Volume Two: The Life of a Bandit Chapter Twenty-Two: The Deal (Part Two)

“Who are you?” The three Divine Kings stood before them. The one in the middle appeared youthful, bearing a slight resemblance to Zhao Wu, but his eyes carried the weariness of a seasoned Divine King. His expression remained calm as he regarded Qin Si and Qin Shuang. Though his countenance showed no obvious concern for Zhao Wu, the slight tremble in his clenched fist revealed a deep care for him.

Since the arrival of the three, Zhao Wu’s previously terrified and horrified expression had vanished without a trace. His eyes flickered with malice as they darted toward Qin Si, thinking that his father would surely take revenge on his behalf.

Qin Si smiled as he appraised the trio, casually tossing his spear onto the table. “You must be Zhao Yongkui, the Master of Xuan’ao Valley? The father of this pathetic loser?”

“How dare you insult the Divine King of Xuan’ao so rudely—seeking death!” The Divine King to the young man’s left darkened his face. Suddenly, he vanished where he stood, reforming into three shadows that lunged toward Qin Si.

Qin Si snorted coldly and waved his hand. A black rift in space abruptly tore open before them, as if a blade had sliced through the air, shattering the space instantly.

At that moment, the Divine King moved right in front of Qin Si, his sword flashing cold light as he thrust forward. Unexpectedly, the spatial rift morphed from a line into a squared cage, instantly enveloping him.

Black light flickered wildly. Caught off guard, the Divine King even lost a strand of hair cut by the spatial rift. Clutching his sword tightly, he manifested three clones and accelerated time thrice consecutively, attempting to use the laws of time to break through the cage Qin Si had set.

Zhao Yongkui, the young man standing in the center, changed expression upon seeing this. A beam of light shot from his hand directly at the spatial rift imprisoning the Divine King. The two coordinated perfectly, managing to open a small gap in the cage, allowing the Divine King to escape in a clumsy retreat.

Gazing at the black, lifeless void that had swallowed the space before Qin Si, Zhao Yongkui, having rescued his subordinate, did not immediately attack but showed a hint of caution on his face. “Who exactly are you?”

Qin Si chuckled and pointed to himself. “I am Qin Si, the leader of the Purple Mysterious Alliance. This is my brother Qin Shuang, the deputy leader.”

“Oh? I didn’t expect the leader of the Purple Mysterious Alliance to be such a person. Truly beyond my expectations,” Zhao Yongkui said, genuinely surprised. These two young men were clearly newly ascended Celestial Beings. Their clear eyes and subtle aura of noble lineage gave it away.

“Could these two be scions of some prominent family?” Zhao Yongkui’s expression turned serious. He had already noticed that Qin Si’s armor was no ordinary gear, and the other, whom Qin Si called Qin Shuang, was clearly a newly minted Divine King, but his aura was overwhelmingly powerful.

After a moment of thought, Zhao Yongkui glanced at Zhao Wu and softened his tone. “As you said, I am Zhao Yongkui, Master of Xuan’ao Valley, a Divine King. These two are my deputy masters, the Mysterious Divine King and the Azure Divine King. I am unsure how little Wu offended you two, but on his behalf, I offer my apologies and humbly ask Brother Qin to show mercy.”

Qin Si crossed his legs and lightly tapped the table. “Well said, well said. Since the Divine King of Xuan’ao has apologized, I’ll reluctantly let him go. However, my brother and I came here to tour Tiehua City and enjoy the scenery. We didn’t expect to be attacked by your son and his men upon arrival. It’s left us in a foul mood. What compensation does the Divine King of Xuan’ao offer?”

Zhao Yongkui’s face darkened, but he sighed and glanced at the carefree Qin Si, who was leisurely sipping wine nearby. “What sort of compensation do you brothers require? I presume you must be from some noble family? Forgive my poor eyesight, but I don’t recall any Qin family of renown in the Divine Realm. Would you enlighten us?”

Just as Qin Si opened his mouth, Qin Shuang suddenly kicked him under the table and smiled as he replied, “Divine King of Xuan’ao, you overthink. We are merely ordinary Celestial Beings, not the scions of powerful clans as you imagine.”

Zhao Yongkui’s eyes flickered as he studied Qin Si and Qin Shuang for a long while before sighing softly. “Since you refuse to disclose more, I won’t pry. How about visiting Xuan’ao Valley as my guests? We can have a proper conversation.”

