An Apology Inverted

"Big Brother, you promised you wouldn't laugh."

At the dinner table, Zhu Kui shot a resentful glance at his elder brother. Zhu Bo hadn't stopped laughing since he heard the reason for the wrestling incident.

"Second Brother, don't misunderstand. I'm not laughing at you; I'm happy. We haven't seen each other in three months, and I'm just overjoyed!" Zhu Bo said with a serious expression. As he spoke, he turned away, unable to meet Zhu Kui's eyes, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Big Brother, that's enough. I'm already miserable."

Zhu Kui complained, "I thought you knew the whole story and would help me get revenge, but you haven't said a word about it, just kept laughing."

"Second Brother, it's not that I don't want to help you, but one must be reasonable. You fell down yourself; what does that have to do with our Great Uncle?"

"Not Great Uncle, I'm talking about that scoundrel."

Zhu Kui gritted his teeth. "You have no idea how much that kid bullied me. He took advantage of my desire to avoid trouble and my unwillingness to stoop to his level. He humiliated and tricked me every day, all under the guise of wanting to be friends."

"Maybe he really intended to be friends with you. After all, you're so generous, practically giving him money. I'd be happy to be friends with you too if I were him."

Zhu Bo said casually, then turned serious. "Second Brother, Great Uncle has already intervened in this matter. He told you not to cause any more trouble, so don't. Otherwise, if you antagonize the County Lieutenant Wei Mao, Great Uncle will lose even more face."

"I know. If it weren't for that, I would have beaten him up long ago. It's not like now; I can't afford to offend him, but I can avoid him!" Zhu Kui said huffily.

"Alright, stop feeling sorry for yourself. We haven't seen each other in a while. Have a few drinks with me, and you can help your bruises heal faster..."

As Zhu Bo spoke, his face turned red, and he tried hard to hold back, but failed. "Pfft, hahaha, you fell so badly!"

Seeing this, Zhu Kui's expression grew even more dejected. Enduring it for a moment makes me angrier; stepping back makes me feel more cheated. He grumbled, "Big Brother, do you know how much money I gave that kid?"

"How much?"

"This much."

"Five thousand taels? That's quite a lot, and it's not the going rate."

"Big Brother, think again. Your perspective is too narrow."

"What!"

Zhu Bo slammed the table and stood up, furious. "Are you crazy? It was just hush money; why give him so much?"

"A Zhu family member shouldn't lower their standards; we must live up to the legacy passed down by our ancestors' blood..."

Zhu Kui said proudly, but seeing his elder brother's displeased expression, he quickly changed his tune. "I thought Wei Mao also wanted a cut, and Great Uncle was just spending a lot of money to resolve the trouble by appeasing him."

"Powder on your face, coffin for a burial; dying for the sake of appearances."

Zhu Bo said irritably, "No wonder Great Uncle refused to let you take the medicine. Pampering you for a while and letting you learn a lesson is good."

"That brat, every time I think about how he got such a good deal, I can't eat or sleep, and I feel sick all over."

"There's nothing we can do; Great Uncle gave instructions."

Zhu Bo shook his head. After a moment, his brow furrowed. "However, he did go too far. He got the benefit and then acted like the victim. Provoking me every day is just wrong."

"So, Big Brother, you're going to teach him a lesson?"

"How is that possible!"

Zhu Bo sneered. "I've calculated it. This kid is like a funeral with an empty coffin; he's arrogant and will be ambushed and beaten within a few days."

"Big Brother is right!"

Zhu Kui was overjoyed. Thinking of the warning from Zhu Ting and the pain in his bruised face, he added, "Big Brother, just vent your anger; don't cripple the person."

"I know."

Zhu Bo nodded and asked, "By the way, from your observation, does that kid have any cultivation?"

"A little bit, not really. Not as good as mine!"

"Then it's easy to handle."

"Oh, right, Big Brother. Great Uncle told you to find him as soon as you got back; he has something for you to handle."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I wasn't thinking straight; I didn't remember."

"..."

It was another beautiful, sunny day. Lu Bei, having finished his experience grinding, passed by the Zhu residence as usual. Making friends requires patience, and he firmly believed that with persistence, he could break down the Zhu family's door.

The carriage drove slowly. As it passed the corner of an alley, the coachman cried out in alarm and fell off. Shouts erupted, and the carriage suddenly sped up.

