Chapter 101: I Am Shy and Not Well-Versed in Speech

"Don't be anxious; take your time and tell me what's wrong." Su Ji'an gestured for her to stay calm.

"Big bad guy, I just discovered that two immortals have arrived in the village. A man and a woman, they are acting suspicious, as if they are searching for something," Li Ling'er said, looking worried.

She then voiced her speculation: "Could they have been sent by your father-in-law? Do you want to go and hide?"

Seeing that Su Ji'an might be in trouble, Li Ling'er felt quite uneasy.

Su Ji'an frowned slightly. Logically speaking, these two shouldn't be here for him. If they were from the Righteous Alliance, Lingxiu Village would have been surrounded by now. Su Ji'an recalled his various enemies, but quickly ruled them out one by one. If the mastermind behind the scenes had discovered his location, they would likely be standing face-to-face with him by now. Furthermore, it couldn't be a betrayal by the players he had met previously, as they already knew his exact location.

That left only one possibility: this was related to the downfall of the Bai family.

"The Humanistic Academy?" Su Ji'an realized. They were here to investigate the cause of the Bai family's death. Killing them would be easy, but killing the small fry would only invite the elders, which would be troublesome. Therefore, getting involved in a dispute between Li Linguang and the Humanistic Academy right now would be a foolish act.

In short, Lingxiu Village was no longer a place to stay. Su Ji'an planned to find another village nearby to move to.

"Big bad guy, why aren't you saying anything? You aren't scared, are you?" Li Ling'er tried to lighten the tense atmosphere.

Su Ji'an waved his hand nonchalantly. "I'm going out to take a look. You, little girl, just stay here for now."

"It seems you aren't such a big bad guy after all. Are you afraid that if I go with you, I'll be implicated?" Li Ling'er's expression was complex, tinged with a hint of being moved.

Su Ji'an only smiled without offering an explanation. He didn't have the heart to shatter the heroic image she had of him. In reality, he was planning to flee and thought that since they had known each other for a while, he might as well give her a helping hand. If the Humanistic Academy decided to take action against Li Linguang, Li Ling'er might be safe hiding here.

Immediately after, Su Ji'an prepared his defensive measures and stepped outside.

He saw Li Linguang approaching from a short distance away, accompanied by a man and a woman. The man's appearance was mediocre, nowhere near his own.

The woman beside him, however, looked quite striking. Her black hair was styled in an elegant bun; she had a radiant complexion and full, red lips. Yet, Su Ji'an had no interest in her; in fact, he felt like feeding her a spiritual energy pellet just to see how she would react.

Li Linguang wore a smile and didn't look like he was being coerced. Was his previous assumption wrong? Or was the old man playing a double game, trying to keep them stable for the time being?

But why were they here? There were only a few households on the east side of the village; their appearance was somewhat strange. Su Ji'an had no interest in them and was about to turn back home when he heard Li Linguang call out, "Young Su, stay a moment."

Su Ji'an asked suspiciously, "I wonder why the village chief is calling me?"

Li Linguang and his companions walked up to Su Ji'an. He introduced them, saying, "These two immortals have chosen to experience mortal life here. It is an honor for Lingxiu Village. However, there aren't many vacant houses in the village, so from now on, they will be your neighbors."

Experience mortal life? A load of nonsense. This was just a pretext, a copy of the Bai family's arrival. And just like them, they hadn't bothered to disguise themselves as ordinary mortals, likely fearing they would slip up later. But using the same tactic twice was not very clever. Furthermore, the Bai family had settled here long before Li Linguang returned to Lingxiu Village. This would have largely dispelled Li Linguang's suspicions.

The old man arranging them to be his neighbors was definitely intentional. It seemed he was also under suspicion.

Su Ji'an chuckled and said, "Village Chief, the immortal's status is noble; how can they lower themselves to such a crude place? Didn't the Bai residence become vacant just a few days ago?"

Li Linguang sighed, "I suggested that earlier, but the immortals were unwilling. Besides, so many people just died at the Bai residence; it’s bound to be a bit unlucky."

The woman smiled faintly. "We came here specifically to experience the life of ordinary people. If we moved into the Bai residence, wouldn't that defeat the purpose?"

"Village Chief, I'm not afraid of bad luck, and I don't need to 'experience mortal life.' I think the Bai residence is quite nice. How about selling it to me?" Su Ji'an just wanted to make things difficult for Li Linguang.

Li Linguang was stunned; he hadn't expected this kid to take advantage of the situation so quickly. "That is the best house in the village. You can pay the price of a standard courtyard in Yingdu City." The old man was trying to make him retreat in the face of difficulty.

If not for the fear of raising suspicion, Su Ji'an would have loved to pull out the deed to his own courtyard in Yingdu City and slap it on the man's face. The look on the old man's face then would certainly be priceless.

Su Ji'an added, "Can I pay on credit?"

Li Linguang replied without hesitation, "No."

"Then, Village Chief, excuse me." Su Ji'an turned to leave.

Suddenly, the woman said with a smile, "Since we are neighbors from now on, why leave without even a greeting?"

Su Ji'an sighed lightly, "Please forgive me, immortal. I am shy and not good with words; I am afraid of offending you."

The woman beamed, "You are an interesting person."

The man looked displeased and said impatiently, "Enough, Junior Sister. Why waste words with him? Let's go in."

The woman cast a cold glance at him, her smile vanishing instantly. "If you cannot set aside your arrogance and do not understand what it means to experience mortal life, you will fail in the end. You might as well go back early, and my ears will be at peace."

The man wisely shut his mouth, but the look he gave Su Ji'an was cold. Su Ji'an noticed, of course, and sentenced the boy to death in his heart. What kind of fool was this? With such narrow-mindedness, he might as well go to the grave early.

During the subsequent conversation, Su Ji'an learned the woman was called Shen Qing'er and the man was Yu Ming. Soon after, Shen Qing'er took her leave. Li Linguang didn't stay long either, though as he left, he cast a subtle glance in the direction of Su Ji'an's home.

After closing his courtyard gate, Su Ji'an's expression darkened. Shen Qing'er had been intentionally stoking the fire, clearly worried that Yu Ming's hatred for him wasn't enough. That woman was absolutely doing it on purpose, and her goal was obvious: to use someone else's hand to kill him. It seemed his presence here was an obstacle to her plans.

"Shen Qing'er wants to kill me but won't explicitly say so to Yu Ming. Their relationship is quite delicate," Su Ji'an analyzed to himself. It seemed there was some reason she was forced to bring Yu Ming along.