Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

"Well, this is quite a sight! Have you been waiting for me?" Zachary asked nonchalantly. He smiled as he scanned the faces of the Xiao Clan disciples clustered around him.

He noticed several King Level disciples in white approach him.

"Who the hell are you? Why did you break into the castle without permission? We have caught your accomplice, so we suggest you come clean right now!" shouted a bushy-browed man and wagged his finger at Zachary's face.

The man's obnoxious voice had barely faded when Zachary saw Jimmy being pushed out of the crowd. Xiao Clan disciples surrounded him as he stood there and smiled helplessly, his hands tied behind his back. Jimmy knew that Zachary was, in all aspects, bull-headed. Despite causing a huge racket during the intrusion, he stood there in a haughty manner, as if he was not afraid of anyone finding him.

Zachary glanced calmly at Jimmy. He had acted so sloppily that it caused a large commotion. As everyone learned of his actions, the majority of the people in the clan now saw him as a reckless and arrogant man who relied on the head's good grace. His plan went perfect.

"I broke into the castle without permission?! That's a very serious accusation. If you ask me, I just wanted to familiarize myself with the environment. It's not a big deal. There is no need to question me about it. We will soon be friends, so I don't want to get into an argument with you." Zachary waved his hand arrogantly, as if to dismiss everyone.

"You are completely insane! Let's catch him!" The bushy-browed man turned even more livid.

Everyone started to charge as fast as they could towards him. Their sheer number made it impossible for Zachary to escape.

"The young master is here!" someone cried out from the crowd. Everybody went quiet, parting and giving way to several passing figures.

"Is that you, Anthony?" Zachary greeted him as if he happened upon an old acquaintance.

He had badly injured Anthony during

. I happened to tour the mountains and rivers on my way here."

"Well, you are as carefree as ever!" Anthony smiled faintly. With as much restrain as he could manage, he tried to put on a sincere expression. "Please, I would like to apologize for the disciples' behaviors."

"Oh, it was no big deal. Besides, I should be the one to apologize for not disclosing my identity. As you know, I've always liked to keep a low profile. I didn't want this to be a big deal," Zachary replied in a regretful tone, playing along with Anthony's theatrics.

"Thank you so much for your consideration," Anthony said.

"However, may I request that they let my follower go?" Zachary glanced towards Jimmy.

"Your follower? Oh!" Anthony didn't expect Zachary would arrive with his follower. He immediately shouted, "What are you waiting for? Untie him!"

The disciples that guarded Jimmy now scrambled to untie him, apologizing profusely as they did so.

"Thank you. And these two are..." Zachary turned his attention to the two Imperial Level warriors standing behind Anthony.

"Oh, yes, where are my manners? This is Master Lola. She is in charge of training our clan's new disciples. She is also one of our three female Imperial Level warriors," Anthony said, gesturing to the woman dressed completely in white.