After recuperating in the cave for a day and a night, Zhu Bo still clung to a sliver of hope regarding the Demonic Cultivator's belongings. He suggested exploring once more. If a formation blocked the way, they could inspect the outskirts without going inside.
This exploration revealed quite a few problems.
First, the formations in the passage had already been broken through, allowing even ordinary people to come and go freely. Second, there was something seriously wrong with the Everlasting Lamp—it was absolutely not an ancient relic from a thousand years ago.
With his mind full of doubts, Zhu Bo arrived at the altar. The dried blood and Bloodline Mechanism suddenly made everything clear to him. After analyzing the clues one by one, he quickly saw through the truth.
"If I'm not mistaken, the first master of this cave abode was a Demon Cultivator. The demon snake came here seeking the Bloodline Source. Unexpectedly, she encountered the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider left behind by the second master of the cave abode, a Demonic Cultivator. That was how all those schemes to cooperate with me came about." Zhu Bo spoke with certainty.
"Reasonable and well-founded. Very convincing." Lu Bei nodded heavily.
"They're merely bits of experience. I've only seen and experienced more than most, and am just parroting what others have said."
Zhu Bo humbly waved his hand, then sighed. "In the end, I realized it too late. The demon snake outmaneuvered us this time. Once she obtains the Bloodline Source, her cultivation will surely advance by leaps and bounds. If we encounter her again, I'm afraid we'll have to steer clear."
"How infuriating. We're clearly the ones who suffered the loss and got tricked." Lu Bei echoed his indignation.
"There's nothing to be done. Cultivation is like this. Everything depends on one's own methods. There's no right or wrong, and no reason to argue about."
Seeing that Lu Bei was unconvinced, Zhu Bo offered a word of comfort before continuing. "Brother Lu, don't be anxious. You and I may be helpless against the demon snake, but the Huangji Sect can deal with her with ease. She wants to rob the tombs of my Zhu Clan's ancestors. If I report the truth, she'll surely become a stray dog, unable to rest in peace even after death."
"Then I'm relieved."
The three left the cave abode. As they passed through the protective formation overrun by zombies, Lu Bei pondered for a moment, then told Zhu Bo and Luo Ban to go ahead. He single-handedly cleared out the zombie horde, cutting the weeds and pulling out the roots.
Leaving aside the severe threat these things posed to the ecological balance and the hidden risk of a zombie outbreak, simply leaving them there would pollute the environment. It was better to wipe them out.
Having performed a Daily Good Deed, even the red scarf around his chest seemed brighter.
[You completed the hidden quest: Exterminate the Zombie Formation, obtaining 100,000 experience] " It actually gave experience—and 100,000 at that?"
Lu Bei was deeply surprised. He silently gave the programmer a thumbs-up. Good deeds truly brought good rewards. The hidden quest held profound meaning, and he had learned his lesson.
After leaving the karst cave, the light outside was dazzling. When the notification announced that the quest had been completed, Lu Bei opened it for a look.
[You completed the quest Ruin Exploration] [You completed the Main Quest: Survival, obtaining 200,000 experience] [You completed the Main Quest: Explore the Ruins and Learn the Whole Truth, obtaining 120,000 experience according to your contribution] [You completed the side quest... [...
A whole flood of notifications appeared. Lu Bei skimmed through them, confirming the gains from this trip: 620,000 experience in total. Adding the 100,000 he had possessed beforehand, he now had 720,000 experience.
"Sure enough, doing quests is still the fastest way to gain experience." Lu Bei sighed. Refining pills meant working for others, while doing quests meant working for himself. Naturally, the rewards couldn't be compared.
Under a tree by the riverbank, Lu Bei found Zhu Bo, Luo Ban, and Feng Si, who had a swollen, bruised face and was eating to replenish his strength.
According to Feng Si, not long after their group entered, the sentry left behind by She Xuan's team had bared its ferocious fangs at him. Since it had been a sneak attack, he hadn't been prepared. He had been thoroughly beaten and even hung from a tree.
Just before dawn that day, She Xuan had suddenly appeared. Just as Feng Si was thinking that his life was over, She Xuan spat a mouthful of poisonous needles and killed her own teammate before striding away without slowing down.
Before leaving, she had asked Feng Si to pass a message to Zhu Bo. She only said that she had caused considerable offense and hoped they would have the chance to cooperate again in the future.
"What does she mean? Is she afraid I'll cause her trouble, so she's backing down? Or is she rubbing salt in my wounds to humiliate me?"
Zhu Bo was utterly perplexed. Still, Feng Si having survived was a good thing. After experiencing the betrayals of Liu Xiong and Liu Meng, he treasured a trustworthy brother like Feng Si all the more.
The four rested by the river. Once Feng Si had recovered his strength, they followed the way they had come and headed toward a nearby town.
"Three elder brothers, you're all injured and unfit for a long journey. As it happens, my hometown is in nearby Langyu County. Why don't you rest at my home for a few days? What do you say?"
"Oh? You're from Langyu County? This is the first time I've heard you mention it."
"I'm just a country bumpkin. There's nothing worth saying about a poor place."
"Brother Lu, you're being modest. Nine Bamboo Mountain can't be considered poor. It produces Spirit Bamboo in abundance, which is a fine business. My second brother wants to stock up on goods from Nine Bamboo Mountain, but he's never found anyone familiar with the way."
