Starting with a Super Five-Star Hotel

"Come, come, I have some gifts for you."

When Ji Sisi and Min Chun had regained their senses, Su Xuan waved his hand. Amidst a flurry of scattering, dreamlike blossoms, a huge pile of treasures materialized on the ground. These were items Su Xuan deemed unworthy of his attention, which he had temporarily stored in his sachet.

Upon seeing the treasures, Ji Sisi and Min Chun both drew a sharp breath. They had always thought the items they had obtained before were quite good, but compared to the "junk" Su Xuan had just tossed aside, their treasures were truly nothing more than scrap.

"Cousin is so amazing..." Ji Sisi's eyes filled with ardent adoration as she gazed at Su Xuan.

She had no idea this imposter cousin of hers possessed such a mysterious ability to conjure things out of thin air. It seemed he had hidden his skills very deeply, truly intending to seize the position of Head of the Ji Family.

Min Chun was also in absolute awe of Su Xuan and finally understood why Zhu Hongyun and Wu Bo called Su Xuan 'Boss'.

I'd even call a man like that 'Dad'!

Not wanting to slight Su Xuan's kindness, he quickly picked a few items he liked. Ji Sisi, however, didn't pick a single thing. Instead, she gave all her own treasures to Su Xuan. In her heart, what was his was also hers; there was no need to draw a line between them.

But the Blood Immortal Vine was nowhere to be seen.

Indeed, no one had managed to acquire the Blood Immortal Vine.

"Have any of you participated in the trial here before?" Su Xuan, who had already realized this problem, asked his companions. "Where does the Blood Immortal Vine typically grow? Is it marked on any map?"

Everyone shook their heads. The Valley of Thousand Snakes was enveloped by a grand formation set by the Yu Xian Sect. Its interior directions changed randomly, and the terrain was bizarre and repetitive. Even with a map, it would be useless.

"Boss," Wu Bo addressed Su Xuan with practiced ease, "a map is useless here, but the location where the Blood Immortal Vine grows is fixed. It's inside that sinkhole. As long as we find the sinkhole, we'll find the Blood Immortal Vine."

"Then let's go find the sinkhole!"

Su Xuan had already heard Min Chun speak of the sinkhole. Apparently, back when Ancestor Meng was still around, monsters would occasionally climb out from the bottom, so Ancestor Meng had filled it with aged manure from the Yu Xian Sect.

And since they used manure—a natural, green fertilizer—the number of Blood Immortal Vines should be even higher, right?

The directions in the Valley of Thousand Snakes were indeed chaotic. The group got lost several times without finding the sinkhole, and the sky quickly darkened.

"Boss, the trial lasts for three days, and this is only the first. There's no rush," Zhu Hongyun said, worried Su Xuan might lose patience and trying to reassure him. "Why don't we find a place to rest? We can resume our search when it gets light."

"Alright."

Su Xuan nodded. He wasn't tired at all, but he could see that Ji Sisi and the others were struggling. Min Chun had even been bitten by a venomous snake, and his face was now green; he desperately needed to rest.

CRACKLE. CRACKLE.

Wu Bo gathered a pile of dry wood and started a fire. Zhu Hongyun, who never did such menial work at home, personally caught a wild rabbit, saying he wanted Su Xuan to taste his handiwork.

Ji Sisi also kept busy. With Min Chun's pained assistance, she used tree trunks to build a small, makeshift wooden hut. Her intention was obvious: she wanted Su Xuan to rest inside. And she planned to join him.

Although the hut's exterior was rough and its space limited to only five or six square meters, the inside was warm and clean. A layer of velvety grass covered the floor, which was incredibly comfortable to lie on. Wildflowers were placed in the four corners of the hut, serving not only as decoration but also filling the air with a refreshing floral scent.

Ji Sisi told Su Xuan that these flowers could repel snakes and insects and also aided sleep, guaranteeing him a good night's rest.

If the real Ji Ning were here to see Ji Sisi treating Su Xuan with such gentle care, he would have been utterly dumbfounded. The very cousin he had tried so hard to curry favor with had never shown him such concern.

"Everyone get some rest. We have more work to do tomorrow!"

After eating half a roasted rabbit, Su Xuan rubbed his stomach and, with Ji Sisi's help, sauntered into the small wooden hut. Ji Sisi didn't leave, sitting beside him and chatting idly, mostly about things from the past.

Girls were always like that. Before falling for someone, they couldn't be bothered to give him a second glance. But once their heart was captured, they'd do anything to serve him and make him comfortable.

Meanwhile, Zhu Hongyun and the others guarded the fire, taking stock of the treasures they had plundered that day, their faces alight with joy.

「After midnight」

The wooden hut fell silent. Min Chun had also fallen asleep by the fire, his snores occasionally breaking the quiet.

Wu Bo suddenly glanced at Zhu Hongyun. The firelight cast a sinister shadow on his face.

Zhu Hongyun nodded in understanding.

The two of them then walked over to a large tree not far away.

"Sir, are we really going to keep following that kid?" Wu Bo asked bluntly.

"Following him gets us plenty of good things, but it's a serious loss of face," Zhu Hongyun said quietly, gesturing to his own cheek. "I'm not some nobody. If word of this gets out, I'll not only lose face, but my family will be unhappy as well."

"So..." Wu Bo's eyes turned cold.

"So we take him out!" Zhu Hongyun made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Good!" Wu Bo nodded. "I added something to the roasted rabbit. It'll keep him dead asleep until morning, at least. There won't be any surprises when we make our move. As for the other two, they're nothing to worry about. Killing them will be as easy as slaughtering chickens."

"But before we do that, we need to figure something out..." Zhu Hongyun peered from behind the tree toward the wooden hut. "Where exactly did he hide the treasures we snatched? How will we get them after he's dead?"

"Don't worry about that," Wu Bo said self-assuredly. "I've observed him carefully. He's using a simple illusion technique to hide the items. We can't see them, but they're definitely on his person. Sir, have you noticed something?"

"What?"

"The more we loot, the heavier his footsteps become."

"I noticed!" Zhu Hongyun nodded. He had realized that Su Xuan's footsteps were growing heavier. By evening, he was leaving deep footprints in the grass, a clear sign he was carrying a great weight.

"The moment he dies, his illusion technique will break, and the treasures will appear on their own!"

"Then when do we strike?"

"Now?"

"Good!"

Zhu Hongyun and Wu Bo stepped out from behind the tree and tiptoed toward the wooden hut.

The hut was indeed cozy. Su Xuan lay inside, surrounded by flowers. With a gentle, attentive 'cousin' snuggled beside him, he slept soundly.

CREAK!

The simple door of the wooden hut was pushed open...