Hearing the coachman's shouts from behind, Lu Bei put down the roast goose he was holding, took a piece of white cloth to wipe the grease from his fingertips, and slightly lifted the curtain.

He saw a stranger's back, riding a horse at full speed, driving the carriage towards an unfamiliar road.

Lu Bei frowned, lowered the curtain, and remained silent.

There were two possibilities: a robbery or revenge.

Dasheng Pass had decent public security, so the possibility of a robbery in broad daylight was slim. Revenge was even less likely; he had just arrived and hadn't offended anyone. Even with the minor misunderstanding with Zhu Kui, it had been smoothed over by Zhu Ting and Wei Mao.

Therefore...

The situation was unclear. Time to level up.

I spent half of my 300,000 stored experience points on the cultivation technique 'Demon Slaying Scripture', and my personal status panel refreshed, my cultivation skyrocketing.

[You have comprehended the Demon Slaying Scripture and achieved some success. Strength +2, Speed +2, Spirit +3]

[You have comprehended the Demon Slaying Scripture and achieved some success. Strength +2, Speed +3, Spirit +4]

[You have comprehended the Demon Slaying Scripture and gained immense rewards. Total Level Experience +5000, Cultivation +100, Health +100]

[You have comprehended the Demon Slaying Scripture and achieved some success. Strength +4, Speed +4, Spirit +6]

[You have comprehended the Demon Slaying Scripture and...

[You have comprehended the Demon Slaying Scripture and gained immense rewards. Total Level Experience +50000, Cultivation +500, Health +300]

[You have comprehended the Demon Slaying Scripture and continuously broken through realms. You have comprehended the skill [Blood Rage]. Spirit +5, Stamina +3, Charisma +1, Free Attribute Points +3, Skill Points +200]

[You have comprehended the Demon Slaying Scripture and continuously broken through realms. You have comprehended the skill [Undercurrent]. Strength +5, Speed +3, Free Attribute Points +4, Skill Points +200]

[Demon Slaying Scripture Lv6 (10/120,000)]

Name: Lu Bei

Level: 11

Experience: 15010/50000

Cultivation: 900/900

Health: 550/550

Attributes: Strength 30, Speed 23, Spirit 34, Stamina 15, Charisma 4, Luck 3

Looking at the remaining 150,000 experience points in my inventory, Lu Bei felt a vague sense of unease. It was too little, not nearly enough to last. Alchemy and grinding for experience really weren't as fast as doing quests.

Furthermore, the benefits from the Demon Slaying Scripture were immense. Its level far surpassed that of typical beginner techniques, especially in increasing basic attributes, which was unheard of. However, it also devoured experience voraciously. It took half of his inventory just to gain five levels.

There was no question about it; he had to continue pouring experience into it.

Lu Bei opened the two skills and studied them carefully.

The skill 'Blood Rage' was a spirit-based active attack skill. It had a capture range of 1-10 people and consumed a large amount of cultivation per second, in exchange for a powerful deterrent effect. Once successful, the target would be afflicted with negative buffs, reducing all their basic attributes.

In other words, if he just glared at them, their strength, speed, and spirit would all decline, and their cultivation, health, and other stats would plummet. If the level difference was significant, they would be at his mercy, unable to resist as he slaughtered them.

The skill 'Undercurrent' was similar to charging up for a critical hit. It also used high consumption for high damage.

As these two major skills leveled up, their effects, including the capture range, would improve, making their killing power truly terrifying.

There was nothing more to say; it was time to feed them experience.

[Blood Rage Lv3 (10/10,000)]

[Undercurrent Lv3 (10/8,000)]

Looking at the effects, Lu Bei nodded repeatedly, praising Mo Buxiu, who was now confined in his small box: "As expected of a cultivation technique from the far west. Its power is even greater than demonic techniques. It truly lives up to the name 'Demon Slaying'."

The carriage stopped, and the sound of about ten footsteps surrounded them. A sinister voice rang out, "Kid, stop dawdling. We don't have time to waste with you. Get out here and take your beating."

"Can this be solved with money?"

"What do you think!"

"Then there's nothing I can do."

Lu Bei lifted the curtain of the carriage and said with a troubled expression, "I was actually hoping you guys would give me some money and I'd apologize by standing on my head. Then we could just forget about this whole thing today!"