NOVEL NEXT Chapter 478: You'll Definitely Be Very Happy_1
"No... I don't!" Zhu Hongyun immediately denied upon hearing Su Xuan say he had something on him.
But little did he know, Su Xuan's eyes had long since mutated, allowing him to see straight through clothing and get a clear view of everything. He could see every single hair on Zhu Hongyun's body!
"Silly boy." Su Xuan shook his head. "I meant you have wounds on you!"
Looking as if he was in an excellent mood, Su Xuan took a step forward, reached toward Zhu Hongyun, and said, "Look at you, all beaten up like this. Does it hurt?"
"It hurts..."
Zhu Hongyun was dumbfounded, unsure of what Su Xuan meant. Why was he being so gentle? Why was he suddenly so concerned? Was this the same ruthless man who had slapped Elder Wu into the air the previous night?
"From now on, you'll hang with me!" Su Xuan straightened Zhu Hongyun's collar. "It's really not safe for you to be on your own."
"I... I won't!" Zhu Hongyun immediately refused. If I hang out with him, won't I just become a tool for his treasure hunting? What good will come of it for me?
PLOP!
Right after Su Xuan straightened his collar, something embarrassing happened. A small, golden flower fell from his tattered clothes.
"What's this?" Su Xuan asked, looking down at the small flower.
"This... this..." Zhu Hongyun's heart twisted in misery as he spun a tale. "It's a wildflower I picked along the way. I was thinking of giving it to my beloved—um, the girl you saw last night. I really like her. I want to marry her and have kids. By the way... could you destroy those photos you took?"
I'm so clever, Zhu Hongyun thought, pleased at his quick change of topic.
He bent down to pick up the flower, intending to stuff it back into his clothes, but then something else unexpected happened.
HUM!
Su Xuan had actually taken out the Treasure-Seeking Pendant! With a strange sound, the pendant began swinging toward the small flower.
Seeing this, Zhu Hongyun's face turned black.
"This is a Golden Jade Flower..." Zhu Hongyun's mouth twitched as he feigned generosity, handing the flower to Su Xuan. "It has an amazing effect on strengthening one's meridians. It's yours!"
After Su Xuan "reluctantly" accepted the flower, Zhu Hongyun immediately turned to leave.
"Don't go just yet." Su Xuan suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhu Hongyun's clothes. "You're in a dangerous condition. You'd be better off sticking with me!"
THUD!
With Su Xuan's pull, another object fell from Zhu Hongyun's clothes: the precious Spirit Ginseng he had obtained at the cost of half his life!
HUM!
The Treasure-Seeking Pendant in Su Xuan's hand buzzed once more.
"What's this?" Su Xuan asked, looking at the Spirit Ginseng.
"This..." Zhu Hongyun was so angry his bones crackled, but he forced a gentle expression onto his face. "This... This is ginseng! Surely you know what it is."
He absolutely could not bear to just hand over the Spirit Ginseng to Su Xuan. His mind raced, trying to figure out how to snatch the ginseng and make a run for it.
"Oh, it does look like it." Su Xuan promptly picked up the Spirit Ginseng. "I'll keep this safe for you. It's not safe on your person."
Zhu Hongyun burst into tears. His clothes were tattered and his body shook with pitiful sobs, like a young maiden on the verge of collapse.
Damn it all! How did I run into such a shameless bastard! If you're going to rob me, just rob me! What's this about keeping it safe for me? Do I need you to keep it safe?!
"Let's go!" Su Xuan patted Zhu Hongyun's shoulder with a wide smile. "Stick with me, and I guarantee you'll benefit. We're going robbing right now."
Su Xuan wasn't lying to Zhu Hongyun. He had discovered that in this trial, he was like an invincible boss, free to rob anyone he came across. However, he was still new to this sort of thing and sometimes found it hard to be so brazen; after all, he was a person of some repute. But with Zhu Hongyun as his sidekick, everything became much easier.
Overawed by Su Xuan's formidable martial prowess, Zhu Hongyun dared not refuse and had no choice but to follow along.
Before long, they encountered a man with a satisfied smile on his face, who had clearly found something good.
"Hey," Su Xuan said, pointing at the man with his chin.
"Sigh..." Zhu Hongyun took a step forward and shouted, "Fellow Daoist, hand over the treasure you've found, or else..."
He turned his head to glance at the grinning Su Xuan before continuing, "...or else my boss will make sure you have a bad time of it!" His speech was slurred, the threat garbled because his face was still swollen from his earlier fight.
"You moron. You think you can rob me just because you say so?" the man said rudely. He had indeed found something good and wasn't about to hand it over so easily.
BOOM!
But the words had barely left his mouth when Su Xuan drew the Fire Spirit Sword he had obtained earlier. He twirled it in the air as if playing, all while exuding the terrifying cultivation aura of Heaven Severing Late Stage Perfection.
"Hahaha!" The rude man's face changed in an instant. He forced an agreeable smile and said, "I just happened to find this jade stone. I'm not sure what it's for. Meeting is fate, so please, take it as a memento!"
With that, the man took out a multicolored stone.
Zhu Hongyun, ever the tool, took the stone and handed it to Su Xuan. As he did, he saw Su Xuan wink at him.
He was no fool and caught on immediately. He walked back to the man and frisked him, finding a Toad Bamboo stalk that could expel poison—worth at least one hundred thousand Moon Profound Stones—as well as some elixirs and profound notes. He handed these over to Su Xuan as well.
Only then did Su Xuan let the man go.
"You did very well." Su Xuan tossed an elixir to Zhu Hongyun. "Eat this quickly so you have the energy to work."
"Th-Thank you." Zhu Hongyun awkwardly swallowed the elixir and followed Su Xuan to find their next target.
They continued their spree, and an hour quickly passed.
"Wait a moment." As they walked through a dark, dappled grove, Su Xuan suddenly stopped. "I need to relieve myself. You keep watch."
"No problem, boss," Zhu Hongyun replied readily, having long since gotten used to calling Su Xuan his boss.
They had robbed so many people along the way and acquired so many good things that it was... utterly thrilling. Su Xuan hadn't even kept everything for himself, sharing some of the less valuable items with him. What made him intensely curious, however, was how Su Xuan managed to carry everything. No matter how much they stole, he could always store it on his person as if he were a bottomless pit.
In truth, Su Xuan wasn't going to relieve himself; he just needed to find a place to meditate. His cultivation was once again showing signs of a breakthrough. He had consumed many of the treasures they had "confiscated" along the way, including the little flower from Zhu Hongyun.
Su Xuan sat cross-legged behind a tree, his gaze lowered and his mind turned inward.
Zhu Hongyun didn't dare run. He had witnessed Su Xuan's domineering power throughout their journey, and it was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined. If he angered such a person, he might not even be able to find his own bones afterward.
Just half a minute later, Zhu Hongyun's pupils suddenly contracted.
He saw an old man running toward them.
"Young Master, Young Master, I've finally found you!" the old man shouted excitedly as he ran. "I've found quite a few good things, and I even robbed some people! You'll definitely be very happy..."