Chapter Thirty-Three: He Seems Easy to Deal With

Su Jian pondered for a moment; this matter had to begin with the City Lord’s Mansion.

[Detoxification Pill: Can resolve all pill toxins. As long as you take enough, there’s no poison it cannot cure; it also has some restraining effect on ordinary toxins.]

[Would you like to spend 20,000 spiritual power to unlock it?]

In the end, Su Jian chose to unlock the Detoxification Pill. The blame lay entirely with the Alien Pill’s fierce medicinal effects, which had caused him considerable inconvenience.

[Remaining spiritual power: 23,540]

This was another blow to an already impoverished household… damn beggar.

Ouyang Ke was most likely ruined.

Having lost all freedom, it was no different from being crippled.

It was time to train a new character... though that description wasn’t quite right, the meaning was the same.

Su Jian couldn’t help but complain inwardly. If only he could accumulate fifty thousand spiritual power, he could summon another player.

He would add an extra task to the basic mission: gathering cultivation resources for him.

This way, many things wouldn’t require his personal involvement.

After a moment,

Su Jian quietly returned to the City Lord’s Mansion.

The deaths of several guards had already caused a great stir within the mansion, especially since Gao Zhengde was now missing.

This left the officials in a state of panic.

Su Jian’s timely appearance could not have been better.

Although they had never directly interacted with Su Jian, they all knew there were Immortal Masters in the City Lord’s Mansion. Seeing Su Jian’s transcendent bearing and handsome features, they naturally associated him with the Immortal Masters.

“We greet the Immortal Master.”

Everyone bowed, their posture somewhat humble.

Su Jian was not surprised at all. In this world, ordinary people always behaved thus before cultivators; if anyone dared to show contempt, they would be an anomaly among mortals.

He feigned ignorance: “What happened here? By whose hand did they die?”

“Well… Immortal Master, we do not know what happened. Even the City Lord… is now missing.”

As they spoke, they made sure to inform Su Jian of where the bodies had been found.

Su Jian mused, “This is most likely the work of the demon lurking beneath the lake. You’d best stay away from there.”

“And Gao Zhengde’s disappearance most likely has something to do with the demon; he may already have met with misfortune.”

His words sent a ripple of panic through the crowd.

“What shall we do…”

“This year truly is fraught with troubles; now even the City Lord has fallen, and not a single person is left to make decisions.”

“Why not seal off the City Lord’s Mansion, keeping idlers out…”

…

Su Jian did not interrupt them, though he was a bit speechless inwardly. Here stood an Immortal Master, yet not one of them sought his help.

He was such a gentle and approachable person—why not boldly ask him to slay the demon?

He could simply agree, then leave without returning, creating the illusion that he had perished at the hands of the demon.

Once the righteous alliance arrived, his identity would naturally be exposed. When they heard he had gone to the lake to deal with the demon, they would surely pursue the trail.

That should have been the script.

Just as Su Jian was about to speak, appearing helpless,

A military advisor suddenly seemed to realize something. He hesitated, then mustered his courage and tentatively asked Su Jian, “Immortal Master, did the City Lord keep you here to deal with the demon?”

Su Jian laughed, “You’re quite clever. Yet your colleagues’ ideas were entirely the opposite; those foolish suggestions are laughable at best. If you follow them, you’re not far from death.”

This saved him the trouble of speaking first.

The military advisor immediately straightened. “In that case, Immortal Master, please quickly subdue the demon, lest disaster befall us.”

Su Jian’s mouth twitched; he took back his earlier thought—this man was not clever at all. Was this how one asked for help?

In another setting, he’d definitely make the man see reality.

But given the current circumstances, he let it go.

Su Jian waved his hand. “All of you, withdraw. The demon beneath the lake is not to be underestimated, or it would not have delayed us so long. If you die here, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Before leaving, everyone bowed again, then retreated swiftly.

Only one remained—the military advisor.

Su Jian frowned slightly. “Why are you still here?”

The advisor knelt, his face full of apology. “Forgive my earlier rudeness, Immortal Master. I thought you were like other cultivators, delaying action to demand more benefit. That was my narrow-mindedness.”

He had believed Gao Zhengde had foresight, but that the man before him had delayed for profit, leading to disaster at the demon’s hands.

But now, it was clear he had misunderstood.

Su Jian did not wish to speak further, vanishing in a flash.

Though he headed toward the lake, he quietly slipped away mid-route.

Su Jian took out another Alien Pill and tossed it into his mouth.

His appearance changed once more, this time to an entirely new face, still utterly ordinary.

Su Jian couldn’t help but quip, “I might as well rename it the ‘Utterly Ordinary Pill.’”

But such trivialities were unimportant.

Just then, the system prompt sounded.

[Your Dao companion, Han Su, is cultivating. You gain cultivation sharing.]

Immediately, Su Jian felt a slight increase in spiritual power within his Violet Mansion.

Yet the increase was not enough for him to break through.

This was likely due to his Dao companion’s recent plummet in cultivation. The higher her cultivation, the more he shared.

Even so, when he sparred with her after her injury, he was still no match for her—her full strength far surpassed his own.

Su Jian found a secluded spot and sat down, contemplating how to respond to the unfolding events.

His scheme was set; he only needed the righteous alliance to take the bait.

Whether they believed what the City Lord’s officials told them or not did not matter. He was certain, once they learned this sole piece of information, they would investigate the lake.

Then, like dogs biting dogs, the strange power in the lake would most likely prove stronger.

Su Jian’s reasoning was hardly baseless.

If he was correct, Gao Zhengde’s original target was Su Henli, which perfectly explained why he did not alert the Evil Punishment Bureau.

Later, Su Jian appeared, looking easy to deal with.

But Su Henli, with her cultivation at the Divine Transformation stage, was unlikely to be as easily fooled as they imagined.

Unfortunately, Gao Zhengde’s cleverness was his undoing.

If it had been Su Henli instead, she might have relied on her Divine Transformation strength, dismissed Gao Zhengde, and agreed to go to the lake with him to investigate.