Master, What Path Are You Cultivating?
Chapter 39

Pah, Decadent and Immoral

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"Butler Tang" was also someone he had met on the Dark Web. Seeing Ji Qinglin's remarkably high success rate in killing wanted criminals, the other party had proactively extended an olive branch.

Their many collaborations had all been successful. The intelligence Butler Tang provided was accurate and reasonably priced, so Ji Qinglin guessed he was likely a police captain within the precinct who either needed wanted-criminal results or possessed a sense of justice.

Yu Ye had been asking about the wanted criminals Ji Qinglin had dealt with before. As the two chatted idly, Butler Tang's files arrived.

Yu Ye opened them and found that the contents were indeed far more detailed. Aside from personal information omitted from the Wanted Order, there were even records of some of Duan Tianpeng's movements from three days ago. The police had not released this information so that, should an arrest operation become necessary, they could catch him off guard.

Ji Qinglin sipped his tea as he watched Yu Ye analyze the information. After she compared the acquired images against the map, she said, "Start with his most recent movements. Three days ago, this man entered General Store Alley on Xin Dong Street."

"Pfft!"

Ji Qinglin sprayed out a mouthful of tea, then immediately leaned over to inspect it closely, confirming that Yu Ye had not misspoken.

"What is it, Master?"

"You didn't know the name of our alley?"

Yu Ye realized it too, her almond eyes widening in astonishment. "No way! Could there really be such a coincidence?"

"Shh. Pull up the shop's footage first. There are plenty of coincidences in this world; people simply do not notice them most of the time."

After opening the surveillance footage, master and disciple quickly screened through the customers who had come to the shop three days ago.

The fact that there were not many customers willing to spend money in the shop turned out to be a good thing. Ji Qinglin soon spotted a suspicious man. He carried a backpack, wore a windbreaker, sunglasses, and an earring, and had short hair. Even before entering the shop, he had been looking around in every direction.

"This should be him."

"You're that sure? He doesn't look anything like him."

"Changing faces is not difficult these days. A nimble thief like him has probably changed his face many times already. The police usually use scanned body shape and gait to determine whether an identity is likely to match. After catching them, they check fingerprints and blood type. Ordinary people basically cannot recognize them."

"He really did keep looking around before and after entering the shop. He was probably observing the surroundings."

"Mm. Most importantly, while he was looking around inside the shop, his gaze did not linger on you for long. For the men who have entered the shop these past few days, that is highly abnormal."

Yu Ye snickered. "If you put it that way, Master, does that make you abnormal too? Ah—ow—my mistake, my mistake! Master, stop pressing!"

Crazy Night: I think that with your current resistance to electricity, you can already withstand several Palm Thunders head-on. Yu Ye: Tch. One takes on the color of one's company. Following Master around, I've found that my tongue is getting sharper and more venomous too.

The first thing they needed to do now was find Duan Tianpeng's hideout. From the shop's camera angle, they had seen him enter General Store Alley, but they had not seen him leave.

Aside from a few small storefronts, the entire alley had nowhere to live. However, several of the small shops beside it were on the shaded side of a small building. Upstairs was a hotel, whose entrance was on the other side. From General Store Alley, only the windows of a few hotel rooms could be seen.

"Master, he most likely rented a room with a window, then came over to General Store Alley to observe his escape route. With his movement technique, getting back to his room through the alleys would definitely not be a problem."

That was most likely the case, but Ji Qinglin still went to the front desk to verify it. In the end, he confirmed that Duan Tianpeng really was staying in the middle window-side room.

"Yu Ye, your luck really is good. A Flying Mantis delivered right to our door."

"Master, when do we make our move?"

"Tonight would be best. We know this area better than he does, after all. But thieves like him are extremely cautious. Whether we ambush him or go straight to his door, he could very well escape. We need to find a way to catch him completely off guard."

As he spoke, Ji Qinglin unconsciously looked Yu Ye over again.

Yu Ye's willow brows knitted slightly, and a bad feeling suddenly rose in her heart.

"Master, you aren't thinking... A thief like him would not fall for a simple trick like a Honey Trap, would he?"

Ji Qinglin gave a mysterious smile.

"Of course we cannot use that move. I only want to borrow something from you."

"You don't mean... underwear, do you?"

"What are you thinking? Your Master merely wants to borrow your voice."

Late at night, beneath a cold moon and a lone star, the vendors along Xin Dong Street's main road had all left.

In the small hotel in General Store Alley, Duan Tianpeng sat by the window, examining the treasure in his hand by moonlight.

It was a crystal skeleton consisting of a right forearm connected to a hand. It was the same size as a living person's hand, but it looked crystalline and translucent, like a finely carved work of art.

Even now, looking at the treasure in his hand made Duan Tianpeng's body tremble with excitement. After all, he had obtained what every Qi Practitioner dreamed of: Immortal Remains.

Although this was also his first time seeing a portion of Immortal Remains, judging from the intelligence he had acquired and the West Chang District Chamber of Commerce president's reaction after the theft, this was undoubtedly Immortal Remains.

His years of branding himself as the Lingerie Bandit had not been in vain.

Stealing gold, silver, and jewelry really had been for money. Stealing women's undergarments had been to conceal his true intentions. The police would not place too high a bounty on a Lingerie Bandit, and wealthy families would not care about such a small sum.

Had he not been discovered while searching for the Immortal Remains, he would not have needed to go the extra mile of killing the guards and cleaners to silence them.

The label had indeed been a great success. Even after he infiltrated the West Chang District Chamber of Commerce president's room and stole the Immortal Remains, the guards and police still concluded that it had been the work of thieves more formidable or more notorious than him.

He had even taken advantage of the situation to spread word that the person who stole the Immortal Remains was fencing the goods in North New District.

No one, nor would anyone, target a low-profile Lingerie Bandit like him during this special period.

However, the virus in West Chang District had not yet been completely cleared. It was unsafe to travel with something so valuable, so Duan Tianpeng decided to rest here for two days. Once his body recovered, he would take this portion of Immortal Remains and flee far away.

Even so, Duan Tianpeng, cautious by nature, had carefully investigated the surrounding area before checking in. Only after confirming there were no police scouts or hidden sentries did he settle in with ease.

After studying it for several days, he still could not understand the mysteries of the Immortal Remains. Yet Duan Tianpeng was certain that this thing would aid cultivation. Even if he truly could not figure it out, selling it would still ensure that he spent the rest of his life clothed in brocade and fed on jade.

Tap tap tap tap—

Just as he was thinking, footsteps suddenly rang out in the corridor. Duan Tianpeng swiftly put the item away, then silently stepped to the door and examined the situation outside.

He saw a mysteriously sneaking couple in disheveled clothing heading toward the room next door. They looked somewhat familiar.

Hiss, aren't those the master and disciple from the General Store downstairs? What are they doing here? "Master, hurry up, your disciple cannot take it anymore."

"Heh heh, don't rush. Tonight, your Master will give you a proper going-over."

Bang—

As the two entered the room next door with their arms around each other, the adjacent door slammed shut.

Duan Tianpeng snorted coldly. "Pah, decadent and immoral!"

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