The Great Thief Nong Zhu
Nong Zhu immediately rolled her eyes and said, "Old man from Nanming. We're friends, and I only ate some of your food. You don't have to be so harsh!"
"Friends?" The Ancestor Nanming scoffed, "Have you ever seen a friend who steals from his friend?"
Nong Zhu glanced at the two disciples behind him, opened his mouth but had no words to reply, then awkwardly took out the Sky Swallowing Beast's fang, waved it in his hand and said, "I know your stupid rules, and you should know what kind of person Lao Bi is. He won't make things difficult for you. How about this?"
Xuanxuan Island is a volcanic island, and the temperature where everyone was standing was quite high. However, as soon as the dark fangs were taken out, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees, and a strange sense of gloom arose from Nong Zhu's hands.
The Ancestor Nanming, who had been gazing at the sky with his head held high, slowly and stiffly turned his head. His gaze fell on that section of fangs, and his eyes gradually narrowed into slits, making it difficult for him to look away.
Nong Zhu's tense expression relaxed, her eyebrows twitched, and a smile curved her lips. She had been worried that this guy's standards were too high and he wouldn't meet her approval, but now it seemed that she could successfully complete the task Lao Bi had assigned her.
"Say something if you're okay with it. If not, I'm leaving to avoid your glares." Nong Zhu made a gesture as if to put away what she was holding.
"Wait!" the Ancestor Nanming shouted, snatching the object from Nong Zhu's hand with lightning speed. The moment the object touched his fingers, a chilling, sinister aura swirled between them, prompting him to examine it closely. It was a dark, curved piece; the cut surface suggested it had been severed from something—a small part of something else.
"I've never seen this material before. What is it?" The Ancestor Nanming asked, staring intently at the object in his hand.
"You're asking me?" Nong Zhu pointed to herself, pursed her lips, and said, "How would I know what it is? If you want to ask, you should ask Lao Bi. It's his."
"The Yin Qi emanating from this object is bone-chilling, gathering and not dissipating. It doesn't seem to have been added later. It shouldn't be something from the mortal world! Otherwise, I wouldn't have failed to recognize it." The Ancestor Nanming suddenly looked up and said, "Judging from its shape, it should be a small part taken from a larger piece. Nong Zhu, tell me honestly, where did you get this thing from?"
"As expected of a master weapon refiner, you can judge it almost perfectly at a glance." Nong Zhu gave him a thumbs up, then walked to his side and put a hand on the old man's shoulder.
The Ancestor Nanming suddenly shrugged, flung his hand away, and glared at him, shouting, "What kind of behavior is this, putting your arms around each other's shoulders?"
Nong Zhu looked him up and down and retorted, "You guy who wears red underwear and goes shirtless all year round. You think you can talk to me about manners? If you want to know where things come from, hurry up and give me your ears." As she spoke, she put her arm around his shoulder again, and this time the Ancestor Nanming did not resist.
The commotion caught the attention of the two disciples, who exchanged surprised glances. They vaguely sensed that their master and this Mr. Nongzhu must have had a close relationship in the past, otherwise, such intimate behavior would be impossible.
"Nine Nether Cave," Nong Zhu said softly with a grin. He didn't really need to go this far; he could have simply used telepathy to whisper. But he thought this opportunity to get closer could at least mend their relationship. He especially wanted the disciples of the old man from Nanming to know that his relationship with their master was special, and that they shouldn't be disrespectful when he visited.
"Ah!" The Ancestor Nanming shook his head repeatedly as he looked at the object in his hand, saying, "No wonder, no wonder. Bi Changchun is blessed with a land of good fortune!"
Without realizing it, Nong Zhu's arm had wrapped around his shoulder, and the two were like good brothers or buddies. On Xuanxuan Island, there were always busy disciples going in and out of the cave, and there were obviously some old people who knew Nong Zhu. When they saw this scene, they were all very surprised. It turned out that their master and Nong Zhu still had a very close relationship.
"That's nothing. Let me tell you something even more shocking." Nong Zhu touched the Ancestor Nanming's face, which was covered with a thick beard, and pulled his head close to his mouth. He whispered in his ear again, "You guessed right. What you have in your hand is indeed not from the mortal world. It was cut from the Netherworld Gate in the Nine Nether Cave. Do you understand?" He then released the Ancestor Nanming and patted him heavily on his broad shoulders a few times.
"Ah! It's from the underworld..." Ancestor Nanming exclaimed, but before he could finish speaking, Nong Zhu interrupted him, saying, "What are you shouting for? Are you afraid others won't know or what? What Lao Bi has brought out is not something that ordinary people can compare to."
"That's right, that's right!" Ancestor Nanming nodded repeatedly, touching the item in his hand. Nong Zhu patted him on the shoulder again, smugly saying, "How about it? Come with me to Shuntian Island! Old Bi still has some more stuff."
"Alright, let me prepare for a moment." Nanming said, then vanished in an instant, taking the fang with him.
"Done!" Nong Zhu rubbed his hands together with satisfaction, only then having the mind to look around and find that the surrounding environment hadn't changed. His gaze swept over the two disciples of the Ancestor Nanming, then he stared at the Flying Dragon and grinned mischievously, "Little Honghong."
