Chapter 94 - She Actually Dares to Pick a Fight with Steve?

Fu Zhu stared at the delicate and pitiful-looking Tingyun (?) before him. Without a word, he equipped his shield, Godfall Sword, Unnamed Sword [Kugutsu], golden apples, milk, and Ender Pearls, ready to act at any moment.

However, he didn't rush to attack this Tingyun (?). The attack methods of enemies in this world weren't as straightforward as in MC. Instead of trading blows in a battle of attrition, he hoped to find a way to control her movements first, then proceed with attacks like whittling down her health. That would be the safest approach.

More importantly, Fu Zhu wasn't sure where his current respawn point was.

Although he had slept once in the Luofu's guesthouse, that was before he unlocked Survival Mode. If he accidentally died and ended up respawning at his initial spawn point on the Herta Space Station, everything would be ruined.

Even if he had Herta or Asta help arrange a ship to send him back to the Luofu, by the time he arrived, it would be too late.

When it came to crowd control, the first thing Fu Zhu thought of was the newbie-friendly wooden boat. In MC, the wooden boat could restrain the vast majority of mobs, and this characteristic was still effective in this world, something he had tested back on the Herta Space Station.

The tricky part now was how to get this ill-intentioned Tingyun (?) approaching him and Yanqing to obediently sit in the wooden boat.

While Fu Zhu was still pondering how to invite this beauty to sit in his wooden boat for a "chat," Yanqing beside him had already recognized her.

"You must be Miss Tingyun from the Sky-Faring Commission, right?"

Tingyun (?) smiled like a blossoming flower and bowed to Fu Zhu and Yanqing. "Indeed, it is I. I didn't expect Lord Yanqing to remember little old me. It is truly an honor."

Yanqing, knowing he wasn't very good at such pleasantries, asked Tingyun (?) with some confusion, "Miss Tingyun, why have you appeared in the Scalegorge Waterscape? This isn't a place where a ferryman from the Sky-Faring Commission should be."

Tingyun (?) smiled and explained, "Naturally, I wouldn't usually come to such a place. It's just that Lady Yukong previously asked me to assist Mr. Welt and the others in apprehending the Stellaron Hunter. But after I borrowed a Diting for them from the Artisanship Commission, that Diting suddenly attacked me for some reason.

I had no choice but to temporarily part ways with Mr. Welt and the others. But to leave just like that without helping at all, I felt truly guilty. So, I thought I'd come over to your side, Lord Yanqing, to see if there's anything I can do to help."

"This..."

Yanqing hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head and declined Tingyun's (?) kind offer.

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Tingyun, but the mission Lord Fu Zhu and I are on is quite dangerous. It's not suitable for you to accompany us."

Tingyun (?), however, waved her hands repeatedly. "It's no trouble, no trouble at all. Even just letting me serve tea and water, or cheer you on, would be fine."

Yanqing wanted to say more, but Fu Zhu, who was beside him, suddenly raised a hand and interrupted.

"Young Yanqing, if a beauty makes such a request, and you refuse her time and again, that would be rather unchivalrous."

"Huh?"

Yanqing glanced at Fu Zhu with some confusion. He was still young and didn't pay much mind to matters of love and romance, only having a slight understanding.

Could it be that Teacher Fu Zhu had taken a liking to Miss Tingyun?

But weren't they in the middle of serious business right now? Wasn't this an inappropriate time to talk about such things?

Hearing Fu Zhu's words, Tingyun (?) clapped her hands together in delight. "In that case, I shall thank Mr. Fu Zhu in advance. If you have any needs, Mr. Fu Zhu, please do tell me."

"Are you serious?" Fu Zhu stared at Tingyun (?) with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, making her feel a little uneasy, but she still nodded on the surface.

"Naturally. Does Mr. Fu Zhu have any instructions?"

"Well, if Miss Tingyun is free, how about coming to my room tonight for a chat?"

An enemy unit disguised herself to get close to him. If he didn't eliminate her, Fu Zhu felt he wouldn't be able to sleep soundly at night.

Tingyun's (?) eyes lit up. There was actually such a good opportunity?

She was currently quite covetous of Fu Zhu's body. For Fu Zhu to be so cooperative, creating a chance for her to be alone with him in private...

Hmph... short-lived species whelp, remember this in your next life: lust is a knife hanging over one's head!

