Starting with a Super Five-Star Hotel

"Don't come any closer!"

"Don't come any closer!"

"Don't you fucking come any closer!"

The moment he saw the old man running over, Zhu Hongyun panicked.

The old man was none other than his loyal retainer, Wu Bo!

It would have been fine if Wu Bo had come empty-handed, but he had actually gotten his hands on quite a few treasures!

What does this mean? It means Su Xuan is going to snatch them away!

"Young Master, what... what's wrong with you?"

Wu Bo paid no heed to Zhu Hongyun's words, happily trotting over to him before stopping, dumbfounded.

His own young master, who once dressed in luxurious clothes and carried himself with grace, now looked like a beggar in tattered garments.

What was even stranger was that he had a heavy bag on his back, as if he were a common laborer.

"Young Master, have you been bullied?"

Wu Bo's heart instantly ached for him. He gently grabbed Zhu Hongyun's shoulder and asked, "Tell me, who bullied you? Here in this valley, I am an invincible presence! Whoever dares to bully you, I will make them pay with their life!"

Zhu Hongyun didn't dare to speak.

He just turned his head to look at the large tree behind him. Then, he suddenly threw himself into Wu Bo's arms and began to sob, his cries filled with overwhelming, pent-up anguish.

"Yo, an old friend has arrived."

It was at that moment that Su Xuan, full of energy, walked out from behind the tree. He looked as refreshed as if he had just bathed.

The instant Wu Bo saw Su Xuan appear, he drew in a sharp breath.

He quickly dragged Zhu Hongyun behind him, pulling out the Golden Needle he had prepared earlier to stab into his own head.

With just one prick, he would possess the strength of a Longevity Realm Expert!

"Don't!"

To Wu Bo's utter shock, Zhu Hongyun desperately grabbed his arm, refusing to let him enhance his cultivation.

"Young Master, the enemy is right in front of us!" Wu Bo's eyes reddened as he glared at Su Xuan and barked fiercely, "Why won't you let me kill him?"

"Wu Bo, he... he's no longer my enemy."

Meeting Su Xuan's gaze, Zhu Hongyun said meekly with his eyes lowered, "I'm with him now. He's my boss. That's right, I've gathered quite a few treasures following my boss!"

Zhu Hongyun suddenly began to frisk Wu Bo with practiced ease.

But no matter how you looked at it, he was clearly patting him down for valuables.

"Young Master, what are you doing?" Wu Bo was utterly baffled, unable to understand what was happening.

"Wu Bo, didn't you just say you got a lot of good stuff?" Zhu Hongyun's hands didn't stop moving as he spoke. "Hurry up and hand it over to my boss as a joining fee!"

"This..."

Wu Bo stood there, dumbfounded.

He simply couldn't comprehend what had gotten into Zhu Hongyun.

He must have been forced into this by Su Xuan! he thought, still wanting to use the Golden Needle.

"Forget it, forget it." Su Xuan approached with a calm expression and waved his hand. "Since he's an old friend, we can waive the joining fee."

"No," Zhu Hongyun insisted. "The joining fee must be paid."

In fact, he was already making his own calculations. If he stuck with Su Xuan, the benefits would be far greater. He didn't believe Wu Bo could defeat Su Xuan. Su Xuan had somehow acquired that Fire Spirit Sword, which seemed to possess the power to slay Longevity Realm Experts beyond its level. Wu Bo using the Golden Needle wouldn't make him a true Longevity Realm Expert, so he most likely stood no chance against Su Xuan.

"Ugh..."

A trace of disdain flashed across Zhu Hongyun's face.

He had pulled five or six items from Wu Bo, and not a single one was worth a second glance in his eyes.

"Is this everything you have?" Zhu Hongyun asked Wu Bo.

"Yes!" Wu Bo answered. "Do you think it's quite a lot, Young Master?"

"A lot?"

Zhu Hongyun opened the bag he had been carrying on his back and dumped its contents onto the ground. With a loud clatter, all sorts of heavenly materials and earthly treasures rolled out.

Wu Bo couldn't help but draw in another sharp breath.

So that's what was in the bag Zhu Hongyun was carrying!

It was several times more than what he had struggled so hard to obtain.

"My boss gave me all of this!" Zhu Hongyun pointed to Su Xuan. "Hurry up and call him Boss!"

"This young master..."

Wu Bo didn't want to call Su Xuan 'Boss', but he also didn't dare to disobey Zhu Hongyun. Does the Young Master have some ulterior motive? Is he just pretending to be Su Xuan's subordinate? he wondered.

He picked out the most appealing item from his meager collection of treasures and offered it to Su Xuan, "Will you accept this?"

Of course, he was also calculating something else in his mind: it was best to avoid a fight with Su Xuan if possible. Once the Golden Needle pierced his head, his cultivation would suffer adverse effects, causing it to stagnate. The side effects were serious.

"In that case, it would be impolite to refuse."

Su Xuan took the item from Wu Bo's hand and walked off into the distance.

He had no interest in any of Wu Bo's possessions.

He and Zhu Hongyun had simply robbed too many people along the way and had seen far too many rare and precious items.

And so, Wu Bo joined the robbery team, becoming Su Xuan's tool.

Of course, Wu Bo was reluctant at first. Even when Zhu Hongyun reminded him several times to call Su Xuan 'Boss', he refused to comply.

His cultivation was just one step away from the Longevity Realm. He had his pride.

But as they robbed more and more people, he personally witnessed Su Xuan's domineering methods, and his attitude began to change rapidly...

「Two hours later.」

On a hillside strewn with rocks, two people appeared.

Both wore cautious expressions, taking every step with deliberate care. They specifically chose routes that seemed barren, hoping to avoid other trialists.

These two were none other than his cousin, Ji Sisi, and Min Chun from the Thousand Blades Gang, the same young man who shared lodgings with Su Xuan.

"Miss Sisi, we've been searching for a long time. How come we haven't seen any sign of Brother Ji?" Min Chun couldn't help but ask as he saw Ji Sisi lean against a rock to take a break. "I really hope he's safe and sound, and that nothing has happened to him."

"My cousin will be fine," Ji Sisi said, raising a small hand to wipe the sweat from her face. "When he's on his own, he's actually very careful and prudent. He'd never act recklessly. As long as we keep searching, we'll definitely find him."

"Alright," Min Chun nodded and took a sip from his waterskin.

He and Ji Sisi had been quite lucky. They encountered each other not long after entering the Valley of Thousand Snakes and decided to team up. While searching for Su Xuan, they had also unexpectedly stumbled upon a few treasures.

Carrying these treasures was the very reason for their caution; they were naturally afraid of being robbed by other trialists.

"Let's go, Brother Min."

Having rested enough, Ji Sisi was anxious about Su Xuan's safety and proposed they get back on the road.

She and Min Chun then continued their search.

But then, the very thing they hoped to avoid happened. Three people suddenly appeared in front of them, less than ten meters away. Each held a sharp weapon and made no effort to conceal their cultivation levels; every single one was far too powerful for them to provoke.

The trio cast wolf-like gazes at them and coldly snarled, "Robbery!"