Destiny in Cinders

"Ancient treasure?" An Jing paused, recalling Fortune Road's owner's explanation of the real catalyst for Luofu's war with Shouyang and their calculated move on the black market. "Could it really be the very same ancient treasure?"

Yvelbane offered no reply. It was just as uncertain. After all, how many ancient treasures could truly still be circulating within the black market? The only reason the Fengdu Guard was tearing the black market apart was their absolute conviction that the treasure was here.

And the ancient artifact that caused all of this... An Jing suddenly chuckled, his voice bright and cheerful. "Yvelbane, what do you say? Shall we steal the treasure and leave both sides running around in circles?"

"As a divine sword," Yvelbane said, "I cannot accept robbery, or murder driven by selfish desires, nor do I condone exploiting another's death for personal gain. I know your motives aren't self-serving, so consider this a reminder. However..."

"However?"

"However, I am broken," Yvelbane said, "Even exalted deities or dao sages aren't above the occasional nap, so why should I be?"

"Alright." An Jing let out a soft chuckle, his certainty that Yvelbane was a kindred spirit growing. Both their thoughts deviated significantly from the norm. While most people would seek to escape the eye of the storm, neither he nor Yvelbane entertained such notions. On the contrary, they yearned to charge into the vortex and overturn the clouds. Why else would he bear the Seven Ruins Arc?

An Jing tracked the incoming drone footage while speaking to Yvelbane.

"Hmm..." A soft murmur left his lips. Something felt wrong. "This person is heading toward Ocher Hill's escape route. And based on the way he's moving, he's definitely being chased!"

After confirming the person's course, a wave of suspicion washed over An Jing.There was nothing strange about heading for the Ocher Hill's escape route. The shopkeeper had already mentioned it was a path shared between multiple companies. However, the fact that this person was being pursued was alarming.

Who could his pursuers be? The Fengdu Guard of course! For reasons he couldn't yet grasp, a sudden realization struck An Jing. Ocher Hill's logo was a crimson peak set against a golden sunrise.

A lonely summit bathed in sunlight... Shouyang. And the connection to mining... The first peak of the tenth chapter of the Classic of the Central Mountains is Shouyang Mountain. It's rich in gold and jade, yet barren of all grass and trees.

Oh no!

An Jing's eyes widened and a sharp gasp escaped him as the piece he had overlooked finally clicked into place. On his first visit to Ocher Hill, the deeper meaning behind the logos of Skysource was a mystery to him, but looking back now, the realization hit. Wasn't Ocher Hill a subsidiary of the Shouyang Group? Furthermore, Ocher Hill was authorized to use that particular logo because it was a core industry.

An Jing's mind recalled a flood of information. Shouyang was nearby when Luofu lost their ancient treasure, resulting in a clash so intense that its impact rippled across the whole city.

The battle sparked lower-level gang warfare, which created the chaos that allowed An Jing to eventually cross paths with Huo Qing at Mortality Plains. Afterward, An Jing returned to Void Embrace.

Upon his return to Skysource, he headed straight for the black market. During that period, whoever made off with the ancient treasure, presumably someone from Shouyang Mountain, also fled to the black market, only to be tracked down by Luofu.

Hot on the trail, the Fengdu Guard of the Skywatch Bureau pinned down their target and launched a full-scale assault on the black market, claiming innumerable lives in the fallout.

In the end, a person radiating the unmistakable aura of the ancient treasure was seen on the run. He hid cautiously, attempting to slip out of the black market via a secret path shared by Ocher Hill and its partners. It was clear these partners were all under the Shouyang Group umbrella. Only Shouyang's branches or subsidiaries could have established such a route in the black market.

The big picture had finally come into focus. The Shouyang Group had effectively stolen from the Luofu Group and skillfully diverted the heat toward the black market which was under the Xuandu Group's control, so the thief could slip out through Shouyang's escape route.

The situation was riddled with inconsistencies. But regardless of Shouyang's actual culpability, An Jing had walked straight into a deathtrap by hiding out in one of their subsidiaries.

I have to move! Without a moment's hesitation, An Jing packed his things to leave Ocher Hill.

Businesses linked to Shouyang were subjected to rigorous inspection, and Ocher Hill would be no exception. While he was itching for a chance to ambush the Fengdu Guard and nail the thief responsible for all this, he wasn't about to ambush them in a location where they would be on high alert.

Just as An Jing finished packing his gear to slip away from Ocher Hill, his eyes fell upon the lifeless body of the shopkeeper. Doubt began to gnaw at the back of his mind.

There was no denying Ocher Hill's ties to the Shouyang Group, yet the unsigned merit card the shopkeeper had handed him was issued by one of Lianshan's banks. The profits from these black market dealings and backroom trades were either the result of the shopkeeper's own embezzlement, or an off-the-books transaction with a third party, much like the private spirit stone trade he had previously struck with the manager.

The accounts were flawless, yet she was profiting on the side. Under those circumstances, using a card from the Shouyang Group's own banks would have been a mistake. But even so, in this territory, wouldn't a card from the Xuandu Group make more sense? Why Lianshan?

How many schemes and conspiracies are nested between these powerful corporations? An Jing's eyes narrowed. What had started as a mere gut feeling was sharpening into something far more complicated upon closer inspection.

Based on his observations, the third floor had been spared the brunt of the carnage, sustaining far less damage than the second floor, which had taken the full force of the battle. This implied the shopkeeper had ample opportunity to flee when the Fengdu Guard struck. There was absolutely no reason for her to remain behind and guard the shop amidst such chaos.

Yet she held her ground, only to be attacked by the burglars who swarmed in later. She ended up critically injured and died soon after. Why hadn't she run? For a mother who clearly loved her child, what on earth could be important enough to make her risk staying behind?

Above all else, the drone's feed had shown the entrance to the escape route already blocked by a mountain of corpses. Suspicion had firmly taken root. After weighing the facts, An Jing was certain that even a desperate, panicked stampede wouldn't have resulted in such a high body count.

It had to be a trap! The shopkeeper had handed him the map, unaware that it was a trap.

"If it really is a trap..." An Jing muttered to himself, "then who's the target?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The answer was obvious. It was the person carrying the ancient treasure.

"Let's wait a little longer." He paused, staring up at the escape route as he frowned. "Something feels off... I should take another look."

If his guess was correct...

"Pardon me." To confirm his theory, An Jing returned to the shopkeeper's corpse, circulating metal qi through his body. Raising his palm, he forced the two bullets embedded in the woman's torso out.

An Jing didn't stop there. He circulated Evenstar Ivory Divine Seal, quickly locating the fatal bullet that had brushed against the back of the shopkeeper's skull, now lodged within the shop counter. All three bullets were completely different.

Either a single shooter was wielding three different calibers, or three separate gunmen were involved. The latter was, by far, the more likely scenario. But that wasn't the crux of the matter.

"So, there really were bullets..." Frowning deeply, he examined the bullets in his hand. "Burglars this weak?"

After considerable time in Skysource, An Jing had meticulously gathered information and knew that gunpowder weapons were primarily used by fourfold Qi Refinement cultivators.

Those beyond the fourth level could wield spirit gear such as sword cases and spirit-beam artifacts. They didn't just hit harder; they could even liquify metal and pierce through defensive artifacts like bulletproof mantles.

Of course, a spirit-qi crucible could allow a cultivator to temporarily unleash power beyond their current level. However, its use was limited, preventing them from wielding that power entirely at will. Only poor, bottom-tier gangsters and thugs resorted to gunpowder weapons that left behind traces like bullets.