Starting with a Super Five-Star Hotel

RUMBLE!

Just as Su Xuan caught the mysterious object falling from the sky, a shockwave erupted outward in all directions, instantly flattening the entire wooden hut!

Zhu Hongyun and Wu Bo, who were right there, were also caught in the blast and sent flying. The force of the shockwave was unimaginable, tearing their clothes to shreds in a gruesome sight!

"What happened?"

Min Chun, who was sleeping by the fire, was also impacted. He rolled several times on the ground before his gaze snapped to the ruins of the wooden hut, his pupils constricting sharply. Through the dispersing smoke, a figure walked out slowly, holding a seemingly inconspicuous stick. Who else could it be but Su Xuan!

"Cousin, cousin, what happened?" Ji Sisi cried out, staggering from the smoke. Her face was full of panic, but because she had been close to Su Xuan, his protection had kept her from being harmed by the blast.

Su Xuan looked at the wreckage around him and then at the object in his hand, muttering to himself, "Uh… To think I could summon it from such a distance? Impressive!"

The object in his hand was the Ruyi Stick!

"Boss, what did you summon? Such tremendous power!"

At that moment, Zhu Hongyun and Wu Bo, who had been sent flying, staggered back over. Their faces were full of confusion and bitterness as they questioned Su Xuan. They, too, desperately wanted to know what had just happened. Why had such a terrifying event occurred just as their assassination attempt was about to succeed?

"I…" Su Xuan seemed to be recalling something. He paused before saying, "I had a nightmare."

"What kind of nightmare?"

"Yeah, how could a dream cause such a commotion!"

Everyone looked at Su Xuan, puzzled.

"I dreamt that I was fighting a monster." Su Xuan recalled the black dragon from his dream. "It was the most terrifying monster I've ever seen. In the dream, it devoured all my companions. I panicked and summoned my ultimate weapon!"

The crowd looked at the Ruyi Stick in Su Xuan's hand. "This thing?"

Of course, they didn't believe a word he said.

But what Su Xuan said was, in fact, the truth.

"Yes, my weapon is no ordinary one!" Su Xuan weighed the Ruyi Stick in his hand with a look of affection and longing. He then turned his gaze to Zhu Hongyun and Wu Bo. "And what's the deal with you two?"

"We…"

"Ah… we saw danger and wanted to protect you!"

"Yes, yes, we threw ourselves into danger to protect you and got caught in the blast!"

"Thank heavens you're alright."

Zhu Hongyun and Wu Bo started spouting nonsense. After speaking, they exchanged another glance. He must have sensed our assassination attempt and set a trap to punish us! A wave of delayed fear washed over them. Thankfully, Su Xuan wasn't ruthless enough to kill us on the spot. Otherwise, this day next year would be the anniversary of our deaths! It seems we must be extremely cautious with our next assassination attempt!

"Hm?" Just as Su Xuan put the Ruyi Stick into his pouch space, his gaze suddenly shot to a corner. …as if a pair of eyes were secretly watching him from there…

「The next day.」

The weather was somewhat overcast, with a cool drizzle floating through the sky.

After eating the simple breakfast Ji Sisi had thoughtfully prepared, Su Xuan led the group to continue their rampage through the Valley of Thousand Snakes. When evening came and it was time to tally the day's spoils, they found the haul was even greater than the previous day!

Unlike Zhu Hongyun and the others, Su Xuan didn't save the spoils he plundered; he would casually consume anything edible. As a result, his cultivation had been secretly advancing by leaps and bounds!

"I think I smell dung!"

"Me too. The great pit must be close!"

"Yes, a lot of people are saying we're nearing the pit. We'll be able to find the Blood Immortal Vine soon!"

That night, the group sat around a campfire, chatting leisurely with faces full of excitement.

Su Xuan was also very excited. Finding the Blood Immortal Vine meant his mission would be over and he could return to Jiuding Gate to report to the Third Elder. As for whether he came in first, that was not his goal; in fact, it was something he wanted to avoid.

"Boss, try this grilled snake egg."

"This thing is a potent tonic, and it tastes quite good!"

Wu Bo courteously offered a cooked snake egg to Su Xuan.

This snake egg, which he had found in a cave, was the dinner he had prepared for Su Xuan tonight. And, as usual, he had added some extra ingredients. Indeed, they still intended to carry out their original plan and kill Su Xuan, preventing him from ever leaving the Valley of Thousand Snakes.

"You all can have it." Su Xuan had no appetite, and he certainly didn't want to eat any snake eggs. He stood up and walked into the new wooden hut Ji Sisi had prepared for him. Because it had been raining all day, the roof was covered with a thick layer of green grass, making it look adorably cute.

"I'm going to chat with my cousin." Seeing Su Xuan head to the hut, Ji Sisi followed him inside.

Her admiration for Su Xuan was growing by the day. She found him more and more unfathomable, so magical. Last night, for instance, he had somehow summoned a Ruyi Stick out of thin air! Regardless of whether it was a divine weapon or not, the mere act of summoning it was astounding enough!

"I need to relieve myself."

"Me too."

Zhu Hongyun and Wu Bo, with ulterior motives, walked off into the distance, leaving Min Chun behind.

"Young Master, he didn't eat the snake egg," Wu Bo lamented with a downcast expression after they reached a small hill.

"We'll have to think of another way," Zhu Hongyun said, equally dejected. "We have to kill him tonight. The trial only has one day left!"

"How about using this?" Wu Bo pulled a Spirit Grass with small gray flowers from his clothes and said in a hushed tone, "This is called Immortal Drunk. As soon as its petals are lit, even an immortal would fall into a stupor upon smelling the fumes. Not even the Emperor of Heaven could wake them!"

"Feasible!" Zhu Hongyun nodded. "The key is how we light it inside his cabin!"

"The rain tonight is good," Wu Bo said, looking up at the night sky. "We can bring a brazier into his cabin and say we're afraid he'll get cold!"

"Good plan!" Zhu Hongyun squinted. "We can put the Immortal Drunk in the brazier beforehand. He will definitely fall for it!"

"Indeed, he will definitely fall for it!" Wu Bo's eyes also narrowed menacingly.

Just as the two were about to put their plan into action, something extremely eerie occurred.

From a patch of grass not far away, a series of high-pitched, bizarre voices suddenly erupted, sounding very much like children chanting:

*"Immortal Drunk, Immortal Drunk!"*

*"Even immortals get drunk from the scent!"*

*"He will definitely fall for it, definitely fall for it!"*

Zhu Hongyun and Wu Bo were both startled. They had been extremely cautious and hadn't sensed anyone nearby. How had their plan been overheard?

Who could it be?

Or rather, was it even human?