Chapter 60 Treasures

"Dad, I'll go right now." Wang Shuhan was clearly much simpler than her old man. Seeing Zhang Deshuai in such a weak state, she couldn't bear it in her heart. Grabbing the keys, she ran out the door.
"Remember, it's the iron box!" Wang Yan stretched his neck and shouted loudly toward the outside of the door.
"This dead girl, she hasn't got an ounce of sense." Wang Yan gritted his teeth and stared at the spot where his daughter had vanished. Zhang Deshuai took in that expression, only finding this pair of father and daughter utterly adorable.
He gave another light cough and inquired, "Uncle Wang, how are we going to cross that Beast Forest? Are we transmitting from the mansion?"
Wang Yan hurriedly pulled back his murderous glare and chuckled dryly, "My good nephew's consideration is truly thorough, but we are not passing through via the cultivation space—we are going from the mortal world."
"The mortal world..."
"Right. Considering the spatial issues between various sects, the Ministry of Rites has opened many transmission points in the mortal world. Tomorrow morning, once we reach the mortal world, we'll naturally know where the nearest transmission point is," Wang Yan explained.
"So that's how it is..." Zhang Deshuai fell into deep thought. He was growing increasingly curious about this place called the Ministry of Rites.
Before long, Wang Shuhan trotted all the way back into the room. She produced two protective talismans encased in jade boxes and presented them to Wang Yan.
"Dad, is this it?"
Wang Yan looked at those two talismans, his eyeballs nearly popping out. In a panic, he said, "N... No, not this one! The iron box, the iron box! Where on earth did you find these?"
Wang Shuhan scratched her head sheepishly. "Dad, I didn't know which lock the iron box went with, so I just took the first key and tried it on every box one by one. I never expected it would actually open this jade box."
"I told you to take the box and try the keys, and you fucking took the keys and tried the boxes?!"
Wang Yan only felt a surge of blood churning wildly in his chest. He forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit this mouthful of old blood and said through gritted teeth, "Come here, good daughter, come and watch over your Brother Zhang. Your dad will go get it himself."
How could Zhang Deshuai possibly give him this chance? He hurriedly grabbed Wang Yan's arm to dissuade him. "Uncle Wang, there's no need to trouble yourself with this trip again. This one looks pretty good to me too, pretty good."
With that, he snatched up the talisman from one of the jade boxes and promptly stuffed it into his bosom.
Wang Yan felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Stumbling as he forced himself to stand up, he muttered incoherently:
"H... Huhan, keep the other piece safe. Your dad... no, your dad has a bout of hypoglycemia acting up, I'm going back to my room to inject some insulin."
Having said that, as if he had lost his soul, he staggered away toward the outside.
"Aigoo, why is Dad acting up again? I'll help you over!" Wang Shuhan turned back in a daze, but her father's figure was already nowhere to be seen; she could only hear strange, ape-like screeches echoing continuously from outside.
She scratched her head in confusion. "Strange, we don't keep any monkeys near our courtyard, do we?"
Watching her dazed appearance, Zhang Deshuai was also left speechless. He couldn't imagine what kind of terrifying might that Twilight Bloodline would unleash if it fell into Wang Shuhan's hands.
Despite trying so hard himself, he could still only watch the dust left behind by such talented prodigies.
He touched the talisman in his bosom. Although made of metal, it radiated a faint warmth. Once pressed against his body, he could even faintly sense the flow of the runes.
"Truly a good item," Zhang Deshuai praised inwardly.

Nighttime.
"Eh? You're saying you want to go back tonight?" Wang Yan asked in surprise.
"Yes. I am grateful for Uncle Wang's care over the past few days, but I still have some ties in the mortal world, and I'd like to go say hello and bid them farewell," Zhang Deshuai said with a smile. "Shuhan knows where my place is. Tomorrow morning at nine, I'll be waiting for you downstairs at my building."
Guided by Wang Shuhan, Zhang Deshuai walked out of the mansion, followed by another patch of darkness. When he came to his senses, they were already back inside that dilapidated house.
"I won't lead you all the way to the hot pot restaurant. Don't oversleep tomorrow morning," Wang Shuhan said coldly.
"Mhm, okay," Zhang Deshuai agreed, then turned to leave.
"Wait." Unexpectedly, Wang Shuhan called out to him.
Zhang Deshuai turned back. "What is it?"
"We're entering the Beast Forest tomorrow. Are you nervous?"
"..." Zhang Deshuai hadn't expected that she had specifically stopped him just to ask such a nutrient-free question. He was just about to make a sarcastic remark when he caught sight of the girl's trembling body and the teardrops trickling down her cheeks.
"I... I'm so nervous, but... I'm not afraid of danger, nor am I afraid of dying. I... I've been clumsy since I was little. Everyone doted on me because I was young and the Sect Master's daughter, and they gave this opportunity to go to the Beast Forest to me. I know... I know it all."
"I'm afraid I won't learn anything, I... I'm afraid of wasting this precious opportunity, but... I still have a score to settle, I..."
Speaking incoherently, her tears pattered down onto the ground.
Looking at this seemingly cold yet actually sensitive and fragile little girl, looking at her sincere and burning heart, Xiao Yifei felt utterly uncomfortable all over, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
He felt guilty. All along the way, he had been guarded against this pair of father and daughter; in truth, even though this sect was named Splitting and specialized in shadows and ambush tactics, this father and daughter had always strived to offer him genuine sincerity.
He slowly squatted down, gently patted Wang Shuhan's head, and said softly,
"When we get into the Beast Forest, the two of us will team up."
"Team up?" Wang Shuhan asked, sobbing.
"Right. I'm full of sly ideas, plus high risk comes with high reward. I also want to work hard to improve myself, and whatever cultivation techniques or secret manuals we get by then, I will share them with all of you."
"I trust you, and I need you to trust me too." Zhang Deshuai looked into her eyes and said with a smile.
"Alright, then we'll be a team! My dad told me that you look pure and kind on the surface, but you're actually full of wicked tricks inside. You're not allowed to go back on your word when the time comes!"
Wang Shuhan clearly possessed the mindset of a little girl. Hearing those words, she stopped crying instead and raised her pink fist, speaking with a defiant, pouty air.
"You can just blurt out anything, no wonder your dad worries so much about you," Zhang Deshuai muttered inwardly.
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal!"
After bidding farewell to Wang Shuhan, Zhang Deshuai felt his way through the alley and entered a barbecue stall, asked the front desk for a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of beer, and found a table to sit down.
He pulled out his phone and dialed that familiar number:
"Hey, hey, dog-face, where are you?"
"Stop watching the shop, damn it. Same old place, Table 26. I'm treating you to barbecue, and bring Jing along too."