"How am I shameless? My childhood sweetheart showed me that herself."
Xu Mu looked at Liang Yi.
"We were playing together as kids. You tried to imitate me standing up to pee, and afterward you personally told me about it."
"Bullshit! You just saw it earlier and made that up!"
Liang Yi clearly didn't believe him—did he take her for a three-year-old?
She glared at him and turned to run off into the distance.
"Not going to kill me anymore?"
Xu Mu called after her.
"I'll let you off this time!"
With that, she disappeared without looking back.
Xu Mu shook his head slightly—looked like his "club" had gained another member.
But judging from her expression as she left, she probably wouldn't try to kill him again.
Meanwhile, Fang Chu and Zhao Gang were lying limp on the ground.
Fang Chu clenched his fists, eyes blazing with killing intent.
Damn it! That bastard!
He could still accept what happened the first time—after all, the other party had died and no one saw it.
But this time? Absolutely unbearable.
Zhao Gang was still alive—and there had been a Grandmaster watching from the side!
Fang Chu wanted to sneak-attack and kill Zhao Gang right there, but with a Grandmaster nearby, he didn't dare.
If the story spread, at his current cultivation level he wouldn't even be able to keep his life.
Lu Liangping was speechless too. He hadn't expected to witness something so disgusting.
He had thought it was his disciple, Liang Yi—but no, it was two men.
"Brother, my apologies. I lost control—I didn't even know what I was doing."
Zhao Gang patted Fang Chu on the shoulder. "If you ever need something, come find me, Zhao Gang."
Fang Chu forced a smile, but his hatred was already carved into his bones.
If this grudge went unavenged, he swore he wasn't human.
And the one he hated most was Xu Mu—if not for him, he'd never have suffered this humiliation.
Xu Mu put his black robe back on and continued searching.
Finally, through perception, he found Miao He—and to his surprise, Zhang Que was beside her.
Even though Zhang Que wore a black robe, Xu Mu's perception let him see his face clearly.
From the looks of it, Zhang Que had restrained Miao He.
Xu Mu pondered. So far, Zhang Que had treated him decently.
But things were different now—this was a relic site full of powerful treasures. No one would willingly pass that up, not even Zhang Que.
Taking Miao He away from him wouldn't be easy—but Xu Mu decided to try.
As long as the treasure didn't fall into the protagonist's hands, it was a victory.
He approached, stepped between them, and revealed his face.
"Xu Mu!"
Miao He's eyes lit up with joy, but when she glanced back at Zhang Que, her smile vanished.
"You know Xu Mu?"
Zhang Que placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I…"
Miao He hesitated. This man was ruthless, and she wasn't sure whether he and Xu Mu were allies or enemies.
"That voice… could it be Senior Zhang?"
Xu Mu asked in mock surprise.
"That's right—it's me," Zhang Que replied, tugging down his hood.
"Xu Mu, you've got guts, daring to come here. Does your father even know?"
"Of course not. I came secretly," Xu Mu said with a grin.
"I don't know what Miao He might've done to offend you, but allow me to apologize on her behalf."
"She didn't offend me," Zhang Que said calmly. "She just happens to be able to lead me out of this formation."
Xu Mu's heart skipped a beat—so Zhang Que knew Miao He's true identity.
"Senior, she already told me how to leave here. I've gathered enough formation rings."
He decided to be honest; who found the treasure afterward would come down to luck.
"Really?"
Zhang Que was a little surprised. Xu Mu knew so many people—
at the Nangong residence he'd already had powerful young experts backing him, and now he even knew people from the Jiuli Clan.
"Senior, come with us. As for the treasure, let's each rely on our own fortune."
"Very well. I want to get out of this cursed place too."
Zhang Que nodded.
"Then follow me. I have other companions to regroup with."
Xu Mu spread out his perception again to find Chen Xuan and the others. After about ten minutes of searching, he located them.
He didn't walk over but instead shouted from a high point:
"I'm Xu the Construction Boss! I eat KFC!"
Moments later, Chen Xuan appeared from afar with Meng Wanyue and Dai Xingluo.
"Brother!"
[Favorability +10]
"Manager Xu!"
[Favorability +10]
Seeing everyone safe, Xu Mu smiled.
"Now we can leave. Everyone, take out your bracelets."
He handed over his five formation rings to Miao He, while Chen Xuan and the others added their own—
bringing the total to eight.
Plus the one Miao He already held—nine in all.
Miao He took the nine bracelets into an empty building, crouched down, and arranged them carefully in a pattern.
Then she released her Gang Qi, activating them.
Hum—
The bracelets glowed brightly, then slowly vanished, fusing into a black circular disk about half a meter wide on the floor.
"It's ready. This is the exit. Time's limited—follow me quickly."
She jumped into the circle and vanished.
"Whoa, that's advanced!"
Chen Xuan exclaimed, leaping in after her.
The rest followed one by one—
and once they were all inside, the black circle faded away.
The group reappeared in a dark cavern.
Beneath their feet wasn't dirt or riverbed, but a floor paved with stone slabs.
Faintly glowing stones were embedded in the walls, giving off a dim light—
enough to make out the surroundings.
Following the path forward, they reached a dead end blocked by solid rock—
except for a tunnel beside it.
In front of that tunnel stood a two-meter-tall stone stele, carved with strange runes.
Before it rested a massive black cauldron.
"This is the incense altar," Miao He explained. "People used to come here to offer respects before leaving."
"And that hole in the wall?" Xu Mu asked.
"It leads to the burial chamber. Usually, experts of this level are interred with many treasures."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Zhang Que stepped forward first, entering the passage.
Xu Mu gestured for the others to follow.
Miao He lingered a moment, studying the symbols on the stele, then hurried after them.
After twenty-odd meters through the narrow corridor, the path opened up again.
They found themselves in a large chamber—with nine tunnels leading off in different directions.
"Looks like it comes down to luck," Miao He said, glancing at the nine tunnels.
"Xu Mu, I'll go first then. I'll take the fifth one—the one in the center."
Zhang Que chuckled and stepped inside.
"What about us?" Xu Mu asked the rest.
"I'll stick with you, Manager Xu. Live or die, we do it together," said Meng Wanyue firmly.
"Brother, I'm with you too!" Dai Xingluo added.
Xu Mu looked to Chen Xuan.
"Old Chen, if you had to choose, which would you pick?"
"None of them!" Chen Xuan said. "This is a tomb! If I were the dead guy's descendant, would I really dig a tunnel straight to my ancestor's coffin for others to loot?"
Xu Mu chuckled.
"Heh, as expected of you—good point."
Then he turned to Miao He.
"Enough pretending. How do we really get in? You definitely know."