You Have a New Task, Please Check It

Talking with Lu Bei was anything but pleasant. Even if you ignored him, he could still find a way to thoroughly infuriate you.

She Xuan inwardly mused that anger was bad for one's health. Her body was her own, and there was no need to harm herself because of Lu Bei. She promptly ushered him out: "Sect Leader Lu isn't at Sanqing Peak making a fortune, what business brings you to my humble shop?"

"You've managed to find out my entire business so quickly. I can only say it's very heartwarming. Snake Aunt, I accept your concern." Lu Bei looked as if he were overwhelmed with gratitude.

"Sect Leader Lu jokes. Concern is only proper."

She Xuan said with annoyance, "SITONG Trading Company's headquarters are in Langyu County, and we have many partners in Dongyang County. Our sales channels are very wide. A few years ago, to expand our scale, we recruited many small proprietors, and I was one of them. Sect Leader Lu, you joined forces with the Zhu Family Trading Company and snatched away our Spirit Bamboo business, causing my monthly income to shrink. I've been thinking about you day and night, Sect Leader Lu!"

Speaking of this, She Xuan cursed her bad luck.

She had never had good luck since meeting Lu Bei. First, she lost twice in the underground palace and made a blood oath, binding her hands. Then her business was intercepted. It was as if Lu Bei were her destined nemesis, which was quite uncanny.

"Something like that happened?!"

Lu Bei gave an awkward smile. "The world is truly small. Perhaps... this is what they call fate!"

"Sect Leader Lu, what business do you have here?"

She Xuan once again entered the "see you out" phase, urging Lu Bei to get to the point and leave as soon as he was done.

"There are two things."

Lu Bei's expression turned serious. "The first is that you, Snake Aunt, are a Monster Cultivator. Although your strength isn't high and your vision is average, you've cultivated for decades and have considerable experience. I have a few questions about Monster Cultivators that I'd like to consult you about."

She Xuan: "..."

"I have a friend who has a demon pet that is about to transform into a human. He's asking me for some suitable cultivation techniques. Coincidentally, I picked up a few books in the underground palace last time. Can my friend's demon pet use them? If not, do you happen to have any suitable cultivation techniques on hand, Snake Aunt?" Lu Bei asked.

"It depends. Generally speaking, no."

"Why? Aren't they all Monster Cultivators?"

"Monster Cultivator is just a general term. Specific situations require specific analysis. Explaining it in detail is too complicated..."

She Xuan frowned for a moment and said, "To put it simply, even though we're both Monster Cultivators, the essence of your pet is a demon, while I am human. Understand?"

"My friend's pet."

Lu Bei said forcefully. Seeing She Xuan return a cold smile, he changed the subject. "Snake Aunt, is it possible for me to become a Monster Cultivator like you?"

"You want to switch blood?"

She Xuan was surprised. "As far as I know, it is indeed possible. The Myriad Monster Kingdom attempted this in the past, but the risk was extremely high. Less than one in ten survived, so it was abandoned."

Mid-sentence, She Xuan suddenly froze. Her cold tone softened, and she spoke with concern, "But that was for others. You are different. Not only do you have exceptional luck, but your physique also far surpasses that of ordinary people. The heavens favor the fortunate, so the chances of success are very high. I suggest you try it."

Lu Bei rolled his eyes. "Snake Aunt, is this how you repay your savior?"

"When did I become your savior?" She Xuan was amused and angered.

"I had a knife to your throat back then. You lived because of me. Isn't that a life-saving grace?"

"..."

"The second matter, when we were in the underground palace last time, Snake Aunt, you mentioned another business deal and invited me to join. I didn't ask much then, could you please elaborate?"

Lu Bei narrowed his eyes slightly. He believed in being direct. Since his experience points were gone, he was here to get a quest.

"Certainly."

She Xuan nodded. Although she was very unhappy about the subordinate relationship between her and Lu Bei, she had to admit that because of this passive connection, her level of trust with Lu Bei surpassed that with others.

In fact, even if Lu Bei hadn't mentioned it, she would have come to him about this matter.

Then, She Xuan explained the situation of the ruins. The tomb was indeed a tomb, but it wasn't the tomb of the Zhu family's ancestors. It belonged to a descendant of the Qinggan Dynasty's royal family.

In the Kyushu world, a hundred years could be called a dynasty, five hundred years an imperial dynasty, and a thousand years a divine dynasty.

Qinggan was founded long before Wu Zhou. It was vast and resource-rich, with a strong national power. It perished due to internal and external troubles, falling just decades short of becoming a thousand-year divine dynasty.