Tingyun (?) covered her face shyly and said in a delicate voice, "Since Mr. Fu Zhu has invited me, naturally, I have no reason to refuse."

"That's wonderful."

Fu Zhu was also quite happy. If it were an encounter battle with Steve in the wild, the outcome might still be uncertain, depending on how well Steve was prepared.

But if it was an arranged fight with Steve... then one had to be careful. Who knew, even the air itself might be a trap!

He was originally still troubled by the sudden appearance of an enemy of unknown origin. With his limited inventory space, he didn't have many ways to restrain her; the only thing he had on hand that could serve a restraining purpose was probably a single wooden boat.

But now things were different. The battleground would be of his choosing, so Tingyun's (?) fate would be his to decide.

In an instant, dozens of lethal traps flashed through Fu Zhu's mind. Even if the Tingyun (?) before him was actually that Lord of Annihilation, Phantylia, it would be enough to make her suffer greatly!

Yanqing stood to the side, frowning as he watched these two adults with their incredibly flirtatious smiles, pondering inwardly.

So this is how adults engage in courtship? What an eye-opener!

After Fu Zhu had settled on the traps he would set, he looked at Tingyun (?) before him with a beaming smile.

"Miss Tingyun, I happen to need a few things. Could you help me prepare them?"

To maintain her current disguise, Phantylia naturally nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Fu Zhu, please feel free to ask. I will certainly do my best."

"Mm, don't worry, it's nothing too difficult. I just hope you can help me prepare twenty long rifles, sixty-four cobwebs, twenty buckets of lava – the one-liter kind – and then a number of magma blocks..."

Fu Zhu rattled off a long list of items. Even Phantylia had to prick up her ears and carefully note down everything, not having a moment to spare to wonder what these items were for.

Yanqing, listening from the side, felt his head spin a little and couldn't help but remind Fu Zhu.

"Teacher Fu Zhu, the Ambrosial Arbor is almost completely destroyed. What do you need these things for?"

Fu Zhu smiled and pressed a finger to his lips. "Little children shouldn't ask. These are special tools that adults use. Miss Tingyun and I will need them for our rendezvous tonight, oh?"

Phantylia's willow-like eyebrows twitched. Needed for a rendezvous at night?!

Just how kinky was this shameless human brat?!

Phantylia forced herself to maintain a smile, pretending not to have heard Fu Zhu's words, but her back molars were grinding audibly. She secretly resolved that as soon as she was alone with Fu Zhu, she would immediately possess him!

She would absolutely not let him use those little props!

"Then... then I shall go and prepare them first."

Phantylia feigned a blush, lowered her head, and hurried away, leaving only Fu Zhu and Yanqing in place.

Once Phantylia had left, the smile on Fu Zhu's face gradually faded. He immediately turned to the Vidyadhara guard beside him, who had just finished his call with Jing Yuan and was returning his phone.

"Well? You should be able to confirm now that we're not illegal intruders, right?"

The Vidyadhara guard nodded respectfully and presented the phone back to Fu Zhu with both hands.

"The General said that we are to fully cooperate with your orders, sir. However, he hopes that when you destroy the Ambrosial Arbor, you will not affect the Vidyadhara eggs of my clan."

"Mm, understood. I happen to have a question for you all."

"Please ask, sir."

"Since you are Vidyadhara, and Vidyadhara are dragons, can you make it rain?"

The Vidyadhara guard was a little unsure why Fu Zhu suddenly asked this, but he still nodded honestly.

"As Vidyadhara, we possess a rudimentary ability to control water. However, the Dragon Masters within our clan are far more adept at it."

Fu Zhu nodded. If the Vidyadhara couldn't make it rain, then he would have to trouble Jing Yuan to find a way to change the weather on the Luofu to rain.

Yanqing, standing to the side, asked with some confusion, "Teacher Fu Zhu, why do you suddenly want it to rain? Isn't the Ambrosial Arbor still burning right now? If it rains, won't the fire be extinguished?"

"This rain, of course, isn't for the Ambrosial Arbor. It's for that spy hidden among us."

Yanqing couldn't help but be startled. He immediately thought of Phantylia, who had been hiding on the Luofu, and leaned in to ask softly in a hushed tone.

"Teacher Fu Zhu, are you referring to that Lord of Annihilation?"

