But he had never imagined Wei Zhao would prove so clever. He had truly underestimated this tomb robber before! Had he known the man was so sharp, he would have gone straight to the husband-and-wife bandits to join hands with them — why bother with that great fool, Young Master Hao? Yet matters had come to this, and the two of them now stood on opposing sides; to mend the relationship was next to impossible.

"Hmph. I spoke of it so openly because I never once held you juniors in my eyes. Even if I tell you, do you imagine you can snatch it from my hands?" Old Yu was certainly not about to admit his other purpose so easily.

"Is that so? That may not be certain." Wei Zhao spoke mildly. "How about I give snatching it a try?"

The male bandit's overbearing manner made both Old Hei and James draw a sharp breath. This male bandit was far too reckless — even if he was a Mystic-rank expert, how could he show not the slightest fear before an Earth-rank expert, and even seem to want to wrest food from the tiger's jaws?

"Junior, do not imagine I dare not kill you!" Old Yu gave a cold snort of rage.

"Kill me? Go ahead. Haven't you heard the saying? To kill a thousand enemies is to lose eight hundred of your own. I can't beat you, but I can blow you up," Wei Zhao said scornfully.

Old Yu nearly spat blood. How was this brat like some bristling desperado? Ready to stake his life at every turn — what sort of thinking was that?

"Hmph! Enough of this. I have made myself clear enough. Whether we cooperate or not is up to you!" Old Yu could not be bothered to keep talking with Wei Zhao, and spoke with blunt force.

"It is you who begs us to cooperate. If you will not make your purpose clear, I have no way to let you take part," Wei Zhao said, still mildly, holding his ground.

Old Yu was instantly choked with fury, his chest heaving. He wanted to leap up and kill — but the brat before him just happened to know how to play with those true-qi bombs, and Old Yu did not want to be blown up again the moment he raised his hand. How was the boy like a hedgehog, impossible to strike? It was thoroughly maddening.

Yet Old Yu truly did not want to reveal his purpose, for it was far too important! Old Yu's other objective this time was Zhang Liju's physician's notes, for those notes very likely recorded the method of refining Qi-Gathering Pills — perhaps even mid-grade and high-grade Qi-Gathering Pills! Those were pills far finer than ordinary Qi-Gathering Pills. With such things, the hidden Yu family becoming the strongest of the hidden clans was a matter of counting days, and it might even be possible to stand shoulder to shoulder with the ancient sects!

If that physician's notes was the crux of it all, there was something of even greater importance: the notes of an alchemist. Zhang Liju was a master of medicine, and a master alchemist besides — but the profession of alchemist had long since vanished from the mundane world. When people spoke of alchemists, the first thing that came to mind were those wandering mystics; yet in the martial world of old, alchemists had truly existed. Such people were often the most important resource of every ancient sect: they could refine pills to heal wounds, to raise one's cultivation, to restore stamina — beyond any comparison with a common physician!

As for pills, people nowadays generally believe that once the formula is in hand, one need only collect the ingredients in the quantities the formula prescribes and blend them into pills. This is not so. Such pills are more than enough for curing ailments of the body, but for heaven-defying pills that raise cultivation and swiftly restore stamina, one must have precise mastery of the fire and further purify the essence before a pill can be formed. It is only that the profession of alchemist has been lost for a very long time; even among today's hidden clans, no such person remains.

And the reason the hidden Yu family knew of this matter was that years ago the Yu family's founding ancestor, in an ancient ruin, had seen records concerning it, and thereafter kept watch for any word of alchemists. Later, from transcribed ancient texts of strange tales and marvels, he learned that the Medical Sage Zhang Liju had also been an alchemist.

So this time, the moment Zhang Liju's tomb was discovered, the Yu family had attached the utmost importance to it, and at the risk of punishment by the Clan Arbitration Council had secretly dispatched an Earth-rank expert to take part in the tomb robbery — for the sake, besides the Qi-Gathering Pills and the physician's notes, of that all-important notebook of an alchemist's insights!

If an alchemist could arise in the hidden Yu family, then the whole order of the hidden clans and the ancient sects would change!

How could Old Yu possibly speak of something so important to these tomb robbers? If word got out, before the Yu family had produced an alchemist, the ancient sects would covet it — and that would be a disaster for the Yu family!

More than ten years ago, a certain sect had been wiped out by men. It was not an ancient sect, but one on par in strength with the hidden clans, and it was said that the misfortune came upon it because its young lord carried a treasure that aided cultivation!

And what virtue, what power did the Yu family have, to protect such an important notebook of an alchemist's insights?

Had there been no male bandit like Wei Zhao, Old Yu would not have needed such caution; he could have spoken freely of it, for he was confident that once they left the ancient tomb, he could kill them all and leave no trouble behind. Even copying the notes and insights out for each of them would have been of no consequence — he could simply seize them back afterward.

But now there had arisen such an uncertain factor as Wei Zhao!

With Wei Zhao's mutual-destruction true-qi bombs, Old Yu felt that if the youth wished to flee from him, it should be no great problem. So the notebook of alchemical insights truly could not be given to Wei Zhao to copy!

It seemed he would have to abandon the physician's notes. Let Wei Zhao copy a version of them; it would be of little use in his hands. Even if the Qi-Gathering Pill formula were in there, he was no alchemist, and could not refine it!

At this thought, Old Yu said in a low voice, "Hmph, I suppose you guessed right, boy! And what of it? There is indeed something else I want in the ancient tomb — the physician's notes of the Medical Sage, Zhang Liju. Even if you took them, they would be of no use to you. Such a thing fetches no money; it is worth nothing beside those antiques!"

Old Hei and James had thought that whatever Old Yu kept hidden and would not speak of must be some great treasure — they had never expected it to be this. They could not help feeling a little disappointed. The physician's notes would indeed fetch no price; how could it compare to those antiques?

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