Chapter 1233

"The spirit fruit is gone?" Lu Yang asked.

Ji Zhong nodded.

How come everything's happening one after another tonight? We caught a bunch of bandits, and now we've run into a theft case?

We came to catch ghosts—where are the ghosts?

Normally, after receiving a report, we should take a statement, but considering that taking a statement now would waste time and possibly let the thieves escape, we can only arrest the thieves first and then supplement the statement later.

"Tell me what happened—when do you think it was stolen?"

"I was bumped into by someone before I arrived at the inn..." Ji Zhong said, voicing his guess.

After listening, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had a rough understanding of the case and got up to pack their things.

"Alright, you wait here—we'll go catch the person."

Ji Zhong opened his mouth, looking at the heavenly prideful ones tied up by Meng Jingzhou all over the room, terrified.

With Meng Jingzhou present, these people dare not do anything, but once Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou act harshly, I fear merely tying them up won't be enough to restrain these heavenly prideful ones.

Lu Yang saw Ji Zhong's concern, scanned the heavenly prideful ones, and coldly ordered:

"【No one is allowed to move】"

The invisible rule was established, and these heavenly prideful ones felt something besides ropes binding them; no matter how they mobilized their power, they couldn't move an inch.

They panicked, having only felt such power before when facing sect elders.

This is the power of 【Rules】!

To so casually establish rules that suppress them—this power is even more terrifying than their elders!

Who exactly are these two constables!

Isn't it said that great beings like to disguise as street beggars? How come now they're disguising as constables?

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou leapt out the window and flew into the sky above Quyi County, simultaneously extending their divine sense to envelop the entire county, searching for suspicious cultivators.

The two locked onto a figure completely blended into the night, strolling leisurely down the street; several cultivators brushed past him without noticing, showing how refined his concealment technique must be.

"Found him!"

That figure continued walking slowly down the street, humming a song, tossing the spirit fruit back and forth; even when seeing two patrolling constables not far away, he paid no attention.

Just as he brushed past the two constables, they both struck simultaneously, pressing him to the ground and subduing him.

"You... you can see me?!"

The figure was astonished—this is impossible!

"To steal from a Spirit Transformation cultivator at Nascent Soul level? Not bad skills." Lu Yang teased.

Ji Zhong naturally couldn't have won the spirit fruit in the Four Treasures Secret Realm by luck alone—his skills are top-tier even among early Spirit Transformation cultivators.

Yet this little thief managed to steal from Ji Zhong at Nascent Soul level—his skills are truly impressive.

He must be strictly guarded.

Meng Jingzhou snatched the spirit fruit away in one grab, frightening the little thief into silence.

He is skilled in spatial techniques, capable of instant teleportation, but when he secretly tried to activate his spatial technique, he found the surrounding space completely sealed—he couldn't escape at all!

This isn't even intentional spatial sealing—it's just that they're so powerful they unintentionally distorted space!

Did they not check the almanac before going out? Where did these two gods come from?

"No good deeds, just know how to steal." Meng Jingzhou checked the spirit fruit was genuine, then tapped the little thief's head.

"What's your name?"

"Fang Ning, two lords above, I truly am a first-time offender—please spare me, I won't dare again!" Fang Ning said, and as he spoke, he burst into tears, tears and snot flowing, moving to behold.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were unmoved—fooling others is one thing, but fooling them two? This crying is too fake.

Moreover, to have refined theft techniques to such a perfected level at Nascent Soul level—no matter how you think about it, this isn't his first offense.

Considering his skills, if Fang Ning offends again, the local constables will likely struggle to catch him.

"Search him."

Meng Jingzhou seized Fang Ning's wrist, Lu Yang searched him, and quickly found a storage ring that, judging by its style, must be very valuable.

"Is this storage ring something you stole?"

"No, this is my storage ring."

"Then open it."

Fang Ning stammered, and Lu Yang, seeing this, had already concluded—indeed, Fang Ning stole this storage ring.

Fang Ning had stolen this storage ring several days ago, but unfortunately, the seal on it is too complex—he couldn't open it, and these past days he's been researching how to open it.

"The seal is quite complex." Lu Yang praised casually, then flicked out a sword qi, forcibly breaking the storage ring's seal.

Lu Yang pulled out the contents of the storage ring—only a few items, suggesting the owner doesn't often use this storage ring.

Inside the storage ring was a book that caught Lu Yang's attention: "The Hundred Officials' Conduct"?

Although I don't know what's inside, just from the title it's clearly unrelated to Fang Ning.

"Your identification?" Lu Yang now suspects Fang Ning's name is fake.

"I didn't bring it." Fang Ning said honestly.

"Where did you put it? Take us there."

"In Yunzhou." Fang Ning deliberately named a faraway place.

Lu Yang remained unmoved: "No problem—we can go on a business trip."

Fang Ning wanted to cry but had no tears—this was his first time suffering a setback.

A steady voice came from the end of the street; a middle-aged man in black robe and black hat walked toward them.

"Hehe, my disciple is merely undergoing my trial—two young friends, for my sake, could you spare my disciple this time?"

"Master!" Fang Ning shouted excitedly, deeply moved—originally, when he passed the trial, his master had been secretly watching him all along?

After the middle-aged man appeared, the surrounding air seemed to solidify, the aura he emitted like that of a primordial ferocious beast, terrifying to the extreme, causing one to shudder involuntarily, their blood nearly freezing.

"Inciting theft still has justification, seize him!"

Lu Yang and the other simultaneously attacked, frightening the middle-aged man into withdrawing his aura and hastily dodging—how could they just start fighting without a word?

We are all at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, can't we sit down and have a proper talk?

Seeing Lu Yang and the other about to touch the middle-aged man, he instantly appeared ten zhang away.

"Spatial technique? No, it's just extremely fast movement speed." Lu Yang raised an eyebrow—such rapid movement speed at the Tribulation Transcendence stage is rare; this speed might even rival that of the Black Feather Venerable, the ancient ancestor of the Kunpeng clan.

The middle-aged man was secretly astonished; usually, those who first clash with him mistake his incredible speed for a spatial technique—who exactly are these two, that they saw through this at a glance?

Lu Yang and the other could naturally see through it, as the Ancestor of the Vast Sea often displayed the embryonic form of the Spatial Dao Fruit before them, making them extremely familiar with spatial techniques.

"Very few among human Tribulation Transcendence cultivators can reach such speed—are you the Ancestor of Thieves?"

"No, the Ancestor of Thieves has only one leg, so he claims his speed is unmatched under heaven, with none daring to refute."

"Then you must be the King of Thieves!"

"Ah? Master, you're the King of Thieves?" Fang Ning exclaimed in shock—his master had never revealed his true identity.

The middle-aged man remained silent, then struck once—before the opponent could even begin to uncover his background.

(End of Chapter)