Marriage Contest, Are You Coming or Not

"What's wrong? What's all the fuss about?"

Xu Mu asked from the side.

But as soon as his question left his lips, he understood the reason.

Black vapor was seeping out from the wine jar. Clearly, its contents weren't wine, but Gu.

Miao He closed the lid of the jar again. "As you can see, this is Gu. It's of no use to you. I'll take this, and I won't fight you for the remaining treasures."

Dai Xingluo, Meng Wanyue, and Chen Xuan all looked at Xu Mu.

They were waiting for his decision.

If Xu Mu disagreed, Dai Xingluo would undoubtedly be the first to act.

"Alright. You contributed a lot to getting us here this time."

Xu Mu nodded, then walked towards the several Xuan-grade cultivation manuals over there—three in total.

"Xuan-grade manuals can be cultivated from the text. After we get out, I'll take photos and send them to each of you."

Xu Mu said to the group before him.

Dai Xingluo's eyes flickered, and black text appeared above her head.

[Favorability +15]

As a former sect disciple, she understood perfectly the importance of cultivation manuals.

Xuan-grade manuals were practically the highest level of technique most people in a sect could hope to encounter in their entire lives.

She didn't know about other sects, but in the Heavenly Sword Sect, even regular elders couldn't cultivate Earth-grade techniques.

Only the highest-ranking elders had that privilege.

Obtaining three Xuan-grade manuals at once made this trip more than worthwhile for her.

Meng Wanyue felt the same, her face full of gratitude.

[Favorability +15]

In her eyes, Xuan-grade techniques were already top-tier.

If not for Xu Mu, she felt she might never have had a chance to come into contact with them in this lifetime.

Chen Xuan didn't have much concept of these grades. His master had taught him many techniques.

But he never knew their specific ranks.

Like the Five Styles of Wood Chopping.

At least in his view, it was already incredibly powerful.

However, no one ever felt they had too many techniques.

Besides, his original intention was just to come here and broaden his horizons.

Now he could even get a manual; it was a welcome bonus.

Xu Mu first stored the manuals away and walked towards the weapon rack. "Come quickly, each of you pick a weapon that suits you. Weapons forged by the Jiuli Tribe are all top-quality."

"You have good taste. Chiyou is known as the God of Warfare; their weapons far surpass those of the Yan and Huang tribes."

Miao He commented from the side.

Dai Xingluo, originally a skilled swordswoman, selected a long sword.

She gave it a few light swings and said with a smile, "This one is good. I'll make a scabbard for it when I have time."

Meng Wanyue chose a short sword, only half a meter in length.

"I'll pass. I'm used to the woodcutter's knife my master gave me."

Chen Xuan said with a laugh.

Xu Mu nodded. He certainly didn't mind having more. He planned to take all the remaining weapons for himself.

After all, they had taken the man's belongings, and in the end, they had re-hung the coffin.

Xu Mu seized the chance to store all the remaining weapons into his spatial storage.

"If I'm not mistaken, the exit leading out of here should be up there, right? I see light."

Xu Mu looked at Miao He and asked.

Compared to the others, his gains from this trip were the greatest.

Besides the several Xuan-grade manuals and the weapons, he had also received a technique personally transmitted by this Jiuli Tribe commander.

This technique was at least Earth-grade or above.

"Correct. It seems you do understand formations after all."

Miao He gave a slight nod. "But this time, I saved your life. If you go up now, you'll most likely die."

"Why?"

Xu Mu asked.

"This is a common method used in Jiuli Tribe tombs. You think obtaining the treasure is the end? Actually, obtaining the treasure is just the beginning of death."

Miao He pointed upwards. "It's only safe to leave when the light above disappears."

"I didn't expect there to be so many tricks. Good thing we had you this time."

Xu Mu smiled at Miao He.

Miao He slightly lifted her chin, and black text appeared above her head.

[Favorability +10]

The group waited quietly. This time, the wait lasted a full hour.

During this period, Xu Mu also asked Miao He about matters within the Jiuli Tribe.

According to Miao He, not just in the past, but even now, the Jiuli Tribe still has two factions.

They are the Conservatives and the Militants.

The Conservatives advocate for coexistence. In their view, most modern-day Chinese people carry Jiuli bloodline.

Since things have developed to this point, they believe in letting nature take its course.

But the Militants hold the opposite view. They believe the Jiuli Tribe and the descendants of Yan and Huang are sworn enemies.

They insist on dismantling the Yan-Huang legacy and having the Jiuli Tribe dominate this land.

"Which faction has more people currently?"

Chen Xuan, who had been listening intently, asked.

"It's definitely the Conservatives. The conflict between the two sides has lasted over five thousand years. The Jiuli population has dwindled, now teetering on the brink of extinction. Accordingly, more and more people desire peace, not war."

Miao He shook her head gently.

Just then, the light from above vanished, replaced by complete darkness.

Seeing this, Miao He smiled and said, "It's time. We can leave now."

Xu Mu gave a slight nod. He looked at the others beside him, and together they prepared to leave this place.

...

Passing through the dark opening, their sense of direction was completely overturned.

They had clearly jumped upward, yet ended up falling down from a height.

Splash!

All of them landed in the water.

"Have we returned to the starting cave?"

Xu Mu looked around and broke into a smile.

On their way back, they could still see some people entering.

But what they didn't know was that the truly valuable treasures had already been taken by Xu Mu and the others.

Emerging from the cave opening beneath the small river, the group found themselves back in the familiar mountain forest.

It was pitch black outside now.

Xu Mu took out his phone to check the time. It was 8 PM on the second day; the whole ordeal hadn't taken very long.

"Finally out."

Dai Xingluo relaxed her tense nerves. Holding her stomach, she said, "Brother, I'm so hungry."

"Come on, I'll treat you all to a feast!"

Xu Mu said with a smile, glancing at Miao He. "Will you join us?"

"No, thank you. I need to find a quiet place now to study the Gu I obtained."

Miao He shook her head slightly.

She then parted ways with Xu Mu and the others.

Xu Mu went to the household where they had parked the car, paid the remaining fee, and left with the group.

This time, Meng Wanyue was the driver.

Xu Mu sat in the passenger seat. He took out the three cultivation manuals he had obtained, photographed them all with his phone, and sent the pictures separately to Chen Xuan, Meng Wanyue, and Dai Xingluo.

After a moment's hesitation, he also sent them to Miao He.

Miao He had already left the area in her subordinate's Wuling Hongguang minivan.

When she saw the message on her phone, she was momentarily stunned.

She had already obtained the Gu, yet Xu Mu was still giving her all three cultivation manuals.

"That foolish man. Doesn't he know that the more people who know a technique, the less valuable it becomes?"

Miao He gazed out the car window and whispered softly.

[Favorability +30]

...

Xu Mu had Meng Wanyue stop at a nearby county town. At this hour, the barbecue stalls were still open.

So they stopped there, planning to have a barbecue meal.

He had just gotten out of the car when his phone vibrated. Taking it out, he saw it was Jiang Huihui calling.

"What's up?"

Xu Mu answered the call.

"I thought you'd gone back on your word. Why didn't you answer my call this morning?"

Jiang Huihui asked from the other end.

"I was busy. I just got my phone back now."

Xu Mu replied with a laugh.

"My grandfather is holding a martial arts competition for my hand in marriage in the next few days."

Jiang Huihui paused. "Are you coming or not?"