Chapter 1400 — Fleeing in Panic: The Odds Were Even, Hinging on How Badly That Earth Rank Master Was Wounded and on the Skill and Coordination of the Two Profound Rank Masters

But even so, Elder Rain did not dare to gamble!

The goods belonged to the Rain family; the life was his own! He was not about to lay down a life for such things. The situation offered him no confidence of victory, and with that, Elder Rain's heart began to waver.

Over there, even as they spoke, Wei Zhao had already begun condensing a true qi bomb, watching Elder Rain with wary eyes.

"Good, very good! You hid your strength... No wonder you were so unabashedly confident — it turns out you had two Profound Rank helpers at your side all along. Tsk, tsk, a married pair of thieves — what fine skill, what fine手段..." Corrected: what fine skill, what fine tricks, what fine cunning!" Elder Rain threw out the word "good" three times running, and one could not tell whether he was mocking or praising: "A tomb-raiding organization possessed of such strength — it truly opens this old man's eyes. Set your little company among the great families of the secular world, and you would count among the very top!"

"We are honored by your praise, Elder Rain. When we see eye to eye no more, further words are waste. Since that is the case — then let us fight!" said Wei Zhao.

"Hmph. Between you and me, a battle is inevitable sooner or later. However..." Elder Rain's tone turned abruptly: "However, not today! Boy thief, this old man has taken note of you. We shall meet again..."

Before Elder Rain had even finished speaking, he spun on his heel and bolted, so fast that Wei Zhao sat gaping. Hearing the first half of the sentence, Wei Zhao had taken it for a prelude to an attack — yet the moment the second half left the man's lips, off he ran, faster than a rabbit, leaving Wei Zhao dumbstruck.

"He ran?" Wei Zhao looked at the true qi bomb in his hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Condensed for nothing? It seemed there was no use for it anymore.

Qiu Lingshan and Chen Yutian exchanged blank stares. "No way? An Earth Rank master with a spine this small?"

"His courage has always been small — smaller than mine!" Over there, Yu Xiaoke had long since woken; it was only that Wei Zhao and Elder Rain had been at daggers drawn, and she had not dared speak. Now that Elder Rain had gone, Yu Xiaoke finally dared open her mouth.

"That's true — the old scoundrel is more afraid of death than anyone." Wei Zhao nodded. "Never mind; if he ran, he ran. Leave him be."

Wei Zhao had no certainty of holding Elder Rain, so he would not give chase. His chief aim now was to find a way to save Feng Xiaoxiao, and naturally fewer troubles beat more.

Qiu Lingshan and Chen Yutian were faintly disappointed. The two had only just stepped up into the Profound Rank and were now cracking their knuckles, all set for a trial run — only for their target to vanish without a trace.

"He wouldn't come back, would he?" Qiu Lingshan looked toward the mouth of the passage, already empty, and said with some worry: "I'm afraid he might wheel about and strike when we are off our guard."

"Only if he'd had a hole drilled through his skull." Wei Zhao shook his head. "He is not coming back."

Wei Zhao had long since seen through Elder Rain's character: exactly the sort who, if he could beat you, would bully you to death, and if he could not, would fly far away and never lay eyes on you again. Throughout the journey Elder Rain had been timid as a mouse, and Wei Zhao had watched it all; he therefore expected not to glimpse the man again for some time.

Qiu Lingshan nodded at Wei Zhao's words. He was likely right — Elder Rain should not return.

"All right, keep resting. I will keep watch here." Wei Zhao sat cross-legged on the ground and went back to reading the medical notes. This was just as well; these things now belonged to him all at once, and he no longer had to fear Elder Rain snatching them away, so he need not be in such a hurry to commit their contents to memory.

The night passed without incident. Wei Zhao waited until Yu Xiaoke and Old Black had slept their fill and still saw no sign of Elder Rain. Plainly, having run, the man had no intention of returning, and that eased his mind somewhat — for all that Elder Rain feared Wei Zhao, was not Wei Zhao every bit as afraid of Elder Rain?

It was only that Wei Zhao was the more fearless and Elder Rain the more attached to his life, and in that Elder Rain lost the edge of his bearing. As the saying goes, the tough fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear those who care nothing for their lives! Elder Rain was the tough one, Wei Zhao the one who cared nothing for his life; set the two against each other, and the outcome was plain at once.

After a meager meal of compressed biscuits, Wei Zhao led the party onward. Still not a trace of Elder Rain along the way. The man moved exceedingly fast; at full stride Wei Zhao and the others naturally could not keep up.

Thus, traveling on, they walked for two more days. By night, as before, everyone rested while Wei Zhao kept watch — until the third day, mid-march, when Wei Zhao suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His abrupt halt gave Qiu Lingshan, Chen Yutian, Yu Xiaoke, and Old Black, walking behind him, quite a fright.

"What is it, boy thief? Is there danger ahead?" Old Black's heart, only these few days settled back to ease, nearly burst in his chest at the scare Wei Zhao handed it.

"The smell of blood — and it seems still fresh." Only after drawing a deep breath did Wei Zhao speak.

"The smell of blood?" Qiu Lingshan and Chen Yutian froze, then sniffed carefully. Both were sensitive to the scent of blood, and at Wei Zhao's words they caught it too. "There does seem to be blood... not far off..."

"It couldn't be Elder Rain, could it?" Old Black said hesitantly.

"I don't know. It's possible." So saying, Wei Zhao stepped forward again. Though he smelled blood, the jade pendant at his chest gave no further warning — which meant there should be no danger ahead.

Seeing Wei Zhao walk on, the others hurried after him. But this time they had not gone far before Wei Zhao halted once more.

"What is it?" Qiu Lingshan asked.

"Look at the ground!" Wei Zhao aimed his flashlight at the floor a short way ahead.

The others looked down and saw, scattered on the ground not far off, a heap of keen blades; on several of them lay faint stains of blood, and in one corner of the floor there were traces of blood as well.

"Heh—" Looking over the scene, Wei Zhao could not help laughing: "The people who designed this ancient tomb — really, there is no talking to them. I reckon this was the last trap, yet Elder Rain set it off. Simple enough in itself, but sprung upon someone with his guard down, the consequences are quite serious indeed."

"So that's how it is. The trap here is triggered by a most inconspicuous silkworm thread; snap the thread and the trap opens, loosing the blades. Elder Rain must have been walking too fast and too hurriedly — in pitch darkness, failing to see it was only natural." Yu Xiaoke squatted and found on the ground an extremely fine, already severed silkworm thread.

"Thank goodness Elder Rain went ahead of us — if we had been the ones to reach this place, we would all have been done for!" Old Black said with some relief.

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