for more than a century.

But now, the heavens were on the verge of a great upheaval.

Who knew how much longer this prosperity would last?

One of his men entered the room and whispered a few words to the strategist.

“Chairman, the pickpockets above have run into Fifth Master Mei. But the Drunken Foxes are following right behind them.”

Liu Huaxi’s brows drew together.

“Were there any sharp-eared thieves with golden hair and blue eyes?”

“No. Just some Drunken Fox soldiers.”

“Good~ Good~”

Liu Huaxi reclined halfway in his swivel chair.

Yet in his mind, he recalled the words the Jade God had entrusted to him half a year earlier.

“There is a gate in the Western Deadlands. It must never be opened.”

“If anything changes in the future, and Dai Longmei of Liaodong and the tomb raider Lily come looking for you…”

“My brother, you must give them your utmost assistance!”

“Heh heh. Lord Jade God, how could an ordinary mortal like me, who cannot even wield Void Qi, presume to call you brother~”

…

“Pfft!”

The jade sword swept through the air like a soaring dragon, severing the Fox soldiers’ necks.

Jade Qi surged from the dantian and raced along the blade, scorching the enemies’ flesh like a wildfire.

“A demon! It’s a demon god! Just like those starfolk!”

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The bronze cleaver in his hand had been burned red-hot, while the leather armor on his body had been consumed by the phantom flames.

The Drunken Fox soldiers, who had prided themselves on being the elite of their tribe, were so terrified that their legs went weak.

They had witnessed the might of the White Lion Riders, but they had never imagined that a jade-born man—or a member of the wolf clan—could wield Void Qi, that same divine power.

“Argh!”

“Run! Fall back!”

The Drunken Fox scouts turned and tried to flee, but Dai Longmei pounced from behind, piercing their bodies like a bolt of thunder.

The jade sword shattered bone and tore through flesh before bursting out through their chests.

“Haha! This Void Qi is unbelievably useful! Hahaha!”

Long Zhu brought his knee up and knocked over the last Drunken Fox soldier as he fled in panic.

“You’ve only just learned to use Void Qi, Bamboo. Be careful. If you circulate it improperly, the power may turn against you and burn your insides!”

Lily lay across Dai Longmei’s shoulder, shaking her head at the foolish grin on Long Zhu’s face.

“Huh? There are side effects too? That old man who taught me the technique never explained that properly.”

“I’m going to contact him telepathically and demand an explanation~”

“All right, all right. Lily’s right.”

“Besides, telepathic communication only works when you and another person exchange Qi through physical contact.”

“Did that old man pass Qi to you face-to-face? You idiot!”

Long Zhu shook the blood from his jade sword, then reached out and stroked the wolf’s head.

“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”

Long Zhu looked at Dai Longmei and Lily, who exchanged a knowing smile.

“Wait, Fifth Master, why are you calling her Lily now? Before, it was always ‘Miss Lily,’ ‘Miss Lily.’”

“Ah~ Isn’t it just a matter of becoming familiar after meeting a few times~”

With a wicked grin, Dai Longmei reached out and rubbed Lily’s head again.

“Stop touching me! Let go!”

Lily’s protest, sent through telepathy, was ignored once more by Dai Longmei.

“Hey~ You two got close awfully quickly.”

Long Zhu kicked the corpse at his feet.

“Did you know each other before this?”

“Ah~ We did, actually…”

Dai Longmei had just begun to speak when Lily, wrapped around his neck, hurriedly cut him off.

“Stop wasting time. The pickpocket is gone. How are we supposed to get into the headquarters?”

“Don’t be impatient, little girl~”

The strange voice that had spoken earlier sounded again.

“This alley is a dead end~”

“Yet even a dead end has a way to live~”

With a loud rumble, a hidden door opened in the wall at the end of the alley.

A secret passage leading underground appeared before them.

“Fifth Master Mei. Lord Wolf Bamboo.”

“And the fox maiden who can speak~”

“Hmph!”

“The Earth Tiger brothers bid you welcome~”

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