“Hmph! Not noble scions? What a joke,” Zhao Yongkui thought to himself. “If these two aren’t from noble families, how do they have such abundant resources? Equipping all Purple Mysterious Alliance Celestial Beings with artifacts matching their ranks, not to mention the rare time-accelerating treasures they possess—such items are nearly impossible to forge without immense backing.”

“Fine!” Qin Si nodded. “It’s a good opportunity to see the headquarters of the largest power in Tiehua City.”

Zhao Yongkui smiled faintly, casting a glance at Qin Shuang, who seemed utterly unconcerned while sipping wine, and said nothing more, turning to leave the tavern.

Qin Si waved and sent Zhao Wu to the care of the Mysterious and Azure Divine Kings, chuckling as he followed Zhao Yongkui. Qin Shuang picked up a wine bottle, greeted the five Celestial Beings briefly, then followed behind.

Zhao Wu, now under the watch of the Mysterious and Azure Divine Kings, glared hatefully at Qin Si’s retreating back, wishing he could tear him apart. But when he turned to the spot where he had been imprisoned, a chill ran down his spine. The spatial rift remained, slowly repairing but far from fully closed.

“Why is Qin Si so powerful when we are both Upper-tier Celestial Beings?” Zhao Wu muttered, watching the fading backs of Qin Si and Qin Shuang. He could not fathom it. Qin Si, like himself, was an Upper-tier Celestial Being, yet had trapped the Azure Divine King. Judging by the earlier scene, had it not been for his father’s intervention creating a crack in the spatial rift, the Azure Divine King might have been trapped like him.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought and politely addressed the two Divine Kings beside him. “Uncle Mysterious, Uncle Azure, my father and the others are arriving soon. Let’s go.”

The Mysterious Divine King nodded and glanced at the tavern owner, commending, “You did very well today. Collect your reward when you return to the valley.”

The tavern owner beamed with joy, immediately kneeling to thank him profusely. The Mysterious King smiled warmly, exchanged a look with the Azure King, and the two each took one of Zhao Wu’s arms, vanishing into the tavern.

Tiehua City was vast, especially the southern district, almost entirely under Xuan’ao Valley’s control. Contrary to Qin Si and Qin Shuang’s expectations, Xuan’ao Valley was not a valley at all; their residence was a sprawling manor.

Following Zhao Yongkui, Qin Si and Qin Shuang felt countless eyes secretly watching them within the estate. They exchanged knowing smiles.

“Xuan’ao Valley truly lives up to being the largest power in Tiehua City. Thirty-five Upper-tier Celestial Beings alone—such an enviable force,” Qin Shuang said with a faint smile, barely concealing his ambition.

Having followed Qin Si’s wild antics, Qin Shuang gradually adopted some of his elder brother’s temperament. Originally coming to the Primordial Chaos Space for experience—to match his realm with his power and control the surging energy within—he had little restraint. After all, if things got out of hand, they could just unleash havoc.

Qin Si smiled silently, a hint of sinister cunning hidden within.

Zhao Yongkui, walking at the front, heard the brothers’ laughter and felt a shiver run down his spine. He silently wondered if bringing them here had been a mistake. How could these two openly discuss absorbing his power right before his eyes?

Frustrated, he led them into a grand hall surrounded by defensive formations. Zhao Yongkui was confident that even a Divine King would find it difficult to silently dismantle his arrays.

Yet Qin Si did something that struck a severe blow to Zhao Yongkui’s pride. Taking a few quick steps to Zhao Yongkui’s side, he murmured, “Not a bad formation. Worth the trip here.”

With that, his spear erupted into a brilliant rainbow, striking over a hundred times in an instant. Thin spatial rifts spread from the spear’s tip, and Zhao Yongkui’s proud formation crumbled without a trace. A mist flickered, and the magnificent hall appeared before the three.

Behind them, the Mysterious and Azure Divine Kings, along with Zhao Wu, were stunned, staring at the unruffled Qin Si in disbelief, unsure how to react.

Zhao Yongkui’s face was a mask of incredulity. He stared at Qin Si for a long time before shaking his head and wordlessly entering the hall.

A crafty glint flashed in Qin Si’s eyes. He and Qin Shuang exchanged a knowing smile and followed Zhao Yongkui inside.

“One proposition: We help you eliminate all sixty-three powers in Tiehua City, leaving Xuan’ao Valley to dominate alone. In exchange, you submit to the Purple Mysterious Alliance and become the Xuan’ao Division under our banner. What say you?”

No sooner had he sat down than Qin Si spoke quietly.

(To be continued)