At this moment, Zhao Huai was on his way back to the pawnshop.
After an entire afternoon, the search had finally ended, and the shops along the street had opened their doors again.
Zhao Huai saw a line of text appear before his eyes.
By undertaking an act that defies fate, turn misfortune into fortune; destiny prospers.
This meant that the marriage proposal he had just agreed to had, by a twist of fate, triggered the Turn Misfortune into Fortune attribute, so he would receive an even more generous reward.
That was why he had obtained another ball of Purple Light.
Zhao Huai examined it carefully.
Heavenly Heart Wisdom Eye (lower Heaven-Grade): A powerful destiny that grants you extraordinary comprehension. No matter the divine ability, spell, mental art, or cultivation method, you need only glance at it once to master it.
When he saw this purple Heaven-Grade destiny, Zhao Huai was completely dumbfounded.
In a single day, he had gained several destinies in succession. He had already been more than satisfied with the Earth-Grade Great Luck Overhead, yet he had never expected another unexpected delight! A brilliant deep-purple radiance filled his mind, appearing incomparably noble and elegant.
Absorb?
Once he absorbed this destiny, no matter what cultivation method it was, he would be able to master it swiftly and become proficient in it.
Zhao Huai was undoubtedly ecstatic.
"Absorb it immediately."
The instant Zhao Huai spoke, the purple orb blossomed.
A warm, scorching sensation surged forth, enveloping his entire body.
Before he knew it, Zhao Huai found that many of the doubts he had encountered while practicing swordsmanship, fist arts, and the like had been solved as easily as splitting bamboo. Even the contents of cultivation methods he had forgotten now returned to him, and he became capable of remembering everything at a glance.
The feeling was like eating memory bread.
The difference was that, based on his original knowledge, it also produced countless extensions, as though it could think on its own.
The improvement it brought to his understanding of martial arts was enormous—simply a leap in quality.
Zhao Huai could not help muttering, "This Heavenly Heart Wisdom Eye truly deserves to be a Heaven-Grade destiny. It's incredible. The swordsmanship I learned a year ago now feels like three-legged cat kung fu, like some roadside-stall cultivation method—so shallow and easy to understand. Back then, it took me a full half year to learn it, but now, after only a little contemplation, I've already grasped it completely."
"The true worth of a Heaven-Grade destiny!"
Zhao Huai wished he could have several more destinies like this.
Unfortunately, such destinies were exceedingly difficult to obtain. This time, he had received the boost only because he had triggered "Turn Misfortune into Fortune." Otherwise, there was no chance it would have dropped.
In the depths of his mind, Zhao Huai also felt that the destiny he had obtained seemed connected to the event he had divined.
It was just that he could not yet discern any pattern.
In no time, he passed through Wide and Narrow Alley and walked along Yang City Street.
Zhao Huai had returned to Huai Pawnshop.
Arriving at the back door, he took out his key and aligned it with the lock.
Just as he was about to insert it, his hand stopped at the door, suspended in midair.
Because he noticed something was wrong.
When he had left and locked the door, a wisp of wall dust had fallen onto the threshold.
Why was it gone now? Zhao Huai's eyes shifted. He put away the key, crouched down, and inspected the rug beneath his feet.
He lifted one corner slightly and checked underneath.
On the floor beneath, which he had covered with lime powder, there were unmistakably four enormous footprints.
Someone had come.
Zhao Huai narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing an extremely dangerous expression.
Four footprints meant two people.
Someone was plotting against him.
Judging by the skill with which they had entered, they were no ordinary people. Could they have been sent by the imperial court?
But that was impossible. Thinking back over the past three years, he had never received such treatment.
No matter what, his sword would likely have to taste blood today.
Zhao Huai covered the rug at the entrance, then leapt up. Like a dragonfly skimming water, he stepped onto the railing outside the building, used his lightness skill, and flew toward the roof.
He finally landed on a roof tile without making a single sound.
He went to a corner beneath the eaves, pulled up a hidden thin cord from the gravel, and gave it a hard tug. A one-person opening appeared in the roof, which had originally fit together seamlessly.
This had originally been the escape route he had built. He had never expected that one day, he would use it to enter his own home.
Zhao Huai entered through the opening alone and landed steadily, making no sound at all.
Before him was his bedroom.
There was not a trace of light inside. It was exceedingly dark.
Zhao Huai's gaze sharpened as he searched for the two men.
His cultivation had reached Qi Refining Level 9. His physical body had been tempered to its current limit, and he could precisely control every breath, every exhalation, even the sound of his footsteps.
As long as he wished it, he could move without making the slightest sound.
Like a ghostly specter walking through the darkness, Zhao Huai made not the faintest noise as he moved.
Huai Pawnshop stood on the eastern side of the bustling district and had three floors in total. The first floor was the pawnshop storefront, the second was a relatively large warehouse and storage area for miscellaneous items, while the third was where he lived—his bedroom. The renovations alone had cost him six hundred strings of cash.
Zhao Huai knew that the best place to hide was the warehouse.
A sharp Treasure Sword emerged from the Mysterious Ring. Holding it in hand, Zhao Huai walked expressionlessly toward the warehouse.
"Did you hear anything?"
"No. The search ended so long ago. That brat should have returned by now, right?"
"That kid got along so well with that person in conversation. That alone proves how important he is. We have to capture him and take him back."
"This mission is too important. We absolutely cannot let it leak or botch it."
The voices of two people conversing drifted from the warehouse.
Two masked men in black crouched atop the rafters, staring straight down as they continued waiting for their target to appear.
Suddenly, a streak of white light flashed before them.
Clang!
The two men did not even see what it was. They only felt a chill shoot up their spines.
It was an extremely fast sword strike—so fast that darkness flashed before the eyes of the two masked men in black.
One man in black had already been pierced through the chest, his heart shredded by the True Qi within the sword. Scalding blood gushed forth, and only then did the other man in black realize what had happened. In his panic, he hurriedly tried to strike back.
A figure appeared in midair and thrust out a palm. The powerful force sent him crashing down directly.
With a thud, he fell from the rafters.
One of them had already stopped breathing. The other man in black raised his head in terror, wanting to see his attacker's face clearly.
Neither of them was weak. For them to fail today, they had actually encountered such a ruthless opponent! Then, with a ding, a fine Treasure Sword fell from above and nailed the man's palm directly to the floor, leaving him unable to crawl away.
Zhao Huai pressed down on the Treasure Sword, looking down from above as he demanded coldly:
"Speak! Who sent you?"
He had already sensed the auras of the two men while outside.
Moreover, these two assassins had actually reached Qi Refining Level 3 in cultivation, which was truly rare.
That was why he had held back some of the force in that palm strike. He had not killed the other man because he wanted to learn the identity of the mastermind behind it all.
"Damn it! I didn't expect we still miscalculated!"
"You're actually a hidden cultivator."
Pinned to the ground, the man in black looked at him with eyes full of venom.
"Answer my question!"
Zhao Huai pressed harder on the Treasure Sword, increasing the force by several degrees as he said coldly.
"Ah!"
The man in black screamed, gritted his teeth, and sneered. "In your dreams!"
Then he clamped his mouth shut, his gaze resolute.
"Not good!"
By the time Zhao Huai realized it, it was already too late.
A mouthful of black blood flowed from the man in black's lips.
The man in black had taken poison and killed himself.
Zhao Huai looked at the two corpses and the bloodstains all over the floor, his face dark beyond description.
He crouched and searched through the two men's clothes.
From the first man in black, he found a token.
Before you continue