Scourge Messenger

Chapter 127 Come and beat me up at the Thieves' House if you dare

“You’d never guess what happened.” Shang Xinlei said while eating shrimp dumplings, her face full of smiles. Yan Qing was afraid she might spit them out. “You know Xiaoyu, right? She’s my friend with Jiang Shi. My father actually took her in as his goddaughter, cleared her name, and even borrowed a legendary token from her on behalf of the Shang family—even he wouldn’t treat his own children like that.”

"Also, he sent over the rewards from the Forest of Endless Sleep. Xiaoyu got a third-tier token and a storage ring, while I got a secret manual of fist and palm techniques, which is perfect for my third brother. But the manual is more valuable than Xiaoyu's two rewards combined. Could it be that he embezzled and switched Xiaoyu's rewards? Or maybe he replaced my reward with a better manual... What do you think?"

"The Rat Monk left early this morning. Was it your request? You should at least let him stay in Shangjia for a few more days before leaving. When my family heard about the Rat Monk's heroic act of protecting my father, almost everyone went to thank him in person. Why don't you tell him to come back? You're sure to get a lot of benefits from him."

Yan Qing looked up to the sky and sighed, "I was wrong. I didn't actually want friends. God, I want a refund."

Last night, Shang Xinlei said she wanted to bring some snacks to share with him, and Yan Qing reluctantly agreed because he was indeed a bit craving something sweet. Jiang Shiye's place was full of military camp food, veteran barbecue, which was heavy on oil, salt, and carbohydrates. It was delicious, but after eating so much, Yan Qing wanted something more delicate and light. Jiangnan snacks were perfect for him.

He hadn't expected Shang Xinlei to have so much to say; she hadn't stopped talking since the beginning, chattering like a hundred magpies chirping in his ear. Yan Qing finally understood Shang Xuanwen's words; no wonder he longed for a quiet dinner with his family—quiet was indeed very important!
"Do you think the Liang royal family has already discovered that we are the immortals behind the trading board?" Shang Xinlei picked up her teacup, took a sip of Tieguanyin tea, and suddenly changed the subject with some worry: "Although I haven't heard any news from the palace yet..."

“They’ve definitely found out,” Yan Qing said. “All the items I traded were keys to doors, and with all the stuff we looted inside, they’ll know what’s going on as soon as they go in. But don’t worry, even if they know it’s me, it won’t matter to them. They won’t tell anyone, and they can’t find me.”

He spent so much time thinking at the entrance to the secret vault not just to tease Shang Xinlei, but more so to consider the impact of trading the key to open the vault with the treasure hunting token. His conclusion was that exposure was inevitable, but the consequences were completely controllable.

Although the Liang royal family knew that the mastermind was a thief, they would not reveal it to the public, because doing so would be tantamount to exposing the key to their secret vault. The design of the royal vault was only useful to those who were unaware of it; if an intruder was prepared, the royal vault would be like a public toilet with no defenses and open to anyone.

More importantly, although they knew that the person behind the trading board was a thief, they still didn't know who the thief was!
Even if the Liang royal family were to expose this news, Yan Qing wouldn't be afraid, since he wasn't active outside the palace. The only risk was that Black Wolf and White Fox might find out that Yan Qing was the Trading Board Immortal through this information, but Yan Qing wasn't afraid of them now. Even if they made a move, Yan Qing could use the Return Token to escape.

To put it bluntly, Yan Qing never imagined he could hide his identity as the Fairy of the Trading Board forever. If he truly wanted to hide it, he wouldn't be selling goods on the Trading Board in the first place. He simply habitually hid himself, hoping to avoid attention, but he wasn't afraid if he were exposed.

I'm just stealing your secret vault, so what?

I can sell things on the trading board without paying taxes, so what?

Come and beat me up at the Thieves' House if you dare!

Yan Qing secretly hoped that the Liang royal family's secret would be leaked, so he could openly sell the stolen goods later. Think about it: I killed your people and put your tokens on the trading board for everyone to trade. You either have to buy them back, or watch helplessly as someone else buys them, unable even to stop the trade, and you don't know where to seek revenge… It's like killing someone and then destroying their spirit.

Unfortunately, the Liang royal family is unlikely to be so reckless. They are a large and powerful family, unlike Yan Qing, who is penniless and fearless.

It's said that there are two types of players in online game novels: the introverted type, who hides any showy behavior for fear of being discovered; and the flamboyant type, who will announce everything in the announcements whenever possible, even a fart. Yan Qing is somewhere in between these two extremes. He doesn't deliberately seek the limelight, but when it's time to shock the entire server, he reluctantly accepts it.

"However, you mustn't wander around Jiangnan City at night anymore," Yan Qing warned. "The Liang royal family is probably outwardly relaxed but inwardly vigilant right now. If you get caught, they will definitely suspect that you are a member of a family of thieves, and even your father might not be able to protect you then."

"I know~" Shang Xinlei pouted: "Just as nagging as my brother..."

Yan Qing's forehead veins were practically throbbing. Damn it, I wasn't annoyed by your constant chatter, but you're annoyed by my simple reminder? You're taking my kindness for granted!

