Obviously, there was no Merlin’s mythical stinky socks here.

  But there was a big 6-by-6, three-meters-tall box!

  It’s just that… this mid-grade storage box wasn’t densely populated at all.

  Instead, the generous empty space made each treasure hoard stand out all the more.

  The first attraction was naturally... the pile of spirit stones!

  Bubai did a quick count.

  "Twenty-three low-grade spirit stones! Not as much as what I saw in that brutish Jia fellow’s pouch, but still... this definitely did not shame the status of a well-off genius from a big clan’s branch!"

  This amount basically doubled his payout today! Best part? This wasn’t the end.

  Next to the stone pile sat a burlap sack full of spirit rice.

  "Well, well. This will keep the ladies well-fed for at least a month or two. Great. No need to stress over staple meals."

  Bubai then glanced at a neighboring hoard of pill bottles.

  “Can’t identify all of them at a glance. There might be antidotes or recovery pills...”

  Generic loot to pad the coffers. Not too interesting.

  What really caught his interest was the little jar holding three spirit beans.

  "Hmm… that water boy popped this once to recover after casting that flashy large-scale spirit rain..."

  Guess that’s where his own essence dew one-upped the water boy’s life pots.

  Spell casting drains not only physical stamina but also the spirit.

  Those seeds of pleasure showed exemplary recovery power for wounds, vitality, and stamina, but seems they aren’t omnipotent enough to cover spiritual power as well.

  Well... at least not these lower-tier ones.

  Bubai’s attention switched over to the five all-too-recognizable seeds of pleasure.

  Four were dull, lifeless brown—typical of low-grade.

  One was bearing bloody red veins and dried bodily fluids.

  This was the last mid-grade seed that charred potato tried swallowing right before kicking the bucket.

  Bubai shook his head and sighed.

  “Why even bother? Since that’s the last one, how long could you have lasted, anyway? Where did your confidence come from to take that last gamble?”

  Bubai’s gaze then zeroed in on what he believed gave the boy the gall. Talisman.

  “No high-grade ones left, but there’s stacks of low-grade and still plenty of mid-grade. Hmm... there’s still two mid-grade explosive tags and... that thin stack should be the fireball he tried spamming.”

  Bubai can’t help but let out a low whistle.

  “Hey, this water boy was really burning money. If the fight had lasted any longer, forget about getting any of these, but now…”

  “Thanks for the generous donation to the Bubai Benevolent Fund. I’ll be sure to put it to good use. Haha...”

  For now, Bubai didn’t even bother counting all the low-grade talismans.

  Instead, he gave the rest of the space a quick scan.

  “Some jade slips. I’ll look through those later. The rest… just mundane mortal stuff. Rations, ledgers, gold—oh, still a bunch of rice wine pots filled with water, and...”

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  His gaze hardened when it landed on the women’s relics lined up like trophies. "Tsk, tsk, truly a scourge."

  But anyone able to afford to play like this... well, it says a lot about their wealth and status.

  Grinning happily, Bubai cinched the pouch shut.

  “Umu, expected nothing less from a big clan prodigy. Just a Qi Refinement outer disciple, but already so filthy rich. Well… if we only go by normal standards.”

  Richness is relative.

  This Wu Xiaowei was rich compared to other outer disciples and the inner disciples just scraping by.

  But when stacked against those foundation-building prodigies like that Long Batian...

  Aside from size, this water boy’s pocket was still rather shallow.

  “But ultimately still a great harvest regardless!”

  What made it sweeter was the fact that there were still two treasures left to account for!

  First was that seemingly indestructible belt that he took off the corpse that got packed up.

  Bubai was unsure what material that belt was made from, but it must be a treasure since it did such an exceptional job in protecting that water boy’s balls.

  When his train of thought arrived here, Bubai flattened his lips in disappointment.

  "Too bad the waist and gun sizes are different. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind wearing it after a good wash. Oh well, I’m sure it’ll fetch a nice haul of spirit stones once I get the chance to set up stall."

  Putting that thought aside, the smiling Bubai picked up a surfboard and shook off the water from it.

  “Now this baby is something useful!”

  It was lighter than it looks, as if hollow inside. But its utility was no hollow promise.