Wu Zhou was largely responsible for the external troubles.

When Wu Zhou was founded, Qinggan's national strength had severely declined, and internal strife was rampant. The general trend was irreversible. Even a ruler bent on revival would have been powerless; the fall of the dynasty was inevitable within three generations.

One was a fully armed strongman, and the other was a patient on an IV drip. The outcome was self-evident. When the two countries met on the battlefield, Wu Zhou thoroughly defeated Qinggan.

Several wars were fought, each resulting in Qinggan ceding territory and paying reparations. The Battle of Dasheng Pass was one of the more famous instances.

To put it this way, the three prefectures and dozen or so commanderies in Wu Zhou's eastern region, such as Dongqi Commandery and Dongyang County, were all Qinggan territory eight hundred years ago.

Naturally, several surrounding countries were unwilling to let Wu Zhou enjoy this delicious piece of meat alone. Like wolves surrounding a tiger, they pounced. The ailing Qinggan, filled with resentment, was destroyed and became a historical footnote.

After Qinggan fell, surviving royal members went into hiding for a century and plotted several attempts to restore their kingdom. Although all ended in failure, their bloodline had not been severed to this day.

The descendants of Qinggan deeply hated Wu Zhou. If Wu Zhou hadn't invaded, Qinggan would definitely have become a thousand-year divine dynasty. If Wu Zhou hadn't removed their last fig leaf, Qinggan wouldn't have fallen into a deadly situation of being besieged by multiple nations. If Wu Zhou hadn't issued arrest warrants, they wouldn't have had to live like rats, hiding their identities and fleeing everywhere.

In short, Wu Zhou deserved to die.

This also explained why a tomb of the Qinggan royal family, the Bloodline Mechanism, was not related to their own clan but required the blood of the Zhu family to open. They hated them so much that they wished they could drain the Zhu family's blood dry in one go.

This trip was not in vain. While She Xuan was speaking, a system notification appeared on Lu Bei's personal panel: You have a new quest, please check.

[You have received the quest [Ruin Exploration]]

[Quest Description: An ancient tomb of a former dynasty has attracted the machinations of various forces. It seems to hide unknown secrets. Is it a conspiracy or something else? Who is behind it all? Aren't you curious?]

[Main Quest: Survival, Reward: 800,000 Experience]

[Main Quest: Explore Ruins, Rewards Based on Contribution]

[Side Quest: Not Triggered]

[Accept?]

[Yes][No]

Lu Bei frowned and remained silent. The base reward of 800,000 experience made it hard to refuse, but the quest description made him hesitate. This ruin exploration had hidden depths, and it was highly likely to involve the main quest of version 1.0. With his current strength, he could handle weaker opponents, but if he got caught up in a struggle between major powers, he'd just be another dish on the menu.

"Why aren't you speaking? Is it because the Bloodline Mechanism requires the blood of the Zhu family, and you don't want to stir up that trouble?" She Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Last time, in the senior Monster Cultivator's cave, you were much bolder than you are now."

"Don't try to provoke me, it won't work."

Lu Bei shook his head. In the end, he couldn't resist the lure of experience. Fortune favors the bold, and he decided to go for it.

Thinking optimistically, if it truly involved the main quest of version 1.0, any of them would bring him long-term, substantial experience gains. It would be a shame to give up the quest.

Lu Bei glanced at his personal status panel. His stats, which had surged overnight, suddenly felt inadequate. After a moment of thought, he fixed his gaze on She Xuan.

His gaze was undisguised and full of challenge. She Xuan, who was lying on her side, shivered and sat up abruptly, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"Let's go. Let's leave the city and find a place where there's no one around."

"Doing! What!"

"You're so full of resentment, I'll help you vent."

Lu Bei stood up. "I know Snake Aunt isn't happy with me. I'll give you a chance. Let's have a spar. Regardless of the outcome, I won't hold it against you."

"Is that true? What if I injure you?"

She Xuan's heart secretly rejoiced, but her expression remained unchanged as she asked. From her understanding of Lu Bei, he could tolerate anything except being at a disadvantage. Suddenly offering kindness like this meant he was likely plotting something.

She had to clarify.

"If you injure me, it's on me."

Lu Bei stretched his limbs. "Stop talking nonsense. I know you're afraid I'll trick you, so I'll ask you one thing: I'm giving you a chance to beat me right now. Will you or won't you?"

"I will!"

She Xuan answered decisively. As long as she could get a hit in on Lu Bei, she was willing to fall into a trap.