Chapter Thirteen: Insolence—Take Your Hands Off

Xi Wang’s face was filled with disdain as well. “And that boy—he seems honest enough on the surface, but he’s just a philanderer. Master, your lady’s ability to judge people isn’t all that impressive, after all.”

Su Henli laughed, replying at once, “That’s something we might make use of. Next time he goes to the Moon Gazing Pavilion, why not disguise yourself as a young woman and see what you can coax from him? Perhaps you’ll stumble upon something utterly unexpected.”

Xi Wang’s mouth twitched. “That’s not impossible, but I think I have an even better idea.”

“Oh?” Su Henli’s eyes glinted with interest, encouraging him to continue.

Xi Wang analyzed, “Master, they’re already suspicious of you—otherwise, their attitude yesterday would never have been so cold. Now is not the time for caution; if we wait for the Righteous Alliance to get their hands on the prize, we’ll be too late even for the scraps. In times like these, we must use extraordinary means.”

Su Henli’s gaze sharpened. “So, you have a countermeasure in mind?”

“In short, we should remain unchanged to respond to all changes,” Xi Wang said, a sinister smile suddenly appearing on his face. “The key is five days from now, when the Righteous Alliance makes their move. We can let them taste some real danger at the hands of the Alliance. All we need to do is strike at the critical moment. If the object we seek still hasn’t surfaced, we rescue them. If they still refuse to hand it over, we’ll kill the boy first. After that, Master, it’s all your field of expertise.”

Su Henli’s face turned cold. “Even the Sword King has come this time. If I hadn’t offered a hefty price last night, that old fox wouldn’t have granted us even these five days... But once those days are up, they’ll turn on us as well, and I’m still not fully confident I can master the Blood Transformation Technique in the time left.”

This was, in the eyes of the Righteous Alliance, the last of their value.

But as the saying goes, when the Dao rises by a foot, the Devil rises by ten. Who can say who will have the last laugh?

Su Henli’s words made Xi Wang anxious. “Master, you’re absolutely right, but this is our only chance. Victory or defeat hinges on this moment. The Blood Transformation Technique must be mastered, and you must succeed!”

...

Su Jian returned to his quarters to find Zhao Qianxue still there.

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “They won’t make a move against us for a while. I suppose they’re worried that what they covet isn’t actually in our hands, and if they burn bridges now, they’ll have nowhere to search. You should go back for now, Lady Master. If danger arises, I’ll send for you.”

Women only slow his sword-drawing hand.

What he needed now was a way to take down a Nascent Soul cultivator. Zhao Qianxue staying here would only be a hindrance.

A cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage was far beyond anything a Golden Core or early-stage cultivator could handle. Ordinary tricks wouldn’t work anymore.

And the more powerful methods, he couldn’t unlock yet.

Unlocking them required so much spiritual energy that he could just as well unlock a spiritual stone. If only he could do that, he wouldn’t have to be so cautious.

Simply put, spiritual stones weren’t likely to attract much attention—they were common items, not rare treasures or potent pills that would draw envious eyes.

Unless someone suspected he had a vast number of them... But he was so low-key, that seemed unlikely.

Suddenly, Zhao Qianxue looked aggrieved. “So you’re tired of your Lady Master already? They say a man forgets his teacher’s wife when he has a sweetheart. You were gone just once and now your attitude’s changed. You must have someone new!”

Su Jian didn’t feel sorry for her at all; in fact, he found her reaction rather amusing.

When it came to jumping to wild conclusions, Zhao Qianxue was unrivaled.

True, he did have a Dao companion now, but even so, there was still a pesky system between them.

Seeing Su Jian unmoved and silent, Zhao Qianxue grew even angrier and launched herself at him, fists at the ready.

How could Su Jian let her succeed? With a single hand, he pressed down on her head.

Zhao Qianxue snorted. “No respect at all! Take your paw off me.”

Su Jian didn’t know what to do with her, and inwardly he sighed, “She’s hundreds of years old, yet still behaves like an unruly child.”

Even a dog would have grown wise after so many years.

In other words, his Lady Master was worse than a dog...

The logic was sound.

But such was the unpredictability of life.

On the other hand, living this way was rather easygoing.

At least for now, he was there to shield her from the storms...

Thinking of this, Su Jian felt a pang of anxiety. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

But as always, given the situation, he had no other choice. Rather than worry endlessly, he’d be better off figuring out how to eliminate all those plotting against him.

The dead soar to the heavens; those who never die live forever!

With that thought—

Su Jian took out several hundred Greater Teleportation Talismans and handed them to Zhao Qianxue without hesitation. “Lady Master, keep these on you. At the first sign of danger, don’t look back—just run.”

In theory, with a bit of luck, those talismans could take a person from one end of the continent to the other in a short time.

The only flaw was that the landing spot was random.

Still, better to be separated than to lose one’s life.

After all, these talismans didn’t cost him anything; Su Jian didn’t feel the slightest pain parting with them. They were inexhaustible, and it was only right to treat those close to him well.

Zhao Qianxue was momentarily stunned, then reached out and patted Su Jian’s waist.

She eyed him suspiciously. “Still intact... Little Jian, tell me honestly—what did you sell?”

Su Jian’s mouth twitched, but he casually made up a plausible excuse. “A certain senior lady thought I was handsome and wanted to spare me three thousand years of effort. Normally I’d never agree, but for your safety, Lady Master, I’d sacrifice anything!”

Zhao Qianxue burst out laughing. “Then I’ll just have to rely on you from now on. We’ll eat and drink at her expense together.”

Su Jian knew she didn’t believe a word of it; otherwise, she wouldn’t react this way.

After some thought, he warned again, “Don’t let anyone see those talismans, or you’ll bring disaster.”

Zhao Qianxue gave him a look of utter confidence.

Su Jian scolded her in exasperation, “It’s exactly that attitude that worries me.”

Zhao Qianxue glared. “Little Jian, you’re tired of me again!”

...

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed for Su Jian at the City Lord’s mansion.

By his reckoning, the Righteous Alliance should be arriving soon, and he was fully prepared.

He hadn’t been idle these days.

The two hundred spiritual stones he’d traded for were far from enough. He still needed to get most of the spiritual energy he needed from Zhao Qianxue.

Perhaps in gratitude for the hundreds of Greater Teleportation Talismans, Zhao Qianxue was more generous than ever this time.

She gave him seven hundred spiritual stones at once.

Su Jian guessed that Zhao Qianxue probably didn’t have much left.

By now, he had nearly emptied her little treasury.