Plans Are Perfect When They Are Made

Zhu Bo was not lightly injured. After taking a Blood Replenishing Pill, he fell into a deep sleep. He didn't know how long he slept before he groggily woke up to see Luo Ban sitting cross-legged and guarding him.

"Brother Luo, how are your injuries? Have you recovered much?"

"I can hold a knife and walk," Luo Ban replied concisely.

Just then, a rumbling sound echoed. Zhu Bo jumped, thinking She Xuan had returned. He looked closely and saw it was Lu Bei throwing throwing knives at the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider, attacking and retreating without getting close to finish it off.

You weren't this cowardly when you were fighting for your life!

Zhu Bo found it quite speechless. Luo Ban added from the side, "You can't blame him for being cautious. He's been fighting like this for a while, but the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider just won't die. It even counterattacked twice, its vitality is too tenacious."

Zhu Bo smiled and shook his head. Being cautious despite having strength—he hadn't made friends with the wrong person.

Admittedly, Lu Bei was a bit thick-skinned, and being friends with him meant he would always be the one at a disadvantage.

But the facts also proved that he had a bottom line, far better than those brothers who would stab you in the back without batting an eye.

Half an hour later, Lu Bei had painstakingly ground down the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider. He received system notifications and scanned them at a glance.

[You have killed Liu Meng, gaining 8000 experience]

[You have killed Liu Xiong, gaining 8000 experience]

[You have killed...]

[...

[You have killed Xi Chen, gaining 30000 experience]

[You have defeated She Xuan, gaining 20000 experience]

[You have completed the Side Quest: Eliminate the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider with a fatal blow, gaining 90000 experience based on contribution]

[You have killed the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider and obtained 'Dungeon Key' x1]

Adding the more than 100,000 experience he had left, his total experience accumulated to 300,000. It seemed like a lot, but it wasn't even enough for his Main Profession to level up five times.

However, the notification about She Xuan gave him a bold idea: if he didn't kill the Oddity, but kept it in his basement and kept farming it, would he get experience every time?

He hoped so.

He was a kind person who liked to release creatures. He hoped the programmers would inject a bit of beauty into the world, allowing him to persist in his hobby.

If not, he could only say the programmers were too cruel.

"And the Dungeon Key, where is it?"

Lu Bei searched around and found a slender, carved stone key in the approximate location of the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider's head. It was as hard as iron and cold to the touch, most likely hidden by the cave's owner.

"Brothers, how are your injuries? Can you move?" Lu Bei stepped forward and asked.

"Young brother Lu arrived just in time to save us. We'll be fine in about ten days to half a month."

Zhu Bo struggled to get up, failing several times. Seeing Luo Ban meditating and recovering beside him, he gritted his teeth and reached for the Qiankun Bag at his waist. "Has that demon snake left yet? If she's still in the cave, she'll definitely be looking for the demon cultivator's relics. I'm injured and can't move. I have a formation-breaking compass here. I'll teach you a mantra. Follow the compass's guidance, and even if you don't find the relics, you'll find the demon snake... Huh? Hmm... Where's my compass?"

Zhu Bo's words trailed off as he went blank. The contents of his Qiankun Bag were laid bare. The scene was all too familiar, reminding him of the day he got Feng Si's Qiankun Bag back from Lu Bei.

"It's here, with me."

Lu Bei smoothly pulled out a golden compass from his Qiankun Bag, his face stern. "Brother Bo, how could you be so careless? Leaving treasures scattered everywhere. Luckily, I have sharp eyes and kindly picked it up for you."

You picked it up from inside my Qiankun Bag, didn't you!

Zhu Bo glared at Lu Bei irritably, inwardly scolding himself. That's right; judging by the throwing knives Lu Bei kept throwing, Luo Ban's Qiankun Bag had already been thoroughly looted. In that case, why would Lu Bei spare his Qiankun Bag?

Fortunately, Lu Bei hadn't taken everything. He had at least left behind spare clothes and healing medicine.

"Brother Bo, hurry up and tell me the mantra."

Lu Bei, unashamed, handed the compass over frankly.

As the saying goes, learn from your mistakes. Zhu Bo should have learned his lesson after Feng Si's Qiankun Bag was lost and then found. He didn't, so it was his own fault.

Zhu Bo quickly recited the mantra, teaching Lu Bei how to operate the compass. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Young brother Lu, I'll let the silver notes in my Qiankun Bag go, but that Magic Treasure is vital to my life. You can use it, but remember to return it to me."

"Uh, I just have one question."

Lu Bei blinked and shamelessly asked, "Could that fan get lost? For example, if I encountered Snake Aunt, fought her for three hundred rounds, and accidentally dropped the fan somewhere in the cave, never to be found again."

"My father's relics."

"Oh."

Lu Bei sighed. Another family heirloom. I shouldn't have asked.

I'll ask again after it's lost.

"Also, I have a few words of experience here, earned with the blood of my predecessors. Young brother, keep them in mind, especially when retrieving treasures. Don't be careless and lose your life for nothing."