He didn't say anything, but picked up a sticky rice chicken and ate it like crazy.

Shang Xinlei talked about the merchants for a while longer. Seeing that Yan Qing kept her head down and ate without even looking at her, she blinked and stopped talking, quietly eating her snacks.

After a while, Yan Qing still hadn't heard Shang Xinlei speak. She wondered, "Wasn't she supposed to be very talkative? Why has she suddenly shut up?" But it's normal for someone not to be so eager to please; it was only natural for her to give up. After all, they were acquaintances, and she couldn't be too cold to her. Besides, she could learn a lot of information through her…

Thinking this to himself, Yan Qing decided to find a topic to ease the atmosphere, but when he turned his head, he found Shang Xinlei staring at him with wide eyes.

"You lost!" She immediately seized the opportunity to declare her victory, saying triumphantly, "Look over here, I won!"

Yan Qing was taken aback, feeling both annoyed and amused, and replied coldly, "Childish. Besides, I just turned around to pick up a shrimp dumpling."

"Heh, explanations are just cover-ups, a loss is a loss!" Shang Xinlei chuckled and pushed the plate of seaweed rolls over: "Try this, it's delicious."

Yan Qing ate a seaweed roll, which seemed to contain pork, fish paste, and crab meat. It was indeed very fragrant and delicious.

"Not bad," he commented.

Shang Xinlei scoffed at him.

After this little incident, although it was still Shang Xinlei talking and Yan Qing listening, both of them were visibly much more relaxed. "Speaking of which, do you really need to pretend even when you're not eating? Even in a safe place like the Thieves' House, you still have to cover your face. Are you really that ugly that you can't show your face to anyone?" Shang Xinlei complained.

It's obviously impossible to eat while wearing a mask; he's not Kakashi Hatake and can't eat at lightning speed. However, Yan Qing was prepared. Just like when he went to Chang'an, he wrapped his face with bandages, only revealing his eyes, nose, and mouth, making himself look just like Shishio Makoto.

Faced with the provocation, Yan Qing still did not react. Shang Xinlei poked his elbow with her finger: "Let me see, just one look, just one look, okay?"

"No."

"How many meals do I need to eat with you before you'll take your clothes off? Five meals? Ten meals?"

Yan Qing felt something was off. She could only say that as expected of someone from a wealthy family, Shang Xinlei's words had the air of forcing a woman into prostitution.

"I won't come out even if you knock on the door tomorrow."

"Really? I've reserved the Six-Flavor Supreme Spicy Tofu at Dongjianglou for tomorrow. They only sell three servings a day. Aren't you interested?"

Yan Qing paused, suddenly realizing that the Rat Monk had indeed left Jiangnan City far too early. If the Rat Monk were still alive, why would he need to wait for Shang Xinlei to invite him to dinner?

"By the way, I also gave you the Red Furnace Fire Essence last night, so it's not unreasonable for me to ask to see your true face, is it?"

"Didn't you say it was to repay the debt of saving your life?"

“I’ve changed my mind. I’ll repay your life-saving grace later. I want to use the essence of the Red Furnace Fire to get the bandages off your face.”

"I can repay the debt of saving my life later, but I can't repay this debt."

"Why not?" She leaned on the table, pouting, and said, "Even if you're ugly, I won't laugh at you. There are many things in this world that can change your appearance. Believe me, you can become a handsome man too!"

"Say what you will," Yan Qing said calmly. "I'm not afraid of revealing my true identity, but I feel it's unnecessary. The more secrets I keep, the safer I am."

As long as no one sees his face, he can easily hide even after leaving the thieves' family, and no one can track down someone who has never shown his face.

"Do you usually wear a mask when you're with Jiang Shi and the others?"

This is a difficult question to answer... Yan Qing thought for a moment and gave a truthful answer: "They have never seen my face."

Shang Xinlei was somewhat incredulous: "Even Lian Jiangshi and the others haven't seen you, so does that mean no one in this world has ever seen the real you?"

Yan Qing blinked and met Shang Xinlei's gaze.

There is no better answer than silence.

Shang Xinlei composed herself. She had only meant to make a joke, but Yan Qing's answer was so serious that she could no longer laugh.

"Isn't it hard for you to live like this?"

Yan Qing shook his head: "Compared to Jiang Shi and Rat Monk, it's not that hard."

“I think Jiang Shi and the Rat Monk have it much easier than you,” Shang Xinlei said quietly. “They both have very specific goals and act without hesitation, like walking on a straight road with no detours in the middle… So I used to think you were like that too, like the great demon in the storybook who wanted to conquer the world, with clear plans, strong execution, and an unrepentant determination.”

Yan Qing blinked, a strange joy welling up inside him. He might not react much to praise, but if you compliment him on his gaming skills, he'd definitely beam with delight.

“But sometimes I feel that you are actually a confused person.” Shang Xinlei continued, “Although you keep moving forward, more cautiously than anyone else, and prepared for any difficulties in advance... it’s not like you are chasing something, but more like you are being chased by something.”

"What exactly do you want from this thief's den?"

(End of this chapter)