Chapter 44: The Sandalwood Box

I remembered something Third Master once said: "If I die, the only person in Haizhou's network of connections who can truly hold his own is Zhao Shangde. It will take the Cripple at least ten years to catch up to him."

Though I only half-understood it back then, thinking about it now, the meaning was entirely clear.

People like Deng Zhiyong—whether at the railway station, in hotels, along bustling avenues, or down secluded alleys—existed anywhere there were people. What they saw and heard constituted the freshest intelligence in Haizhou. If they wanted to find someone, they would undoubtedly be far more efficient than the police.

Yet why had Third Master built such an information network? Who was he trying to find?

As for why Zhao Xiangbo was so eager to get his hands on it, that was extremely easy to understand.

To win the favor of a newly recognized adoptive father, one naturally needed to produce some tangible achievements. How could someone like Luo Weijing ever adopt a completely useless good-for-nothing as his son? If Zhao Xiangbo wanted to prove himself and make Luo Weijing look at him with newfound respect, he had to accomplish something that would astound the man. Or perhaps, he needed to possess something that even Luo Weijing would have to rely upon.

Therefore, Deng Zhiyong's intelligence network had become Zhao Xiangbo's ultimate trump card. This was the primary reason he had exercised so much patience, repeatedly offering Deng Zhiyong "opportunities." Having Deng Zhiyong risk his life for him was naturally far more convenient than trying to control that group of people himself!

Yet now, it was clear to him that subduing Deng Zhiyong had become practically impossible. His only remaining option for the next step was to take matters into his own hands!

"Stone!" Deng Zhiyong put down what he was holding and looked at me. "I'm starting to think Master might have been right. Trusting the two of you... or rather, trusting you, just might allow us martial brothers to go much further. Even if I don't join your side, I still consider you my junior martial brother. I never felt this way before, but since last night, I do. You don't need to worry about my affairs; Master already left me a safety net. If I can't hold on any longer, I'll come find you. You must take good care of those three, and don't let Master down. You aren't even his disciple, yet he cares more about you than any of us!"

I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded heavily.

I had originally wanted to invite Deng Zhiyong to join our Yanhui Company, but judging by the implication of his words, that idea was completely dashed.

This was the Haizhou First People's Hospital, quite a distance from the Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, making it rather inconvenient to have meals delivered.

However, Deng Zhiyong didn't need me to handle such things. He had always been generous with his sworn brothers, and now that he had money, he had arranged everything that could possibly be arranged. Not only did he order meal deliveries, but he even hired the most expensive private caregivers—one for each bed, providing twenty-four-hour attendance—leaving me nothing to worry about.

Upon returning from the hospital, I collapsed onto the bed in the company dormitory and fell fast asleep. Sister Yan didn't let anyone disturb me, allowing me to sleep straight through until evening. If Sister Yan hadn't woken me up, I probably could have slept right through until dawn.

Now that the primordial qi within my body had transformed into a flowing current, I remained full of energy all night if I stayed awake, but if I chose to sleep, I could slumber for twenty or thirty hours straight without feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Sister Yan handed me her phone, accidentally pressing the answer button in the process. I sleepily let out a lazy, "Hello?"

An urgent shout came from the other end: "Brother Stone, Third Master has woken up!"

The car sped furiously through the night. Wen Liang gripped the handrail above the window, licking his dry lips as he muttered, "Um... Stone, actually... there's no need to rush quite so much..."

I couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention. This guy usually acted like an old pedant, but he was actually extremely cowardly; even a slightly fast car ride would make him carsick.

Sister Yan didn't say anything, merely patting Wen Liang's shoulder to signal that he needn't worry.

When the car reached the hospital, the three of us entered the inpatient building, took the elevator upstairs, and pushed open the door to the hospital room. There we saw Third Master leaning against the head of the bed, sipping soup, with Little Monkey sitting beside him, peeling a banana.

Seeing the three of us enter, Little Monkey said excitedly, "Why did you guys take so long? Master has been urging me to make the call for a while now! See, Master? I told you they'd come no matter how late it was. Do you believe me now?"

