Venomous as Snakes and Scorpions

Venomous as Snakes and Scorpions

Hearing Youyou's words, Ye Weiming could not help but sneer. "So she found the quest clue first, but instead of doing the quest herself, she leaked the information to you in a roundabout way and had you complete it. Then she set up an ambush to attack you and seize the Zhuge Divine Crossbow?"

Hearing Ye Weiming's analysis, Youyou nodded helplessly. "That's the only way to obtain the Zhuge Divine Crossbow without betraying the Tang Clan."

Ye Weiming nodded lightly to show that he understood.

The Zhuge Divine Crossbow might be powerful, but in the hands of an ordinary player, it was at most an awkward weapon that could let them show off during the early stages of the game. Without matching skills, it simply could not display its proper power.

And so far, only Tang Clan sect skills could bring out the Zhuge Divine Crossbow's true might.

If the person holding the Zhuge Divine Crossbow betrayed the Tang Clan, then even without considering the possibility of being hunted down jointly by sect NPCs and players, they would definitely be unable to learn the sect's later skills. Without those follow-up skills, they could only flaunt it for a while in the early game. Later, they would have to change their approach based on what they had accumulated, and the Zhuge Divine Crossbow's usefulness would still drop sharply.

Compared to that, Shuizhuroupian's scheme was indeed far more thorough.

It was just too vicious!

She was absolutely screwing Youyou over for her own benefit.

A woman like that truly was venomous as snakes and scorpions!

At that moment, Youyou continued, "Shuizhuroupian isn't alone. It seems several close friends entered the game with her. Their names are Crystal Grape, Heart Protection Meat, Jelly Pudding, and Pop Rocks. Five girls in total, all Tang Clan disciples. They should all be waiting outside now."

Ye Weiming nodded. After glancing upward, he said, "In other words, there are at least five powerful crossbows waiting for us outside?"

Youyou shook her head. "Besides hand crossbows, they also have ordinary hidden weapons—the kind you mentioned earlier, the kind you throw by hand. Too bad we're trapped in this awkward spot. Otherwise, with the Zhuge Divine Crossbow in hand, why would I fear them?"

"I have a way to get you up there, and I can draw some of their fire as well. Get ready. We'll move immediately."

"You're not going to restore your health first?"

"Only by attacking now can we catch them off guard." As he spoke, Ye Weiming stopped wasting words. With a casual gesture, he took the "Chen Ming's Corpse" wrapped in a grass mat out of his inventory. Then, exerting force with both arms, he hurled it straight out through the entrance to the Underground Palace.

At the same time he threw out the corpse, Ye Weiming turned and pressed his back against the ladder beneath the entrance. Lowering his stance, he interlocked his fingers and held them beneath his abdomen—the posture soldiers used in films and TV dramas to help one another climb over walls.

Youyou had been a special forces soldier herself, so she immediately understood. Without hesitation, she took a running start and leaped, planting her foot on Ye Weiming's interlocked palms. As Ye Weiming suddenly heaved upward, Youyou borrowed the force and sprang into the air, shooting up after Chen Ming's corpse.

The Underground Palace entrance was only a little over two meters below ground level. With Ye Weiming and Youyou's movement skills, trying to jump straight up from a standing position would have been nonsense. But if it was a matter of throwing something, whether Chen Ming's corpse or Youyou herself, Ye Weiming had no trouble at all.

Outside the Underground Palace, in the first-floor hall of Leifeng Pagoda, the five Tang Clan players led by Shuizhuroupian stood at different positions around the Stone Cave entrance to the Underground Palace, each keeping roughly three or four meters away from it.

Aside from their first sneak attack, they did not dare stand directly at the entrance to block it. Without the advantage of surprise, they were not confident they could instantly kill Youyou the moment she emerged from below. Yet with the Zhuge Divine Crossbow in hand, Youyou could kill them with little difficulty. Only by standing like this could they concentrate the firepower of all five people as much as possible. As soon as Youyou showed herself, they could all strike together and instantly kill her.

Just then, the five of them suddenly saw a whitish object fly out from below the Underground Palace. Judging by its size and shape, it seemed someone might be hidden inside.

Without the slightest hesitation, all five attacked at once. Crossbow bolts and hidden weapons rained down upon the white object. They did not dare take the risk. If Youyou landed successfully, then given the terrifying power of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, even five against one would leave them with far more chance of losing than winning.

Yet after the barrage of attacks landed, they did not see any damage numbers appear above the rolled-up mat. Just as they realized they had been tricked, Youyou's figure had already leaped out of the Underground Palace entrance. Before they could adjust their tactics, she had struck first. The Zhuge Divine Crossbow in her hands fired one fierce bolt after another, and nearly every arrow turned one of them into white light!

-741! Instant kill!

-736! Instant kill!

-750! Still an instant kill!

Although Ye Weiming's internal skill, the Breathing Technique, was low-grade, it had already reached Level 7. His health was slightly higher than that of ordinary players, but it was still only 760 points. At full health, he believed he could survive one non-critical arrow from Youyou. But while these Tang Clan players had beginner internal skills, how many levels could those beginner internal skills possibly have?

In any case, before the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, their health and defense were like paper. Even a graze meant death!

While still in midair, Youyou had already taken out three enemies. However, she had also been struck by two Flying Knives and a Flying Locust Stone. Still, ordinary attacks like those could not realistically kill someone instantly.

After landing, Youyou rolled with the momentum, avoiding two more hidden weapons. She then turned and fired another two arrows.

-735!

-1580!

One normal attack, one critical hit—two more clean and decisive instant kills!

That was the tyranny of a treasured weapon!

Only then did Ye Weiming climb up the ladder.

System Announcement: Hangzhou City has opened a new dungeon, *Underground Palace*. The dungeon level range is 10–20. Players may enter it through Leifeng Pagoda on Sunset Mountain.

System Announcement: Hangzhou City...

This Underground Palace map had actually become a dungeon?

Ye Weiming was not particularly concerned about that. When he had time, he could run it again and see whether he could find another Buddhist scripture or two, or perhaps some Sarira. Quietly noting down the news, Ye Weiming looked around. Seeing that the first-floor hall was empty aside from Youyou and Chen Ming's corpse, he could not help but sigh. "They've all been dealt with?"

"Mm, they're dealt with." Youyou nodded, but her expression was somewhat lost. Being betrayed by friends felt awful. Even though she had successfully killed them, it did not make her happy.

Picking up "Chen Ming's Corpse," Ye Weiming patted her shoulder. "Let's go."

Youyou gave Ye Weiming a strange look. "Why do you always carry that corpse around? You throw it away, then pick it back up again."

Ye Weiming shrugged. "It's a sect skill. I collect corpses to preserve evidence. But once these corpses are collected, I have to either turn them over to the Divine Constable Bureau or bury them. Throwing it out as bait earlier cost me 2 Chivalry Points. If I pick it up and sell it, I can recover 1 point."

"That really does suit the Divine Constable Bureau's style of skills." As she spoke, Youyou's expression suddenly froze, and her face was immediately covered in frost.

Ye Weiming was startled. "What? Did my sect skill offend you?"

"It has nothing to do with you." Youyou gritted her teeth. "Shuizhuroupian just shouted in the sect channel. She told every player in the sect that I obtained the Zhuge Divine Crossbow and was rushing back to the sect to turn in the quest!"

Thanks to reader White-Haired Madman Wu Zixu for the 100 Qidian Coins tip!