"We already told the Patriarch where we hid the stuff. The Patriarch didn't even show us any appreciation and just let us go. Aren't we losing out here?"
"Just standing before the Patriarch made me feel like I barely dared breathe. Whatever he asked, I answered. How could I have dared ask for more?"
"That's strange. We Eight Desolations disciples fear neither heaven nor earth. Everyone calls us Money-Adding Brother. Even if the Patriarch wanted benefits from us, he'd have to pay extra. So why did I chicken out just now? That shouldn't have happened."
"Nonsense. Everything we play with is stuff the Patriarch has already played out. Can the Patriarch be like other NPCs? Offend other NPCs, and at worst, death is just a head hitting the ground. Offend the Patriarch, and you might not even be able to die—you could get hacked into a human stick and forced to eat shit."
"Sigh! If we'd known, we should have held back and taken a little risk to get some benefits from Shaolin. Now things are great. Life was already bad enough, and now we're even poorer."
The three Eight Desolations disciples talked as they walked. By the end, they all shuddered, then felt another wave of frustration rise in their hearts.
They had risked their lives and gone through unimaginable hardship, chased by one of the Jianghu's most perverse top experts across two countries, just to barely preserve the treasure. Even if the Patriarch wanted to take it, he should have given them some benefits and paid extra. Returning empty-handed like this completely violated the code of conduct collectively upheld by the Eight Desolations disciples.
In other words: the Patriarch had broken the rules!
"You three brats, come with me!"
Just then, a voice came from the doorway ahead.