An hour later, the team of four sat in horse carriage on route to their destination. The general atmosphere was a lively one. There was nothing along the way besides making light conversation, so naturally, the team quickly became familiar with one another.

“Aigoo, senior Huā Shēng, you look a little parched! Let me get you something good to drink.” The man who called himself Fù Chóu reached into the back of the carriage and pulled out a kettle of tea. “Team leader Shi Huáng Zì, would you like some too?”

[PLAY BGM]

Seeing the two friendly faces willingly oblige, the twisted Fù Chóu internally let out psychotic laugh, this kettle of tea was something known as the ‘Assassin’s Teapot’. It was a tool with a hidden mechanism; it could hold two different liquids that would not mix unless the user covered a specific hole above the handle with his thumb. The oblivious victim would not suspect a thing seeing the perpetrator drinking from the same kettle.

Fù Chóu poured out a cup of tea for every member in the carriage. He slowly drank from his cup while carefully observing the others’ reactions.

“Thank you, junior Fù Chóu.” Huā Shēng respectfully nodded his head toward the other man, before raising the cup to his lips and taking a small sip.

“I gladly accept!” Wú Yòng happily raised a cup to his mouth and gulped it down without a second thought.

“To fruitful encounters.” Sean raised his cup, before taking a drink from it.

“Cheers!” The group shouted together.

Fù Chóu gulped his drink and quickly turned away from the others. His face slowly contorted into a devilish grin.

In order to not raise any suspicions, he had only poisoned two of the members. It was not a very potent one, but it was a still fast-acting agent that dulled the senses.

In a couple of hours, they would lose their motor functions, and when that time came, he would be there to finish the job.

...

You have been poisoned. Automatic buff ‘Internal Recovery’ activated.

You are no longer poisoned. Gained Skill ‘Poison Resistance’ level 0.

...

The system message took Sean by surprise.

[I just got poisoned?!]

The youth immediately turned in Fù Chóu’s direction. Their eyes met; there was a brief moment of silence between the two.

“Ah-!” Sean suddenly stood up.

Fù Chóu widened his eyes. Did that guy somehow find out he had been poisoned?! A bead of sweat rolled down the young man’s forehead.

[….Oh wait, isn’t alcohol technically a poison? Aha, that crafty guy Fù Chóu must have snuck some alcohol into the drink.]

Sean sat back down. “I’m going to be honest guys. At first, I was hesitant about forming an expedition other people, however after going on this trip with you all, I am glad to say that having such good-natured companions warms my heart.“

Fù Chóu breathed a sigh of relief. That fool hadn’t Shi Huáng Zì caught on.

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“We’ve arrived!” Two hours later, the four members arrived at a campsite situated nearby the base of a large mountain. There was a trail leading into a spacious cavern the bottom of the mountain. Warm air flowed out from the open crevice, and the sounds of dripping water could heard echoing from the inside.

“From what I read, this cavern was supposedly discovered by a wandering ascetic about three months ago. Two other expeditions have been made, however both groups gave conflicting reports.” Huā Shēng mused.

Huā Shēng’s comment had provoked Wú Yòng’s interest. The large man leaned himself closer. “What do you mean? Did something happen to the others when they went inside?”

Wú Yòng’s lack of tact was evidently distasteful to Huā Shēng. The well-kempt cultivator’s mouth quivered into a subtle frown, (I swear If you breathe on me one more time, I am going to tear your face off), however Huā Shēng still continued with his explanation. “Apparently, the inside of the cavern shifts and changes depending on the path traveled when exploring it. It is easy to get lost in such a place. I had heard that another team went in before us earlier this morning. We have not heard from them since.”

“I see, that is indeed quite the concern. We had best make a plan then.” Fù Chóu covered his mouth with one hand. He changed his posture as if to show he was in deep thought over the matter. (If I dump their bodies in the cave, no one will ever find out! Everyone will think they got lost inside and never found a way out!)

“I have just the thing.” Wú Yòng ran over to the carriage and rummaged around the back. He came back with a bundle of rope. “This ‘Reaching for Heaven’s Donger Rope’ is a treasure my from family’s storehouse. It is an invisible rope that can continue to extent as long as there is a constant supply of qi. I can tether it to a nearby rock, and if we ever get lost, we can follow the glowing trail back to the entrance.”

“Simple, yet effective. I like it.” Sean nodded.

Seeing that the others did not show any signs of disapproval, Wú Yòng put a fist to his chest and smiled, “then it is settled. You three can go on ahead. Yours truly will have this finished in no time.” (Fools, you’ve all fallen into my trap. I never had any intentions of using this rope as an in anchor in the first place! While you all weren’t paying attention, I rigged a bomb to the carriage. If any of you do happen to survive this ordeal, you won’t be able to make it back anyway!)

….

The entrance to the cave complex was unremarkable. On the outside, there was no indication that there would be anything of interest inside this seemingly plain enclosure, however, the truth of the matter was, the cavern itself led to a vast and expansive cave complex with its own weather system. The uneven ground below was covered in moss and green foliage. Sunlight peeked through the cavern’s entrance, creating an iridescent mist.

The walls surrounding the enclosure were lined with condensation, and seemed to stretch on for hundreds of miles. There were a considerable number of pathways, with many twists and turns. If not for Wú Yòng having tied a rope around his waist, the team of four would have easily lost their way.

At the bottom of the expanse, a little bit further down, was a shallow lake untouched by limestone and impurities. The waters were still clear, and yet there was no wildlife around. The entire scene gave off an eerie feeling.

“What do you make of that?” Fù Chóu pointed to the center of the lake.

There was a wooden coffin, half-submerged in the body of water. As if right on cue, the coffin steadily raised itself and opened up. Inside the coffin was a pitch black space. Despite the coffin having been half-submerged in water, an invisible force parted the lake and a pathway formed. It was as if an unknown power had extended them an invitation to enter.

[Fuck no, I’m not going in there. Why in the hell would I willingly walk into a coffin?!]

Sean shook his head. Anyone with a semblance of common sense would not approach something so suspect. There was clearly a trick to this of some sort.

“There must be a great treasure hidden inside that wooden coffin! We must not let this opportunity pass!” Wú Yòng immediately jumped down.

This sudden action left everyone else confounded. Wú Yòng had suddenly charged in, and the others had no other choice but to reluctantly follow. Since Wú Yòng was the one with an escape rope tied around his waist, if the team separated from him, their chances of getting out the cave complex were significantly diminished.

In any normal circumstance, following the rope back to the entrance would have sufficed, however in this instance, Wú Yòng’s rope had already extended past its maximum capacity since the group had already traveled a long ways. The extended portion of the rope was an invisible cord tethered by qi, and the other members needed Wú Yòng to be there in order to path find their way back.

“….Shall we enter?” Huā Shēng motioned toward the others. The chipper fellow had on his trademark half-smile. It was hard to say what Huā Shēng was thinking at the moment, but it looked as though the was still in bright spirits. (That fucking idiot, Wú Yòng! I should have killed him and everyone else back on the carriage ride when I had the chance! No-! Huā Shēng , you must calm down, it not yet time.)

With a nonchalant air about him, Huā Shēng entered the coffin, hiding a killing intent. Sean Wu and Fù Chóu followed shortly thereafter. The latter of the two narrowed his eyes as he watched the other cultivator enter the blackened space. Pulling out a dagger he had hidden under his left sleeve, the man calling himself Fù Chóu rushed in after Sean Wu.

[END BGM]

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