Third Master smiled and nodded at him, then waved to Sister Yan and me. "You two come over here. Liangzi, you and Xiaowei go buy some dried hawthorn slices; I have a craving for them!"

"But Master..." Little Monkey seemed reluctant to leave, but Wen Liang dragged him away.

"What are you standing there for? Get over here!" Seeing that Sister Yan and I were still standing a few feet away from the foot of the bed, Third Master said with a stern face.

Sister Yan stared blankly at Third Master, her expression filled with a mixture of terror and sorrow. She whispered, "Stone..."

"I know!" I acknowledged, raising both hands to take off my glasses, only to hear Third Master say, "Don't take them off! Come here!"

Hearing the unquestionable tone in Third Master's voice, Sister Yan and I had no choice but to lower our heads and walk over to his side, sitting down on the edge of the bed to his left and right.

Third Master sighed and said, "I know my own body best; there's no need to look!"

Tears welled up in Sister Yan's eyes all at once. She grabbed Third Master's hand and cried out, "Third Master..."

"Silly girl! Just like your father, deeply emotional and valuing loyalty!" Third Master reached out and stroked Sister Yan's hair, his eyes filled with doting affection.

Sister Yan and I, however, shuddered all over. Staring fixedly at Third Master, we asked in unison, "Third Master, you knew my father?"

Third Master let out a gentle sigh, nodded, and said, "I did! He was my junior martial brother, how could I possibly not know him?"

"Li Da, Luo Er, Ma San, Shi Si."

"The four of us cultivated the Dao from a young age on Mount Xuanqing, taking the True Person Mi Jing as our master and practicing the Qi Sect teachings."

"Thirty years ago, Master ascended to immortality, leaving behind the sect's supreme treasure, the sandalwood box, in the hope that we would later revitalize the sect."

"However, Li Da and Luo Er were consumed by greed and wanted to keep the sandalwood box for themselves. Shi Si and I risked our lives to bring the sandalwood box down the mountain, hiding it ever since!"

Sister Yan and I looked at each other in dismay. The sheer volume of information contained within these words was simply too massive for the two of us to digest in such a short time.

Things like this were the kind of tropes one would normally expect to find only in novels or movies; we never imagined they could happen right in our own lives.

Looking strangely at Third Master, Sister Yan asked, "Third Master, what kind of treasure is actually inside that sandalwood box?"

"I don't know!" Third Master shook his head, leaving both Sister Yan and me stunned. He didn't even know?

With a bitter smile, Third Master explained, "Aside from Master, no one knows how to open that box. If anyone tries to force it open, the object inside will be destroyed, and whatever is within will vanish into thin air!"

Sister Yan and I exchanged bewildered glances. To think such a bizarre box could even exist! What was the point of passing it down from generation to generation if it couldn't even be opened?

Sighing, Third Master said, "I believe Master did tell Shi Si the method to open the box. It's just that when he came to find me fifteen years ago and handed the box over to me, he didn't tell me the method!"

"My father came to find you fifteen years ago?" I caught the crucial point and asked Third Master excitedly.

Third Master nodded.

A flash of insight crossed my mind. Fifteen years ago—wasn't that precisely the time my mother married that butcher?

Was this merely a chronological coincidence, or was there truly some bizarre connection?

Then I thought of something else, my expression shifting as I asked Third Master, "Third Master, that Luo Er..."

Third Master nodded, his expression darkening. "That's right, you guessed correctly—it's that fatty Luo! He knew Shi Si had come to find me and guessed that the sandalwood box was in my hands, which is why he has come to me more than once demanding it!"

A shock reverberated through my heart. I never expected that Luo Weijing was actually Third Master's martial brother!

Sister Yan asked with a puzzled expression, "Third Master, what kind of box is it really? Can I take a look at it?"

Third Master sighed, shook his head, and replied, "It's gone now! It vanished along with that scroll of calligraphy and painting. I suspect it has already fallen into fatty Luo's hands!"