Inside Wangquan Sheng’s mind, the old man’s voice rang out.
【This person is at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, and the one behind them is at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. Be careful not to expose your strength. Cooperation isn’t a bad idea; since she has the guts to follow you, it means she has some tricks up her sleeve. It’s better than facing those people alone.】
Wangquan Sheng responded to Wen Li, “Fine. I invite Your Excellency to come out and talk. To show my sincerity, I will place my sword in a spot visible from the hole’s exit, and I will stand right here.”
Wen Li saw him actually place the sword about two meters away from himself, though she didn’t rule out the possibility that he had other weapons or backup plans.
She sent a transmission to Zongzheng Huangyue behind her. “When you go out in a moment, keep your disguise up. Don’t let him recognize you.”
“Understood.”
Wen Li didn’t go out immediately. Instead, she first tossed out a kitchen knife.
Clang! It landed with a crisp, metallic sound.
Wangquan Sheng, who was standing on high alert, felt his pupils tremble.
What was this? A kitchen knife?
【Master, is that a magical artifact?】
The old man in the bone ring was also bewildered. 【It... should be?】
But in all his years of living, he had never seen a cultivator whose magical artifact was a kitchen knife.
Was this some new trend in the cultivation world? Had he been asleep for so long that he was now out of touch?
Seeing that nothing happened to the kitchen knife at the exit, Wen Li finally circulated her spiritual energy and flew out, with Zongzheng Huangyue following close behind.
The two of them landed.
Wangquan Sheng didn’t recognize them as the people from under the bridge that night because they had changed their faces with new disguises. Seeing them emerge, he immediately picked up his sword again in a defensive posture.
【Ding! Congratulations on unlocking the fifth villain, Hua Cishu!】
Wen Li had just barely regained her footing when she felt a sudden shock, losing all interest in Wangquan Sheng.
【Wait!】
What on earth? How did she just run into her fifth brat?
Wen Li paused the upcoming villain background broadcast and questioned the system, 【You useless system, are you broken? This kid is a Chosen of the Heavenly Dao, Zongzheng Huangyue’s former fiancé, and a human! Where is he supposed to be half-human, half-demon?!】
Aside from Wangquan Sheng and the old geezer in the bone ring, there was no third person here.
Wen Li immediately ruled out the dead geezer in the ring; she didn’t want some old man as a disciple. More importantly, the system had said Hua Cishu was an eight-year-old child.
Wen Li quickly scanned the stone walls of the tomb passage and actually spotted something else.
It was right by Wangquan Sheng’s feet.
However, it was a dark, fuzzy ball. The fur around its two eyes was snow-white, a small tuft of red hair sat atop its head between two sharp little red horns, and the rest was black. It looked like a miscolored panda cub.
Its paws were round but extremely sharp, and she could faintly see dirt stuck between the claws and on its feet.
As if sensing her gaze, it bared its sharp teeth with a grin and let out a small hiss, as if trying to scare her with a wicked smirk.
It looked like an evil fleece plushie.
An unbelievable thought surfaced in Wen Li’s mind.
“...”
What did Wangquan Sheng use to dig the dog hole again?
【Dear, my search results are correct! That dark, fuzzy ball you’re looking at is indeed your fifth villain. He came here from the Central Province, was robbed, and sustained injuries, forcing him into this form. I’m sorry for the trouble, dear. May I compensate you with one point?】
Listening to the system’s feigned ignorance—it had a villain tracking system, so there was no way it didn't know Hua Cishu had been caught by Wangquan Sheng to dig dog holes—Wen Li felt like laughing from pure rage.
【You stupid system, just you wait.】
【Dear, don’t be angry~~】
Zongzheng Huangyue didn’t know about the system, but she noticed a flicker of hidden light in Wen Li’s eyes. Just as she was about to ask, Wen Li’s expression returned to normal.
“Has Your Excellency entered this tomb for the burial pills and spirit stones as well?”
