Chapter Two: Madam, You Wouldn’t Want Master to Die in Vain, Would You?

“Madam, don’t you wish for your master’s sacrifice not to be in vain?” Su Jian suddenly asked.

Within the rustic courtyard, silence fell so swiftly that one could hear a pin drop.

Zhao Qianxue, still sulking, was stunned for a moment before she finally came back to her senses.

She asked, somewhat puzzled, “What do you mean by that?”

Su Jian replied solemnly, “Master shielded us so we could escape, and entrusted you to me. We must not disappoint the painstaking efforts he made for us. Therefore, we must survive.”

Though his master’s wife possessed Nascent Soul cultivation, she was inexperienced in worldly matters, having practiced cultivation for hundreds of years but rarely leaving the Azure Palace. Her cultivation, built upon pills rather than combat, meant she had no real battle experience—her fighting power was negligible.

In essence, she was all appearance and no substance...

But as the daughter of the previous palace lord, her idle life was only natural.

Zhao Qianxue nodded in confusion, “What you say makes sense…”

Su Jian smiled, “In that case, Madam, why not lend me the superior immortal robe you’re wearing?”

The way Su Jian looked at her made Zhao Qianxue uneasy. She immediately became guarded, saying, “Jian, your master’s body is barely cold, how can you treat me like this? Even if—”

Before she could finish, Su Jian corrected her, “Madam, Master’s body was never recovered. And you’re thinking in the wrong direction—it’s simply my method for repelling our enemies, and I need to borrow your robe.”

Zhao Qianxue’s eyes lit up in surprise, “Jian, you’re truly clever! Why didn’t I think to use this robe to lure away those hounds chasing us?”

Su Jian was speechless.

Her imagination was vivid.

Before he could respond, Zhao Qianxue took off her immortal robe and handed it to him.

Su Jian accepted it silently, not bothering to explain further.

He promptly recited the conversion mantra in his mind.

[Spiritual power conversion successful. Current remaining spiritual power: 10,000.]

At once, the superior immortal robe in his hands faded and lost its luster.

He returned it to its owner.

This superior immortal robe was rarer than a top-grade spiritual artifact, yet it was worth only ten thousand spiritual power.

He was still short by eight thousand.

It gave him a headache.

Even a penny can trip up a hero, let alone the massive sum needed for a top-grade spiritual artifact.

---

“Jian, what did you just do?” she asked—though it wasn’t out of concern for the item. Her life of wealth had made her indifferent to possessions.

She simply couldn’t understand Su Jian’s strange technique.

Su Jian explained briefly, “Don’t worry, Madam. I merely used a secret method to draw out its spiritual essence. Our lives depend on this, but the spiritual power needed is still far from enough. Perhaps… Madam, could you support me a little more?”

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the storage ring on Zhao Qianxue’s delicate finger.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

He was making his intentions clear.

Seeing Zhao Qianxue’s hesitation, Su Jian urged, “Madam…”

She recovered and interrupted him, “How much do you still need?”

Su Jian replied with a grin, “Three or five superior spiritual artifacts wouldn’t be too many, but one would do. Madam, just see what you can spare—anything valued at least as much as the robe.”

Zhao Qianxue responded with a sigh, “You think top-grade spiritual artifacts grow like cabbages…”

Even the entire Azure Palace had only a few such items; it was rare for anyone at the Nascent Soul stage to possess one.

In the end, Zhao Qianxue quietly took out five hundred spirit stones. “These are all the spirit stones I have on me—enough to buy a top-grade artifact. Jian, use them sparingly; this is our entire fortune.”

Given the urgency, she hadn’t brought more spirit stones and had fled with Su Jian.

Su Jian readily agreed.

Now, the spiritual power was finally within reach!

He cared little for the spirit stones.

Through the system, he could summon as many as he wished.

Unlocking the spirit stones, however, required spiritual power—akin to extortion.

He’d glimpsed the requirements before: unlocking cost a million spiritual power.

If he had enough, unlocking spirit stones would be his first choice.

It was a loophole in the system; he could use spirit stones from the system to buy abundant cultivation resources in the real world.

As for inflation, Su Jian couldn’t care less—it wouldn’t affect him anyway.

[Spiritual power conversion successful. Current remaining spiritual power: 21,230.]

The conversion yielded an uneven amount.

Su Jian guessed that the spiritual power depended on how much energy each stone contained.

Next, he unlocked Sky Thunder Bomb, Five Venoms Powder, and Orange Amulet one by one.

He’d been eager, and promptly took out a stack of amulets—hundreds in total—stowing them in his robe without hesitation.

That overwhelming sense of security was simply marvelous.

---

He generously took out another stack of amulets and handed them to his master’s wife: “Madam, follow me… life will be no worse than it was in the Azure Palace.”

Zhao Qianxue paused, instinctively taking them, and asked gloomily, “Were you testing me earlier?”

She couldn’t think of another possibility. If she’d been stingy and refused to hand over the robe and spirit stones, things would have turned out quite differently.

Clearly, that’s how it was.

Su Jian praised her, “You’re truly sharp!”

Now, he didn’t have to explain any further.

Her imagination filled in the blanks perfectly.

Zhao Qianxue felt proud at first, but quickly shifted to a plaintive tone, “Of course. But Jian, you’re simply too much. I’ve always treated you well, and yet you…”

Su Jian ignored her.

He withdrew a Sky Thunder Bomb and a bottle of Five Venoms Powder.

The Sky Thunder Bomb’s shell was forged from black iron, its interior etched with intricate spiritual patterns. Once thrown and triggered, it would instantly unleash a spiritual explosion.

As long as he didn’t damage the patterns, the bomb’s power would remain intact.

Inside, there was space—perfect for loading the Five Venoms Powder.

He didn’t need to add the powder to every bomb; mixing some in would suffice for the intended effect.

When the bombs exploded, the powder would spread with the blast’s aftermath.

Soon, dozens of specially prepared Sky Thunder Bombs appeared in Su Jian’s storage ring.

He then opened the courtyard gate, motioning for Zhao Qianxue to follow.

“Madam, it’s time to go.”

Zhao Qianxue suggested, “But dusk is approaching. We’ve traveled far, and this humble farmhouse is inconspicuous. Why don’t we rest here a while?”

Su Jian smiled and replied meaningfully, “The night is deep and the wind is high. Such a fine moment—I’ll show you fireworks later.”

With that, Su Jian strode out, and Zhao Qianxue, still perplexed, hurried after him.

Fireworks?

He called his Sky Thunder Bombs ‘fireworks’…