Chapter 18

Under the moonlight, Zhao Yun stepped out of the room, holding a bundle in his hand, which contained the secret letter from his mother.

In the small garden, there was no one in sight, or rather, Old Sun, Yang Da, and Wu Er were still at the armory. From a distance, the sound of an abacus could be heard, clearly indicating that Old Sun was settling the accounts. Business had been booming today, who knew how many weapons had been sold and how many had been collected; the accounts needed to be settled properly.

"Master."

Seeing Zhao Yun, Old Sun hurriedly got up.

"How much did we make?"

Zhao Yun asked with a smile.

"The amount is quite substantial."

Old Sun handed the ledger to Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun took it and glanced over it. Wow, the number was indeed impressive, with over five thousand taels of silver, more than the armory usually made in three years.

"Master, please check."

Old Sun brought out a wooden box filled with silver and silver notes, packed to the brim.

"Grandpa, you've done a good job."

Zhao Yun smiled, took three ingots, and gave one to each person present, ensuring everyone got a share.

"Thank you, Master, hehe."

"Get some rest early. I'm going out for a bit."

Zhao Yun said and left the room.

The night was indeed dark.

He slipped into the alley, and when he came out, he was dressed in black, his face covered with a black cloth.

The street was not entirely deserted; there were always a couple of drunkards, holding wine flasks, staggering as they walked, occasionally shouting, which would then be met with a round of curses.

Zhao Yun moved like a ghost, passing by like the wind.

He stopped, hiding behind a wall, secretly observing the opposite side. Opposite was a grand pavilion, its imposing facade enough to intimidate, with the words "Money House" on the signboard standing out prominently.

That was the Liu family's money house in Wanggu, a century-old brand, known for its security.

Now, with ties to the Heavenly Sect, it had an added layer of insurance. Business had multiplied compared to the past, and no one knew how much silver and treasure it held inside.

Suddenly, Zhao Yun disappeared into the ground, having already scouted the location, with the direction and position precisely determined, he secretly entered the money house from underground.

The money house was quite large, with a pavilion at the front and a small garden at the back, which could be called a separate courtyard.

Naturally, it was heavily guarded.

Looking up, one could see patrolling guards with swords, crisscrossing the area. Attempting a forced entry would mean being prepared to be eliminated, even a Xuan Yang realm expert wouldn't dare to do so.

Of course, this was just what was visible. Who knew how many traps lay hidden in the dark? One wrong step, and it would alert the guards. In terms of security, the Liu family was quite professional.

"Xiu'er."

Zhao Yun called out softly.

"Two Xuan Yang realm experts."

"One in the southeastern pavilion, one in the northwestern room, both are asleep."

The Moon Goddess, lying lazily on the moon, spoke casually. Without her divine assistance, Zhao Yun wouldn't have dared to come here for excitement. Although the earth-penetrating technique was profound, it wasn't without flaws. The true essence fluctuations could be detected even underground, and there were a hundred ways to force you out.

"Where is the silver?"

Zhao Yun looked around and asked again.

"Underground chamber."

The Moon Goddess answered promptly, yawned, and casually pointed in the direction for Zhao Yun.

She didn't originally intend to get involved in this matter.

However, stealing was something she found interesting. When she was Zhao Yun's age, she was also mischievous, often stealing things, and she knew where all the treasures were.

"Got it!"

Zhao Yun understood and moved cautiously.

The two worked in perfect harmony.

The Moon Goddess provided guidance, while Zhao Yun handled the infiltration. Thanks to her secret guidance, Zhao Yun avoided many traps.

Before long, they reached the underground chamber.

Calling it an underground chamber wasn't entirely accurate; it was more like an underground room, not very large but heavily guarded. A stone door blocked the way, with two guards with swords standing on either side, both dozing off.

Zhao Yun wasn't interested in these two guards; he was interested in the underground chamber. The money house's silver must be stored there. He wanted to use the earth-penetrating technique to enter, but the chamber was made of special stone, designed to prevent such techniques.

This was awkward. Even if he knocked out the two guards, he still couldn't enter the chamber without a special key, which was likely held by the two Xuan Yang realm experts, each holding half. Without both halves, it was impossible to open the door. Attempting to force it open was beyond his capabilities, and even a Xuan Yang realm expert might struggle.

He had underestimated the Liu family. This century-old brand was indeed formidable.

Buzz!

At a loss, a golden script appeared in his mind, forming a secret technique.

"Wall-penetrating technique."

Zhao Yun's eyes lit up. As the name suggested, it was a technique to pass through walls, similar to the earth-penetrating technique, both belonging to the Qimen Dunjia. According to his grandfather, it was a lost secret technique.

"You're truly a living treasure."

Zhao Yun chuckled, having already grasped the essence of the wall-penetrating technique.

His talent was indeed remarkable.

The Moon Goddess had known this from the start. Knowing this, learning and applying it on the spot was not too late.

"Come, take a nap."

Zhao Yun took out a small jade bottle, gently uncorked it, and a faint mist with a captivating fragrance wafted out.

It was a sleeping incense.

