Chapter 104: Competing to Be the First Monster-Slayer

The group carefully flew down along the pitch-black tunnel for nearly a minute before finally reaching the bottom.

The white horses, now with two large wings each, took up quite a bit of space, and with only two hours left on their timer, Yun Qimu put them away as soon as everyone dismounted.

Looking up, they saw that the bottom of the cave was a world of its own. The faint green glow of bioluminescent moss let them see their surroundings clearly.

The cave was like a giant limestone cavern, with countless icicle-like pillars hanging from the ceiling and jutting up from the ground, creating a surprisingly beautiful sight.

A chilly cold seeped through the seams of their clothes, making them shiver uncontrollably, the chill sinking into their very bones.

“So cold…”

Everyone quickly pulled their thick coats tighter, hugging themselves and hunching over as they looked around.

There were traces of heavy snowfall and battle all over the cave, but most eye-catching were the treasure chests scattered across the ground—some bronze, some silver.

Pei Yu’s eyes lit up. “This is it! That little brat must’ve fallen in here. Who would’ve thought he’d drop so many treasure chests?”

His eyes practically glowed green with envy, and he was drooling at the sight. But since he hadn’t killed the monsters himself, he couldn’t open the chests—he could only look on in regret.

Even though Wu Xingyu, that unlucky kid, had dropped a lot of chests, Pei Yu figured there probably wasn’t much of value in them.

Suppressing his envy, he muttered, “I can’t tell if falling into this ice cave was good luck or bad luck for him.”

Judging by the number of chests, Wu Xingyu’s luck couldn’t be called bad. If it were, he’d have frozen to death in the snow already. But now he’d fallen into an ice cavern, fought a bunch of monsters, and even managed to profit from it—a blessing in disguise.

“There’s a sound up ahead. Let’s go check it out.”

“Okay.”

Shivering, the group hurried after the voice.

After passing through a narrow, arched ice gate, they entered another cavern—this one twice as large as the last.

Embedded in the icy walls were countless irregularly shaped stones, all glowing green. That must be why the cave was so bright.

And there, in the middle of the cavern, was Wu Xingyu—the very person they’d been searching for.

While Yun Qimu and the others were anxious to find him, the “missing person” himself looked completely at ease.

He was turning the Mengji monsters charging at him from all directions into little snowballs, then slicing them down one by one with swift, practiced movements.

In the blink of an eye, a pile of treasure chests had exploded around him.

Pei Yu’s eyes turned red with envy. He whipped out a three-meter-long broadsword from his inventory and charged over, yelling, “Hey, brat! Uncle’s here to help you!”

With a swing of his giant sword, he took out several little snowball monsters, and eight treasure chests dropped.

Damn, this felt amazing! No wonder that brat Wu Xingyu liked shrinking the Mengji monsters before killing them.

Pei Yu was thrilled, ready to keep going and become the number one monster-slayer.

But Wu Xingyu wasn’t having it. He withdrew his slender, pale hand, turned his beautiful, bloodless face toward Pei Yu, and fixed him with a cold, empty stare. His voice was icy as he said, “Then I’ll leave this to you.”

“Huh?”

Pei Yu was still riding his high when Wu Xingyu took a few quick steps out of the attack range. The twenty-odd Mengji monsters, having lost their original target, instantly focused all their aggression on Pei Yu.

The Mengji, as big as calves, bared their sharp fangs and charged at him. Even his three-meter broadsword couldn’t hold them off.

“Shit!” Pei Yu’s peach-blossom eyes bulged in panic.

“Wu Xingyu, you little brat, you’re such a jerk!”

His miserable howl echoed through the cavern as he rolled on the ground, barely dodging the monsters, and was forced to fight them head-on.

Yuan An and Yun He knew Wu Xingyu wasn’t one to suffer losses. Now that he’d left, their own little schemes started to stir.

Yuan An clenched his fists. “Uncle Pei looks like he’s having a tough time. We should go help him.”

Yun He nodded in agreement. “You’re right. We have to help Uncle Pei. After all, we’re housemates in the same little cabin.”

With that, the two of them rushed forward, weapons in hand.

Yun He finished off a Mengji that Pei Yu had already beaten down to a sliver of health.

Yuan An seized the chance to take out another Mengji with only a third of its HP left.

Still surrounded, Pei Yu spat out a mouthful of blood. “You two little brats, stealing my kills!”

Yuan An finished off his monster with a swing, then grinned at Pei Yu. “Uncle, you’ve got it wrong. We’re here to help you. There are so many Mengji—no way you could handle them all alone. I just wanted to take out one more for you.”

Yun He chimed in, “Yeah, that’s what I thought too. Don’t worry, Uncle Pei, we’ll get you out of here.”

Then, quick as lightning, he finished off another low-health Mengji, earning a silver chest.

Pei Yu’s face twisted with rage. Damn these two little brats! Did he need their help?

But there was nothing he could do. The two of them talked a good game, but in reality, they were cold-blooded kill-stealing machines.

Yuan An: Haha! Finally got to see him cough up blood. What a great day for the common folk!

Yun He: No wonder Uncle Pei loves playing dirty—stealing kills really is satisfying.

The two of them pressed on, and the cavern was soon filled with Pei Yu’s furious cursing.

Wu Xingyu’s pale lips slowly curled into a smile. Then his dark, lifeless eyes turned to Yun Qimu. “Village Chief Yun, I’m cold.”

Yun Qimu, still staring enviously at the treasure chests on the ground, didn’t even look up. “If you’re cold, wear more layers.”

Wu Xingyu blinked pitifully. “But I don’t have a coat. I can’t get one to drop.”

The one he was wearing was a fancy, insulated cloak from the Empire—stylish, but useless against the cold.

Yun Qimu finally snapped out of it and looked up at the pitiful kid. It was true—apart from some spirit coins and a rare defensive jade pendant, Wu Xingyu never managed to get anything useful.

“I happen to have a spare coat. I’ll give it to you at a friendly price—just ten spirit coins.”

Wu Xingyu’s eyes lit up. Compared to the 3,000 energy coins Zhu Zhu had charged the space pirates, this really was a bargain.

He happily agreed, “I’ll take it.”

He handed over the coins, and Yun Qimu produced a bright red coat embroidered with big yellow flowers.

Wu Xingyu’s smile faded as he took in the sight.

He stared at the coat, struggling to ask, “Don’t you have any other colors?”

“Nope.” Yun Qimu spread his hands and blinked innocently. “I’ve been so lucky lately, I can’t even get junk items like coats to drop anymore.”

Wu Xingyu: That’s just cruel.

But the deal was done, and with his “Pixiu” nature, there was no way he could refuse the coat.

He stiffly accepted it, then looked pleadingly at Mo Xie. “Uncle…”

Good night, good night~"