Death… and me

"This is the place." Tie Bu Tian coldly said, "Minister Chu, I will be waiting outside here. You can go inside and choose what you want yourself… I won't complain even if you take everything!"

Being a victim of debt collection was uncomfortable… Throughout history, this was probably the first time someone came to directly collect a gambling debt from a prince. This was truly an unprecedented event…

Tie Bu Tian was feeling extremely bitter and all of the words which he said were directed at mocking Chu Yang.

Look at me! This is what true class and grace is! This is my virtue! Look at you! You're like a rogue from the street coming to collect a debt!

Moreover, you're but one person. How much will you be able to carry? Because Tie Bu Tian was annoyed at Chu Yang and the fact that it was only logical that Chu Yang wouldn't be able to take much, he decided to speak magnanimously…

"Good… That is really good… Hahaha…" Chu Yang's eyes brightened. He rubbed his hands together as though he managed to find a great treasure. All the while, he seemed oblivious to Tie Bu Tian's annoyance, "Haha, your majesty is truly a great person… I will go in then!"

Before he even finished… he disappeared with a 'swoosh'.

Chu Yang had disappeared from his sight before Tie Bu Tian even had a chance to answer. He simply laughed dryly and said with a darkened face, "This Chu Yang must have lived in poverty in his previous life. He robbed numerous rich households upon arriving in Iron Cloud and now he is rampaging the palace's vault! Like bandits entering a village… this type of excitement is disparaging!"

At this point, he called someone to bring him a chair and sat in front of the vault waiting to see how much Chu Yang would be able to carry out.

The moment Chu Yang stepped into the vault, his eyes widened… Oh god, so many great things…

Nine Tribulations Sword in his dantian immediately was stirred.

"Don't rush, let's look around slowly." Chu Yang looked at the entire vault in excitement. This was definitely worthy of the palace; there was a large amount of treasure which had been accumulated over the years…

The very first thing that Chu Yang saw were the exotic metals. Moreover, each of the shelves had been clearly labelled, making it much easier for him to find whatever he wanted.

"This place is very well organised." Chu Yang praised, "This saves me a lot of work…!"

His hand shook and Nine Tribulations Sword's tip appeared, glowing.

"Absorb! No need to restrain; absorb everything you can!" Chu Yang's eyes brightened, "Anything not too rare, leave some behind. Absorb the rest. All of these things are treasures which are hard to find!"

The Nine Tribulations Sword was like a starving wolf. It swallowed everything per Chu Yang's instructions…

Tie Bu Tian waited outside for a long time and still did not see Chu Yang come out. Being puzzled, he stood up.

Was the King of Hell Chu going to stay inside and chew all the herbal medicine raw? The vault is so large. Perhaps he had gotten lost?

He wanted to walk in and see, but after his magnanimous gesture earlier, going in now seem like he was monitoring him… It would give King of Hell Chu an excuse to say that he was a sore loser…

After thinking for a long time, Tie Bu Tian finally sat back down on his chair. He thought maliciously: King of Hell Chu, I want to see how long you can remain in there! Let's see who can last longer!

A long time passed. And when Tie Bu Tian almost lost his patience…

Finally…

King of Hell Chu came out with a look of annoyance on his face. It was as if he was not happy with what he found… and as though the palace's vault had disappointed him…

In Chu Yang's left hand was a few herbal medicines, and in his right hand was a few pieces of shiny precious metals…

"Huhhhh…" After coming out, Chu Yang sighed with great dissatisfaction.

"You were in there for so long and you only chose so little?" Tie Bu Tian's eyes widened.

"Huh…" Chu Yang sighed again and looked at Tie Bu Tian, "Your Majesty, your palace's vault is very large, but it's a little shabby…"

"Oh? How?" Tie Bu Tian frowned.

"There was nothing valuable." Chu Yang complained, "I ran around and searched everywhere, but I could only pick out a few things." he held up two Snow Ginseng and waved them back and forth. He also rubbed the pieces of precious metals against each other creating a clear ringing sound. This was a quiet place, so the sound echoed.

For such a huge treasure trove, finding just a few things were too pitiful…

"Only that much?" Tie Bu Tian asked in surprise, "How high is your standard? Those things in your hands are not too valuable?"

"That is not what I meant to say…" Chu Yang said gloomily, "Let's just go…"

"Wait a minute!" Tie Bu Tian waved his arm, "I will go in and see."

Then he strode into the vault, looking very determined.

However, he was shocked the moment he walked in!

