Chapter 101: Fire Gate Three Passes (2)

  The shopkeeper let out a sigh of relief after handing out the number plates and said, "I suppose you all know each other now. This number plate can only be carried with you personally and cannot be damaged. If it is stolen or lost, it will be considered eliminated. However, the number plates can be exchanged among yourselves. As long as there is a number plate in hand, regardless of the number, it counts as yours. Can all of you guests understand?"

  The thieves nodded in agreement.

  The shopkeeper said: "Alright then, everyone follow me, we're going to the first trial now!"

  The shopkeeper led the crowd of thieves out of the main hall, towards the backyard, and came to a hole in the wall at the end of the underground corridor. The entrance was locked with an iron grille, but when the shopkeeper touched the lock, it opened without needing a key.

  The crowd followed the shopkeeper into the cave, and after walking for a few steps, they went down a stone staircase. After going down hundreds of steps, they finally reached the bottom. The bottom of the cave was a huge circular stone chamber, with torches illuminating it brightly. On one side of the wall, there were ten passageways, dark and mysterious, leading to unknown destinations.

  "Listen carefully, everyone! This is the first pass of the Fire Gate Three Passes, also known as the Thieves' Pass. Please choose a route to enter, each one will lead you to a different location in an underground cave. Show off your skills and steal a token from someone else! It doesn't matter if you lose your own token, as long as you collect two, you can return here immediately and pass the level. The time limit is three days! If you don't have any tokens or only one after three days, you will be eliminated. Returning with no tokens or only one within three days is also considered giving up and elimination. If you return midway with extra tokens, we will throw them back into the cave, but their location will be unknown, finding them will depend on your luck. There's another situation to remember: if you collect two tokens but don't return here within three days, you will also be eliminated. Do you all understand?"

  The thieves all nodded in agreement and several people immediately shouted their approval in unison.

  "Alright! I've been itching for a fight these days! Just thinking of having a duel with you brothers to see who's stronger!"

  "Come on, come on! If you don't make a mess and steal, how can you show off your skills? Haha!"

  "Excellent! Fire King is wise and just as I intended! To avoid some cat and dog-like people from mixing in! It's extremely annoying to look at!"

  Those who didn't speak also hummed softly and nodded in agreement.

  "The shopkeeper clasped his hands together and said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, inside the cave there are food, clean water, bedding, and countless torches for lighting. You can do as you please. In the center of the cave is a large bell that will chime every half hour to report the time. Please don't miss the timing, or it will be regrettable. Also, I remind you again, the Thieves' Pass is only for testing your thieving skills, and you must not intentionally harm anyone's life. However, since knives and swords are blind, accidents may happen, and life and death are determined by fate, while wealth and honor are in heaven's hands. I hope you will all take good care of yourselves!'"

  The thieves all responded in unison, and someone couldn't hold back anymore. He jumped out of the crowd in a few steps, found an entrance, and plunged into it, disappearing into the darkness without a trace.

  The other thieves all chose their own paths and, in the blink of an eye, had scattered in all directions, with only a few remaining. These thieves dispersed in a very orderly fashion; the first batch of people each sought out a different exit, without any overlap, while the second batch included some who followed others through the same exit, probably harboring ulterior motives and thinking they could outdo the previous ones, closely pursuing them to take action before the previous ones did.

  Ku Deng and the monk joined their hands together in a Buddhist greeting, recited a Buddha's name, chose an intersection, walked slowly into it, and disappeared into the darkness.

  Zheng Zedao smiled and said, "Fire brother, since it's a chaotic and thieving world, let's meet in the cave first. I'll take the lead." Zheng Zedao chose a path next to the bitter lamp monk and walked quickly into it.

  His scalp was numb, his whole body tense. He knew in his heart that if he could keep the signboard from being stolen within three days with his own skills, it would be a feat. But to get a signboard from these masters, it's as difficult as ascending to heaven.

