Chapter Fourteen: Your Dao Companion Has Disappeared Without a Trace
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[Your cultivator partner, He Hansu, is facing a great calamity and is on the verge of death.]
[Your cultivator partner, He Hansu, has suffered a drastic decline in cultivation.]
[Your cultivator partner is now missing.]
As Su Jian was deep in thought, the system’s messages appeared once more in his mind. He hardly had time to grumble about the system’s poor timing. Staring at the two new notifications, he felt himself unravel instantly.
No way… His partner, whom he had yet to even meet, was already about to perish? At least let him share a bit more cultivation before meeting such an end.
Yesterday, Su Jian had been feeling uneasy. Ever since the last time he shared cultivation a few days ago, He Hansu had been silent. He’d thought she was slacking off in her cultivation—now he realized he had wronged her.
What a sin…
Could it be that the system brought misfortune, causing his partner to be doomed?
After mourning his unseen partner for a moment, Su Jian quietly slipped out of his room using a Concealment Talisman. Unlocking it had not been costly—just two thousand spiritual power points. It could evade the spiritual senses of those at the Nascent Soul stage, far superior to the concealment techniques he’d used before.
In addition, Su Jian had unlocked two other items in recent days, much like the way he had previously paired the Heavenly Star Thunder with the Five Venoms Powder.
[Blood Toad Gu: The afflicted’s spiritual power will be eroded until their Purple Mansion is exhausted. Effective on cultivators below the Void Return stage.]
[Purple Extreme Pill: Can suppress any Gu poison in the world, but cannot neutralize it. Its effects last for three days against Gu poison.]
He’d spent considerable effort discovering this combination.
Su Jian had been waiting for a breakthrough opportunity these days, and that opportunity rested with High Virtue, the City Lord.
From their first meeting, Su Jian sensed that High Virtue was not as simple as he appeared. A man who mastered extreme patience and possessed cunning could never be underestimated.
Initially, Su Jian was uncertain of High Virtue’s intentions, but after a probing encounter two days ago, he was almost certain the man was the one he sought. Perhaps High Virtue had learned that Su Jian was not allied with Su Henli.
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More likely, High Virtue intended to use him as well.
But that was not important; as long as Su Henli could be eliminated, a mutually beneficial alliance was not out of the question.
Soon, Su Jian’s figure appeared in an inconspicuous, dilapidated woodshed within the City Lord’s mansion.
Who would have guessed that such a humble woodshed concealed something extraordinary?
High Virtue had gone against convention; in most noble households, secret chambers were built within halls or pavilions.
Su Jian, familiar with the path, opened the secret passage with ease and vanished into the darkness.
About ten fathoms below, he reached the true location of the underground palace. It was not lavish, nor was it simple; carving out such a palace was no easy feat even for cultivators, suggesting the owner hid something shameful.
High Virtue bowed deeply. “Greetings, Immortal Master.”
He had wanted to address Su Jian as ‘Master Su,’ but recalling Su Henli, he inwardly cursed.
Su Jian waved away the formalities and found a seat. He got straight to the point: “Have you considered my proposal?”
Two days ago, he’d focused his attention on High Virtue. If the man refused, Su Jian had planned to quietly eliminate him.
Unexpectedly, following him revealed the underground palace—a pleasant surprise.
High Virtue smiled bitterly. “Do I have any reason to refuse?”
Su Jian noticed the reluctance and asked, “A wise choice, but if you have any concerns, speak freely. Do you still doubt what I said before?”
He hadn’t promised to meet High Virtue’s demands; listening cost him nothing.
He never expected true sincerity from High Virtue; he merely required a few victims about to meet their fate.
High Virtue laughed at himself. “I never thought you were testing me. If she wanted to kill me, it would be as simple as slaughtering a chicken—no need for such trouble.”
Then, he changed the subject: “But there is a troublesome matter that has plagued me for years. Though it is unrelated to the demon, I had hoped to ask her for help but feared her cruelty, so I never mentioned it. For the sake of the people of Lingzhou, I must ask you to help.”
“Oh?”
Su Jian raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
So this was High Virtue’s true motive. And he invoked the righteous cause of the common people, attempting a moral coercion.
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Things suddenly became interesting. Su Jian mused; High Virtue did not seem naive.
High Virtue’s expression was earnest. “In the lake within the City Lord’s mansion, a demon has been lurking. At first, I paid little mind, as it was nearly dead, but its breathing persisted. Over the years, signs of awakening have appeared. If it is not slain in time, the people of Lingzhou will suffer in the future.”
“I beg you, Immortal Master, to show mercy. I have heard that where demons dwell, opportunities arise; all such rewards shall be yours. In addition, I will offer further thanks, if you would not disdain it.”
Su Jian replied ambiguously, “To defeat a demon that brings suffering to the world is the duty of cultivators, a task we must not shirk. Yet this matter is not urgent. The pressing concern is how to kill Su Henli, the demon. If she lives, everything else is mere talk.”
As if he too could not speak with righteous fervor…
He suspected the old fox was hiding something; though the story seemed reasonable, it was riddled with flaws.
If a demon had been lurking for years, why had nothing been done?
Shouldn’t such a calamity be reported to the Jin Dynasty court as soon as possible?
The court’s strength, though not equal to the transcendental sects, was formidable; the Punishment Bureau was not to be underestimated.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.
A sleeping demon presents the best opportunity to act.
High Virtue himself said the demon showed signs of awakening several years ago—the same time Su Henli appeared in Lingzhou.
Thus, High Virtue’s failure to report was not because of Su Henli.
In any case, caution was wise; one must always be vigilant.
High Virtue agreed, “Immortal Master speaks truly. We must devise a foolproof plan. We have only one chance; if the demon notices, neither of us will survive.”
Su Jian then handed over the prepared Blood Toad Gu and Purple Extreme Pill, each in a porcelain vial. For safety, he had prepared three sets.
High Virtue asked, puzzled, “What are these?”
“Blood Toad Gu and Purple Extreme Pill. You know what to do next, I trust?” Su Jian replied, taking the opportunity to briefly explain their effects.
His explanation was intended solely to dispel High Virtue’s doubts.
Among clever people, sometimes words need not be too explicit.