This is the palace's vault? On each shelf were only a few pitiful chunks of precious metals. And some shelves were completely empty…

Orderly placed labels lined both sides. However, as he walked deeper and deeper into the vault, Tie Bu Tian's steps started to falter… They seemed to scream out endless grievances…

On each shelf was a thick layer of dust.

Tie Bu Tian was unable to believe any of this; his mouth constantly muttering, "What happened? What's going on here…?"

The pitiful prince was in a slight state of disarray…

Chu Yang went towards him and began to quietly console him. "Your Majesty, you don't have to be like this! I am very satisfied with finding these two five hundred year Snow Ginseng!"

Tie Bu Tian was still in shocked and did not react to his words. He walked quickly into the area containing medicinal herbs. If his memory served him well, it was filled with heavenly treasures…

However, with one glance, he staggered and almost fell to the floor.

There were supposed to be many medicinal items, not just pink ginseng fungus, but much more… There were even rare items which were almost impossible to see in a lifetime… And now, not a straw was to be seen…

Even the precious jade box that was used for storage was gone…

Tie Bu Tian became dizzy and staggered a few times.

Chu Yang kind-heartedly caught him and said, "Your Majesty, are you alright?" The moment Chu Yang held his frail shoulder, he had a queer feeling…

Tie Bu Tian quietly took one step forward, removing himself from Chu Yang's support. He said, "I cannot believe the palace's vault had fallen into this condition already…"

"Your Majesty rarely comes here?" Chu Yang asked.

"Of course, if there is no need for it, why would I come? I am not a miser." Tie Bu Tian said casually.

Chu Yang pretended not to notice the fact that Tie Bu Tian was implying he was a miser, and sighed, "No wonder. This country has been at war for years, even with a wealth of treasures, it would not last forever. Every day, every hour, there are wounded soldiers… No matter how valuable the treasures, how can they compare to the precious lives of heroic soldiers who fight for their country?"

These words of Chu Yang had been directed the blame towards Tie Long Cheng. Moreover, he had implied that all of the medicine which were used for a just cause – to save the lives of wounded soldiers.

Tie Bu Tian remained silent for a while. Then he slowly said, "It must be so… It can be considered that these things were used for their rightful purpose." Since he had seen the condition of the vault himself… and with Chu Yang consoling him, he did not give it any further thought.

In the whole world, only Second Uncle Tie Long Cheng could come here. Moreover, Second Uncle was a general, in charge of leading the entire army. He must have had a great need for medicinal herbs and rare metals… Tie Bu Tian knew this well!

As for the possibility of theft, he immediately cast the idea aside. Theft of medicinal herbs was possible, but the rare metal chunks weighed a few hundred pounds each. Some of them were even a few thousand pounds. How could they be snuck out of the heavily guarded palace and remained undetected?

Even if they could steal one block, who was capable of cleaning out the entire vault? Even a Supreme level master could not take everything without anyone noticing…

Little did Tie Bu Tian know that the thief was actually standing right beside him – King of Hell Chu! Who was now sighing with a sense of loss and empathy…

It has been too hard on this King of Hell Chu… He just obtained a great fortune and he had to pretend to be sad… How powerful a mind he must have…

When he finally turned to look at Chu Yang, Tie Bu Tian was really embarrassed. He had promised to let Minister Chu get whatever he wanted. However, in the end, he only managed to get a few things. Moreover, it seemed as though Chu Yang just took those things to save him the embarrassment…

The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he became.

Minister Chu was truly an ethical and honest person, always thinking of others…

"Minister Chu, let's just say that I have yet to pay my debt to you!" Tie Bu Tian smiled and said, "I guarantee that you shall be fully compensated."

"What is Your Majesty saying?" Minister Chu said gallantly, "I just wanted to get these things to make a few weapons to further enhance the military. Plus, I simply wanted to see if I could find the appropriate herbal ingredients to make a saintly elixir for Your Majesty's health. What's all this talk about debt?"

Minister Chu sincerely and ceremoniously said, "Your Majesty is too serious."

Tie Bu Tian was touched; he now looked at Chu Yang in an entirely new light. As much as Tie Bu Tian tried to control his actions and thoughts, he gave Chu Yang a pat on the shoulder and said, "Minister Chu is truly good! Great! Great!"

Minister Chu is truly kind, and thoughtful; he is a true hero, always thinking of others and always sincere. If I keep talking about compensation, how could he say that he wants it? Not only I should not say so, but my saying so would be insulting to Minister Chu's moral character.

I should just write it all down in my heart. Tie Bu Tian is not an ungrateful person!