Chapter 799 - 800: Past Embarrassments
After waving their goodbyes, the group split up. One helicopter sped off toward Qinghai, while the other headed for Penglai Fairy Island. This was not the well-known tourist destination, but a pristine, undeveloped island hidden deep within the sea—the true Penglai Fairy Island. The group sat inside, calmly awaiting their arrival.
"Old Nangong, Old Lin, what’s the plan?" the Nameless Elder asked, his focus on the bigger picture. "I’m sure that old coot from the Zhantai Family will have to show us some respect with all of us going. The real question is, what are your terms? Now isn’t the time to kill Zhantai Wuwei. That old bastard would sooner fight to the bitter end and drag everyone down with him than let that happen. Besides, the Demon Sect is stirring. Our Righteous Path can’t afford to lose a master, especially one of Zhantai Wuwei’s caliber."
Hearing this, Nangong Wentian and Elder Lin exchanged a look before turning to the Nameless Elder.
"We won’t make it impossible for him," Elder Lin said, a glint in his eye. "We just need an explanation. Besides, that old bastard’s home is full of treasures. We should naturally take this opportunity to fleece him for all he’s worth."
In truth, Elder Lin and Nangong Wentian desperately wanted to eliminate Zhantai Wuwei, but they knew that doing so would ignite a war to the death with the Zhantai Family. Moreover, it was a terrible time for the Righteous Path to be embroiled in a major internal conflict. If that happened, the only one to benefit and laugh in the end would be the Demon Sect. If not for the Demon Sect, Nangong Wentian and Elder Lin wouldn’t have hesitated to fight the Zhantai Family to the last man.
The Nameless Elder grinned and nodded. "I like this plan. We have to hit him hard and take as much as we can. It serves the old bastard right."
"You seem a little too eager, old man," Nangong Wentian said, eyeing the Nameless Elder with suspicion. "You don’t happen to hold a grudge against that old coot from the Zhantai Family, do you?"
"Of course not! What kind of grudge could I have with him?" the Nameless Elder said with a wave of his hand, a little too agitated. "We’ve had our dealings, but him outsmarting me? Impossible! When it comes to intellect, I’m leagues ahead of that guy!"
His protest, however, sounded hollow to Nangong Wentian and Elder Lin. They knew the Nameless Elder well; he was the sly type who wouldn’t get so worked up even if he’d been wronged. His current agitation was a dead giveaway that something was fishy. After all, every old man on this helicopter was a cunning old fox; you couldn’t pull the wool over their eyes.
"Alright, Nameless, spill it," Diwu Baiyu said with a smirk. "What’s the real story between you and the old man from the Zhantai Family? Don’t try to tell us there’s nothing. Who are you trying to fool?" The thought of the notoriously clever elder getting a taste of his own medicine was deeply amusing to the others.
Seeing the knowing looks from Nangong Wentian, Elder Lin, and Diwu Baiyu, the Nameless Elder grew frantic. "Hey, what are those looks for? What are you implying?" he demanded, stamping his foot. His old face flushed red, which only confirmed their suspicions.
"Cut the crap," Elder Lin said with a disbelieving look. "With that expression, you still dare to say you haven’t been played?"
"No, no, absolutely not!" the Nameless Elder insisted, shaking his head vehemently as if he would deny it to his dying breath.
"Are you sure?" Nangong Wentian asked with a wicked grin. "Nameless, don’t think the three of us wouldn’t strip you naked and toss you out of this helicopter right now."
"You... you people! Can’t you be a little less childish?!" the Nameless Elder snapped in frustration.
"They say we enter our second childhood as we age," Diwu Baiyu said with a cheerful smile. "And I’m feeling very childish right now. So, what are you going to do about it?" He looked as if he was fully prepared to strip the Nameless Elder bare if he didn’t start talking.
Faced with the trio’s predatory stares, the Nameless Elder felt utterly helpless and finally caved. "Alright, fine! I give up! I’ll talk, happy now?" he grumbled, looking at the three with utter exasperation. He, who considered himself the world’s foremost trickster, had been played by that old coot from the Zhantai Family. To the Nameless Elder, it was the shame of a lifetime.
"That’s more like it! Hurry up and tell us," Elder Lin urged excitedly, the flames of gossip burning brightly in his eyes. "The great Nameless Elder, outsmarted? Now *that’s* a story I have to hear! How rare is that!"
Watching this, Liu Mu, Lin Kuang, and Gongsun Zhan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It really was true that the older one got, the more childish one became. The combined age of these elders was well over five hundred years, yet they were bickering like kids.
"Years ago, I went on an expedition with that old bastard. We formed a temporary alliance, you could say.
"You all know how unreliable those things are. The moment a real treasure appears, any so-called alliance goes right out the window. That time was no different. We were working together when we stumbled upon a prize, and I made my move to get it.
"I managed to get my hands on it, but then that old coot from the Zhantai Family told everyone! In an instant, I was public enemy number one, hunted by a mob. Damn it all, I had to run for my life, sprinting like a madman to shake those brutes off my tail.
"To be honest, I was still pretty pleased with myself. So what if I got chased? I had the treasure, right? But the tragic part came later. When I finally got a chance to examine my prize, I realized it was a worthless fake! That bastard had swapped it with the real one right under my nose!
"And there I was, getting chased like an idiot and feeling smug about it! Damn it, you tell me! If you were in my shoes, wouldn’t you be furious?!"
The Nameless Elder was still fuming at the memory. He had conned people for decades, only to be conned himself. The indignity of it all was almost too much to bear.
While this story didn’t mean much to Lin Kuang, Gongsun Zhan, and Liu Mu, it was a different matter for the other three. Nangong Wentian, Elder Lin, and Diwu Baiyu were laughing so hard they were practically doubled over.
"Laugh! Go on, laugh, you old bastards! Laugh yourselves to death!" the Nameless Elder said irritably, his mood foul.
"Hahaha! Serves you right! It serves you right!" Nangong Wentian roared with laughter. "A classic case of the biter bit! I always thought you were the one doing the tricking, but to think even an old fox like you could get played! This is magnificent!" He couldn’t contain his joy. After all, having been a victim of the Nameless Elder’s schemes himself, hearing that the trickster had been tricked was the sweetest justice.