Chapter Twenty-Three: Taking the Opponent’s Path, Leaving Them No Way Out

Su Jian raised an eyebrow, surprised by this unexpected outcome. It was just as Zhao Qianxue had said before—this matter had nothing to do with Su Henli’s hatred of Chen Luo. He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: “For Chen Luo to become the master of the Azure Serenity Palace is no accident. If what he says is true, and he could come up with such a solution, it truly shows an innovative mind. But if his inability was just a pretense to achieve his goals, then it only proves how extraordinary his temperament really is.”

Seeing Su Jian fall silent, Zhao Qianxue grew curious. “Why are you so quiet? Are you that shocked, unable to process it all at once?”

Su Jian ignored her teasing and pressed on, “When exactly did Su Henli become his disciple—was it before or after your fake marriage?”

Zhao Qianxue’s eyes widened. “It was before the wedding. Are you suggesting that Su Henli’s hatred toward Chen Luo began even before we pretended to marry?”

Su Jian nodded slightly. “Naturally. Otherwise, even if you two interacted rarely, you would’ve sensed something amiss.”

He paused, then shifted the topic: “If my guess is right, Chen Luo likely has no idea about Su Henli’s hatred. Otherwise, why would he keep an enemy so close? It’s probable that Chen Luo did something to Su Henli’s family, which led Su Henli to approach him deliberately and eventually become his disciple. But then, what does any of this have to do with me?”

When he’d crossed into this world, he was already living in the Azure Serenity Palace, with no memory of his origins—only the recollection of growing up freely within the palace walls.

Zhao Qianxue repeated her earlier consolation: “Enough already. I still think it’s more likely that Su Henli is just trying to upset your state of mind. Don’t waste your thoughts or hurt yourself over this.”

Su Jian gave a helpless smile. That was all he could do for now.

Silently, he cursed, “Damn Su Henli, can’t you let me have any peace even in death?”

It seemed too late now to investigate Su Henli’s background. The man was nearly Zhao Qianxue’s age; after so many centuries, there was little chance of finding anything.

Besides, even if he did uncover Su Henli’s origins, what good would it do? There was nothing connecting them. He could speculate, but it wasn’t very feasible.

Zhao Qianxue smiled faintly. “Little Jian, why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Su Jian raised an eyebrow—how practical she was! Who had been pestering him for days, refusing to leave? He hadn’t planned to spend the night here, but now that Zhao Qianxue spoke like this, he was determined to stay.

“I suddenly find the air here especially sweet. I’ll sleep here tonight. After so many days of turmoil, I’m truly exhausted,” Su Jian said.

With that, he unceremoniously claimed most of Zhao Qianxue’s bed for himself.

Watching his actions, Zhao Qianxue only laughed instead of getting annoyed. He seemed even more uninhibited than before.

Forget it, she thought. Just let him be once more.

Let this be a reward for all of Su Jian’s hard work along the way.

Yes, that’s exactly what this is!

...

The next morning, Gao Zhengde was already waiting at his door, his face all genial smiles.

Gao Zhengde had changed completely from before; he’d shaved off his messy hair, donned his scholarly robes once more, and, of course, did his best to conceal the glaring ‘slave’ tattoo on his scalp.

Such eagerness confirmed Su Jian’s previous suspicions—something was definitely amiss.

But Su Jian had no intention of meeting him immediately; he’d let him wait a while longer.

There was something more important to do first. The storage rings he’d collected last night still hadn’t been examined—he simply hadn’t had the mind for it.

Su Jian started with Su Henli’s storage ring. As expected, there were no parting messages or declarations. Only a few spirit stones were left.

There was, however, a single spiritual artifact and some cultivation resources.

But what drew Su Jian’s attention most was the Blood Transformation Art Su Henli had practiced.

This sinister technique was stored within the ring.

Su Jian skimmed through it and quickly lost interest. It was nothing more than devouring the innate energy of unborn children—a practice that greatly benefited cultivators, which was why it was a common trick among demonic cultivators.

Perhaps… he could use this technique to find a way to eliminate Xi Wang.

That man, always seeking shortcuts in cultivation, would surely seek out a new victim to continue practicing the Blood Transformation Art. Wouldn’t that present Su Jian with the perfect opportunity?

But for now, Xi Wang’s whereabouts were unknown, and after devouring Su Henli, his cultivation was likely already at the Nascent Soul stage.

Eliminating him was urgent—if left to grow, he’d be far more difficult to deal with in the future.

Even with the help of his unique system, Su Jian doubted he could outpace those who practiced such demonic arts through normal means.

Walking the same path as his adversary, only to block him at every turn?

Su Jian immediately dismissed the idea. It wasn’t that he feared violating the natural order—he was simply weary of endless scheming and violence.

If exposed, the so-called righteous path would unite against him, much like his current predicament.

All he wanted was a quiet life, yet his Dao companion still hadn’t given him any sign of life. If she was dead, the least she could do was let him know.

Even if she was gone, for the sake of this small realm, he’d light incense in her memory.

Next was the Blade King’s storage ring.

Su Jian’s eyes lit up at once. As expected of a man of the righteous path, his wealth was leagues beyond Su Henli’s.

Thousands of spirit stones and cultivation resources—several times what Su Henli had amassed.

The Blade King also had a spiritual weapon: the very blade he’d wielded before.

Following his principle of erasing all traces, Su Jian converted everything in the Blade King’s storage ring directly into spiritual energy.

[Conversion successful. Current spiritual energy: 63,540.]

So this is what it feels like to strike it rich. He’d never felt so comfortable.

As for Su Henli’s possessions, he wasn’t in a hurry to convert them. If his Dao companion still failed to make contact, he’d have no choice but to begin cultivating personally.

Su Jian sighed softly. Now, his mortal enemies included not only Xi Wang, but also the ever-present threat of the Alliance of the Righteous.

The Blade King’s death last night likely hadn’t reached the Alliance yet—unless Gao Zhengde had secretly leaked the news.

But that was unlikely. Gao Zhengde had too many secrets to risk letting the Alliance intervene.

On the contrary, Gao Zhengde would do everything in his power to keep the Alliance away.

So, Su Jian realized, he could very well take advantage of this mindset.