After Zhu Chang and Wu Kong left, a lizard crawled out from underground.
Long Da Zui stared at the backs of the two as they departed, a cold sneer escaping his wide-open maw.
"They actually plotted to harm my precious Xi Xi. I'll go expose these two scoundrels."
Long Da Zui chuckled sinisterly, but then reconsidered. After careful thought, he made a decision: "They have a grudge against Ji Mo. Let them kill this pretty boy Ji Mo first, then I'll find a way to deal with them. It would be best if, when little Xi Xi is in danger, I can seize the opportunity to be a hero, save the day, and perhaps she'll change her mind and return to my embrace."
"My precious Xi Xi, though you abuse me a thousand times, I still treat you as my first love. Time will tell you that the pretty boy Ji Mo is unreliable; only I, the devoted Long Da Zui, am truly devoted to you."
Long Da Zui's face was full of devotion, then his gaze inadvertently drifted to a group of young and lively female students approaching in the distance.
Instantly, those large, captivating eyes turned into heart shapes, his mouth split from ear to ear, and drool streamed down his chin.
From then on, Lang Ya Academy gained an improper, giant lizard.
...
Ji Mo led his students and gave Zhuang Chang Ming and Cui Pei a thorough beating, leaving them in unrecognizable states. It was estimated they wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least two to three months.
Then, he dismissed the students to go back and cultivate diligently for the upcoming quarterly assessment.
He was likely the first person to adopt a "free-range" teaching style.
Afterward, Ji Mo left the academy to find Lu Wu Kai.
He needed to inform the man about the Dragon's Lair.
Upon arriving at Lu Wu Kai's residence, Ji Mo found him frowning, looking uneasy, and packing his belongings.
He was meticulously searching for his junk, treating it like treasure, dusting it off, and packing it into storage bags one by one.
It seemed being a thief was truly lucrative, to the point of using storage bags!
"Old Lu, what are you doing? Planning to skip town?"
Ji Mo asked, puzzled.
Lu Wu Kai cursed and said, "Those persistent pests have found Qian Long City. They've likely tracked my whereabouts. If I don't leave, it'll only be a matter of days before I'm discovered and can't escape their clutches."
His face was grim. He hadn't expected that after hiding for decades, they still wouldn't let him go, intending to hunt him down and eradicate him completely.
There was no choice but to keep moving, hiding and barely surviving.
"Why don't you move into the academy and stay with me? My courtyard is much better than this doghouse of yours. If you stay for a while, perhaps your body will recover."
Seeing Lu Wu Kai, an old man, still having to evade his enemies, Ji Mo felt a pang of sympathy and wanted to invite him to live together.
However.
Lu Wu Kai directly refused Ji Mo's kind offer, saying, "Lang Ya Academy cannot stop those people. If I stay with you, we'll both be doomed. You have no idea how powerful my enemies are; telling you would scare you to death. I appreciate your kindness, but I cannot drag you down."
Ji Mo didn't insist. He reached into his怀 and took out the Multi-Treasure Snake to return it to Lu Wu Kai.
But the Multi-Treasure Snake was unwilling to leave Ji Mo. As soon as it landed in Lu Wu Kai's hand, it "whooshed" back into Ji Mo's embrace.
"What did you do to my snake?"
Lu Wu Kai finally sensed something was wrong. The Multi-Treasure Snake he had raised for so long was now clinging to Ji Mo and refusing to return to him.
"I didn't do anything?"
Ji Mo spread his hands, feigning innocence.
He also had no idea what was going on.
"I want to stay by Mr. Ji's side."
A soft, sweet voice echoed in Lu Wu Kai's mind. The Multi-Treasure Snake was secretly communicating with him.
She had no choice before but to follow Lu Wu Kai. Now that she had transformed into human form, she wanted to follow her heart and stay by Ji Mo's side.
Lu Wu Kai was struck as if by lightning. Since his life had taken a turn for the worse, he had only been accompanied by snakes, passing his days by playing with them.
He had come to regard the Multi-Treasure Snake as his own daughter, doting on her.
Now, the snake had grown up and was unwilling to stay by his side, becoming attached to a man she had only known for a few days.
At that moment, Lu Wu Kai felt the pain of his painstakingly cultivated prize cabbage being snatched by a pig.
At the same time, he was somewhat shocked. What means had Ji Mo used to make the Multi-Treasure Snake gain sentience and cultivation, allowing it to communicate with him?
"Ji Mo, I've always considered you a good brother. I didn't expect you to be so unscrupulous, plotting to take my Multi-Treasure Snake."
Lu Wu Kai puffed out his beard and glared, feeling very angry. If he weren't weaker than Ji Mo, he would have fought Ji Mo to the death.
"I don't know what happened. Perhaps it was scared by the monster in the Dragon Transformation Pool in the Dragon's Lair, which is why it became like this."
Ji Mo guessed.
"Dragon Transformation Pool?"
Lu Wu Kai's eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked, "Did you find the real Dragon's Lair? Is there any Dragon Saliva Liquid inside?"
Dragon Saliva Liquid had always been his most desired item; he had been searching for it for over ten years.
Ji Mo nodded: "Yes, I found it. There was a large pool of Dragon Saliva Liquid, but perhaps due to the long passage of time, it had expired. I didn't feel any effect after soaking in it."
"Expired? Are you kidding me? How could Dragon Saliva Liquid expire? That stuff is like wine; the older it is, the more potent its medicinal properties. You're not trying to hoard it all, are you? Where is the Dragon Saliva Liquid? Take me to see it right now."
Lu Wu Kai said, full of impatience.
As long as he had the Dragon Saliva Liquid, he could repair the damage to his origin and restore his peak strength.
Once his cultivation recovered, those insignificant pests who came looking for him would be nothing; he could swat them dead with a single palm.
"Alas, don't get your hopes up too high."
Ji Mo sighed, then led Lu Wu Kai to Lang Ya Academy and into the Dragon's Lair.
"Is that Old Master Lu from the Eastern Region?"
Song Zhen Wei noticed Ji Mo bringing someone and observed them secretly, looking somewhat surprised.
He had also heard of Lu Wu Kai's deeds. He was once a highly respected figure in the Eastern Region, renowned and quite dignified.
But later, he had declined, his family fortune was seized, his cultivation plummeted, and he was hunted by enemies all over the world. He hadn't expected him to be hiding in Qian Long City.
Seeing Ji Mo with Lu Wu Kai, Song Zhen Wei felt a bit worried, as Lu Wu Kai had many enemies and a less-than-stellar reputation.
"Legend has it that Lu Wu Kai's motto is 'Petty thieves get rich, great thieves govern the nation.' I need to keep a close eye on him, lest this fellow gets any ideas about the immortal sword in the academy."
Song Zhen Wei hurried to guard the broken sword, fearing it might be stolen.
Ji Mo and Lu Wu Kai entered the true Dragon's Lair and arrived by the Dragon Transformation Pool.
The vital essence contained within the Dragon Saliva Liquid in the pool had all been absorbed by Ji Mo. Now, it was similar to ordinary spring water.
Lu Wu Kai confirmed that the Dragon Saliva Liquid had completely lost its efficacy, his face turning ashen. He roared, "Damn it! That bastard who deserves a thousand cuts has absorbed all the medicinal properties from this pool of Dragon Saliva Liquid!"
His eyes turned red, staring intently at Ji Mo.