Chapter Forty-Two: Two Slaps Right Off the Bat

At this moment, Su Jian had already guessed Pei Aoyun’s identity with near certainty. Apart from the Righteous Alliance, there could be no one else. He still wanted to sound her out a bit, but given her level of intelligence, he could probably fool her eight times over.

Pei Aoyun hurriedly pressed, “Tell me quickly, what happened?”

Su Jian replied without hesitation, “I heard that recently a group of evildoers arrived in Lingzhou City. Just last night, they slaughtered everyone in the Wanbao Pavilion—there were no survivors.”

After a slight pause, Su Jian hesitated, “In addition to that...”

Pei Aoyun’s brows furrowed. “What else?”

This way of doing things… it felt oddly familiar. Could it be… their disappearance was related to the Wanbao Pavilion?

A shadow passed over Pei Aoyun’s gaze. Of all people, why did they have to provoke Wanbao Pavilion at such a critical moment?

Su Jian sighed, “Lately, murders and treasure-snatching have become commonplace in the city. Several itinerant cultivators have gone missing, likely killed, and even newborn children aren’t spared by these villains. Their shameless deeds are utterly appalling.”

He glanced at Zhao Qianxue. “My wife and I only fled Lingzhou to avoid falling victim to such scoundrels. We dared not linger in such a troubled place.”

After all, the other party was at the Nascent Soul stage. If not for desperation, he would have preferred not to use the Great Teleportation Talisman. Failing to eradicate the threat entirely meant future danger—if the other party relentlessly pursued them, it would only expose their whereabouts to the Righteous Alliance once again.

So at this juncture, it was best not to complicate matters.

Pei Aoyun’s eyes flickered. Suddenly she said, “From what I see, both of you are righteous people. With monsters wreaking havoc in Lingzhou City, we can’t just stand by. I hope you’ll lend me your aid.”

Su Jian’s mouth twitched and he immediately refused, “Sorry, friend. The two of us are too weak to serve as cannon fodder.”

He sneered inwardly—such a grand, righteous tone, exactly the style of the Righteous Alliance. First, they praise you to the skies, then try to bind you with morality? Did they think he was a naive child?

It seemed unlikely things would end peacefully today; he needed to prepare to respond, or the consequences would be dire. Now was not the time to risk everything for a small gain.

If he ran out of spiritual power, he could always earn more, but if his opponent escaped, that would be a real problem.

[Immobilization Talisman (Orange): Usable on cultivators below the Void Return stage. The user’s cultivation is completely sealed, rendering them immobile for three days.]

[Unlock for 80,000 spiritual points?]

He had hesitated before—80,000 was a hefty price, nearly as much as all he’d spent combined up till now.

But right now, it was the cheapest and most effective way to deal with Pei Aoyun. So what if she was at the Nascent Soul stage? If one strike couldn’t kill her, then ten, a thousand strikes would do. She wouldn’t even have a chance to let her soul escape.

[Current remaining spiritual points: 63,540.]

As Su Jian weighed his options, Pei Aoyun’s tone grew cold. “Are you perhaps from the demonic path? As righteous cultivators, we must step forward in times of crisis. You’d best reconsider.”

She put deliberate emphasis on the word “reconsider.” Given that those responsible for robbing the Wanbao Pavilion were likely her subordinates, she was unsure whether the news had spread. But regardless, the priority now was to contain the situation—at least for the time being.

Su Jian snorted. So she shows her true colors already, even resorting to threats. Such temperament—an embarrassment to Nascent Soul cultivators!

Meanwhile, several Immobilization Talismans had already been quietly readied in his other hand.

Pei Aoyun’s face stiffened. Did he just mock her? How dare he!

Her expression grew frosty. “You find my words laughable? I called you friend out of courtesy, but to speak bluntly, your cultivation is no different from an ant’s.”

Unfazed, Su Jian activated the Immobilization Talisman. Everything happened in a split second. Pei Aoyun’s arrogance froze on her face as she was caught completely off guard.

Su Jian didn’t bother exchanging another word. Villains died from talking too much—if only she’d been as cautious as he was, she wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Truly worthy of the Righteous Alliance’s hypocrisy—even when killing, they needed a grand, righteous excuse. If he weren’t so lazy, he’d applaud her for both her actions and her words.

But at that critical moment, a protective golden light flared up around Pei Aoyun. Though it couldn’t dispel the Immobilization Talisman’s seal, it would block his next attacks.

Now, even a thousand sword strikes wouldn’t work.

At this moment—

Pei Aoyun was paralyzed, unable to speak, but the shock and hatred in her eyes were unmistakable.

“Slap! Slap!”

Su Jian strode forward and landed two crisp slaps across her face. The sound was sharp and satisfying, but he still didn’t feel it was enough, so he gave her a few more.

Zhao Qianxue was dumbfounded by his actions… but, looking at it, she found it rather satisfying herself. Her hands itched to join in.

After all, Pei Aoyun had intended them harm—she’d just been on edge herself. She also had a Great Teleportation Talisman, but she certainly didn’t want to be separated from Su Jian.

So her resentment ran deep.

The next moment, after mimicking Su Jian and giving Pei Aoyun several more slaps, Zhao Qianxue finally felt much better.

Su Jian’s face grew grave. “This wretched woman has protective golden light shielding her. Hitting her now is no different from scratching an itch.”

Zhao Qianxue considered. “Then why not wait until the effect wears off, and kill her then?”

Su Jian glanced at her. “The one who placed that golden light in her body is thinking the same thing you are.”

This turn of events had genuinely caught him off guard.

Zhao Qianxue grumbled, “Then what should we do? We can’t just let her go—that would be too easy on her.”

In that instant, she understood what Su Jian meant: the activation of Pei Aoyun’s protective light would have alerted its caster. If they kept her with them, they’d only be inviting trouble. In a few days, the caster would have time to catch up—everyone knew what that meant.

For a moment, Zhao Qianxue couldn’t think of a better solution.