Snake Aunt

There were too many unknown factors in this ruin exploration, so Zhu Bo prepared thoroughly. Besides Feng Si, who was by his side, Liu Xiong and Liu Meng were taking another route to the destination.

The Liu brothers had cooperated with Zhu Bo many times. They were trustworthy and skilled, adept at both digging up graves underground and fighting above ground.

Next were the professional bodyguards, Luo Ban and Lu Bei, who specialized in handling fights when negotiations broke down.

A total of six people, no more.

As Zhu Bo put it, quality over quantity. More people would just be like putting a bandage on a corpse – useless.

At noon, the carriage stopped. The four of them took food from their Qiankun Bags and quickly ate. Zhu Bo took the opportunity to brief them on the opposing team, mainly informing Luo Ban and Lu Bei to stay vigilant and not be ambushed by the other side.

Lu Bei nodded and looked at Luo Ban, who was silent beside him. After leveling up, he wanted to spar with a master to get an accurate assessment of his own strength.

Winning or losing didn't matter; he just wanted to find a reliable back to hide behind when danger struck.

Luo Ban said nothing. He had followed Zhu Ting for many years. On the surface, he was a personal guard, but his true expertise lay in assassination. He had repeatedly assisted Zhu Ting with his professional skills, earning his deep trust.

In his line of work, losing composure was the biggest taboo. So, no matter how intensely Lu Bei looked at him, he treated it as a gentle breeze, as if nothing was happening.

After resuming their journey, Zhu Bo took out bottles and jars, giving Lu Bei a bottle of antidote pills and three Poison Repelling Beads. He imparted knowledge like cramming at the last minute, explaining the dangers they might encounter underground.

This lecture lasted for two days, imparting knowledge and resolving doubts, directly leading Lu Bei to gain a new Secondary Profession.

Grave Robber Lv4 (10/10000)

Ridiculous!

Utterly ridiculous!

Lu Bei felt indignant and was very dissatisfied with the title of Grave Robber. He didn't ask to be an archaeologist, but even a Tomb Raider would have been better.

Besides, he had only listened to theoretical knowledge for two days and hadn't even gone underground yet!

Three days later, Dongyang County, Hongling County.

At the city gate, a few ruffians saw that Zhu Bo's group was unfamiliar and came forward to demand some pocket money. They were quickly subdued with a few punches and kicks.

As they fled, they grumbled that this was not over, and then...

There was no then. These people were all bark and no bite. Their legs were quick, and their bodies were honest. They never appeared again.

The minor incident concluded, and Zhu Bo successfully met up with the Liu brothers. The Liu brothers had arrived in Hongling County two days prior and had been secretly observing and gathering intelligence. Yesterday, they discovered that the cooperating team had arrived, consisting of seven people. After a short rest, they departed and spent the night outside the county.

"Big Brother, apart from that chilling woman, everyone else is a stranger. We didn't dare to alert them, so we couldn't gather much intelligence," the Liu brothers apologized.

"As expected. The old faces have all fallen,"

Zhu Bo shook his head and then asked, "I ask you, were you discovered by the other party?"

"No."

"Big Brother underestimates us. We brothers are confident in our abilities."

"Then this is troublesome..."

Zhu Bo shook his head. The provocation encountered when entering the city clearly indicated a probe from the opposing side. The Liu brothers were unaware of this, clearly indicating their inferiority to the other party.

Instead of gathering intelligence, they had inadvertently revealed their own information. It was an inauspicious start.

Zhu Bo dared not delay. He briefly introduced Lu Bei and the Liu brothers, and the group abandoned their carriage and headed straight out of the county.

Feng Si led the way, tracking them along the way by following subtle clues. They caught up with their cooperating partners on the riverbank, two miles away from the main road.

Six men and one woman. The leader was a stunningly beautiful woman. Her green martial attire outlined her figure, with perfect proportions of a slender waist and long legs, making Lu Bei shake his head repeatedly.

In this deep mountain forest, with these long legs and a dozen men, it was a shame there wasn't a tricycle.

She Xuan.

The initiator of the team. She had cooperated with Zhu Bo several times and could be considered a casual acquaintance.

Zhu Bo repeatedly warned Lu Bei and Luo Ban to be wary of the most venomous women, stating that She Xuan, despite her beauty, was a beautiful snake that devoured people without spitting out bones.

Literally, She Xuan had Demon Race blood and was a Monster Cultivator.

Furthermore, despite her youthful appearance, she was at least 50 years old. Zhu Bo hadn't dared to test if she was unfathomable, but he had some idea of how many unfortunate souls had died from her snake kiss.

In short, in this desolate wilderness, Zhu Bo wouldn't dare to be alone with She Xuan without his two bodyguards.

"Sister She, we agreed to travel together. Why the rush?" Zhu Bo cupped his hands and looked at She Xuan's seven teammates, asking for introductions.

"Commander Zhu, haven't you heard the news?"

She Xuan retorted and then said, "Hongling County has been unstable recently. People from the Iron Sword Alliance and the Huangji Sect had a conflict, which even ruined my business. I'm not surnamed Zhu, and I can't afford to offend them, so I can only stay far away."

"I really didn't know about this," Zhu Bo shook his head, making a mental note of it for now.

Beside him, Lu Bei narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew of the Iron Sword Alliance, a powerful alliance of sword cultivators, one of the top forces within Wu Zhou.

In version 1.0, the Huangji Sect and the Iron Sword Alliance had a large-scale conflict that ended with the destruction of the Iron Sword Alliance's main headquarters. It was one of the main questlines within Wu Zhou.

Like a tenacious centipede, even after death, it wouldn't lie down. Even in version 3.0, there were still remnants of the Iron Sword Alliance active, making them a favorite monster for players aligned with Wu Zhou to hunt.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the two teams were introducing their members. For the next period, they would cooperate sincerely. Even if they didn't reach maximum favorability, a nodding acquaintance was the least they could achieve.

When it was Lu Bei's turn.

"Greetings, Snake Aunt. My name is Ding Lei. You're an elder, so you can just call me Xiao Ding."

"Such a sweet mouth, like you've been stung by a bee. Call me Sister She."

"Okay, Snake Aunt."

"..."

She Xuan let out a cold snort and frowned, looking at the taciturn Luo Ban. Of everyone in the group, Luo Ban was the one who gave her the most trouble.

Lu Bei had been like that before too, but after a brief exchange, he was successfully removed from the blacklist.

"Commander Zhu has many experts by his side. You've prepared quite thoroughly."

"It concerns our lives, how could we dare be careless?"

"That's good then."

The two leaders exchanged a few veiled remarks. Soon, their professionalism led them to set aside their mutual wariness and gather to discuss the details of the ruins.

She Xuan took out a map, handed a copy to Zhu Bo, and revealed all the known information without reservation.

Aside from the leaders, the rest of the group was clearly divided, with no intention of befriending each other.

Half an hour later, She Xuan and Zhu Bo put away the map. She Xuan led the way, with Zhu Bo following behind, and each led their respective teams into the deep mountains and old forests.

"The ruins are about 150 li from here. The road ahead is all mountain forest, and there's a large river that curves along the way..." Zhu Bo recounted the information he had obtained. To guard against poisonous insects in the mountains, he had the others put the 'Poison Repelling Beads' in their mouths beforehand.

Lu Bei looked around. After walking in the mountains for not long, they were surrounded by a vast, dense primeval forest. Strange flowers and exotic plants grew in bizarre shapes. The distant view was obscured by clouds and mist, making it impossible to see clearly, which gave him a sense of anticipation, like entering a dungeon instance.

Everything was fine, except that it was too realistic, making him want to retreat.