He was calling them "little beast" just now, but now he's changed his tune. The Flying Dragon, quite intelligent, tossed its massive head aside, ignoring him. Nong Zhu chuckled, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. I'm going to find your master." With a teleport, he vanished.
The two disciples hesitated, remembering how Nong Zhu and their master used to be so affectionate, and wanted to call out but couldn't.
Nong Zhu entered a cave, his familiar figure flashing through the air, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the foot of Xuanxuan Island, where a magnificent scene of steaming heat unfolded before him. In the center was fiery red magma, spewing forth earth fire. All around, the clanging of metal striking metal could be heard constantly, as a large group of people were busy, all disciples of the Ancestor Nanming, using the earth fire to forge weapons.
What caught Nong Zhu's eye the most was the giant crab mixed in with the crowd. The fiery red crab had a body diameter of two meters, and its four pairs of strong, diamond-like limbs supported its entire body, making it two meters tall as well. It wielded a pair of enormous pincers, each two meters long, striking the red-hot metal block like a hammer, sending sparks flying and demonstrating tremendous force.
This giant crab is called the 'Fire Rock Vajra,' the very thing that caused the falling out between the Ancestor Nanming and Nong Zhu. This creature is highly intelligent and incredibly strong. Unlike ordinary crabs, the Fire Rock Vajra doesn't live in the sea, but rather in volcanic caves. It can swim and climb freely in volcanic lava, unaffected by high temperatures but afraid of low temperatures, only venturing out to hunt.
The lifespan of the Fire Rock Vajra is not very long, at most two hundred years. The female crab only lays ten precious crab eggs before she dies, so the entire group has maintained a relatively stable population. It's impossible for their numbers to increase. They are unique to Xuanxuan Island. Originally, there were about five hundred of them, but after the Ancestor Nanming discovered them, he tamed them for his own use.
The main purpose was to unleash their immense power in forging artifacts. Forging artifacts was inherently laborious work; after all, places like Bi Changchun's Demon Ghost Domain, with its Azure Flame, weren't everywhere. The extraordinary power of Azure Flame could rapidly melt metal, which could then be freely shaped and refined with advanced cultivation. But ordinary earth fire lacked such power, naturally requiring forging. Thus, the Fire Rock Vajra proved invaluable, working in conjunction with others to save time and effort.
However, these very treasures in the eyes of the Ancestor Nanming nearly met their demise after encountering Nong Zhu. The story begins when the Ancestor Nanming was harassed by cultivators from various countries. It was then that he met Nong Zhu, a kind and generous man who, to help his friend, invited the Number One Expert Under Heaven, Bi Changchun, to resolve the trouble. Thus, Nong Zhu Nong Zhu became a close friend of the Ancestor Nanming and frequently visited Xuanxuan Island. At that time, Nong Zhu was the only person in the Cultivation World who could freely enter and leave Xuanxuan Island.
Sixty years ago, a group of Fire Rock Vajra began laying eggs. Each egg was the size of a fist, bright red and very beautiful, totaling only about a hundred. The Ancestor Nanming Ming treasured them greatly and sent his flying Flying Dragon mount to guard the hatching process. Just then, Nong Zhu arrived, and the Ancestor Nanming, in a moment of loose tongue, mentioned that before he subdued the Fire Rock Vajra, he had eaten one of their eggs, and the taste was simply unparalleled.
Upon hearing this, Nong Zhu immediately became indignant and relentlessly pestered the Ancestor Nanming, insisting on trying it. Finally Ancestor Nanming, left with no other choice and out of friendship, reluctantly gave him one to eat. After tasting it, Nong Zhu exclaimed how delicious it was. However, this one bite became addictive, and he found it difficult to stop.
Later, somehow, he managed to instigate the Flying Dragon guarding the incubating crab eggs to steal them. The two of them feasted heartily. In reality, Nong Zhu only ate about seven or eight eggs in total, mainly because the eggs were too large; eating too many would have been fatal. But the Flying Dragon, who preferred fire-attribute foods, found the Fire Rock Vajra's eggs to its liking and couldn't stop eating them. Needless to say, the other creatures' appetites were practically wiped out by this single, foolish dragon.
Afterwards, the man and the dragon discovered that all the crab eggs were gone, and they were both dumbfounded. Needless to say, the consequences were dire; the Ancestor Nanming was furious. Nong Zhu quickly fled and didn't return for decades. The Flying Dragon, unable to escape, fared poorly and was almost skinned alive.
This is why Flying Dragon immediately attacked Nong Zhu, a guy who shared the good times but let others suffer the bad and was extremely disloyal.
At this moment, Nong Zhu felt guilty upon seeing the remaining hundred or so 'Fire Rock Vajra'. But the thought of the delicious crab eggs was simply unforgettable! He couldn't help but secretly glance around, wondering if it was the time for them to lay their eggs. Just as he was about to look around, he suddenly heard the earth-shattering roar of the Ancestor Nanming outside, "Nong Zhu, you old thief, show yourself at once! Are you trying to steal from my Xuanxuan Island again?" This was followed by the angry roar of the Flying Dragon ...
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