The two guards, already dozing, slumped to the ground, falling into a deep sleep.

"Wall-penetrating."

Zhao Yun chanted in his mind and used the wall-penetrating technique.

Then, an awkward situation arose.

Only half of his body passed through, the other half remained outside, stuck in the wall. Just like the first time he used the earth-penetrating technique, there were always some awkward moments.

"Quite impressive."

The Moon Goddess marveled. In less than a dozen breaths, Zhao Yun had grasped the technique to this level, which was astonishing. When she was his age, it took her half an hour.

So, one shouldn't underestimate the mortal world; there were geniuses, and Zhao Yun was a perfect example.

"Don't mess around."

Zhao Yun laughed dryly. If he was inside, he would be inside; if outside, he would be outside. Being stuck was too much. If the guards woke up now, the outcome would be dire.

"Wall-penetrating."

He chanted again, forcing himself through.

Wow!

Before his eyes was a golden expanse, filled with large wooden chests containing ingots, silver cakes, gold bricks, pearls, and jade, estimated to be worth over a hundred thousand taels.

In addition, there were small wooden boxes containing silver notes, property deeds, and land deeds.

No wonder it was a money house.

This was a treasury!

"Can you spend all this money?"

Zhao Yun whistled, but his hands were not idle. He had already taken out a burlap bag, not to carry silver but silver notes, which were light and took up less space, making them easy to carry. As for gold bricks and ingots, he couldn't carry many.

He also took property and land deeds, mostly used as collateral to borrow money.

If these were taken to the black market, there would be plenty of buyers. Zhao Yun didn't care who bought them or who they ended up with; once in the black market, the authorities couldn't trace them.

"These gold bricks are really beautiful."

He was quite diligent, the burlap bag was large, and after sweeping up the silver notes, property, and land deeds, he still had room for gold bricks.

To put it simply, carrying five hundred pounds of stones, he might not be able to run, but carrying five hundred pounds of gold bricks, he could run from the south of the city to the north without even panting.

"Nice."

The Moon Goddess's eyes sparkled, her hands itched, and she wanted to join in. If she did it, it would be even more thorough and efficient.

She was a pretty girl, but deep down, she wasn't exactly a good girl.

"Come, leave a mark."

Zhao Yun had filled the burlap bag and took the Night Wolf's seal, breathed on it, and then stamped a wolf-shaped pattern on the left wall.

The message was clear: this was done by the Night Wolf. Since the Night Wolf was dead, they couldn't trace it back to him.

In other words, it was a scapegoat.

"Wait, I'll come for you next time."

Zhao Yun shouldered the burlap bag and, before leaving, sent a flying kiss to the room full of treasures: "I love you, babies."

He then used the wall-penetrating technique to escape, moving through the ground, and quietly left the money house without anyone noticing.

Once out of the ground, he let out a sigh of relief.

This trip was like walking through the gates of hell. Any mistake could have been detected. Techniques like earth-penetrating and Wind God Steps were not enough against Xuan Yang realm experts.

In the end, his cultivation was too low, and the absolute realm suppression made everything ineffective.

"Let's do one more."

Zhao Yun looked at the sky, turned, and disappeared.

By the time he returned to the armory, it was already late at night.

He emerged from the ground, and the treasures were hidden below. He took out a new burlap bag, determined to move all the treasures from the money house.

Once again, he jumped out of the armory.

Coincidentally, he saw a black shadow dart out from the opposite pawnshop, moving quickly. By the time he looked, the shadow had already leaped onto the roof.

"A colleague."

Zhao Yun didn't hesitate and chased after the shadow. If it was another shop, it wouldn't matter, but this pawnshop belonged to the Zhao family. If treasures were lost, it would be a loss for the Zhao family.

He leaped onto the roof, his figure leaving many afterimages in the dim moonlight, his understanding of the Wind God Steps deepening.

The black-clothed person didn't notice, fleeing far before stopping under an arch bridge, taking out the stolen treasures, mostly jewels.

"Since we met, should we split it?"

Zhao Yun emerged from the darkness, holding the Longyuan Sword. The black-clothed person was only at the peak of the Condensing Essence realm, and Zhao Yun didn't need to sneak up; even a sixth-layer expert could defeat him in a direct confrontation.

"You... Zhao Yun?"

The black-clothed person was stunned, recognizing Zhao Yun, a celebrity in Wanggu. He found it hard to believe that Zhao Yun had followed him without him noticing, which meant Zhao Yun had connected his spirit meridian and become a martial cultivator.

Ironically, everyone in Wanggu still thought he was a waste.

Zhao Yun said nothing, advancing step by step.

The black-clothed person retreated, feeling guilty as a thief, especially since he had stolen from the Zhao family's pawnshop and was caught by the Zhao family's young master.

At this moment, it was clearly a case of a thief meeting a robber, a new and fresh situation.

"Which family?"

Zhao Yun asked calmly, his pace unrelenting.

This was the reason he had chased after the black-clothed person, to see if there were other families besides the Liu family who were not cautious, so he could settle accounts with them when dealing with the Liu family in the future.

The black-clothed person snorted and turned to flee.