Chapter 561: Martial Artists Don’t ‘Steal’ Things

At the same time, in a ruin belonging to a Lord of Subspace, a golden lizard dressed in floral shorts and a green shirt abruptly stopped what it was doing and lifted its sunglasses. It had been busy grilling a barbecue skewer.

Next to it, a giant silver-furred rat with a slick, glossy coat and a peculiar tuft of fur styled into a perm, was holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The rat drooled as it gazed gleefully at the nearly golden-brown, crispy, roasted lizard tail on the grill.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak,” the silver rat chirped, glancing at the golden lizard.

The lizard, still holding its barbecue tools, replied, “Someone opened the control room of the Biscuit.”

“Squeak, squeak?”

“Yes, it must have been a non-Subspace creature. It can’t be one of us. Even Lord Terror couldn’t have opened that door.”

“Squeak, squeak, squeak.”

“Hmm, yes, I need to check it out. I sense a familiar aura; something connected to me.”

“Squeak.”

“Fine, but we’ll finish eating first. Let’s eat, then go,” the golden lizard said decisively.

The conversation between the golden lizard and the silver rat was surprisingly smooth, almost as if the rat’s squeaks were perfectly coherent speech.

Not far away, Bajie crouched, his eyes wide with disbelief. The golden lizard’s delinquent attire and ability to speak human language were bizarre enough. But the silver rat, who only squeaked while smoking, drinking, and sporting a ridiculous perm, seemed to be able to communicate seamlessly with the lizard. This surreal scene left Bajie completely flabbergasted.

"Hey, you! Stop standing around and start skewering the meat!" The golden lizard barked at Bajie, snapping him out of his daze.

Bajie immediately scampered over, dutifully threading pieces of Subspace creature meat onto skewers. He placed them carefully on the grill, flipping them with care and sprinkling spices over the sizzling flesh.

After being teleported to Subspace by Barush, Bajie had nearly been torn apart by a Subspace Dark Storm. Thankfully, this golden lizard had saved him just in time.

Still, this odd duo, one a flamboyantly dressed lizard and the other a silver-furred, cigarette-smoking rat, seemed no more normal than the creatures of Subspace themselves.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Over time, Bajie’s initial wariness had faded and was replaced by reluctant trust. He was now convinced that the lizard and the rat weren’t Subspace creatures but hunters lurking in this strange realm. Judging by their abilities, they had to be big shots worth clinging to.

Bajie worked diligently at the grill, his hands moving with practiced efficiency. Eventually, his efforts were rewarded with a piece of golden roasted meat. Taking a cautious bite, Bajie’s eyes widened in shock as the flavor exploded in his mouth. He nearly swallowed his tongue.

Delicious!

He had never tasted anything so extraordinary. If he hadn’t witnessed the golden lizard chopping off its own tail to prepare this golden roast, Bajie might have thought he was eating dragon meat.

The lizard and the rat exchanged amused glances as Bajie scarfed down the meat, savoring every bite like it was his last. This strange alliance, forged over skewers of roasted Subspace meat, seemed to grow stronger by the second.

Bajie felt his blood and vitality surge wildly with every bite. He touched his nose. It was bleeding from the potency of the energy in the meat. He quickly activated the Innate Art, secretly refining the immense energy contained in the golden roasted meat.

The golden lizard and the smoking, drinking, perm-styled rat glanced at Bajie but didn’t bother with him further. They seemed unfazed as they continued to savor their meal.

Moments later, having eaten and drunk their fill, they stretched lazily.

“Let’s go take a look,” the golden lizard said, licking the grease off its lips.

The rat nodded, wiping its whiskers clean of oil. Both looked content as they prepared to head out, their movements unhurried but purposeful.

“Big brothers, take me with you!” Bajie blurted, stepping forward eagerly to curry favor.

He plastered a smile on his face and tried to act familiar, hoping to latch onto this peculiar yet undeniably powerful duo.

***

The main control room door opened slowly and steadily. A surprised Li Xiaofei peered inside carefully.

Pale white light illuminated every detail of the massive control room. It was just like he had imagined. There were hundreds of screens resembling light cores displaying streams of data. In addition, numerous virtual projection screens hovered in midair, their holographic displays flickering softly.

The room was structured for command and operation, with various sections like command cockpits and control stations neatly arranged.

One side of the wall had built-in storage cabinets designed to hold space combat armors. Inside, humanoid armors that resembled the battle armor of Earth’s ancient generals but were far more advanced, stood silently. Clearly, they weren’t just armors—they were something far more powerful.

