Chapter 263: Chapter 156: Firepower Coverage for the Rich, Tactical Infiltration for the Poor (Part 2)

Lu Yuan leaped onto the snake’s body and stabbed downward. Wrapped in purple Sword Qi, the Celestial Master Sword pierced its flesh with a SQUELCH.

’This Celestial Master Sword from the System is amazing,’ Lu Yuan thought.

In his hands, the Celestial Master Sword had become an all-purpose blade. He used it for everything.

Slashing, hacking, stabbing... whether he was fighting Xingzi or dueling others, the Celestial Master Sword always felt incredibly effective in his hands.

The seemingly dead Long Snake, in a final death throe, launched a last-ditch counterattack. Its tail shot out from behind Lu Yuan, stabbing straight for him.

’It must be trying to counter my move with one of its own. A tail for a sword, huh?’

Lu Yuan never expected the Long Snake to be able to endure the sword wound just before dying. Its head remained motionless in the pool, yet its tail could still launch a sneak attack like that.

’What’s a perfectly good snake tail doing, acting like a scorpion’s stinger?’

’No wonder "vicious as a snake and scorpion" is a saying.’

The tip of the tail struck Lu Yuan in the back.

The force of the blow sent Lu Yuan flying.

He landed right in the middle of the deep pool.

’God, that hurts!’ He didn’t actually scream after taking the hit; it hurt too much to even make a sound.

Falling into the pool, Lu Yuan felt a surge of panic.

The water was as black as an abyss. He was already sinking dozens of feet deep.

It wasn’t a matter of how long he could hold his breath.

It was the fact that this seemingly small pool was utterly lightless at its depths. No sunlight could penetrate the inky black.

Submerged in the water, the last thing Lu Yuan wanted was to sink to the bottom. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He remembered hearing a saying from before he transmigrated: ’Where there are monsters, there is treasure.’

But right now, Lu Yuan couldn’t care less about finding any treasure.

’As someone with a touch of claustrophobia, this kind of deep, dark water is the worst.’

’Who knows what else is lurking in here? It’s bound to be filthy.’

’I need to get out of here as fast as I can!’

’As for treasure at the bottom... that’s just something you tell kids to get them to jump in.’

Lu Yuan could only guess at one thing that was certain to be at the bottom of this seemingly bottomless pool.

’What else could there be? The accumulated waste of a giant snake that’s lived here for who knows how many years.’

’All the bone fragments and eggshells it’s shat out over the years must be piled up down there.’

With a flash of insight, Lu Yuan grabbed the snake’s sinking head, kicked off its face, and launched himself out of the water.

Lu Yuan collapsed beside the Long Snake, clutching his chest and gasping for air. He was completely spent.

’That was close. A gentleman avoids dangerous places, or so they say. Sorry about that... you were already dead, and I still had to use your face as a stepping stone.’

After lying there for only a few seconds, the pain in his back flared up, forcing him to roll onto his stomach.

’Damn, that really hurts... you bastard...’ He hadn’t been focused on the injury before, but now the pain was excruciating.

After a short rest, Lu Yuan felt mostly recovered.

His recent cultivation of the "Holy Body" hadn’t been for nothing.

His physical strength had reached a new level, and his recovery speed was far greater than that of a normal person.

Lu Yuan listened to his surroundings. Aside from the chirping of birds, there was only silence.

’Good, looks like the fight didn’t attract anyone.’

Looking down at his soaking wet clothes, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

’I stuff all sorts of materials and junk into my System Space, but it never occurred to me to pack a change of clothes.’

Since there was no one around, Lu Yuan decided not to worry about it.

’I can’t just go back soaking wet, can I?’

Not far from the base of the waterfall, Lu Yuan found a clearing, gathered some firewood, and conjured a purple Flame in his hand to light a campfire.

He hung all his clothes on a makeshift rack of sticks by the fire, then sat on a nearby rock and replayed the fight in his mind.

Lu Yuan examined the Golden Silk Armor in his hands. If this Soft Armor hadn’t taken the brunt of that blow...

...he would have been skewered right through.

’You live and you learn.’

’This was probably my first real battle against such a tough opponent.’

Even fighting the Xingzi back in Taiping City hadn’t been this dangerous.

Lu Yuan felt he was still too inexperienced, a little too reckless and hasty.

’But at least the prize was worth it. A Long Snake this big is a huge score.’

