Volume Six: Stealing Is Robbing - Chapter Eleven: Trouble Has Arrived (Part Two)

Kuang Chi was just about to speak when the shrill screams of Jing'er and Anna rang out beside him.

Without a moment's hesitation, the two girls dashed toward the little turtle from his left and right.

With a deep, resonant chime like that of a bronze bell, the tiny turtle shot up several meters into the air, narrowly dodging the four giant hands sweeping at it.

Yet neither girl was willing to give up, both immediately taking stances to leap forward and grab the creature.

Seeing this, Kuang Chi quickly stepped forward to hold Jing'er and Anna back.

Only then did the two recover their senses. They both drew long breaths, exchanged glances, and then looked up at the tiny turtle hovering overhead.

Jing'er spoke first, "Fatty, let me help you feed this little turtle from now on, alright?"

Hearing this, Anna bit her lip, as if making a firm resolve. "Sister Jing'er, I want to feed it too," she said, casting a piteous, pleading look at Kuang Chi.

Kuang Chi looked from Jing'er to Anna, completely unable to make such a difficult choice. He had no option but to raise his head and look at the little turtle floating above.

Only then did he notice that the tiny creature's eighteen exquisite, glowing golden little eyes were staring right back at the three of them.

Realizing Kuang Chi was looking at it, one of the turtle's heads emitted that bell-like sound once again.

None of them had expected the nine-headed turtle's cry to be so unusual. Back in space, the giant turtle had been too far away for them to hear its voice, so hearing it now left all three momentarily stunned.

Following the cry, the tiny nine-headed turtle slowly drifted toward Kuang Chi and landed squarely on top of his head. After settling in, it spun around a few times atop his head before finally curling up comfortably, as if treating Kuang Chi's scalp as its personal nest.

Kuang Chi gave a wry smile as he looked at Jing'er and Anna, both of whom were now gazing at him with expressions of undisguised envy. Kuang Chi wryly raised his left hand, intending to lift the tiny creature off his head, but Anna—standing right beside his left side—grabbed his arm and glared at him with displeasure. "What are you doing?"

Kuang Chi replied defensively, "Taking it off, of course."

To his surprise, this remark instantly provoked public outrage. Anna angrily slapped his left hand down. "How can you be so cruel? The little turtle was just born, and you won't even let it rest on your head for a moment?"

Before Kuang Chi could respond, Jing'er chimed in from the other side, "Exactly! Look how adorable it is."

Jing'er paused mid-sentence, then let out a gasp. "Anna, it looks like the little turtle has fallen asleep!"

Naturally, with no eyes on top of his head, Kuang Chi had no way of knowing whether the tiny nine-headed turtle was truly asleep. But try as he might, neither Jing'er nor Anna would permit him to remove the creature from his head.

Feeling their tender, loving gazes fixed upon him—though he knew full well their target was the tiny turtle resting under his hair—Kuang Chi still felt thoroughly awkward all over.

When Kuang Chi finally appeared before the group of Martial Sovereigns of the Kuang family with a turtle perched on his head, the expressions on those seasoned warriors' faces were indescribably amusing.

Others might not know the exact reason for Kuang Chi's exile, but as members of his own family, how could they possibly be unaware? The tiny nine-headed dragon turtle was an exact replica of the giant one, whether it was its mother or father. Anyone with half a brain could figure out the cause and effect.

Blade Sovereign was the first to recover. Pointing in astonishment at the top of Kuang Chi's head, he asked, "Young Master, how on earth did you get your hands on this creature?"

Kuang Chi could only let out a grunt. Guided by Jing'er and Anna, he sat down on a nearby sofa.

Right now, the turtle on Kuang Chi's head was far more precious than Kuang Chi himself; even a slight tilt of his head would bring down a torrent of reprimands from Jing'er and Anna.

Sitting up stiffly with a rigid neck, Kuang Chi replied, "It got here naturally, of course. How else?"

Kuang Da Pi exclaimed from the side, "This nine-headed dragon turtle is a genuine cosmic-grade beast! Young Master, tell us how you managed to acquire it."

Anna looked displeased. After glancing at the little turtle on Kuang Chi's head, she turned to Kuang Da Pi and said, "Grandpa Da Pi, could you keep your voice down? The little turtle just hatched from its egg and desperately needs rest. Don't wake it up."

The Martial Sovereigns of the Kuang family cast sympathetic looks at the bitter-faced Kuang Chi and nodded in agreement.

Lowering his voice, Kuang Da Pi asked once more, "Young Master, tell us quickly, how did you come by this?"

Kuang Chi answered with a bitter edge to his voice, "How else? I accidentally brought it back while it was still inside its egg, and you all know what happened afterward." He pointed a finger toward his head.

Blade Sovereign pondered for a moment before saying, "Young Master, you must keep this nine-headed dragon turtle a secret. If others find out, I'm afraid it will trigger unexpected turmoil within the empire."