  Sand Surfer—a low-grade magic tool designed for surfing across sand and, apparently, water as well.

  There’s not really any complex mechanics. Just inject Qi and forward it goes. Simple as that.

  "Too bad it’s land-based only. Would’ve been more useful if it could fly or hover. Oh well, you get whatcha get."

  Bubai couldn’t help but smile.

  Honestly, it’s slower than his own running speed, but come on, isn’t it cool to just skate around without moving his legs?

  That’s gotta count for something. It’s just that...

  There’s not really anywhere to surf while stuck here inside the sect.

  So Bubai never bothered buying one.

  After all, a generic mount like this might cheap, but even through proper channels, it still costs at least five spirits stones!

  Why waste spirit stones to buy a toy like this?

  “But hey, it’s not a waste if it’s free. Hehe.”

  After stuffing the sand surfer into his own storage pouch, Bubai gave the field one last scan.

  The valuable stuff like the scrap iron already got packed up, leaving only water and broken ceramics.

  "Those... could count as recyclable rubbish, but no point wasting more time here. It’s more important to heal up for the next fight. The damage I took during this battle wasn’t light."

  If it had been any other Qi Refiner in his shoes, they probably would’ve went out horizontal like that baldie.

  Too bad for that water boy.

  That corrosive mist and outrageous recovery pot combo was enough to abuse lower level folks until they drank Yama’s pisspot.

  But against anyone stronger? That Wu Xiaowei’s watery combat power is just not enough.

  If all talisman got banned, that water boy will be almost powerless against a fire-style torch blower who can vaporize all his moves or just about anyone who can use a strong breeze to blow everything away.

  Perhaps he climbed this far up thanks to his little clever mind, but no amount of wit can save him when greed clouded his judgment.

  “Already gave you three chances to surrender...” Bubai sighed, shaking his head.

  Boy could’ve lived but he just wanted that coffin so bad that Bubai had no choice but to give him a helping hand...“accidentally”, of course.

  “Ah, I’m sure that big brother of his will understand. If he doesn’t… hehe.”

  Bubai didn’t mind adding another body count to his resume.

  He knows when to hold back, but that doesn’t mean he is afraid to kill.

  Still, that didn’t mean he should let his confidence slip through his panicking mask.

  Don’t scare off the rest of the fishes!

  So, Bubai limped out, still wearing that guilt-ridden and timid face all the way.

  Beneath the act, his mind was already sketching out his plans for the next fight.

  The nails needs a poison re-coating.

  The needle ball needs reloading. Let’s load it and mix in a batch of his own toxin-tipped needles this time?

  Then, most importantly…

  Should he bus out his dew for a full heal again? Or settle for a rare treasure like Serenity Dew just to get by?

  There are risks either way.

  In the midst of weighing his options, Bubai’s eyes suddenly sharpened and darted to the shadows at the bend of the corridor. “...Senior sister?”

  After a moment of silence, a low, tender voice answered. "Your senses aren’t half bad."

  One moment, there was nothing there.

  The next, the shadows squirmed and parted, revealing a slender uniformed officer with raven-black short hair side-swept over her sleek, elegant raven mask fit for a secret noble banquet.

  That’s... the Miss Raven playing the bad cop alongside Miss Hothead? What’s she doing here?

  Miss Raven held up a palm-sized ointment box. “Came to deliver medicine.”

  Okay, guessed as much. Bubai’s tense body relaxed.

  Step. Step. Step. The masked lady came closer and closer...

  Boots entered melee range…

  Just when that gloved hand was handing the ointment box over, the shadows crawling beneath their feet suddenly erupted outwards and wrapped around them from every direction!

  Bubai’s heart thudded in his chest and he immediately sprang back!

  But the shadowy tendrils wove together too fast!

  Just two steps out and all gaps in the dome were completely sealed up, leaving him crashing into nothing but inky darkness that felt like hitting firm, elastic cushion!

  Bloody Merlin! Trapped!

  Rebounding off the barrier, Bubai pivoted around and landed in a defensive stance, his sharp gaze landing on the raven chilling at the core of the dark prison.

  “What’s the meaning of this?”