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"Well, well! The name's Wu Jiuzhi. The moment I laid eyes on you, brother, I felt this incredible warmth — could it be that we were connected in a past life? Come! Let's become sworn brothers, drink blood wine, and be family!"
The moment the Blue-Wrinkled Daoist's words fell, the grinning fellow suddenly darted forward, lunging right in front of Han Li, grabbed his arm with one hand, and spoke with an expression of deep sincerity.
Han Li was startled at first, but then let out a soft chuckle.
"Becoming brothers isn't out of the question, but would you mind not letting your hand wander all over my body? My tastes are perfectly normal, thank you — I have no interest in innocent young pretty boys!"
Han Li said with a teasing smile at the corner of his mouth. His arm jerked upward, then he flipped his hand with lightning speed and seized a certain wrist — the front half of which had already slipped quietly inside Han Li's lapel.
"Cough! Cough! Now how strange — how did my hand end up in your lapel, brother? It must have hit it off with you the moment it saw you and couldn't wait to say hello!" The youth, caught red-handed by Han Li, flushed red in the face with shock, but after a few dry coughs and some bluster, he calmly withdrew his wrist as if nothing had happened.
Han Li had no intention of holding on tight. The moment the youth pulled, he casually let go.
By now, Han Li had grown genuinely interested in this fellow called Wu Jiuzhi. He was clearly a cultivator, yet he used the pickpocketing techniques of common rogues to try and steal from him — that was actually quite amusing.
That said, his skill was remarkably refined and practiced. Had Han Li not trained in a similar secret art himself, he probably wouldn't have noticed the small movements. Presumably, quite a few people in the room had already fallen victim to him.
Sure enough, just as this thought crossed Han Li's mind, he heard Hu Pinggu's gloating voice.
"Young Wu, you've run into a tough one, haven't you? Got caught right in the act by Brother Han — and you still boast about being a top-notch thief! Pulling these petty little pickpocket tricks!"
"I do what I want, what's it to you? You want me to steal from you again? I wouldn't bother — there's nothing valuable on you from head to toe. And you still have the nerve to show up at the Tainan Assembly?" Wu Jiuzhi curled his lip and shot back with a cutting remark.
"What did you say, you little brat?! I haven't settled accounts with you for stealing from me last time!" Hu Pinggu sprang out of her chair, her face turning ashen with rage.
Her husband, Big Beard, though silent, placed his hand on the large blade at his back and glared furiously at the youth. Han Li would later learn that this Bear the Mighty was born mute, so all matters were handled by his wife.
"All right! We are all cultivators — harmony should be our priority. Both of you, take a step back and stop arguing." The Blue-Wrinkled Daoist frowned slightly at the scene but still stepped in to mediate. He then addressed Wu Jiuzhi with particular seriousness:
"Brother Wu, I know you steal things just for fun, and every time you return the stolen items to their owners — there's no real malice in it. But keep this up and sooner or later you'll bring serious trouble down on yourself. Not every owner is as reasonable as we are. What if you steal from someone in a cultivation family and they hold it against you? Even if we wanted to help, we wouldn't be in the right! So please, stop playing these pranks on your fellow cultivators."
Hearing the Blue-Wrinkled Daoist speak so candidly and earnestly, the youth felt a twinge of embarrassment. He scratched the back of his head and said with genuine sincerity:
"Actually, I picked up this stealing technique by accident on the way to the Tainan Valley. I just thought it was fun, so I started practicing without even realizing it, and then I tested it out on all of you. I really am sorry! But if even Brother Han here can make me fail, that means there'll be plenty of even more formidable people at the Assembly. So don't worry — I won't gamble with my life by using my stealing tricks there."
The Daoist's face lit up with delight upon hearing this, relief washing over his features.
"Brother Wu has outstanding talent. To have cultivated the eighth layer to the Great Perfection stage at such a young age — you're truly a rare genius among us rogue cultivators. That's exactly why you must take good care of yourself!"
"I won't let you down, Daoist. I hope everyone here will look after me in the future!" Wu Jiuzhi was a straightforward sort — he clasped his hands in a deep bow to everyone around the room, smoothing things over and burying the hatchet with all of them.
Hu Pinggu still wore a slightly disgruntled look on her face, but her expression was considerably better than before. It seemed she had reluctantly accepted his goodwill.
Only then did the Blue-Wrinkled Daoist turn back to Han Li and say with a warm smile:
"Who would have thought that Brother Han would accomplish such a great deed the very moment he arrived! This humble Daoist owes you his thanks!"
Han Li smiled faintly and deflected in a low voice: "What does this have to do with me? It was all the Daoist's skill at mediation that resolved the matter."