Messenger of Calamity

Chapter 127: I Curse You

Why did I come to the Thieves’ House in the first place?

Yan Qing’s first reaction was to feel baffled, because he was different from the others. He wasn’t a thief at all. His background for three generations had been clean and innocent. It was only by accident that he transmigrated into this instance, and was forced to go around killing and burning with these thieves. If one day they were caught by the Divine Marquis Estate, Yan Qing felt he could still defend himself—he should count as a coerced accomplice.

As for Black Wolf, White Fox, and Red Snake, some deliberately became thieves just to enter the Thieves’ House, while others were thieves to try their luck at being recruited. No matter the case, all harbored ulterior motives—subjectively criminal in intent, and objectively criminal in act. But Yan Qing was different. He simply had nowhere to go and dared not step into the jungle of survival of the fittest. That was why he stayed in the Thieves’ House... He only wanted to survive.

But the moment he came to that conclusion, Yan Qing realized the absurdity of it.

Because he was already safe.

Ye Si was about to undergo the second job change, Jiang Ten the third, and as for Rat Monk, after arriving at the Xuanwu Lake Garrison, it wouldn’t take many days before he could reach second-stage and charge toward the third. Not to mention these alternate characters—for Yan Qing, once he traded for an Advanced Blade Technique on the Trading Board and used the two Secret Technique Books, what remained was polishing his skills. The path to three job changes was clear.

A Third-Stage Messenger would be considered a top expert anywhere, not to mention he had a Return Token. Even when facing a Foundation Messenger, he would still be capable of defending himself.

In fact, staying in the Thieves’ House posed greater risks. Let alone the pursuit from the Divine Marquis Estate, the tasks given by the Thieves’ House only kept escalating. For instance, during the recent Heaven-Reliant Theft Case, he encountered the Foundation Messenger Hermit Yu Li, while Black Wolf and White Fox clashed with Shang Xuanwen. If it weren’t for a combination of luck and strength, the four of them might not have returned unscathed.

The second mission had already pushed their strength to the limit.

If Yan Qing continued staying in the Thieves’ House, while it was possible he could flawlessly steal his targets, there was a far greater chance that one day he would face an enemy beyond his ability to fight, get surrounded, and be unable to escape... The end of a thief was always such a dead end.

That was why Shang Xinlei asked why he came to the Thieves’ House. Although he could abandon the mission, the risk of death always remained. Without a massive, burning desire, who would repeatedly take on such dangerous tasks?

Yan Qing also asked himself: Yeah, why was I still staying in the Thieves’ House?

It was like someone preparing for marriage being suddenly asked, “What do you even like about your partner?” Then, awakening to the realization that they might not like the person at all—just going through the motions out of habit.

At the beginning, Yan Qing had been weak, and had to rely on the Thieves’ House to protect himself. Even if there were risks, they were bearable. But now, he had many alternate characters to protect him, and had some power of his own. The Thieves’ House was no longer a necessity, but its risks were growing daily.

He could leave.

Where to next, he wasn’t sure yet. Maybe he could buy a mansion with Shang Xinlei in Jiangnan City, live a carefree life in the main city, eat and drink every day—wasn’t that wonderful? And no missions!

Even if Yan Qing wanted the rewards from the Thieves’ House, he didn’t have to participate himself. He could create a thief alternate character and see if it could sneak in. And while the Thieves’ House’s rewards were tempting, they weren’t indispensable. As long as Yan Qing created enough alternates and farmed instances all over the world, dozens of alternates could support one main—his growth speed wouldn’t be slower than Black Wolf, White Fox, or Red Snake.

Even without the Thieves’ House, he could still build his Foundation and ascend.

The more Yan Qing thought about it, the more tempted he became. He felt just like those authors who worked a job while writing novels on the side, until one day they realized the novel income was several times higher than their job’s. At that point, they started to wonder—why not just quit? And upon reflection, found no reason not to quit.

But somewhere deep down, something still felt off. Yet he couldn’t put a finger on what exactly.

It seemed he needed to hear what others thought.

“And you? Why did you come to the Thieves’ House?”

Shang Xinlei saw he had been silent for so long and thought he didn’t intend to answer, but then Yan Qing turned the question back on her. She picked up a custard bun and tore it open. The hot, creamy filling oozed out. As she licked it up, she replied, “At first, it was out of curiosity. Who wouldn’t be tempted to try whether they could control the Thieves’ House—a secret realm that lets you teleport anywhere in the world? Later, when I saw you acquire the Bingzi Pepper Forest, I naturally wanted to bid for a Legendary Token too. But before that could happen, I got a legendary Throwing Ring from the Mansu Woodland.”

“But the Thieves’ House gives out more than just Legendary Tokens. It also offers rare items. Like the Essence of the Red Furnace—I hadn’t even heard of it before. It probably only drops from Fourth-Stage secret realms or higher. If the Thieves’ House’s rewards keep growing, even Foundation Pills might show up in the future,” Shang Xinlei said seriously. “Compared to the Divine Marquis Estate, obtaining a Foundation Pill from the Thieves’ House is definitely easier and more likely.”

“Then once you get a Foundation Pill, will you stay in the Thieves’ House?” Yan Qing asked.

