LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 911 - 912: The Genuine Xiao Lao Di
Chapter 911: Chapter 912: The Genuine Xiao Lao Di
Li Xiaobai was startled and turned his head to look, only to see a dirty little old man poking his head around in a dark corner, his expression somewhat sleazy, holding a stack of parchment with a secretive demeanor.
“Go away!”
“Who wants your lousy map!”
Hu Meizi pushed the old man aside, her face full of displeasure. The big tomb hadn’t even been opened yet, so how could there possibly be a map out? It was clear at first glance that this old man was a street scammer, and not a very clever one at that.
“What do young ladies know, long hair but short on insight. This map could save your lives!”
The gaunt old man said crossly, somewhat angrily.
Hu Meizi wanted to send him away.
“Wait!”
Li Xiaobai swiftly grabbed her. Hu Meizi did not know the person in front of her, but he was all too familiar to him. The moment he saw this person, he felt a chill surge from his feet to the back of his head, his entire body chilled to the bone.
Because, astonishingly, this dirt-covered old man looked exactly like Old Beggar Zhou, not only in appearance but even the sleazy air in his every move was identical. If it were not known that Old Beggar Zhou was currently stationed at the Sword Sect in the Eastern Continent, he would almost believe the person before him was Old Beggar Zhou himself.
Xiao Lao Di!
This was Xiao Lao Di!
It was the master himself, there could be no other explanation!
“Keep calm, he hasn’t been to the Sword Sect, he doesn’t know who I am, just pretend we don’t know each other.”
Li Xiaobai reminded himself repeatedly in his mind. The sudden appearance of this important figure indeed shocked him. Standing as a top figure in the Central Origin Realm, he did not wish to have too much contact prematurely, as he was still too weak to play with these big shots.
“Just take it as finding a stroke of luck, I’ll take the item. What kind of map are you selling, is it authentic?”
Li Xiaobai took out a storage bag and tossed it to the old man, asking lightly.
“Hehe, absolutely authentic, genuine, no cheating, a ten-to-one compensation for any counterfeit.”
The old man chuckled mysteriously.
Li Xiaobai unfurled the parchment and glanced at it. The lines were densely packed, clearly marking where the entrance was, where the corridors were, and even how to enter the big tomb, making it quite convincing.
However, the more detailed and realistic this thing appeared, the more suspicious it became. The big tomb had only been revealed a few days ago, so how could this old man have obtained such detailed information? The map even marked the locations of Earth Dragon Grass and Ice Silkworms very clearly, just short of telling people how to capture them.
“Young master, don’t bother looking anymore, you won’t find anything significant now. Only when you enter the big tomb will this treasure map truly show its worth!”
The old man laughed, his voice high and thin, sounding quite sleazy. His expression and tone were precisely like those of Old Beggar Zhou, making Li Xiaobai want to ask if he had a lost brother somewhere. However, reason told him to hold back.
“Old man, we are in the Western Continent, in the presence of Buddha. Lying will send you to Hell. The big tomb hasn’t even been opened yet, so how did you come to know its layout?”
Li Xiaobai shook the parchment in his hand and asked calmly.
“The secrets of Heaven cannot be revealed. Since you have sincerely asked, I won’t deceive you. Actually, this treasure map is a precious relic passed down from my ancestors. After the tomb appeared, I pondered for several days and finally made a decision against my ancestral teachings to gift the map to someone destined!”
Xiao Lao Di chuckled. He still pretended and was oblivious to the fact that his real identity had been discovered.
“Nonsense, if the map was real, why don’t you go in yourself?”
“And if it truly is a gift for the destined, why then did you charge us ten thousand top-grade Immortal Stones? You still claim you’re not a swindler?”
Hu Meizi shouted from the side, her eyes filled with skepticism. She didn’t know Xiao Lao Di and took him for just a swindler. She even harbored some resentment towards Li Xiaobai, believing that if her Brother Li were here, he definitely wouldn’t have been swindled so easily.
“It’s rather embarrassing to say, but due to my insufficient cultivation level, I naturally dare not delve too deep into it. I could only hand it to the younger generation to explore. As for those ten thousand top-grade Immortal Stones, they were merely to test the young master’s sincerity. With this treasure map in hand, let alone ten thousand Immortal Stones, even a billion would be trivial. Do you still care about such a small resource?”
Xiao Lao Di spoke solemnly.
Li Xiaobai was suddenly at a loss for words. It sounded so true that he almost believed it. If he hadn’t known this was a big shot, he would have gone up and robbed him by now.
But since this was a treasure map sold by a big shot, could it truly contain some mysterious secrets?
“Young master, buying my treasure map shows that you are quite an astute person. I’ll give you a piece of information for free—the great tomb will open in a fortnight. By then, you can enter and seize the treasures!”
“I congratulate you in advance, young master!”
“Then I’ll take the senior’s auspicious words. If I do find treasures in the great tomb, I’ll come back and offer you high incense.”
Li Xiaobai waved his hand casually, speaking very nonchalantly, and left with Hu Meizi.
Along the way, Hu Meizi expressed her confusion.
“Why did Elder Liu spend ten thousand top-grade Immortal Stones on such a worthless piece of parchment? That old man clearly swindled us!”
Hu Meizi asked.
“This is why your Brother does not bring you along in his games. Think more, and you might discover a new world.”
Li Xiaobai ignored Hu Meizi and unfolded the parchment, starting to walk around the grand tomb, studying the secrets that might be hidden within.
He believed, someone of Xiao Lao Di’s stature wouldn’t just sell a treasure map for ten thousand top-grade Immortal Stones. Such an inglorious thing was not what big shots do; nobody was that bored.
The big shot acting this way might have intentionally waited here to enlighten him. With that said, was his identity already known to the other party?
Li Xiaobai was filled with mixed feelings, unsure of Xiao Lao Di’s purpose.
Observing Li Xiaobai’s focused demeanor, Hu Meizi snorted disdainfully. She refused to believe that a treasure map sold by some old man by the road could be genuine.
Unbeknownst to them, after they had left, that skinny old man approached another young cultivator and pulled out another copy of the parchment from his chest, using the same lines, and eventually sold it for eight thousand top-grade Immortal Stones.
Since then, any young cultivator passing by would encounter this skinny old man selling a treasure map at increasingly lower prices.
Unknowingly much time passed, and the old man had no treasure maps left on him, while nearly every young disciple in the vicinity had one, warily guarding it for fear of being robbed.
If a keen observer were to compare these treasure maps, they would find that each map was different from the others, not only in topography but also in the marked locations of the various treasures.
Sitting in a corner, the skinny old man grabbed a handful of broad beans and started munching them with great relish.
“All are distributed now; this great tomb truly is mysterious. I wonder whose noble tomb it is, for I’ve managed to deduce fifty different routes and possibilities. Luckily, there are enough cultivators here. I’ll let them test each one. Once the correct topographical route is found, I can reap the benefits without lifting a finger!”
“Casting a wide net is the wise choice these days. After all, who would dig into tombs personally?”
“The baldy from Great Thunderclap Temple wanted to stop me; what a delusional dream!”