  "Screw it! I'm going all out! Let these bastards see what I'm capable of! Let's go!"

  A small spark of evil intention in his heart, he took a big stride forward, couldn't remember who entered which entrance, anyway, he forced himself to go with the flow, randomly chose an entrance and rushed in.

  Everyone in the underground stone room had gone clean. The shopkeeper looked around and shouted: "Jia Ding Yi, you should go too."

  "Heh heh." A cold laugh echoed, and a black figure suddenly appeared from the corner of the stone room. It was impossible to see whether this person was tall or short, fat or thin, only that the black figure rolled in like a puff of black smoke, darting into an alleyway - the very same one that Huo Xiaoyao had entered!

  Huoxiao Ye walked into the intersection, the road winding and turning downward. Huoxiao Ye touched the wall and quickened his pace, after passing through another turn, he saw a faint light coming from ahead. Huoxiao Ye hastened his footsteps, rushing towards the bright spot, finally arriving at an opening just large enough for one person to crawl out of, Huoxiao Ye didn't think twice, and crawled out.

  Huǒ Xiǎo Xié's eyes lit up slightly as he found himself in a high place within a large cave. Looking down, he saw a small square in the center of the cave with a four-sided clock tower on it, surrounded by four long-lasting lanterns that cast dim light, barely illuminating an area of about 20 feet in diameter. Huǒ Xiǎo Xié was about three to four stories above the small square at the bottom of the cave. The cave was dark and vast, with uneven terrain and jagged rocks everywhere. However, from the faint reflections coming from various parts of the cave, it could be inferred that this cave had countless nooks and crannies, making it an ideal place for hiding oneself.

  At this time, the cave was quiet, with a pin drop audible, and it didn't seem like more than ten people had just entered.

  Huo Xiao Ye knew that all the thieves had hidden well and didn't dare to slack off. He quickly held his breath, stepped quietly along the wall of the cave, and didn't even dare to breathe out loudly. Huo Xiao Ye walked for a while, but as it was pitch black around him, he could hardly move forward. He had no choice but to get down on all fours and crawl forward, thinking that he must find a hiding place quickly. After crawling randomly for a while, Huo Xiao Ye finally touched a small cave surrounded by four huge stones, and he immediately drilled in. This place was indeed a good hiding spot, just like a dog hole, where he could squeeze in with his body curled up. Although the end of this small cave was blocked, there were gaps between the stones, which allowed him to look down at the small square where the four-faced clock was located.

  "Ha! Heaven is helping me, I've found such a great place. I'll hide here for half a day and observe the situation before making any plans."

  Huoxiao Ye sat quietly for a while, and the cave was still silent. He thought to himself, "Could it be that over ten people are planning to hide like me for half a day?" Just as he thought this, he heard a muffled groan coming from inside the cave. Although the sound wasn't loud, in the empty and quiet cave, it was very clear. Immediately after, the sound of footsteps chasing each other came, also extremely clear. Huoxiao Ye quickly looked out from the crack in the rock, and indeed saw someone chasing each other in the darkness, but couldn't tell where they were coming from. After a moment, the chasing sounds stopped abruptly, and it was silent again. Just as Huoxiao Ye sighed to himself that it was over so soon, he heard a loud "boom" sound coming from far away in the high air, flames rising up, igniting a large fire, instantly illuminating a large area. In the light of the fire, a giant man stood at the edge of the fire pit, standing on top of a huge rock, very eye-catching. This man was clearly the twelfth Shanxi Ghost Dragon.

  "The Ghost Dragon let out a loud roar: 'You bunch of cowards, hiding one by one in the dark, what's the difference between you and a mole?! Suffocate to death! I'm Shanxi Ghost Dragon, anyone who dares come find me on the open ground below!' The Ghost Dragon's thunderous roar shook the cave, causing it to hum with echoes, and as long as your ears weren't deaf, no one couldn't hear it."