Dual Cultivation God Returns Chapter 1030: Don’t give them the satisfaction

Qian Ying shot Zhao Xieren a piercing look too, yet he kept berating his grandson, "Why do you reckon I took all those distant journeys away? You must never operate close to home! For every assignment, I ventured far off, which let me enjoy total peace whenever I returned home. Moreover, why do you suppose I picked this small, overlooked continent to reside in from the start?"

"S-settle down? W-weren’t you born here?" Qian Lei sensed reality fading from his grasp.

"Of course not! I hailed from the capital of a mighty Great Dynasty!" Qian Ying rolled his eyes. "I arrived here upon hearing of the Ko Family's grand treasure... I scouted the area for weeks until they faced that assault and my prize got stolen away. But then, I spotted the drawbacks of dwelling amid such clustered power and constant watchful eyes. Folks started prying about me near my lodging, even though I never took jobs locally. Just my regular outings drew notice. And by chance, I noticed how modest and secluded this spot was. With the Ko Family on the brink of weakening after the strike, I foresaw even deeper decline, making it ideal, so I set up here—where nobody would dream of hunting a legendary thief! It exceeded my hopes when conditions grew even grimmer... except for the arena's downturn, naturally..."

"Wha-...?! So it was one massive deception! Wow! What a swindle!!!" His grandson burst out in deep betrayal, then abruptly quieted as a realization hit, and he eyed his grandfather anew. "W-wait... so the family inheritance Dad claimed you blew on that shabby arena wreck..."

"How dare you label it a wreck, you impudent brat! It's my cherished endeavor!" Qian Ying declared with pride and a touch of magnificence. "And that 'family inheritance' tale was pure nonsense—what, are you a child?! I funded it with my thieving savings, obviously! And sustained it using loot from my excursions too!"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on... you're saying you thrived as a renowned thief, raking in fortunes, yet poured every single coin into your arena, kept doing so across millennia, and even dipped into our family enterprise for extras...?" The grandson's face twisted oddly, mirrored by Zhao Xieren's, while Kwon Qianhong wore an expression of sheer outrage.

Even the masked man, whose mind ought to stay inscrutable, radiated utter bewilderment at one person's epic business flop.

Suddenly, the grandfather's voice softened from its ranting lecture into a dodging murmur. "W-well, y'know... y-you blew through all your stolen gains too, paltry as they were, right? A-and when your dad got tired and cut you off, you begged me for allowance that vanished just as quick... I-I'm not alone in botching money matters... i-it's hereditary... family curse..."

"Dad's venture is thriving though..."

"Y-you rogue! I-I-I said I'm why it prospers! Those long hauls are for it...!"

"But aren't those trips just a front for your heists? Truth is, they're minor—mere extra big orders... our trade's mainly nearby..."

"Y-you..." The elder turned aside, hunting for backing but finding none from the three onlookers, who sided with his grandson here. "Firstly... your father skipped my elite Theft Dao talents, so naturally he missed that too. I-it's the toll of true genius! Besides, y-you don't get it—managing an arena hides tons of expenses. Way trickier than it seems! Overhead piles up, and you must excel at betting odds; one slip and payouts skyrocket, I swear..."

Noticing his defenses failing against both grandson and witnesses, Qian Ying dropped the whole debate. "A-anyhow! We're stuck in this fiasco now. Too late and pointless to bicker over it all..."

Qian Lei sighed too, fully aware that their captors were merely intrigued by the exchange and thus permitted it to continue, yet all things must conclude eventually—in this instance, the tolerance of the three watchers was undoubtedly beginning to fray.

Meanwhile, Qian Ying at last appeared set to confront the dire circumstances, his voice shifting to a heavy and solemn timbre as his gaze sharpened with intense resolve. An aura of pride, rebellion, and unyielding power radiated from him, truly embodying the stature of a legendary thief while he turned his eyes away from his grandson toward their captors, "Just remember, don’t grovel, or beg, or lose your dignity in any other way. Don’t give them the satisfaction. Remain headstrong and don’t give an inch away! You may be only an acolyte, but we, followers of the Great Dao of Theft are brave and dauntless at the very end! That is our pride as practitioners of this Path!"

"What if I told you that you’ll both live?", the masked Valley Master inquired.

"My benefactor! Savior! Great and merciful man of an immense soul! I am bound so I cannot move, but I would prostrate myself in awe of your great mercy and magnanimity if I could!!! Praise be your name whatever it is!!! Just save our lives, I beg of you! We don’t want anything more!"

Qian Lei’s gaze turned empty as he observed his grandfather’s display, his features stretching out the longer the act persisted until his eyes mirrored those of Dead Fish from the Crow King’s Nest.

The masked Valley Master let out a chuckle, "Shadowless, huh? I personally didn’t hear about you... wait... Shadowless?"

A peculiar look flickered in the eyes peering through the mask’s slits, "Your name is ... and you picked the nickname ’Shadowless’ as your thief name?"

Zhao Xieren and Kwon Qianhong alike, along with the figure off to the side, all cast puzzled glances at the elderly man.

"Hehehe, clever right? It was fated for me to be a great thief, I knew it when I was young...", the old man’s cheeks flushed slightly red, "It’s amazing, right?"

"It’s amazing you weren’t caught...", the masked Valley Master shook his head yet pressed on, "Anyway, as I was saying, I personally didn’t hear about you, but that is only because I am not well-versed in current famed figures that much. I’m sure if I asked one of my people to look into you, you are quite the famous one, you did manage to bypass the formation and, going above and beyond anything I expected, even through the first layer of thief catchers I set up"

Pride gleamed in Qian Ying’s eyes as a grin spread across his face, "Of course, to be entirely honest, I have no idea what miraculous arrays are those... but it stands to reason I was caught by the last line of defense, the last line is always the most tricky one and the most hidden... catching when you thought you are already safe..."

"It’s 33 array layers that work together in synergy to form 999 layers of overall thief catching traps that all act independently of one another in practice while being intimately connected behind the scenes", the masked Valley Master chuckled, prompting the veteran thief’s jaw to slacken in shock before his own hand rose toward the mask.

"Don’t! D-don’t take off that mask, please!", Qian Ying abruptly begged, "I don’t know how you look, I don’t know who you are. My hearing is getting old so I won’t even recognize your voice, ah this child’s head was hit as a kid, he has short memory and won’t remember either~"

"Grandp-..."

"You rascal, quickly say you won’t remember anything. It’s over for us if we see that face"

"I think you have misunderstood. I didn’t say that I will just let you go", Wu Long gradually lifted the mask with a grin, one that chilled the elder to the bone despite his efforts to avert his gaze, unable to resist stealing a glance.