Chapter Sixty-Three: My Way Does Not Guide Those Destined for Misery

Suddenly, Shen Jingya lost all sense of Su Jian’s presence, causing her brows to knit in concern. Just as she was about to secretly follow him, Su Jian’s aura abruptly vanished from Yingdu City and reappeared beyond its walls. She had long heard tales of Su Jian’s skillful use of the Great Teleportation Talisman. Yet, without any apparent reason… why would he suddenly expend such a precious talisman, typically reserved for moments of life and death? The matter was highly irregular, and Shen Jingya felt a foreboding unease.

Without delay, Shen Jingya transformed into a streak of light, racing toward the spot where Su Jian had last disappeared. In the blink of an eye, she arrived at the very place where Su Jian had stood moments before, her expression now shadowed and grim. Yet there was no trace of Su Jian to be found.

“How strange…” she muttered.

There were no signs of a magical confrontation here. Still, it was entirely possible that Su Jian had met with misfortune, and something had gone awry with the Vajra Ring. Whoever was behind this was clearly prepared—and possessed the means to shield themselves from her senses.

For a moment, Shen Jingya’s mind swirled with conjecture. The events must have unfolded thus: the villain had intended to strike within the city, but Su Jian had escaped using the Great Teleportation Talisman. The villain, being overwhelmingly powerful, must have caught up with Su Jian mere moments later, even though he had fled a hundred miles away.

…

Mount Floating Cloud.

Within half an hour, Su Jian reached the nameless Taoist temple halfway up the mountain. The place where he had landed was only some twenty miles from Floating Cloud Mountain. On his journey, he received two updates regarding player movements:

[The Divine Master is on his way to Floating Cloud Mountain.]
[Ouyang Feng is on his way to Floating Cloud Mountain.]

Ouyang Feng was something of a wild card… But since he was coming anyway, perhaps Su Jian could make use of Ouyang Ke to squeeze a bit more value from him. As expected, the little advertisements he had posted in the city only attracted the attention of players. They hadn’t caused much of a stir in Yingdu City; otherwise, he would surely have heard some mention of them during his recent stay there.

After a bit of simple investigation, he quickly grasped the general situation of the nameless temple. It wasn’t occupied by any cultivator of note—within its walls were only three young Taoist acolytes, who appeared rather lazy and undisciplined, hardly the image of true ascetics.

Su Jian merely noted this in passing and didn’t dwell on the details. Exiting the temple, he lightly knocked on the main gate.

“Honored guest, please come in! Our humble temple may be small, but it has all the essentials. Here is the altar to the Spirit Officer…” The young acolyte greeted Su Jian with courtesy and began a guided tour.

Su Jian paid no heed to the introduction, only nodding perfunctorily. Then he casually inquired, “Little Taoist, where is your master?”

“My master has gone traveling. For now, this humble one is in charge. If you seek a blessing or wish to make an offering… sincerity brings results… and more incense is always welcome…”

Su Jian: “…”

This sales pitch caught him entirely off guard. So the little priest was a money-grubber… Here, have a Paralyzing Talisman as your reward.

In the blink of an eye, the three young acolytes stood neatly before him, each with a talisman stuck to their foreheads. It was a bit extravagant to use such a talisman on them, but since they were so plentiful, Su Jian found it of no consequence.

With a kindly smile, Su Jian said, “Gentlemen, I’ll be borrowing your temple for a while, and your Taoist robes as well.”

Not long after, Su Jian had changed into a set of robes, and the three acolytes were temporarily settled under the offering table. As planned, he made some subtle modifications to the divination stick cylinder.

Stepping outside, Su Jian closed the temple doors, took out a reclining chair from his storage ring, and lounged comfortably in the mountain breeze, which was cool and refreshing.

Dealing with players personally was something Su Jian found rather irksome—the process was always so troublesome. After all, players weren’t all fools, and each time he tried to trick them, it taxed his wits.

Before long, someone came to the nameless temple—but it wasn’t the Divine Master or Ouyang Feng. Instead, a young man and a middle-aged, portly fellow arrived.

The young man spoke, “Master, we’ve heard that a being from beyond the heavens is visiting your temple. Might such a being accept disciples?”

Su Jian glanced at him—mediocre talent, likely rejected by every sect, now hoping for luck with this otherworldly visitor. “Entrance fee: fifty spirit stones.”

“This… Master, could you grant some leniency? I can repay it in the future.”

“My path does not ferry paupers.”

Disappointment flashed in the fat man’s eyes as he turned to leave. Su Jian rose and blocked his way, smiling, “Sir, you bear the mark of wealth in your fate—you don’t seem like someone unable to spare fifty spirit stones. Why leave so soon?”

Truthfully, Su Jian had just decided to try a little side business.

This portly man was richly dressed and had the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment stage; he looked every bit the wealthy patron. If Su Jian didn’t take advantage of him, it would be a waste of opportunity. The business of commerce was still sluggish these days—if he didn’t find ways to supplement his income, that wretched system of his would surely starve.

“I thought this nameless temple might hold some hidden mysteries, but it seems… it’s just a scam,” the fat man said, originally intending harsher words, but remembering whose territory he was in, he held back.

But only a little.

Su Jian grinned, “Sir, you trespassed on my Floating Cloud Mountain uninvited. I never forced you to enter, yet now you slander me with your words. This has brought untold harm to my temple’s reputation. I fear the losses will be severe…”

The portly man’s eyes widened in disbelief. The young man was equally stunned; not only was the other party blackhearted, but shameless as well.

Su Jian wasted no more words, tossing two Paralyzing Talismans at them.

“Off you go!”

His main business was not yet complete—he couldn’t let them leave so early, lest they spoil his plans. Better to have them keep the acolytes company under the offering table for now.

Before that, Su Jian made sure to relieve the fat man of his storage ring, then stuffed the pair under the table.

Perhaps it was the years spent in the demonic sect, but Su Jian felt no guilt whatsoever.

Under the offering table, five pairs of eyes exchanged glances, wide and wary.

Su Jian opened the portly man’s storage ring.

“So much money, so soon!”

The man was indeed wealthy; the ring contained over seven hundred spirit stones, a generous amount of cultivation resources, and a rather mediocre cultivation manual. Clearly, his background was nothing special, or he wouldn’t be practicing such an ordinary technique, nor would his cultivation be anything remarkable.

Su Jian transferred everything into his own storage ring, then destroyed the original ring for good measure.

Moments later, the Divine Master finally arrived—thanks to the Rabbit Talisman, she appeared at his side in an instant. As for Ouyang Feng… he would need more time; his lightness skill was no match for the Divine Master’s talisman.

The Rabbit Talisman’s speed was probably on par with that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. All the better—if the two arrived together, it might complicate things.