At the very center of the room was a massive sand table. A holographic star map was suspended above it, though it was unclear whether it depicted the star systems of Subspace or the universe beyond.

There were also numerous weapon storage cabinets along the walls, filled with an impressive assortment of weaponry.

Swords dominated the collection: long swords, short swords, rapiers, flexible swords, greatswords—there was a blade for every imaginable need. The Beichen Legion, being the combat division under the Sword Immortal Lin Beichen, naturally focused on cultivating swordsmanship. That much made sense to Li Xiaofei.

But there was something he couldn’t wrap his head around. If the war took place ten thousand years ago, did that mean Lin Beichen had existed at least ten thousand years ago? That timeline didn’t align with some of the myths and legends on Earth. It was confusing, to say the least.

Li Xiaofei stepped into the control room, carefully observing his surroundings. There were no signs of any living beings. Yet, many of the instruments were still operational.

Tens of thousands of years... The technological prowess of the Beichen Legion was nothing short of astonishing.

As he wandered through the room, something strange caught his attention. His palm seemed to unlock every lock in the control room with ease. Whether it was sealed storage cabinets, control panels, or even dormant holographic light cores, his touch activated them as if they were designed for him. Almost as if he were the rightful owner of this place.

What’s going on?

Even Li Xiaofei himself couldn’t shake off the eerie feeling. Something was definitely not right.

Barush, standing just outside the control room, didn’t dare breathe too loudly. He occasionally peeked in, clearly overwhelmed by the place's intimidating aura. Li Xiaofei was even more surprised to discover that most of the instruments in the control room were voice-activated and they responded in Great Xia’s standard tongue.

This discovery allowed him to quickly figure out a few things. The so-called legendary treasure? It didn’t exist.

However, the swords, armors, and other items in the room were once the standard gear for the highest-ranking officers of the Beichen Legion. These weapons were engraved with formation lines, enhancing their power far beyond that of modern power weapons. Similarly, the armors, also embedded with formation lines, boasted incredible defensive capabilities.

These items may not have been considered treasures in their original era. But to Li Xiaofei, in this day and age, these once-ordinary items were nothing short of priceless treasures.

Any one of these swords or sets of armor, if brought back to Earth and wielded by a martial artist at the Qi Refining Realm, could potentially slay Saints.

Li Xiaofei did a quick count. There were thirty-six sets of armor in various shapes, colors, and materials, and seventy-two swords. Additionally, there were other ranged weapons, which, while comparable to modern power weapons, were still worth looting.

Li Xiaofei stored every last item into his Secret Time Pavilion. He had no intention of leaving anything behind. He then turned his attention to the control systems of the ship, studying them in an attempt to find a way out. It didn’t take long before his efforts began to bear fruit.

The control systems of the Biscuit were astonishingly user-friendly, especially for someone from Earth’s Great Xia. They required no special skills, passwords, or restrictive locks.

“So, this isn’t just a warship; it’s a war fortress,” Li Xiaofei murmured, piecing everything together.

He learned that war fortresses in the Beichen Legion were constructed using the star cores of planets as raw materials.

What an extravagant use of resources.

Li Xiaofei also realized that the central sand table’s floating hologram was a Subspace star map. It didn’t take long for him to locate No. 88’s dominion; it was clearly marked on the map.

Just as he was about to delve deeper into the ship’s systems, a voice suddenly interrupted him.

“Eh? The armors and weapons in the control room are gone? Who was quick enough to grab them all?”

When he turned, Li Xiaofei saw a golden lizard wearing floral shorts casually walking in. Its gaze scanned the room before locking onto him.

“Bro, was it you who stole all the stuff here?” the golden lizard asked, its tone both casual and confrontational.

Li Xiaofei’s lips twitched.

“Who are you?” he asked, ignoring the accusation.

“I’m the rightful owner of this place,” the golden lizard replied, thumping its chest. “Under Commander Xiao but above tens of thousands, I am the Golden Lizard King! So, bro, I’m asking you—did you take the armors and weapons?”

Li Xiaofei’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

What the hell?

How could a fortress that had fallen ten thousand years ago still have its owner walking around? And this creature doesn’t even seem to be lying.

Forcing a smile, Li Xiaofei attempted a flimsy justification. “Ah, Brother... Golden Brother, what are you saying? Martial artists don’t ‘steal’ things. It’s simply a case of admiring fine craftsmanship and taking a liking to it. Nothing more.”

Just then, another figure entered the room. Li Xiaofei glanced over, and his jaw almost dropped in shock.

Well, speak of the devil

.

The very person he had been searching for had just walked right in.