Calamity Messenger

Chapter 160 - 127: Cursing You

Why did I come to the Thief’s House?

Yan Qing’s first reaction was confusion, because he was different from the others. He wasn’t a thief at all; his family had been clear for three generations, but he accidentally transmigrated into this scenario and was forced to join this group of thieves, going around killing and burning. If one day they were captured by the Divine Marquis Mansion, Yan Qing felt he could argue that he should be considered an accomplice caught in their wake.

As for Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake, some became thieves intentionally to enter the Thief’s House, while others took up thievery hoping to be recruited by the Thief’s House. No matter the reason, they harbored sinister intentions and objectively committed crimes. But Yan Qing was different; he simply had nowhere else to go and dared not step into the real jungle of survival, so he stayed in the Thief’s House... he just wanted to survive.

Yet the moment he arrived at this answer, Yan Qing realized the absurdity within it.

Because he was already safe.

Ye Si was about to enter the Second Transition, Jiang Shi was about to reach the Third Transition, and Mouse Monk, after arriving at Xuanwu Lake Military Town, would soon undergo the Second Transition and then charge towards the Third Transition. Not to mention these minor characters, Yan Qing himself, after exchanging for an advanced knife technique on the trading board and using two Secret Technique Books, was already on a smooth path through three transitions.

A Third-Turn Messenger is considered a master wherever placed, especially since he has the Return Order, allowing him to protect himself even against a Foundation Establishment Messenger.

On the contrary, continuing to stay in the Thief’s House entails greater risks. Leaving aside the pursuit from the Divine Marquis Mansion, the tasks in the Thief’s House are increasing in difficulty. For example, during this Heavenly Theft case, he encountered Foundation Establishment Messenger Layman Yu Li, while Black Wolf and White Fox fought Shang Xuanwen. If not for various coincidences combined with their exceptional skills, the four of them might not have returned intact to the Thief’s House.

The second mission was already close to reaching their limit.

If Yan Qing continued to stay in the Thief’s House, although there’s a possibility of flawlessly completing the mission target, the more likely outcome is that he will sooner or later encounter an enemy he cannot defeat, falling into layers of encirclement, unable to escape... a thief’s journey often ends like this.

That’s why Shang Xinlei asked him why he came to the Thief’s House. Although he could give up the mission, death was always a possibility. Without a great desire, who would repeatedly engage in such dangerous actions?

Yan Qing also questioned himself earnestly: Yes, why do I still want to stay in the Thief’s House?

It’s like when someone is preparing for marriage, suddenly being asked what they truly like about their partner and realizing they don’t actually like the person beside them, it’s just inertia that brought them to this point.

At first, Yan Qing was very weak, relying on the Thief’s House for protection, taking risks within a bearable range. Now he has many minor characters to protect himself, and he possesses some strength. The Thief’s House is no longer a necessity for him, but the risks he faces are increasing day by day.

He can leave now.

Where to go next is uncertain; perhaps he could buy a house in Jiangnan City with Shang Xinlei and enjoy carefree days in the main city, indulging daily in food and drink without needing to undertake missions.

Even if Yan Qing wanted to obtain rewards from the Thief’s House, he wouldn’t need to participate personally. He could completely create a minor thief character and try to infiltrate. And the rewards from the Thief’s House, although tempting, are not indispensable. As long as Yan Qing has enough minor characters roaming the world to complete scenarios, dozens of minor characters supporting his main character, his growth pace would definitely not be slower than Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake.

Even without the Thief’s House, he could still achieve Foundation Establishment and Immortal Ascension.

The more Yan Qing thought about it, the more enticing it seemed. He felt like some authors who work while writing novels part-time, only to find out one day their novel income exceeds their job by several times, prompting them to consider why they shouldn’t quit... thinking carefully, there appears to be no reason not to quit at all.

Yet, vaguely, he sensed there was a problem somewhere. As for what the problem was, he couldn’t pinpoint it.

Perhaps it’s time to listen to others’ perspectives.

"How about you? Why did you come to the Thief’s House?"

Seeing Yan Qing remained silent for so long, Shang Xinlei thought he wasn’t going to answer, but unexpectedly, Yan Qing asked her instead. She picked up the custard bun and tore it open; the hot custard filling flowed out immediately. While licking, she replied, "At first, out of curiosity, I wanted to see if I could master the Thief’s House, who wouldn’t envy the Secret Realm feature allowing teleportation to any place in the world? Later, seeing you took Bingzi Pepper Forest, I naturally wanted to bid for a Legendary Token too, but I didn’t expect to obtain a Legendary Flying Ring from Mansu Forest Land before that."

"Besides the Legendary Token, the Thief’s House also rewards many rare items. Like the Red Furnace Fire Essence, something I’ve never heard of before, probably only produced by Fourth-Turn Secret Realms and above. If the Thief’s House rewards keep getting richer, it wouldn’t be strange to see Foundation Establishment Pills appearing." Shang Xinlei stated earnestly, "Compared to the Divine Marquis Mansion, obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills from the Thief’s House is undoubtedly simpler and more likely."

"Then after obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills, will you continue staying in the Thief’s House?" Yan Qing asked.

Shang Xinlei nodded naturally, "Yes, this is a rare opportunity; as long as I don’t encounter an absolute dead end forcing mission abandonment, of course I’ll stay."

"What if you had other opportunities? Suppose you could overcome a Fourth and Fifth Transition Secret Realm at extremely low cost, with no risks along the way, relying solely on the secret realm for endless resources, cultivating all the way to the Sixth Transition, would you still stay in the Thief’s House?"