She looked at Wangquan Sheng, forcing herself not to look at the dark, mud-covered fluffball on the ground. It was killing her. She was an upright youth with no vices, except for a certain weakness for fluffy things. Her hands were itching to pet it.
Wangquan Sheng suspected she was either testing him or genuinely didn’t know about the Moon Soul Arrow. “Why? Do you want to go fifty-fifty with me?”
Wen Li chuckled. “Considering there are two of us, a fifty-fifty split would be a bit of a loss. How about a thirty-seventy split?”
“Spirit cores will be sixty-forty. Pills, magical artifacts, and spirit herbs will be fifty-fifty.”
Wangquan Sheng’s goal wasn’t any of those; he was here for the Moon Soul Arrow. However, he couldn’t agree too easily, lest she sense something was wrong. He could see that the cultivation they were revealing was Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, but he didn’t believe it for a second.
He would cooperate first, then see how things stood once they got the items.
“Your Excellency really refuses to budge.” Wen Li feigned displeasure. “Fine, it’s a deal. Here’s to a pleasant cooperation.”
“I am Yin Fengcong, and this is my disciple, Feng Qingyuan.”
Zongzheng Huangyue’s eyes shifted slightly. Her master had once said her sister would be reborn as a genius in the Central Province named Feng Qingyuan.
One was “Huang,” one was “Feng.” The Heavens truly intended for them to be fated rivals for life.
Wangquan Sheng sheathed his sword. “I am Mo Qiming. Here’s to a pleasant cooperation.”
All three people present were using fake names.
Wen Li’s gaze casually drifted toward the dark thing by his feet. “So Your Excellency used this demon beast to dig the tunnel. I wonder what rank it is? I’ve never seen one like it.”
Wangquan Sheng cautiously picked up the black fluffball and placed it on his shoulder. “I don’t know either. I just picked it up off the side of the road.”
He changed the subject. “We are currently behind the third gate of the tomb, located in the southwest. The royal party entered half a shichen ago. We need to move quickly, or we won’t get anything.”
Wen Li looked away toward the front of the passage and nodded.
“Fine.”
Zongzheng Huangyue stood by Wen Li’s side with her eyes downcast, not saying a word.
Carrying their maps, the three of them cautiously headed down the only available passage.
A turn behind them led to the third gate, while going forward took them deeper inside. The entire tomb was built with bronze bricks and tiles, looking incredibly sturdy. Luminous pearls illuminated the walls, likely placed there by those who had entered before them.
There was more than one passage here; the place was a labyrinth that seemed to lead in all directions.
Wen Li held her kitchen knife in front of her, her eyes scanning their surroundings. Although the passage looked clear and they were the only ones there, hidden dangers still lurked. Zongzheng Huangyue and Wangquan Sheng also summoned their respective Dharma treasures for protection. The three of them followed the trail of footprints left on the ground after emerging from the third gate.
“The passages here don't all lead through; some are dead ends.”
Wangquan Sheng frowned, looking down at the map in his hand.
“The footprints have vanished. Did the people ahead notice us?”
They had finally reached the end of the initial passage and were now stopped at a fork with three paths. However, all the footprints on the ground disappeared right at the entrances. It was impossible to tell which of the three paths the royal party had taken.
Wen Li stepped forward and crouched down to touch the footprints. She extended her kitchen knife toward the point where the tracks vanished, but there was no reaction.
She simply picked up a stone and threw it in.
Thud!
The entrance suddenly transformed, resembling the gaping maw of an abyssal beast. The dark ground instantly vanished, swallowing the stone whole. Or rather, the ground was more like an illusion array, leading directly to another world.
The three of them had varying expressions. The descendants of the tomb's master, the Wangquan Wuho line, surely had inside information to pass through this place unimpeded. They, however, only had a map. They would have to try the three passages one by one, yet no one could be sure which led to life and which led to death.
Or perhaps, they all led to death!
Rate on N.U.