Fu Zhu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he cautiously opened his minimap to confirm that Tingyun (?) had indeed left the Scalegorge Waterscape before giving Yanqing a barely perceptible nod.

"Although I'm not entirely sure, I really can't think of anyone else it could be."

They, the Astral Express crew, had just arrived. Even if they had made a few enemies on the spot, those enemies wouldn't have had the chance, would they?

This fox-like woman named Tingyun was someone he was seeing for the first time. He had no opportunity to have made an enemy of her. Adding to that the large question mark after her name, her identity could only be a disguise.

An enemy who was deliberately disguising her identity – the only person Fu Zhu could think of right now was either Kafka or Phantylia.

And since Xing and Welt were currently hunting Kafka, and they hadn't appeared nearby, it meant this person disguised as Tingyun couldn't be Kafka. In that case, it was highly probable that she was Phantylia, who had yet to show her face.

Yanqing was very astute and immediately guessed who Fu Zhu suspected: the Tingyun from earlier. After all, Fu Zhu hadn't interacted with many people. For him to choose to say this after sending Tingyun away indicated that Fu Zhu suspected her.

But Yanqing was still a little unsure.

"Teacher Fu Zhu, the person you suspect... it wouldn't be Miss Tingyun, would it?"

Fu Zhu was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Yanqing to be so clever at such a young age, figuring it out in an instant.

"Mm, yes, it's her."

"Then why did you ask her to prepare materials? Oh, Yanqing understands. You deliberately sent her away to buy time, didn't you?"

"Not quite."

Fu Zhu suddenly raised a finger with a playful smile and wagged it before Yanqing's eyes. "Yanqing, let me teach you something else. Undercover agents have to work much harder than regular employees because they are terrified of their identities being exposed if they don't perform well. So, no matter what request I make, the other party will do their best to fulfill it, just like moments ago."

Yanqing instantly understood. No wonder Teacher Fu Zhu had made such a frivolous request as a rendezvous at night, and Miss Tingyun had actually agreed to it.

Although he hadn't interacted much with Miss Tingyun, he didn't think she was such a frivolous person. So that was it!

If one considered that the other party was Phantylia disguised as Miss Tingyun, then all of Miss Tingyun's actions just now became perfectly reasonable!

The more Yanqing understood the details, the more he admired Fu Zhu.

He hadn't expected Teacher Fu Zhu to be so outstanding not only in martial arts but also in technology and strategy!

Yanqing couldn't help but secretly vow to stay close to Teacher Fu Zhu more often in the future. If he could learn even a trick or two from him, he would make remarkable progress!

At this moment, Fu Zhu lowered his voice to prevent the surrounding Vidyadhara guards from overhearing their conversation. Although the minimap showed that their markers had turned into friendly green ones, he couldn't guarantee that Phantylia wouldn't try to extract information from them.

"Yanqing, later, quietly relay this information to Jing Yuan."

Yanqing quickly nodded in agreement. "I'll go report to General Jing Yuan right away!"

This concerned the Luofu; he couldn't afford to delay even for a moment.

Fu Zhu nodded and patted his shoulder. "Go on."

This was his first time facing an Emanator-level powerhouse. If all his methods proved useless, then he would need a powerhouse of the same level to back him up.

And on the Luofu, only Jing Yuan possessed that qualification.

However, Fu Zhu wasn't overly nervous. Having Jing Yuan as a backup was just one of his contingency plans.

There was no entity Steve couldn't kill, not even a god.

Fu Zhu thought for a moment, then took out his phone and sent a message to March 7th, asking her to help bring the Iron Golem to the Scalegorge Waterscape.

Previously, because the Iron Golem was too large and a bit clumsy in its movements, it had been left at the guesthouse to guard their luggage for everyone. But now that they were about to fight a BOSS, having the Iron Golem on site to help would be for the best.

Still, one Iron Golem clearly wasn't enough.

Fu Zhu turned his head and spoke to the Vidyadhara guards who were standing by, awaiting his instructions.

"Help me prepare a large quantity of iron blocks and pumpkins. Also, take me to see the Dragon Masters of your clan. I'll need their help to change the weather on the Luofu next."

"Yes, sir. This way, please."

The Vidyadhara guards split up, some going to help Fu Zhu gather materials, while others led Fu Zhu deeper into the Scalegorge Waterscape, towards the residence of the Vidyadhara.