Chapter 22: Techniques Are Like Clothes, Wives Are Like Brothers
But very quickly, Zu Zong suppressed this dangerous yet thrilling thought.
He couldn't afford to go overboard just yet—after all, Tang Hao was very likely secretly protecting Tang San at all times!
Until he possessed power on par with his enemies, it was better to remain hidden in the shadows.
"System, continue stealing!"
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing one bottle of century-old Soul Wine from a miscellaneous shop in Douluo Continent. The shop owner's hatred toward the host has increased to 25%. The shop owner wishes to marry off his 350-jin (approx. 175 kg) daughter to the host and wants the host to join his family. Hatred points +250.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing two sets of the latest youth clothing from a clothing store in Douluo Continent. The store owner's hatred toward the host has risen to 50%. The store owner is increasingly eager to marry the host (the clothing store owner is, by the way, the same 350-jin daughter of the miscellaneous shop owner and is gradually developing into a boy-lover). Hatred points +500.]
Hearing those familiar phrases in his mind, Zu Zong was briefly confused.
Then he looked down at the clothes he was wearing and suddenly remembered—his current outfit and even his bedding had all been 'borrowed' from their shop.
He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Rolling his eyes, Zu Zong grumbled, "Why is it those two clowns again—the fat and skinny father and daughter? I remember that girl weighed 300 jin three months ago. How the hell did she gain 50 jin so quickly? If she wants to get married, shouldn't she be trying to lose weight? And what's with this boy-lover thing? I may have gotten taller, but I'm still just a six-year-old kid!"
"System, continue stealing."
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing all of Flender's gold soul coins, totaling 582. Flender's hatred toward the host has risen to 69.999%. Flender now just wants to beat the host until he's barely breathing. Congratulations, host, you've earned 10,000 hatred points.]
Hearing Flender's name, Zu Zong retrieved a large bag of gold soul coins from the system warehouse.
But his handsome little face twisted slightly—he couldn't feel happy at all.
"Should I say that I've backed Flender into a corner? Stealing all his money is basically killing him. And he still wants to spare me a breath? This old guy is stingy but kinda cute. I'm practically cutting his flesh and he still doesn't go all out on me. These hatred points, though—they're stacking up fast. Oh well! I'll give it back next time I get the chance."
Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy on the outskirts of Soto City in the Balak Kingdom—
Flender was hugging his soul tool and sleeping soundly. Ever since his gold soul coins were stolen last time, he had learned his lesson the hard way. He became suspicious of everyone, treating them like potential thieves, and decided to keep all his coins in his soul tool so he could rest easy.
A few months had passed peacefully since then.
Suddenly, a nightmare jolted Flender awake.
"Ah! Don't steal my gold soul coins!"
Flender opened his blurry eyes and looked around. The ceiling was familiar.
Hmm! So shabby—definitely his own home.
He patted his chest for his soul tool. "Good, still here."
But when he opened it…
He was stunned.
The soul tool was empty.
"No—"
No one knew what Flender went through that night.
But afterward, he locked himself in his room for an entire month and never came out.
(Of course, that's a story for later.)
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing cheap barley wine from Tang Hao's side on Douluo Continent. Tang Hao was left dumbfounded. No hatred points earned.]
Zu Zong reached into the void and pulled out a dirty wine bottle from the system space.
Sniff sniff.
"Ugh—ptooey! What garbage is this? It stinks so bad!"
Before he could finish speaking, Zu Zong casually tossed the wine bottle into the forest.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing a pair of panties from Hu Liena's soul tool in the Spirit Hall of Douluo Continent. Hu Liena is in cultivation and has not noticed. No hatred points gained.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing a pair of stockings from Bibi Dong's soul tool in the Spirit Hall of Douluo Continent. Bibi Dong is in cultivation and has not noticed. No hatred points gained.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing a pair of panties from Bibi Dong's soul tool in the Spirit Hall of Douluo Continent. Bibi Dong is in cultivation and has not noticed. No hatred points gained.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing the Moon Fierce from Bibi Dong's person in the Spirit Hall of Douluo Continent.]
"Stop! Stop, stop, stop!"
[Ding! Theft failed. This attempt still counts.]
Swoosh—Zu Zong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
'If I kept going, I probably wouldn't live to see the sunrise tomorrow.'
This was the Douluo Continent, and Zu Zong didn't have enough hatred points to mess around. Even if he ran, he'd be wanted by the Spirit Hall. At that point, forget chasing beauties—he'd be living in constant fear.
[Ding! The host has one theft attempt remaining. Would you like to proceed?]
"No good loot, but plenty of hatred points… Go on, steal it. Worst case, I cancel if anything seems off."
After the painful lessons with Gu He and Bibi Dong, he had finally picked up a rule: On the main world of Douluo Continent, avoid tempting fate whenever possible. As for other worlds—if you've got the hatred points and aren't cursed with terrible luck, just steal and run.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for stealing the Nine Yang Divine Technique manual from the belly of the white ape in Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. The white ape's affection toward the host increased by 100%. No hatred points gained.]
Tears streamed down Zu Zong's face—tears of joy.
"Three months… Three whole months! Do you know how I lived? I was stuck using that trash 'Soul Power Meditation Technique' plagiarized by that scumbag Grandmaster. Three months! Forced to use something from the person I hate most—it was pure torture. Finally… finally I can throw it away!"
Yu Xiaogang (angrily): "Give back my goodwill! Didn't you say just half an hour ago that my 'Soul Power Meditation Technique' had some merit?"
Zu Zong (righteously): "Techniques are like clothes, wives are like brothers! And your patched-up, tattered clothes? I don't want them!"
Zu Zong reached into the void and retrieved the only two useful things he had stolen today: the Nine Yang Divine Technique manual and a Transformation Pill.
Pa-dum! A flash of white light, and suddenly a soft, pink, springy pair of panties appeared in his hand, with a chibi fox embroidered on it.
"Uh! My bad—wrong item!"
Sniff sniff.
"Mhm! Smells so sultry. Seems like they belong to that foxy vixen Hu Liena."
He casually tossed the pink panties back into the system space.
"Mhm, this time it's right."
A jade container of obvious value appeared in Zu Zong's hand.
He opened the stopper, and a rich fragrance spread instantly. The scent hit his nose, and his entire body felt refreshed. All the exhaustion he'd been harboring vanished instantly.
"As expected of a grade-seven pill—Transformation Pill! Priceless beyond measure. No wonder that old geezer Gu He wanted me dead. For a magical beast, this would be like being reborn. I wonder if it'd work on soul beasts too… Should I give it to the old rabbit?"
The thought had just surfaced when Zu Zong instantly rejected it.
'Who do you think I am? Giving away a treasure like this to a hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit I've only known for two days? Wouldn't that make me a simp?'
Warning: Simp Behavior Detected.
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