Zhu Bo, still worried, cautioned:

"Tread lightly, as if on thin ice.

Move swiftly, with long strides.

Be steady in hand and mind, calm and composed.

Maintain a proper demeanor, in the dead of night."

"Makes sense, makes... wait, what was that last sentence?"

Lu Bei nodded repeatedly, then suddenly realized the last sentence felt off. What kind of senior is this? They ruined the whole article with one sentence. If you didn't know they were in a tomb, you'd think they were climbing over a widow's fence!

"Calm and peaceful. I mean, calm and peaceful."

"That's more like it."

Lu Bei nodded. "As expected of you, always so smooth with your words."

Meanwhile, on the other side, She Xuan, injured by Lu Bei's fierce attack, was startled by his savage fighting spirit and retreated in fear. She found refuge in a stone chamber, likely an alchemy room, to lick her wounds.

After recuperating for a while and seeing no pursuers, She Xuan grumbled to herself, blaming her own excessive caution.

Lu Bei was at the end of his rope back then; his ferocity wouldn't last long. She had scared herself unnecessarily. If she had stayed to fight a little longer, she could have made a comeback and killed him.

What a wasted opportunity.

There's no medicine for regret in this world. She Xuan nursed her wounds until she was mostly healed and decided to return to finish the job, lest any lingering threat cause endless trouble.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider's cave, She Xuan paused. Her cautious nature took over, and she set up a poisonous smoke formation at the entrance before scattering caltrop-like poison needles along the path.

"The chance for a bloodline advancement is right before me. There's no need to take risks. What if they've also set up traps? Without any help, rushing in would be suicide..." She Xuan frowned.

The path of a monster cultivator was all about strengthening one's own bloodline, either by purging impurities and retaining essence to constantly refine oneself, or by using the pure blood of kin with the same bloodline to mend one's own bloodline deficiencies.

She Xuan possessed a demon race bloodline, but it wasn't particularly pure, and her cultivation had always been difficult. She joined the Ascension Gate Sect to search for ancient ruins and half a month ago, she stumbled upon an important clue. Following it, she arrived at this cave dwelling.

That's right, she had lied to Zhu Bo. The owner of the cave was a monster cultivator, not a demon cultivator.

She lied because a Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider blocked her path and wiped out several teammates she had carefully selected. If Zhu Bo had discovered it early, her true target wouldn't have been exposed.

Who knew why there was a ferocious beast from the far west within Wu Zhou!

She Xuan couldn't figure it out and could only assume that the senior monster cultivator was incredibly powerful, raising a ferocious beast to test their juniors. Coupled with her plan to team up with another faction to explore a great tomb, which required the blood of the Zhu Clan, she set her sights on Zhu Bo.

She provoked him with words, drawing Zhu Bo and his experts. When they were both weakened, she would reap the benefits.

Then, not only would the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider blocking her path be dealt with, but she would also obtain the blood of the Zhu Clan disciples. Killing two birds with one stone, a perfect plan.

Plans always seem perfect when they are made, and it's only when they are implemented that too many variables are discovered.

In She Xuan's plan, there was only one variable: Lu Bei. The last time, the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider had wiped out her teammates; this time, it was Lu Bei, making her exclaim her misfortune.

Fortunately, victory would ultimately be hers. The three heavily injured individuals would need a long time to recover before they could fight again. As long as she avoided bad luck, she could claim the prize.

BOOM!!!

A strong gust of wind swept over her. She Xuan, who was in the process of planting poison needles, raised her hand to shield her face. Ignoring her shock, she retreated several steps and revealed her half-demon form.

"Snake Aunt, are you crawling on the ground looking for a mouse hole?"

Lu Bei emerged from the dark cave entrance, holding a fan in one hand and a saber pointed at the ground in the other, chuckling.

"It's you!"

Seeing Lu Bei's unfazed demeanor, as if he could fight another three hundred rounds, She Xuan couldn't believe it. "How is that possible? How are you still..."

When demon cultivators fight desperately, they can take on three to five opponents of the same level, but the cost is heavy. They suffer more injuries and, after a certain period, become defenseless and at the mercy of others.

"Don't try to take a demon cultivator down with you; it's not worth it." This is common knowledge in the cultivation world.

Lu Bei had shattered She Xuan's common sense. His unharmed appearance made her hesitant. Her snake tail swung back and forth, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

"Tsk tsk!"

Lu Bei had no such reservations. With his magic treasure in hand, he wasn't afraid of She Xuan's poison. His gaze fixed on her thick frontal armor and he taunted, "It's only been a short while since we last met, and you've already experienced a spring bloom and a second development? You must have made great progress in your cultivation. Truly congratulations!"

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

She Xuan's vertical pupils widened. Like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, she hissed and spat out poisonous mist. Unable to withstand Lu Bei's verbal provocation, her snake tail moved, and with a surge...

She disappeared into the darkness at the end of the cave.

"Farewell, Snake Aunt! I have another big gift for you. Take a look before you go!" Lu Bei waved his fan, clearing away the poisonous smoke and needles, and then charged into the darkness with his saber.