Shang Xinlei nodded as if it were obvious. “Of course. This is a rare opportunity. As long as I don’t encounter a mission that forces me to give up, I’ll naturally stay.”

“What if you had another opportunity? Like, what if you could clear a Fourth- or Fifth-Stage secret realm at extremely low cost, with zero risk, and gain endless resources to cultivate up to Sixth-Stage—would you still remain in the Thieves’ House?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Once you’re a Fourth-Stage Foundation, the missions the Thieves’ House assigns will scale accordingly. You might face even stronger enemies and more hopeless situations than the Imperial Secret Treasury. If you have a safer alternative, why cling to the Thieves’ House?” Yan Qing was truly confused.

Shang Xinlei finished her custard bun, thought for a moment, then said, “By that logic, I never needed to strive to become a Messenger in the first place.”

“I was born the fourth daughter of the Shang Family, never lacking food or clothing. Any discomfort could be cured by doctors. I could have lived a life of leisure, and the only price would’ve been marrying someone I didn’t love—which, compared to the hardships of honing my craft and the risks of secret realm training, sounds easy. My second sister chose that path. When I visited her recently, she looked happy. Her life is full of peaceful days—far better than me nearly being trapped in the Imperial Secret Treasury.”

Yan Qing nodded repeatedly. If he had transmigrated not into the Thieves’ House but into some rich family’s idle young master, he wouldn’t bother becoming a Messenger either. Wouldn’t it be great to just laze around?

“Actually, I could rest now too. Three job changes aren’t hard for me. And a Third-Stage Messenger already has a voice in the family—at least enough to choose their own marriage.” Shang Xinlei glanced at Yan Qing. “I could marry someone I love and live happily under my family’s protection for life. Even if the Shang Family is pushed out of power, they’ll never stop supporting a Third-Stage Messenger.”

That’s the life of my dreams, Yan Qing thought wistfully. But it only made him more curious: “Then why don’t you? Are you staying in the Thieves’ House for power? For Foundation and Ascension? For immortality? To see more of the world?”

“You’re right about all of that,” Shang Xinlei nodded. “But if we’re talking about the most fundamental reason, then I guess it’s... because I can.”

“You can?”

“I can do what others can’t. I can do it better than others. Many Messengers don’t start out with grand goals—they simply find meaning in their craft. They realize they’re different, that they can go higher and further. If I had to put it in words, it would be... ‘The heavens follow their course, and all beings fulfill their roles.’” Shang Xinlei smiled faintly. “Destiny pushes people into the roles that suit them.”

“If the Thieves’ House is the vessel that can carry me farther and higher, why should I leave?”

Yan Qing shook his head. “But it’s still dangerous... That answer doesn’t convince me.”

“Sounds like you’re part of the Precautionist School?”

“Precautionist?”

“There were once two schools of thought. The Precautionist School is like you—always doing the safest thing. Using Third-Stage to clear Second-Stage realms, Second-Stage to clear First-Stage realms, minimizing losses while gaining resources. The opposite is the Aggressive School, which seizes every opportunity, pushes limits, and never stops striving.”

“You’re Aggressive School?”

“To be precise, all three nations of the Central Plains follow the Aggressive path. The Precautionist approach is too inefficient and easily falls behind. For example, in the Great Liang, if a noble family’s talents dry up even briefly, other families will crush them and push them out of power.” Shang Xinlei sipped her tea. “But I’m not using that to argue reality against you. The Aggressive approach benefits the group, while the Precautionist is the safest for the individual. I used to be Precautionist.”

“You used to be?” Yan Qing caught that detail sharply.

“Yes, used to be. I only switched to Aggressive because you cursed me.”

Yan Qing refused to take the blame. “Woman, you can eat shit but don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m not talking nonsense.” Shang Xinlei shot him a sideways glance. “I originally planned to stay peacefully in the family after my third job change. After all, even my father is only Third-Stage... But you said I could become Fourth-Stage and shelter the family. That’s what sparked an ambition I never had before. I’m going to use the Thieves’ House to push myself as far as I can—until I reach my limit.”

“Maybe I’ll face mortal danger on the way, and I’ll regret it then. But compared to quitting the Thieves’ House and regretting it for the rest of my life, the former suits me better.”

“It’s all your fault for cursing me. Now I might not live to die of old age, so I’m going to curse you too.”

Shang Xinlei said this solemnly, then pointed at Yan Qing and drew circles in the air, chanting under her breath:

“One day, you’ll willingly take off your mask. You’ll meet someone you can truly trust. Your subordinates will all be proud of you.”

Yan Qing’s heart stirred. He had thought he hid himself well, but Shang Xinlei had already seen through the unease beneath his tough exterior. Compared to this politically savvy young lady from a noble house, he was still too green. His earlier caution had been right—the more he interacted with these thieves, the more he exposed himself. At every thief meeting, he was careful not to let others see his golden shell.

But looking at the girl before him, with custard still at the corner of her mouth, Yan Qing couldn’t feel fear—only relief. Like a murderer disposing of a body only to find someone beside him—then realizing it was his friend who killed often... It’s fine if she knows. At least I don’t have to act so hard in front of her.

Shang Xinlei continued muttering: “Also, you’re a pig. You’re a pig. You’re a pig…”