Chapter 76: Chapter 73: Master Thief? Audacious Madman
You really tried it?
Situ Bai heard this and couldn’t help but laugh. He looked at Master Qin. "Haha, Old Qin, see? See? What did I tell you? Young people are full of curiosity. You have to admit defeat now, right? I won’t be shy about helping myself to that sixty-year-old bottle of ’Fire Cloud’ you’ve got aging in your cellar."
Master Qin put down his teacup, a helpless, exasperated look on his face. He couldn’t help but point at Wan Ze, then, as if remembering something, he muttered, "These little rascals... they’ve all gone to school and gotten an education. How can they still believe in this hocus-pocus from fantasy novels?"
Wan Ze stood by silently, an innocent expression on his face.
The more Master Qin thought about it, the more certain he became. "It must have been that troublemaker Zhai Jia who put them up to it," he said with conviction. "Of all these young guys, he’s the one with the most devious ideas. He just loves to stir up trouble and watch the show!"
Hearing this, Wan Ze immediately went with the flow, nodding quickly with a sincere look in his eyes.
’Yes, yes, yes, Master Qin, your insight is truly brilliant!’
He decisively passed the buck to his absent senior brother, Zhai Jia.
Situ Bai didn’t care whose idea it was. He had made a bet with Master Qin at noon, wagering on whether or not these young people would actually try something as absurd as binding an object with blood. It now seemed he had won.
In high spirits, he took a sip of tea and waved his hand at Wan Ze, telling him to ignore Master Qin. "Since you’ve tried the Rain Bell and it didn’t work, what do you plan to do now?" he said with a smile. "Tell me what you’re really thinking."
Wan Ze paused to think, quickly choosing his words. "Master, from the looks of it, the so-called great secret hidden in the Rain Bell, especially the ’binding by blood’ part, is very likely a distorted rumor. It might even be a smokescreen someone intentionally created. But the rumor is out there, and possession of a treasure is a crime in itself... Miss Ling and all of us have been dragged into this because of it."
He looked at Situ Bai and, seeing that his master had no intention of stopping him, continued, "I was thinking, what if we, Dragon Eagle, in an official or semi-official capacity, invite a few highly respected elders from the Martial Dao Realm to conduct a public or semi-public ’appraisal’ of the Rain Bell? We could then have them spread the conclusion that ’this bell has no special properties, and the idea of binding it with blood is pure nonsense.’ With the prestige and influence of these elders, we might be able to dissuade most of the interested parties. The rumor might just die on its own."
To be honest, Wan Ze wasn’t entirely sure about this.
Because this proposal would be time-consuming and troublesome, and it might even attract unnecessary attention or criticism.
He wasn’t sure if his master would agree.
However, Situ Bai nodded with almost no hesitation. "Alright. We’ll do it your way."
Seeing a flash of surprise in Wan Ze’s eyes, Situ Bai slowly set down his teacup. "That young lady from the Ling Family, I’ve met her a few times... Her eyes are clear. She’s not a scheming person. This time, she’s just been caught up in trouble for no reason. Since this all started because of the Rain Bell, and the Rain Bell passed through our hands, and we at Dragon Eagle happen to have the ability to help... we might as well lend a hand. It’s no harm to foster some goodwill."
He turned to Master Qin.
"Old Qin, I’ll have to trouble you to make a trip to the Martial Artist Association. Go have some tea with Old Wang and those other old-timers and spread the word. Just say that I, Situ Bai, said it: the Rain Bell is here at Dragon Eagle. Anyone who’s interested can bring their evidence and come study it. But if anyone harasses innocent people over this or spreads baseless rumors again, they shouldn’t blame Dragon Eagle for being merciless. As for the bell itself, whoever wants it can take it. We’re not interested."
Master Qin smacked his lips. Although he felt it was a bit of a hassle, he still nodded in agreement. "Alright. Old Wang does have a taste for this kind of ’archaeology.’ I’ll go have a word with him."
Wan Ze felt a wave of relief. His master’s thoughts had unexpectedly aligned with his own, and were even more magnanimous and decisive.
The Rain Bell was now useless to him.
As for whether it held any other secrets, that seemed nearly impossible to solve at the moment. It was more like a vortex that constantly attracted trouble.
Since it was a hot potato, it was better to "give it away" openly. Putting it under public scrutiny would actually make things safer.
Who would have known that before the three of them could finish their conversation, Miss Ling would bring a piece of completely unexpected news.
"The Rain Bell is gone!"
...
"Gone? Was it stolen or snatched?" Lei Ming rushed over immediately.
Miss Ling stood on the second floor of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall, facing Situ Bai, Lei Ming, and Wan Ze, at a complete loss. "I... I’m not sure either. I put the Rain Bell on my nightstand. I just went to sleep, and when I woke up, the box was still locked, but the Rain Bell was gone."
Lei Ming couldn’t help but look at Wan Ze.
Wan Ze shook his head.
This was too strange.
Situ Bai pondered for a moment. "Since the item was lost at our Dragon Eagle Inn, it’s only right that we lend our strength. Dragon Eagle will cooperate with the police to investigate this matter, and at the same time, we’ll help clear Miss Ling’s name and dispel the rumors."
Miss Ling looked at him, moved. "Thank you, Elder Situ!"
With Situ Bai’s endorsement, the subsequent matters progressed much more quickly.
It was just that having something disappear from right under their noses was enough to send a chill down one’s spine.
...
"To think someone could steal something from right under our noses without anyone noticing? This guy has to be a master thief!" Lei Ming found it incredible.
Inside the inn room, Wan Ze looked all around but found no trace of a theft.
Either the other party was a master.
Or no one stole it.
But if no one stole it, it’s not like the Rain Bell could have grown legs and run off on its own.
"Does that mean I don’t have to live in fear anymore?" Miss Ling couldn’t help but ask.
"That’s one way to look at it..." Lei Ming mused. "Once Master gets the word out for you and it spreads through the martial world, everyone will be watching. With that much attention on the matter, no one will think of coming after you for trouble anymore."
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