"That's perfect. I'll ask Brother Kui about it when I get back. You may not believe this, but of the nine peaks of Nine Bamboo Mountain, whether Sanqing Peak is in chaos or not is up to me."
"That powerful?"
"Your humble brother is none other than the head of Feather Transformation Sect on Sanqing Peak..."
Two days later, the horse-drawn carriage stopped at the foot of Nine Bamboo Mountain.
With their strength, they should have arrived sooner, but there had simply been too many injured people. They had needed to recuperate as they traveled, which delayed them until now.
Nine Bamboo Mountain did not cover a large area, but that depended on what one compared it to. Compared with famous mountains and spiritual veins, it was merely a little dirt mound. To Lu Bei, who still had to rely on his own two legs, it was quite enough to make him lose his way.
That was right. He couldn't find where his home was.
Previously, when he had gone up and down the mountain, Mo Buxiu had flown him up on the way in, while Bai Jin had flown him away on the way out. As a result, he had no idea which path led to Sanqing Peak.
Under the stunned gazes of Zhu Bo and the other two, Lu Bei stopped a passing disciple of the Emei Sect and asked for directions home.
"Brother, are you sure this is your home and not someone else's?" Zhu Bo couldn't help asking as they climbed the mountain road.
"The deed to Sanqing Peak and the Sect Master's Seal of the Feather Transformation Sect were both stamped by the Huangji Sect. My name is written on them in black and white. How could they be fake?"
Lu Bei pointed at the newly renovated stone steps. "The old mountain gate has mainly been given a new look. I went to visit my eldest cousin during this period, so I didn't recognize it at first."
Zhu Bo chose to believe him for the time being. Half a quarter of an hour later, he no longer thought so. The Feather Transformation Sect's main gate was tightly locked, yet Lu Bei, despite being the sect master, actually had to climb over the wall to get home.
"Don't be shy. This is my home—climb over as much as you like."
Seeing that nothing had happened outside for quite a while, Lu Bei poked his head out and called to the three people beyond the wall. "I've just remembered. The whole place was renovated, including the main gate. I was far away at Dasheng Pass, so it's only natural that I don't have the key."
"..." x3
Every word was true, but because of his previous unreliability, Zhu Bo and the other two remained dubious. Only after Lu Bei produced the deed and the Huangji Sect's documents did they reluctantly believe him. One after another, they climbed over the wall into the courtyard.
Lu Bei looked around. The Emei Sect's construction skills had lived up to the wealthy woman's payment. Though it was not magnificent or resplendent, the courtyard's layout was distinctive and pleasing to the eye—an example of understated elegance.
"Brother, your mountain gate is nothing special. Ever since I came up this peak, I've barely absorbed a few mouthfuls of spiritual energy."
Zhu Bo teased him. "And the Feather Transformation Sect is awfully quiet. Where have all the disciples gone?"
"It's Sanqing Peak. If it had spiritual energy, it wouldn't be called that. As for the disciples, I can feed myself, and the whole household doesn't have to worry. I haven't started recruiting anyone yet."
"Er, Brother Lu, you should come with me to Dasheng Pass. As long as the Zhu Clan has a bite to eat, I absolutely won't let you go hungry." Zhu Bo couldn't bear it.
"Thank you for the kindness, Brother Bo, but a master's command cannot be disobeyed. I can't leave."
Lu Bei led the three into the guest rooms. Seeing that the place was bright and spacious but didn't even have anywhere to sit, he walked out without the slightest embarrassment. "It's a new home, and I haven't had time to furnish it yet. The three of you will have to make do. I'll go down the mountain and buy some things now."
The three people inside looked at one another. Fortunately, they were not picky. Because of their professions, Zhu Bo and Feng Si in particular had often slept in the wilderness. Each chose a room and sat down to recuperate.
On Four Scenery Peaks, far from Sanqing Peak, the Emei Sect disciple whom Lu Bei had asked for directions hurried back to the mountain gate. After finding sect master Ding Lei, he truthfully reported everything.
"You're sure it was that Pretty Boy?"
Ding Lei's face filled with indignation as he recalled that night three months earlier, when Bai Jin had stormed the Emei Sect's mountain gate and forced them to take on a renovation job.
If it was business, then let it be business. Why couldn't she have talked things over properly?
Why had she beaten them?
Twice, at that!
It made it seem as though the Emei Sect did business dishonestly, secretly withholding part of the construction payment and substituting inferior materials for good ones!
True, they had done such things before. But this had been their first deal with Bai Jin. They had neither cheated nor deceived her. To come barging in and deliver two unprovoked shows of force—that was simply unreasonable.
Bai Jin's fists were powerful enough that the entire Emei Sect combined was no match for her. Ding Lei had pinched his nose and accepted it. But though he couldn't defeat that female demon, couldn't he still teach her Pretty Boy furnace something?
He had to vent this anger. Otherwise, his people would lose heart. How could he continue leading the group as sect master?
"Rest assured, Sect Master. Even if he turned to ashes, I'd still recognize that face of his."
"His senior sister..."
"She isn't there. Aside from his face being passable, the Pretty Boy has no strength and no build. Nine times out of ten, he was kicked out because he was useless in bed."
The disciple tossed out a line laced with envy, jealousy, and ridicule, then added, "The only people traveling with him are three invalids. Their steps are unsteady, and they look half-dead."
"Good. Have all the disciples prepare. We'll assemble at midnight tonight and follow this sect master to Sanqing Peak to wash away our past humiliation."
"Mighty Sect Master!"
Before you continue