If Su Liyan had been here, she definitely wouldn’t have let him take such a risk.

Once his clothes were more or less dry, Lu Yuan stood up and patted the dust off his pale, shapely rear end, which had gotten dirty from sitting on the rock.

A large, peach-shaped wet spot remained on the rock where he had been sitting...

After getting dressed, Lu Yuan doused the fire with water from the waterfall and turned his attention to the Long Snake by the pool’s edge.

He thought for a moment. ’Seems like the only way to get this thing back is to put it in the System Space.’

A beast this size would take at least seven or eight oxcarts to haul away, even if he cut it into pieces.

’It won’t rot if I put it in the System Space, will it?’

Lu Yuan had no idea if the System Space had preservative properties.

’If it doesn’t, I don’t mind if some of it spoils, as long as the whole space doesn’t start to stink.’

Standing before the Long Snake, Lu Yuan made a few hand signs and stowed the massive carcass in his System Space.

The creature was simply enormous. Normally, Lu Yuan could retrieve or store small items with a single hand.

This required a bit more of a flourish.

Lu Yuan climbed back to the top of the waterfall, gathered his weapons and gear, and did his best to make the area look undisturbed.

He then pulled a radio out of his System Space, picked a station, and started humming along as he headed down the mountain.

This trip to Buxian Mountain had been incredibly fruitful.

Lu Yuan slipped into the Post House through the back entrance, hoping to avoid Gu Ziye.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of her, he just didn’t want to get dragged into a conversation.

He had told her that morning he’d be busy cultivating in his room.

If she saw him coming in the front door now, he’d be stuck making small talk.

It was just easier to sneak in the back.

Back in his room, Lu Yuan pondered the Long Snake. ’It’s so massive. What am I going to do with it?’

A Long Snake’s body is a treasure trove, but he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to make use of it all.

He was worried it would spoil before he had the chance.

Lu Yuan slapped his forehead. ’Oh, how could I forget?’

’I don’t know if the System Space keeps things fresh, but I can just build something that does—a refrigerator!’

’Or, even simpler, Buxian Mountain is covered in ice and snow.’

’I can just make a big icebox, fill it with ice, and stick the meat inside.’

’Problem solved, right?’

’If I really tried to build a refrigerator, how big would it have to be to fit that whole Long Snake anyway?’

Lu Yuan praised himself, ’See? I’m brilliant.’

With that, Lu Yuan called out toward his door.

A Mansion Guard entered and bowed. "Nephew Master, do you have an order for me?"

Lu Yuan asked, "Did anyone come looking for me today?"

The Mansion Guard replied, "No, sir. The Princess went out and has not yet returned."

"How are the Snow Clams? Are they all still alive?"

"To answer the Nephew Master, the Snow Clams are very quiet. They aren’t making any noise or jumping around in their baskets. They’re being very good."

Lu Yuan said, "That’s fine. It’s because of the Talismans I placed on them. That’s why they’re so quiet."

Only then did the Mansion Guard understand why the Snow Clams were so docile.

"Oh, and tomorrow I’ll need to trouble you and a few other Mansion Guards to make another trip to Buxian Mountain. Go up the mountain and bring back some ice and snow," Lu Yuan instructed.

"Yes, Nephew Master. I will inform the others immediately."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment. Just a few of them wouldn’t be able to haul back much ice.

Buxian Mountain was quite high. Even though the Mansion Guards had some training in Martial Arts, they could probably only manage two or three trips in a single day.

That was nowhere near enough.

Lu Yuan took a silver ingot from his robes.

He pressed the silver into the Mansion Guard’s hand. "Do this: go into the city tomorrow and find some day laborers. Hire as many as you can to go up Buxian Mountain with you and haul back ice."

The Mansion Guard took the ingot, testing its weight in his hand. "Nephew Master, this is far more silver than we’ll need."

Lu Yuan waved a dismissive hand. "Eh, it’s not easy for you men to follow me all over the country. Keep the extra and go have a nice meal and some drinks."

"Also, remember to come see me tomorrow morning. I’ll give you some bags to carry the ice in."

"Alright, you’ve been standing guard at my door for nearly a day. Go get some rest."

"Yes, Nephew Master!"

The Mansion Guard replied, then bowed and exited the room, cradling the silver ingot.

Now that he had arranged the next day’s work for the Mansion Guards, Lu Yuan had his own tasks to attend to.