Immortal Refiner

The pitch-black tomb was illuminated by the light of a torch, and a lifeless face suddenly appeared before Li Qing’s eyes.

In that instant, even the usually composed Li Qing couldn’t help but shiver, his hand holding the torch trembling slightly.

It was a corpse, seemingly dead for only a few days, with its facial features still relatively intact.

It wasn’t an illusion born of fear; Li Qing clearly felt the temperature around him drop significantly, as if winter had returned.

Drip!

The sound of dripping water echoed from the depths of the tomb, standing out starkly in the quiet of the forest night.

Something was off! Li Qing dragged the corpse out of the tomb entrance and tried to extend the torch further inside.

The interior was deep, with a gentle slope that allowed only one person to pass through while bending over.

If his assumptions were correct, this should be the tomb that had been widely rumored in the martial world.

After careful consideration, Li Qing decided to retreat, planning to return during the day.

As he turned around, a gentle breeze caused the torchlight to flicker, casting a clearer light on Li Qing’s face.

The next moment, a voice filled with surprise rang out.

”Master!?”

Li Qing, who was about to leave, froze in place, his gaze turning incredulously toward the source of the voice.

Before Li Qing could speak, another voice suddenly emerged from the tomb below.

”Hmm? Little Qi, do you know this man?”

The voice sounded somewhat lazy, and Li Qing found it oddly familiar, very familiar.

”Qi Kang? Why are you here? Who’s in the tomb below?”

Indeed, in this world, who else would call Li Qing ”Master” but Qi Kang!

It was utterly unexpected. Qi Kang was still alive! Given that countless martial arts masters had perished in the valley of Small Jade Ridge, it was astonishing that he had survived. What surprised Li Qing even more was that he hadn’t sensed Qi Kang’s presence until the latter spoke.

From a tangle of vines in the nearby thicket, Qi Kang struggled to climb out.

He was covered in dust, his hair disheveled, looking as if he had returned to his days as a vagrant.

But what struck Li Qing the most was Qi Kang’s eyes—now bright and full of vitality! ”Master, it’s a long story. Here’s what happened...”

At that moment, the voice from the tomb interrupted Qi Kang again.

”Ahem, Little Qi, we have a distinguished guest. Why don’t you invite him in?”

The tone and cadence of the voice were familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before... Li Qing squinted, trying to recall, and finally it clicked.

”Well, well, who would have thought that the renowned Star-Stealing Divine Thief was hiding in the tomb of Small Jade Ridge? If this gets out, I imagine it’ll stir up quite a storm, won’t it?”

Indeed, the person inside was none other than the Star-Stealing Divine Thief. Li Qing had seen him several times in the tavern, which was why the voice felt so familiar.

Qi Kang, however, was visibly shocked. He asked, ”Master, how did you know Brother Ning was inside...”

So, the Star-Stealing Divine Thief’s surname was Ning?

Li Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed that during Qi Kang’s disappearance, he had had quite a few encounters with this man. Inside the tomb, the Star-Stealing Divine Thief fell silent once more.

Li Qing remained silent, fully alert and cautious of any movements coming from the tomb cave.

The bounty on the Star-Stealing Divine Thief in Shengtian City was worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver!

Even if one couldn’t defeat him, simply reporting his presence in the tomb to the Prince’s residence could earn ten thousand taels of silver—a sum that would drive any ordinary person to madness! Although Li Qing wasn’t interested in the bounty on the Star-Stealing Divine Thief, he also didn’t dare to recklessly venture inside.

The Star-Stealing Divine Thief would naturally assume that Li Qing intended to capture him for the reward, and once inside, the two would likely engage in a fierce battle.

In this short span of time, a chain of suspicion had formed between them, and neither dared to make a move, maintaining their silence instead.

Qi Kang, sensing the tension, quickly spoke up, ”Brother Ning, my master is indifferent to fame and fortune. I assure you, he has no interest in the Prince’s bounty!”

”Master, Brother Ning is actually a good person.”

With Qi Kang acting as a bridge between them, the chain of suspicion was instantly broken.

The Star-Stealing Divine Thief inside the tomb cave was the first to speak, ”Since you’re Little Qi’s master, please come in and have a seat. No need to stand on ceremony.”

Hearing this, Li Qing chuckled lightly and cupped his hands in greeting, ”I’ve long admired the reputation of the Star-Stealing Divine Thief. It’s my fortune to meet you in person today.”

Seeing that the two had dispelled their suspicions, Qi Kang smiled and led Li Qing further into the tomb cave.

The cave sloped downward, and it was pitch dark inside, with a cold and damp atmosphere. The temperature dropped the further they went.

Soon, they reached the deepest part of the tomb cave, where the space suddenly opened up, revealing a natural cavern.

It wasn’t dark here, as the walls were embedded with several priceless Brilliant Night Pearls, their soft glow illuminating the surroundings.

At the center of the cavern stood a stone coffin. To the far left was a stone table, where the Star-Stealing Divine Thief, Ning Yuan, sat alone, still holding a jade wine jug, drinking by himself.

”It’s you!” Ning Yuan’s sword-like eyebrows raised slightly, clearly recognizing Li Qing.

”Master, Brother Ning, have you two met before?” Qi Kang asked curiously.

Li Qing nodded and explained, ”We’ve crossed paths a few times at a tavern before. At the time, I didn’t know he was the famous Star-Stealing Divine Thief. Later, his wanted posters spread throughout the capital.”

”I also didn’t expect you to be the blacksmith master Little Qi often speaks of. Meeting you today, I find you even more impressive than your reputation!” Ning Yuan’s appearance was strikingly handsome, and it was hard to imagine that such a refined and elegant man could be the infamous thief.

The Brilliant Night Pearls embedded in the walls were proof enough that this man never left empty-handed.

”No wonder you knew about the origins of this tomb even back at the tavern. It seems you deliberately spread false information to target the Prince’s residence? I’m curious, what grudge do you hold against them?” Li Qing casually asked.

Hearing this, Ning Yuan burst into hearty laughter.

”Hahaha! Who told you I spread false information? This tomb is indeed the burial place of Lin Yi, the Martial Path prodigy of the previous dynasty!”

At these words, Li Qing’s heart was deeply shaken.

It’s actually true! ”But the Martial Arts Legacy has already been taken by me. Even if the Prince’s Manor and the Nine Lotus Sect come, they’ll only be making a wasted trip,” Ning Yuan laughed heartily, then downed the fine wine from the jade pot in one gulp.

”Xiao Qi, hurry and bring more wine! We have esteemed guests arriving, so it’s only fitting to drink to our hearts’ content!”

(End of the Chapter)

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