Kuang Chi understood this all too well. If the origin of the disaster he had caused last time were to leak out, not only would he face endless trouble, but the Kuang family would also lose all peace. Two regular legions, two fortresses, and casualties numbering in the hundreds of thousands—many of them undoubtedly the scions of noble families. If truly blown wide open, it would be a colossal catastrophe.

Seeing Kuang Chi nod, Blade Sovereign turned to Jing'er and said, "The tidal period of the Nether Ghost Sea is fast approaching, and the equipment prepared by the Devil Sect has already arrived. I think..."

He paused briefly before continuing, "I think it might be better for us to resolve the matters on Kuke Star as soon as possible and set off early."

Kuang Chi thought for a moment. "I don't have any issues, but I previously promised Senior Ghost Immortal that I would let him join the voyage to the Nether Ghost Sea. He hasn't arrived yet."

At the mention of Ghost Immortal, all the Martial Sovereigns furrowed their brows. Blade Sovereign looked particularly displeased as he asked, "Why did that fellow show up? What did he say to you?"

Feeling slightly puzzled, Kuang Chi decided to share the details. "Senior Ghost Immortal simply explained the origins of the ghost ship to us, and not long after that, the Saintess of the Devil Sect and her people came looking for me."

Blade Sovereign exchanged glances with the other Martial Sovereigns before declaring, "Let's resolve the affairs of Kuke Star as quickly as possible. I have a way to contact that fellow and have him wait for us outside the Divine Resentment Star Field."

With that, Blade Sovereign looked at Anna, and the intent was clear to everyone present—he undoubtedly wanted to send Anna back to Kuangzhan Star.

Anna's expression turned gloomy and reluctant as she looked at Kuang Chi, though her gaze quickly drifted back to the tiny nine-headed turtle on his head. It was truly hard to tell whether she was more reluctant to leave Kuang Chi or the little turtle.

After a moment's hesitation, Anna said, "Then I will return to Kuangzhan Star as soon as possible."

Blade Sovereign nodded with satisfaction. At that moment, Kuang San Pi chimed in, " Lass Anna, don't blame us old fellows. Zixia and the others are all on Kuangzhan Star right now. If you stay by the Young Master's side, what do you think they will think?"

Hearing this, Blade Sovereign frowned in displeasure and snorted, "That's not the primary reason! The little girl's cultivation is simply too low; she wouldn't be able to enter the Divine Resentment Star Field at all. That is the real reason I am sending her back to Kuangzhan Star."

Realizing the situation, Anna quickly said, "Grandpa Blade, Grandpa San Pi, I understand all of this. I have no objection to returning to Kuangzhan Star; in fact, I've been wanting to see Sister Zixia and Sister Phil for a long time."

Blade Sovereign smiled faintly. "Then go make your preparations. I expect you will set off in the next few days."

Anna obediently nodded, gave a polite bow, and withdrew from the room.

Blade Sovereign then turned to Jing'er with a smile. "Princess, I imagine Princess Jing'er is in great need of your assistance right now, as she is currently conducting the final negotiations with the Devil Sect."

At this point, how could Jing'er fail to understand? She smiled, stood up, bowed to the gathering, and gracefully stepped outside as well.

Once Jing'er had departed, Kuang Chi looked curiously at Blade Sovereign and asked, "Senior Blade, what is this all about?"

Blade Sovereign furrowed his brow slightly before asking, "What is going on with the Kong and Wu families? I think there are certain secrets the Young Master ought to share with us old men, so we can prepare ourselves beforehand."

Kuang Chi thought it over and decided against hiding the truth. He retained absolute trust in the score of individuals before him.

A smile crept onto Kuang Chi's face, though it looked more like a grimace. "What else could it be? Three blind fools dared to harbor malicious thoughts toward Anna, and the dozen or so others happened to be present, so I had no choice but to silence them all."

Hearing Kuang Chi recount this with such casual indifference, everyone present could not help but frown.

Kuang Da Pi asked bluntly, "Young Master, what level have you reached in your Starry Sky Art?"

Kuang Chi replied with a hint of bewilderment, "The third form. Why, has something happened?"

Kuang Da Pi and Blade Sovereign exchanged glances. Blade Sovereign then spoke up, "We heard that you reached the third form over a dozen years ago. Why hasn't there been any progress in all these years?"

Clearly perplexed as to why they were asking this, Kuang Chi nevertheless answered, "I've been concentrating entirely on cultivating the Tyrant Moon Body-Refining Technique over the years."

After a period of deep thought, Blade Sovereign said gravely, "Young Master, I think you should suspend the Tyrant Moon Body-Refining Technique for the time being and focus your efforts on the Starry Sky Art. I have a feeling your spiritual power is struggling to suppress the malevolent aura of the Tyrant Dragon Art."

Without a moment's hesitation, Kuang Chi nodded. Only a fool would ignore the advice of Martial Sovereigns, especially when spoken by his own family elders.

Pausing briefly, Blade Sovereign assumed a solemn expression and pressed further, "How did you manage to make those thirteen individuals vanish without a trace? And how was that massive sinkhole in the ground created?"