"Yes."

"Why? After you reach the Foundation Establishment Fourth Transition, the tasks the Thief’s House assigns you will certainly be of the same level. You might then encounter enemies stronger than you, or even find yourself in situations more desperate than the Royal Secret Vault. If you have safer opportunities elsewhere, why hold on to the Thief’s House?" Yan Qing was puzzled.

Shang Xinlei devoured the custard bun and thought for a moment before speaking, "By that reasoning, I shouldn’t have bothered to strive to become a messenger from the start."

"I was born as the Fourth Miss of the Shang Family, never wanting for anything, and any discomfort was treated by the doctor. I could easily spend my life in leisure, only having to marry someone I don’t love—a much easier task compared to the hardships of honing my skills daily or the risks of training in Secret Realms. My second eldest sister is like that. When I visited her recently, I could see she was happy. Her life is peaceful, at least much better than nearly being trapped in the Royal Secret Vault like I was."

Yan Qing nodded continuously. If he hadn’t transmigrated into the Thief’s House but instead into some pampered young master of a prominent family, why would he bother changing professions? Wouldn’t it be nice to be a carefree slacker?

"Actually, I could rest now. Changing professions three times hasn’t been difficult, and as a Third-Turn Messenger, I have significant influence in the family at least regarding my own marriage." Shang Xinlei glanced at Yan Qing. "I could marry someone I like and live happily and healthily under my family’s protection. Even if the Shang Family were squeezed out of the power center, there would never be a shortage of support for a Third-Turn Messenger."

That’s the life of my dreams, Yan Qing marveled internally, becoming even more curious. "Then why don’t you do that? Do you stay in the Thief’s House for power? For Foundation Establishment and Immortal Ascension? For immortality? To see more of the world?"

"You’re right, I’ve definitely considered those." Shang Xinlei nodded. "But if we discuss the fundamental reason, my answer is probably... because I can."

"Because you can?"

"I can do things others can’t; I can do better than others. There’s not so much a goal. Many messengers initially find their sense of existence in their skills, suddenly realizing they’re different from others—they can reach higher and farther levels. If I must say, it’s... the course of nature. Everyone performs their role." Shang Xinlei gave a faint smile. "Destiny pushes people to where they belong."

"Since the Thief’s House can carry me to higher and farther places, why should I leave?"

Yan Qing shook his head. "But it’s still dangerous... Your answer doesn’t convince me."

"It sounds like you’re of the ’Noble Nothing’ school of thought?"

"Noble Nothing?"

"There were once two schools of thought. The ’Noble Nothing’ group, like you, only does the safest things, conquering a Second-Turn Secret Realm as a Third-Turn or a First-Turn as a Second-Turn, seeking to gain resources with minimal casualties. In contrast, the ’Exalted Exist’ group seizes every opportunity, challenges limits as much as possible, progressing steadfastly."

"Are you ’Exalted Exist’?"

"To be precise, all the Three Central Plains Kingdoms are of the ’Exalted Exist’ school, as the resource acquisition efficiency of ’Noble Nothing’ is too low, making it easy to fall behind in competition. For example, in the Liang Kingdom, if a family’s talents suffer a temporary lapse, they might be pressured and squeezed out of the power center by other families." Shang Xinlei sipped her hot tea and said, "However, I’m not citing this to use reality to refute you. After all, ’Exalted Exist’ is beneficial on the whole, but ’Noble Nothing’ is indeed the safest survival strategy for individuals—like I used to be."

"Used to be?" Yan Qing keenly picked up on that point.

"Yes, used to be. The reason I shifted from ’Noble Nothing’ to ’Exalted Exist’ is because you cursed me."

Yan Qing refused to take the blame. "Woman, you can say nonsense, but you can’t spew nonsense."

"I’m not talking nonsense." Shang Xinlei gave him a sideways glance. "I initially thought that after the Third Transition, I’d settle in our family, as my father is only a Third-Turn... It was you who said I could reach Foundation Establishment Fourth Transition to protect the family, sparking this ambition I had never had. I’m going to ride the Thief’s House farther and farther until I reach my limit."

"Maybe I’ll encounter life-and-death crises along the way, and at that time, I will surely regret it. But compared to leaving the Thief’s House and regretting for the rest of my life, the former still suits me better."

"It’s all your fault for cursing me. Now, I might not live to die peacefully, so I’m going to curse you too."

Shang Xinlei declared sincerely, then pointed at Yan Qing, drawing circles while muttering:

"Someday, you’ll voluntarily take off the mask, you’ll meet trustworthy people, and your subordinates will all be proud of you."

Yan Qing felt a pang in his heart, realizing Shang Xinlei saw through the uneasy soul beneath his tough facade long before. Compared to the astute daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion like her, he was still too inexperienced. His previous caution was justified; his deeper contact with the thieves involved greater exposure... During each meeting, he acted carefully, fearing others would see his true self isn’t what it seems.

But looking at the girl in front of him with custard still at the corner of her mouth, Yan Qing couldn’t feel threatened; instead, he felt relieved. It’s like a murderer dealing with the body suddenly realizes someone’s there and, upon closer inspection, finds it’s that friend who frequently helps cover up... It’s okay to be discovered by her, as at least he doesn’t have to act too seriously before her.

Shang Xinlei immediately continued mumbling, "Also, you’re a pig, you’re a pig, you’re a pig..."