Chapter 217 - 108: Legendary Quality, Indestructible True Skill

On either side of the table stood two Grandmaster’s Chairs with seats of worn leather.

Behind the large square table, against the wall opposite the door, stood a half-man-high altar table. On it sat an ebony Buddhist shrine, which housed a palm-sized wooden Buddha statue.

The living area was separated from the inner bedroom by a blue cloth curtain, through which a wooden bed could be vaguely seen.

"Let’s split up and search. Be thorough," Li Tieyun said, taking the lead and walking toward the altar table by the wall.

Yang Jing lifted the curtain and entered the bedroom. Li Tieyun went to the altar table, pressed his palms together, and muttered a prayer before starting to inspect the shrine. Meanwhile, the burly man and the lean man rummaged through the living area.

There was nothing in the living area besides the table and chairs. Li Tieyun took the Buddha statue out of the shrine and checked inside for any hidden compartments. Finding none, he put the statue back.

In the bedroom, Yang Jing pulled open the drawer of a wooden cabinet against the wall. Inside was a neatly arranged box of small gold bars.

Twenty gold bars were wrapped in yellow silk, each about the length of a finger and exquisitely crafted.

Just as he picked them up, Li Tieyun and his two men walked in.

Yang Jing handed the wooden box to them.

Li Tieyun picked up a gold bar, weighing it in his hand. "These little gold fish each weigh about five taels," he said. "Twenty of them makes one hundred taels of Gold. A considerable haul."

The burly man, meanwhile, found three thread-bound booklets in another drawer. The covers, yellowed with age, read: *Wind-Splitting Palm*, *Iron Cloth Shirt*, and *Life-Chasing Fist*.

"It’s Li Qianxiong’s martial arts manuals!" the burly man exclaimed, handing the booklets over.

Yang Jing picked up the *Iron Cloth Shirt* manual and flipped through a few pages, a flicker of delight in his eyes.

Iron Cloth Shirt was a famous body-hardening art in the Jianghu. Mastering it would significantly boost his physical defense, perfectly compensating for his own defensive shortcomings.

Seeing his expression, Li Tieyun smiled. "Young Master Yang, why don’t you hold on to these manuals and valuables for now? Once we’ve searched the entire stronghold, we’ll take a full inventory and agree on a fair way to divide everything. How does that sound?"

Yang Jing shook his head and handed the manuals back to Li Tieyun. "It would be more equitable for Gang Leader Li to keep them for now."

’He knew Li Tieyun and his two men were a single party. Letting them hold the items would put everyone at ease and prevent future disputes.’

Li Tieyun didn’t refuse, simply nodding. "Very well. I’ll hold on to them, and we’ll settle everything at the end."

He carefully put away the gold bars and manuals, stowing them in the bundle he carried with him.

The four of them searched the bedroom thoroughly once more, checking under the bed and behind the cabinets, but found nothing else of value.

Li Tieyun’s brow gradually furrowed. In a low voice, he said, "This can’t be right. Li Qianxiong led the Flying Horse Thieves to plunder countless treasures. How could this be all he had?"

"Maybe it’s hidden somewhere more secret?" the burly man asked, scratching his head. He walked around the room again, even knocking on the walls to listen for hollow spots, but still came up empty.

The lean man frowned deeply and suddenly spoke up. "Could it be... the treasure isn’t in the head chieftain’s house at all? Maybe it’s hidden in the other chieftains’ quarters? Or in some other kind of treasury?"

Li Tieyun pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That’s possible. The second-in-command escaped and the third-in-command is dead, but their quarters are still here. Let’s go. We’ll search the other chieftains’ houses."

The four of them exchanged a look and immediately turned to leave.

The lean man and the burly man were the first to exit the wooden hut, heading straight for the core member of the gang they had knocked unconscious by the woodpile. They intended to wake him up for further questioning, hoping to extract more clues about the treasure.

Li Tieyun followed close behind, ready to go search the quarters of the Flying Horse Thieves’ second and third chieftains. But just as he stepped out the door, he noticed that Yang Jing hadn’t followed.

He looked back and saw Yang Jing standing in the doorway, head turned to look back inside, seemingly reluctant to give up.

Li Tieyun shook his head and strode toward the core member of the Flying Horse Thieves, who was just being woken up by the woodpile.

But Yang Jing wasn’t reluctant; he was suspicious.

His gaze fell upon the Buddhist shrine opposite the door.

’When he first entered the room, he had noticed the incense burner in front of the shrine.’

’There was a lot of ash, but it looked old and settled, not like fresh incense was burned daily.’

’How would a vicious bandit like Li Qianxiong, his hands stained with blood, have the pious heart to worship the Buddha?’

’The statue was probably just for show.’

’But was it really *just* for show?’

’Why would he bother with a pointless display?’

’Could it be...’ A flash of inspiration struck him. Yang Jing’s gaze locked onto the Buddha statue inside the shrine.

He immediately spun around, strode back into the house, and stopped before the altar table.

’Earlier, when Li Tieyun had inspected the shrine, he had pressed his palms together and bowed to both the shrine and the statue before picking it up.’

’Martial Artists often hold Buddhism and Daoism in reverence. Even a Jianghu veteran like Li Tieyun wouldn’t dare to be too disrespectful toward the statue, so he must have held back during his inspection.’

’The shrine itself was thin. If something had been hidden in it, it would have been difficult to fool Li Tieyun’s eyes.’

’That meant if there really was a secret, it had to be in the statue itself!’

Yang Jing no longer hesitated. He drew the short blade from his waist and silently infused it with his Inner Strength.

He took a deep breath, and with a flick of his wrist, the blade flashed, striking the back of the Buddha statue with precision!

CRACK!

With a sharp snap, the back of the wooden statue split open, a crack spreading rapidly across its surface.

Immediately after, a simple, ancient-looking booklet with a grayish-blue cover fell out of the opening and landed on the altar table.

At the same time, a thick stack of silver notes scattered out, fluttering onto the table and the floor. Each note was printed with the denomination of one thousand taels—they were large-value bills!

Yang Jing’s attention, however, was instantly drawn to the grayish-blue booklet. His pupils contracted. Inscribed on the cover were three large words: *Indestructible True Skill*!

’A True Skill? This is actually a True Skill?!’ Yang Jing was thunderstruck, his breath catching in his throat.

’He had once asked his master about the high quality of the Li Family’s *Vajra Hand Seal* and learned that Cultivation Techniques were also divided into different grades.’

’And a True Skill was of an even higher grade than the Li Family’s *Vajra Hand Seal*!’

Just then, Li Tieyun’s voice came from outside the door. "Young Master Yang, what happened?"

Apparently, they had heard the noise and were coming back.

Yang Jing reacted instantly. With lightning speed, he snatched the *Indestructible True Skill* from the altar table and stuffed it inside his shirt, hiding it close to his chest.